NFL Draft 2012

dwid

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speaking of BIG skill guys who can run, former Michigan State quarterback-turned Duquesne wide receiver Connor Dixon certainly fits the bill. listed at 6-foot-5, 212-pounds, Dixon ran a 4.4 forty at his Pro Day according to this article linked by DraftDaddy.

Dixon is the embodiment of raw upside at wideout, as he has only played the position for a little more than two years. injuries to his throwing shoulder forced him to change jobs, and by all accounts he has been a quick study. he caught 16 touchdowns and averaged 19.8 yards-per-catch this past fall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnT0tBACOTE


doesn't look that raw. Could work on his route running but that is every college receiver. If he were black he would be drafted in the first based on upside. Stephen Hill is familar with about one route and is being drafted high on upside. This guy looks to have the speed/size of Moss, well not quite Moss but still fast, the physicalness of a Larry Fitzgerald and the quickness of a smaller receiver when changing directions.

His physicalness/quickness remind me of Crabtree, of what he was suppose to be coming out of college, except this guy is bigger/faster.

btw where did you get the 212 weight from? everywhere that I find asbout the pro day says he is 6'5 220 pounds.
 
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backrow

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I like Shea McClellin, but I have Audie Cole ranked higher. Without a doubt, Cole has a better body-of-work in college and can handle a larger number of NFL snaps. Cole is a big-time tackler and a good pass-rusher, with even more room to improve. Right now, his skill-set is above that of McClellin.

With Cole, he can go into the NFL and produce like Colin McCarthy or better. Playing at a high-level in the ACC have prepared these athletes for early success in the NFL. With McClellin, I feel he'll have to be eased into a situational role at first. An NFL team will have to be patient with him.

seems like he's getting even hotter as we edge closer:

After doing film study of Boise State LB/DE Shea McClellin, NFL Films' Greg Cosell believes McClellin has a chance to develop into a "dynamic edge pass rusher" in the pros.

Cosell specifically cited McClellin's ability to "bend the edge," a trait for which 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year Von Miller was praised coming out of Texas A&M. Cosell observed some similarities to Clay Matthews in McClellin's game tape. With his pre-draft stock also seemingly building, McClellin now looks like a solid bet to be drafted late in the first round.


Source: NFL Films
 

Jimmy Chitwood

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnT0tBACOTE


doesn't look that raw. Could work on his route running but that is every college receiver. If he were black he would be drafted in the first based on upside. Stephen Hill is familar with about one route and is being drafted high on upside. This guy looks to have the speed/size of Moss, well not quite Moss but still fast, the physicalness of a Larry Fitzgerald and the quickness of a smaller receiver when changing directions.

His physicalness/quickness remind me of Crabtree, of what he was suppose to be coming out of college, except this guy is bigger/faster.

btw where did you get the 212 weight from? everywhere that I find asbout the pro day says he is 6'5 220 pounds.

thanks for the video, dwid.

i got the weight from his college senior year bio, which i linked. i've not seen much "official" info from his Pro Day, so that's what i went with. i'd like to know his other numbers, because he's obviously got a lot of talent and upside.

his after-the-catch ability reminds me of Rod Smith (a black wideout formerly of the Denver Broncos), even though they don't look alike or have similar size. Dixon just has that quick shake and then he gets up-field. Smith (albeit only 6-feet tall and quite a bit slower) was elusive like that, too. he'd often shake a guy like a tailback and pick up good yardage after catching a hitch at-or-behind the line-of-scrimmage.

like Dixon likely will be (despite his physically impressive numbers and skill set), Smith (who ran a 4.6 or 4.7, i seem to recall) went undrafted before becoming an all-time great for the Broncos.
 

Don Wassall

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Here's another example of why so many highly drafted black players turn out to be busts in the National Affirmative Action Football League:

NFL Network's Mike Mayock indicated on Path to the Draft Wednesday that he wouldn't draft North Carolina DE Quinton Coples at all if he were the general manager of an NFL team. Mayock acknowledges that Coples has all the talent in the world, but he wouldn't be on Mayock's draft board. "If I'm a GM, I'm not taking him in the first round," said Mayock. "I might not take him in the second round. The bust potential is high." Mayock went on to explain that he couldn't find "any" strong senior-year tape from Coples. While we still expect Coples to be a top 10-12 pick, he certainly seems to present plenty of risk.
 

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Oregon State DB Brandon Hardin Visits Ravens

BR-Ravens2_tiny.JPG
by Bruce Raffel

Brandon Hardin, DB (Oregon State) Photo Credit: Jason Watson-US PRESSWIRE


Fast-rising draft prospect Brandon Hardin (Oregon State) has either or is scheduled to visit 15 NFL teams, including the Baltimore Ravens. After sustaining a shoulder injury last year, the defensive back has become an interesting prospect for a variety of reasons. At 6'2" and 216 pounds, he has great size to man up the bigger wide receivers in the NFL.

According to a story by Aaron Wilson of Scout.com, along with his size, he adds speed (4.36 40-yard dash) and strength (24 reps of the 225 pound bench press) to his resume. Oh yeah, he also had a 35.5" high jump and a 10'4" broad jump, amazing numbers for a guy of his size.

Projected to be a third or fourth round selection in the draft later this month, Hardin's size also make him more likely to become a safety in the NFL rather than a cornerback.Either way, he could be an interesting possibility for the Ravens to ponder depending on what they do in the earlier rounds of the draft.

See what NFL Draft Scout has to say about Hardin, who they rate as the 4th best free safety prospect in the draft, although they list more well-known safety prospects Mark Barron (Alabama) and Harrison Smith as free safeties.

http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2012/4/15/2948056/oregon-state-db-brandon-harden-visits-ravens
 
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Oregon State DB Brandon Hardin Visits Ravens

BR-Ravens2_tiny.JPG
by Bruce Raffel

Brandon Hardin, DB (Oregon State) Photo Credit: Jason Watson-US PRESSWIRE


Fast-rising draft prospect Brandon Hardin (Oregon State) has either or is scheduled to visit 15 NFL teams, including the Baltimore Ravens. After sustaining a shoulder injury last year, the defensive back has become an interesting prospect for a variety of reasons. At 6'2" and 216 pounds, he has great size to man up the bigger wide receivers in the NFL.

According to a story by Aaron Wilson of Scout.com, along with his size, he adds speed (4.36 40-yard dash) and strength (24 reps of the 225 pound bench press) to his resume. Oh yeah, he also had a 35.5" high jump and a 10'4" broad jump, amazing numbers for a guy of his size.

Projected to be a third or fourth round selection in the draft later this month, Hardin's size also make him more likely to become a safety in the NFL rather than a cornerback.Either way, he could be an interesting possibility for the Ravens to ponder depending on what they do in the earlier rounds of the draft.

See what NFL Draft Scout has to say about Hardin, who they rate as the 4th best free safety prospect in the draft, although they list more well-known safety prospects Mark Barron (Alabama) and Harrison Smith as free safeties.

http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2012/4/15/2948056/oregon-state-db-brandon-harden-visits-ravens
When I buy the Redskins next year I am getting Prosinski, Hardin, Conte,Gregory, Cole Brodie, Derek Dreher, Edelman ( half Jewish ), Weddle, Abruhoff, and Liskowski to try out for the corner position. Im going to call it the Donachie rule just the polar opposite of the Rooney Rule.
 

Freethinker

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small school guy Derek Carrier who runs in the 4.4 range and is getting interest
A very good and informative article on D3 Beloit College receiver Derek Carrier. The former basketball player is being compared to Aaron Hernandez except with better measurables.

From the article: Carrier, an inch taller, and Hernandez weigh almost the same. But when comparing Carrier in six speed, athletic and strengths tests from March 7 at the University of Wisconsin pro day to Hernandez's combine workout in February 2010, Carrier was better in everything but the bench press.

Also: Not only that but Carrier, who carries a 3.87-grade point average in pre-med and will graduate May 12, more than doubled Hernandez's score on the Wonderlic intelligence test.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...-catch-on-in-nfl-draft-9j500s9-147462285.html
 

celticdb15

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What blows my mind is that NEgro TE Dwayne Allen is still being considered a top TE prospect! What nonsense even after running a pedestrian 4.85 he is being reffered to as "athletic" in nearly every write up I've seen on him. He has ok size at 6'3 255 but is nothing special. Caste whore Dan Pompei only has one white TE in his top ten for the Chicago Tribune.
 

dwid

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What blows my mind is the fact that dwfs can't wrap their heads around Harrison Smith being a better safety than Mark Barron. Barron played mostly like a linebacker his ENTIRE career, mostly in the box safety, so a hybrid s/lb, can't play man to man coverage and only does well in short zones. He projects strictly as a strong safety at the next level. He can hit hard but often fails to wrap up. Looks like a poor man's Roman Harper. Harrison Smith played one year as a linebacker, the rest at S, played well in the box but also played a good deal of deep zone and did well in man coverage, allowing 0 completions when in coverage this season. He projects to be either a FS or a SS.

How can Mark Barron be the better prospect? His measurables aren't better either. Thats not even mentioning the fact that Barron played with other top defenders, the times I saw him make a play on the ball, usually Kirkpatrick (number #2 rated corner this year) was already covering the receiver. Alabama's front 7 was better than Notre Dame's as well, when Bama's D slacked off in 2010, Barron looked terrible, when they stepped it up in 2011, so did he. Could he possibly be benefiting from the talent around him? That means he would excel on a select few teams, like the Ravens.
 

Don Wassall

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Todd McShay was predicting on ESPN that Smith may go late first round, shocking given how reliably pro-Caste McShay has always been. But then he threw in the obligatory "he's not much of an athlete" b.s. to keep his anti-White credentials shining brightly.

Given how important good safeties have become in the pass happy NFL, Smith should be drafted no later than early second round. I also think that's why there's been a resurgence of White safeties the past couple of years, even though most of them still get bumped around a lot, from backup to starter to backup, and often move around from team to team even though they're almost always very productive and reliable.
 

whiteathlete33

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The most ridiculous draft site online has to be CNNSI. Devon Wylie is actually labeled as explosive according to them, but he won't be anything more than a return specialist in the NFL. Danny Coale has 4.3 speed yet he's tooslow on the field to be a downfield threat. Compare that to all the black receivers that run 4.5 40 times and are legit downfield threats. Figure that out.
 

celticdb15

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Barron gets the nod solely b/c he was part of that Coal Black Defense in the Ultra caste SEC. Many DWFs are lashing out at the notion of Smith being a high draft pick because they hate what he represents. There are a lot of Irish bashers who enjoy seeing ND(and their white boys) struggle like they have in recent years. He's pigeon holed as another unathletic white stiff..
 

Deacon

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Barron gets the nod solely b/c he was part of that Coal Black Defense in the Ultra caste SEC. Many DWFs are lashing out at the notion of Smith being a high draft pick because they hate what he represents. There are a lot of Irish bashers who enjoy seeing ND(and their white boys) struggle like they have in recent years. He's pigeon holed as another unathletic white stiff..

It's weird to see so many white people just hate all things ND. Half the team is white? Boo!
 

celticdb15

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Does anyone think wr/kr Johnathan Warzeka from Air Force will be on an NFL roster this year? He has a TON of speed and he is a great kick returner. I don't know about his military commitment but I think he is good enough to get that third down back role and slot receiver. I don't know his forty time but its probably in the high 4.3 range. He clearly plays fast.

Draftdaddy seems to think Warzeka has a shot at the pros and sticking with the topic of Harrison Smith it'd be awesome if the Packers have the cajones to select him in the 1st round!

Receiver Jonathan Warzeka and safety Jon Davis are among the Air Force Falcons who are hoping to beat the odds and get a shot at the pros.

If the Green Bay Packers choose to combat the new breed of tight ends around the N.F.L., Harrison Smith could be their first round pick.
 

Don Wassall

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Here's an ESPN Sports Science segment highlighting the tight-hipped, unathletic, overachieving Coby Fleener:

[video=youtube;IbWwxnKOiLg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbWwxnKOiLg[/video]​
 

Jimmy Chitwood

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Warzeka was a dynamite sprinter coming out of high school, and he certainly showcased explosive speed at times with the AFA (despite being extremely under-utilized by the coaching staff according to numerous critics of the team) ... however, he put up very disappointing numbers at his Pro Day according to this link. it is stunning to see him post a poor 4.67 in the 40, when he has ran a 10.6 100-meters on the track.

i wonder what the rest of the story behind his less than specatacular Pro Day performance is. perhaps he was injured?
 

Don Wassall

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It'll be interesting to see how Green Bay drafts next week after going in a much blacker direction in the past 12 months after winning the Super Bowl with the Whitest team in the league.

Smith Has Tools if Packers Go Safety First

Green Bay - From afar, Harrison Smith kept a close eye on each frightening spike of the football in the end zone. Quickly, the Notre Dame safety realized Rob Gronkowski wasn't just changing the tight end position. He was changing the game.

"Both of those guys - (Jimmy) Graham and Gronkowski - are just freaks," Smith said Saturday. "They're very big and very talented. They have big hands and great coordination. They get great separation and that's something the league is trying to adapt to right now."

So this April, Smith's value is high. The crop of safeties in the NFL draft is not strong. After Alabama's Mark Barron and Smith, there's a steep drop-off.

It'd be no surprise if a team like Green Bay drafted Smith toward the end of the first round. With Nick Collins' career hanging in the balance after neck surgery - and the wincing memories of a league-worst defense still fresh - safety is an immediate need for the Packers.

Smith has not visited Green Bay but says he's talked to just about every NFL team.

At a sturdy 6 feet 2 inches and 213 pounds, Smith is intelligent, long and fast. He's one player who may be capable of covering today's athletic tight end. Throughout his meetings with teams, that has been the hot topic.

"There's a big tight end in every division that dominated last year," Smith said. "Nobody found a great way to stop it without leaving other things open. So that's something people are definitely focused on.

"How do you stop these big, athletic guys? I think the best way to stop them is with bigger, athletic safeties that match up better with them. It's hard to put a corner on them. It's hard to put a linebacker on them. A bigger safety who can run with them and make plays on the ball is something teams put a lot of value on."

At Notre Dame, dating to his redshirt freshman year, Smith has worked this craft. On the scout team in 2007, he faced future Seattle Seahawks tight end John Carlson daily. When Carlson left, he worked against future Minnesota Vikings second-round pick Kyle Rudolph for three years. And in 2011, as a senior, Smith faced another tight end destined for the pros in Tyler Eifert.

The experience helped. Smith emerged as one reliable presence in the middle of an often-inconsistent Notre Dame defense. As a junior, free to roam, Smith picked off seven passes and had 91 tackles. In 2011, he didn't have any interceptions. Smith admitted he must turn more breakups into interceptions. But last year, he was given more man-to-man responsibilities that should help him in the NFL.

"Really the whole time I've been there, there have been NFL tight ends I'm going against," Smith said. "It's a standard I didn't realize I was going against but it was always there. . . . I wasn't thinking how this was getting me ready for the NFL. Nobody was really watching me because I was on the scout team, but I was taking the reps serious because I knew those were the reps I was getting for the whole season.

"Looking back, I'm glad I got that experience."

Defensive coaches are concerned about the evolving tight end, Smith said. New England's Gronkowski had 90 catches for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns. New Orleans' Graham finished with 99 grabs for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. Elsewhere, the Packers' Jermichael Finley and San Francisco's Vernon Davis posed similar problems with their athleticism.

To Smith, the key to combating this are safeties with size and smarts. Shutting this player down must become a science.

"There's always the physical aspect that if this guy's faster than me, I have to play him this way. And if I'm faster than him but he's bigger than me, I have to play him this way," Smith said. "Then there is, 'What coverage am I in? Do I have help deep, behind me, in the middle of the field, on the outside of the field, low?' It's not always pure man to man."

At Notre Dame, Smith was required to make all the calls and blanket the field. Fighting Irish cornerback Robert Blanton, a low-round draft prospect, started alongside Smith all last season.

"He's a good communicator and always makes sure he does the right thing," Blanton said. "He gets guys lined up where they need to be. He has great speed and covered tons of ground. He does a great job. He has a great work ethic and is a good competitor."

Maybe the Packers have a chance to take him. It wouldn't hurt to pair another young safety with with Morgan Burnett.

Smith still remembers making a 3-D paper football stadium in art class as an 8-year old, days before the Packers' Super Bowl loss to the Denver Broncos in January 1998. He wrote a score on the sculpture, too. The Knoxville, Tenn., native predicted a Packers win.

Of course, Denver shocked Green Bay in that game. But one play stuck with Smith - Denver safety Steve Atwater's crunching hit on Green Bay receiver Robert Brooks and one of his own teammates on the Packers' final drive.

Now, he's hoping to play that role himself and cover some of these "freak" tight ends while he's at it.

"In meetings, I tell them that I'm that guy who can give them a better matchup," Smith said. "At the end of the day, they're going to watch the film and decide if I am or not."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...ackers-go-safety-first-ba51pgl-147857565.html
 

foobar75

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The Colts have apparently told Andrew Luck that they will select him with the #1 overall pick. I guess that makes it official now, but it should never have taken this long. It's an insult to Luck that there was any debate about this at all. As for Griffin, I truly hope he goes the way of Vince Young, or better yet, maybe someone like Troy Smiff.

This also means that Redskins fans are rejoicing now that they'll get their precious afflete.
 

dwid

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Warzeka was a dynamite sprinter coming out of high school, and he certainly showcased explosive speed at times with the AFA (despite being extremely under-utilized by the coaching staff according to numerous critics of the team) ... however, he put up very disappointing numbers at his Pro Day according to this link. it is stunning to see him post a poor 4.67 in the 40, when he has ran a 10.6 100-meters on the track.

i wonder what the rest of the story behind his less than specatacular Pro Day performance is. perhaps he was injured?

not sure, most of the affletes that run less than spectular times always claim injuries, so its possible some of them are legit and don't see why it would be any different in this case.....However it might just be a misreported time. I don't see how he can have the interest of scouts with that time, unless the interest was before the pro day.

I just don't see how it could drop from 4.53 (Nike Combine I believe) out of high school to a 4.67 at a hand timed pro day.
 
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SchaafC

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Union College WR.
Justin Gallo reportedly ran a 4.46 at his pro day. Is 6-2. Also happens to be his basketball teams leading scorer.
[video=youtube_share;BKw6duzioME]http://youtu.be/BKw6duzioME[/video]
 

spiritofspook

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A couple of responses

1- I hope the bears take a shot at this Brandon Hardin Kid in the 3rd round. He seems like another Chris Conte who played very well for us last year. i also wouldnt mind us taking Harrison Smith but not at 19.

2- People dont hate ND because they are white, they hate them because they are an establishment team. there are always people who rail against the establishment. The fact that they havent been that good but stay in the national spotlight shows that they still have a huge fanbase despite their whiteness. They were dominant decades ago and have been living off of that reputation with little merit. Its the same reason many hate the Pats, Lakers, Yankees, and Cowboys, except that at least those teams have won recently.

3- I know that some seem to have issue with him, but I think RG3 could be what everyone thought Mike Vick was supposed to be. He seems to have a similar skill set without the "thug" tendencies and the problematic background. In fact, believe it or not he is the least black "black" QB to come out in a while. His colorful socks and goofy hair does not speak of a guy who is overly entrenched in black culture which is probably a good thing. Then again Cam Newton is a dozen different black athlete stereotypes and he still set records last year so it may not make a difference in culture when you are just that good.

4- I dont know who called Coby Fleener unathletic or tight hipped. At least not for a Tight end, im pretty sure he wouldnt be that good at cornerback though...

5- What is a DWF? Is that disengenous white fan?

6- I cannot reiterate enough that basing prospect projections off of 40 times instead of in game tape and production against TOP TEAMS is a recipe for failure. If anything proves that its Don Wassal's quote on Quinton Coples. He is a guy that has the measurables and the size. He looks the part, but Mayock makes the point that he has a ton of bad tape against TOP COMPETITION. I keep hearing that this is the Bears ideal pick. I dont like it but the coaching staff thinks they can get him to live up to his physical potential. Rod Marinelli and Lovie Smith have gotten plenty out of average guys before (isreal Idonije, Alex Brown) so it could work. But that is the thing with combine numbers. They dont trump production and tape.
 

Tom Iron

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Where would you guys realistically put RGIII in the draft? He must have some talent.


Do you think the league exerts pressure behind the scenes for a team to draft a black QB high? What would the benefit be to a team to hurt themselves if they didn't think a guy like RGIII was good enough and took him with a high paick anyway?


Tom Iron...
 

jaxvid

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Where would you guys realistically put RGIII in the draft? He must have some talent.


Do you think the league exerts pressure behind the scenes for a team to draft a black QB high? What would the benefit be to a team to hurt themselves if they didn't think a guy like RGIII was good enough and took him with a high paick anyway?


Tom Iron...

See Russell, Jamrcus, Oakland Raiders, for the answer to your question.
 
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