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It's far too early to make player evaluations since we don't know where they end up yet.I don't know if there is another Patrick Willis out there but the obvious stars (and the ones with the best shot at instantly getting to be three down LBs) for now appear to be:James Laurinatits, Ohio StateDan Connor, Penn StateI'm unsure as to where Keith Rivers (out of USC) fits but he could be a good player if asked to play WLB in a cover 2.There's a couple of intriguing players below those that imo jump out:Jordon Dizon, LB, ColoradoJ Leman, LB, IllinoisAlso there's a couple of juniors (that likely aren't declaring) that could be of interest if declaring or to keep in mind for the 2009 draft:Rey Maualuga, USCCurtis Lofton, OklahomaI guess you'd be better off to wait and see until after the draft is held (at which point we'll know way more) if that's a possiblity.
no erin Henderson love?
It's more that I haven't seen enough of Henderson to put him up there just yet...
Lofton. But isn't he an underclassman?
Dan Conner is more gifted athletically than Poz(even Poz pre-injury). don't blame the injury for Poz moving to WLB in 06 at penn state-Conner forced the change. Connor was gonna play MLB no matter who was in there.
I thought Poz was moved to the middle in 06 and Connor played outside? Seem to remember many people talking about Poz's dropoff his senior year was some injury, some the move to the middle.
The scary thing the best is yet to come!! Sean Lee will be better than both of those guys!! He should break the PSU all time tackle record in the 2008 season.
Ok...who is the better LB? Dan Connor or James Laurenaitis? I've already said I'm not impressed with the Safety impersonating a LB Laurenaitis...but I haven't seen a single Penn game to see what Connor offers.
I'm in much the same boat Warpig. The only time I watched Laurenaitis was in their bowl game this year. He was in on a ton of tackles, but as previously mentioned it was almost always 5-10 yards down the field. Can't recall a single play where he stuffed a guy at the line of scrimmage. He did almost keep Hester out of the end zone on that goal line play (and I actually thought he stopped him short).All that said, I did not come away thinking of Laurenaitis as a physical LB. Good sideline-to-sideline to speed for sure. But not a run stuffer.I watched Connor a couple times during the regular season and he struck me as the type of guy who is always in the right place at the right time. Maybe not as big or fast as the ideal NFL MLB and will likely not test as well as a Patrick Willis which may hurt his draft stock. But a guy along the lines of Poszluzny, Zach Thomas or Spielman at MLB. Great nose for the ball and incredibly productive. Every game I saw he had around 15 tackles or more.Warpig said:Ok...who is the better LB? Dan Connor or James Laurenaitis? I've already said I'm not impressed with the Safety impersonating a LB Laurenaitis...but I haven't seen a single Penn game to see what Connor offers.Funny... that's pretty much what was said last year about Connor succeeding Poz. If I'm not mistaken Poz broke the tackle record and Connor broke the tackle record this year. If Lee breaks it, that'll make 3 years in a row it has been broken.Makes me wonder when they started tracking tackles there...Regardless, that's a heckuva a string of LB's. Guess that's why they call it LB U?
I'm in much the same boat Warpig. The only time I watched Laurenaitis was in their bowl game this year. He was in on a ton of tackles, but as previously mentioned it was almost always 5-10 yards down the field. Can't recall a single play where he stuffed a guy at the line of scrimmage. He did almost keep Hester out of the end zone on that goal line play (and I actually thought he stopped him short).All that said, I did not come away thinking of Laurenaitis as a physical LB. Good sideline-to-sideline to speed for sure. But not a run stuffer.I watched Connor a couple times during the regular season and he struck me as the type of guy who is always in the right place at the right time. Maybe not as big or fast as the ideal NFL MLB and will likely not test as well as a Patrick Willis which may hurt his draft stock. But a guy along the lines of Poszluzny, Zach Thomas or Spielman at MLB. Great nose for the ball and incredibly productive. Every game I saw he had around 15 tackles or more.Warpig said:Ok...who is the better LB? Dan Connor or James Laurenaitis? I've already said I'm not impressed with the Safety impersonating a LB Laurenaitis...but I haven't seen a single Penn game to see what Connor offers.Funny... that's pretty much what was said last year about Connor succeeding Poz. If I'm not mistaken Poz broke the tackle record and Connor broke the tackle record this year. If Lee breaks it, that'll make 3 years in a row it has been broken.Makes me wonder when they started tracking tackles there...Regardless, that's a heckuva a string of LB's. Guess that's why they call it LB U?
So other people are seeing the same things I saw in Laurenaitis too. Good. I just think he grades out to be a better safety at the NFL level than an LB. No run stuffing ability or block shedding abilities. But he seems to be able to read the ball while it's in the air or break on routes (shown by his nice INT numbers). Maybe he could be a productive guy if he lands in a cushy Tampa 2 style defense ala Cato June...but we'd have to see who drafts him obviously.I'm anxious to learn more about Connor now. I like guys that are run-stuffers and have the ability to shoot a gap and either stop the ball carrier in the back field or atleast have the athleticism to run him down for minimal gain if the play is away.
I will admit there were a couple of times when I watched LSU play and I wondered if highsmith was in the game. Thinking about it he's a boom or bust guy but I'd say 80 - 90% of the time he's boom
Highsmith lacks both explosiveness and strength though he is smart and fast. I bet he goes in the fourth round. If he was at a lesser visibility school probably fifth. Michael Boley went in the fifth but i dont think Highsmith measures up.
Curtis Lofton is coming out! I liked what I saw of this kid. I thought he was an underclassman though?With all Ohio State players seemingly wanting another chance at the National Championship - two key players in Malcom Jenkins (clearly the best and possibly only vlear first-round CB prospect) and James Laurinaitis (also a lock to be an early first rounder) have announced that they'll be staying in school during 2008.Imo, this pretty much shakes up the first round (at least defensively).For now my list for prime LBs (for FF use) would contain only Penn State's Dan Connor and USC's Keith Rivers.Behind those two I find pickings very slim - either the prospects eith promise do fit as SLB:ers (Ali Highsmith) or 3-4 OLB:ers or smallish DE:s (Vernon Gholston, Derrick Harvey etc.) and they don't fit the bill for a prime FF producer when it comes to tackle heavy leagues.I'm certain there will be others (like Erin Henderson, Jerod Mayo) that could move up the boards but this raises some questions:- Is it unthinkable Rey Maualuga of USC declares for the draft now that Laurinaitis announced his return to OSU?- Am i being paranoid here or do the players in this class have the looks of a poor LB class for FF purposes (especially in tackle heavy leagues)?Thoughts?
When I wrote the last post I didn't know Curtis Lofton was coming out. As of now he is to be the top LB on my FF rookie draft board and he might have saved this draft class from being rather useless for picking LB:ers.J Leman is intriguing but I haven't got a good enough read on him yet. Look forward to see/hear more about BC's JoLonn Dunbar Sig.How about these guys:Erin Henderson? Got some love here earlier...Jerod Mayo? A player that appears active and to be in on just about every play when I've watched him...Philip Wheeler?Jordon Dizon? Undersized and more of a SS in the NFL perhaps...Jonathan Goff?I know it's way early (and before the real draft anything is possible) but I just love this time of year - a time for pure speculation!
I was at the Rose Bowl game and made it a point to watch for Leman, who'd been featured in the LA Times the week before. He made some tackles but was essentially a non-factor in that game, completely invisible.
Looks like you're going to have to bump those impressions in a year. If you're on the right track though, it sounds like he made the right decision to stay another year and develop more.As far as Laurneitis goes...he won't last long in the NFL. I've been saying for the last year how he just doesn't strike me as an NFL LB. He looks like a tweener...like a big safety.I haven't seen a lot of him, just the 2 bowl games. And he has failed to make an appearance in either. He misses tackles, doesn't know how to take on blocks or disengage, and was out of position numerous times. He also makes most of his tackles 5 yards down the field. He just didn't look like an upper echelon LB.Am I being too harsh? I just don't get a warm fuzzy with him. The guy out of Oklahoma is gonna be a stud though me thinks.
Agreed. He's not really highly touted. He seems like another of these smallish LB's. Not really a play maker...just kinda exists. I got the impression that he just kinda goes through the motions...not a big engine kinda guy that gives it that extra something.
I only know of him from that Times article, but he was presented as the opposite of that in there: a guy with very modest athletic talent who made up for it by preparing and playing out of his mind. I think the significance of the Rose Bowl was that you saw how invisible he got against a team with pro-level talent in a lot of places. I don't think he makes an NFL roster, certainly not as anything more than a special teamer.Warpig said:
Dan Connor* Penn StateShawn Crable MichiganJordon Dizon* ColoradoErin Henderson MarylandAli Highsmith LSUJames Laurinaitis* Ohio StateJ Leman IllinoisBen Moffitt South FloridaKeith Rivers USCWesley Woodyard KentuckyFirst off I am in the heart of PSU country. So I am a huge Connor fan. But here is my question:How does a player win the defensive player of the year award(Connor) and not even win the award for his own position?? This is something I just dont understand!!Connor is very instinctive and always around the ball. Racked up a TON of tackles. Now to be fair the opponents PSU was playing has alot to do with it. When you are playing against teams that you really shouldnt be playng against(Temle and others) that has alot to do with things IMO.
I would say Lee is the best of the 3. He is really explosive to the ball. I would rank the Lee, Poz, Connor.
Lee who? Seriously.
Righteous!
also a PSU fan and I would agree with this ranking. Lee looks to have more natural speed and possibly better vision....I think the common thread is that they are all three very sound at wrapping up and using their technique to help them succeed.
With that (accurate) quote in mind, can you imagine a more frustrating player for a guy like Belichick to have coached than LT? Film review must have been fascinating for those Giants teams.
I don't know. I think there are some decent LB options out there. Senior bowl will show us more. There are some "undersized" guys that have non-stop motors and a nose for the ball from what I've heard/read. Those kinda guys have a habit of cracking the starting lineup if you show them some patience. I have a feeling whomever might have drafted Road Warrior Jr. would have been disappointed.
