Alan Branch (1 Viewer)

[Evilgrin 72]

Plus, for those weighing Okoye and Branch, remember the fact that Okoye is 19 comes into play......

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Plus, for those weighing Okoye and Branch, remember the fact that Okoye is 19 comes into play......

As being a positive or negative for Okoye?

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Plus, for those weighing Okoye and Branch, remember the fact that Okoye is 19 comes into play......

As being a positive or negative for Okoye?

HUGE positive.

 

[Men-in-Cleats]

Carriker is an interesting juxtaposition with Branch actually. Carriker seems to be gaining momentum for reasons like "worth ethic" and "attitude" and you're hearing how he never took a play off on game tape; even though he's not necessairly the more technically sound or athletically gifted of the DTs.

Hi Jason, thats exactly the way I see it as well- and it seems almost a bit ridiculous. The point of the draft is to adress a need with the best avalible PLAYER at a certain position. While we see scenarios where players fall because of trouble with the law, academics, etc, there is really nothing but an unsubstantiated rumor that Branch lacks work ethic. On the contrary, it seemed he has done real well to keep himself at the athletic level he was at during the combine. Branch's attitude may come off as a bit too relaxed, but it seems to be he's quite pumped up to be playing DE in the NFL. As for the 'taking plays off knock', I can understand that players, especially those in college looking to sell themselves at the next level, like tangible results to back their level of plays. If I were being swallowed by two enormous interior linemen on a play-by-play basis, I would certainly be frustrated that I couldnt do anything tangible to help the team. However, I see that more as a desire to make the big play rather than lacking a sound work ethic. Which is why Branch would be perfect as a 3-4 DE.

In the end, teams draft for players for what they bring to the playing field, not how well they sell themselves.

The bolded statement here really bugs me. Isn't swallowing up a couple of enormous interior linemen on a play-by-play basis EXACTLY what he is supposed to do to help the team? Isn't that like a QB being frustrated because they spend the majority of their time throwing the ball or handing it off? Sure they'd like to have some flashy stats to wow the scouts but doesn't he realize that scouts know the game and know what to look for in an interior lineman? Every interior lineman in the game could have that "tangible" results complaint so it does still raise a flag when one DT takes plays off while another DT plays hard every down. The second guy must not be aware that he has reason to be frustrated and should pick some spots to get a breather and watch the action.

 

[Sean Baca]

I have been hearing alot of comparisons to Okoye, who if you'll remember was the one who showed up in Indy overweight, not to dog Okoye but there is no talk of him slipping. Branch may take a FEW plays off during the game but that is it. He faces double teams every week by BIG 10 lineman...see Levi Brown and Joe Thomas and still finds himself in the backfield wrecking house. He does have a habit of standing up and reading the play while hand-fighting but don't confuse that with taking a play off. If beating 20-30 double teams a week and still putting up TFL and sack numbers like that is lazy than maybe lazy aint' so bad.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I have been hearing alot of comparisons to Okoye, who if you'll remember was the one who showed up in Indy overweight, not to dog Okoye but there is no talk of him slipping.

I thought the knock on Okoye in Indy was that he showed up UNDERweight.Edit: Not quite. He was underweight at the Senior Bowl, but back up to over 300 at the combine, which was a GOOD thing.

Link

Okoye Bulks Back Up For NFL Competition

by Chris Brown, Lead Journalist Last Updated: 2/25/2007 9:33 AM ET

Okoye Ends Combine Day 3

Bills Speak to CB Leon Hall

Day 3 NFL Combine Recap

While Amobi Okoye's story is a unique one, migrating from Nigeria before his teens, enrolling in high school at 12, becoming a 16-year old freshman at Louisville and now set to enter the NFL Draft as a 19-year old, the number that really mattered after arriving at the NFL combine Saturday was his weight.

"I weighed 302," he said.

About a month ago Okoye shocked scouts and personnel evaluators when he dropped almost 15 pounds from the end of the college season and weighed in at 287 pounds at the Senior Bowl. The Louisville product showed remarkable burst off the ball, but had some trouble holding the inside rushing lanes against top flight college competition that week.

Okoye realized he was limiting himself by being so light on the interior and knew the offensive linemen he'd see every Sunday in the pros would be even better than the ones he encountered Senior Bowl week.

So he quickly set about putting the weight back on that he carried his senior season at Louisville successfully reaching the 300-pound mark for the combine one month later.

"I played at 317 as a freshman, 305 as a sophomore, 312 as a junior and between 295 and 300 as a senior," Okoye said. "I feel like that's probably my best playing weight. I felt explosive and fast (senior year) and everything about my game was a plus."

His junior season Okoye didn't have the burst head coach Bobby Petrino was looking for. Playing at 312 was a bit too heavy, so he trimmed down for his senior season.

"He dropped his weight last year and was a better player," said Petrino now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Okoye increased his production dramatically. Though he played in just two more games in his senior season than he did as a junior, he more than doubled his tackle total, increased his tackles for loss from four to 15 and upped his sack numbers from a half sack to eight in his final collegiate campaign. He called his senior year his proudest football accomplishment.

"Everything was planned the way it happened except for the stutter step at Rutgers," referring to Louisville's loss which almost cost them the Big East title. "I was really proud of my last year because I envisioned all of that and it came to light."

Now back to his ideal playing weight Okoye isn't viewed as solely a three-technique (outside shade of the guard) defensive tackle. Teams can now more seriously consider using him as a nose tackle in a 4-3 scheme.

Okoye currently doesn't have a preference for one over the other.

"I've played both positions and I've tried to find out which one I like best and I really don't know," he said. "I can't say which one I like best."

While 302 pounds may not seem like enough anchorage to hold up inside against the dominating offensive fronts of the NFL, the 6'2" Okoye has a very low center of gravity and very good lower body strength. With good hand technique and a solid work ethic it's little secret why he's widely considered a mid-first round pick.

Logic says the Bills would almost have to consider him in round one if he's still on the board at 12 with run defense an area in need of fixing.

"He's going to be a very good football player," said Petrino of Okoye's NFL potential. "The ceiling is way up there for him."

Though he won't turn 20 until June, not one NFL team seems worried about whether he can effectively play against the more mature bodies in the NFL.

"I'm looking forward to it," Okoye said of facing players eight and 10 years older than him. "It's kind of like when I was going to high school at 13 and I was going to play kids who were 17 or 18. It's a challenge and I've always had challenges in life and this is one other challenge I'm looking forward to."

 

[Sean Baca]

I have been hearing alot of comparisons to Okoye, who if you'll remember was the one who showed up in Indy overweight, not to dog Okoye but there is no talk of him slipping.

I thought the knock on Okoye in Indy was that he showed up UNDERweight.Edit: Not quite. He was underweight at the Senior Bowl, but back up to over 300 at the combine, which was a GOOD thing.

Link

Okoye Bulks Back Up For NFL Competition

by Chris Brown, Lead Journalist Last Updated: 2/25/2007 9:33 AM ET

Okoye Ends Combine Day 3

Bills Speak to CB Leon Hall

Day 3 NFL Combine Recap

While Amobi Okoye's story is a unique one, migrating from Nigeria before his teens, enrolling in high school at 12, becoming a 16-year old freshman at Louisville and now set to enter the NFL Draft as a 19-year old, the number that really mattered after arriving at the NFL combine Saturday was his weight.

"I weighed 302," he said.

About a month ago Okoye shocked scouts and personnel evaluators when he dropped almost 15 pounds from the end of the college season and weighed in at 287 pounds at the Senior Bowl. The Louisville product showed remarkable burst off the ball, but had some trouble holding the inside rushing lanes against top flight college competition that week.

Okoye realized he was limiting himself by being so light on the interior and knew the offensive linemen he'd see every Sunday in the pros would be even better than the ones he encountered Senior Bowl week.

So he quickly set about putting the weight back on that he carried his senior season at Louisville successfully reaching the 300-pound mark for the combine one month later.

"I played at 317 as a freshman, 305 as a sophomore, 312 as a junior and between 295 and 300 as a senior," Okoye said. "I feel like that's probably my best playing weight. I felt explosive and fast (senior year) and everything about my game was a plus."

His junior season Okoye didn't have the burst head coach Bobby Petrino was looking for. Playing at 312 was a bit too heavy, so he trimmed down for his senior season.

"He dropped his weight last year and was a better player," said Petrino now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Okoye increased his production dramatically. Though he played in just two more games in his senior season than he did as a junior, he more than doubled his tackle total, increased his tackles for loss from four to 15 and upped his sack numbers from a half sack to eight in his final collegiate campaign. He called his senior year his proudest football accomplishment.

"Everything was planned the way it happened except for the stutter step at Rutgers," referring to Louisville's loss which almost cost them the Big East title. "I was really proud of my last year because I envisioned all of that and it came to light."

Now back to his ideal playing weight Okoye isn't viewed as solely a three-technique (outside shade of the guard) defensive tackle. Teams can now more seriously consider using him as a nose tackle in a 4-3 scheme.

Okoye currently doesn't have a preference for one over the other.

"I've played both positions and I've tried to find out which one I like best and I really don't know," he said. "I can't say which one I like best."

While 302 pounds may not seem like enough anchorage to hold up inside against the dominating offensive fronts of the NFL, the 6'2" Okoye has a very low center of gravity and very good lower body strength. With good hand technique and a solid work ethic it's little secret why he's widely considered a mid-first round pick.

Logic says the Bills would almost have to consider him in round one if he's still on the board at 12 with run defense an area in need of fixing.

"He's going to be a very good football player," said Petrino of Okoye's NFL potential. "The ceiling is way up there for him."

Though he won't turn 20 until June, not one NFL team seems worried about whether he can effectively play against the more mature bodies in the NFL.

"I'm looking forward to it," Okoye said of facing players eight and 10 years older than him. "It's kind of like when I was going to high school at 13 and I was going to play kids who were 17 or 18. It's a challenge and I've always had challenges in life and this is one other challenge I'm looking forward to."

the point was about Branch, I'm not knocking Okoye as I said but fifteen pounds in that short a time was a concern at the Combine, but again I am not knocking Okoye rather I am defending Branch by stating that a few pounds DOES NOT mean he has a poor attitude or work ethic.