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04-14-2008, 12:59 AM
Michigan's Long holds same promise as former Big Ten rival
By Vic Carucci | NFL.com
Senior Columnist
Much has been made about the tremendous quality and depth at offensive tackle in this year's NFL draft, but the strongest statement might very well be yet to come.
The Miami Dolphins' contract negotiations with former Michigan standout Jake Long create the distinct possibility of a tackle being selected with the first overall pick on April 26. If it happens it will be, in part, a reflection on the Dolphins' ability to work a better deal with Long than with other highly regarded prospects, such as defensive linemen Vernon Gholston and Chris Long.
But it also will speak plenty about the dominance Jake Long showed during his career at Michigan -- the sort of dominance that Joe Thomas, the third overall choice a year ago, displayed as a rookie left tackle for the Cleveland Browns.
"They are few and far between," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said of finding a rookie tackle of Thomas' caliber. "You just don't know until you get them in there and see what they can do. But we felt very fortunate that we got a Joe Thomas because now he's proven that he can play in the league, and he'll be a good left tackle for a long time."
Knowing how vitally important Thomas was to the sudden surge of the Browns' offense in 2007, other teams in desperate need of help at the position -- and that would include the Dolphins -- are viewing Long in the same light. The last offensive tackle selected No. 1 overall was Orlando Pace, by the St. Louis Rams in 1997. Pace proceeded to have a sterling career, something coach Scott Linehan has been able to witness from close range for the past two seasons. So, in assessing Long, he knows of what he speaks.
"He's one of the best tackles I've ever seen," Linehan says.
And there are some other very good ones in this draft: Boise State's Ryan Clady, Vanderbilt's Chris Williams, Pittsburgh's Jeff Otah, USC's Sam Baker, and Boston College's Gosder Cherilus. Many projections have up to a half dozen offensive tackles going in the first round (that group also could include Virginia guard Branden Albert, who is nimble enough to play tackle). If that were to happen, it would be the most since the draft began in 1936.
Five has been the maximum number of offensive tackles to be taken in the draft, and that has only happened four times (1995, 1992, 1977, and 1968). Since '95, the average number of players at the position chosen in the first round is 2.9. The three taken there last year -- Thomas, Levi Brown (Arizona), and Joe Staley (by San Francisco) -- were first-year starters.
Although Thomas was the only one to make the Pro Bowl, a rare achievement for a rookie, the other teams in this copycat league paid close attention to the impact the trio made. They also were quite aware of a few prominent tackle flops -- Robert Gallery, whom the Oakland Raiders made the No. 2 overall pick in 2004; Mike Williams, whom the Buffalo Bills made the No. 4 overall choice in 2002, and Tony Mandarich, whom the Green Bay Packers made the No. 2 overall pick in 1989.
Pat Kirwan's take: NFL people are pleased with the number of solid tackle candidates in this year's draft, but the rich talent pool will dry up before all the clubs in need of a tackle get a chance to select one. There are six tackles with first-round grades and another three with solid second-round grades, but by my count 15 teams need to take a tackle in the first day of the draft. The supply might not meet the need this year.
If a team comes into the 2008 draft looking for a guard or center, the bad news is there isn't much talent. As one NFL line coach said when I asked him to grade the guards and centers: "I don't like to give an F so let's just say it is C-minus at best."
The truth is that a number of coaches are looking to the rich tackle pool of talent to perhaps uncover a better guard or center candidate than the ones they have seen in workouts. A guy like Sam Baker from USC might be the seventh-ranked tackle on some draft boards but he might be the third guard prospect. And I'm pretty sure a few teams believe they could turn the four-year starter into a terrific center, too. Another coach mentioned Toledo's John Greco, a college tackle, as a candidate for the inside positions.
It isn't true that every tackle who fails on the outside can just move inside and excel. The NFL tackles are big and powerful, and if these offensive tackles moving inside can't anchor and stop power, they can't play inside.
I have ranked the top 10 tackles that should all be gone by the end of the second round and the top five guards and centers, some of whom might not hear their name called until late in the fifth round. I have watched most of the players for at least two game tapes watched the men who were at the Senior Bowl and interviewed many of them in the last two months.
However, for the most part, NFL clubs find safety in investing a first-round pick in a tackle.
One reason is that an offensive lineman's responsibilities generally don't change much from college to the NFL. At both levels, he is part of a five-man unit usually working against four pass-rushers. Getting acclimated with four linemates isn't easy, but can be less of a challenge than what other players on offense face. For instance, a college quarterback often finds works from shotgun formation in college and is under center in the NFL. Some college and pro teams tend to use two receivers, while others go with four.
"There is more consistency in the evaluation of offensive linemen from college to pro than any other position," Browns general manager Phil Savage says. "And that equates to high draft picks being more successful."
So does history.
"Tackles, usually, historically, are a relatively safe position to take high, so I think it's an attractive position for teams," Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney says. "The guys who were taken high have traditionally done well in this league."
The Class of '07, especially Thomas, is proof of that.
Long and several other member of the Class of 2008 hold the same promise.
Kevin Colbert, the Pittsburgh Steelers' director of football operations, calls it the best group of tackles he has seen in 24 years of evaluating NFL talent.
"This class is so deep that you're going to get a top talent anywhere in the first through third rounds," Colbert says. "It's really a strong group. The majority of them can play on the left side or play both sides.
"It's unusual to have that many guys that big, that athletic and that productive."
If a half-dozen are chosen in the first round -- and especially if Long is the top overall pick -- the '08 draft could go down as the Year of the Offensive Tackle.
By Vic Carucci | NFL.com
Senior Columnist
Much has been made about the tremendous quality and depth at offensive tackle in this year's NFL draft, but the strongest statement might very well be yet to come.
The Miami Dolphins' contract negotiations with former Michigan standout Jake Long create the distinct possibility of a tackle being selected with the first overall pick on April 26. If it happens it will be, in part, a reflection on the Dolphins' ability to work a better deal with Long than with other highly regarded prospects, such as defensive linemen Vernon Gholston and Chris Long.
But it also will speak plenty about the dominance Jake Long showed during his career at Michigan -- the sort of dominance that Joe Thomas, the third overall choice a year ago, displayed as a rookie left tackle for the Cleveland Browns.
"They are few and far between," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said of finding a rookie tackle of Thomas' caliber. "You just don't know until you get them in there and see what they can do. But we felt very fortunate that we got a Joe Thomas because now he's proven that he can play in the league, and he'll be a good left tackle for a long time."
Knowing how vitally important Thomas was to the sudden surge of the Browns' offense in 2007, other teams in desperate need of help at the position -- and that would include the Dolphins -- are viewing Long in the same light. The last offensive tackle selected No. 1 overall was Orlando Pace, by the St. Louis Rams in 1997. Pace proceeded to have a sterling career, something coach Scott Linehan has been able to witness from close range for the past two seasons. So, in assessing Long, he knows of what he speaks.
"He's one of the best tackles I've ever seen," Linehan says.
And there are some other very good ones in this draft: Boise State's Ryan Clady, Vanderbilt's Chris Williams, Pittsburgh's Jeff Otah, USC's Sam Baker, and Boston College's Gosder Cherilus. Many projections have up to a half dozen offensive tackles going in the first round (that group also could include Virginia guard Branden Albert, who is nimble enough to play tackle). If that were to happen, it would be the most since the draft began in 1936.
Five has been the maximum number of offensive tackles to be taken in the draft, and that has only happened four times (1995, 1992, 1977, and 1968). Since '95, the average number of players at the position chosen in the first round is 2.9. The three taken there last year -- Thomas, Levi Brown (Arizona), and Joe Staley (by San Francisco) -- were first-year starters.
Although Thomas was the only one to make the Pro Bowl, a rare achievement for a rookie, the other teams in this copycat league paid close attention to the impact the trio made. They also were quite aware of a few prominent tackle flops -- Robert Gallery, whom the Oakland Raiders made the No. 2 overall pick in 2004; Mike Williams, whom the Buffalo Bills made the No. 4 overall choice in 2002, and Tony Mandarich, whom the Green Bay Packers made the No. 2 overall pick in 1989.
Pat Kirwan's take: NFL people are pleased with the number of solid tackle candidates in this year's draft, but the rich talent pool will dry up before all the clubs in need of a tackle get a chance to select one. There are six tackles with first-round grades and another three with solid second-round grades, but by my count 15 teams need to take a tackle in the first day of the draft. The supply might not meet the need this year.
If a team comes into the 2008 draft looking for a guard or center, the bad news is there isn't much talent. As one NFL line coach said when I asked him to grade the guards and centers: "I don't like to give an F so let's just say it is C-minus at best."
The truth is that a number of coaches are looking to the rich tackle pool of talent to perhaps uncover a better guard or center candidate than the ones they have seen in workouts. A guy like Sam Baker from USC might be the seventh-ranked tackle on some draft boards but he might be the third guard prospect. And I'm pretty sure a few teams believe they could turn the four-year starter into a terrific center, too. Another coach mentioned Toledo's John Greco, a college tackle, as a candidate for the inside positions.
It isn't true that every tackle who fails on the outside can just move inside and excel. The NFL tackles are big and powerful, and if these offensive tackles moving inside can't anchor and stop power, they can't play inside.
I have ranked the top 10 tackles that should all be gone by the end of the second round and the top five guards and centers, some of whom might not hear their name called until late in the fifth round. I have watched most of the players for at least two game tapes watched the men who were at the Senior Bowl and interviewed many of them in the last two months.
However, for the most part, NFL clubs find safety in investing a first-round pick in a tackle.
One reason is that an offensive lineman's responsibilities generally don't change much from college to the NFL. At both levels, he is part of a five-man unit usually working against four pass-rushers. Getting acclimated with four linemates isn't easy, but can be less of a challenge than what other players on offense face. For instance, a college quarterback often finds works from shotgun formation in college and is under center in the NFL. Some college and pro teams tend to use two receivers, while others go with four.
"There is more consistency in the evaluation of offensive linemen from college to pro than any other position," Browns general manager Phil Savage says. "And that equates to high draft picks being more successful."
So does history.
"Tackles, usually, historically, are a relatively safe position to take high, so I think it's an attractive position for teams," Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney says. "The guys who were taken high have traditionally done well in this league."
The Class of '07, especially Thomas, is proof of that.
Long and several other member of the Class of 2008 hold the same promise.
Kevin Colbert, the Pittsburgh Steelers' director of football operations, calls it the best group of tackles he has seen in 24 years of evaluating NFL talent.
"This class is so deep that you're going to get a top talent anywhere in the first through third rounds," Colbert says. "It's really a strong group. The majority of them can play on the left side or play both sides.
"It's unusual to have that many guys that big, that athletic and that productive."
If a half-dozen are chosen in the first round -- and especially if Long is the top overall pick -- the '08 draft could go down as the Year of the Offensive Tackle.