Big Blue Huddle

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Fastest-RB-at-Combine-falls-to-7th-round.html

From Russ Lande

Scott is a three-year starter at RB for the Terrapins in 2010. However, he played in a 3-man rotation & finished as only their 2nd leading rusher this season. He has adequate size with some growth potential to develop for the position at the NFL level. He is an explosive, straight-line athlete with outstanding long speed, acceleration, & big-play potential to consider as a pro prospect. However, he shows marginal lateral quickness, cod ability, & elusiveness to be anything more than a back-up, role player at the next level. He is not a naturally instinctive runner; more like a track star playing football. He appears to run with blinders on, often missing the chance to cutback or bounce a ball outside. He is most effective in their offense, when he can make one cut, follow his FB, & accelerate up-field. He doesn

Here:

QuoteRecently, when I was at EFT Performance in Highland Park, a player I didn't recognized jumped out at me.

He was a smooth athlete, and I even thought he might have been a big receiver. But the player was Jacquian Williams, an outside linebacker from South Florida. You could tell he was explosive, which was confirmed at the South Florida Pro Day, when he ran a 4.53 and 4.72 in the 40-yard dash. But he also had a 36 1/2 inch vertical leap.

SNIP

QuoteHe came to South Florida as a junior college transfer, and he was named a team captain for his final season. Former USF head coach Jim Leavitt called him the "fastest linebacker" to ever play at the school.

He finished second-team All-BIG EAST, and he led the team with 71 tackles, including 11 for loss, 2 1/2 sacks and one interception.

USF coach Skip Holtz called him "his hero," according to the St. Petersburg Times.

"He's an incredibly unselfish young man. I don't know that I've ever been around anybody as committed as he is, with the heart he has," Holtz told the paper. "I hope my son grows up to be like Jacquian Williams. I feel that strongly about him as a young man."

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2011/04/south_florida_lb_jacquian_will.html

From NFL.com

OVERVIEW
Sash brings impressive football intelligence and excellent effort in run support to the table but probably lacks the range and athleticism in coverage to become a full-time starter. However, he'll likely provide excellent depth and contribute on special teams coverage units. Can play the deep half but is a liability in centerfield or when asked to matchup with tight ends or slots in man coverage. Does possess hands when he limits separation and is around the football. Flies to the ball in run support and is a sound tackler. Coachable player who will learn your system quickly. Sash carries a mid-round grade.


From Russ Lande:

Sash is a junior who came out early for the 2011 NFL Draft who definitely could have helped himself and his draft stock by staying another season in college. He is a well built kid who can be a very hard hitter and good form tackler when he stays over feet and under control, but too often he gets upright running to the ball and ends up missing tackles he should make. He definitely has the foot quicks, acceleration, playing speed and closing burst that NFL teams look for in a safety as it gives him the sideline range to make plays all the way outside, but the issue is that he does not make as many plays as he is capable of because he does not consistently read the play as quickly or accurately as he needs to. He has experience lining up deep in coverage within 5 to 7 yards of the LOS, so I do not believe smarts or ability to learn assignments are an issue. Overall, I am always concerned by safeties who are inconsistent in both coverage and tackling because if you are not at least very good in one of those areas you often struggle to become a consistently productive starter in the NFL. I am  sure that Sash will be drafted significantly higher than I have him rated, but I doubt he will become a good, all around starting safety. I think in time he will be an excellent backup safety who makes big plays and hits on special teams.

Russ Lande's take:

Jones is a three-year starter at MLB for the Spartans in 2010, after serving as their starting SLB back in 2007. He also competes on special teams as the LG on punt & as the L5 on kickoff coverage. He has an undersized frame with good arm length & limited growth potential to develop for the position at the next level. He is an outstanding overall athlete with just good play speed & lateral range in his play. He shows outstanding lateral quickness, lower body flexbility, & cod ability on the move. He is a very instinctive & a highly productive player within his college scheme. He is most effective as an inside run defender & as a pass rusher. He plays with excellent leverage, body control, & balance as a run defender. He is more of a lateral, flow player, than a nasty, violent, downhill thumper in his play. He has quick hands & feet to slip & avoid larger blockers within the box. However, when he does square-up on a blocker, he has trouble getting free due to his lack of size & bulk. He will back-door a run play, but lacks the speed & acceleration to chase plays down from behind. He makes a lot of his plays as a run blitzer, showing excellent timing & awareness. He has a definite short burst to close, but is not an explosive athlete. He is a build-up speed athlete in his lateral pursuit. He shows some anticipation & closing quickness as an underneath zone defender, but lacks the speed, range, & recovery to drop in the deep middle in TB cover 2. He is quick to pick-up a RB in the flat & does a good job with his jam on crossers. He has very little career production on the ball in the
air. He shows natural interior pass rush ability to win vs. OC

Here's Russ Lande's take:

Brewer is a two-year starter at RT for the Hoosiers in 2010. He has outstanding overall size with very good arm length for the position at the NFL level. He is an outstanding overall athlete with just above average lateral range in his play. He has excellent initial quickness, lower body flexibility, body control, balance, lateral quickness, recovery ability, & agility for the position. He is a strong run blocker at the POA. He has the lower body strength & finish ability to
gain movement off the LOS. He is inconsistent to strike & stick to the defender with his hands inside the frame. However, he does an excellent job of controlling his man. He moves easily with proper angles to his 2nd level blocks. He can search, fit, & sustain blocks on the move. He showed excellent power as a run blocker on the GL & in SY situations in my views. He flashes a quick, strong punch with the ability to anchor down against bull rushers in pass protection. He has very quick feet to slide & mirror with speed rushers off the edge. He has the lateral agility & recovery ability to sustain his block against stunts, but is late to react at times in his play. He does an excellent job of dropping his hips when pulled by the DL. His lack of durability & starting experience is a concern. Overall, he is a mid-to-late 2nd round draft consideration in 2011. He has the ability to start at RT in his first season at the NFL level and could eventually become a good LT. He is a bigger, stronger version of former Irish Ryan Harris, who was a 3rd round pick by Denver back in 2007.


Pro Football Weekly draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki: With Kareem McKenzie and David Diehl both on the wrong side of 30, the Giants needed to add some depth to the position. Brewer lined up at right tackle in college but could offer swing backup versatility at either OT since he has good length, mass and agility. He will be best sitting and learning for a year and could benefit highly from the tutelage of OL coach Pat Flaherty.

Guys I am taking classes this weekend for my emergency medical tech cert

NYPost_Schwartz Paul Schwartz
Director of college scouting Marc Ross says Marvin Austin is one of the top 15 players in the draft. #NYG

Pro Football Weekly draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki: The Giants face a loss of Steve Smith and Derek Hagan, both of whom could depart in free agency. Jernigan could fill the slot role where Smith has been so effective while also bringing a spark to the return game.

Russ Lande:

I first noticed Jernigan when I was evaluating Troy

Pro Football Weekly draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki: With Barry Cofield likely to command too much interest on the free-agent market, the Giants found an explosive penetrator who could replace him. Austin possesses first-round athletic traits and explosive inside-rush ability. He didn't play as a senior for violating NCAA regulations and has marginal football character. However, Tom Coughlin does an excellent job getting the most out of his players, and if he can keep Austin in line the Giants could come away with a very disruptive interior force well-suited for Perry Fewell's defense.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/draft;_ylt=Ao_Hq3kgmOZa3q_89ftMkaLXb6x_?round=2

NFL Network's take:

OVERVIEW
Austin has first round talent, but he did not play football last season and there are concerns about his character and work ethic. He appears to be a prototypical 3-technique defensive tackle, as he is a big boy with outstanding athleticism. He has great feet and the lateral agility to move quickly down the line and make tackles on the edge. He uses his quick heavy hands to shed blocks and has the closing burst to make plays in the backfield. Austin's off the field issues may prevent him from being a first round pick, but he could be a major steal in round two.

Russ Lande's take:

Austin is a very talented DT who is being talked about as an elite DT prospect, but he needs to play with better technique and aggressiveness on every snap to be as productive as he is physically capable. He has the combination of size, natural strength, foot quicks, athleticism and explosiveness to be productive playing in any defensive scheme, but I believe he fits best at a 3-Technique DT in a 43 scheme where he can use his athleticism to get into gaps to disrupt plays and can use his speed to chase down plays from sideline to sideline. If he can play with leverage and aggressiveness more consistently he could go from being a good starting DT to an elite one who changes games and makes impact plays consistently. Overall, Austin is likely to be drafted higher than I have him rated because of his natural talent and flashes of dominance. If he shines in the spring leading up to the draft he could really move way up draft boards, because strong, athletic and very athletic DT

UK Giants Take:

Marvin Austin (North Carolina   ) is 6'1 5/8

Quote from: goNets on April 29, 2011, 10:40:50 AM
Not a college football follower, so I really can't comment on the quality of this (or any) pick.  That being said I wonder if this talk of him not getting many interceptions is a bit overblown.  If he's that good a corner maybe he wasn't thrown at that often.  What do you folks who know about this stuff have to say?

That's true but they are also saying that he didn't play the ball well on the few chances he had for an INT.

Quote from: quacker on April 29, 2011, 10:31:44 AM
True to form.  No trade up or trade down and the best available player regardless of position.  I understand the philosophy and agree with it for the most part.  FA and injuries have a way of way of changing perspectives quickly and grabbing the best value at the time usually makes you stronger when those things bite you in the ass.

JPP didn't look like a need until Kiwi was lost for the season