Matt Rocha is a reader of the blog with an eye for scouting, here's his latest thoughts on some of the prospects he's been watching recently.
Craig Cooper (RB, Miami) 6-0 202 lbs (JR) : VS. Georgia Tech
He got more carries as a RB than the Florida St game. Very shifty/make you miss type of runner. Good hands. Looked good running between the tackles for a speed guy, he was able to run through arm tackles to get a few extra yards. I like that he is not afraid to run between the tackles, I assumed since he is a speed guy that he would bounce to the outside the majority of the time (which Reggie Bush tends to do and is the reason why he is not an every down back). Looked good in the 4th quarter; I was very impressed with one particular play where he ran between the tackles, patiently followed his blockers then went on to lower his shoulder breaking two tackles, and got a first down on a 3rd & 13 play. He is a patient runner. Might be comparable to Chris Johnson of the Titans as a RB and comparable to Devin Hester as a KR/PR. Looks like he runs a low 4.3 40-yard dash. He took a big hit from the safety and got right back up, which shows his toughness. He is playing like a top-15 pick. If he declares for the draft he might be my favorite RB (Cooper, C.J.Spiller, then J. Best).
Brian Price (DT, UCLA) 6-2 295 lbs (JR)
Very good quickness. He got a 2 sacks vs. Tennessee Did not hustle after QB when QB rolled out of the pocket. Below average for a DT when in pursuit of ball carriers. Good swim move. He hit the QB a few different times (just a half second away from sacks). He gets consistent pressure on the QB. Good against the run. He tossed aside o-lineman of few different times to tackle ball carrier. Blew up a few running plays with his penetration into the backfield. Up to this point he looks like he could be a low 1st round pick.
Demaryius Thomas (WR, Georgia Tech) 6-3 229 lbs (JR)
Considered the next Calvin Johnson at Georgia Tech.Vs. Miami he did a great job of coming back to the ball on a under thrown pass and jumped up and caught the ball at the highest point of his jump. Good acceleration especially for such a big WR and he has good speed (looks to have 4.45 40-yard dash speed). He caught the ball in stride over his shoulder with his hands and went on to score a TD; other WR’s may have turned their whole body around to make the catch without gaining more yards after the catch. If he comes out this year he could be a top-10 pick even though he will not have the numbers to warrant in, mainly due to the triple option that he is in and his QB is a average to below average passer. He dropped one pass over his shoulder, he would have scored a TD had he caught it.
Dan Williams (DT, Tennessee) 6-3 327 lbs
Looks like a force at DT. Outstanding vs. the run. Very good pursuit for a big guy. Great at fighting off o-lineman to make tackles on RB’s. It looked like he was in on every tackle vs. the run (vs. UCLA). Very high motor, never takes a play off.
Montario Hardesty (DT, Tennessee) 6-0 215 lbs
Decent agility to make people miss in the backfield. Runs through arm tackles. Good vision. He runs with good power, he ran over a CB. Keeps his legs churning for extra yards when in a pile of bodies. He picks up a lot of yards after initial contact.Kansas WR - #10 Kerry Meier 6-3 220 lbs : Former QB, 1,000 receiving yards in 2008. He had a long pass on a WR option pass, strong arm. Very intriguing prospect due to his production, size, and decent speed.Kansas WR - #80 Desmond Briscoe 6-3 200 lbs (JR) : 1,200 receiving yards in 2008. Average acceleration off the line. He does not look fast (looks like a 4.6 40-yard dash guy). It looks like he runs good routes. Very good hands. He is good at getting yards after the catch. Over 150 yards vs. UTEP (Kansas runs the spread offenses).
Jake Sharp (RB, Kansas) - 5-10 195 lbs
Very quick acceleration and great speed. 5.2 career average per carry. Good agility to make people miss. Receiving threat out of the backfield. Good leg drive for a small RB to break a few tackles.
Maxwell Onyegbule (DE/DT, Kansas) 6-5 265 lbs
He played some 3-technique and has a good first step for a DT. 2 sacks vs. UTEP. Needs to develop more pass rush moves. Tipped a pass from the LDE. Good hustle player. Versatile player.
Justin Thornton (LB/CB Kansas) 6-1 213 (JR)
Eleven PBU’s in 2008 as a CB. He got an interception off a tipped pass vs. UTEP. Decent change of direction for his size as a CB. He played a lot as a nickel LB/rover and blitzed from this position. When lined up as a CB he plays 8 yards off of the WR. Very versatile player. He is used like William Moore was used last year at Missouri.
Raheem Moore (FS, UCLA) 6-1 188 lbs (Soph)
Five Int’s in first two games of the season. Has more speed than Eric Berry and outplayed him when he played against Tennessee. He had 3 Int’s vs. Tennessee, although one of them was called back due to d-lineman being offside. South Carolina TE - #88 Weslye Saunders 6-5 280 lbs : Defenders have a difficult time bring him down due to his size. Not fast or quick for a TE, he is just a huge target. He lines up out wide a lot.
Weslye Saunders 6-5 (TE, South Carolina) 280 lbs
Defenders have a difficult time bring him down due to his size. Not fast or quick for a TE, he is just a huge target. He lines up out wide a lot.
Dennis Rogan (CB, Tennessee) 5-10 180 lbs
Good hitter for a CB. He got a sack on a CB blitz against UCLA. Used a few different times to blitz and does it well. He caused a fumble. Good in run support. He recorded a safety against UCLA.
Richard Samuel (RB, Georgia) 6-2 222 lbs (Soph)
Great at running with his pads low which helps him run over and bounce off defenders.
Allen Bailey (DT, Miami) 6-4 290 lbs (JR)
Former LB, then DE, now 3-technique DT but small waist for his size. Week 1 he was getting double teamed a lot vs. Florida St. Bailey is a hustle guy, never quits. Has a swim move. Does a good job of driving back o-lineman. Got a sack by getting good penetration into the backfield. Gets consistent penetration. VS. Georgia Tech - He looks good against the run the way he is able to shed o-lineman to make a tackle.
Disappointing players
Darrell Stuckey (SS, Kansas) 6-1 205 lbs
Five Int’s in 2008. Missed a tackle and the WR continued on for a 75 yard TD. Looks to have average speed for a safety.
Morgan Burnett (FS, Georgia Tech) 6-1 200 lbs (JR)
Missed four tackles, looks slow. Does not have good range for a safety.
Eric Berry (SS, Tennessee) 5-11 203 lbs (JR)
One missed tackle and one of his tackles was broken. Plays in the box a lot. Good quickness. Blitzes QB a lot. Unable to bring down QB on a blitz. He does not look as fast as I was expecting (looks like maybe a 4.55 40-yard dash kind of speed). Comparing Berry and Taylor Mays, Mays looks considerably faster. He made one big hit. He does not look to have a great burst of speed when blitzing.
Javarris James (RB, Miami) 6-0 215 lbs : VS. Georgia Tech
Vision/ability to find a hole is questionable. I liked him in week 1 but he was disappointing vs. Georgia Tech.
Byron Evans (FS, Georgia) 5-11 194 lbs
I really like the way he played in week one but VS. South Carolina he looked like a different player. - He missed a couple of tackles. He did not stand out or look like a draftable player.
4 comments:
Rob, this is a little off topic but I have a question. Watching the game this past weekend was painful for just about everyone rooting for the Seahawks. Our defense wasn't as terrible as it seems but those 2 80 yard runs gave it away. Our running game was mediocre at best with some signs of life when Justin Forsett stepped in. What really stood out to me though, was how much Seneca Wallace let me down. I understand he's a backup and not expected to truly light up the scoreboard, but I'm tired of seeing him struggle when called upon. It definitely made me realize that no matter who this QB is, I really think Seattle would be wise this year to draft a franchise QB.
In my opinion, one option that I think we should consider would be to drop Wallace, stick with Hasselbeck, make Teel our backup, and then make this new QB our 3rd stringer. This would give whoever we choose a chance to sit back and observe. My vote is wholeheartedly Tim Tebow but really I would take Snead or Bradford as well.
Do you think any of this makes sense?
I'm not Rob, but I saw this response and thought I'd drop by.
I wouldn't be quite so quick to discount Seneca. For whatever reason, he always struggles coming into the middle of a game. However, his results last year were very promising leading a group of misfits. It's hard to look terribly good when your team is dropping the ball all over the place.
I think we might be pleasantly surprised at what Seneca can do. He's more than a game manager, he will generate big plays on his own (and, amazingly, doesn't turn the ball over much). The problem is, he doesn't consistently do so. Last year, I felt like he could've led a quality offense to 28ish points a game if he had any weapons. Now, the biggest problem is that Seneca may take longer than average to pick up the playbook, and who knows how well he knows Knapp's. If he has a solid grasp of it, he could play well enough to win games. He can't do it himself (ala Matt 2007), but he can be a useful part.
Seneca tangent aside, I think you're dead on about the need to take another QB. I would volunteer another name that's been talked about here, though: Tony Pike of Cincinnati. He's a stick, but if he were 20lbs heavier he'd be a top prospect. He may end up that way anyways. Big arm, hitting 70% of his passes, quick release, tall, somewhat mobile, good head on his shoulders... I've only caught a bit of him, but even in his disastrous Orange Bowl game (4ints), I saw quite a bit to like...
Regarding Tony Pike... interestingly he's spoken about trying to put on weight. Apparently, he's one of those people that could eat junk food 4-5 times a day and never add a pound. In fact he says if he doesn't eat a lot of calories in a day, he actually loses weight. Not sure how this will affect his stock, but thought I'd mention it. I watched the Rutgers game and was impressed, I did an article on it (check archives if you're interested).
He looks to me to have the least to do to be NFL ready. He's been talked about as a prospective first round pick, but it really wouldn't surprise me if he was the one who progressed above the bigger names. I'm not convinced with Snead. I like things about Bradford but accept his faults (sidearm-ish, low release for a tall guy). I like Tebow's leadership and character on the field, but clearly he has a lot to do mechanically to be ready. I just feel, if there's one guy who might be able to over come that it's probably Tebow, but he is a project for at least 2-3 years. The slow release simply will not do as a NFL starter, he'll get sacked too much.
Going back onto topic, it's hard to read Seneca Wallace. Clearly last year he was largely on the money considering who he was throwing to. When the year ended, I felt very secure having him as a backup. In fact when he came into the game on Sunday, I wasn't too concerned and felt we'd win the game when he threw that TD.
However, he's learning a new playbook. That might actually affect him more than we think in the short term. Also, the big TD run put a lot of pressure on the Seahawks offense to hit back. When we were shut down early in the third, it got a bit desperate too soon. I wasn't wild about the play calling either, we never had any rythm at any point in the game so it doesn't surprise me we struggled offensively in the second half.
However, like Kyle I agree eventually we have to look at long term answers at QB. With two first rounders next year, it makes more sense because you can take a long term pick at QB who won't start immediately but still get that 'impact' guy Ruskell always like to try and get. However, we have to be sure the right guy is there. At this moment there's not one QB who screams out at me that I'd genuinly love to have the keys to this franchise long term. Depending on the pick, we might also not want to pay a ton of money to someone who may not start immediately.
Thank you both for your input. I agree with everything said, and I will admit I am a Seneca fan. I think it just frusterated me on Sunday because it seems like he should be better after all these years backing up Matt. If he plays against the Bears, I really don't feel like we stand a chance. I do hope I'm wrong, and would be very happy to eat my words, but I just dont see it.
I think another part of me has also wondered what would happen if we did draft a top QB next year. I doubt we'd keep 4, so someone would be the odd man out. I like Mike Teel a lot, but I'm not ready to name him the starter. Instead, I think I'd like to have him as a backup, and then the idea of dropping Seneca just seemed to make a lot of sense. Especially when he can't seem to win in the clutch like a back-up QB needs to do.
Tony Pike certainly sounds intriguing. I agree that I am not sold on Jevan Snead at all. I wasn't before this year, and from what I have heard he hasn't really wowed anyone this year. I wouldn't mind Bradford, but I also think Denver may do better than we thought and we may not be able to reach him even if we wanted. Tebow just screams a Ruskell pick and that gives me some hope. I am someone who thinks he would be worth the risk, and in my scenario I said in the last comment, he probably wouldn't be called on for a couple years (Hopefully when he is ready).
Another idea that I thought of earlier today involved Jason Campbell. I've never really been a huge Campbell supporter, but I am starting to look at him a bit differently. He handled the situation with the Redskins this offseason very, very well. This kind of attitude has to impress guys like Ruskell and Mora. I don't think he will remain with the Redskins after this season and I'm sure that pressure has effected his gameplay. With that said, maybe Seattle could sign him once he hits free agency and he could back Matt up for the next few years. We could keep Teel as our third and give him time to develop. I do think Campbell would be an improvement over Seneca and his starting experience would be a terrific asset if Hasselbeck were to go down. Then, in a few years when Hasselbeck is getting too old to play, we could re-evaluate our situation. By then, either we could start Campbell or maybe Teel would be ready. And if not, maybe we will enter a draft with an even better group of QBs. This is just a thought though, and one even I may not have agreed with a few weeks ago. Still, to me it sounds intriguing, and I could really see the Seahawks make a move like this. In a way, it would sort of be like getting Houshmandzadeh and passing on Crabtree (Although I will admit Houshmandzadeh is a much safer bet than Campbell).
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