Mercilus put up some nice numbers today. I still overwhelmingly prefer Ingram, but Mercilus is a damn good athlete and can really get after the QB. Maybe a trade down?
Disappointed Upshaw didn't run the 40. Becoming more and more impressed with Ingram and Perry every day.
It bothers me, because I think my only doubts about him revolve around his speed. I don't always see great change of direction or explosiveness from him on tape. I have no doubts about him being a good NFL linebacker, but the Jets really need a major upgrade. -X-
do you understand the concept of a triple option offense? people keep trying to compare Hill to Calvin Johnson and other GT wideouts, when the reality is that those guys did not play in the same system as Hill. Jerry Rice himself would not put up very impressive numbers in a triple option offense.
The problem is what you are not able to see, that because of not only the triple option he ran, but his complete lack of any skills out side of running deep, he is a major project for any team drafting him. He runs three routes tops. He has size and speed, but so do plenty of guys who could not hack it in the NFL. If all you want is 6'3 with 4.3 time we may as well just promote Riley off our pratice squad.
agree my first impression of him was that he plays a little stiff.......but i am willing to look past that if he is advertised as an all-around LB instead of a rush backer.
Meh, I thought Upshaw had a poor combine. ..but I know that he is a good football player and a highly productive player among other highly skilled players for the Bama defense. I think he is going to be a very good football player in the NFL under the right coaching staff.
I think what his cominbe proved (proved is a strong word, let's say strongly hinted) is that he is already playing close to his maximum potential. Can his feet and hands get a bit better? sure. But overall what you see is what you get with him. NOw don't get me wrong, if he plays in the NFL as he played at Alabama you have a solid starter for 8-10 yrs at OLB. But solid and nothing more... What I don't understand is why he decided to not lose weight. I think his playing weight is 8-10 lbs less than where he's at now (272) if he stays at OLB. Maybe he wanted to show teams he could be a 43DE too...
My Combine updates: Upshaw looked terrible. He looked stiff, and slow in out of his breaks. I was extremely disappointed. The other Bama player, Hightower, looked very comfortable and fluid in his drills. FWIW, Burfict is out of my top 50 and will be lucky to be drafted in Rd 2. Michael Brockers early hype is unfounded, he didn't look sharp. Dontari Poe and Stephen Hill are my biggest risers in my top 50. In fact, Poe is a borderline top 10 player. Nick Perry made a solid case to be a 1st rd pick. Mercilus proved his a great athlete, I think he will be drafted in late teens/early 20's. Mayock agress with me that Doug Martin is going to be a special football player. Everyting I said....hard worker, great blocker, great hands...Mayock confirmed. Osemele looked solid, I like his long arms and he's a boderline rd 1 pick, most likely early rd 2.
Does anyone have video of Upshaw/Mercilus/Ingram's combine drills? Would be very interested to see them changing direction, etc.
I have to agree with the Upshaw assessment. When I saw him in the LB drills, he looked darn near the least fluid of the bunch. He just didnt look fluid or fast out there. He looked flat footed, slow changing direction, and just not natural. Mayock said on air, he might need to be looked at as a 4-3 end guy, because of purely how stiff he looked. I don't know that I would go that far, but it has to be highly concerning none the less. Mercilus confirmed he can make the transition today, he is indeed athletic enough to do it. Ingram, whom you didnt mention, had a fantastic day out there as well. I would put Ingram a shade ahead of Mercilus right now, and Perry closing in on both of them very fast. I was very dissapointed in Brockers. I thought he would do more than simply look the part size wise today. the Poe thing was a shocker to me. i knew he was athletic, but he flew down the 40 line, he posted 44 reps of the bar and I believe his official 10 yd split was under 1.7 that insane. The comparisons to Ngata (from an athletic standpoint) are not unfounded. Another guy who made some money today was Cal LB Mychal Kendricks. Kid was very fluid in his drill work, and was easily the most athletic LB on display which is damned impressive considering Zach Brown was in his group.
I'm not denying that he probably won't be able to contribute much initially, but I think that he would be a solid pick in round 2 if we go LB in the first.
I understand that the combine changes things but it should not take away from their overall body of work in college. One day doesn't change that. I agree that Upshaw had a bad combine but I still think he is going to be an outstanding player in the NFL. I also don't agree with whoever said he has hit his ceiling, I think that with the right coaching he can be something special. Although I don't feel that Upshaw will be the best player out of that Bama defense. I'm really, really high on Donta Hightower. I would absolutely love for the Jets to target him in the draft. I doubt we would land him, but I would be very happy if we did. The only thing that was confirmed with Mercilus is that he is a good athlete. Something we all knew before the combine took place. It is not a sure thing that he could transition to the rush linebacker position, and it wont be until he gets placed in a position to see if he can. There is absolutely nothing he can do to comfirm that until he is drafted, the same goes for his one year wonder question mark on him. I think Ingram should be rated much higher then both Mercilus and Perry. The versatility and athleticism alone puts him ahead of those guys. That isn't even including speed, explosiveness, and technique. His technique is much better than either of those guys, IMO. I think Brockers is extremely over rated, I don't understand how some are so high on him.
He is a project and IMO we are not in the position to get guys who will not contrubute much in the first couple rounds. Someone will draft hill in the 2nd or third, but I don't feel he is a great fit for the Jets.
The crux of what the combine is for, is confirming suspicions about a players aptitude and athletic ability. When you see the same ability at the combine that you do on tape, you have confirmed things. When you see something unexpected, be it good or bad, you go back to the tape and go wtf is going on here, why didnt I see that before. Upshaw was without a doubt a 'bad' so if I were a team even moderately interested in Upshaw as a first round guy (which we would have to assume the Jets are) I would have to go back to the tape and see if this shows up on film as well. If it does, its time to put it down as a red flag. Then I send my best evaluators to the Bama pro day and put Upshaw through the paces again to determine if he has fixed his issues or not. If he has fixed them, red flags removed. If not, or god forbid he performs even worse at his pro day in these drills, then they really need to be taken into account. Also keep in mind individual workouts can be used in this manner as well. Thats what the Jets should be doing with Upshaw, (and Hill as well) trying to figure out whether the things they saw at the combine jives with the tape, or if there is something wacky going on here. But I have to say, he might have looked the least like an LB of all the LB's doing drills. Something was just off in every on field drill they did. At least to my eyes anyways. As far as Mercilus goes, I said he proved he was athletic enough to play the position, thus putting one question mark to bed. He also did LB drills along with the second DL group that was put through the 3-4 OLB paces. NFLN for whatever reason didnt show much of those drills, they were too busy gushing over Poe and recapping the DL's workouts for that apparently. I didnt see much there to comment on whether he looked good standing up or not. I couldnt tell you, but the scouts on the field sure got an idea or not. Ingram definitely proved he is a good prospect. Not elite measureables, but damn is he a player or what?
Just on one thing there, I really am not impressed with Brockers either. He's just not as good as people say, and never flashed nearly as much as people make it seem. I think he knew if he waited a year he'd end up as potentially the 3rd best LSU DL in the draft, so he tried to cash in early. That said, I said the exact same things about Al Haynesworth at Tennessee, where I thought John Henderson was a MUCH better player. I just don't/never saw this lock top 10/15 guy. That said, Dontari Poe could be a monster, but he's a little to hyped right now. Ngata/Wilfork comparisons are a bit unfounded because those guys were clearly special players. Wilfork wasn't dominant as a Jr because of some personal things, but anyone that watched him his first two years knew he was an All Pro type player. Poe is big and faster than expected, but still not quite a freak. And speaking of freak, Fletcher Cox had a great 40, but a bit overrated as well. I still think that Worthy is getting disrespected big time by some people.
I don't expect many/any to agree with me, but I think there's a strong possibility that Upshaw has peaked, maxed out his ability already and has little or no ceiling. I think the Jets need to seriously check him out at his Pro Day or in an individual workout. I could care less that he didn't run the 40. That's not a good indicator anyway. But being slow, stiff, not able to change directions quickly, easily would be a big problem in the NFL where players are faster and stronger. I don't think he'll be able to bull rush NFL OL like he did collegiate players.
I think Upshaw might drop out of the top ten. I just don't see how anyone can think he is a complete OLB. He is a run stopper, and that is pretty much it. My selection for the Jets would be Floyd or Mercilus at this point.
Eh its possible, I thought that Upshaw wasnt this elite pass rusher people were making him out to be. I think he might end up converting to a defensive end full time which for us would be a wasted pick I also agree Brockers is a bit overrated
