Cameron Fleming (RT, Stanford) — good size (6-6, 318lbs) but plays on the right side for a reason. He’s never been truly convincing. Never fully delivered on his promise and dominated. He’s strong, he’s flashed at times. But there’s been very little consistency. Some have suggested he could move inside to guard. At least he has the physical tools. Too many Stanford linemen are technically brilliant and well coached, but they struggle to adjust to the next level. Fleming has a shot based on his size. Even so, he’ll need to improve his footwork and prove he’s quick enough to deal with speed. Tonight will be a good test.
Trent Murphy (DE, Stanford) — huge defender from a family of giants. He’s in the 6-6/6-7 range with plenty of power and aggression. He’s not a great athlete. When I’ve watched him this year he’s looked more of an effort guy than a pure difference maker. He does have 9.5 sacks though. Again, he’s another player who can make a point against Oregon’s bevy of athletes. He’s used as an outside rush linebacker at Stanford but likely has a future as a 4-3 end.
Ed Reynolds (S, Stanford) — a playmaker in the secondary, Reynolds so far hasn’t managed to repeat his 2012 production. Not an Earl Thomas-type player by any means. He lacks great speed and won’t fly around the field. He is a very intelligent player who always seems to be in the right position on the field. There’s every chance he’ll go in the first three rounds of the draft.
Wade Keliikipi (DT, Oregon) — decent inside rusher. Stood out against Washington with 1.5 sacks although he has missed some time this year. I’ve been waiting to see more of this guy and tonight will be a good challenge against Stanford’s line.
Taylor Hart (DE, Oregon) — a tall, long defensive lineman, the type Seattle has looked for in recent years. He’s 6-6 and 295lbs. Hart has three sacks this year and a couple of pass deflections. Not likely to be an early pick but if the Seahawks are looking for depth on the defensive line Hart could get a look.
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (CB, Oregon) — one of the more high profile corners eligible for 2014. Doesn’t have the kind of size Seattle looks for (5-10, 190lbs). Does play above his size and when I’ve watched him this year he’s mainly lined up in the slot. He seemed to do a good job there, especially when he had to get off a block to make a play against the run. As with many of these defensive backs, a lot will be determined in the off-season. I don’t see Ekpre-Olomu as a high pick and he might not even crack the first round. But he’s one to monitor.
Marcus Mariota (QB, Oregon) — I almost didn’t include Mariota, just because it’s too obvious. His performance against Washington was sensational. He’s yet to throw an interception this year and he has complete control of the Ducks offense. I have some reservations on how he’ll translate to the next level. He’s going to need a coach who won’t try and force him into an orthodox offense. There’s a lot of Kaepernick about his game but he lacks the same arm strength. Could easily end up as the #1 pick next year, certainly expected to go top-5. He has more upside than Teddy Bridgewater, even if Bridgewater is the more orthodox player. But he’s not on the same level of someone like RGIII. Still think he’ll be even better for another year in college.
Good stuff Rob. Not going to lie, I’m not that thrilled about watching this group from a Seahawks draft perspective. I am always overly worried about that OL, who seems to be a well oiled machine, rather than a group of dominant individuals. Not to mention, the DL play is so porous in the Pac-12, that it’s hard to judge how good some of these guys are.
Rob, what are your thoughts on Eric Ebron? How about any other positions you see as a potential R1 target for the Hawks? Schizophrenic questions (continued), but have you seen Hageman this year? He looks quite good.
Ebron frustrates me a little. He’s capable of making those one-handed, incredible graps. He’s clearly athletic with great range. But then there are too many snaps where he looks like he’s coasting. There are certain plays he lets slip away with sloppy effort. And that scares me a little.
Hageman I have seen twice and I still feel slightly underwhelmed. There are reports saying the league is in love with the guys potential and athleticism. He could be a big riser at the combine. But right now he’s more potential than production.
And as of positions right now it’s hard to look beyond the OL, WR and DL.
Agreed. The inconsistent effort guys, to me, are the biggest crapshoots. If you find the formula to light the fire, look out.
What are a few names that you’d get excited about in R1 for the Hawks (realistically)?
Is there any chance that the whole Jonathan Martin mess in Miami is going to cause GM’s to give extra scrutiny to players who come from schools that are, let’s call them overly sensative?
Sorry Lenny — you’ve lost me on this one. “Overly sensative” (sic) schools? Or “Overly sensative” (sic) players? Help me out, just what are you saying? I hope you are not saying that Martin was overly sensitive ….
In fairness, there were scouts questioning his toughness before the draft. Alot of them thought he was more of a ‘technician’ than a mauler, something many said about David DeCastro, one of his teammates at Stanford. I think that was the point he was trying to make, although it was poorly worded. I don’t know.
It may be that Martin has less “toughness” than required to play in the NFL. But he’s been starting for the past two years on the Dolphins’ O-Line. IF toughness were really that big of an issue, I doubt he’d be starting. Also, this whole idea that he isn’t tough because he was getting pushed around by teammates (allegedly), to be fair, comes from the macho world of an NFL locker room that doesn’t take human psychology into account. Or the fact that, you know, people are different. And not everyone handles their problems with people by punching them in the face, getting all hulked up, etc.
If Martin is truly getting harassed in the locker room, whoever defends the Miami players for doing so, or disclaims their defense of the locker room by saying Martin shouldn’t have “put himself in that position to be harassed,” is truly d-bag worthy. And you have to worry about where those statement coming from.
This has been a very revealing story about the culture of NFL locker rooms.
I don’t have any problem with someone questioning Martin’s “toughness”. They might be right and they might be wrong. The problem that I have is the idea that you can toughen someone by writing e-mails to them that denigrate their race and/or threaten their family. In other words, the idea that being a bully can actually be a good thing is a concept that is beyond my comprehension.
It’s Friday afternoon, me and and the rest of the Oregon fans are still feeling like walking zombies after seeing our dream team get killed by a bunch of brutes, who still play the same barbaric caveman style of football that was popular during WWII. What the hell, why can’t we beat those guys!
It just shows that you can have a Heisman Trophy QB, one of the fastest most elusive RB in the league, good WR’s, a good defense, but the game is really decided on the OL and DL.
Our founding Football Fathers never meant for the game to be played in such a disgustingly simple minded way. If I wanted to watch a cavemen take a hand off with the right guard pulling for a 3 yard gain in a cloud of artificial turf, I would have watched the video my colonoscopy. At least that has more action and suspense.
Damn Stanford and their 1930’s play book.
Made y’all look soft two years in a row.