Sy'56:
9. Elerson Smith / Northern Iowa / 6’7-262
Grade: 77
Summary: Fifth year senior from Minneapolis, Minnesota. One-year starter that had his senior season canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 1st Team All Missouri Valley Conference and 1st Team AFCA FCS All American in 2019. Smith broke out in his redshirt junior season, netting 21.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 2 blocked kicks. He plays the game with a level of ease and smoothness in traffic. He gets off the ball in a hurry with great leverage and upper body positioning, his hands are exceptionally fast, and the foot quickness is elite. Smith is just scratching the surface when it comes to his true potential. He needs to sleep in the weight room for a year before he can be an every down asset, but he will be a solid rotational pass rusher right away and has the upside of being a solid starter in multiple schemes.
*If you haven’t seen Northern Iowa play but you want to get a feel for what this kid looks like on the field, think about Jayson Taylor. He has the really long, borderline thin frame but plays with tremendous burst and bend for a player his size. Smith impressed me a ton at the Senior Bowl in the practice tapes. Really twitchy, plays low to the ground, and easily changes direction. His 2019 tape is something else, too. Good player here that may need more time than others but presents more upside than most guys in this tier.
Grade: 82
Summary: Fifth year senior from Lenox, Iowa. Three-year starter that had his redshirt senior season postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 2nd Team All Missouri Valley Conference in 2019. Brown comes from a hometown of 1,500 people and played 8-man high school football where he was a tight end and defensive end. He was a 0-star recruit that received just one scholarship offer. He then hurt his knee after 5 games into his redshirt freshman season before he started to turn heads over the course of the next two years. Brown developed his frame while maintaining his plus-foot speed and body control in a big way. The well-versed athlete is still early in the progression scale in comparison to fellow offensive line prospects, but there is a tool set here that very few possess. Brown is a one-to-two-year project with elite upside. He is worth taking a chance on.
*It surprised me, and admittedly causes some hesitation, to place a 1st round grade on a kid from Northern Iowa. I’ll go on record though; Brown has the ceiling of an All-Pro. I really do believe that. The question will be how much NFL coaching and NFL strength work elevates his game. Brown is already a freak athlete, and he already shows the understanding of footwork + hand techniques. I thought he was one of the biggest winners from Senior Bowl week and that was after having his 2020 season cancelled. I have to admit there is a lot of risk with a prospect like this and that is why I have his grade down here. I see a lot of Taylor Decker here, one of the most underrated tackles in the game.
He put on 50 lbs in college.
Link below has a good interview with him. Link - ( New Window )
wow - whatever happens going forward, that's an impressive kid. Talk about being determined and sticking to your goal in life.
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3. Spencer Brown / Northern Iowa / 6’8-311
Grade: 82
Summary: Fifth year senior from Lenox, Iowa. Three-year starter that had his redshirt senior season postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 2nd Team All Missouri Valley Conference in 2019. Brown comes from a hometown of 1,500 people and played 8-man high school football where he was a tight end and defensive end. He was a 0-star recruit that received just one scholarship offer. He then hurt his knee after 5 games into his redshirt freshman season before he started to turn heads over the course of the next two years. Brown developed his frame while maintaining his plus-foot speed and body control in a big way. The well-versed athlete is still early in the progression scale in comparison to fellow offensive line prospects, but there is a tool set here that very few possess. Brown is a one-to-two-year project with elite upside. He is worth taking a chance on.
*It surprised me, and admittedly causes some hesitation, to place a 1st round grade on a kid from Northern Iowa. I’ll go on record though; Brown has the ceiling of an All-Pro. I really do believe that. The question will be how much NFL coaching and NFL strength work elevates his game. Brown is already a freak athlete, and he already shows the understanding of footwork + hand techniques. I thought he was one of the biggest winners from Senior Bowl week and that was after having his 2020 season cancelled. I have to admit there is a lot of risk with a prospect like this and that is why I have his grade down here. I see a lot of Taylor Decker here, one of the most underrated tackles in the game.
I'm sure that's helped Smith. This is quite a draft for Northern Iowa.
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He’s was a wrestler too. Always a plus. Very thin in HS.
He put on 50 lbs in college.
Holy Crap, KWALL2. Enlist him now for the Charles Atlas adds!
He put on 50 lbs in college.
Link below has a good interview with him. Link - ( New Window )
Serious - a wrestling background for guys who play the DL has to be an advantage. Skills and techniques using leverage etc ... should come in handy when he is trying to move blockers?
Looks like a hard worker also.
If he can't get to the QB on a particular play he should be able to at least knock the ball down.
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In comment 15248983 ColHowPepper said: Holy Crap, KWALL2. Enlist him now for the Charles Atlas adds!
That's EXACTLY what I was thinking of Klaatu. Thanks for the laugh and the memory. Now, let Elerson kick sand in the faces of those PHIL and DAL and WFC OLs.
I think that was on the back page of every other comic book I ever read. If it wasn't Sea Monkeys or X-Ray Specs, it was Charles Atlas and "Dynamic Tension."
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In comment 15249063 Klaatu said:
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In comment 15248983 ColHowPepper said: Holy Crap, KWALL2. Enlist him now for the Charles Atlas adds!
That's EXACTLY what I was thinking of Klaatu. Thanks for the laugh and the memory. Now, let Elerson kick sand in the faces of those PHIL and DAL and WFC OLs.
I think that was on the back page of every other comic book I ever read. If it wasn't Sea Monkeys or X-Ray Specs, it was Charles Atlas and "Dynamic Tension."
If I shave my chest, it looks EXACTLY like his....just saying.
So I will just wait and see.
Comparing anyone to Ted Hendricks is very high praise! Ted "The Stork" Hendricks was LT before LT, and not only is in the Hall of Fame, but also was responsible for much of the success of the Oakland Raiders under John Madden. NFL Network's "Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players" named him the 82nd greatest NFL player of all time.
Check out Ted's highlights on Youtube! And no, I'm not saying Hendricks is better than LT, but he was a GREAT linebacker!
Eric. Nice job this week with draft
You got Elerson listed as 6’2 on website. Just FYI
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Because this kid is very good friends with my son's best friend and my son has met and hung out with this kid a few times. My son's friend goes to UNI on a shotput scholarship and he called me all excited that the Giants took him. Says Smith is a high-quality kid who will put in all the work he is asked to do
Very cool. More to root for...
Absolutely, and it's funny because my son is like "Dad, I know him so we can get great seats" LMAO...I told him lets first hope he makes the team
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Because this kid is very good friends with my son's best friend and my son has met and hung out with this kid a few times. My son's friend goes to UNI on a shotput scholarship and he called me all excited that the Giants took him. Says Smith is a high-quality kid who will put in all the work he is asked to do
Good to hear.
Yeah, lots of good talk about this kid
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loves this pick.
Eric. Nice job this week with draft
You got Elerson listed as 6’2 on website. Just FYI
Thanks and thanks for catching that!
This was my reaction as well.
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In comment 15248977 KWALL2 said:
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He’s was a wrestler too. Always a plus. Very thin in HS.
He put on 50 lbs in college.
Holy Crap, KWALL2. Enlist him now for the Charles Atlas adds!
I knew he looked familiar Klaatu ... That's him.