Author: Rob Staton (Page 381 of 422)

Austin Davis Helmet Cam Spring Game from Steven May on Vimeo.

Landry Jones enjoyed beating a high school team wearing Texas jerseys

I’ve just finished watching Oklahoma vs Texas – a completely one sided game that made it difficult to learn anything new about Landry Jones. He made some pretty throws, particularly on fade routes to the left looking for Kenny Stills, but he also missed a few times and had a lot of unnecessary drops from his receivers. He ended 31/50 for 367 yards and three touchdowns – but I can’t say I learned any more about him against a shambolic Longhorns outfit. The game ended 55-17, but Oklahoma probably should’ve won 70-0.

When he’s given time in the pocket and when most of the work is done pre-snap, Jones looks sharp. He’s capable of precise throws, he can put it into a tight window or simply just make life easy for his receivers. Unfortunately it’s inconsistent and he will miss in the same comfortable environment too. There’s a lot of screens and blind throws into the flats in this OU system. He received precious little pressure off the edge in this one, and when Texas brought a safety blitz he picked it up easily to drop back and dump off to the checkdown or screen. He’s a lot less effective when teams bring the edge rush and force him to move, thinking on his feet isn’t a big positive and it’s where the accuracy departs. Outside of the pocket, Jones is not comfortable.

We’re going to have to wait a while to see the Sooners and their QB really challenged. Ryan Tannehill and Texas A&M got the better of them in 2010, but they don’t meet this year until November 5th. Kansas State the week before could be a test on the road, but the game that stands out is Oklahoma State in the final week. That’s a game we can really judge Jones’ progress – whether he can keep up with OKSU’s prolific offense without making mistakes, because that’s where he’s come unstuck in the past when the pressure was on. There was no pressure today from Texas – on either side of the ball – and the Longhorns made a mockery of their ridiculous #11 ranking for a team that is a million miles away from relevance.

Last night I watched the first half of the Fresno State vs Boise State game, which was another one sided affair and a big win for the Broncos. I’ve spent a lot of time talking up Fresno’s defensive lineman Logan Harrell and he didn’t disappoint here. He’s not a big guy who plays at around 285lbs but he just finds ways to get into the backfield. He was never going to carry his team to a competitive level against the Boise State offensive machine, but he was consistently quick off the snap and exploding into the backfield to disrupt plays. He has an effective swim move but his real asset is speed. On one occasion he just ploughed his way through a lineman to meet the running back for a loss, so he does have some power with room to add some weight. His role at the next level isn’t obvious, but I think he has a role at five technique potentially moving inside on passing third downs. An under rated player with a big future who deserves more attention.

Elsewhere, I have tape from Louisville vs North Carolina to watch tomorrow. I’ll be taking another look at Quinton Coples – a player I’ve criticised this season and questioned his legitimacy as a top pick. I’ll also be watching receiver Dwight Jones who had another productive day with four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Jones has all the skills to be a very good NFL receiver and for me he’s the #1 at his position right now. Linebacker Zach Brown is another player to monitor for the Tar Heels.

Alshon Jeffery (WR, South Carolina) is back among the big numbers. With Stephen Garcia benched, Jeffery had six catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns as the Gamecocks took apart Kentucky 54-3. Georgia Tech wide out Stephen Hill struggles for the same level of production in the triple option offense, but he’s a big play threat with NFL skills and had two catches for 50 yards in a 21-16 win over Maryland.

Geno Smith (QB, West Virginia) continues to prosper and is still a quarterback with some pro potential. Today he had 450 yards passing, four scores and zero turn overs as WVU defeated Connecticut 43-16. Bruce Irvin (DE, West Virginia) also had his first sack since week one. It’s been a disappointing year so far for Irvin, who had 14 sacks in 2010.

Tyrann Mathieu (CB/S, LSU) is a star in the making. He had an interception against Florida today to going along with the cluster of big plays he’s made this year. He’s not going stunning physical qualities (5-9, 175lbs) but he’s just a pure playmaker who finds ways to impact a game. He’s only a sophomore, but he’s one to watch for 2013.

Austin Davis (QB, Southern Miss) had another big day. He’s an underrated, talented quarterback who deserves much more attention than he’s getting. The Golden Eagles defeated Navy comprehensively 63-35, with Davis throwing three touchdowns for 283 yards and completing 21/23 passing. He added another touchdown on the ground, with 75 rushing yards from 12 attempts.

Mohamed Sanu (WR, Rutgers) had a slow day in an easy win over Pittsburgh. He finished the game with just two catches for 27 yards and no touchdowns.

Arizona have been a bad team for a while now, not making the most of the talent they have at their disposal. Today they lost to previously disastrous Oregon State, with Nick Foles throwing two interceptions and one touchdown in a 29/39 354 yard performance. I wouldn’t draft Foles, I suspect scouts are starting to have similar thoughts with more evidence to pick through. He’s a late rounder at best.

Some people believe Ryan Tannehill could be better than Matt Barkley. I strongly disagree with that suggestion. Very strongly. Below you’ll find six videos – the first three are all of Barkley’s throws against Minnesota, Arizona State and Arizona. The second three feature Tannehill’s throws against SMU, Oklahoma State and Arkansas.

I appreciate the significant difference in competition level and ideally we’d be able to compare both quarterbacks against the same opponents. We also have to take into account these are two of Barkley’s best performances at USC, including a record setting display against Arizona. I still believe there’s enough evidence here to prove my point – on every level but running ability, Barkley comes out on top. His ability to jump through reads, his grasp of play action, his accuracy on short, intermediate and deep routes and his technique/mechanics are all better in my view.

Despite certain claims that this will be a quarterback class for the ages, there really are only two players I can offer first round grades at the moment – Andrew Luck and Barkley. I have Tannehill in the second tier group of quarterbacks, alongside Austin Davis at Southern Miss and Landry Jones at Oklahoma.

Videos supplied by JMPasq

Ryan Tannehill - far from a first round pick

Not impressed with Ryan Tannehill (QB, Texas A&M) vs Arkansas

Ryan Tannehill is the next quarterback everyone wants to be better than he actually is. Time for a reality check because he’s not a first round pick.

It’s completely undestandable why he became a really intriguing prospect coming into the season – all he did last year was win games. His only defeat came against powerhouse LSU in the Cotton Bowl – the victories against Landry Jones and Oklahoma, Robert Griffin III and Baylor, plus four more wins against Nebraska, Texas Tech, Texas and Kansas. He had 13 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Overall it was an impressive picture and rightly people wanted to see more from a receiver convert who suddenly looked like he had a full-time future at quarterback.

Against Oklahoma State he had a decent start before a poor second half with three turnovers in a choke job defeat. The game against Arkansas had a similar outcome, but the general performance from Tannehill in my eyes was poor.

He runs a very basic offense for starters. There’s a lot of extreme-spread concepts and his passes are often one read throws into the flats, he has run option a lot of the time and he’s not making more than one read before resorting to the checkdown. He has flashed in the last two weeks 3-4 throws that are very impressive and that’s where the potential lies. On Saturday he made a picture perfect throw on a wheel route, dissecting two defensive backs to fit it into a really tight window for Ryan Swope. You sit up and take notice. The next throw? A lofted pass up for grabs which is easily intercepted having made one read (Jeff Fuller) and basically just thrown it in his general direction. That’s not good enough.

In the second half Texas A&M looked lost on offense. They couldn’t run the ball with ease like they were earlier and yet they never really turned to their quarterback to open it up. They had a chance to win it at the death with a final drive. The result? Two inaccurate check downs to Swope, a QB scramble for eight yards and a failed fourth down run. Game over.

Tannehill’s final stat line was 25-35 passing, 247 yards and no touchdowns with the single pick. That’s now a 6-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio for the season.

Even after the game I noticed several high profile pundits who have promoted Tannehill backing him up. You can only talk about athleticism for so long and seemingly a lack of starts is being used to justify mistakes. I look at it a different way. Unless you’re going to make up for a lack of starts by throwing the guy in too early in the NFL – how is he going to overcome that issue if it’s still on the table by the end of the college season?

For me Tannehill is a far less technically gifted and polished version of Jake Locker. People argued strongly to suggest Locker deserved a grade outside of round one, so why is the opposite happening for Tannehill? They are both athletic guys who are prone to mistakes, don’t go through progressions particularly well and force throws. Every now and again though, you see the pro-level pass. Locker was better out of the pocket while Tannehill is marginally more comfortable dropping back to pass (he also plays behind a better offensive line with better receivers) but overall I think it’s a fair comparison. While Locker had extreme physical potential and was a superior NFL prospect, I think there are similar issues between the two.

I can understand why Locker went in the top ten – I put him that high in every single mock draft I compiled from December onwards. I can’t give Tannehill the same level of support in that instance because overall he has a much lower ceiling. My grade for Locker was round two as it happens – my grade for Tannehill is round 3-4. I’m not so risk averse to avoid potential if it’s in the extreme. The Seahawks need a quarterback and they need to be aggressive finding one for the long haul. Even so, I wouldn’t want to be tied to Ryan Tannehill as ‘the guy’ for my regime. He’s a project, he needs to work on a lot of areas in his game and while there is some athletic potential – right now he’s an absolute mile away from anything but slight promise.

And it has to be said – if Tannehill had replaced Jerrod Johnson last year with a 6-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, losing two deflating games to Oklahoma State and Arkansas… would he be riding the crest of a hype wave right now? He has some potential, but as I said previously he remains too much of a project for me to consider building a front offices reputation on.

All of this just reaffirms my suspicion that this isn’t a unique group of quarterbacks. At this stage I can only give Luck and Barkley first round grades. Tannehill, Landry Jones and Austin Davis are the three players I have in the second tier – I much prefer Davis personally but I think someone will overpay for Jones or Tannehill. The Seahawks would be better served aggressively pursuing the top two rather than settling for anything else at the position.

Two Tigers make an impression

Brandon Thompson and Andre Branch are two Clemson defensive lineman who I regularly get asked about. JMPasq has put together tape on both from the weekend’s impressive victory over Virginia Tech (see videos below).

They are two players that are tough to work out. Thompson, for example, has flashed a few performances like this during the last couple of seasons. He’s got a great bull rush, it’s really come along over the last 12 months and you can see in the video how often he drove back the interior Virginia Tech lineman to create disruption up the middle. His real value comes against the run – he’s quick off the snap and has great upper body power to jolt back lineman and fill running lanes. You almost expect him to be bigger than the listed 6-2 305lbs because he plays with the attitude of a bigger NT.

Mobility is good, he moves around well for his size. He’s got a relentless approach and has a motor that never stops despite the fact he plays the bulk of the rotation at Clemson. However, I keep coming back to the fact he has just three career sacks in four years. Last season he had Da’Quan Bowers soaking up blockers and still only registered a single sack. This year, Branch is providing the edge attention and he’s had two games with 0.5 sacks only.

He’s consistently in the backfield and you want to buy into his play, but why isn’t he getting more production? For starters I think his hand use could be better to disengage, buying maybe that split second to finish a play rather than ‘nearly’ make it every time. You can’t sniff at a player who looks that disruptive though and while he may not reach the dizzy heights of former elite defensive tackles, he looks like a solid R2 prospect who could really promote his stock with a blast of production over the rest of the season.

This was the best game I’ve seen Andre Branch have and it’s not close. He’s always left me underwhelmed in the past, a side issue to superior players on the Clemson line. Against Virginia Tech he had three sacks and flashed balance comparable to the much lighter Bruce Irvin – rounding edges with a speed rush at almost an impossible angle to avoid the offensive tackle and get to the QB. That was impressive, because previously he’s looked a bit sluggish off the snap and he’s generally not an explosive pass rusher.

He’s not a one-trick player who relies on speed – which is a big positive. However, I’d like to see a better inside move. The other thing that stood out to me in this game was the way Branch coped against the run, driving blockers and preventing the edge being set. For a guy at 6-4 and 260lbs that was impressive strength and it shows that he has some LEO potential playing in a four man front for Seattle. His disengaging skills are above average in general and he plays with patience and control.

Branch is someone to keep an eye on for the rest of the year and if the Seahawks want some youth at the defensive end/LEO position, he could be a possibility in rounds 2-3.

Today I wrote a piece for Field Gulls titled: “The 2012 quarterback class may not provide the answer to Seattle’s biggest question”

The article discusses the group of draft eligible quarterbacks and why it may be harder to find a long term solution to the Seahawks’ dilemma than some people think. To check it out click here.

Robert Griffin III and Baylor lost their first game of the season falling 36-35 to Kansas State. Griffin had the ball with three minutes to go but didn’t manage a first down, so no TCU-type heroics this weekend. With the Horned Frogs losing at home to SMU today, that big performance is a bit of a distant memory. Despite huge progress as a passer, Griffin is still a major project with terrible footwork and throwing mechanics – plus he has very little experience in anything like a cultured passing offense. I read one high profile pundit today suggesting Griffin could challenge for the top-ten, which is a ludicrous suggestion. He had five more touchdowns today and 343 yards but threw his first interception of the year. Great leader, better athlete – but a big time project and that limits his stock.

Dwight Jones at UNC had another big day, scoring two touchdowns in a six-catch, 93-yard performance in a 34-20 win over ECU. That’s 514 yards and six touchdowns in five games so far for a player who has found a level of consistency and is now making the most of a complete package of skills. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Jones is worth a first round pick, he may be the best receiver in this class.

South Carolina suffered a 16-13 defeat to Auburn thanks to a quarterback mess that is undermining realistic ambitions of a SEC Championship. Stephen Garcia does not look anything like the quarterback of last season, but the coaches clearly had no confidence in him to start the year after an off-season of drama. It’s hurt players like Alshon Jeffery, who at least hit back with a touchdown and five catches for 86 yards against the Tigers. It was far from a faultless performance from the wide out however, who is over rated as a top-ten pick but warrants a general first round grade.

Boise State got revenge over the post-Colin Kaepernick Nevada, but it wasn’t a convincing display. Quarterback Kellen Moore only passed for 142 yards from 33 attempts – an average of 4.3 yards per throw. He also had two interceptions and completed just 19-33 passing. Had Kaepernick been playing today for the Wolfpack, it could easily have been a different story. My take on Moore has been clear from two seasons ago – excellent, storied college quarterback with a future somewhere within the game – but he only warrants an UDFA grade as a NFL prospect.

Ryan Tannehill supposedly had a better day than perhaps the numbers suggest (zero touchdowns, one interception and 247 yards) but it doesn’t hide the fact that for the second week in a row Texas A&M suffered a second half meltdown and threw away a 35-17 advantage at half time to lose 42-38 to Arkansas. Tannehill’s ability to lead his team to victory was a big selling point coming into this season despite limited starts, but he’s already lost to two legitimate opponents now. I’ve maintained a sceptical eye on Tannehill – he’s good given his lack of time on the field at quarterback, but the hype machine has gone into over drive and needs to cool down. I will have tape for this game on Wednesday.

Mohamed Sanu had another productive day for Rutgers, notching seven catches for 65 yards and a score as Rutgers defeated Syracuse in overtime 16-13. He now has 428 passing yards in four games and five touchdowns. He’s a unique prospect at 6-2 and 215lbs because I’d happily give him some snaps at running back, put him in the slot and still use him as an orthodox X or Y. A playmaker who can do just about any role on offense will carry some value to teams in round one, especially with this level of physical talent and now – production.

Matt Barkley broke Carson Palmer’s USC record for most passing yards in a single game in a 48-41 win over Arizona. The Trojans quarterback was back on form after last week’s defeat at ASU, scoring five total touchdowns and making just one interception to go with the 468 yards through the air. Robert Woods was again the main benefactor with 14 catches for an incredible 255 yards and two touchdowns. Barkley will be a top pick if he declares for the 2012 draft, Woods will almost certainly be a top pick in 2013. He has 55 catches this season in just five games with six touchdowns. A star in the making, both at USC and eventually in the NFL.

Geno Smith went 18-30 for 238 yards and three scores in a big win for West Virginia – 55-10 against Bowling Green. Michigan State didn’t have things half as easy against Ohio State, but sneaked trough 10-7 in a game that probably looked as bad as it sounds. Kirk Cousins again was far from spectacular, going 20-32 for 250 yards, one touchdown and a pick.

I’ll have access to game tape tomorrow – so expect some thoughts from Alabama/Florida and Auburn/South Carolina.

Thanks to the Major League Baseball playoffs, I have no access to college games this weekend. That’s right, despite showing two full hours of college gameday – ‘ESPN America’ as it’s called over here aren’t showing any actual games live. I’ll get replays on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday but unfortunately it’ll take a while longer than usual to process. I’ll have a review post up on Saturday night and maybe there’s a stream or two to be had somewhere?

In the meantime here’s a few links for Saturday and further game tape on Robert Griffin III…

Tony Pauline has more excellent insider information on this year’s top draft eligible prospects. According to Pauline’s sources Trent Richardson, Don’ta Hightower and Dre Kirkpatrick will all turn pro next year. Richardson is one of the few prospects deserving of a high 2012 grade so far in my view, a truly excellent running back prospect.

Rob Rang and Chad Reuter have the thankless task of projecting a full first round mock draft in September. It still baffles me how anyone can project Donte Paige-Moss (DE, UNC) in the first round, let alone 15th overall as Rang has here. Like I said, it’s hard to be too critical given it’s September but Paige-Moss has done absolutely nothing to warrant even a second-day grade for me. On a more positive note, it’s great to see Reuter giving some love to another Tar Heel – linebacker Zach Brown. He’s clearly the star player on the UNC defense and stands out every time I watch North Carolina.

Russ Lande is a respected scout who runs the GM JR website and this week published his top-99 prospects for 2012. I’d recommend checking out his material. Having said, that I often find myself disagreeing with some of his judgements but that’s part of the process. He’s higher on Landry Jones than I am and makes a comparison between Matt Barkley and Jimmy Clausen which I cannot agree with. Clausen played within an offense that made life far too easy – it demanded nothing from Clausen, limiting turn overs and living off high percentage short completions. It’s no surprise that the system made two quarterbacks (Clausen and Brady Quinn) that were both snubbed by the NFL (rightly so). Barkley isn’t just asked to do much more than Clausen ever was, he generally excels within that environment. The only comparison I can see between the pair is height – which is in that borderline 6-2 range. What I would also say is – if you genuinely think Clausen/Barkley is a legitimate comparison, why rank Barkley even at #50? If you could go back and re-live the 2010 draft, Clausen would be a 6th rounder at best.

Kudos to Lande for promoting not only Zach Brown as discussed earlier, but also Logan Harrell (DT, Fresno State). I’ve been promoting Harrell all summer as a big-time sleeper. Dwight Jones (WR, UNC) also gets a top-20 grade, something we also suggested was a possibility earlier this week. It’s time Jones received a consensus first round grade.

Draft Tek has a new consensus mock draft, calculating team needs to combine with their existing grades and big board. The Seahawks take Landry Jones at #3.

Mel Kiper has a new big board out, with Matt Barkley dropping from #3 to #10 based on last week’s performance against Arizona State. I have an issue with weekly big boards – would you move Tom Brady from #1 quarterback in the NFL to #7 after last week’s performance in Buffalo? Brandon Jenkins (DE, Florida State) is also among the top-25, a baffling projection for someone who looks like a mid-rounder at best.

Steve Muench is another big fan of Landry Jones, while he gives Matt Barkley a late first round grade which goes along with his Scouts Inc. colleague Todd McShay. Maybe John and Pete will get their version of Aaron Rodgers after all?

Walter Cherepinksy updates his 2012 mock draft. The Seahawks continue to own the #1 overall pick despite last week’s home victory over Arizona and of course Andrew Luck is the choice. The Seahawks are not a good team right now, but it’s nothing a good quarterback cannot solve. However, while ever this team competes in the awful NFC West it will be a near miracle to pick first overall. Let’s not underestimate just how bad St. Louis had to get to be 1-15 in this division. As poor as Seattle have been so far, they’re still a long way away from that sorry Rams outfit in 2009.

Robert Griffin III has started the new season strongly and his performance against TCU really caught the eye. However, his display against Rice was more akin to what we’ve seen in the past from the Baylor quarterback. He runs a screen game with very little challenging throws. His footwork is very poor and technically he’s not a strong passer. When he lit up a really tough TCU team, you had to take notice. However, I do wonder if he’ll always remain a substantial project in terms of the NFL and therefore limit his stock to the round 2-4 range at best. See the tape below, courtesy of JMPasq: