Thursday, December 23, 2010

2011 QB

Andrew Luck (#1)  He has IT.  He has that special intangible that makes him a winner.  As for the other attributes, he’s smart.  Seems to grasp the pro style offense very well.  Good field vision.  Good pocket presence.  Average footwork, but he’ll be fine.  Not afraid to fire it into a crowd to hit his target.  Spreads the ball well (may be a result of Stanford’s offense).  Throws well on the run, but likes to do it too much.  Can scramble well, but needs to hang in the pocket longer, because he’ll get throttled in the NFL.  Deep ball needs work, but again, he’ll be fine.  Worthy of the first overall pick.


Blaine Gabbert (1st Round)  Good strong quick release.  Runs through his reads fast and finds the right receiver.  Good poise in the pocket.  NFL size and arm.   High ratings on short, mid, and deep balls.  As to his character, the Iowa coach praised him by saying “he’s everything you look for in a QB and a son.”  Occasionally he prematurely leaves pocket and looks terrible on the run.  Decision making while scrambling is poor.  Another negative is the spread offense he runs at Missouri.  It doesn’t translate well to NFL.  However, he looks like with enough grooming he can run an offense similar to the way Kurt Warner did.

Ryan Mallet (Top 10)  Big.  Strong.  Choke.  Doesn’t perform well in the clutch.  Has all the major attributes of an NFL QB except in the head.  He’ll be better than JeMarcus Russell, but worse than Joe Flacco, which lands him somewhere in the vicinity of Derek Anderson.  I don’t gamble a top 10 pick on him. 

Cam Newton (Top 10)  Sorry, but he’s the next Vince Young.  Another run first QB.  There is no questioning his athleticism.  But how long until he’s a real starting NFL QB?  Michael Vick had to go to prison first to get his head straight.  The jury’s still out on Tim Tebow, but it probably won’t end well.  The best of the athletic first QB’s is Donovan McNabb and he was consistently injured, just like Vince Young, Mike Vick… etc. etc.  Yes, he’s talented.  But talent goes down the toilet when Ray Lewis decleats you on a scramble.  Again, he’s too big a risk to get hurt.

Jake Locker (Top 15) Didn’t I just review this guy?  Like Cam Newton, he plays the position with his legs, not his head.  Ironically, some MLB will sever his off in his first season at QB.  He has good qualities physically, but you can’t change who he is, which is a run first QB.  They just don’t last long in the NFL.  Like Tebow, he’ll need a good season of medicine to get rid of the runs.  I don’t mind taking him in the late 2nd, but no way am I taking him in the first.

Christian Ponder (Late First Round)  He’ll be an average NFL QB.  I like him going to a team that doesn’t count on him to win games.  He attacks the middle of the field well, but sours on deep balls.  Ball placement is only o.k. because he needs to get pinpoint accurate.  Can save a play with his legs and seems to be smart about it.  Apparently a hard worker, which is always a huge boost.  Solid 2nd or 3rd round pick, but don’t expect a whole lot.

Pat Devlin (2nd Round)  You want your 2010 QB steal?  This is the guy.  He’s got low end NFL size, 6-3 220, but the smarts to go with it.  Originally at Penn State, he moved to Deleware to earn a starting job.  The move cost him draft status because of the weaker talent level.  That being said he has the goods to be a solid NFL player.  He has good vision, nice arm strength, and good placement on his throws.  He boasts a high completion percentage night in and night out.  He will serve as an immediate solid backup and will eventually start. 

Ricky Stanzi (3rd Round)  Captain Average.  Looks good and then looks bad.  I don’t like his inconsistency.  Probably a good back up, but why draft a potential back up? 

Nathan Enderle (3rd Round)  Colossal project.  He has bad field vision, little pocket presence, barely average touch, not extremely athletic, poor decision making, errant throws… but hey, at least he’s tall.  Watch the Nebraska game to see what he plays like against real competition.

Nick Foles (4th Round)  Jittery.  Looks nervous in the pocket.  Checks down a lot.  Can place it well on the deep ball.  Stares down receivers too much.  If he ever gets his nerves calmed then we’ll see what he has, but I don’t like a nervous QB.  Decision making is suspect.

Terrelle Pryor (6th Round)  No, he’s not a good prospect.  He’s athletic but not great at any one thing, except throwing on the run.  He won a lot and stayed within the framework of the program which shows he can be a team player.  He’ll be really good in the UFL playing behind Daunte Culpepper.  Why waste a pick just because he’s athletic?

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

2010 DT

*Originally posted on Facebook on April 18th 2010

Name (projected draft #)

1) Gerald McCoy(#3)- I know, I know, Suh is the best ever. Hear me out. McCoy is extremely athletic and his motor doesn't seem to stop. He can play end and I'll bet can even drop back into coverage. His agility and balance are exceptional. His versatility at the positions give him more opportunity to be successful at the next level. I don't see him as the typical NT. He's more like Dockett than Gabe Watson/Branch. He gets the nod over Suh, because Suh will mostly play the DT, while McCoy will move all over the line. Also, I like being controversial.

2) Ndamukong Suh(#1) - Extremely cerebral and excellent bull rush, this guy is dominant. He has perfect balance and reads his blockers flawlessly. His hands are always ready to knock the ball down. However, he has only one move, bull rush. He seems to just wait for his blocker to get off balanced and then takes advantage. While he is amazing at it, less centers/guards in the NFL will make those mistakes and he can't always bull rush. He has to mix up his attack to be consistant. Still though, he's a can't miss stud.

3) Brian Price(#34) - Underated. Explosive and balanced, this guy can get to the QB. His motor is always going. He stays low and gets under his blockers throwing them off balanced. He looks like he knows he's shorter than all the other DT's and has short mans disease. I like what I saw from this guy and could be a great steal in the second round.

4) Dan Williams(#13)- Teddy Bear like. Not what you might want to see at DT. He seems to get pushed around a little and may be hit or miss on plays. I like his character. He's nice. But who wants nice at DT (see Dockett and Sapp) Williams can rush and will be a player. He is one of the top athletes at his position and he will be good, but he has to lose some baby fat first. I want him on my team, but I don't want him this early in the draft.

5) Terrence Cody(#44)- This guy ate Oliver Miller. Holy Cannoli this guy is big. Last I saw he was 370 but he seems like he just wants to break weight records. He's really strong and fills the holes. He's the unsexy player who makes other teams run around him, decreasing rushing yards against by 10-15 yards. If you like the brick wall over center than this is the guy. But don't the Cards already have Branch/Watson?

6) Lamarr Houston(#52) - I like his instincts. He seems to anticipate the play well. Could be just good coaching but he seems to read RB' well. Pushes his blocker into plays. He might be a half step behind other DT (like Rodrick) but if his instincts are truly his, he'll be in a ton more plays. I don't see him as a 2nd rounder like most projetions, but I wouldn't be sad if the Cards reached for him there. (Depends of course on who else is there.)

7) Jared Odrick(#28) - I don't like him. He's athletic, but he looks lost sometimes. He has character issues, some say. He plays upright, and at 6-5 thats way up there. He looks like he should've played TE, but I'll bet he has bricks for hands. Still though, he is athletic and that makes him versatile, but I just don't see it in the 2nd round.

8) Torrell Troup(#64) - Couldn't find much film on him, but what I did I really liked. He just recently shed weight which was limiting his explosiveness. Knows the NT position and is solid against the run. Looks like a leader with some fire. Good guy too. Won't get many sacks early. He has to commit to developing quickness and stamina. I kinda think this is one of those guys that will pay off later under good coaching. A good prospect in the early 3rd round.

9) Linval Joseph(#60) - Nope. Can't tackle laterally. RB's better run into him. Don't see the fire in him. Certainly not a late 2nd rounder. Needs a good coach to groom him.

10) Cam Thomas (#67) - One dimensional run stopper. Bull rushes exclusively. He's big and strong and uses it well to plug the middle. A good back up DT, unless you don't want pressure from the middle and just want to stop the run, then he might start.