Chaos Commish
Footballguy
I pretty much abandoned the draft blog after the crash and because of other commitments. But these are players I wanted to write about that I think have excellent shots at NFL success.
QBs
Ingle Martin (Furman) - Even after the excellent Combine he isn't getting much love. We know he has all the tools to play at any level, great arm (strong and accurate), excellent athleticism (better than Cutler). I saw a strong leader and fierce competitor the few times I watched him. Definitely someone who could develop and surprise. He ran a 4.65 40 and is a talented punter to boot. It's the rocket launcher that translates the best though. The accurate rocket launcher. Should be available in the 6th or 7th.
Jeff Mroz (Yale) - Ivy League smarts in a big (6-5 225) pound pocket passing package with better athleticism than credited. A better prospect in my mind than Fitzpatrick a year ago. Here's my preference for strong arms again. His is powerful, but he also has very soft touch when needed. Has the NFL look, excellent pocket presence, unflappable demeanor. Moving onto draft boards. A 7th round flyer or possible UFA.
Others I'd be happy for Dallas to take a look at in camp with a late rounder or invitation: Paul Pinegar, Barrick Nealy, Tarvaris Jackson, Justin Holland, or (in that order). All of them should be drafted late, and I like them better than the 10 other QBs they are in the mix with.
RBs
Harrison, Norwood, Hall, Washington and Henderson, should/could all fall to the 2nd day, but we've discussed them a bunch. I like them in that order and cannot see much difference between them and Calhoun, Drew, Addai from day one. Bloom clued us all into De'Arrious Howard awhile back, and he should be a welcome addition to any training camp.
Derrick Ross (Tarleton) - Small school bruiser at 5-10 and 225. Had a stack of DI scholarship offers but screwed up scholastically. He sincerely laments that now, and took academics seriously in college. Now he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder because he's being overlooked despite being big and dominant. Looking for a cut and explode power back in this class of 3rd down specialists? Look here. He has great balance, breaks tons of tackles, and offers something few in this class have-- power to spare. Should get drafted very late, and in the right situation he could be a contributor very soon-- not this year but next more than likely. Maybe he won't cut it, but on paper and film (according to a reliable friend), he looks like he's underrated and should find a home somewhere. Then it's just a matter of opportunity.
Michael Robinson - I think RB, power RB, is the right place for the "athlete". He's been discussed enough, but his running instincts are the strength of his game. Feet, vision, balance, speed and power make him a better RB prospect than WR or QB. We'll see. I'm a fan, and hoping he makes it. Paterno says he was the best football player at PSU last year, and one of the best Nittany Lions in the school's history. That's saying something. Maybe a Boldin type receiver is possible, but I'd like to see him at RB. He was pretty tough running it as a sophomore and never really got the chance again. At WR he led the team in yards and TD catches (neither # impressive). At QB he brought the program back to prominence. He's football smart and a gamer.
TEs
It's just a great class, and the top 8 or 9 have been mentioned enough.
I like Owen Daniels and Garrett Mills as very very good prospects who don't get much love. Mills catches everything, runs like a scalded dog, and is just tough as nails, if a little undersized. HBack all the way, tough run blocker who you could happily hand the ball to in short yardage. I think he has a bright future.
Daniels is similar. A converted QB with great hands, football smarts, and toughness. Ran a 4.65 and plays faster than he looks. There's a clip in Calhoun's highlight reel where Daniels runs past Calhoun to free him with a block. It's a little something like Dwight racing past Tomlinson to make a block. I like this kid a lot more than most. Like anyone on Wisconsin's line he's a well-schooled blocker, a little small, but growing, and he's got a very complete game.
Greg Estandia (UNLV) - Here's a guy you probably haven't heard much about. He's 1/4 inch shorter than Pope (6-7.5). He goes 260, and he's growing. Functional strength is an issue, but that can be developed. He's naturally huge, a little thin in the lower body. Fundamentally he's a solid blocker, sets his feet, extends his arms, drives with authority. He's just not that powerful (yet, maybe). Likewise he's not that fast (4.89, 4.83). I think it's part of the strength issue. So why do I like him? Potential. He runs crisp routes for his size, has nice cuts, quick breaks, gets separation easily, played a lot of slot and knows how to use his size advantage. Pretty decent body control, and his hands are gold. I would think the quick twitch athleticism speak to some untapped potential. Dunno, but he's interesting to watch because he looks dominant and it also looks like it could translate. Maybe a 7th rounder, probably UFA.
Brandon Twito (Pittsburgh State) - Big boy, 6-6 and 276, wanted to play in the NBA, but figured it out sooner than most Bball converts. He went to the football coach a couple years ago and said he wanted to play in the NFL. Did his duty in the weightroom and became a very powerful run blocker and has tackle quality footwork in pass protection to go with the BBall ball skills. Scouts wanted to see him dominate at little Pittsburgh state and he didn't. But, my same friend with the strange film says it can all be blamed on the offense. Twito catches everything, plays fast, but lacks quicks like Estandia. He is very hard to tackle and could be a big surprise. He is determined to fit in somewhere, so he should be a great worker. Heard longsnappers find an NFL home if they're good, so he worked on it very hard and is a solid special teamer if nothing else. He wants it bad and has interesting upside.
WRs
Fwiw, I'm terrible projecting WRs even in fantasy, so if you seek decent reading, this post is probably done already. I've learned to draft old farts with solid starting jobs late and live with them. It works for me. Anyway, the 2nd day should be about a bunch of WRs. As weak as they are in elite talent, they are deep in potential. Avoiding the Marshalls, Nances and Basketts who may fall to the 2nd day and going deeper here's some I like.
Willie Reid - Should probably be mentioned with the guys I skipped above. I guess his stock has finally moved up. What's not to like? I guess he drops too many passes. He's in the Moss/Holmes mold. As fast or faster than both. He's a team leader, solid route runner regardless of what you read elsewhere. He's the second best return man (Drew 1st) in the draft. Very very explosive with the ball. Offensive MVP at FSU is nothing to sneeze at and MVP of the Orange Bowl too. More productive than Moss with a real good head on his shoulders. It's confusing to me that he hasn't been hyped more.
Miles Austin (Monmouth) - Incredibly productive at little Monmouth where he could literally dominate secondaries physically. Always double and triple teamed. Didn't matter. The ball is his-- 150 catches, 2800 yards, and 33 tds later. He's a workout warrior with great genetics. He's 6-2 and has played as heavy as 230. He slimmed down on the advice of scouts. Knocks against him are that he lacks quickness and doesn't block. He didn't run his best 40 (4.47) for the scouts, but that's still a lot of speed for a man his size, and he has been timed much faster. He has great hops, timing, body control, and uses his size to win the ball. A terrific speciman with natural athleticism to spare. Acrobatic catches were the norm week in and week out. Did slimming down to (215) solve the quickness issue? Who knows, but this guy is a playmaker who may translate much better than most think.
Anyone have a late late round sleeper or UFA to share/hype? I'm bored.
QBs
Ingle Martin (Furman) - Even after the excellent Combine he isn't getting much love. We know he has all the tools to play at any level, great arm (strong and accurate), excellent athleticism (better than Cutler). I saw a strong leader and fierce competitor the few times I watched him. Definitely someone who could develop and surprise. He ran a 4.65 40 and is a talented punter to boot. It's the rocket launcher that translates the best though. The accurate rocket launcher. Should be available in the 6th or 7th.
Jeff Mroz (Yale) - Ivy League smarts in a big (6-5 225) pound pocket passing package with better athleticism than credited. A better prospect in my mind than Fitzpatrick a year ago. Here's my preference for strong arms again. His is powerful, but he also has very soft touch when needed. Has the NFL look, excellent pocket presence, unflappable demeanor. Moving onto draft boards. A 7th round flyer or possible UFA.
Others I'd be happy for Dallas to take a look at in camp with a late rounder or invitation: Paul Pinegar, Barrick Nealy, Tarvaris Jackson, Justin Holland, or (in that order). All of them should be drafted late, and I like them better than the 10 other QBs they are in the mix with.
RBs
Harrison, Norwood, Hall, Washington and Henderson, should/could all fall to the 2nd day, but we've discussed them a bunch. I like them in that order and cannot see much difference between them and Calhoun, Drew, Addai from day one. Bloom clued us all into De'Arrious Howard awhile back, and he should be a welcome addition to any training camp.
Derrick Ross (Tarleton) - Small school bruiser at 5-10 and 225. Had a stack of DI scholarship offers but screwed up scholastically. He sincerely laments that now, and took academics seriously in college. Now he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder because he's being overlooked despite being big and dominant. Looking for a cut and explode power back in this class of 3rd down specialists? Look here. He has great balance, breaks tons of tackles, and offers something few in this class have-- power to spare. Should get drafted very late, and in the right situation he could be a contributor very soon-- not this year but next more than likely. Maybe he won't cut it, but on paper and film (according to a reliable friend), he looks like he's underrated and should find a home somewhere. Then it's just a matter of opportunity.
Michael Robinson - I think RB, power RB, is the right place for the "athlete". He's been discussed enough, but his running instincts are the strength of his game. Feet, vision, balance, speed and power make him a better RB prospect than WR or QB. We'll see. I'm a fan, and hoping he makes it. Paterno says he was the best football player at PSU last year, and one of the best Nittany Lions in the school's history. That's saying something. Maybe a Boldin type receiver is possible, but I'd like to see him at RB. He was pretty tough running it as a sophomore and never really got the chance again. At WR he led the team in yards and TD catches (neither # impressive). At QB he brought the program back to prominence. He's football smart and a gamer.
TEs
It's just a great class, and the top 8 or 9 have been mentioned enough.
I like Owen Daniels and Garrett Mills as very very good prospects who don't get much love. Mills catches everything, runs like a scalded dog, and is just tough as nails, if a little undersized. HBack all the way, tough run blocker who you could happily hand the ball to in short yardage. I think he has a bright future.
Daniels is similar. A converted QB with great hands, football smarts, and toughness. Ran a 4.65 and plays faster than he looks. There's a clip in Calhoun's highlight reel where Daniels runs past Calhoun to free him with a block. It's a little something like Dwight racing past Tomlinson to make a block. I like this kid a lot more than most. Like anyone on Wisconsin's line he's a well-schooled blocker, a little small, but growing, and he's got a very complete game.
Greg Estandia (UNLV) - Here's a guy you probably haven't heard much about. He's 1/4 inch shorter than Pope (6-7.5). He goes 260, and he's growing. Functional strength is an issue, but that can be developed. He's naturally huge, a little thin in the lower body. Fundamentally he's a solid blocker, sets his feet, extends his arms, drives with authority. He's just not that powerful (yet, maybe). Likewise he's not that fast (4.89, 4.83). I think it's part of the strength issue. So why do I like him? Potential. He runs crisp routes for his size, has nice cuts, quick breaks, gets separation easily, played a lot of slot and knows how to use his size advantage. Pretty decent body control, and his hands are gold. I would think the quick twitch athleticism speak to some untapped potential. Dunno, but he's interesting to watch because he looks dominant and it also looks like it could translate. Maybe a 7th rounder, probably UFA.
Brandon Twito (Pittsburgh State) - Big boy, 6-6 and 276, wanted to play in the NBA, but figured it out sooner than most Bball converts. He went to the football coach a couple years ago and said he wanted to play in the NFL. Did his duty in the weightroom and became a very powerful run blocker and has tackle quality footwork in pass protection to go with the BBall ball skills. Scouts wanted to see him dominate at little Pittsburgh state and he didn't. But, my same friend with the strange film says it can all be blamed on the offense. Twito catches everything, plays fast, but lacks quicks like Estandia. He is very hard to tackle and could be a big surprise. He is determined to fit in somewhere, so he should be a great worker. Heard longsnappers find an NFL home if they're good, so he worked on it very hard and is a solid special teamer if nothing else. He wants it bad and has interesting upside.
WRs
Fwiw, I'm terrible projecting WRs even in fantasy, so if you seek decent reading, this post is probably done already. I've learned to draft old farts with solid starting jobs late and live with them. It works for me. Anyway, the 2nd day should be about a bunch of WRs. As weak as they are in elite talent, they are deep in potential. Avoiding the Marshalls, Nances and Basketts who may fall to the 2nd day and going deeper here's some I like.
Willie Reid - Should probably be mentioned with the guys I skipped above. I guess his stock has finally moved up. What's not to like? I guess he drops too many passes. He's in the Moss/Holmes mold. As fast or faster than both. He's a team leader, solid route runner regardless of what you read elsewhere. He's the second best return man (Drew 1st) in the draft. Very very explosive with the ball. Offensive MVP at FSU is nothing to sneeze at and MVP of the Orange Bowl too. More productive than Moss with a real good head on his shoulders. It's confusing to me that he hasn't been hyped more.
Miles Austin (Monmouth) - Incredibly productive at little Monmouth where he could literally dominate secondaries physically. Always double and triple teamed. Didn't matter. The ball is his-- 150 catches, 2800 yards, and 33 tds later. He's a workout warrior with great genetics. He's 6-2 and has played as heavy as 230. He slimmed down on the advice of scouts. Knocks against him are that he lacks quickness and doesn't block. He didn't run his best 40 (4.47) for the scouts, but that's still a lot of speed for a man his size, and he has been timed much faster. He has great hops, timing, body control, and uses his size to win the ball. A terrific speciman with natural athleticism to spare. Acrobatic catches were the norm week in and week out. Did slimming down to (215) solve the quickness issue? Who knows, but this guy is a playmaker who may translate much better than most think.
Anyone have a late late round sleeper or UFA to share/hype? I'm bored.
