A bit of good news for me today – I managed to find a schedule list for ESPN India and it shows South Carolina vs Clemson live at 5:30am. An early start – but worth it to watch Da’Quan Bowers and the Clemson defense against Lattimore, Jeffery and Garcia. I’ll have a few thoughts on the blog immediately after. Some other things to look for today:
– LSU vs Arkansas – The Razorbacks are at home and this is the kind of high profile game Ryan Mallett can really boost his stock. He’ll have to dissect a secondary that includes stand-out Patrick Peterson. I’m also interested to see how Drake Nevis performs. He’s had highlight games this year and started very well. However – he’s also been inconsistent. He needs to get at Mallett and pressure early throws.
– Oregon State vs Stanford – Andrew Luck should get another win here and put up the usual numbers. However – can Stephen Paea (DT, Oregon State) impress against the Cardinal offensive line? It’s one of the best in CFB. Paea is one of the best interior defensive lineman against the run but he’s also occasionally flashed ability to get into the backfield (five sacks). He’s never dominated in one single game, but a performance today will register in scouts minds.
– Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State – This is a tale of two wideouts. Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma) and Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State) have both put up huge numbers in ultra productive offensive schemes. For me, I’m not convinced either warrant first round grades. Broyles lacks size or breakaway speed. He’s a potential handy slot receiver but that will only carry so much value. Blackmon looks like Michael Crabtree lite – he hasn’t got flawless hands or the same YAC quality – but he’s a playmaker.
– Florida vs Florida State – 2010 hasn’t been a good year for the Gators. They have a Tim Tebow sized hangover from last year. Christian Ponder has been one of the biggest disappointments for me this year and I would only give him a late round grade. However, this is a chance to impress against a less than stellar Florida outfit that may be missing top corner Janoris Jenkins. Even so, it’s probably too little too late for Ponder.
Texas A&M OLB Von Miller had another great game on Thursday. Miller had 2 sacks, 1 interception, forced the QB to throw a bad pass resulting in an inteception, and he stripped the ball from the QB (QB recovered his own fumble). This was the second time I have seen him this year and he has become one of my favorite players. I know some people think that Miller is too small or that he is a tweener, but he has put on 20 lbs since last year and he could probably put on another 10 pounds while still keeping his elite quickness.
Locker is just awful. I absolutely love the kid, but even now I have little to no confidence that he will do anything in the NFL. I don’t think he has the accuracy or mental capacity to succeed. I can’t see him going in the 1st round. Way too much terrible tape.
Hawks need a QB. I’m all for trading whatever it takes to get Andrew Luck. He’s on a different level, and has grown on me quite a bit. I actually think he’s a better prospect than Sam Bradford, and by a healthy margin.
I agree, but honestly i dont think jake locker cares about NFL. I think hes just fine growing a family in a small house in ferndale washington. Im just putting that out there.
As for Luck. He is just amazing, i would trade first round pick, second, 4th, trufant, and anyone else to get him. Smart, fast, good arm srength. Just AMAZING! Next payton manning.
See what the rams have done will sam bradford, he has very little talent and they are competing, the seahawks have more talent that the rams and with Luck and free agents coming, unbelievble.
With all that said i never would think that who ever has the 1st overall slection would trade away, and i dont think the hawks would tarde up even if possible. If it did happen i would jump up and down for days!
I’m still hesitant labeling him as the next Peyton Manning, but he has improved every game. I was only able to watch the first two drives before leaving, but they were pretty amazing. I can say he is firmly the #1 QB by a good margin now.
Alex
people say he is extremly smart, which i believe. But he is only 21 years old, you could almost sit him a year with very little playing time to learn the offense and get more chemestry with players and then come back year 2 firing
I have to agree, Locker isn’t looking too good right now.
I disagree with Luck. Luck does look good and I do think he has gotten good enough to be worthy of a top 5 pick, but I’m not buying the “greatest college QB since Peyton Manning” talk. I wouldn’t even rate him higher than Bradford as his accuracy is certainly not more impressive than Bradford. Would I want him? Yes, but would I mess up the rest of the draft for Luck? Not sure. If we were to trade up, we need to sacrifice our 1st, 2nd round pick+1 more player with value (think Sanchez). This is assuming Luck makes it past the 1st 2 picks because value increases insanely as you move into the top 5 pick.
At the same time, I recognize QB as an immediate need. Do we need a QB who can immediately contribute? That would be nice, but I’m all for taking a QB in the 2nd round or legit high tool, high upside QB in the later rounds. Resign Hasselbeck to 2-3 years and develop him. Either way, we need a QB and Schneider needs to get creative.
Alex
I agree with 1sthill. I watch a lot of Big 12 football and he is one of my favorite players to watch. I do worry about his size and where he would play though. He looks to be built more like Milloy than Curry. Where do you think he fits Rob?
I’ve had him as a solid R2 pick all year, but his production has been superb the last few weeks. I have to weigh up incredible production in 2009/2010 and the fact Aaron Maybin went so early with a real lack of size and power, not an elite burst (albeit quick) and the fact Maybin has been a bust. I still think he’s a convert LB, but teams will look at him at the end of R1.
I have no problem drafting Locker in round 2 or even trading up a little in round 2 to get him. But, I really wouldn’t want to spend a first rounder on him anymore. Perhaps he figures it out, but I don’t see that happening until year 3. Who knows, learning from Hass might be hugely beneficial for him.
Either way, I still stand by the fact that I’d have ZERO problems with trading our first this year and next year to get Luck. The kid is flat out unreal. I think he’s one of the better QB prospects to come around in a long time. Smart, accurate, good arm and mobility. It’s easy to see that he just “gets it.” He has mastered Stanford’s offense and you can see him setting up DBs with his eyes. Truly fun to watch him work under center.
After watching that dreadful performance by our secondary today, I now think our number 1 need is CB, followed by QB and interior offensive line. Trufant does not have the burst to compete for hitch routes or the speed to be aggressive and recover. It’s sad how quickly he became average. On the other side, Jennings is one of the worst run supporting corners in the league. Good in coverage but zero ball skills. Thurmond looks to have promise, but also lacks ball skills. I think there are 3-4 first round CBs this year (Peterson, Amukamara, Jenkins, maybe Brandon Harris), but possibly 7 in the second round (Aaron Williams, Curtis Brown, Ras-I Dowling, Jimmy Smith, Brandon Burtion, and again maybe Brandon Harris). That is where I see a lot of value. Interior offensive line is another tremendous need, but, as Matt has previously pointed out, it is not a strong position in this draft. I would love to get Dowling as it is possible he will fall due to his broken ankle and lack of production this year. His play was great, but he was completely avoided by QBs and thus had limited stats. As Kiper put it he was “feeling the freeze.” We played a lot more zone today than in previous weeks, and got burnt. Dowling has the size and length to compete with a guy like Bowe that obviously our other corners cannot contain. Our run defense is fine. It was terrible today, but Cole and Bryant are amazing difference makers. Our run d was 2nd before they got injured, now it’s 19th.
Why not start a discussion about favorite players in the upcoming draft? Although we are now behind in the division, I still firmly believe we will win it and end up picking in the early 20s. Guys I like around there are Carimi, Locker, and if somehow Jenkins were available. If Mebane or Hawthorne is not retained then I LOVE Justin Houston as a prospect. Otherwise, he would not be able to get on the field with our current personnel. I think Pouncey is overrated and Hudson would not be considered by Carroll due to his size.