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Ongoing thread on 2010 NFL Draft prospects

Mhartew

Juniors
Messages
1,033
Some o-line prospects to keep an eye on:
Mike Iupati G Idaho
Matt Tennant C Boston College
JD Walton C Baylor
Thomas Austin G Clemson
Maurkice Pouncey C Florida
Michael Pouncey G Florida

and some others
Dan Williams DT Tennesse
Brian Price DT UCLA
Allen Bailey DE Miami
Syd'Quan Thompson CB Cal
Tyson Alualu DE Cal
Kyle Wilson CB Boise State
Alterraun Verner CB UCLA
Micah Johnson ILB Kentucky
Noel Devine RB WV
Cameron Heyward DE Ohio State

Geez, some parents give their kids stupid names. What the f**k kind of name is Syd'Quan?
 

abpanther

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Staff member
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20,784
I finished watching the St. Petersburg Bowl between Rutgers and the University of Central Florida. My main reason for watching was to get a good long look at Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis, and I was very impressed.

UCF redshirt junior defensive end Bruce Miller was the All-Conference USA defensive player of the year. He had 12 sacks (10 solo and 4 half-sacks) this year and 7 last year. For most of three quarters, he lined up against Davis, and Davis completely shut him down. Toward the end of the third quarter, they took Miller off Davis, and Miller got a sack after lining up at a linebacker position on the opposite side and coming in unblocked.

Davis dominated everyone they put in front of him. He bulldozed them out of the way on running downs and stopped them in their tracks on passing downs. No one that he was blocking got anywhere near the quarterback. He stunned defenders with his punches, stepped back, and rode them past the quarterback when they tried to get around him to the outside. He snapped his man's head back with the impact of some of his blocks. Several times during the later stages of the game, UCF stunted their pass rushers away from Davis, leaving him with no one to block. Basically, they gave up trying to get anyone past him.

I was very impressed by three phases of Davis's game. First, he was consistently the first lineman on either side of the ball to move off the snap of the ball. Second, he has mastered the art of passing his man to an interior lineman, and then sliding out and eliminating a blitzer coming from the outside. Third, and this is what he does best, he pulls to his right on running plays and leads his running back through the guard/tackle hole on the right side of the line by destroying anyone in his way. Some of those collisions were highlight-reel stuff.

Davis is still a bit raw with his technique. He occasionally drifts too far back before taking on the pass rusher, and on a couple of running plays he left his man a little soon. But this is minor stuff. No one that he was blocking made a play all night long. He's got the size, strength, and quickness to be star in the NFL. I would definitely consider taking him with a mid first-round pick, and I would give him every opportunity to start at right tackle in his rookie season.

A note on alleged character concerns that have been brought up in relation to Davis. From what I've read, Davis is arrogant. He's been a star everywhere he's been, and he is cocky and apparently mouthy, but he has also backed it up with hard work and solid play. He originally came to Rutgers heavy (370 pounds), and his coaches gave him a weight that he had to make. The coaches never gave any details or said whether or not he made it, but after the big weigh-in they put him in the starting lineup. Davis says that he was told to drop his weight to 325, and he weighed in at 317. That was two years ago, and he's passed the eyeball test ever since. I'm not worried about either his cockiness or his weight. An NFL camp will take care of both.
 
Messages
13,777
Some o-line prospects to keep an eye on:
Mike Iupati G Idaho
Matt Tennant C Boston College
JD Walton C Baylor
Thomas Austin G Clemson
Maurkice Pouncey C Florida
Michael Pouncey G Florida

and some others
Dan Williams DT Tennesse
Brian Price DT UCLA
Allen Bailey DE Miami
Syd'Quan Thompson CB Cal
Tyson Alualu DE Cal
Kyle Wilson CB Boise State
Alterraun Verner CB UCLA
Micah Johnson ILB Kentucky
Noel Devine RB WV
Cameron Heyward DE Ohio State

Kyle Wilson :cool: whut whut!
 
Messages
13,777
So we all know the Lions or Raiders (whoever ends up getting the 1st pick) will end up taking Brady Quinn. But Notre Dame (Quinns team) will be playing LSU in the Sugar Bowl. Im actually really interested in catching a glimpse at the LSU QB Jamarcus Russell. He seems like a cant miss Prospect. Hes huge, yet has speed and has a helluva throw. Thatd be so awesome if the Raiders actually draft this future hall of famer and pass on wannabes like Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Darelle Revis and Joe Thomas!
 
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Messages
13,777
So, seeing that the Raiders have the Number 2 draft pick this year. It seems that we will miss out on Eli Manning. But thats ok! we are a stacked side atm. We already have Kerry Collins, so no need to draft Philip Rivers or Ben Roethlisberger! We already have a future all pro equivalent Receiver Core in Jerry Porter, Ronald Curry & Doug Jolley so no need to get Larry Fitzgerald. Amos Zereoue is the running back of the future so no need to pick up Steven Jackson. and well its pretty safe to say that our defense only had a minor hiccup this year so i see no point in wasting our time with Sean Taylor, Dunta Robinson, Deangelo Hall, Tommie Harris or Jonathon Vilma. I think the best option, the safest option is to draft Robert Gallery from Iowa. Hes the only sure thing in this draft!
 
Messages
13,777
I was not at all impressed with Justin Fargas last season. 1009 yards rushing in 14 games with the awful line we have may be impressive to some. but his 40yd time just isnt good enough. Michael Bush obviously isnt the answer either. I think its time we draft a running back, since our o-line doesnt matter and d-line is holding up well with stars like Terdell Sands. Now theres a few Running Backs that look alright this year. Felix Jones impresses the hell out of me. Chris Johnsons 40 time is amazing, then theres hacks like Jonathan Stewart and Rashard Mendenhall. But there is only 1 guy there that catches my eye. Darren McFadden. His speed is amazing. Nevermind that he goes down straight away after being touched!
 

abpanther

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20,784
Footnotes abpanter?

I've read some of the above before on sports websites ;-)

Cheers,


Yes they are footnotes, I download and watch quite a lot of college football.

Please provide a link to these websites coz it's the first I know of it (and yes I've been posting them on KFFL as well under my username 'Dre')
 

abpanther

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Staff member
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20,784
The Music City Bowl is over--not a bad game!

Kentucky held C.J. Spiller pretty much in check for three quarters, but they couldn't contain him in the fourth. Spiller's numbers weren't spectacular, but you can certainly see why he is going to be a high pick in the coming draft. He may not be quite as fast as Chris Johnson, but he's extremely quick and shifty, and he's stronger than I thought. The announcers indicated that he's a weight-room fanatic, and he battled tacklers hard tonight. One thing I didn't realize is that he's played most of this season with a turf toe injury that has required injections of pain-killer before nearly every game. He didn't take the injection tonight, and the camera caught him limping a little from time to time. He seems like a pretty tough guy! I think he's an every down back in the NFL.

Once again I was disappointed in Clemson DE/OLB Ricky Sapp. He didn't make a play all night until Kentucky's final drive, when, on a fourth- and-long, he caught the scrambling quarterback from behind and stopped him just short of a first down. It was an important play, but it was Sapp's only highlight for the entire game. Not only was he not a factor on pass plays, but he didn't hold the edge well on running plays, either. He frequently found himself trapped in the wash while the runner turned the corner on his side. Sapp keeps appearing in the first round of most of the mock drafts I've seen, but I can't see why.

The Clemson defensive player who impressed me the most was safety DeAndre McDaniel. He's a junior who is reportedly leaning toward staying in school, but if he comes out early he could be a first-round pick. He's 6'0 200 pounds and reportedly has sub-4.4 speed. He had 8 interceptions this year and is a very physical player. He finished tonight's game with either 14 or 15 tackles, two of them behind the line of scrimmage, and was especially tough in the fourth quarter with the game in the balance. I like his game a lot!

Jacoby Ford caught a long pass in the end zone, but was otherwise pretty quiet. He only caught two other short passes. Clemson only threw 14 passes tonight.

Kentucky DT Corey Peters, 6'3 295, is pretty quick and did a good job clogging up the middle for most of the game. He also pursues pretty well along the line of scrimmage all the way to the sidelines. He could be a decent 3-4 DE. I could see a team risking a mid-round pick on this guy.
 
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Tom155

Coach
Messages
15,659
The Music City Bowl is over--not a bad game!

Kentucky held C.J. Spiller pretty much in check for three quarters, but they couldn't contain him in the fourth. Spiller's numbers weren't spectacular, but you can certainly see why he is going to be a high pick in the coming draft. He may not be quite as fast as Chris Johnson, but he's extremely quick and shifty, and he's stronger than I thought. The announcers indicated that he's a weight-room fanatic, and he battled tacklers hard tonight. One thing I didn't realize is that he's played most of this season with a turf toe injury that has required injections of pain-killer before nearly every game. He didn't
take the injection tonight, and the camera caught him limping a little from time to time. He seems like a pretty tough guy! I think he's an every down back in the NFL.

Once again I was disappointed in Clemson DE/OLB Ricky Sapp. He didn't make a play all night until Kentucky's final drive, when, on a fourth- and-long, he caught the scrambling quarterback from behind and stopped him just short of a first down. It was an important play, but it was Sapp's only highlight for the entire game. Not only was he not a factor on pass plays, but he didn't hold the edge well on running plays, either. He frequently found himself trapped in the wash while the runner turned the corner on his side. Sapp keeps appearing in the first round of most of the mock drafts I've seen, but I can't see why.

The Clemson defensive player who impressed me the most was safety DeAndre McDaniel. He's a junior who is reportedly leaning toward staying in school, but if he comes out early he could be a first-round pick. He's 6'0 200 pounds and reportedly has sub-4.4 speed. He had 8 interceptions this year and is a very physical player. He finished tonight's game with either 14 or 15 tackles, two of them behind the line of scrimmage, and was especially tough in the fourth quarter with the game in the balance. I like his game a lot!

Jacoby Ford caught a long pass in the end zone, but was otherwise pretty quiet. He only caught two other short passes. Clemson only threw 14 passes tonight.

Kentucky DT Corey Peters, 6'3 295, is pretty quick and did a good job clogging up the middle for most of the game. He also pursues pretty well along the line of scrimmage all the way to the sidelines. He could be a decent 3-4 DE. I could see a team risking a mid-round pick on this guy.
how was kentucky LB Micah Johnson
 

abpanther

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how was kentucky LB Micah Johnson

Micah Johnson looked pretty good. He can fill the middle, but he doesn't have much range, I could see him being drafted in the mid rounds by a 3-4 team looking for a TED ILB.

Just went back and watched parts of the game again,I was disappointed by what I saw of him. Micah is very slow and he takes bad angles a lot of times. His best play was during a goal line stand where he hit the sneaking QB head-on. Clemson ultimately got their TD, anyhow. Late in the game, Micah did tackle RB C.J. Spiller from behind, but that was after about 8 yards gained.
 
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abpanther

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ab how did OG/C thomas austin go for clemson and Kentucky CB Trevard Lindley?

I feel lukewarm about Lindley. He is a bit light at 5'11" and 182 lbs. I think he may have covered his guys well because Clemson WR Jacoby Ford had few catches, although one of them was a bomb TD where Lindley dove futilely at Ford from behind near the goal line. I was not impressed by the way Lindley defended the Clemson RB's, as he seemed physically overmatched, strengthwise.
 
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Tom155

Coach
Messages
15,659
I feel lukewarm about Lindley. He is a bit light at 5'11" and 182 lbs. I think he may have covered his guys well because Clemson WR Jacoby Ford had few catches, although one of them was a bomb TD where Lindley dove futilely at Ford from behind near the goal line.
I was not impressed by the way Lindley defended the Clemson RB's, as he seemed physically overmatched, strengthwise.
i read lindley has been injured most of the year so that may explain it he was rated pretty highly before the season started, what about austin? and did you watch the usc/bc game if you did how did boston college center matt tennat play?
 

abpanther

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20,784
i read lindley has been injured most of the year so that may explain it he was rated pretty highly before the season started, what about austin? and did you watch the usc/bc game if you did how did boston college center matt tennat play?

G Thomas Austin had mixed results, as did all of the interior linemen for Clemson. Kentucky DT's penetrated up the middle repeatedly. However, Austin and the others did well on plays where RB C.J. Spiller ran amok on Kentucky.

C Matt Tennant played well except for one play where the ball slipped due to wetness, resulting in a bad shotgun snap.
 
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abpanther

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I watched UCLA come back and beat Temple in the Eagle Bank Bowl. Mostly I was interested in getting another look at DT Brian Price, and I came away with mixed, but mostly good feelings about him. I don't know how healthy Price was--or what kind of shape he was in--but he seemed to pace himself through the first three quarters and twice hobbled off the field. He only played about half his team's defensive plays in the first half, and didn't do a whole lot. He played much more in the second half and really turned it on in the fourth quarter. His overall performance was okay, bordering on very good.

Price was double-teamed on every play. He was extremely quick off the snap and was able to shoot through the double teams on occasion, although this often simply took him out of the play as the runner took off past him through a different gap. He showed very good pursuit from tackle to tackle, and sometimes a little farther. In the fourth quarter, he either stepped it up a notch or he had worn down his blockers, because he was in the backfield disrupting the play on nearly every down. He finished with two, possibly three tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and a couple more near the line of scrimmage. He also stuffed a couple of short yardage plays, including a fourth- and-a-foot attempt that may have turned the game around.

Price appeared to be a little fat to me, which leads me to believe that he might not have been in the best shape to play this game. Or maybe he's just one of those guys who carries a spare tire. His upper body, which he displayed by running around the field before the game in sub-freezing weather without his shirt on, is massive!

On the Temple side, I was pretty impressed with a nose tackle named Andre Neblett, who is listed as 6'2 300, but looks bigger. He was a classic 3-4 nose tackle who fought hard on every play to do the dirty work, occupy blockers, and clog the middle. He occasionally had success shooting the gaps, too. He was mean and violent! I like him as a late-round pick.
 
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