Centers in the 2010 Draft - Page 2

Ralphy Boy · 02-11-2010, 11:24 PM

I thought it might be helpful to have a thread about each position that we'd be likely looking to draft, as opposed to random discussions about each player in different threads. Given that, post whatever you can find or have to say about potential centers in this years draft.

Interesting article from the Senior Bowl

• Another blocker who struggled was Boston College C Matt Tennant. After getting beat by Cam Thomas and Tyson Alualu he became vocally upset and dropped a couple of “F-Bombs”. Gotta love those BC offensive linemen! My money is on Tennant being the first guy to get into a fight this year.

• Notre Dame C Eric Olsen is an underrated prospect. Although he has the ability to play guard Olsen worked exclusively at center today and did a nice job. Specifically he was able to stonewall 331 pound Cam Thomas on a bullrush.

Mecca · 02-12-2010, 07:21 PM

Byers has to gain weight for the next level, he's not very defined in a body standpoint and he has a pretty extensive injury history.

ToxSocks · 02-12-2010, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Wilson,

I just want to say that I wish you posted more. You're a really thoughtful guy that brings a lot to this forum. Thanks for all the info. You make this a better place.

Ahhh.....I want a compliment.

Something along the lines of, "Detoxing....you don't suck" would suffice. Haha j/k

ToxSocks · 02-12-2010, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilson8

2010 Senior Bowl Weigh In Stats so you can compare...

Name**------**School*--*HT*--*WT*---*ARM---*HAND
J.D Walton....Baylor......6023.....300.......33.......9 1/4
Matt Tennant.Boston C..6044.....290.......32 1/4.9 3/8
Eric Olsen......ND..........6037.....310.......32 1/2.9 3/8
Ted Larsen.....NC St......6024.....302.......32 3/4.9 5/8
Jeff Byers.......USC........6032.....299.......33......9

USC's Jeff Byers is also an option at center/guard.

Looking at that list makes me think that Eric Olson may be a Chiefs piick, considering he should know at least some of the blocking schemes that Weis will use. He would have a heads up over a guy like Tennant

Wilson8 · 02-12-2010, 09:56 PM

Below are a couple of paragraphs from http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/s...r-bowl-linemen

Baylor center J.D. Walton distanced himself a bit Tuesday from his counterparts Ted Larsen (North Carolina State) and Jeff Byers (USC). Despite his time in a predominately zone-blocking system while with the Bears, he has held up well in the physical battles inside. The same could not be said for Larsen, a former defensive tackle who has strong hands to grab hold of the defender, but still has some work to do in maintaining leverage. When going against stouter defenders, such as Alabama's Terrance Cody and Tennessee's Dan Williams, for example, Larsen struggled to get the snap off and then get his hands on the defender. Many of his snaps in drills were bounced back to the coaches and he was consistently pushed back into the pocket. Byers was moved between guard and center, and while athletic and tough, he struggled with bigger, stronger defenders.

Two centers, Mike Tennant (Boston College) and Eric Olsen (Notre Dame) both stood strong in one-on-one drills and team play. Despite measuring 6-4 and 290 pounds, Tennant anchors very well against guys like Thomas, outweighing him by 40 pounds. Olsen does not lose the leverage battle often, either.

Saccopoo · 02-13-2010, 02:40 AM

Here is a ten minute vid from the ND/BC game this past season.

Olsen struggles a bit to find people and doesn't get to the second level very well. However, once he locks onto someone he buries them.

Tennant is really smooth and polished. I think he'd be a better fit for the Chiefs than a mauler like Olsen.

**BossChief** · 02-13-2010, 02:57 AM

Ive read a lot of people making comparisons of Tennant to Tom Nalen.

Wilson8 · 02-14-2010, 03:20 PM

List of NFL centers from 2009... Which teams would be more likely to draft a center early? The 1st number is their NFL ranking according to profootballfocus.com. Look at age and rank to determine likely draft.

RANK NAME TEAM SNAPS DOB
22 . *Lyle Sendlein … ARZ . 1052 . 1984-03-16*** RFA
11 . *Todd McClure … ATL . 1082 . 1977-02-16***
2 . *Matt Birk … BLT . 1047 . 1976-07-23***
27 . *Geoff Hangartner … BUF . 983 . 1982-04-22***
INJ . Eric Wood … BUF . ??? . 1986-03-18***
4 . *Ryan Kalil … CAR . 1076 . 1985-03-29***
16 . *Olin Kreutz … CHI . 1035 . 1977-06-09***
21 . *Kyle Cook … CIN . 1093 . 1983-07-25*** RFA
6 . *Alex Mack … CLV . 1016 . 1985-11-19***
13 . *Andre Gurode … DAL . 1093 . 1978-03-06***
24 . *Casey Wiegmann … DEN . 1096 . 1973-07-20***
15 . *Dominic Raiola … DET . 1103 . 1978-12-30***
18 . *Scott Wells … GB . 1001 . 1981-01-07***
INJ . Jason Spitz … GB . ???? . 1982-12-19*** RFA
8 . *Chris Myers … HST . 1083 . 1981-09-15***
** . Andre Caldwell … HST . RG . 1985-04-15***
10 . *Jeff Saturday … IND . 1013 . 1975-06-08***
33 . *Brad Meester … JAX . 1048 . 1977-03-23***
29 . *Rudy Niswanger … KC . 1040 . 1982-11-09*** RFA
4 . *Jake Grove … MIA . 693 . 1980-01-22***
12 . *Joe Berger … MIA . 459 . 1982-05-25***
28 . *John Sullivan … MIN . 1126 . 1985-08-08***
18 . *Dan Koppen … NE . 1099 . 1978-08-12***
14 . *Jonathan Goodwin … NO . 1039 . 1978-12-02***
2 . *Shaun O'Hara … NYG . 1079 . 1977-06-23***
1 . *Nick Mangold … NYJ . 1080 . 1984-01-13***
26 . *Samson Satele … OAK . 743 . 1984-11-29***
32 . *Chris Morris … OAK . 305 . 1983-02-22*** RFA
7 . *Jamaal Jackson … PHI . 926 . 1980-05-08***
34 . *Justin Hartwig … PIT . 1077 . 1978-11-21***
9 . *Scott Mruczkowski … SD . 861 . 1982-04-05***
INJ . Nick Hartwig … SD . ?? . 1981-09-02***
20 . *Chris Spencer … SEA . 749 . 1982-03-28*** RFA
** . Mac Unger … SEA . ??? . 1986-01-09***
17 . *Eric Heitmann … SF . 1005 . 1980-02-24***
23 . *Jason Brown … SL . 1013 . 1983-05-05***
30 . *Jeff Faine … TB . 756 . 1981-04-06***
** . Jonathan Compas … TB . ??? . 1986-04-14***
31 . *Kevin Mawae … TEN . 1039 . 1971-01-23*** UFA
25 . *Casey Rabach … WAS . 1026 . 1977-09-24*** UFA

spanky 52 · 02-14-2010, 04:29 PM

What's a realistic projection for Olsen of ND? 3rd or 4th round? I was hoping for Pouncey with our first pick in the second round, not so much to play center but for the right guard position. Then maybe Walton in the third to play center. Would give the Chiefs some versatility. From what I can find out, not many centers drafted in the 3rd round on start their first year. I don't know if I can watch Niswanger block air and then roll on the ground anymore. I'm not joking, it happened quite a bit last year.

Wilson8 · 02-14-2010, 07:58 PM

Sorry for how that last posts looked. It was good in a spread sheet but put it on here and it looks pretty bad.

Matt Birk is really good, but he is getting old enough I could see Baltimore draft a center, but probably not early.

Olin Kreutz is getting old enough that Chicago might consider drafting one.

Denver is probably in the market for one to replace Casey Wiegmann.

Jeff Saturday will be 35 next season so Indianapolis might pick one but probably not early.

Brad Meester of Jacksonville was ranked lower than Niswanger and his birthday is 02/23/1977.

Rudy Niswanger Kansas City...you fill in your thoughts on Chiefs need.

Notre Dame's John Sullivan from Minnesota is young but he has struggled to replace Matt Birk.

Dan Koppen, New England might consider a center late in the draft.

Oakland's Samson Satele and Chris Morris could be improved upon.

When Jamaal Jackson went down Philadelphia struggled, so they might go for a good backup in later round.

Pittsburgh's Justin Hartwig was ranked 34th and he is 32 years old.

Tampa Bay gave Jeff Faine a big contract 2 or 3 years ago but he is ranked at 30.

Kevin Mawae for Tennessee is 39 years old and he is a UFA.

Casey Rabach from Washington is a UFA, not very good and 32 years old.
Washington does not have a 3rd round pick. They need to use their 1st round and 2nd round picks on QB and OL. KC drafts before them in the 4th. We only need to worry about tehm if we wait until the 5th round to draft a center.

Every NFL team always has more needs than draft picks but KC, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Tennessee, Denver, Oakland, Chicago, and Tampa Bay might be the most likely to use a draft pick early on a center.

I was hoping to come to the conclusion that centers were not that needed so we could wait until the 5th round, but I think the Chiefs should pick one earlier than that.

Wilson8 · 02-14-2010, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

Byers has to gain weight for the next level, he's not very defined in a body standpoint and he has a pretty extensive injury history.

I think Jeff Byers showed a lot during the Senior Bowl. He can play guard or center. He really showed he can get out in front of runners and block. He may have been the best offensive lineman there for down field blocking.

There was one drill where Byers was blocking against Terrence Cody one-on-one. Byers got up underneath Cody and looked to be in good position to block him. Cody then picked up Byers and threw him like he was a little rag doll. It made me appreciate Byers technique but I got a much better appreciation for Terrence Cody's strength.

02-11-2010, 11:24 PM
Ralphy Boy MVP Join Date: Aug 2001 Casino cash: $10004900	Centers in the 2010 Draft I thought it might be helpful to have a thread about each position that we'd be likely looking to draft, as opposed to random discussions about each player in different threads. Given that, post whatever you can find or have to say about potential centers in this years draft. Interesting article from the Senior Bowl • Another blocker who struggled was Boston College C Matt Tennant. After getting beat by Cam Thomas and Tyson Alualu he became vocally upset and dropped a couple of “F-Bombs”. Gotta love those BC offensive linemen! My money is on Tennant being the first guy to get into a fight this year. • Notre Dame C Eric Olsen is an underrated prospect. Although he has the ability to play guard Olsen worked exclusively at center today and did a nice job. Specifically he was able to stonewall 331 pound Cam Thomas on a bullrush.
Posts: 5,088

02-12-2010, 07:21 PM	#16
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $-722950	Byers has to gain weight for the next level, he's not very defined in a body standpoint and he has a pretty extensive injury history.
Posts: 115,380

02-12-2010, 09:56 PM	#19
Wilson8 Veteran Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $2827557	Below are a couple of paragraphs from http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/s...r-bowl-linemen Baylor center J.D. Walton distanced himself a bit Tuesday from his counterparts Ted Larsen (North Carolina State) and Jeff Byers (USC). Despite his time in a predominately zone-blocking system while with the Bears, he has held up well in the physical battles inside. The same could not be said for Larsen, a former defensive tackle who has strong hands to grab hold of the defender, but still has some work to do in maintaining leverage. When going against stouter defenders, such as Alabama's Terrance Cody and Tennessee's Dan Williams, for example, Larsen struggled to get the snap off and then get his hands on the defender. Many of his snaps in drills were bounced back to the coaches and he was consistently pushed back into the pocket. Byers was moved between guard and center, and while athletic and tough, he struggled with bigger, stronger defenders. Two centers, Mike Tennant (Boston College) and Eric Olsen (Notre Dame) both stood strong in one-on-one drills and team play. Despite measuring 6-4 and 290 pounds, Tennant anchors very well against guys like Thomas, outweighing him by 40 pounds. Olsen does not lose the leverage battle often, either.
Posts: 3,932

02-13-2010, 02:40 AM	#20
Saccopoo Kindness in words... Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Zion Casino cash: $10025483	Here is a ten minute vid from the ND/BC game this past season. Olsen struggles a bit to find people and doesn't get to the second level very well. However, once he locks onto someone he buries them. Tennant is really smooth and polished. I think he'd be a better fit for the Chiefs than a mauler like Olsen.
Posts: 15,450

02-13-2010, 02:57 AM	#21
BossChief SuperBowl or bust Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: BF Iowa Casino cash: $-1755912	Ive read a lot of people making comparisons of Tennant to Tom Nalen. __________________ Dreams do come true... http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showp...postcount=1407
Posts: 47,905

02-14-2010, 03:20 PM	#22
Wilson8 Veteran Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $2827557	List of NFL centers from 2009... Which teams would be more likely to draft a center early? The 1st number is their NFL ranking according to profootballfocus.com. Look at age and rank to determine likely draft. RANK NAME TEAM SNAPS DOB 22 . Lyle Sendlein … ARZ . 1052 . 1984-03-16** RFA 11 . Todd McClure … ATL . 1082 . 1977-02-16** 2 . Matt Birk … BLT . 1047 . 1976-07-23** 27 . Geoff Hangartner … BUF . 983 . 1982-04-22 INJ . Eric Wood … BUF . ??? . 1986-03-18* 4 . Ryan Kalil … CAR . 1076 . 1985-03-29** 16 . Olin Kreutz … CHI . 1035 . 1977-06-09** 21 . Kyle Cook … CIN . 1093 . 1983-07-25** RFA 6 . Alex Mack … CLV . 1016 . 1985-11-19** 13 . Andre Gurode … DAL . 1093 . 1978-03-06** 24 . Casey Wiegmann … DEN . 1096 . 1973-07-20** 15 . Dominic Raiola … DET . 1103 . 1978-12-30** 18 . Scott Wells … GB . 1001 . 1981-01-07 INJ . Jason Spitz … GB . ???? . 1982-12-19* RFA 8 . Chris Myers … HST . 1083 . 1981-09-15 . Andre Caldwell … HST . RG . 1985-04-15*** 10 . Jeff Saturday … IND . 1013 . 1975-06-08** 33 . Brad Meester … JAX . 1048 . 1977-03-23** 29 . Rudy Niswanger … KC . 1040 . 1982-11-09** RFA 4 . Jake Grove … MIA . 693 . 1980-01-22** 12 . Joe Berger … MIA . 459 . 1982-05-25** 28 . John Sullivan … MIN . 1126 . 1985-08-08** 18 . Dan Koppen … NE . 1099 . 1978-08-12** 14 . Jonathan Goodwin … NO . 1039 . 1978-12-02** 2 . Shaun O'Hara … NYG . 1079 . 1977-06-23** 1 . Nick Mangold … NYJ . 1080 . 1984-01-13** 26 . Samson Satele … OAK . 743 . 1984-11-29** 32 . Chris Morris … OAK . 305 . 1983-02-22** RFA 7 . Jamaal Jackson … PHI . 926 . 1980-05-08** 34 . Justin Hartwig … PIT . 1077 . 1978-11-21** 9 . Scott Mruczkowski … SD . 861 . 1982-04-05 INJ . Nick Hartwig … SD . ?? . 1981-09-02* 20 . Chris Spencer … SEA . 749 . 1982-03-28 RFA . Mac Unger … SEA . ??? . 1986-01-09*** 17 . Eric Heitmann … SF . 1005 . 1980-02-24** 23 . Jason Brown … SL . 1013 . 1983-05-05** 30 . Jeff Faine … TB . 756 . 1981-04-06 . Jonathan Compas … TB . ??? . 1986-04-14*** 31 . Kevin Mawae … TEN . 1039 . 1971-01-23** UFA 25 . Casey Rabach … WAS . 1026 . 1977-09-24** UFA
Posts: 3,932

02-14-2010, 04:29 PM	#23
spanky 52 Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Casino cash: $-964399	What's a realistic projection for Olsen of ND? 3rd or 4th round? I was hoping for Pouncey with our first pick in the second round, not so much to play center but for the right guard position. Then maybe Walton in the third to play center. Would give the Chiefs some versatility. From what I can find out, not many centers drafted in the 3rd round on start their first year. I don't know if I can watch Niswanger block air and then roll on the ground anymore. I'm not joking, it happened quite a bit last year.
Posts: 1,036

02-14-2010, 07:58 PM	#24
Wilson8 Veteran Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $2827557	Sorry for how that last posts looked. It was good in a spread sheet but put it on here and it looks pretty bad. Matt Birk is really good, but he is getting old enough I could see Baltimore draft a center, but probably not early. Olin Kreutz is getting old enough that Chicago might consider drafting one. Denver is probably in the market for one to replace Casey Wiegmann. Jeff Saturday will be 35 next season so Indianapolis might pick one but probably not early. Brad Meester of Jacksonville was ranked lower than Niswanger and his birthday is 02/23/1977. Rudy Niswanger Kansas City...you fill in your thoughts on Chiefs need. Notre Dame's John Sullivan from Minnesota is young but he has struggled to replace Matt Birk. Dan Koppen, New England might consider a center late in the draft. Oakland's Samson Satele and Chris Morris could be improved upon. When Jamaal Jackson went down Philadelphia struggled, so they might go for a good backup in later round. Pittsburgh's Justin Hartwig was ranked 34th and he is 32 years old. Tampa Bay gave Jeff Faine a big contract 2 or 3 years ago but he is ranked at 30. Kevin Mawae for Tennessee is 39 years old and he is a UFA. Casey Rabach from Washington is a UFA, not very good and 32 years old. Washington does not have a 3rd round pick. They need to use their 1st round and 2nd round picks on QB and OL. KC drafts before them in the 4th. We only need to worry about tehm if we wait until the 5th round to draft a center. Every NFL team always has more needs than draft picks but KC, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Tennessee, Denver, Oakland, Chicago, and Tampa Bay might be the most likely to use a draft pick early on a center. I was hoping to come to the conclusion that centers were not that needed so we could wait until the 5th round, but I think the Chiefs should pick one earlier than that.
Posts: 3,932