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

[Direckshun]

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.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

OG Trai Turner, LSU -- Turner is going to be a really good get for some team looking for a ten-year starter in the midrounds. I believe that Turner could have Pro Bowl potential because of the gifts he possesses. First of all, he's quite young as a red shirt sophomore. Secondly, as the Combine has proven, Turner is very athletic -- he ran the 2nd fastest 40 time with a solid 10 yard cut in the 1.7s. He's got long arms, at 34", and is very much a finesse player who can handle his own in space. Any and all ZBS teams should look at Turner in the midrounds. Turner's major weakness, however, is his strength. Even at 6'3", 315 lbs, he struggles to blast DTs off the ball. I don't like him a whole lot in short yardage situations, and it might be a year or two before he reaches his full potential in that regard. Everywhere else, especially if you like smart linemen who can pull and run, Turner is a winning prospect.

Really? I thought that Turner had great power when I saw him. When the other LSU OL players would collapse, he would be the one standing toe to toe with his DT. I thought his problem was with over-extending in pass protection at times and a lack of patience which got him in trouble at times.

[Direckshun]

RB Antonio Andrews, Western Kentucky -- I'll be super interested to see what becomes of Antonio Andrews in the NFL. You're talking about a perfect RB for a certain kind of scheme: downhill power running. At 5'10", 224 lbs, Andrews is a violent runner who never goes down without either (a.) breaking a tackle, or (b.) inflicting punishment. He uses his body extremely aggressively as a weapon, and though he's not going to fake anybody out, it's extremely difficult to bring him down with your arms or heads on solo. With good blocking, Andrews plays like he's 250 lbs, not 224 -- in every sense, too, because he's useless running off tackle, where defenses can just track him down. He's a good receiver as well, but his north-south running style will get him paid by a team needing a power back in the 6th or 7th round.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Really? I thought that Turner had great power when I saw him. When the other LSU OL players would collapse, he would be the one standing toe to toe with his DT. I thought his problem was with over-extending in pass protection at times and a lack of patience which got him in trouble at times.

I really like him in pass pro. Any issues he has there are going to be easily coached out of him. Where he's missing is that downhill run blocking.

He's a good runblocker at isolating his guy off, but even at his size, he's not a powerful guy, IMO.

[planetdoc]

Direckshun, are these your thoughts or are you just copy/pasta from someplace without attribution?

Antonio Andrews ran a 4.82 forty. His 10yrd split of 1.69 is equally as bad. He isnt a Dorsey guy.

[Direckshun]

They're 100% mine, informed almost entirely by tape I've watched. Easier than ever now thanks to great websites that document nearly every game in college football.

And I believe I indicated Andrews' complete lack of athleticism in my review on the guy -- or at least implied it. That's not what makes Andrews interesting to NFL teams. His nasty, aggressive running style is.

[planetdoc]

I'm just curious (and dont already have the answer to this question),

Can you name a RB in the last 10yrs who was successful in the NFL (such as a 1Kyrd/season rusher) with similar timed speed?

[Direckshun]

Oh man, I have no earthly idea.

First of all, I'd need a database for that information. I don't have it in my head.

Second of all, it'd depend on what you mean by "successful." Because you can be an effective role player, and if that's your ceiling, you are successful.

I think Andrews can be successful, but it'll have to be in a pretty specific circumstance, therefore the qualifier that I'd wait until the 6th or 7th.

[planetdoc]

I already qualified successful as someone who has had a 1000yrd season. If you are wanting a RB that is limited to a few short yardage snaps, I would think you could have a fullback do that (assuming your team even carries a fullback).

[Direckshun]

Ah. I hear ya.

Well then we have different definitions of what successful is.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by planetdoc

I already qualified successful as someone who has had a 1000yrd season. If you are wanting a RB that is limited to a few short yardage snaps, I would think you could have a fullback do that (assuming your team even carries a fullback).

Only one I can think of in the history of the NFL so far is Emmitt Smith. He ran a 4.8 at his combine.

[OldSchool]

Closest I can think of in recent memory is Arian Foster with a 4.68 and Blount with a 4.70.

[jonzie04]

lesean McCoy. not really the same thing... but if you think about the most shifty and elusive running back in the nfl "only" running a 4.5. it's not hard at all to see a more power, one cut back who can be successful running a 4.7-4.8

[planetdoc]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Only one I can think of in the history of the NFL so far is Emmitt Smith. He ran a 4.8 at his combine.

wow! didnt know that. thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Closest I can think of in recent memory is Arian Foster with a 4.68 and Blount with a 4.70.

thats a far cry from a 4.82 forty, and a 1.69 ten yard split.

Blount's best 40 (between combine and pro-day) is 4.59 seconds. His 10 yrd dash at the combine was 1.52 seconds.

Foster had a 1.62 ten yrd split. Smith and Foster ran behind some great lines.

Originally Posted by jonzie04

lesean McCoy. not really the same thing... but if you think about the most shifty and elusive running back in the nfl "only" running a 4.5. it's not hard at all to see a more power, one cut back who can be successful running a 4.7-4.8

McCoy still had a 1.52 ten yrd split. Guy can move. All these numbers just show how remarkable Knile Davis's combine was. He is an inch taller and 3lbs heavier than Antonio Andrews, but ran the forty in 4.35 seconds with a 1.49 ten yard split.

In the time it takes Davis to run 10yrds, Andrews has run just under 9 yards. By the time Davis has made it 40yrds, Andrews has run 36 yards....essentially 12 feet behind!

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I really like him in pass pro. Any issues he has there are going to be easily coached out of him. Where he's missing is that downhill run blocking.

He's a good runblocker at isolating his guy off, but even at his size, he's not a powerful guy, IMO.

You realize he had 64 knock downs last year and 115 in his career right?

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

You realize he had 64 knock downs last year and 115 in his career right?

I don't know, it's been lacking from the tape I've been watching.

Either way, if that's an element to Turner's game, than he's at LEAST a 2nd day guy. Because there's no debating he's a great athlete with good size.