I tell you what, DeAndre McDaniel was AWFUL against Miami. I mean awful. He was playing with a hand injury so he gets a hall pass for missing tackles, but there's no excuses for blown coverages, delays in breaking on the ball, shoulder tackling and whiffing. Honestly, I don't thing it's conducive of his game as a whole and he has better instincts and takes better angles but there's too much Taylor Mays in his game for me to be really comfortable about him at the moment. I was so impressed with him last season and so disappointed this. Marcus Gilchrist the Clemson corner is really good. Really good. I mean, he's glove like, he plays run well, plays special teams, returns punts. I like this kid a lot. He's a little flat footed in transition, but he has great catch up speed and he sits in the pocket really well. For the Canes, Leonard Hankerson just gets better and better. This is the third time I've seen the Canes already this season and I've seen 4 of Hankerson's last 5 games. He runs better routes than any senior WR, has good hands and he does three things I really like; speeds up out of his breaks, closes on the ball really well by gearing up and he never gathers to cut at the top of his route. There's no wasted steps with him. 2 other Miami players who are really good and that's Damien Berry and Shawn Spence. Spence is head and shoulders the best player on that defense. He's consistently around the ball and has great instincts.
He's becoming a very good wide receiver. I think he's pushing hard towards finding a place in the top 40 picks at worst at this stage. He's a little straight up and down but he has terrific talent.
Harris = Phillip Buchanon IMO. I admittedly haven't had enough time to go through some tape because of school work so I'm behind. I'm very disappointed in that but I think I'll be able to knock it out soon. However, last night, I did manage to find some time to go through the Stanford-Oregon game and chart the positive and negative throws of Andrew Luck. I determined if it was a positive throw by his ball placement, overall accuracy, and footwork. If those didn't meet the criteria, it would be considered negative. For whatever reason, my DVR only recorded the first three quarters of the game, which ticks me off. Luck threw 46 passes this game and I got to chart 29. Here it is by the quarter. 1st Quarter Positive - 5 Negative - 4 2nd Quarter Positive - 8 Negative - 0 3rd Quarter Positive - 6 Negative - 6 That means nineteen positive throws, 10 negative throws. On three of the positive plays, it is important to note that he went through all of his reads and then left the pocket to scramble for positive yardage. On one negative, he took a sack at the end of the half. On another one, he threw an interception down the field. He did not step into his throw and ended up throwing it short of the pass catcher, resulting in an interception. There were three other plays that I did see but did not label positive nor negative. One, I didn't couldn't determine the route that was ran and the WR slipped. On another one, a wide receiver ran a drag route but then randomly stopped and I know that wasn't what he was suppose to do but Luck threw it to him and he dropped it. I just left that one uncharted. One thing I noticed from watching Luck is that he rarely locks on to his wide receiver. One negative thing I noticed was that he does not step into his throws down the field. He uses his upper body to put power into the throw. It was either short or way over thrown. To me, I think his footwork will improve which will make his arm stronger and better as well as more accurate. I think he's an elite prospect and easily the best in the class.
Harris is strong against the run but I don't think is an elite cover corner. Bailey is the most overrated player in the draft. Can't get off a block either from a tackle or a tight end. No pop, no discernible pass rush ability, plays at times with his base too wide and he can get walked off the LOS.
Wow, really? (at Bailey) He seems almost unstoppable at times. Maybe I only notice him when he rushes the QB, which seems like quite a bit. I'll have to watch him more closely on Saturday.
I've never seen him be unstoppable. Last season against Wisconsin he was consistently walked down the line by Garrett Graham, a very average tight end. He had a sack on the first play of the game against Pitt and then disappeared for the rest of the game. He played against a decent RT Lucas Nix but couldn't get anything going. Against Clemson yet again he gets turned at the POA far too easily by tight ends. He let's opponents get into him too easily and loses control of the play because he creates no space with his pop. He gets too wide in his base in the run game and so he becomes unbalanced and is dictated to. Given his length and ridiculous physical ability I want so much more. Again against Clemson he knocked a pass down and the commentator immediately said that was why he was going to be a first rounder, totally ignoring the previous 3 quarters of futility. The only other play he made in the first 3 quarters of that game was flashing athletic ability to chase Andre Ellington down from behind. He has God given freak of nature athletic ability. But if you have no pop at the point, if you can't free your hands, then you're dead. Also, is he a left DE in a 43 or a DT in a 43? I really want him to be good but he's bafflingly inconsistent and frankly underwhelming.
A few Buckeye eligible players to keep an eye on. Dane Sazenbacher - Nice possession WR not as fast as Hartline but much more reliable hands and a better route runner to boot. Brandon Saine - He is the Mold of Percy Harvin IMO. Saine has GREAT hands, big, and fast. He reminds me of Harvin but not as explosive with the football. He will no doubt be playing WR in the NFL and some 3rd down RB I don't see him as a NFL RB because he is to indecisive. Would be a nice weapon to have IMO. Nathan Williams I doubt comes out but I can see him easily going late round 1 to early second. He is definitely a 3-4 OLB.
Of the big 4 WR's, Michael Floyd has outplayed everyone. AJ Green will go higher, but Floyd has done more that either Baldwin - who's been disappointing for me - and Julio Jones. None are playing at Alshon Jeffrey's level but Floyd is playing very, very well.
UNC players Greg Little and Richard Quinn suspended permanently. Marvin Austin removed from the team (I assume booted).
He's one person I'd trade my entire draft to move up to get. He almost needs to be draft eligible now just to keep the kid from becoming complacent due to boredom. Are Floyd's feet a little cumbersome to you Boom when projecting him as an impact player at the next level?
I wouldn't mind seeing my Clemson boy, Bowers, in Aqua and Orange....... not b/c he's a Tiger but b/c the kid is a relentless animal who reminds me of what the Steelers OLBs are all about. Malliciah Goodman is a serious stud in the making at DE.
Hightower's stiff as a board. No surprise on the other 3. Dareus is a legitimate #1 overall candidate. I'd love a shot at Ingram.
Mark Barron is expected to leave as well. And with Dareus, I assume #1 as in first rounder because there's a zero chance he goes first overall IMO.
I really love Lance Kendricks as a prospect. I think he's a good player. John Moffitt is a solid prospect, as we talked about before. Needs some work in pass pro IMO. Gabe Carimi is a work in progress IMO.
Barron's a good player as well. I don't see why you'd think there's zero chance of him going first overall. He's going to be in that mix.
I don't think so. I think he's very talented but I don't see him going that high. Yep. I'm watching him again (!) - for like the fifth time - and he's doing well. It's against Minnesota but he's doing well.
Who do you think's going higher than Dareus? Luck for sure. Possibly Mallett. Ingram? Perhaps. You see a LT in the Jake Long, Russell Okung bracket because I don't. Nor a G or a center. Or a TE. And only AJ Green at WR. Clayborn's had a slowish start to the season. Don't see Ryan Kerrigan going higher than him. Heyward? Don't think so. Bailey. No way Jose. Quinn missed the whole season so his stock falls. Akeem Ayers is the best LB in the draft but Dareus will go higher. Then you have Pat Peterson and Amukamara who will go anywhere from about 4-10. That leaves you with Luck, AJ Green, Dareus. I can't see anyone else close to that mix.
Luck certainly. Clayborn could go high IMO. He's bounced back after a rough start. I don't see a LT worthy of the top ten. Not Anthony Castonzo. Nor Gabe Carimi. But it wouldn't shock me if Castanzo went top ten; although I think that would be poor value - whatever that means to NFL teams. Mallett won't go that high. I don't see it. We'll see when everyone comes out. I don't see Dareus going number one though. I just can't see it happening. If it does happen, you'll get a message from me stating you were correct and I was not.
I like the hands and the routes, that's a given. But I like the way he blocks. He's not strong but he's fundamentally sound. He'll fall off blocks, but he does enough to open a lane. Look at someone like Luke STocker who's an awful blocker. Lance is just a really athletic football player. I tell you who else I quite like at TE is Lee Smith of Marshall. He was a Tennessee transfer but he's got a little moxie. Really big.
You see him block ends consistently? That's what sticks out to me. And he's lead blocked as well. What's even more impressive? He's probably the best one at finishing blocks on that team lol. Just a very talented player overall IMO. He's the definition of a football player at his position. He probably doesn't go higher than late second but he's going to be a good player in this league.
Well I think Luck goes one unless Carolina beat Buffalo to the spot as they'd be foolish to give up on Clausen so quickly. I will be very surprised if Dareus isn't a top 3 pick and thus he's GOT to be in the mix for #1 overall. Carimi's not going anywhere close to the top 10. Falls off too many blocks, gets those shoulders way too far out over his feet and can get pulled forwards by wily ends far too much. And what is it with colliding with his back? Three times in the last four games of his I've watched he's backed up into his tailback and given up the sack. He did it against Miami, he did it against Dontay Moch and then he did it the other day against Greg Lewis.
I see him do just that. I just love how technically sound he is. I still think he will fall off a little too early at times but he's just a really, really good football player.
I agree. He's still developing. He was a former wide out so its very interesting to see his development over the last couple years. I like him quite a bit though. Carimi leaves his chest exposed as well. I know you've seen his 2009 tape and there's evidence of him getting bulrushed multiple times. The funny thing is, I watch these games of Carimi, I see his issues, and then I look at Anthony Davis of the Rutgers last season and I see similar thing. Yet, Davis went just outside the top ten. I thought that was a bit high for him but others didn't. It wouldn't shock me to see him go higher than others think because of his FBI, the program he comes out of and his potential.
Simon, you brought up as Mallett as a guy who can go high. You honestly think he potentially goes top ten? I have a hard time seeing it. I wouldn't draft the guy in the first round and I'd draft Tebow before him if they were in the same class. I don't think Mallett is going to be good in this league.
Carimi at least does what most senior linemen don't do which is keep his elbows in tight through the play. I'd like to see his hands higher and I'd like to see him stop chasing the DE because that's where his problems begin in pass pro.
Mallett has issues for sure; footwork is spotty, accuracy under pressure, but he has a terrific arm, he can move the pocket and can do it better than he's given credit for and he's badly coached. You know as well as I do that he'd go in R1. Will he be succesful? Who knows. But he has the raw talent and upside to be a first rounder.
That drives me nuts. I don't think his footwork is good enough in this league. He's got some long strides and doesn't drop quick enough. His decision making is not very good and his ball placement overall is not very good. I also have heard that he's not exactly the most pleasant guy to be around, similarly to Pryor of OSU. One thing that bugs me is that Bobby Petrino's history is not very good when it comes to his quarterbacks translating. And I don't know if he goes round one. I really don't. It seems likely right now but it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't go round one. He's not better than Ponder, Luck nor Locker.
Yeah me too re a linemans hands. His footwork is interesting because for the most part he doesn't really drop back as such. He often times almost stands up, takes one step and then fires. But to me that all comes down to coaching or a lack thereof and I think that's connected with the ball placement issue. If his footwork was better, if he stepped correctly into his throws, etc., then ball placement would be less of an issue. It's a cliche, but you think Al Davis passes on Mallett for Ponder?
Interesting that you bring him up Ralph because he's a one trick pony. Initially he looks like a terrific backfield penetrator. Then you watch him more and you realise he only has one move which is knifing though the inside shoulder of the G. He can't do anything else. If the opponent runs through the A gap then yep he looks great. But more often than not he's sprawled on the floor and the play is well away from him.
