Last day of the combine. DB may not be the most pressing need but it's a factor. Considering the amount of injuries we had in the secondary, our top 3 safeties are free agents and Prince in the final year of his rookie deal it has to be looked at.
Safties isn't deep but I think you can get a few starters from it. However, I think
Shaq Thompson is the best safety in this class. That should say something.
Landon Collins is the consensus #1 but I disagree. If he's been anything like the other Crimson Tide players these past few days he won't put in a full workout anyway.
Ibraheim Campbell will get more buzz after today. I love the way he attacks.
Quinten Rollins would make a good safety if he doesn't time well enough for corner. Other big corners that I think will have to make the transition are Utah's
Eric Rowe and USC's
Josh Shaw. There are intriguing small school prospects in Samford's
Jaquiski Tartt, James Madison's
Dean Marlowe and Eastern Washington's
Tevin McDonald.
At corner I think
Trae Waynes will have a good day and is a better prospect than Dennard last year. TCU's
Kevin White, not to be confused with the WVU WR has done nothing but help himself since the end of the season.
Senquez Golson is another favorite and could be the best slot corner in the draft with Oregon State's
Steven Nelson right behind him. Alot of people are talking about LSU's
Jalen Collins as the next big corner but at the moment I like Miami's
Ladarius Gunter more. I hope he does a full workout and times well. Staying in Florida, the Seminoles have two corners looking to impress in
Ronald Darby and
PJ Williams. There are several other DB's that deserve mention and there's always a surprise or two from this group but here's to hoping for some separation today. The google spreadsheet is attached but if someone could do 40s that would be great. Coverage again starts at 9.
Google Docs - (
New Window )
that being said, i would not be surprised at all if Spags is willing to go with Cooper Taylor deep (James Butler) and Nat Berhe at SS (Gibril).
think the NYG will be looking for a big slot CB in the Aaron Ross/Terrell Thomas mold - a guy Spags can blitz but who can also hold up in man. tough skillset to find and it usually has to happen early
Josh Shaw is a kid i definitely think can play that role. Jalen Collins another.
Donald Celiscar - CB/Western Michigan
Troy Hill - CB/Oregon
Who know's what they have in Berhe and Cooper.
Ibraheim Campbell is the first guy I think about there ryan
Not bad for a SS.
2. Throw a wider net: looking only at tall ones narrows your options,
similarly, looking only at big school players narrows your options.
3. College level zone corners, especially ones that are solidly built, make a free safety.
4. (most important one) Field Vision/ Instincts are innate, not learned, to a greater extent than coaches may like to think.
If the player did not have INTs in college, he is unlikely to have them in the pro's. look for high numbers of those or PDs, bats down.
similarly, to a certain extent, regarding body control and knowing the game: fumbles recovered, but as above, you need enough numbers to prove not situational
Wow. Eskridge ran a 4.57.
If he DID run a 4.37, that might offset one or two arrests.
Mike Mayock + Daniel Jeremiah not painting pretty picture of safety depth in this year's draft.
Will be interesting to see how NYG proceed.
@art_stapleton
I think Nat Berhe has chance to work his way into starting mix for Giants in 2015. Should have gotten more of a chance on defense as rookie.
Holy smokes a 123 broad jump by Connecticuts Byron Jones. NFL people love this guy.
You've gotta be kidding me. Ugh, c'mon Hackett.
He better kick add at his pro day
Holy smokes a 123 broad jump by Connecticuts Byron Jones. NFL people love this guy.
44.5" vertical too. As long as his 40 is below 4.6 that mid rd grade most have on him may jump to 1st
Can see him in the same way Rolle Was used. Have him play FS and drop him into the slot and go 3 safties.
He is the kind of guy needed to cover the New aged TE's and WR's who now are outside guys that move inside to win matchups
Well he's a team captain so he's probably been on the Giants' radar for months.
All joking aside, he's a versatile player. 20 starts at safety and 17 at corner. He has to be a better open field tackler though which is probably what led to the shoulder injury. He injured it in the summer but to his credit played as long as he could with it before shutting down in October. He's a coach's dream, team leader with a strong work ethic. A player you want in your locker room. From what I've seen as a corner he's better in press man than in zone but he's definitely coachable.
The shoulder isn't 100% yet but should be in time for the pro day which I believe is at the very end of March. I know I said there would be some surprises but this is damn near a revelation. I want to see more now, as in RIGHT NOW!
Mason : 12/24/2014 6:40 pm : link
Will go a long way to improving depth and future starters. Re-sign JPP and Ayers, tell Coughlin to say adidos to Kiwi and draft Golden out of Missouri. I wouldn't throw big money at OL in FAs. Continue to develop Moore, Wynn, Hankins and Bromley. Actually re-signing Thurmon is pretty huge IMO or else you are back to square one with CB depth. And draft Jones out of UCONN who would be a steal IMO. I don't see Bowman re-signing because he wants to start. Not sure what to do with Rolle I must admit but I would move on from Stevie Brown. I think Taylor has the ability but can't be count on. I think Berhe could be third 3rd safety. Would love to see a safety tandem of Taylor, Jones and Berhe one day. I would love to get Johnson but the Giants may feel that Darkwa could be their 3rd HB and they could be right. I know people don't like him but I would offer JJ a one year deal. If Cruz is unable to go, he could finally take his position as slot receiver.
P.S. talk to Ronnie Barnes
And get a DC that can utilize their talents.
Probably clinched first corner off the board.
DanMetroMan : 11:03 am : link : reply
broad jump would have set a new olympic record. WOW.
Standing Long Jump was dropped as an Olympic event around the start of World War I, so the Olympic record has some dust on it.
Wikipedia - Standing Long Jump - ( New Window )
Give me a guy that plays with good technique/instincts/awareness/aggression over speed all day
ESPN's Todd McShay on conference call just said Landon Collins is the only safety he has going in the first 2 rounds.
All positions can get by with technique over speed, right?
Sherman ran a 4.54. Haden a 4.6. Revis a 4.38, but that was a long time ago. Nnamdi ran a 4.45.
So that's about a 4.5 average for four of the best corners in recent years.
Speed is needed, yes. But I don't think these guys need to run a sub 4.55 all the time.
Richard Sherman
Joe Haden
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Browner
It's clear that straight-ahead speed is far from the most important asset for a corner. (If it were the be-all-end-all, sprinters would fill NFL rosters.) Mostly, I think it's a way to separate DBs who grade similarly on tape, and maybe to identify guys with untapped potential.
While there are a few CBs that can still be very good at 4.6, I'd say it's more the exception than the rule.
And if my guy timed 4.55+, I'd need to see some great tape and a great 3-cone to consider him in the top 2. 3 cone is also a big number here as it reflects C.O.D.
Byron Jones had some day. If the NFL doesn't work out, he can join the circus.
It's clear that straight-ahead speed is far from the most important asset for a corner. (If it were the be-all-end-all, sprinters would fill NFL rosters.) Mostly, I think it's a way to separate DBs who grade similarly on tape, and maybe to identify guys with untapped potential.
Pro day times are notoriously inflated (or deflated) and Patrick Peterson is incredibly overrated IMO. I think Haden is much better than him.