According to the Dallas Morning News, the "entire Cowboys contingent perked up" when Idaho OG Mike Iupati weighed in Monday at the Senior Bowl.
A guard in college, Iupati could probably play as many as four positions on the offensive line at the next level because of his impressive build and incredibly long arms. The Cowboys are especially needy at the tackle spots. |
Oh please God no, this guy would anchor the Cowboy's Offensive Line for a Decade.
According to an ESPN report earlier this month, Alabama NT Terrence Cody weighed "right around" 355 pounds on January 5.
In other words, Cody appears to have gained 15 pounds (he measured 6'4/370 at the Senior Bowl) in the last 20 days. Cody's body appeared sloppy, to put it mildly, when he removed his shirt for Monday's weigh-in. While weight fluctuation is a routine concern for clogging, nose-tackle types, Cody is already resembling a late-career Ted Washington at age 21. |
Already weight issues with this guy and we havent even hit the Combine yet? Do you want this unmotivated beast on your team?
Wisconsin DE O'Brien Schofield tore his left ACL on the first day of Senior Bowl practices Monday.
The Defensive MVP of last week's East-West Shrine Game, Schofield ranked second in the nation in tackles for loss and second in the Big Ten in sacks as a fifth-year senior. He was a probable second- to third-round pick before the injury, but now may fall out of the draft altogether. Some team is still likely to sign and stash Schofield on I.R. for 2010 because of his upside. |
Promising top 4 round pick, now likely an undrafted FA...Giants better jump on the phone ASAP after the draft if the case...kid can play and can be stashed on our I.R.
From yesterday but for those who missed it an eye-opening look into the character of Mays...(Personality rubs me the wrong way with a lot of these arrogant USC guys)
USC S Taylor Mays reportedly drew the ire of an NFL pro personnel man when he leveled Citadel WR Andre Roberts on the first day of Senior Bowl practices.
NFL types want to see DBs make plays on the football in drills, not take out 5'11/192-pound return specialists in the open field. This is especially true in Mays' case. He only had five interceptions as a four-year starter at Southern Cal, with just two of the picks coming in his last three seasons. |
And Other Blurbs of interest...
Kyle Wilson, the CB from Boise State was the biggest standout of the day. During the CB vs. WR drill, Wilson undercut an out route for an interception on his first rep and was an offensive pass interference away from another on a nine route. Wilson was a premier punt returner in college, which means he is dangerous after an interception. |
Dan Williams had a good day stuffing the run, at least as good as possible without full pads. He didn't do well in pass rushing drills, however, which is a drill designed to favor the defensive player. I'm not particularly concerned if the DT Rick Smith drafts is an elite pass rusher as long as he can stuff the middle, so this development might actually be beneficial. |
Myron Rolle is a popular story because of his year hiatus from football as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, but unfortunately that break has caused some rust. He has plenty of time before the Combine and his Pro Day, but even then he is considered more of a strong safety who lacks coverage skills. Probably not a consideration for the Texans. |
Offensive Guard Vladimir Ducasse will be under the microscope this week. Ducasse moved to the States from Haiti when he was 14 and has only played football for six years, but he has enough raw talent that Mayock compared him to Jeff Otah. On his first pass rush drill the quicker O'Brien Schofield blew by him on the edge as Ducasse was playing LT. Before the analysts could even finish stating that Ducasse never saw speed like that at UMass, Ducasse went against Schofield again, anchored down and unfortunately injured Schofield when he fell on him. I mention all this because he is rated as a guard and could be a steal after the first couple of rounds. |
Credit Rotoworld & Battleredblog for the info, feel free to update & discuss as the day goes on about prospective Giants Draft Selections
Schoefield will still get drafted, IMO. if a team wants him, they won't wait until the drat is over. He's too good a football player.
And to answer your question regarding Cody, I'd want him on our team outside of the first round. Not motivated? His team won the national championship and he was a big reason for it, no pun intended.
Also..a House Representative called Mays out as a “headhunter”
He better get his weight under control for the combine.
Too bad for Schofield - that sucks. Interviews will make the difference for him. If he shows determination to get better and contribute, he will get drafted. But there is no doubt he just lost a bunch of money.
You should be concerned about Rolando McClain picking up 2 personal foul penalties on the same play (a dead ball personal foul & an unsportsmanlike conduct) against Virginia Tech when he threw a forearm shiver at an opposing linemen. If you don't want players with mean streaks then it should apply to everyone, not just Mays. I just hope you remain consistent in regards to that.
Personally, while I hope Mays doesn't repeat that type of conduct in practice (I don't expect him to, he's a very coachable kid) our defense desperately needs an enforcer who will inject some much needed toughness into the entire unit. To balance out the anti-Mays blurb in the writeup, here's a positive Mays blurb from yesterday...
at 01/25/2010 04:31 PM ET
Taylor Mays Physical in Practice
USC's Taylor Mays was the most consistently physical and successful CB on that last drill in the South Practice. He uses his hands and upper body really well during initial contact at the line. Mays is behind only Tennessee's Eric Berry in Scout's rankings of safeties.
BTW, I'd put any amount of money on Ford running the fastest 40 at the Combine in February. His track credentials are phenomenal and he is likely to threaten Chris Johnson's Combine record.
Dont get me wrong I have no problems with mean streaks but stuff after the whistle (like Spikes) or personal fouls for stupid things during a play always pisses me off. Not only does it does it show a lack of discipline, but greatly hurts the team...and these type of guys I would greatly avoid; especially if coming in as a rookie.
The draft-eligible that fits this profile is Clemson RB C.J. Spiller, who returned four kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns as a senior. Still, it's somewhat hard to imagine San Francisco using one of its two first-rounders on a tailback a year after drafting Glen Coffee in the third round. The Citadel's Andre Roberts and Clemson WR Jacoby Ford are later-round options.
on d, too many holes to fill and to really improve with one great pick--go with the best available player when #15 comes around, whichever side of the ball, spend the rest of the draft on d.
JBGiants, the McCluster/Sproles comparison is interesting and it's important to remember with McCluster that he's just 5'8" and 165 pounds. It's hard to imagine him holding up to an every-down workload, though he presents very intriguing potential in a situational role. Sproles was certainly under-utilized in the San Diego offense this year, particularly with Tomlinson's rapidly decreasing productivity, but he's a very solid contributor when called upon and a dynamic return man.
Mike in NY, I'd say he falls somewhere in between those two but he'll never be anything close to what Desean Jackson is as a WR. That being said, I doubt that he fizzles out completely the way that Dexter Jackson did. He also won't be drafted as early as Dexter Jackson was, I expect him to be a 4th-5th round option as opposed to an early round prospect.
Realistic & Wouldnt Mind: Brian Price
Throw the Remote: Taylor Mays
Anakim : 10:47
Look into transferring to Alabama
Right now, he's a project
Odrick though, I think is one of the more underrated players in this draft. He was clearly the best defender on that Penn State defense last year.
-Davisian.
While Dixon looks the part of a fullback at 6'1/245, he is a tailback and is much more likely to stay there in the pros. Wes Bunting of the National Football Post projects Dixon as a first-year starter in the league who'd probably fit best in a power-blocking scheme. With a bulldozing running style and smooth receiving skills, Dixon has the look of a top-50 overall selection.
But would be a luxury pick IMO
Teams going after physical specimen instead of production really scare me (like the Jets with Gholston, Raiders with Heyward-Bey). Teams always fall head over heels with size, height, 40 time etc.
And Mays is no project. A 4-year starter from a program as prestigious as USC who only missed 1 game in his career due to injury? He's as NFL ready as they come in this year's class.
Just saw this, he is working out as a LT.
In college they run different defensive schemes. In the pros he won't be lined up 1 on 1 against WRs. He will cover TEs and if he is a SS he will be in the box and cover flats. You people make it like mays has to go one on one with randy moss. Shit learn the difference between pro and college schemes and SS and FS
I'd rather see this team go after Mays than some DT.
they said he caught javon ringer from behind on a long run 2 yrs ago and saved a TD
also were comparing him to elvis dumerville
Schofield was the leader and far away the best player on Wisconsin this past year. The team who stashes him is going to stash a real winner.
Holy crap, some of you think you actually know these players based on some nonsense you read.
It's easy to make someone look like a world beater or an absolute bum in a YouTube clip.
I haven't been routinely impressed with Mays for two seasons now, and I've seen 15 or so USC games in that time.
I'm not sure what to make of him in the pros...he can be coached and put in a scheme that maximizes his talents...but his collegiate production points to a lot of risk.
Point is: if he wasn't an athletic freak, he would never come up in a draft discussion. And that troubles me.
But saying "he couldn't cover anyone in college" is just silly. Mays was defending the deep half of the field on virtually every play and almost never got challenged deep. When he did get beaten, it was by a whisker-- the perfect throw from Clausen to Tate for a TD, this year, for example. Mays was a heartbeat late on that play. He wasn't late on plays like that last year (gee, maybe the knee injury DID make a difference)-- ask the Cal WR's who kept getting separated from the ball as it arrived on about a half-dozen occasions.
I'm not saying Mays is a great cover guy, I actually agree with Amtoft that his position in the NFL is strong safety, where he can creep up to the LOS and throw that big body around. But the picture being painted here is laughable, as if Mays has been burned over and over again in his college career. False, if you actually bothered watching the kid play.
I mean we have a SS already. His name is Kenny Phillps
And I still think that the idea of moving him to OLB (WLB) has some merit.
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Part of me does worry that if we pass up on him he'll end up being a 9-time Pro Bowler for someone else. Especially if Kenny never returns 100% from his injury. But looking at Mays objectively, I don't think he's the right fit here. He'd be better off starting from day one as a strong safety for a team that uses him to blitz and wreak havoc.
Wellll...ok!
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The key is that Mays is going to be playing an entirely different role in the pros than he did in his senior season at USC. He is not a prototypical ballhawking FS, that description fits prospects such as Eric Berry or Earl Thomas. As you just mentioned, if he is placed in a role where he can be utilized similar to how the Cardinals use Adrian Wilson it will cater to his strengths. Mays has the ability to be a difference maker as an in-the-box defender with coverage responsibilities that don't expose his weaknesses. But he has also shown that he can execute his assignment in deep coverage if asked to prevent the big play and his impeccable sideline-to-sideline range is invaluable in this capacity.
Allow him to play downhill and closer to the line of scrimmage as opposed to playing deep centerfield and he is going to make far more of an impact and be a much more productive contributor. The argument was over the comment about Mays being unable to cover anyone and how he is weak in man coverage when primarily his assignment revolved around ensuring that no opposing receiver get behind him over the top. Implying that he was exposed consistently in man-to-man coverage is absurd and off-base since he served as a deep cover safety in zone throughout his senior season (obviously, you didn't make this claim).
Strengths
Manages to wear helmet and other equipment correctly
Always on time for team travel arrangements
Excellent athleticism
Forceful hitter who intimidates opponents
Sexy physique and winsome smile
Rarely lines up in the neutral zone
Weaknesses
Exploited in coverage
Poor tackler
Routinely tries to decapitate receivers (legal ramifications?)
Struggles playing the ball in the air
Half black
Half jewish
NFL Comparison
CC Brown
According to ESPN, Tebow still plans on playing in the Senior Bowl. The illness may buy him a mulligan on Monday's struggles, but he's still going to have to show that he can play under center.
Undoubtedly, this drives the draftniks crazy, because it is irrational -- and because it makes their opinion about the most intriguing prospect in NFL Draft history irrelevant.
Draftniks have two choices: Bash Tebow and look like fools when he goes in the 1st round, or abandon their analysis and reflect more accurate "reality" in their mock draft. Either way, the only mockery is the draftnik-industrial complex.
That logic is entirely absurd. The Jaguars would draft him for financial reasons as much as anything else. And regardless: a shitty workout is not automatically vindicated by a team taking a flyer on Tebow. The fact remains: he is a spread QB with a weird release who is having trouble under center. If a team wants to take a gamble, fine, but that doesn't mean that the "draftniks" are incorrect in their assessment.
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BTW, I'm not being rhetorical.
All of these blurbs were from TFY's site.
Washington is one of my favorites. I see he's becoming a BBI fav, too. Kiss of death.
Weird on Weatherspoon...McShay was giving him some love.
Some more (contradictory?) updates via twitter:
[quote]Cardinals scouts saying some good things about S Taylor Mays
Alex Carrington getting love.
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