Since it is a slow time of year, especially in this forum, I thought we could each review players from either your favorite college team, or where you go/went to college, or just some team you want to learn more about. We could review the guys that have a chance of getting drafted, focusing on the marquee players. I think it would be a good way to pass the summer time (especially while I'm at work :up while also giving us people to watch in the upcoming season. Another thing that might be good to review would be how they could potentially fit into the Jets schemes.
Virginia Tech Offense: WR - Jr - Josh Morgan - A lot of people love the two starters at WR (Eddie Royal and David Clowney) but in my opinion, after watching them all for the past 2 years, Morgan is by far the best of the bunch. He doesn't start, so he doesn't always get a lot of touches, but he always comes up big in the big games. He has pretty good size for an NFL wide receiver, 6'1" 210 lbs and pretty good speed. The only thing you have to know about him is he almost single handedly brought us back into the game in the Sugar Bowl two years ago (3 catches, 126 yards, 2 touchdowns and the ACC Championship last year (7 catches, 128 yards, 1 touchdown) when the rest of the team seemingly gave up. He can catch a deep ball and take a pass to the house as he has had several 50 yards catches and at least one 80 yarder. I think he will be a good #2 receiver in the NFL. WR - Sr - David Clowney - the #1 option on the team the past 2 years. He is more track star than football player but is good for one 30+ yard catch each game and is averaging about 16 yards per reception. Very fast and doesn't drop much. He is fairly tall (6'1") but needs some meat (175 lbs). At best, he might be a Todd Pinkston type of player in the NFL, teases you with big plays but not consistent enough to put it together as a full time starter. OT - Jr - Duane Brown - the Hokies always seem to churn out a decent lineman or two every year, no one ground breaking, but good enough to go on the second day and contribute somewhere. This year it looks like it is going to be Duane Brown. He's got average size (6'5" 286). Nothing spectacular, but gets the job done. Defense: DE - Jr - Chris Ellis - this is probably the player I am most excited about. He played behind Darryl Tapp last year and came away with 6 sacks and 1 interception. He is very long and could stand to gain 10-15 pounds (6'5" 260 lbs) but could potentially play 3-4 OLB. His height allows him to get up and disrupt passes and his athleticism allows him to get to the QB. I think this guy could potentially lead the ACC in sacks this year. He has been named to the Ted Hendricks Award Watch List (nation's top defensive end) and has been listed as the #18 DE in the country by Lindy's and is a first team preseason all ACC selection. Depending on what happens this year, I could see him coming back to school because it will be his first official season as a starter, but if he dominates he has the size to go to the NFL now. Keep an eye on him as he could be a great fit for the Jets. LB - Jr - Vince Hall - doesn't get as much attention as Adibi, but is the better player at this point in their careers. He plays the part more than he looks it but that is not to take anything away from him, it just shows he is a smart player. Primarily an ILB, with decent size (6'0" 244 lbs), he reminds me of Jeremiah Trotter. Big guy who can stop the run and is in on every tackle although he doesn't have the most athleticism as some other players. What you see is what you get with him, I don't think he has a very high ceiling, but he is pre-packaged and ready to play. 2nd team preseason All-American, Bronko Nagurski Award, Bednarik Award and Lott Trophy Watch Lists, ranked as the #5 ILB in the country by The Sporting News. He should have a big year as the defensive leader . LB - Jr - Xavier Adibi - with prototype size (6'2" 221 lbs), he simply looks the part. Makes plenty of big plays but needs to put it all together with the consistency of Vince Hall. He has a high ceiling in the NFL. Projects to WLB and has the speed to potentially make a Derrick Brooks impact. Bednarik Award Watch List, #19 OLB in the country by Lindy's, preseason 2nd team All-ACC. He could probably play 3-4 OLB but would most likely be a better 4-3 or cover-two WLB. He has had some injuries in the past, but on the bright side seems to be a very fast healer and hard worker. SS - Sr - Aaron Rouse - in the box type of safety (6'4" 225 lbs) who makes big plays. He will be like an extra LB (77 tackles last year), sort of like Michael Boulware, but with more ball skills (4 interceptions last year). 2nd - 3rd round prospect right now but is ranked as the #3 SS in the country and 1st team All-ACC by The Sporting News. CB - Jr - Roland Minor - Eric Green v2.0. Good size (6'0" 203 lbs). Solid but not spectacular. He will slip under the radar all season but when it is time to draft him (probably next year) he will slide into the 2nd or 3rd round and make a great #2 CB or nickle back similar to what Eric Green did in Arizona last year. Not as heralded as the other big time CBs from VT (DeAngelo Hall, Jimmy Williams) but will be a player in the league for a long time. Came away with 3 picks last year. CB - So - Victor Harris - great prospect, needs experience and some extra muscle (6'0" 186 lbs) but should be one of the top CBs in the nation by the time he is ready to go to the NFL draft Special Teams: K - Sr - Brandon Pace - Very solid kicker, named second team All-ACC, rated the #10 kicker in the country by Lindy's not that we need a kicker P - Sr - Nic Schmitt - Enormous (6'2" 273 lbs) so he can really get some leg into the ball. Playboy Preseason All-American, preseason second team All-ACC, rated the #5 punter in the country by Lindy's
Glennon will be the starter. I don't think there is any question, I just think the coaches don't want to "hand him" the job. He will be a caretaker QB, one of the first pcket passers in a long time for the school. Hopefully the running backs shine because I don't think Glennon can take over a game. Luckily it looks like we are in line to get Tyrod Taylor next year so our QB woes should be answered.
Maryland RB - Lance Ball - 5'9 235 - 2nd team all ACC last year, and started the year of as the 3rd string back to win the job. From Teaneck, NJ, is a very quick and powerful runner, doesn't often go down on the first hit and breaks lots of tackles. Only a junior so far, he should have at least two more years in Maryland's RB friendly offense. LT - Jared Gaither 6'8 335 - A true sophomore, Gaither started 3/4 of the year as a true freshmen. Has been timed at a 4.85, and is just as freakish as Shawne Merriman and Vernon Davis were. Definite first round pick, very good pass protector, and still learning a lot about the job. RT - Stephon Heyer - Only a year ago he was a preseason all ACC LT, however, he tore his ACL in spring practice last year and spent the past year rehabbing. He was approx. a 3rd round pick if he would have come out before his senior year, however, now it is more of a question. About 6'6 and 320 he is a very good pass protector. DE/OLB - Trey Covington - Jr. - Took over last year's Shawne Merriman role, and recorded many QB pressures, very athletic, and quick, needs to put on more weight before he is NFL ready. Good potential though, and has NFL upside. DT - Conrad Bolston - Sr. - Bolston goes about 6-3 310 now, and was Maryland's best pass rusher the past year. Plays hard and is relatively quick, hopes to continue the shoes over former Terp Randy Starks and have a good last year and then jumping into Day 1 of the draft. CB - Josh Wilson - Sr. - Very fast, good ball skills, and great leader, Learned from Dominique Foxworth and Madieu Williams, and has started since his sophomore year. About 5-10 and can run like the wing. Can also return punts and kicks. Great leader and kid.
Wow that dude is enormous!! Cool, do you think he could play the nose in the NFL? I know he is in college, but 6'3" 310 is right on the border. Thanks for the contributions ChadisGoldenBoy, glad to see someone else is interested! :up:
Gaither is absolutely huge, and has gotten some preseason acclaim for a great job last year. Bolston played the nose the past two years for Maryland but his more natural position is the other spot, the penetrating DT.
Miami Hurricanes QB- Kyle Wright, Jr. Wright has a lot of talent, but the times where it looked like he truly "got it" were few and far between. I'd like to see him cut down on the bad decisions, and trust in his teammates more, but a lot of the latter comes with the line giving him more time to throw. Kirby Freeman is a very good backup, athletic with a solid arm, but Wright's clearly the guy. Beyond that, they have walkons, so they better stay healthy. RB- Tyrone Moss, Sr. Moss was having a stellar season until he went down with an ACL tear, and from then on the running game was pretty volatile. Moss' consistenct will be huge, but there are concerns about his condition, after all his sophomore year was a washout when he came in way out of shape. Charlie Jones is a similar runner and might have feature back skills in him, but he doesn't look like a gamechanger. Andrew Johnson, on the other hand, is an explosive runner (best 40 time on the team in the spring, 4.32), but has injury issues and lacks experience. Derron Thomas is solid, but is a 3rd downer only. Freshman Jevarris James (cousin of Edgerrin) and Kylan Robinson will likely only see time if Moss goes down again. WR- Ryan Moore, Sr., Darnell Jenkins, Sr., TE Greg Olsen, Jr. Once again, Miami is in desperate need of someone to step up at Wide Receiver. Two years ago it was Roscoe Parrish, then last year Sinorice Moss, now they have a trio of experienced, but underwhelming players trying to fill the go-to spot. Ryan Moore almost left early, but came back to be a bigger part of the offense, he has 1st round talent, but undrafted consistency. Lance Leggett's on his way to being Moore 2, after a great freshman year, he took a step back in 05, and has a leg injury that just won't go away. Darnell Jenkins has great speed, but has never been more than a 2 or so catch a game guy. Behind them is Junior Khalil Jones, who has potential because of his size and speed, but needs to improve his hands drastically. Freshman Sam Shields will see considerable time if he qualifies. Greg Olsen can be the best TE in the country, and the team will need him to be just that without a doubt. There's some solid talent behind him too, in Chris Zellner and Dajleon Farr. OL: Won't list starters here, because it's still pretty up in the air. Reggie Youngblood, a stud sophomore OT, will be taking over Left Tackle duties from Eric Winston, and I think by the end of the season many will be calling it an upgrade. Center Anthony Wollschlager has the only other locked up spot, thanks to a season of experience and an excellent spring. For the other RT spot, it will probably be Tyrone Byrd, but he's not very athletic, and could see his job taken if a guy like Cyrim Wimbs has a lightbulb moment. At Guard, the two spots will come between long time backups Andrew Bain and Derrick Morse, and up and comer AJ Trump. Despite having young and inexperienced starters, they'll be depended on from the start to keep Wright healthy. DL- DE Bryan Pata, Sr. and Baraka Atkins, Sr. DT Kareem Brown, Sr. and Teraz McCray, Jr. Atkins moving back to End is the best thing for both him and the defense, while he was a solid tackle, he can be dominant on the outside; which is good because Pata opposite him has the same kind of ability, but is incredibly streaky. McCray is a bit undersized, but has very good quickness, and a motor like few Miami DTs before him. Brown is the lesser known of Miami defenders, but very well might be the best player on the D. Big, strong, and fast, Brown right now is the frontrunner to be the first DT taken next year, and will be heavily depended on to stop the inside running that has killed the Canes in recent years. Backup ends Calais Campbell and Eric Moncur both have potential to be great passrushers, and with the amount that Randy Shannon likes rotating his defenders, you'll see a lot of them. Same with young DTs Antonio Dixon and Luqman Abdallah. LB- OLB Tavaris Gooden, Sr., MLB Glenn Cook, Sr., OLB Jon Beason, Jr. If your first thought is, "What, no Willie Williams again??", the answer is... pretty much. The plan to hold him back by keeping him on the bench for a little bit has backfired, in that he's now behind Beason on the depth chart. Beason has emerged as the best Linebacker on the roster after just his sophomore year (and having started his career switching back and forth from safety). He's incredibly fast and tenacious, and he has no problem knocking ballcarriers out. He's the only one anybody could list among the top ACC LBs. Gooden has a lot of talent, but I'm not sure if he has the head to be anything beyond a solid starter, if Willie shows something in coverage, he could potentially take his strongside spot. In the middle, Cook is listed as the starter, but it seems a foregone conclusion that at some point, RS Freshman Daryl Sharpton will take over. Sharpton, nephew of Al, is basically Jonathan Vilma six years ago (same HS and everything), so hopes are high. Beyond that, Romeo Davis has a lot of starting experience, but is pretty mediocre in that role. CB- Glenn Sharpe, Sr. and Randy Phillips, So. Sharpe's been waiting for his chance at redemption ever since the PI call in the Fiesa Bowl as a freshman a few years back, but has been sidelined by a string of season ending injuries. He's got a lot of talent, but whether it can all translate into deserving the starting role is a big concern. Phillips is a bigger corner, like Mike Rumph and Antrel Rolle before him, but many question whether he can ever truly develop at CB with his lack of great athleticism. Fellow soph. Bruce Johnson is a burner, and may force his way onto the field, as may Carlos Armour, a 6-3 specimen who missed last year with a torn ACL during the spring. Safety- Brandon Meriweather, Sr., Kenny Phillips, So., Anthony Reddick, So. I list three here, because that's what it will probably amount to. Meriweather is one of the three best Safeties in the nation, both a bigtime hitter and a great cover guy, he can play either safety spot (though it's not needed in Miami's cover 2). He can also move up to nickleback when they want Reddick on the field. Kenny Phillips is next in line to take one of the vaunted spots in the UM Safety Patheon, he's going to be one of a kind. Anthony Reddick was 04's freshman sensation, and unlike KP, he worked his way up after coming in as a not so heralded recruit. Reddick won't find regaining his starting job easy (or, more accurately, possible), but will see plenty of time, as Shannon can get very creative with safety usage. LaVon Ponder saw a lot of time as the 3rd safety a year ago, and has proven to be a playmaker.
I knew I could count on you GH. The interesting thing about the Hurricanes seems to be their DL. How would those guys fit into a 3-4?? Anyone we should be watching closer this coming year or should we forget about them because they won't really fit? P.S. so we got the ACC going, where's everyone else?
Baraka Atkins would be a terrific 3-4 end, a lot of people are saying, as a prospect, he's not fast enough for end and not big enough for tackle. The thing is he's so talented, I can't help but think he won't be a 1st or 2nd rounder for a team with a 3-4, he's made for it. I'd say that's about it though, Pata perhaps as an OLB, but I can't say much for how he does in space. Oh, and I'm a big fan of the Big 3 on your defense, if the Jets get any of Hall, Rouse, and especially Adibi I'd be ecstatic.
Those guys should be great, but I honestly think the best of the bunch is going to be Chris Ellis. I just think the kid is going to be a player.
Very Good, i probably would have did one but i wouldnt have put as much info as u did.Also i read somewhere that Meriweather could see some time at cornerback in some packages maybe if Sharpe or Phillips struggle.Id liked to see that,Meriweather,Reddick and Phillips on the field at the same time.
Just a few names for now... I'll probably add a few more later. Penn State Nittany Lions QB- Anthony Morelli. Junior. The junior has two giant shoes to fill after Michael Robinson graduated and left for the NFL this past season. Morelli has a very strong arm that draws many comparisons to former Lion QB Kerry Collins - who led the team to an undefeated season in 1994. The combination of Morelli's strong arm and the speed and ability of the "Fab Freshman" receivers who are now "Superb Sophs" should lead to a lot of passing touchdowns through the air in the coming seasons. But, Morelli is inexperienced and could struggle early on including a matchup in Notre Dame for the second game of the 2006 season. But, after a year of experience with a talented WR core I'd think that Morelli will be mentioned in conversations for the 2007 Heisman someday. RB- Tony Hunt. 6'2" 220 pounds. Senior. He very quietly had an 1,000 yard season last year and ran for an outstanding 6 ypc. A big bulky power back who will often carry a defender or two as he runs for the extra two or three yards. Lacks the speed to get to the next level, but you can trust him to pick up atleast 4 yards on every carry. Expect another great season and his name will likely be called sometime on day 2 in the draft next season. WR- Derrick Williams. 6'0" 190 pounds. Sophmore. The top rated recruit in the 2005 class. Caught 22 passes and a TD to go with 3 rushing TDs before a broken arm in Michigan ended his season. Healthy and ready to go, it's time for Williams to breakout into the college football world in '06. His 4.3 speed and agility will mean that he'll play all over the field, and Paterno will draw up many plays to get the ball into this dangerous playmaker's hand. He's already changed the organization by making his home state, Maryland, a place where Penn State got many interested recruits in '05 and '06, and this year he'll change the team with his skills as well. LT- Levi Brown. 6'5" 325 pounds. Senior. A big, prototypical LT that anchored the Penn State running game last season and gave Michael Robinson that extra second to find his receivers downfield. He's a very good pass blocker and will be depended on to be a leader on an offensive line that lost its other 4 starters this past season. Has 34 career starts in his 35 games player. He's projected to be a 1st or 2nd round pick in the NFL next season, and would have definitely have gone 1st day if he had come out early. DT- Jay Alford. 6'3" 290 pounds. Senior. 2nd Team Preseason All-American. A typical Joe Paterno player who plays with a lot of heart and determination. Known as the unsung hero of a defense that has been among the league's elite the past 2 seasons. With all of the DL expect Alford gone, he will be more recognizable this year. He is run stuffer in the middle that gives this excellent Nittany defense an extra push. Projected as a 1st round pick in the NFL next season, and rated by most as the 4th best DT in the nation. LB- Paul Posluszny. 6'2" 230 pounds. Senior. If you haven't heard of Paul Posluszny yet, then you probably didn't watch a single college football game last season. The best linebacker, and the best defensive player, in the country and last season beat out former Ohio State linebacker and top 5 NFL draft pick AJ Hawk to win both the Dick Butkus (Best LB) and Chuck Bednarik (Best defensive player) awards. A knee injury suffered in the Orange Bowl brings up some concern, but rehab has gone well and Paul is ready to get back on the field. He lacks the physical skills that the big, fast linebackers of today have, but he plays the game flawlessly and with a lot of heart. Paul will be involved in almost every tackle and every play, just as he was in the 2005 season. He is the preseason defensive player of the year in 2006 and is the only defensive player on the Top 10 Heisman Watch List.
I'm really excited to see how our offense looks the next couple of years with Morelli at the helm and all of the great receivers we now have.
Remember guys, just because someone else reviewed your favorite college team doesn't mean you can't add to or amend those reviews. For instance I'm sure there is one Nittany Lion that you guys love as a sleeper prospect or someone who just hasn't gotten his name out there yet who Donnie didn't review.
