Pat, what were your thoughts on Shelton during the senior bowl? From what ive read he caught the eye during the week in practises and had a good game too.
I watched the game as well, he had a few plays where he broke through to the backfield but other than that it was nothing spectacular. The offensive lineman were very solid in that game. Like Pat said, a lot of the times you are not going to see a standout game from a 3-4 NT because their job is to occupy blockers and stuff the gaps for the LB's to make plays. I was watching him on a lot of plays and he did get a lot of double teams which is a main part of his job. I heard the same as you though that he was a standout during the practices and he is a REALLY big dude. I'm sure Fangio will be watching a lot of film on him as well to give his input. Right now, he is projected as a top 10 pick and will probably be there when we pick at 7 unless somebody ahead of us falls in love with him.
That'll be my focus in the coming weeks as well, Pat - big DT's, athletic/rush OLB's, and QB's (just to be sure of what's out there). Obviously we have no idea what Fangio and Fox have cooked up. But, based on what we know about the new DC, and what we know about our current roster, I'd be willing to bet that that whole "best player available" thing will be of the greatest help. If they go hybrid with the defense, a dominating NT isn't the end-all-be-all, neither is a rush LB, etc. You can draft the best possible pieces and go from there. Bare cupboard being what it is and all...
During practices he was stellar among many scouts, but Aggie beat me to it. He was manhandled by Cam Erving, OC/OG from Florida State and Reese Dismiukes, not double teamed. He had a couple decent plays where he penetrated the line--but was to me more unspectacular than advertised. To me, maybe just being a perfectionist--but in a 3-4 NT you need a guy who eats 2 blockers consistently and doesn't get pushed like that. Shelton doesn't appear to be that. Vince Wilfork was. Jay Ratliff was. Haloti Ngata is. Not many great 2 gap NT.
Keeping my focus on linemen, I'm shifting to the other side of the ball, the offense. I'm looking specifically at RT, and I'm now watching TJ Clemmings, RT from Pitt. Clemmings projects to be a 2-5 rounder depending on his workouts and interviews. For a 3-4 round pick, he's gotta be an option. Right off the bat, I watched Pitt/Virginia Tech, and Clemmings had one of the best pass rushers in CFB, Dadi Nicolas lined up against from him. http://draftbreakdown.com/video/t-j-clemmings-vs-virginia-tech-2014/ Nicholas is a speed rusher, and very good. Immaculate studderstep and speed/power move inside. Nicholas is a 3-4 'rush' LB who stayed at college for his senior season, though lined up to be a down linemen in different schemes. THis kid is 22.5 TFL, 11 sacks good. When he's not lined up on Clemmings, he's in the backfield. Clemmings takes him out of the play often, mainly keeping his feet moving and sliding with Nicolas to force into over-pursuit. Smart move, as 6'4, 231 fast LB against a 6'5, 310 LB lineman would do. On a 40 yard TD pass, Clemmings forced Nicolas (#90) into over pursuit and took away his lane to the QB. Plus with pass blocking a strong, speed rusher. Cant really assume Nicolas is a bull rusher, as he never directly engages Clemmings to move him backward. I'll watch more tape. His outside slide in speed move is tremendous. I've noticed Clemmings is pulling a lot. Not that Tackles don't pull, we see it more with guards at the NFL level, but he run blocks with reckless abandon, a positive and negative. Yeah putting a linebacker on his ass looks nice, but running into your own guy--knocking him off his blocker who makes the tackle doesn't. Chop blocking illegally is great. I've seen him go at a few knees and take guys out of plays. With flags. He sells the screen perfectly. Pushes the pile/plays till the whistle. Good. First impression is that he's raw, but moldable. I wish I had better adjectives. But he makes a few errors, but plays with brutality. Second game against Virginia, the game I wanted to see, as Virginia has one of the top pass rushers going into the draft, Eli Harrold. Harrold projects to be a 2nd rounder in the 2015 draft. Unfortunately, Clemmings spends the majority of the game blocking Mike Moore, the 5 tech DE, who reminds me a lot of Igor Olshansky. A conservative, power/bull rush player who will be drafted in 2016. http://draftbreakdown.com/video/t-j-clemmings-vs-virginia-2014/ Moore has the bull rush I was looking for. And he is considerably bigger than Nicolas at 6'5, 265. Clemming so far has overpowered Moore against the run. Against the pass, Moore and his bull rush have provided pressure/pass bat down. Moore is a younger cat, he got flustered. Clemmings manhandles him on a couple pass plays and you can see Moore throw a temper tantrum. No foul play as I rewatched like a hold. Again, sells the screen nicely. Moore took 3 steps into the backfield and you saw the 'oops' look on his face/body. Moore does best Clemmings on a couple plays. Rolls the QB out and forces throws or throwaways. In addition to his bull rush, he has nice hand work for a DLinemen. I am a little bummed he didn't go up against Harrold--Harrold is a premier pass rusher. But he gets a B- this game. Again, raw. But I cant expect him to be immaculate against every opponent every play. 2-4 round is where he will go. He is an easy upgrade to Jordan 'I eat 5 turkeys for thanksgiving' Mills. http://draftbreakdown.com/players/t-j-clemmings/ The rest of his films.
Watching the Super Bowl last night Patg, I was wondering if there were any small school MLB's in the mold of Jamie Collins or Bobby Wagner. I know about the bigger names but neither of them was a big name and both have ended being pretty damn good NFL LB's.
Right now, the field is clogged with blitzing 3-4 linebackers. Though I don't watch TCU (Dawson is near the top of my list because after Thompson, Kendricks, and a few others), I'm drawn to Paul Dawson, as he's described as a do-it-all LB who projects to be able play every LB spot in a 4-3 and a 3-4. Aggie, Deuce, or any Texan bears fans ever get a chance to watch them? Afraid they're not a typical Saturday commodity here in Chicago. Everywhere I look, I've seen Dawson go early 2nd round to as late as the 6th. He's a plus coverage LB, plays like a CB almost. 5 pass deflections and 2 picks during his junior year at TCU. A year EVERYBODY shined because stud pass rushing DE Davonte Fields got removed from the program. Fields was supposed to be this year's Clowney. From what I've read, some teams love Dawson's game, rating him high, and some hate his height, rating him so low. He wont win jump balls. I'm doing some write ups for Tim on the main site, but within the next couple days I'll do a formal write up/analysis on Dawson for the thread.
So I get I have been away for a bit, some job stuff and some home stuff and I've caught whatever bug is going around, but I am back with a promised, yet tardy report on TCU Linebacker Paul Dawson. Tim, I'll also get on some more scouting reports within the coming couple of days now that I have slightly more free time. Dawson comes to us from TCU, comes in at 6'2, 230. He is an ILB in TCU's 3-4 hybrid defense. They run a lot of creative plays in both formations. A pleasure to watch. From NFL.com: Flexible, agile athlete with good lower-body build. Outstanding instincts. Sees what is happening on the field and senses what is about to happen. Always plays downhill, attacking line of scrimmage. Second-level ghost who is a nightmare for offensive linemen to engage. Instantly unlocks hips and bursts to chase outside. Smooth lateral movement with ability to change direction and mirror running back into the hole. Gets skinny and slips blocks. When blocked, doesn't stay wired to blocks. Chases sideline to sideline. Excels in pass coverage, allowing just 35.7 percent of passes against him to be completed. Tough play demeanor. Plays hard and practices hard. And with the positives come the negatives: Not a wrap-up tackler and needs work in finishing blocks. Freelances and sometimes lacks discipline to maintain assignments. Instincts of a middle linebacker but likely too small for the position. Has to win with speed over power as a blitzer. Scouts are very worried about his personal character and say he's not beloved within the program. Questions have been raised about his commitment to the process. Not a film studier. He has drawn comparisons to Lavonte David. Like. But the last sentence is what concerns me with the negatives. As that you can be as talented as you like--but you need to study opponents. The bears are slated to play the AFC West in 2015. Peyton Manning, old and decrepit as he is--isn't someone you don't study up on. Or Phillip Rivers. They will eat you alive. Or Erin Rodgers. Now, to the film. Here's one game against Texas Longhorns in 2014 on Thanksgiving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLyrMvfc5eI Instinctive. He's left to play the Mike and LILB from what I'm seeing. He gives the TE/FB some wiggle room in the flat on the zone, but still comes up and makes a tackle. Great instincts right out of the gate. Snuffed out a dump off screen to the running back. Great example of good aggression. Got really faked out by play action and tackled a running back who already went out to the flat, drawing a PI call. Bad aggression. Throws his body at a guy to knock him out of bounds instead of tackling him. 50-50. When he engages an OL head on, he's out of the play. Texas' LT squared him up and pushed him back. But when he isn't squared up, this guy is ridiculously slippery. *Now to the second film. Home against Oklahoma. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2pS1ApB-6Y I'm seeing the aggression already a couple plays in. He's blown up a couple of run plays out of the gate and has gone from east sideline to west to help tackle on an opposite field sweep. Deceptive pre-snap blitzer. Got projected 2-4 rounder Tyrus Thompson to jump. Thompson is known for discipline, though isn't a projected NFL LT. Clogs the hole on run plays. Oklahoma is known for a strong run game. Saw him cause a pile that stonewalled a running back on the 3. I mentioned being ineffective when directly/head on engaged. Oklahoma ran right up the middle and the LG squared him up and pushed back. When he blitzes and doesn't get to the QB, verty quick to block a lane and get his hands up. A couple nice deflections. After watching, this guy has some great qualities that I like in a linebacker. If the plan is 3-4 or hybrid--saying 'draft him' is the easy part. He's a projected 2-6 rounder. He's had some attitude problems.......but his raw athleticism and talent would make a few people look past that. To me, he's a late 2nd/early 3rd. He's not a 'rush' LB though he does blitz. He also doesn't play down lineman. Some teams very hot or very cold.
Good morning and good Sunday, boys and girls. One player I've decided to study up more on, changing things to the offensive side of the ball, is Northern Iowa running back David Johnson. Johnson I became very aware of at the Senior Bowl and have focused this post on him. Johnson comes in at 6'1, 224; so by no means a small cat. From CBS, who has him ranked 10th among running backs for the 2015 draft; it is an incredibly stacked and deep running back draft, mind you: Johnson is a stout runner with strong, decisive strides as an athlete, forcing defenders to bring their big boy pants to bring him down. He looks more like a linebacker than a running back with thick build and imposing muscle tone from head to toe. Johnson only has one gear, but he has good giddy-up and won't slow down easily through the line of scrimmage and at the second level. His best quality is his receiving ability, displaying smooth body control, soft hands and vision after the catch to create. As for the weaknesses: While he plays fast enough, Johnson lacks breakaway speed and can be caught from behind. He doesn't have much shake to his run style and won't fool defenders or create in tight spaces. Johnson is an upright runner with some lower body stiffness, limiting his elusiveness against next level players. His size and skill-set lead some to believe he projects as a better H-back or move tight end at the next level. As for the tight end portion, no way. I don't know many 6'1, 220 lb TEs. Its really hard not to fall in love with this specific play: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-senio...s-Senior-Bowl-Johnson-s-19-yard-touchdown-run But......to the tape for thoughts. First is against Iowa in 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpKTcIFToF4 Right off the bat, a D-1AA kid is making big boy defenders miss. First two plays it takes more than 2 guys to tie him up and they struggle. He's a decent pass blocker, squaring and standing up blitzing tight ends. The guy is a big pass threat, and Iowa decided not to cover him. A great possible contingency plan with Matt Forte due up after 2015. Hits the holes, doesn't dance or try to do too much, which is a plus. Though as paralel with teh scouting reports, he does have some lower body stiffness, and you see that on a couple run plays where his hole is sealed when his OLine gets blown up. You can say that about almost any running back though. As the game progresses, Iowa keeps a spy on him. Good, he's talented/dangerous enough to have one. Now to the next game against SIU. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsY-6_lJUZU Early, showing his soft hands and his inability to go down easy. SIU has done a fantastic job blowing up his offensive line. Not much a running back can do about that. More of the same. Power running, hitting holes and pushing for yards. Johnson prjoets to be a 3-5 rounder. Easily worth mid round consideration.
First off thanks for the site. I have been playing around with it and its really cool. I watched the entire Hawaii tape and I must say I disagree completely with your scouting. I am no scout so I am by no means saying you are wrong. I just don't agree. What I saw was a big man who moved very well. You say he was getting pushed back. I didn't see that. He was either standing his ground or getting good push. A bunch of plays he split the double team perfectly. When he was one on one he was unblockable. I know Hawaii is far from a power house but so is Washington's D. JMO but he looked like a man amongst boys on that D line. I will do more research. Watch the rest of the tape on him because I don't believe every expert out there can be wrong. It is hard to hear anyone saying a bad thing about the kid. I am sure he could use some coaching up but the strength and agility seem to be there. Diagnosing of plays as well. I might be in the minority on this forum but I think Danny Shelton is a unique talent worthy of the #7 overall pic. So far.
Unique talent? Yes. But now that I'm rewatching the Hawaii game, whoever #55 is on Hawaii; was able to push Shelton back with consistency as Shelton played the right 5 tech spot, lining up on the LT (#55). He got flat out pushed back on Hawaii's first score when they ran the ball right at him. He did stand his ground a lot, especially in the 0 gap. Hawaii looked stupid on a couple plays running right at him because it went nowhere. I really like that. He overpowered the LG #51, that's why you see the split double teams. Kudos to Shelton. Hawaii got creative as the game went on. Boxing him in with a pulling RG and a couple similar run plays/jet sweeps was a way to limit him, because Washington >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hawaii. I admit I was overcritical, but the Senior Bowl, those who watched can attest--he was a nonfactor getting blown away by 2-3 round projected interior OLinemen Cam Erving and Reese Dismukes as well as Ollie Marpet (D-3 Hobart College standout). I wont take points away when it looks like he huffs and puffs trying to go side line to side line to chase a sweep play. The skill set is what's going for him. You don't exactly find 340 lbs of beef that can move like that every day. Maybe I'm wrong--Mike Mayock seems to think he's the second coming of Vince Wilfork--of course Mike Mayock to me is an idiot. But the rest of NFL.com has him rated 6.35 out of 10. The #7 pick should not be the equivalent of a starting player. It should be a consistent pro bowler or better. Despite girth and leverage potential, can be a little inconsistent at getting push off snap. Dominates lesser centers but doesn't seem to look nearly as dominant against more talented centers. Will quit on a play when he's blocked. Produced eye-catching sack numbers for his position in 2014, but much of it was against lesser competition. Must work to keep weight in check. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/danny-shelton?id=2552325
Todd Gurley (Running back from Georgia) just let his stock take a hit on a gamble. Declined medical evaluations on his knee at the combine today. Lots of negative reactions from reporters talking to personnel/scouts/GMs. Gurley tore his ACL in the 2014 CFB season and was one of the top 2 RBs with Melvin Gordon projected to go first round, a non-norm for recent draft running backs. In other news, Randy Gregory has full on taken the role of outside 'edge' rush LB in a 3-4, slimming down from 260 to 235. He's still in play for the bears, though its hard to see him falling past Washington. Ali Marpet looking incredibly athletic with his workout drills. Motivated too. You gotta like that.
If he drops into the 3rd or 4th round I would jump all over him. It would be worth the risk, loved watching this guy play at UGA, he is a game changer. He can run over you as well as past you. Good receiever and kick returner as well. Returned from his 4 game suspension and on the opening kickoff, ran it back 107 yards for a TD. Got called back for a really stupid holding call that didn't even effect the return but that is how electric this guy can be. If not for the injury, I think he was a much better player than Gordon.
Started watching some of the combine. Pretty pissed off - NFL.com's online coverage was halved in comparison to years past, and the coverage was REALLY shitty. Saw WAY more filler than anything useful, and most of it was DURING useful drills. Fucking awful. But, the little I did see was useful. Can anyone find any film on Boston College's Center Gallik? He showed pretty well in drills. None of the TE's convinced me that Clive Walford out of Miami isn't the TE you want to end up with, and probably in the third round (if you're looking for one, obviously). Of course, the TE drills were largely marred by awful coverage. Jameis Winston is a moron and a child. But that dude can play football. If you think the immaturity can be dealt with, the guy can be an NFL QB. Problem is, I don't see how in the hell it can. Not to the extent that he'll be your post-season winning franchise QB. Gurley will wait to do medical evaluations until closer to the draft, once he's healed up a bit more. Smart. Teams interested in him will do their own evaluations anyway, very likely. But man, this RB class has some talent. Abdullah and Yeldon are animals to be watched. Wouldn't be mad to see either of them in a Bears uniform, from what I've seen. I'm going to really start to watch more of the QB's - no doubt Chicago will be looking for one sooner or later. Bryce Petty hasn't shown me anything that he didn't while watching him play - inconsistent, and not there yet. Maybe he can be, but he's one you sit on the bench for at least a year or two. I'm not convinced he's near enough an accurate passer for the NFL based on watching a game or two this year. Sean Mannion is a guy I want to see more of, and will. I hope Hundley isn't in the Bears' plans. Starter for his team for several years and evaluators are still looking for him to take the next "step". No thank you. If you're not developing past that ceiling at the college level with plenty of opportunity, I don't expect you to turn it on in the NFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42SwAw9pln8 Maxx Williams I think is good enough. Of course, if the bears use the #7 pick on a TE then I quit. I have a problem seeing him fall to the 2nd round. Yeah he is. Petty, from what I'm reading is getting grilled because of prior back problems/injuries. Brett Hundley is an idiot and would be a mistake to take. His 5 yard lob passes to wide open running backs in a weak defensive conference wont translate. And he's not Michael Vick fast to be that 'outlier.' Chicitysports meatballs love him and think he's the next Randall Cunningham.
Patg, what do you think of Vic Beasley? I like guys that are good players and then end up having better measurables than people thought. I thought he looked more athletic and fluid than Fowler, he is a beast of a man. Also liked his MLB counterpart Anthony. Clemson is growing some freaks down there. This is all I use the combine for, look for guys that test well and then go to the film to make the ultimate judgment.
Patg, I didn't get a chance to watch the RB's and tried to look up what the kid from Yale did, Tyler Varga. Did he not run the 40? I saw that David Johnson from N Iowa ran a 4.5, I love that kid, he is going to make whatever team drafts him very happy.
You are the MAN. Did you get this from that scout site? I have to use that resource more often. Not bad. Gets lost in space, but when he's asked to pull and block a man he absolutely does it. Was blocking a real load 1 on 1 and held his own. Didn't move him anywhere, but didn't get moved. Allowed his guy to extend and get his hands free and get off the block a few times, which isn't great. Certainly not a natural fit for a zone blocker, given some of those plays. Center is a position that I think has to be watched heavily - unless they think the answer is in FA, or is going to be in FA (including De la Puente). Does this guy scream, "future starting C"? I can see an adequate starter in the right system. If they pick a TE at #7, I'll start the "FIRE PACE" thread. I haven't seen Williams play, yet, so I'll reserve that judgment until then. But part of the reason I like Walford is that you can get a quality player without an early pick. Looking forward to doing more scouting over the next few weeks, and really contributing again. Free time hardly exists for me - I was watching tape on some of the aforementioned guys waiting for a meeting to start on Sunday, and more while getting dressed this morning.
Beasley is a straight up 3-4 edge rusher that comes from a stout, talented defense. He's also a brilliant/smart kid off the field too. Clemson has recruited a lot of top defensive prospects in the past couple years. But back to beasley, in terms of his pass rushing ability, its among the best of your 3-4 rush LBs; but where scouts started to get scared off was down the stretch of the season--I don't know whether to call it lazy or lost or both--but his run stopping game took a noticable hit. Not major to scare you away, just he would make some boneheaded plays or not show up. He's dropped down to the 15-20 range, not because of talent or lacking in areas, but because when you stay stagnant while others are getting better, you're going to drop, and I think Beasley is a product of that. I wish it showed more games than the popular ones on national television. Everybody has different plans and strategies for different opponents. Which is why when I do my individual player analysis, I mention 2 games against different style teams to measure flexibility. Varga was limited during his combine activities due to a bone spur in his left ankle. http://sportzedge.com/2015/02/23/ya...spur-but-is-expected-to-be-ok-on-his-pro-day/ He plans to "do it all" at his pro day.
If Beasley falls in this draft to the late teens or 20's, someone is going to regret it. They were talking about him being only 225 during the season, maybe that had something to do with him slowing down, plus they said people were suprised at his strength so if he added that as well, that should help him be better in the run game. The guy put on 20 lbs and carried the weight well, he was chiseled and still put up those crazy measurables. The scary thing is he could probably put more weight on his frame and if the right defensive coach gets a hold of him, he will be a beast. I like him better than Fowler at this point and Fowler is predicted to go in the top 10. I watched what film I could of him, still want to see more. He did look a lot smaller than he does now though in the film. I think the added weight is going to help him tremendously in the NFL, with that speed he could be scary good. If we trade down into the teens for any reason, I would take a hard look at this guy.
