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- Jan 14, 2013
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Took a gander at a few OL prospects today. Just some general thoughts in quick summary form:
1. Andrus Peat OT Stanford - Can see why he's so highly rated but can also see why some are very hesitant with him. His combination of length, power (especially in the lower body), and quick feet is exactly what you look for in a NFL LT. However, he stands straight up coming out of his stance which causes him to lose leverage in pass pro, he tends to bend at the waist and is too aggressive which leads to lunging at times, and he is inconsistent with his hand placement...allows defenders to get into his chest. That all said, he has bouncy feet, impressive balance in pass pro, can widen his base and anchor when bullrushed, and good punch timing with active hands. The Rams have a good OL Coach so I'd feel comfortable taking a shot on Peat.
2. Takoby Cofield OT Duke - Doesn't have the athleticism or length to play outside at the next level but I think he has a wide enough base and is a good enough run blocker that he could kick inside and be a good depth player at OG.
3. Miles Diffenbach OG Penn State - Very underpowered...will not be able to play in a power scheme at the next level. Could struggle in pass pro in a zone scheme against stronger DTs. Good technique and solid athleticism but he just lacks any sort of power and doesn't have much of an anchor in pass pro.
4. Jarvis Harrison OG Texas A&M - Hard to doubt the talent...he has excellent feet for a guy his size and makes it look easy when pass blocking. Has the power and size to power block although he didn't get many chances to do that at TAMU. But he's an extremely lazy player on the field that doesn't play to the whistle or look to bury defenders. If he lands in a situation where he gets motivated, he could be an elite OG. But you also run the risk that he'll not watch his weight and give you lackluster effort at the next level. Has 2nd round film (if you ignore the laziness) but will likely go mid Day 3 due to his character red flags.
5. Andrew Donnal OT Iowa - I know a lot of people like him but I don't see it. He has good technique and gives a lot of effort but he just doesn't have much in the physical talent department. He's an underpowered run blocker with a small lower body and his feet look heavy to me in pass pro. His punch timing and hand placement are good but his punch doesn't have much power and he doesn't have the lower body strength to anchor well. I think his lack of strength is really going to cap his upside at the next level. Just don't see starter tools.
6. Torrian Wilson OT UCF - Not much out there on Wilson in terms of video. Had to go through other players to get some looks at him. Bends at the waist outside but I think part of that is him compensating for his feet and lack of length. I'm intrigued with him at OG. Has an OG build and size with what appears to me to be good feet for an OG. The big question for me is flexibility. If he's got the bend in his hips and knees, he has starter potential inside but he needs a lot of technical development and I'm concerned about his balance (but his balance problems could be due to the waist bending...which goes back to the flexibility question).
7. Ereck Flowers OT Miami - If you are going to watch Flowers, I strongly recommend you watch at least one or two games from late in the season. His footwork really improved over the year. He didn't even look like a Day 2 prospect against Nebraska. His footwork and pass set were so bad. But against South Carolina, his kick-slide has really developed. He still has footwork problems and reverts back to bad habits but he's come a long ways. That all said, I'm just not a fan. I understand why people like him...he's big, athletic, very strong, and has a motor that constantly runs hot. But I just got the impression watching him that his feet just aren't coordinated. They are so chaotic and just seem almost out of whack with the rest of his body. He allows his base to narrow way too often and he's a waist bender in pass protection which throws off his balance. When you combine the lack of coordination with his feet, you have plays where the guy just looks scary bad. It gets even worse when you watch his arms/hands. They're frantic before contact. He waives them all over the place and you never know where they will be...often they're either extended out away from his body at upper-ab/lower-chest level like he's trying to give a hug or they're extended out and down by his thighs. He's a catcher rather than a puncher in that he allows the defender to almost always initiate contact before bringing his arms in and grabbing him. He just doesn't punch with any sort of consistency and his hands are almost always late. This leads to him constantly allowing defenders to get into his chest and he often will lean into it making him vulnerable to the arm over swim move. He's lucky that he's as strong as he is because he could get away with it in college but he won't be that lucky in the NFL. Simply put, the guy is a complete mess in terms of pass protection technique and I'm just not sure you can put it together. If you can, you have a great player on your hands but he's too big of a risk for me in Round 1.
I'll continue to add guys to this thread. There are some guys I've already seen that I'll add in the coming days. I also have Mark Glowinski and Rob Crisp at the top of my watch list.
1. Andrus Peat OT Stanford - Can see why he's so highly rated but can also see why some are very hesitant with him. His combination of length, power (especially in the lower body), and quick feet is exactly what you look for in a NFL LT. However, he stands straight up coming out of his stance which causes him to lose leverage in pass pro, he tends to bend at the waist and is too aggressive which leads to lunging at times, and he is inconsistent with his hand placement...allows defenders to get into his chest. That all said, he has bouncy feet, impressive balance in pass pro, can widen his base and anchor when bullrushed, and good punch timing with active hands. The Rams have a good OL Coach so I'd feel comfortable taking a shot on Peat.
2. Takoby Cofield OT Duke - Doesn't have the athleticism or length to play outside at the next level but I think he has a wide enough base and is a good enough run blocker that he could kick inside and be a good depth player at OG.
3. Miles Diffenbach OG Penn State - Very underpowered...will not be able to play in a power scheme at the next level. Could struggle in pass pro in a zone scheme against stronger DTs. Good technique and solid athleticism but he just lacks any sort of power and doesn't have much of an anchor in pass pro.
4. Jarvis Harrison OG Texas A&M - Hard to doubt the talent...he has excellent feet for a guy his size and makes it look easy when pass blocking. Has the power and size to power block although he didn't get many chances to do that at TAMU. But he's an extremely lazy player on the field that doesn't play to the whistle or look to bury defenders. If he lands in a situation where he gets motivated, he could be an elite OG. But you also run the risk that he'll not watch his weight and give you lackluster effort at the next level. Has 2nd round film (if you ignore the laziness) but will likely go mid Day 3 due to his character red flags.
5. Andrew Donnal OT Iowa - I know a lot of people like him but I don't see it. He has good technique and gives a lot of effort but he just doesn't have much in the physical talent department. He's an underpowered run blocker with a small lower body and his feet look heavy to me in pass pro. His punch timing and hand placement are good but his punch doesn't have much power and he doesn't have the lower body strength to anchor well. I think his lack of strength is really going to cap his upside at the next level. Just don't see starter tools.
6. Torrian Wilson OT UCF - Not much out there on Wilson in terms of video. Had to go through other players to get some looks at him. Bends at the waist outside but I think part of that is him compensating for his feet and lack of length. I'm intrigued with him at OG. Has an OG build and size with what appears to me to be good feet for an OG. The big question for me is flexibility. If he's got the bend in his hips and knees, he has starter potential inside but he needs a lot of technical development and I'm concerned about his balance (but his balance problems could be due to the waist bending...which goes back to the flexibility question).
7. Ereck Flowers OT Miami - If you are going to watch Flowers, I strongly recommend you watch at least one or two games from late in the season. His footwork really improved over the year. He didn't even look like a Day 2 prospect against Nebraska. His footwork and pass set were so bad. But against South Carolina, his kick-slide has really developed. He still has footwork problems and reverts back to bad habits but he's come a long ways. That all said, I'm just not a fan. I understand why people like him...he's big, athletic, very strong, and has a motor that constantly runs hot. But I just got the impression watching him that his feet just aren't coordinated. They are so chaotic and just seem almost out of whack with the rest of his body. He allows his base to narrow way too often and he's a waist bender in pass protection which throws off his balance. When you combine the lack of coordination with his feet, you have plays where the guy just looks scary bad. It gets even worse when you watch his arms/hands. They're frantic before contact. He waives them all over the place and you never know where they will be...often they're either extended out away from his body at upper-ab/lower-chest level like he's trying to give a hug or they're extended out and down by his thighs. He's a catcher rather than a puncher in that he allows the defender to almost always initiate contact before bringing his arms in and grabbing him. He just doesn't punch with any sort of consistency and his hands are almost always late. This leads to him constantly allowing defenders to get into his chest and he often will lean into it making him vulnerable to the arm over swim move. He's lucky that he's as strong as he is because he could get away with it in college but he won't be that lucky in the NFL. Simply put, the guy is a complete mess in terms of pass protection technique and I'm just not sure you can put it together. If you can, you have a great player on your hands but he's too big of a risk for me in Round 1.
I'll continue to add guys to this thread. There are some guys I've already seen that I'll add in the coming days. I also have Mark Glowinski and Rob Crisp at the top of my watch list.
