Three really good mid-rounders, and three I hate.

[Direckshun]

TE Joe Don Duncan, Dixie State -- Get ready for the most uninformed opinion in this entire thread, but here goes. Dixie State is a Division II school somewhere in Utah, and it has precious little football tape on YouTube or anywhere else on the Internet, because they're sure as shit nowhere to be found on ESPNU. But there is some Duncan tape on YouTube, and... well, it's there. He runs some sloppy routes, is more or less open, receives the ball more often than he doesn't, and so long as he's going in the right direction, he's hard to bring down. He literally didn't do anything at the Combine other than lift, where he did a pretty impressive job with 35 reps, but you more or less expect that from a shorter-armed, 6'3" 270 lbs guy. He put up record-breaking numbers in Dixie State's offense, but watching his tape, I don't see impressive athleticism nor do I see any blocking, like, at all. He's going to need to block NFL defenders, so at the very least he's going to be a project's project in the NFL. Late rounder? Midrounder? UDFA? Who the hell knows. Sorry.

[Direckshun]

WR L'Damian Washington, Missouri -- Washington will have to change the kind of receiver he is to succeed in the NFL. Washington played for the Tigers as a semi-physical tweener between possession receiver and deep threat. Washington doesn't really have the skillset to effectively pull off either at the next level. Even though Washington can use his body pretty well, at nearly 6'4" and barely north of 200 lbs, he's not going to be the physical possession guy who is going to box out your average-sized DB in the NFL. And even though he has a nice mid-4.4 time in the 40, his get-off and his athleticism are very average and will allow most starting CBs to effectively counter his "go" and "post" routes. What Washington will have to make his money in this league doing is cleaning up his route-running, which could take a season or two for him to pull off. He's got long arms and on occasion, he does show a really good cuts in his routes -- and like I said, uses his body to shield off defenders well. But he's going to need separation at the next level, and while he has shown some really good cuts from time to time, he's nowhere near where he needs to be. If he can smooth out his routes, he has #2 WR upside. At this point, it's far more likely he ends up being a Junior Hemingway for a couple years before falling off the roster.

[Direckshun]

CB Marcus Roberson, Florida -- Roberson has a lot of work that needs to be done, as well as one major red flag. The most important thing here is the red flag: Roberson clocked a 4.61 at the Combine, and 4.6 is around the time I start to believe that CBs are undraftable; I think it's very likely Roberson falls like a rock. Roberson does sport a good 6'0" frame, however, with room to bulk up and get stronger (which he desperately needs, because he is simply not very strong and is going to get pounded by NFL WRs, blockers, and RBs). Roberson also shows poor technique in press man, which is the Chiefs predominant defensive scheme, but looks a lot cleaner in off man, but his lack of speed will scare off all man-coverage teams. But he's a good and willing tackler, which may suit him best for Cover 2 defenses. Really, Roberson's saving grace is his punt returning, where he looks like a really strong talent. Maybe a zone team rolls the dice on him in the late rounds.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

CB Marcus Roberson, Florida -- Roberson has a lot of work that needs to be done, as well as one major red flag. The most important thing here is the red flag: Roberson clocked a 4.61 at the Combine, and 4.6 is around the time I start to believe that CBs are undraftable; I think it's very likely Roberson falls like a rock. Roberson does sport a good 6'0" frame, however, with room to bulk up and get stronger (which he desperately needs, because he is simply not very strong and is going to get pounded by NFL WRs, blockers, and RBs). Roberson also shows poor technique in press man, which is the Chiefs predominant defensive scheme, but looks a lot cleaner in off man, but his lack of speed will scare off all man-coverage teams. But he's a good and willing tackler, which may suit him best for Cover 2 defenses. Really, Roberson's saving grace is his punt returning, where he looks like a really strong talent. Maybe a zone team rolls the dice on him in the late rounds.

Wasn't Joe Haden clocked at 4.65 at the combine?

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Wasn't Joe Haden clocked at 4.65 at the combine?

I think so, actually.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Wasn't Joe Haden clocked at 4.65 at the combine?

4.57

[Direckshun]

OT James Hurst, North Carolina -- Hurst will be a bit of a project at the next level, but you are looking at a guy who has all sorts of tools to eventually become a really quality tackle at the next level. The big problem, as literally all of his tape will tell you, is his complete lack of power in either pass protection or the run game. His runblocking is troublesome to grade, because 90% of it is double-teaming a DL, and the remaining 10% looks shaggy on the technique. The upside is immense, however. He's got a lean frame (6'5", 296) that can add weight, he is super nimble on the field, and has a really good kickslide that allows him to meet passrushers, whom he can mirror extremely well. North Carolina occasionally sent him to the second level, and he looks really comfortable there thanks to his great athleticism. So as long as he heals adequately from his season-ending leg injury, you have a lot to like in Hurst. I'd say he's a 3rd-5th rounder, depending on how he's bouncing back from injury.

[Direckshun]

He's strictly a zone CB, I'm afraid.

[Direckshun]

S CJ Barnett, Ohio State -- I have a really hard time disliking Barnett's game, because he reminds me so much of another Ohio State tweener who went on to be a decent NFL safety in Kurt Coleman. Like Coleman, Barnett is an athletically limited strong safety in a free safety's body (5'11", 196). But where Coleman plays with a fiery, world-beating passion, and Barnett's play is just enough to get by in that Ohio State defense. It's unfortunate -- Barnett can play like a sideline-to-sideline defender, but he's simply not big or strong enough to ward off blockers. His coverage is pretty much abysmal, as injuries forced him to play free safety all year for the Buckeyes, where he was just absolutely terrible. Barnett is, however, a strong tackler, but it's just not clear where that's going to get him if he can't keep up with RBs, gets torched by WRs, can't hold off blockers and is dramatically undersized for the one safety position he's best suited to play. Pass.

[Direckshun]

WR Matt Hazel, Coastal Carolina -- Man, I love this guy. I love watching him play, and I think he has a great enough skillset to become a solid #2 WR in the NFL eventually, or at least a really effective contributor as a #3 or #4 WR. First, the lowdown: Hazel is a very confident WR who runs excellent routes that more than make-up for his iffy speed (he ran a 4.5 40 at the Combine). At 6'1", 200 lbs, he isn't the biggest guy either, but he is so polished: he sits in soft spots in the zones, he works the outside of the hashmarks very well, he looks great with backshoulder passes, he is dynamic off bubblescreens... I think Hazel makes a ton of sense in the 5th or 6th round for a team needing more WR depth. He does so many things well and performed very well even against top flight defenses like South Carolina.

[Direckshun]

CB Walt Aiken, Liberty -- Got a roster spot you can use for two years while you basically build up a player from scratch? If so, Aiken would be a really awesome investment to make. Unfortunately, the Combine committed a tremendous error in not inviting Aiken to workout. Aiken looks very fast on tape, and even though he's only competing against inferior competition, he was able to hang with most receivers at Senior Bowl week -- which at least proves you've got the right material to work with. Did I mention he's long? 6'1", good bulk, and looks outstanding flipping his hips with deep speed. Aiken however, has essentially zero technique. He got by at Liberty by being bigger and faster than most of the people he was covering; he was far shakier and burned more frequently at the Senior Bowl. But it'll be super interesting to see where he ends up, and how much time he's given to develop.

[Direckshun]

Alrighty. I'll give it another look, and return to this thread with my thoughts.

But I don't know.

[Mugsy]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Alrighty. I'll give it another look, and return to this thread with my thoughts.

But I don't know.

He's far from perfect but he is solid imo.

On a side note, the fact that he was Bama's field general and not Ha Ha is interesting. Dorsey really did admire Lewis a lot for his ability in that role. It kind of makes me think he would pass on Ha Ha if he values it that much....

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Mugsy

He's far from perfect but he is solid imo.

On a side note, the fact that he was Bama's field general and not Ha Ha is interesting. Dorsey really did admire Lewis a lot for his ability in that role. It kind of makes me think he would pass on Ha Ha if he values it that much....

You know, after his rookie season, I had high hopes for Lewis. Perhaps he's not the guy for this type of defense, which really requires a free/back safety with a lot of range and length.

But, on a side note, **** the field general shit. If you are getting destroyed on passing, it doesn't matter if you are football's version of Erwin Rommel or not.

[Mugsy]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

But, on a side note, **** the field general shit. If you are getting destroyed on passing, it doesn't matter if you are football's version of Erwin Rommel or not.

I hear you.