Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick love pedigree. Just look at some of their selections over the years, from Bobby Carpenter to Marion Barber to Dan Klecko, all of whom have fathers who played in the NFL. Both coaches are football historians and hold a deep respect for those who have come before them. They also have ties, as does Eric Mangini, to Al Groh and the Virginia football staff. Even more than most teams, they could feel very safe drafting a player with Hall of Fame bloodlines who played for a former colleague. Honestly, I do not know that Chris Long will wind up slipping out of the top five. When that mock draft was written at the beginning of the month, that was the way I was hearing it would fall from extensive conversations with team sources. As of today, Chris Long actually seems to be gaining a little momentum. For anyone to project him as the best player in this draft I think would be surprising —I certainly have not heard a single evaluator ever reference him as that. He is a well-trained, highly productive football player. However, as you singled out with his 40-times that we reported, which were averaged from the hand-held results at the Combine — not the best electronic time, which was initially released by the NFL to encourage players to perform at the workout — the reality is that I do NOT think Long is an elite athlete. And if you watch the tape of some of the better competition he has faced, such as Boston College and Pittsburgh and even Texas Tech, I think you’ll see that he struggled to make his presence felt as a pass rusher. As you mentioned, his best fit in a 4-3 front would be as a strong-side, base end — which still holds a lot of value, but arguably not as much as a premium pass rusher who consistently pressures the quarterback. Bottom line: Chris Long does not show the burst to get to the quarterback off the edge on third downs, he is light and narrow-framed to play inside and he has little experience from a rush LB role. As a result, any 3-4 team that drafts him in the top 10 to be a 3-4 outside ’backer would be making a projection, which is usually a very scary proposition to make at any position in the draft’s top 10, given the investment that the selections require. Good read LINK http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDraft/Draft+Extras/2008/qa041608.htm
If you look at the below you will see the stengths of Golhston and Long. It is ironic that their times were both very very close in the 40 Chris Long Chris Long DE | (6'3", 272, 4.75) | VIRGINIA Strengths: One of the most versatile and polished prospects in the 2008 class. Possesses adequate height with outstanding bulk and all around strength. Can play DE in three-and-four man front, and also projects favorably as a 3-4 OLB. Displays explosive power with initial punch. He shows very first-step quickness, fires out with leverage and does a great job of knocking offensive linemen back with his initial pop. Displays outstanding power and technique in his club and rip moves. Does a fine job of protecting his lower body. Extremely powerful bull rush. Frequently will stand up the OL and drive him back into the QB. He is instinctive and does an excellent job of finding the ball while still fighting through blocks. He disengages quickly and is relentless in pursuit of the ball carrier. Never gives up on a play and his elite motor is infectious. He grew up around the game and knows what it takes to make it in the NFL. His overall intangibles and work ethic are as good as it gets. Also has been extremely durable to this point; missed time in 2004 due to illness but started every game from that point on (2005-07). Weaknesses: Lacks elite top-end speed. Will rarely win battles on pure burst off the edge. Very good athlete as a DE but there are still questions regarding his ability to flip his hips in coverage as a LB. Also can get washed out at times when asked to stack versus 300-plus pound OTs. Overall: Long appeared in 30 games (24 starts) in his first three seasons (2004-'06), recording 108 total tackles (24 for losses) and seven sacks. He turned in a brilliant senior year, collecting 79 tackles (19 for losses), 14 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception that Long returned 25 yards. He was a unanimous All-America selection, winner of the Ted Hendricks Award (given to the nation's top defensive end) and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. Long missed five games in 2004 while suffering from mononucleosis. He is the son of Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long. Long still has room to improve when it comes to fighting through double teams and he also lacks elite top-end speed. Otherwise, he's everything a NFL team looks for in a future perennial Pro Bowl defensive end. His combination of size, power, quickness and tenacity are unparalleled by anyone in college football today. Adding to Long's value is his versatility; he can play end in a three-and-four man front (or both in a hybrid) in the NFL. Long has made enormous strides during each of his three seasons at Virginia. If that trend continues as a senior, he will undoubtedly hear his name called in Round 1 of the 2008 draft. Vernon Gholston DE | (6'3", 266, 4.669) | OHIO STATE Strengths: Has the physical tools to develop into an every-down impact defender in the NFL. Possesses adequate height and bulk, but few prospects have a better physique. Very little body fat. Powerfully built with explosive strength for his size. Displays very good initial burst not elite level of Dwight Freeney (Colts), but only a notch below. Uses a wide array of pass rush moves. Can beat OT's with speed, power and fluid double moves. He's the only defender in past two years (from what we saw on film) to give Michigan OT Jake Long problems. He is strong enough to take on some blockers and anchor versus the run. Plays with good discipline. Seals off the end versus the run and will take on bigger blockers when asked to. He does an adequate job of protecting his legs as he works across the line on runs away from him. Hard worker off-the-field and obviously puts in more than fair share of time in the weight room. Weaknesses: Flashes upper-echelon skills but he's not consistent enough. Is strong but lacks ideal height/bulk to consistently anchor at the line versus bigger blockers. Would need to add some bulk in order to hold up as a fulltime end in a four-man front in the NFL. Still raw dropping into coverage and will need time to develop that aspect of his game assuming he's used to some degree as a hybrid end-linebacker type. Played in a heavy rotation at Ohio State, which kept him fresh a luxury he is not likely to have as a high picks in the NFL. Overall: Gholston played sparingly in six games as a freshman in 2004 and was redshirted in 2005 after breaking his hand in the season opener. He emerged as a force a year later and didn't miss a start in his last two seasons. In 2006, he finished with 8.5 sacks, 49 tackles and an interception. Last year Gholston set single-season (14) and single-game (four) school sack records on his way to being named a second-team All-America selection. He returned a fumble for a touchdown and posted 15.5 tackles for loss (for a career total of 30.5). It can get frustrating studying Gholston on film because he's inconsistent. There are times when he is flat-out dominant and there are other times that he will disappear. However, most of his best performances came in the Buckeyes' biggest games (notched four combined sacks in last two outings versus rival Michigan). Gholston has the potential to play wide-end in a four-man front and/or rush-linebacker in a 3-4 alignment. He is one of the top pass rushers in this year's class and his combine performance only verified his explosiveness in that regards. As a result, Gholston is a likely top-10 selection in the 2008 draft.
40 doesn't matter. Gholston has the quickest first step to go with his strength. Chris Long is more suited to play in coverage but Gholston is the best pure pass rusher in the draft. Groves you could make a case for, it all depends on who they take. Jake Long and Groves or Gholston and Cherlius/Collins.
OMG. Is the new BuckeyeKing actually going to endorse Gholston over Chris Long before the draft. Only ten days to go and it seems like the last statement has just elevate Gholston to equal status. Stay tuned to BuckeyeKing. Next week he may just have Gholston number 1
I'll take the 2nd option, though I think it's going to end up: Vernon Gholston, Chad Henne, Carl Nicks Personally, I'd like to see if we can't trade JT for another 2nd rounder and scoop up a CB like Charles Godfrey and take Kendall Langford in the 3rd.
Look this is who I wanted since the season ended Glen Dorsey (before BP took over) Chris Long, Ive been a big Chris Long advocate for a long time. Jake Long, I feel Jake Long is the right pick officially. Now I have not even endorsed taking Gholston. Now I feel any one of those players will make an impact. Chris Long is better overall but I feel Gholston has a higher potential. But what comes high potential comes a bust. Gholston=Boom or Bust.
Dorsey is the best guy out there... One more reason to hate the 3-4. My doubt has always been why are we so sure any of these kids can play OLB?
I like the 3-4, but this is a draft heavy with 4-3 guys at the top (Dorsey and Chris esp). Say hello to Jake Long
I don't like any OSU players.. That being said I do feel Gholston has a lot more upside and qucikness. He will be in the weight room and I belive he will study with the proper motivation to be a LT type player that's Lawrence Taylor guys, I think Parcells will have a heart to heart with him.
