Three really good mid-rounders, and three I hate. - Page 12

Direckshun · 01-30-2014, 01:15 PM

Just because. Midrounders are anything from low-3rds to 5th round.

I LIKE:

OT/G Joel Bitonio, Nevada -- At this point, he's looking more like a guard, since he played there all of the Senior Bowl. However, Bitonio played extremely well at the Senior Bowl, ending up one of my Top 10 players from that week. Bitonio (6'4", 307 lbs) is a very, very athletic tackle who could crawl into the 2nd round if that athleticism translates to a sub-5.0 40 time, which I honestly think it will. He looks like a great zone blocker at guard, but I honestly think he can play tackle -- he played Anthony Barr to a standstill. Blocked for the NCAA's 2nd most rush yards, and held excellent protection at left tackle for the Wolf Pack.

DE/DT Dominique Easley, Florida -- I absolutely adore Easley. Extremely high effort, high-athleticism guy who absolutely never quits. He can push back against bigger OLs, and penetrate, penetrate, penetrate. The big question is -- where do you put him. He played everywhere in Florida's 4-3, but 280 lbs is pretty light for defensive tackle in the NFL, even at undertackle. He's a little on the short side (6'2") but powerful enough for DE in the 4-3, but he played primarily at DT for the Gators, so he's a project there. As for the 3-4... I hate him on the edge in a two-point stance. His first step is far too valuable to take him out of the three-point. So he'd have to play DE in our system, making him purely a passrush specialist. I don't know if that'd be worth the 3rd we'd have to spend to get him, but I really want him on our roster. He's 1st round talent, coming off a terrible ACL tear.

TE Xavier Grimble, USC -- I think Grimble is going to pleasantly surprise everybody. His numbers in college were hampered by the great talent he played with and the injuries he suffered, but here's what we do know: Grimble is a fast, athletic, big (6'5", 255) tight end with good hands. His performance at the Combine could endear him to a lot of people, if he holds his own in blocking drills and looks sharp getting in and out of the cuts in his routes.

I DON'T LIKE:

S Ahmad Dixon, Baylor -- Bernard Pollard 2.0. If you want big hits, he's an option. But even with those big hits, Dixon (6'0", 205) isn't that great in the run game, and he's disasterous in the passing game. He doesn't break down for tackles at all, and will throw his shoulder instead of wrapping up. His coverage will be passable on backs out of the flat, but he will struggle keeping up with NFL caliber TEs and god help him against WRs. More of a strong safety. No discipline. Had an assault charge on him over the offseason.

ILB/OLB Lamin Borrow, LSU -- Can somebody tell me why anybody thinks anything of this guy? He's consistently rated as a mid-rounder but aside from his rangey speed, I don't see why. He's not good in coverage. He can't shed blocks. He doesn't make plays behind the line of scrimmage. He's fast but not especially so. He's not especially big (6'2", 232). He's just a guy. He's not a difference maker, wasn't in college, and won't be in the NFL. Blah.

OLB Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State -- A great athlete with a good motor, but undersized. He has some experience standing up, but he really struggled against the scant NFL talent he went up against. The best player he played all year was Bitonio, and he avoided him most of the game. The few meetings these players had was soundly won by Bitonio. He's just too undersized to play in a three-point stance in a 4-3, so he'd have to occupy some Von Miller role as an OLB in that setup, but he has almost no experience in coverage. I think Lawrence will be a valuable special teamer, nothing more.

htismaqe · 03-04-2014, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

OT?/G Michael Schofield, Michigan -- I reviewed Hakeem Smith a day ago -- a Louisville safety whose legit promise as a prospect is completely overshadowed by his safety teammate who will likely go in the 1st round. Same thing here: Schofield is a good looking guard/tackle prospect who is overlooked entirely because his teammate who played the same position is now likely to go in the top 20 selections. But don't sleep on Schofield. He has all of Taylor Lewan's technique, and like Lewan, plays with great power. He is always vulnerable against speed rushers, however, so he's moved in to guard for Draft season. That'll allow him to use his superior strength to stonewall power rushers, which he frequently did on the edge for the Wolverines. He does have (right) tackle experience, however, and also looks athletic enough to pull and get to the second level (his Combine 40 was 5.0 with a 1.71 get-off), but his technique at the 2nd level is atrocious. I think Schofield has starter potential in the NFL, but will need at least a year to work on his technique at the second level, and to potentially get stronger (he didn't lift at the Combine), since I think his best fit is in a power system. Makes sense as a 6th or 7th rounder.

Nice find. Schofield is a quality player.

Direckshun · 03-04-2014, 11:07 AM

DE/OLB? Michael Sam, Missouri -- The truism I hold to most days is that the Combine can't hurt you, but it can sure help. But there are rare exceptions to that, and the big sinker this year seems to be Michael Sam. Which is unfortunate -- Sam proved all year that he is a terror off the edge, and his personal story and character are through the roof. But he's so limited in what he can do: he's not going to play sideline-to-sideline well, and he can't drop back into coverage, which all but kills his appeal to 3-4 teams. At this point he looks like a passrush specialist on 3rd-and-longs, which is always needed in the NFL, but he's going to have to earn it on special teams and play his way up the depth chart from there.

Direckshun · 03-04-2014, 11:44 AM

S Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama -- I've been looking at some teammates over the past couple days who have been overshadowed by their high-1st-round teammates, and Sunseri's the latest. Whereas the Crimson Tide let HaHa Clinton-Dix roam all over the field, they typically let Sunseri hang back in either single-high or double-high to theoretically take away the deep ball. The problem: Sunseri never took away the deep ball. There are fewer safeties I've watched tape on this Draft season that take worse angles, and are worse in coverage than Sunseri. Opposing QBs regularly bombed away on the Crimson Tide as Sunseri looked downright lost, especially as a single-high guy where he routinely undercut routes rather than taking the top off. You see this against A&M, you see it against Virginia Tech, you see it against Oklahoma. Now consider that virtually every Alabama DB that's come out under Saban has never lived up to their Draft season potential. Sunseri is, to me, undraftable; I'd maybe look at him as a UDFA. But probably not even then. Avoid.

Direckshun · 03-05-2014, 10:29 AM

CB Ross Cockrell, Duke -- If you love watching zone CBs as much as I do, you'll recognize that there's a certain beauty to how well CBs can engage WRs, then disengage them as they weave into somebody else's zone, then re-locate their next WR to engage. Cockrell is the picture perfect CB in this kind of scheme. Duke's zone defense wasn't terribly great, but Cockrell played his position extremely well, weaving throughout the defense and using his (lackluster) teammates to the best of his ability to cover receivers, even occasionally having to play man coverage -- where he mostly looks very good as well. Teams that play zone primarily will love him for that reason alone. He's a solid 6'0", 195 lbs as well, which will help, though he is no physical wonder. The big problem with Cockrell is that his tackling and run support are extremely poor. He's not particularly aggressive, takes poor angles and loses the ballcarrier as often as he brings him down. He will absolutely have to be a better tackler in zones like the Cover 2, that will need to become a critical part of his game. If he tackled as well as he works the zone, he could sneak into the 2nd day. As he is, he'll require extensive coaching, and may fall deep in the Draft because of it.

Direckshun · 03-05-2014, 02:20 PM

CB Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma -- A potential second-day pick now becomes a threat to drop into UDFA after Aaron Colvin tore his ACL at a Senior Bowl practice. It goes without saying that this is extremely unfortunate for Colvin, but can be turned into a positive for a team that needs longterm reinforcements at CB. If Colvin goes anywhere, he's going to go into the IR cave, making his actual rookie year 2015. So good news: if your team wants a potential starter-caliber corner, you can scoop him up in the late rounds or UDFA. And that's what Colvin is: he's a player that's dramatically undersized at less than 180 lbs, but he's a scrapper with good speed that's played a ton of pro-style off man coverage. Colvin is also an excellent tackler and plays very hard, but his lean physique will mean he'll need a year to get used to his new playing weight. My guess is, he ends up as a UDFA and spends 2014 on IR before having to fight through special teams to get on a roster in 2015.

Direckshun · 03-06-2014, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

QB Brett Smith, Wyoming -- If you took all of the worst stereotypes of what we Chiefs fans thought of Alex Smith before he was traded here, and subtracted what size Alex Smith actually has, then you end up with Brett Smith (no relation). Like Alex, Brett can be effective in very limited offenses where all the pieces are in place for him. Brett does possess some ability to improvise, and his athleticism is off the charts (expect him to run a 4.5). His throwing motion is very efficient and fast, but anything past 20 yards is anybody's guess. I like that he goes through his reads easily, but his decisions are usually safe ones on route trees that Chiefs fans would remember from the first 9 weeks of Alex Smith's 2013 season. It's possible he develops, but I don't know how -- he has his throwing motion down, he can go through reads, etc. He's just very physically limited. Some people are very high on this guy, but I'll be surprised if he gets drafted.

I'm radically changing this opinion soon. You've all been warned.

I think Brett Smith has tons of promise.

Direckshun · 03-07-2014, 10:51 AM

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 · 03-07-2014, 11:15 AM

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 · 03-07-2014, 12:01 PM

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.

Direckshun · 03-09-2014, 12:33 AM

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.

RunKC · 03-09-2014, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

CB Ross Cockrell, Duke -- If you love watching zone CBs as much as I do, you'll recognize that there's a certain beauty to how well CBs can engage WRs, then disengage them as they weave into somebody else's zone, then re-locate their next WR to engage. Cockrell is the picture perfect CB in this kind of scheme. Duke's zone defense wasn't terribly great, but Cockrell played his position extremely well, weaving throughout the defense and using his (lackluster) teammates to the best of his ability to cover receivers, even occasionally having to play man coverage -- where he mostly looks very good as well. Teams that play zone primarily will love him for that reason alone. He's a solid 6'0", 195 lbs as well, which will help, though he is no physical wonder. The big problem with Cockrell is that his tackling and run support are extremely poor. He's not particularly aggressive, takes poor angles and loses the ballcarrier as often as he brings him down. He will absolutely have to be a better tackler in zones like the Cover 2, that will need to become a critical part of his game. If he tackled as well as he works the zone, he could sneak into the 2nd day. As he is, he'll require extensive coaching, and may fall deep in the Draft because of it.

Really like this kid. 12 INT's and 42 pass breakups in his career at Duke. That's impressive. He also lit up the Shrine Game.

Really like his ball skills. He'd be a solid mid round pick to develop.

Direckshun · 03-09-2014, 12:58 AM

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

Direckshun · 03-09-2014, 01:07 AM

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 · 03-09-2014, 01:34 AM

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 · 03-09-2014, 02:13 AM

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.

01-30-2014, 01:15 PM
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	Three really good mid-rounders, and three I hate. Just because. Midrounders are anything from low-3rds to 5th round. I LIKE: OT/G Joel Bitonio, Nevada -- At this point, he's looking more like a guard, since he played there all of the Senior Bowl. However, Bitonio played extremely well at the Senior Bowl, ending up one of my Top 10 players from that week. Bitonio (6'4", 307 lbs) is a very, very athletic tackle who could crawl into the 2nd round if that athleticism translates to a sub-5.0 40 time, which I honestly think it will. He looks like a great zone blocker at guard, but I honestly think he can play tackle -- he played Anthony Barr to a standstill. Blocked for the NCAA's 2nd most rush yards, and held excellent protection at left tackle for the Wolf Pack. DE/DT Dominique Easley, Florida -- I absolutely adore Easley. Extremely high effort, high-athleticism guy who absolutely never quits. He can push back against bigger OLs, and penetrate, penetrate, penetrate. The big question is -- where do you put him. He played everywhere in Florida's 4-3, but 280 lbs is pretty light for defensive tackle in the NFL, even at undertackle. He's a little on the short side (6'2") but powerful enough for DE in the 4-3, but he played primarily at DT for the Gators, so he's a project there. As for the 3-4... I hate him on the edge in a two-point stance. His first step is far too valuable to take him out of the three-point. So he'd have to play DE in our system, making him purely a passrush specialist. I don't know if that'd be worth the 3rd we'd have to spend to get him, but I really want him on our roster. He's 1st round talent, coming off a terrible ACL tear. TE Xavier Grimble, USC -- I think Grimble is going to pleasantly surprise everybody. His numbers in college were hampered by the great talent he played with and the injuries he suffered, but here's what we do know: Grimble is a fast, athletic, big (6'5", 255) tight end with good hands. His performance at the Combine could endear him to a lot of people, if he holds his own in blocking drills and looks sharp getting in and out of the cuts in his routes. I DON'T LIKE: S Ahmad Dixon, Baylor -- Bernard Pollard 2.0. If you want big hits, he's an option. But even with those big hits, Dixon (6'0", 205) isn't that great in the run game, and he's disasterous in the passing game. He doesn't break down for tackles at all, and will throw his shoulder instead of wrapping up. His coverage will be passable on backs out of the flat, but he will struggle keeping up with NFL caliber TEs and god help him against WRs. More of a strong safety. No discipline. Had an assault charge on him over the offseason. ILB/OLB Lamin Borrow, LSU -- Can somebody tell me why anybody thinks anything of this guy? He's consistently rated as a mid-rounder but aside from his rangey speed, I don't see why. He's not good in coverage. He can't shed blocks. He doesn't make plays behind the line of scrimmage. He's fast but not especially so. He's not especially big (6'2", 232). He's just a guy. He's not a difference maker, wasn't in college, and won't be in the NFL. Blah. OLB Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State -- A great athlete with a good motor, but undersized. He has some experience standing up, but he really struggled against the scant NFL talent he went up against. The best player he played all year was Bitonio, and he avoided him most of the game. The few meetings these players had was soundly won by Bitonio. He's just too undersized to play in a three-point stance in a 4-3, so he'd have to occupy some Von Miller role as an OLB in that setup, but he has almost no experience in coverage. I think Lawrence will be a valuable special teamer, nothing more.
Posts: 59,258

03-04-2014, 11:07 AM	#167
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	DE/OLB? Michael Sam, Missouri -- The truism I hold to most days is that the Combine can't hurt you, but it can sure help. But there are rare exceptions to that, and the big sinker this year seems to be Michael Sam. Which is unfortunate -- Sam proved all year that he is a terror off the edge, and his personal story and character are through the roof. But he's so limited in what he can do: he's not going to play sideline-to-sideline well, and he can't drop back into coverage, which all but kills his appeal to 3-4 teams. At this point he looks like a passrush specialist on 3rd-and-longs, which is always needed in the NFL, but he's going to have to earn it on special teams and play his way up the depth chart from there.
Posts: 59,258

03-04-2014, 11:44 AM	#168
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	S Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama -- I've been looking at some teammates over the past couple days who have been overshadowed by their high-1st-round teammates, and Sunseri's the latest. Whereas the Crimson Tide let HaHa Clinton-Dix roam all over the field, they typically let Sunseri hang back in either single-high or double-high to theoretically take away the deep ball. The problem: Sunseri never took away the deep ball. There are fewer safeties I've watched tape on this Draft season that take worse angles, and are worse in coverage than Sunseri. Opposing QBs regularly bombed away on the Crimson Tide as Sunseri looked downright lost, especially as a single-high guy where he routinely undercut routes rather than taking the top off. You see this against A&M, you see it against Virginia Tech, you see it against Oklahoma. Now consider that virtually every Alabama DB that's come out under Saban has never lived up to their Draft season potential. Sunseri is, to me, undraftable; I'd maybe look at him as a UDFA. But probably not even then. Avoid.
Posts: 59,258

03-05-2014, 10:29 AM	#169
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	CB Ross Cockrell, Duke -- If you love watching zone CBs as much as I do, you'll recognize that there's a certain beauty to how well CBs can engage WRs, then disengage them as they weave into somebody else's zone, then re-locate their next WR to engage. Cockrell is the picture perfect CB in this kind of scheme. Duke's zone defense wasn't terribly great, but Cockrell played his position extremely well, weaving throughout the defense and using his (lackluster) teammates to the best of his ability to cover receivers, even occasionally having to play man coverage -- where he mostly looks very good as well. Teams that play zone primarily will love him for that reason alone. He's a solid 6'0", 195 lbs as well, which will help, though he is no physical wonder. The big problem with Cockrell is that his tackling and run support are extremely poor. He's not particularly aggressive, takes poor angles and loses the ballcarrier as often as he brings him down. He will absolutely have to be a better tackler in zones like the Cover 2, that will need to become a critical part of his game. If he tackled as well as he works the zone, he could sneak into the 2nd day. As he is, he'll require extensive coaching, and may fall deep in the Draft because of it.
Posts: 59,258

03-05-2014, 02:20 PM	#170
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	CB Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma -- A potential second-day pick now becomes a threat to drop into UDFA after Aaron Colvin tore his ACL at a Senior Bowl practice. It goes without saying that this is extremely unfortunate for Colvin, but can be turned into a positive for a team that needs longterm reinforcements at CB. If Colvin goes anywhere, he's going to go into the IR cave, making his actual rookie year 2015. So good news: if your team wants a potential starter-caliber corner, you can scoop him up in the late rounds or UDFA. And that's what Colvin is: he's a player that's dramatically undersized at less than 180 lbs, but he's a scrapper with good speed that's played a ton of pro-style off man coverage. Colvin is also an excellent tackler and plays very hard, but his lean physique will mean he'll need a year to get used to his new playing weight. My guess is, he ends up as a UDFA and spends 2014 on IR before having to fight through special teams to get on a roster in 2015.
Posts: 59,258

03-07-2014, 10:51 AM	#172
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	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.
Posts: 59,258

03-07-2014, 11:15 AM	#173
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	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.
Posts: 59,258

03-07-2014, 12:01 PM	#174
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	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.
Posts: 59,258

03-09-2014, 12:33 AM	#175
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	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.
Posts: 59,258

03-09-2014, 12:58 AM	#177
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	He's strictly a zone CB, I'm afraid.
Posts: 59,258

03-09-2014, 01:07 AM	#178
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	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.
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03-09-2014, 01:34 AM	#179
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	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.
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03-09-2014, 02:13 AM	#180
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4403447	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.
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