#207 - 6th Round - Carolina, Joe Berger, G, MICHIGAN TECH

[Hostile]

Compensatory selection

Panthers select...Joe Berger
OG | (6'5", 303, 5.03) | MICHIGAN TECH

[Juke99]

Strengths: Is a developmental prospect with good upside. Has an excellent frame and has bulked up. Has adequate reach and hand size. Is mobile and agile. Shows good initial quickness. Fires out of stance and also has a quick set in pass pro. Shows the speed and mobility to reach the second level as a run blocker. Also has the balance and COD skills to hit the moving target. Has a powerful upper body and shows good explosiveness in his punch. Is a hard-worker and a good leader.

Weaknesses: Level of competition is a concern. He has good athletic ability but not great. He has continued to add bulk but is still lean. He has put on 53 pounds in the last four years and there has to be some concern about his body holding up over the long-term. Needs to improve his base and lower body strength. Will have trouble anchoring versus bigger DT's in the NFL. Technique needs refining. He got away with just decent footwork and hand-placement at the DII level.

Overall: Berger was the first MTU player ever to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine. He anchored the Huskies offense that ranked seventh among Division II teams in rushing offense (274.5 yards per game), 14th in total offense (446.2 yards per game) and 20th in scoring offense (36.0 points per game). He is a two-time All-GLIAC First Team selection and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team in 2003. Berger also competed in the Cactus Bowl, the NCAA Division II all-star game. Berger is a small-school developmental prospect with a great frame, improving bulk, good upper body strength and above average athletic ability. Berger will need time to develop his technique and improve his base but he has enough upside to take a chance on him in the last round or two of the 2005 draft.

* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.