Thursday 19 March 2009

Pro-day round up

We've had Georgia, Virginia, Missouri and Cincinnati pro days today and there's lots to round up. You can find extended reports on Georgia and Virginia below (and in particular, three sure fire first rounders in Matt Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Eugene Monroe). As you can see above, the Seahawks had a strong presence in Athens to run the rule over the Bulldog prospects.

Mike Mayock and the NFL Network have highlights on the Georgia pro-day. There's more on Stafford, but it's also good to give a bit more attention to Moreno and guys like Mohamed Massaqoui. I make no apologies for being particularly high on Knowshon. He isn't a burner, as his 40 times here and at the combine prove. But isn't he just a Seattle pick down to a tee? Amazing production, a little under sized but plays above his physical qualities, great character, big school. The only thing he isn't is a four year starter, but very few running backs are. I have the feeling the Seahawks would have been all over that pick if they were selecting in the 10-20 range.

Michelle Beisner was at the Missou pro-day for NFL.com. Jeremy Maclin was the focus of attention. He stuttered a little in some of the drills and to me he still seems a little raw. You watch the tape and see an explosive receiver who is really talented. Like Ted Ginn Jr, I have a feeling you won't see the best of Maclin for a couple of years. Evander 'Ziggy' Hood did 36 reps on the bench press and looked really sharp in drills.

Rob Rang reports that tight end Chase Coffman was again unable to work out for scouts. He's missed the Senior Bowl and Combine so far, so make this a hat-trick. "Though it would appear that Coffman has plenty of time to schedule another Pro Day workout (as the draft is still more than 5 weeks away), the reality is, teams hunker down over the final few weeks to set up their draft boards and only rarely are willing to get back on the road once to attend workouts once the draft meetings begin in early April." - Rob Rang

Rang also reports on the Cincinnati pro-day. It was another chance to see Connor Barwin, a defensive end who is shooting up draft boards. He started out as a tight end before switching to defense - he almost sounds too perfect as a replacement for Mike Vrabel at New England. Corner back Mike Mickens was also able to work out after missing the combine through injury. He ran in the 4.5's.

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