Spotlight #1: North Alabama CB Janoris Jenkins

Spotlight #2: Delta State CB Dominique Davenport 

(Note, since this was a D-II game, the telecast did not have a clock on the scoreboard, so I only knew what quarter it was and not the exact time).

1^st quarter

1- Davenport in on a run stop

1- Jenkins thrown on, tight completion for 3^rd down stop, just short.

2^nd quarter

2- Jenkins gets into the backfield, gives great chase and a tackle for a loss.

2- Jenkins with a weak effort to tackle, easily juked in the open field.

2- Davenport allows a catch

2- Jenkins can’t quite disengage from a block on 3^rd and short on an outside run.

2- Quarterback keeper, Jenkins with an excellent job to get into the backfield after a change of direction run, tackle for loss.

3^rd quarter

3- Receiver gets the ball in the flat, Davenport shakes off a block and explodes into the backfield for a 4 yard tackle for loss.

3- Davenport thrown at, could have allowed a completion, but the receiver drops it, right off his hands.

3- Davenport dives for a near interception on an underthrown in the end zone. Nice effort.

3- Jenkins can’t wrap up a ball carrier before a touchdown.

3- Jenkins ejected after the touchdown. This is not good. I haven’t seen enough from Davenport to suggest that this game is worth watching just to see Davenport so I’m done here.

0:00: If Jenkins had declared for the 2011 NFL Draft, he could have been the 2^nd cornerback off the board after Patrick Peterson and a top 15 pick. However, he returned for his to Florida senior season and was arrested twice in a span of 3 months for marijuana, bringing his lifetime total to 3 drug related arrests.

This was enough for Florida, who dismissed him, and rather than declare for the supplemental draft where he could have been a 3^rd round pick, he enrolled at Division-II North Alabama and joined their football team, trying to prove himself to pro scouts for another year. Delta State represents the toughest competition he’d have all year and scouts were very interested to watch this game to see if Jenkins could redeem himself. Obviously, the fact that he got ejected from this game is not a good thing.

Jenkins showed flashes of dominance tonight and looked like a first round pick among Division-II competition. He allowed one completion all night and it was a short completion on a 3^rd down stop. He had two explosive tackles for loss and Delta State only threw on him once all night. However, he looked lazy and disinterested against the run on several occasions, like he knew how much more talented he was than everyone else and so he wasn’t trying as hard. For a guy with character red flags, that’s not a good thing.

He’s got first round talent. I’m not denying that, but all of his drug arrests suggest at the very least this is a guy who isn’t fully committed to football, at most he’s someone that is going to have future disciplinary problems in the NFL, like Tampa Bay’s Aqib Talib, who had several drug arrests in college as well. Couple that with an ejection and he’s lack of interest in this game and you’ve got someone I wouldn’t take a chance on in the first 2 rounds of the draft. I think he’s getting a 3^rd round grade.

As for Dominique Davenport, I was looking for him to dominate. He’s a division-II player. If he wants to go to the NFL, he has to dominate. He didn’t dominate. He wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t good enough. That’s why I stopped watching this game after Jenkins was ejected. I wasn’t here to see Davenport and he didn’t give me any reason why I should stay just to see him.

 

Wide Receiver 

Buffalo

6-0 189

40 time: 4.60

Draft board overall prospect rank: #236

Draft board wide receiver rank: #26

Overall rating: 50*

3/15/10: I still would draft him if given the chance, but a 4.60 at 6-0 189 doesn’t help him. He could have trouble getting drafted now, after a down year last year, but I like his hands and his upside. He could be a decent slot guy at the next level.

            7/25/09: Naaman Roosevelt knows how the fill the stat sheet. He had 104 catches for 1402 yards and 13 touchdowns last season as a junior at Buffalo. However, he is ranked as a mid round prospect at best right now for a few reasons. He’s very thin at 6-0 185 and does not have good timed speed. He also hasn’t played against the best competition, though he did have a good game last season against Missouri. He doubles as a good kick returner, despite his lack of timed speed. He’s very quick and can break long gains in the open field. He runs good routes and has very sure hands. He projects as a sure handed slot receiver in the NFL. Though he’s very weak and has a small frame, he isn’t necessarily short. At 6-0, he is going to be more of an end zone threat than most slot receivers. He’s a horrible run blocker and very injury prone because of his small frame. In a league where you can never have too many pass catchers, a sure handed receiver like Roosevelt is going to be heavily sought after in the mid rounds by almost all teams. Though I never see him as a starter in the NFL because of his frame, he can be a nice 3^rd or 4^th option/kick returner and that’s all you really expect out of a 3^rd or 4^th round pick.

NFL Comparison: Greg Camarillo 

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

 

Safety 

Florida State

6-2 215

40 time: 4.68

Draft board overall prospect rank: #91

Draft board safety rank: #10

Overall rating: 75*

3/2/10: He had two questions around him coming into this draft preseason: is he committed to the sport and how would he fare after a year away from the game? He answered the first questions alright and, from his interviews, appeared committed, but a 4.68 40 at 6-2 215 shows he may not be quite in football shape yet.  

1/30/10: He didn’t play a ton or have any signature moments, but he really did show that he is still in great shape on the plays when he did play and in his interview he really seemed committed to the sport. Both of these are good things for him. There was never an issue about his ability to play the game, just about how he would bounce back physically after a year off, and about his commitment.

1/26/10: Good to see he stayed in shape in his year away from football. 

1/23/10: A big question mark after taking a year off of football to study at Oxford. He has top 15 pick talent, but taking a year off of football, isn’t unclear how he’ll respond. We’ll get a chance to see him at the Senior Bowl next week and his stock could end up anywhere from a 2^nd to 5^th round prospect based off of the results of his Senior Bowl week, his combine, and his workouts. There’s also a possibility that he’s not fully committed to football as he has aspirations of being a neurosurgeon (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and that’s a red flag to NFL scouts, but just showing up to the Senior Bowl could cool that red flag a bit.

            7/23/09: Myron Rolle is a complicated prospect. On paper he should be a first round lock. He’s big, 6-2 218, fast, mid 4.4s 40, smart and a great leader on the field from the safety position. There are no holes in his game. However, I don’t think he is going to go in the first round. Rolle skipped his senior season of college, though he had already graduated, and his last season of NCAA eligibility, to go attend Oxford, after winning the Rhodes Scholarship, in hopes of being a neurosurgeon. Not that this is a bad thing at all, but he has shown on several occasions that academics means more to him than playing football. While the average person would say that he is a good kid with his priorities in order, NFL scouts see that as a red flag. Does he really want to play in the NFL? Is he committed to the game? On one occasion, he skipped a game to interview for the Rhodes Scholarship. Who’s to say that he won’t retire after 2-3 years in the league to become a neurosurgeon? If you use a first round pick on him, that could happen and you’d essentially be out a pick. Also, if he actually does declare for the NFL draft, as that is not a given at this point for him, he will have been out of football for a year, and who knows what that could do to him. I am giving him a 2^nd round grade for now, as I see him as a game changer who could be a real steal in the 2^nd round, but the risk is definitely still there. He has top 10 pick talent, the question is, is he committed to using it on the football field? 

NFL Comparison: Brian Dawkins (if Rolle commits to football, this is the type of special player he could be)

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

Safety/Cornerback

Vanderbilt

6-2 203

40 time: 4.45

Draft board overall prospect rank: #58

Draft board safety rank: #7

Overall rating: 77*

            Myron Lewis suffers from the Sean Smith dilemma. Lewis played well over the last two years as a cornerback for Vanderbilt with 9 picks, 13 pass deflections, and 5 sacks and he has good size at 6-2 206, but he lacks elite speed and fluidity. He struggles in back pedal and doesn’t appear to have everything necessary to be an elite cornerback at the next level, though I could see him being a good #2 or nickelback with his size, strength, and instincts. He is slower and smaller than Smith who ran a 4.49 40 at 6-4 214, but his status as a tweener between safety and cornerback, or maybe just as an unfluid corner, is the same as Smith’s was coming out of school. It does help Lewis some that Smith had a decent year at corner in Miami this year, but Lewis could still have to move to free safety next year because of his lack of elite speed, cover skills, and hip fluidity. He could be burnt by a lot of faster NFL receiver one-on-one and, unlike in college, he won’t tower over all of them either. I think he has a future in the NFL, but I’m not quite sure how he quite fits in yet. He should be either a nickel back or a free safety, but I’m not completely sure as I was not sure about Smith coming out last year.

NFL Comparison: Sean Smith

*= For a breakdown of what this means, click here

By Steve Janis 

Yes, this is a must win for the Buffalo Bills. They are 0-8, they want the #1 overall pick, they are already out of the playoffs and every L they get moves them closer to Andrew Luck (hopefully). I get all that. But do we really wanna go 0-16? I don’t and one victory won’t end our chances at the top spot in the draft any way.

Looking at the schedule this will be the last game the Buffalo Bills are favored all season. Etch that into a piece of wood. This is there last good chance at a victory. Stafford is out, the Lions have lost 24 straight on the road and the game is actually in Erie County.

We’re all about numb to all of the losing at this point but zero triumphs in an entire season? That is beyond disheartening it is beyond embarrassing. I couldn’t stomach it. Losing to Shaun Hill and an albatross of a squad as the Detroit Lions would be icing on a poop popsicle. Don’t we want to leave the Ralph once this season after a win? I for one miss having a post game beer in celebration rather than to drowned my sorrows. Win one for the gipper!

Go back to Bills Fan Spot

http://wnywatercooler.blogspot.com

By Kevin Harrison

This is how the Jets perform against the Patriots for the biggest regular season game in the Jets team history – they go out and suffer one of the most embarrassing loses in team history. 

Police, there was a murder last night in Gillette Stadium.  Actually, there has been a mass murder right on the field. 

I don’t know where to begin.  I started typing this at 38-3 and realistically, I should have begun typing it at 10-0.

What a joke.   This team played flatter than a girl who hasn’t started puberty yet.  You would think they would play with emotion.  They didn’t.  You would think they would play smart.  They didn’t.  You would think they would put up a fight.  Well, they were KO’d before half-time.

The coaching was an embarrassment.  Rex Ryan has no clue how to manage challenges and time outs.  Why would you challenge the spot of a short run if you were going to go for it anyway on 4^th down?  And then, why wouldn’t you challenge the touchdown where he could have been out of bounds? Why?  Because he wasted one challenge that he shouldn’t have used and didn’t want to be left without one for the remainder of the game. And where was our game plan?  We had 11 days to prepare for this?  Did we not do any homework? 

The kicking was terrible.  Nick Folk missed one.  Nick Folk’s kickoffs were short.   Our punting was even worse.  The tackling was beyond miserable.  And a block in the back penalty negated the one nice run on a kick off. 

The loss of Jim Leonard showed.  He was missed on punt returns.  He was surely missed on defense as Eric Smith had a bad day with a bad penalty in the end zone and some poor coverage throughout.

The offense was pretty pathetic.  Yeah, it was cold but that’s December football.  Sanchez had 3 bad interceptions the last I counted.  The first was a killer as it would have put us within striking distance after half time and make a game out of it.  But, things got worse after that pick.  There was also too many drops on offense.  Not good.

But worse was the defense.  Were they still sleeping?  Maybe they were drugged.  Yeah, that’s it.  Kraft was still so pissed off from the whole Spygate Incident that he decided to drop a Xanax in each of the Jets Gatorade cups.  That’s what it is. 

The way we let Danny Woodhead look like a Pro-Bowler is embarrassing.  Yeah, I like the kid you can’t let him run you down like that.  We have absolutely zero pass rush.  We had a stint of two sacks in a row but that was about the size of it.  You’ll never beat a team like this if you give the QB all day to throw the ball.

The Jets just seemed unprepared.  The only good I take out of this game is that we split the season series with the Pats.  But, that’s it.  We barely beat bad teams the last 6 weeks and now got murdered by a good team. 

The Jets need to show that they can beat a good team.  They must first fry the fish and then go out and beat a team like the Bears and Steelers to convince me that they below in the playoffs.

I’m so mad I can’t sleep.  I’m sure every Jets fan is just and disgusted right now.

http://khbirdmantalkingjets.blogspot.com/

Go back to Jets Fan Spot 

 

 

1^st quarter

14:21: Strong hands by Worthy, just pushing the left guard for Ohio State back with pure strength.

14:08: Worthy disengaged twice, but just keeps pushing. Only 3 plays, but he’s definitely dominating his matchup with the left guard. Ohio State goes 3 and out and will punt.

13:23: Botched snap here for Kirk Cousins. Center’s fault here. It’s also raining.

12:49: Cousins with a quick pass to the tight end short, but doesn’t put it in the right spot, incomplete.

12:43: Cousins makes an odd decision on 3^rd and 16 to run. Doesn’t even bother to look downfield for longer than a half second. The pressure wasn’t coming either. He just fled the pocket unnecessarily. Both teams go 3 and out early.

11:27: Worthy pancake blocked.

10:48: Worthy pushes forward on a run play and can’t disengage and the guy gets past him, but frees up space for the guys behind him.

8:56: Cousins to a wide open guy need the first down marker. Ball was a little low, but the receiver is still able to grab it and go for a first down and an 11 yard gain.

7:44: Cousins on a play action, gets a nice block in the backfield, gets plenty of time to throw outside of the pocket and then Cousins throws a beautiful deep spiral into the end zone where the receiver is able to get the ball right on the money for a 33 yard back of the end zone touchdown. Excellent spiral, excellent pocket presence. Touchdown. When Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are breaking down Kirk Cousins in April, that last touchdown throw is going to be in the highlight reel of him that they play over and over and over again. Be prepared to see it many, many times.

5:34: Worthy gets free, pressures the quarterback, almost gets a sack, but the quarterback gets out of the way quickly, Worthy doesn’t give up, come back to pressure the quarterback and hit him from behind as his throws. Would have been a pick if it wasn’t dropped.

4:44: Cousins quick throw to a wide open man, accurate and the man is able to utilize the space in front of him and go for 10 yards.

3:38: Another quick throw by Cousins, 14 yards on the catch and run. Cousins is putting the ball in the right spot. Bj cunningham has 3 of Cousins’ first 4 catches. They have great chemistry. I want to see him throw to more guys later, but for now, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

2:03: Worthy blows off the snap against a double team, disengages from the fullback block and takes the running back down for a loss.

1:29: Worthy chases a running back down from behind. He isn’t able to bring back down, but he slows him down a bit on what could have been a bigger run.

2^nd quarter

13:08: Cousins finds another guy open for another 1^st down.

12:01: Cousins throws a screen under pressure, but has it played dropped. That’s on the running back.

11:56: Cousins puts a zip on the ball throws it into a tiny window with perfect timing. Nice catch by the receiver as well to hold onto that one in tight coverage over the middle of the field.

11:29: Cousins throws unnecessarily off of his back foot, very overthrown out of bounds.

10:36: Cousins leaves a ball too high for a receiver short. He can’t catch it, it’s tipped up and almost picked. Play called back on a penalty. Michigan State gets new life on 3^rd down here because Ohio State decided to accept  the penalty.

10:12: Cousins on 3^rd and 15, complete, but not enough for the first.

9:45: Cousins off his back foot under pressure, still puts it in the perfect place in coverage to a receiver, but it’s dropped on 4^th down.

9:00: Worthy can’t disengage from the block, but still is able to push his man forward. He’s very strong and better as a big body against the run than as a pass rusher, but he can rush the passer.

7:23: Cousins under pressures leaves one high for the receiver, but he is able to go up and get it for 7 yards.

7:00: Cousins finds Cunningham again for a 10 yard completion. Cousins is playing pretty well right now. 9-13 for 121 yards with 2 drops.

6:12: And now Cousins is bad. He makes a very poor decision and almost has it picked. The defensive back had better positioning than the receiver.

6:08: Another incompletion by Cousins. Throws it behind a well covered receiver who can’t make the adjustment quick enough. Time for the punting unit.

4:13: Jerel Worthy destroys the offensive line after jumping the count. He sacks the quarterback before he can hand off to the running back. That’s how fast it was.

2:28: Cousins off his back foot under pressure again complete for 7 yards. Cousins has an extremely strong arm and can throw off his back foot well, but he needs to make sure that he doesn’t unnecessarily throw off his back foot as a habit. He’s been doing that a lot this season. He’s gotten better with that today.

2:11: Cousins with excellent timing on a slant route, complete.

1:53: Cousins on the run threads the needle on the sideline and is able to complete to Bj cunningham, who makes an excellent sideline grab. Great job plucking it out of the air and keeping his feet in bounds.

1:07: Cousins complete to Cunningham short under pressure and Cunningham drags a man with him to the first down.

0:50: Cousins drops back to pass and drops the ball, unable to recover it, fumble recovered by Ohio State. The ball could be a little slick after all the rain, but no excuses here for Kirk Cousins. There wasn’t even any pressure on the play.

 

3^rd quarter

13:53: Cousins throws to a receiver in space on the flat, almost a 1^st down. 3^rd and 1.

11:47: Worthy blocked off a gap for a 7 yard run by the Ohio State back.

9:34: Cousins with another short completion for 5 yards. Even on short completions, you can tell his arm strength. He can really zip the ball in there and throws a perfect spiral. Accuracy is the issue for him.

8:52: Cousins checks down again and gets the first and more after a late hit penalty out of bounds.

7:44: Cousins checks down again on 2^nd and 1, receiver is able to make a couple guys miss before fumbling out of bounds.

6:44: Cousins stays calm against the blitz and throws a pretty looking deep ball, but it’s pretty inaccurate. Play called back on a holding penalty.

6:37: Cousins over the middle for 7 yards.

5:52: Cousins throws on the run, incomplete after being flushed from the pocket. Cousins was closer to completing it to the defensive back than the receiver, who could have had 6 had the pass been more accurate.

5:31: Worthy gets into the backfield on a play called back on a false start penalty by Ohio State’s left guard, who is matched up with Worthy.

5:14: Worthy hasn’t played well on the snaps he’s been matched up with Ohio State center Michael Brewster, a likely first round pick.

2:36: Cousins going to Cunningham again. Cunningham has 8 catches for 102 yards and a score and he’s really impressing me tonight, more than Cousins is. Cousins has had about half of his production go to one receiver. That’s not always a great sign. Cunningham, meanwhile, could be moving up boards from a late rounder to a mid rounder. He’s having a great season.

1:34: Cousins goes away from Cunningham and almost gets the ball picked for a pick six. Terrible decision.

1:26: Cousins under pressure on 3^rd down, knew he was going to get hit and he hits BJ Cunningham deep with a perfect, accurate bullet pass. 42 yards and Cunningham had one man to beat for a score. He didn’t beat him, but still an awesome play for both players.

4^th quarter

14:09: Inaccurate throw on a fade in the end zone by Cousins. He overthrew it and the first Ohio State defender is able to deflect it in the air and another Ohio State defender is able to make the interception. Two Ohio State guys were able to get their hands on it. No Michigan State receivers could. Terrible throw.

12:30: William Gholston on the sack. Michigan State’s front 4 has played extremely well today. Gholston is a stud true sophomore who could be a first rounder when he comes out. He’s having a huge game. He’s a cousin of Vernon Gholston, which might not be a good thing. He’s 6-7 280 with good speed and, as I’ve seen tonight, great football skills as well.

10:41: Cousins throws an accurate slant to a well covered player, who can’t hold on with a guy on him.

7:18: Cousins fakes a short pass, goes deep to BJ Cunningham, just out of his reach. Not completely inaccurate deep, but not accurate either. That’s a touchdown if he can complete it.

4:28: Kirk Cousins off of play action makes a terrible decision, throwing into very tight coverage for his 2^nd pick of the night.

0:00: Cousins reminds me of another former Big 10 quarterback who also played his college ball in the state of Michigan, Michigan’s Chad Henne. Cousins has all the physical tools and looks occasionally brilliant, but he struggles with inconsistency, decision making, and accuracy. Cousins was a fringe first round prospect in my book coming in this year as a productive 3 year starter in a Pro Style offense and a 3 year captain. Reports said he struggled with throwing off his back foot so far this season, so I was closely monitoring his footwork.

His footwork wasn’t great, but it wasn’t consistently bad. He didn’t have a habitual problem of throwing off of his back foot, though he did do this unnecessarily on occasion. He has such a strong arm that can get throw a nice deep ball of off his back foot when necessary, but he needs to avoid making that habit, as tempting as it can be.

Cousins threw a beautiful touchdown pass on BJ Cunningham in the first and had a couple of other beautiful deep balls, tight spiral and all, but as I said, he only flashed brilliance. His inconsistencies on the night led to a line of 20-32 for 250 yards, that touchdown, and two ugly picks. He did have his receivers let him down on occasion with drops, but the point is, if Ohio State could do anything on offense, Michigan State loses this game instead of winning 10-7.

Cousins was also way too reliant on one receiver, BJ Cunningham. Cunningham, a rising late round prospect, had more than half of Cousins’ production, 9 catches for 154 yards and that one score. However, he needs to learn to look beyond his first read and find the open guy, rather than just throwing to his favorites. There’s definitely potential here, but he’s probably about a 2^nd or 3^rd round pick. Nick Foles has similar issues to him, but I have Foles rated slightly rated right now.

As for Michigan State’s defense, they played extremely well. Ohio State’s quarterbacks suck (how much do you think they’d have to pay Terrelle Pryor to come back), but that doesn’t mean that Michigan State’s defensive line didn’t completely demolish Ohio State’s offensive front. Granted, Ohio State is stay missing day 2 prospect Mike Adams with a suspension, but Michigan State’s performance very was impressive.

Worthy doesn’t fill a stat sheet, but he’s so strong that he doesn’t have to have a single tackle to make an impact. He can get push even against special teams and just move guys out of the ways for linebackers to get in for the tackle. He’s a two gap filler and is best fit as a 4-3 nose tackle at 6-3 310, but he’s athletic enough to make plays of his own when the time is right. Worthy had 2 tackles, one for loss, and a sack in this game.

Two negatives for Worthy were that he slowed down towards the end of the game, and also, when matched up one on one with Ohio State center Michael Brewster, he tended to struggle. Brewster is a stud and impresses every time I watch him and he could make a case to be a top 15 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, but I would have liked to have seen Worthy at least hold his own against him because Worthy too is considered a top 15 pick in a weak defensive tackle class.

Also impressing me was William Gholston. Gholston is a sophomore defensive end for Michigan State and a cousin of Vernon Gholston, which might not be a good thing. Gholston has 5 tackles, 2 for a loss, and a sack and did it both inside and outside at 6-7 280. He definitely didn’t look like a true sophomore and he’s athletic enough to play outside at the next level. He was helped by Worthy tying up blockers, but I’m very interested to see this kid in the future. A lot of guys have him pegged as a future first rounder.

 

 

Cornerback

LSU

5-11 188

Draft board overall prospect rank: #6

Draft board overall cornerback rank: #1

Overall rating: 91 (Top 10 pick)

40 time: 4.47

Games watched: LSU/Mississippi State, LSU/Florida, LSU/Alabama, Arkansas/LSU, Georgia/LSU, LSU/Western Kentucky, LSU/Alabama (Part 2)

Positives

·         Great athlete

·         Ball skills (11 interceptions in 2 years)

·         Deadly with the ball in his hands (274 INT return yards and a touchdown)

·         Also a deadly return man (568 yards and a touchdown on 22 returns)

·         Former quarterback and wide receiver

·         Excellent man to man cover corner

·         Rarely thrown on

·         Productive even though rarely thrown on (6 picks and 6 deflections)

·         Held up well when thrown on more often in 2010 (offenses were throwing away from Patrick Peterson)

·         Great hips

·         Mirrors extremely well

·         Smooth in and out and breaks

·         Long arms (33 ¼ inches)

·         A lot of upside

·         A solid and willing tackler

·         Well coached

·         Great in both zone and man/man press schemes

Negatives

·         Only average size (5-11 188)

·         Not a superb 40 time (4.47)

·         A little high in backpedal

·         Slips more often than you’d like

·         Not quite an elite, shutdown cornerback

NFL Comparison: Joe Haden

Morris Claiborne isn’t as good as his former teammate Patrick Peterson, who came out late year. Peterson went 5^th overall and was my top rated prospect (an opinion I was not alone in). However, he compare favorably to Joe Haden, who went 7^th overall in 2010. Haden might have even had more of an immediate impact in coverage (though he has nothing on Peterson’s 4 punt returns for touchdowns). Peterson has more upside though, but Claiborne should still be a very good cornerback.

He doesn’t quite have Peterson’s measurables and return ability and there’s a reason he was the #2 cornerback to Peterson in 2010. Peterson is much more physical and a better cover cornerback. Claiborne, however, is a very good man cornerback as well, and he can also play zone effectively, but his gifts are best utilized in a man or man press scheme. He’s also got average size (5-11 188) and speed (4.47), but he does have very long arms to make up for his lack of height. His ball skills are off the charts, probably because he’s a former quarterback and wide receiver (in High School). He’ll make a very good pick in the top 10, probably 5^th to Tampa Bay, he’s just not quite elite.

 

 

Running Back

Tennessee

6-0 229

40 time: 4.49

Draft board overall prospect rank: #107

Draft board running back rank: #9

Overall rating: 68*

            3/20/10: Every year there are running backs drafted in the 3^rd or 4^th round who go on to become functional starters in the NFL. Montario Hardesty could very well be one of those. He does every thing you like a running back to do and does a lot of things that are very advanced for his age. For one, he has good hands. He rarely fumbles, catches well out of the backfield, and is even a solid pass protector. These are not traits you normally see out of a college running back, but they are traits any good starting running back needs and because of that, Hardesty can help a team out with 150-200 carries right away. At the very least, he will be a 3^rd round back and a solid backup. He also is very fast for his size and has decent breakaway speed. He’s got excellent vision and decent elusiveness for his size and should fit well in a one cut zone blocking scheme. He’s a hard runner, but lacks elite explosiveness through the whole and doesn’t change directions very well. He showed elite athletic ability at the Combine in drills like the broad jump and the vertical leap, for what it’s worth. He has good speed, but not elite breakaway speed and he runs a bit upright sometimes which could mean trouble for him in the NFL because big backs who run upright don’t break as many tackles as they good. His track record is very limited and he’s a bit of a one year wonder. Even in his one year as a feature back he was not extremely impressive with 1345 yards on 282 yards, a 4.8 YPC, though, again, his 25 catches for 302 yards and a touchdown were impressive. I like him as a starting running back going forward and, at the very least, he’s a 3^rd down and backup running back with a home in the league, but I think his upside is fairly limited. He’ll never be an overly impressive Pro Bowl caliber feature back. At best, he’s a get the job done type guy who would excel in a zone style offense.

NFL Comparison: Chester Taylor

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

By Packrphan 

Yesterday, we offered an overview of the well-known rivalry between our beloved Green Bay Packers and that team from south of the border, Da Bearz. Today, with less than 10 hours to kickoff, we offer our take on what we might expect to go down tonight in ChiTown.

Yesterday’s pre-preview concluded with the statement that this will be one of those old fashioned smash-mouth games. Players on both sides will be hitting the whirlpool and ice tub heavy tomorrow. There is a lot on the line tonight: not only leadership atop the NFC North but also the NFC…whichever team wins tonight will be the only 3-0 team in the conference. Now really, should that be Da Bearz? Of course not. And it won’t be.

So let’s break this down a bit.

Packers offense vs. Bearz defense — edge to the Pack. Da Bearz defense, especially the front 7, isn’t bad. They are good at stopping the run. But since the running game is not what the Packers rely on anyway, that advantage for Chicago basically goes by the board. Julius Peppers can create problems, although he also is known to take plays off. Expect him to rotate to both sides of the line. But Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher are veteran tackles who have played against him before and know what to expect. In general, especially during those games when Peppers was with Carolina, both Cliffie and Tausch have held up well. One of the question marks tonight, however, is how well Clifton’s ailing knee will hold up. According to the injury report, he’s listed as probable for tonight which means he will likely get the start. But if Peppers starts to get to QB Aaron Rodgers through Clifton, look for head coach Mike McCarthy to pull the plug quickly and insert rookie Bryan Bulaga. Da Bearz linebacking corps, especially with Urlacher back in the middle, can also create problems of course. It’s Da Bearz secondary that is really questionable, which bodes well for the Pack’s air attack which we all know can cause opponents fits. The Packers receivers and tight ends, as well as running backs, can all open up opportunities. The key will be to protect Rodgers so he and the receivers can shred Da Bearz secondary.

Bearz offense against Packers defense — edge to the Pack. Da Bearz offensive line, so far, has protected QB Jay Cutler better than expected. Note that the operative phrase there was “so far.” They haven’t come up against a defense like the Pack yet this season. So while Cutler is off to a better start than anyone expected, he’ll come back to earth tonight. Those 5- and 7-step drops that offensive coordinator Mike Martz has him making might work well against some teams. But against the Pack, it just means that his O-line is somehow going to have to hold their blocks longer against the Pack’s pressure defense. By the way, this is the very first time that Bearz offensive coordinator Mike Martz has come up against Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers. Imagine that! In all the years and various positions, including head coaching gigs, this is the first time the two have met up. Sets the stage for a great chess match. But Capers has more artillery to bring to the game. Look for LB Clay Matthews to continue his sack-a-thon. As the Pack defense pressures Cutler he’ll start to force things, which means turnover opportunities. Matt Forte is a good running back, who is also Da Bearz leading receiver coming into this game. TE Greg Olsen is a very good tight end. But the Packers “D” will hold Da Bearz in check.

Special teams — edge Bearz. This is close to a draw. The Pack upgraded its punter this season, K Mason Crosby regained his confidence, and the return game got an unexpected boost from Jordy Nelson. The Pack’s coverage units, to date, have also generally performed well. But Da Bearz also have a good punter and kicker, and the slight edge has to go to Da Bearz returners.

So, two out of three segments of the game favor the Pack, with nearly a draw in terms of special teams.

The Packers are favored by 3 points and the over/under for the game is listed at 46. Most pundits are picking the Pack to win, and I’ve seen predictions of anywhere from a 1- to 13-point winning margin.

The score which has been rolling around in my head consistently for a couple days has been Packers over Da Bearz 24-20. So I’ll go with that. But if the Packers play up to what they are capable of, that margin could be wider by at least another touchdown.

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