Spotlight #1: Syracuse TE Nick Provo

Spotlight #2: Connecticut C Moe Petrus 

1^st quarter 

13:24: Provo with good strength and power on an outside run block.

12:13: Petrus with a good interior block one on one pass block.

11:30: Provo knocked down while run blocking.

10:54: Provo beat off the snap as a run blocker on 3^rd and 1, noticeably slow, but recovers to help convert.

8:58: Provo has one sail over his head, would have liked to have seen him actually try to put his hands up and catch it, but it was a pretty uncatchable ball.

8:45: Petrus looks slow on a pull block, can’t get out fast enough to make any kind of impact.

8:02: Petrus gets beat in run blocking, seems to have given up afterwards, short run up the middle.

7:04: Botched snap and turnover by Petrus, could have been more on the quarterback than the center, but a low shotgun snap.

6:59: Provo with a good pass block, good hand use to block for a long time against extra pressure.

3:50: Mike Ryan slow on a pull block on 3^rd and 1, failed edge block, big loss, forced punt.

0:57: Petrus with a good 2^nd level block, play goes away from him to the outside.

0:19: Petrus quick off the snap on a run up the middle, quarterback draw.

2^nd quarter

14:36: Petrus with another nice 2^nd level block, utilized this time, solid gain.

13:40: Petrus called for unnecessary roughness after a Syracuse fumble recovery. Forced fumble by Chandler Jones.

6:51: Provo with a good effort to throw a downfield block after a teammate’s long reception.

5:35: Connecticut brings pressure up the middle, Kendall Reyes in on a combined sack.

1:54: Provo has a pass bounce to him under pressure, incompletion.

1:26: Petrus bull rushed back one on one, pushed into the quarterback, who was also hit by Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones, a talented end who beats pro prospect Mike Ryan for the sack. Fumble recovered.

0:57: Petrus beat one on one by swim move for the pressure.

0:51: Petrus helps on a double team in pass protection.

0:25: Moe Petrus with another late hit after a pick, 15 yards, poor pass protection as well, bull rushed leading to pressure and an eventual bad pick, picked off by talented junior safety Phillip Thomas, his 2^nd of the night.

0:21: Almost another turnover, pressure by Kendall Reyes.

 

3^rd quarter

14:41: Provo takes a short one for 5 off play action, good job quickly getting open.

13:43: Provo open short on a similar play, more open than last time, takes it for 8 this time.

11:58: Provo on a tight end end around, not taking it for much, a yard or two. Interesting play call.

11:21: Ball off the hands of the intended receiver, Provo does a good job of diving to try to catch it off the deflection, can’t quite, but I like the effort.

10:31: Provo starts off as a blocker, disengages, wide open on play action on the goal line, takes it for the easy score, good fake, good hands, good play.

10:07: Petrus moves well on an outside pitch.

9:53: Back to back big runs, this one up the middle, hole helped sealed by Petrus.

8:10: Petrus outmuscled on a short run.

3:11: Provo struggles with ball rush in pass protection, eventually thrown, good job to hang in.

0:59: Petrus falls trying to execute a 2^nd level block, not agile here.

4^th quarter

12:46: Provo takes a slant on 3^rd and 5 short of the sticks in space, converts.

12:11: Provo takes a dump off, good open field moves and vision to take it for 10+ yards, physical, good stiff arm.

10:44: Provo has his block disengaged from when a good gain to his side, needs more functional strength.

9:29: Provo catches a 1^st on 3^rd against tight coverage on a choice route, uses his body to post up the guy like basketball, good hands and good fight to hold on with guy draped on him and refuses to go down at first.

6:44: Petrus pulls out to block in pass protection, good agility and blocking, gets set quick, good hand use.

5:42: Petrus helps open up a cut block lane on the inside, blocks to the left, seals well.

3:06: Provo takes another short one against tight coverage.

1:31: Provo targeted on 4^th and 6, could have been a completion, but a huge play by Kendall Reyes to bat it down on the line. Instinctual clutch play for the potential day 2 pick.

0:00: Nick Provo didn’t catch a ball in the first half, but finished with 7 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. He’s very good at getting open short and has good, dependable hands. He’s a great route runner in a Pro Style offense. He’s physical and can post guys up short. He doesn’t have a lot of vertical stretch ability, but as far as possession tight ends go, I think he can be a very good one at the next level. On the season, he has 51 catches for 537 yards and 7 touchdowns. He’s also a great end zone threat and his team’s 2^nd leading receiver, his team leader in touchdowns.

As a blocker, he shows promise, but he needs work. He’s got the frame and the upside to be a good blocker at 6-4 249 pounds, but needs to add more functional strength and get stronger at the point of attack. He’s also not the most athletic, which effects his ability to both get separation deep, which I already mentioned, as well as his ability to pull block and block on the move with good feet.

Connecticut has two draftable prospects on their offensive line. Moe Petrus is the lower rated of the two, but the spotlight in this game. The center had his moments, but really didn’t seem to be an NFL caliber player. He had some nice interior blocks, but really struggled to pull block and didn’t look athletic or mobile in the open field. He also had trouble with bull rushes one on one and allowed a combined sack that led to a fumble.

He needs to add more functional strength at the point of attack if he excepts to be able to match up one on one with NFL interior lineman one on one. He did a good job as a double teamer in pass protection and open some nice interior holes for Connecticut’s running game, but he didn’t have a good game. He was also whistled for two late hits after Connecticut turnovers, one of the turnovers he was partially at fault for. He could still get drafted late, but I think it’s more likely than not that he doesn’t get drafted.

Mike Ryan, Connecticut’s left tackle, is a higher rated prospect and could go in the mid rounds. The 6-5 335 pound left tackle is a physically imposing player, but he struggled in this one with another potential mid round prospect, Syracuse junior defensive end Chandler Jones, who has recently declared for the 2012 NFL Draft early.

Jones has a lot of athletic talent at 6-5 265. He’s also brother to Arthur Jones, of the Baltimore Ravens, and Jon Jones, a UFC fighter. However, he could have used another year in school. Struggling with injuries this season, he had just 38 tackles, 7.5 for loss, and 4.5 sacks in 7 games as a junior. The talent is there, but the production never has been. In this one, he had 5 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and a sack and generally won the battles with Mike Ryan. Ryan has been inconsistent this season, but had a great game against Pittsburgh’s Brandon Lindsay, another mid round prospect. He’s a physically imposing player and could have a future at right tackle at the next level. He’s probably an early day 3 pick, while Jones is a borderline day 2/day 3 pick who could solidify himself as a day 2 pick with good pre-draft workouts.

Connecticut controlled the trenches on the defensive side of the ball, led in large part by Kendall Reyes. Reyes, a defensive tackle, had a great game with 7 tackles and a half sack, as well as a clutch pass deflection that ended the game. Reyes looks like a day 2 pick who could benefit from a weak defensive tackle class and wind up in the 2^nd round. He also benefits from being one of the best penetrating 4-3 under tackles in a class where most of the top guys are run stuffers first. He can also play 3-4 defensive end, something other top guys in this class might not be able to do as well.

The 6-5 300 Reyes has ideal 3-4 end size and 46 tackles, 13.5 for loss, and 4.5 sacks on the season. His play really helped limit Antwon Bailey to 50 yards on 16 carries. The 5-7 208 pound back is in his first year as a starter taking over for Delone Carter and rushed for 1051 yards and 6 touchdowns on 240 carries this season, as well as 29 catches. He will have trouble getting drafted late.