Donnie, did you see the huddle reports recent profile of Brian Leonard? Drew Boylhart loves him, and he mentions the Mike Alstott comparisons hmy: Brian Leonard, RB/FB/H-Back, Rutgers STRENGTHS Brian has excellent size, speed and talent to play multiple positions at the next level. He is a very smart player and an excellent team player. He is playing multiple positions for his college team and has been solid in executing all phases of those positions. Brian has played Tailback, Fullback, H-back and I have even seen him line up in the slot as a receiver. This kid has the athletic talent to be a weapon at the next level. He can block like a fullback and picks up the blitz in the passing game like a RB. He still has not scratched the surface of his RB talents. He reminds me a lot of John Riggins (former RB - Washington Redskins). NEEDS TO IMPROVE Brian has the same problem as Brian Urlacher when he came out in the draft. They both are so talented and athletic and have great character that it is too good to be true. Most scouts will try to nitpick this kid to death in the hope that he will drop to them in the draft. Of course I’m not sure how well the “Leonard Leap” will work in the NFL, but I’ll let Brian decide that for himself. TALENT BOARD ROUND: 1 If someone tells you that Brian reminds them of Mike Alstott (FB - Tampa Bay Bucs), you know right away that they are listening to a scout who is trying to downgrade Brian and praying he is there for his team to pick late in the draft. Brian has more athletic talent in his left butt cheek than Mike Alstott ever thought of having. Brian has the same athletic talent that Brian Urlacher has. As I stated earlier - he reminds me a lot of John Riggins (former RB Washington Redskins) and I believe he will have the same impact on the NFL as Riggins did in his career. I personally consider Brian a top ten pick in this draft, but I’m sure he will not be picked in the top ten. The scouts know that a player who is a Fullback/ H-Back in college is not going to be picked in the top ten; however, I would if I was picking in these slots. Brian can play any position he wants and in a system you need him to play in. Tackling him on a sweep in the NFL is going to scare the living crap out of those itsy bitsy CB’s and safeties. To them, he is going to look like Jason in one of those Friday the 13th movies. I can just see him playing for the Denver Broncos and becoming the feature back in their system. I can see him becoming the featured back in any system for any team in the NFL. I’m going to call him Brian (Jason) Leonard because if you put a hockey mask on him and tell him to run, he is just going to scare the living crap out of you just like Jason did in all those Friday the 13th movies. The Huddle Report, Drew Boylhart November - 2006
In tonight's Emerald Bowl, both Running Backs looked great. I was really impressed with Booker, he had some ridiculous cuts on some of his runs where I thought he would be stopped behind the line only to see him add 10, 20 yards to the run. He put up 90 yards on the ground at 4 yards a pop but also added 100 through the air. To me he looked a little LT-esque and I think he could be a legitimate pro player and also think we could snag him in the 3rd round or later. I don't know much of his story but he hadn't run a lot in his 4 years at FSU because of a running back by committee approach, but his ypc was around 4.5 for his career behind a shaky OLine. The UCLA guy Chris Markey put up an abundance of yards but it seemed like a ton of them were because of holes that a truck could drive through provided by the Bruins Offensive Line. It was impressive to see that performance against a strong defense but I am a little skeptical how much of it was because of his natural talent. He is a junior so he will probably be back in LA next year and maybe he can build upon this performance and boost his stock in the future.
Cman when did you get Red Letters? Or have I just been drunk all these years.... My bet, Kenny Irons.
I got flamed for suggesting Garrett Wolf. The thing is he can't be ignored because of the incredible numbers that hes put up , they're not just good or excellent , they are extreme. Somebody will 'gamble' a pick for him and come up with a winner.
Interesting mock draft by condraft.com. Has the Quentin Moses falling to the Jets at #18 (too high of a slot for the Jets at this point), Amboi Okoye falling to the Jets with the first 2nd rounder, Baraka Atkins with the second 2nd rounder, and the reason for this post: Chris Henry (RB, Arizona) with the 3rd rounder. I haven't been able to find much about Chris Henry but he seems to be big (230lbs) and fast. But has not produced much. http://condraft.com/mocks/round-3.html
Keep an eye on Peterson and Johnson tonight at Running Back. This should be one of the better duels of the season.
Neither blew me away but I'll give the edge to Johnson for 2 reasons. 1) he played against a much stouter defense and 2) he was abandoned for a large chunk during the middle of the game when Boise State went all out with the shotgun and only gave him draws and delays. Peterson still impressed me because of his tough running after so much time off and coming off a significant injury. He did not shy away from hits and came through when they needed him most.
Here is an intriguing prospect: Chris Henry, RB, Arizona - declared without much college production but has the physical tools to make an impact at the next level. I see him being drafted somewhere between late 2nd and 4th depending on his workouts and the inevitable "buzz" that is going surround someone this big, this fast, that can catch and block. Here is a snippet on him, no profile yet, just whats on the front page. http://condraft.com/
wow, i tend to get "man crushes" on players. this kid looks like a very big sleeper. like michael turner. i would definetly take him with our third. he weighs 230 and hes fricken ripped..
Maybe the draft would (should?) look something like: 1. Adam Carriker or Justin Blalock 2a. Victor Abimiri or Anthony Spencer 2b. Fred Bennett or Daymeion Hughes 3. Chris Henry
Brown or Blaylock at number 1. I would definitely love Chris Henry if we cant make a move on Turner. ANybody know how smart this guy is???
I really want Lynch and Leonard. A big strong HB who can break tackles with speed, a freakishly athletic FB who can pretty much do whatever a HB can, and Leon Washington would be a nasty trio. Leon is great and there is no way that Mangini would just wipe him out of the game plan. Having Lynch could ease the load and together they could tire out the D. Only problem is Lynch is currently way out of the Jets reach. We'll see what happens with that. I'd take Leonard with first second rder because I think he'll be gone before their second.
Wynn has alot of talent but cant produce it on the field, Moss i would take around round 4 or 5 bc i think he got a bad break at miami. also i did a little asking on chris henry and people say hes, at best a good special teamer and maybe even lb. not much upside at rb. i would take him round 3 or 4 still though. his size/speed combo is very rare to find. just put him on the field.
