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The Chick-Fil-A Bowl is over. Tennessee was in the game until wide receiver Denarius Moore dropped a sure touchdown bomb, after which his whole team simply fell apart.
A lot of interesting prospects in this game, led, of course, by Eric Berry, whom Todd McShay rates as the number-one prospect in the draft (I think McShay's real role at ESPN is to make Mel Kiper look good). Berry hit a guy hard enough in the first half to send him to the sidelines vomiting. Virginia Tech, though, did a good job of avoiding Berry for most of the game. He made a couple fairly routine plays, but really wasn't much of a factor.
I was interested in taking a good look at Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton. I've seen him, and I'm ready to move on. He made some good plays, but overall he didn't seem to have very good football instincts or pocket presence.
I also wanted to watch Montario Hardesty, the kind of big back that our gm likes. Virginia Tech stuffed the run pretty well, but Hardesty looked good to me. He runs with power and decent speed, and he blocks well. He also caught 4 passes for 79 yards and looked pretty natural catching the ball. If he's still around in the fourth round I'd be interested.
I liked Tennessee offensive tackle Chris Scott, 6'4 345, who has started at guard and who would no doubt be moved inside in the NFL. He's a bruiser, but he moves well, too, for a big man (better than, let's say, Trent Williams, to pull an example out of thin air).
Big Dan Williams, 6'2 330, had a pretty good game in a losing effort. He mostly lined up on the nose and was able to get off blocks and stuff holes. He also pursued well and was able to get some penetration. I think he's a late first-round/early second-round pick who has the potential to develop into something special.
On the Virginia Tech side, smallish defensive end Jason Worilds had a terrific game. Tennessee came into the game having only given up 12 sacks on the season, but Virginia Tech picked up 6 sacks tonight. Worilds led the effort with two sacks and a forced fumble (he might have shared one of the sacks). He put some consistent heat on the quarterback. Worilds will probably be a 3-4 linebacker in the NFL, and he appears to be athletic enough to handle it. I think he's likely to stay in school, but if he comes out early and is around in the third round, I'm interested.
He's not considered a pro prospect, and he'll probably never play a down at quarterback (except possibly in a wildcat formation) in the NFL, but I really liked Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He has a quick delivery, a strong arm, and put the ball on the money most of the time. He's also just plain cool. On one play, he faked a handoff, walked slowly and casually back a couple of steps, hiding the ball on his hip, as nonchalant as you please, and very sneakily handed the ball to a wingback on a reverse. It fooled the entire Tennessee team and went for a big gain. It was the best "statue-of-liberty" type play I've seen outside of Boise State. Taylor is under 6'1, so the NFL won't be interested in him, but I hope someone gives him a chance. He's a good athlete, and I think he deserves to be on an NFL roster in some capacity. Maybe somebody will take a flyer on him as a kick- return specialist or a wildcat quarterback and then find out that he can carry a team as a starting QB.
A lot of interesting prospects in this game, led, of course, by Eric Berry, whom Todd McShay rates as the number-one prospect in the draft (I think McShay's real role at ESPN is to make Mel Kiper look good). Berry hit a guy hard enough in the first half to send him to the sidelines vomiting. Virginia Tech, though, did a good job of avoiding Berry for most of the game. He made a couple fairly routine plays, but really wasn't much of a factor.
I was interested in taking a good look at Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton. I've seen him, and I'm ready to move on. He made some good plays, but overall he didn't seem to have very good football instincts or pocket presence.
I also wanted to watch Montario Hardesty, the kind of big back that our gm likes. Virginia Tech stuffed the run pretty well, but Hardesty looked good to me. He runs with power and decent speed, and he blocks well. He also caught 4 passes for 79 yards and looked pretty natural catching the ball. If he's still around in the fourth round I'd be interested.
I liked Tennessee offensive tackle Chris Scott, 6'4 345, who has started at guard and who would no doubt be moved inside in the NFL. He's a bruiser, but he moves well, too, for a big man (better than, let's say, Trent Williams, to pull an example out of thin air).
Big Dan Williams, 6'2 330, had a pretty good game in a losing effort. He mostly lined up on the nose and was able to get off blocks and stuff holes. He also pursued well and was able to get some penetration. I think he's a late first-round/early second-round pick who has the potential to develop into something special.
On the Virginia Tech side, smallish defensive end Jason Worilds had a terrific game. Tennessee came into the game having only given up 12 sacks on the season, but Virginia Tech picked up 6 sacks tonight. Worilds led the effort with two sacks and a forced fumble (he might have shared one of the sacks). He put some consistent heat on the quarterback. Worilds will probably be a 3-4 linebacker in the NFL, and he appears to be athletic enough to handle it. I think he's likely to stay in school, but if he comes out early and is around in the third round, I'm interested.
He's not considered a pro prospect, and he'll probably never play a down at quarterback (except possibly in a wildcat formation) in the NFL, but I really liked Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He has a quick delivery, a strong arm, and put the ball on the money most of the time. He's also just plain cool. On one play, he faked a handoff, walked slowly and casually back a couple of steps, hiding the ball on his hip, as nonchalant as you please, and very sneakily handed the ball to a wingback on a reverse. It fooled the entire Tennessee team and went for a big gain. It was the best "statue-of-liberty" type play I've seen outside of Boise State. Taylor is under 6'1, so the NFL won't be interested in him, but I hope someone gives him a chance. He's a good athlete, and I think he deserves to be on an NFL roster in some capacity. Maybe somebody will take a flyer on him as a kick- return specialist or a wildcat quarterback and then find out that he can carry a team as a starting QB.