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[SIZE=+2]Four-year starters attractive in draft
[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Players and NFL teams benefit in long run when offensive linemen pay their dues in college
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]02:00 AM CDT on Sunday, April 8, 2007
[/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_rgosselin.jpg
Guard Daryn Colledge brought second-round ability to the Green Bay Packers in the 2006 NFL draft. More important, he brought a first-round mentality.
Colledge arrived in Green Bay expecting to start. Why not? Colledge started every game he played in his four seasons at Boise State, an NCAA record 52 in a row by an offensive lineman. That was his selling point during the draft process.
"I'd tell the teams I started 52 games," Colledge said. "I stayed healthy. I showed up for work every day. I didn't miss any practices, didn't miss any games. I'm a longevity guy. I'm a guy who's going to be there for you today, tomorrow, every day and I'm going to keep working."
Colledge didn't start in his NFL debut, a 26-0 blowout home loss to the Chicago Bears. But he started all 15 games thereafter on a team that finished 8-8 with the NFL's eighth-ranked offense.
Nineteen rookie blockers finished the 2006 season in NFL starting lineups – and 10 were rare four-year starters in college. Colledge underscores a shift in NFL drafting philosophy in the last 14 years.
Historically, offensive linemen have taken longer to develop than other positions. Few blockers walked in and played as rookies in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. As a rule, they needed to become stronger and polish up their blocking techniques before they could be entrusted with the task of protecting a franchise quarterback.
But all that changed with the advent of the salary cap in 1994. There was no longer enough money in a team's vault to pay all of its best players. The discretionary dollars were spent on the playmakers: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, pass rushers and cornerbacks.
So players at the blue-collar positions along the offensive line have been allowed to walk out the door in free agency. Teams didn't bother anteing up to keep incumbent Pro Bowlers such as Will Wolford (Buffalo), Howard Ballard (Buffalo), Mark Stepnoski (Dallas), Kevin Glover (Detroit) and Steve Hutchinson (Seattle), so all left.
Just this off-season, guards Leonard Davis, Derrick Dockery and Eric Steinbach commanded free-agent contracts in excess of $49 million apiece, including $18 million apiece in signing bonuses. And not a one of them had been to a Pro Bowl.
No time to waste
So NFL teams no longer can exercise patience in the development of young linemen. There has been so much turnover in recent years on blocking fronts that teams have been forced to go with affordable youth.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/04-07/0408jblaylock.jpg Getty Images
Former Plano East star Justin Blaylock set a Texas record with 51 consecutive starts.
The young linemen who stand the best chance of survival as rookies are the ones who arrive in the NFL with the most college experience. So the four-year starters like Colledge have become premium commodities. It's a smaller step for them to take from college to NFL fields.
"The more downs you've played allow you to come in here and say, 'This isn't all new to me. I've seen this stuff before. This is football, and I've played a lot of football,' " Colledge said.
"If you've done it for four years, you have a belief and a confidence in your own ability to say, 'I can do this. It's not going to be great every single down and it's not going to be perfect, because these guys are the best of the best. But I know I can get in there and be competitive.'
"That gives you an advantage over a guy who may have done it just his junior or senior season. A guy who started four years may have more maturity, more refinement to his game."
Four-year guys a plus
The best part is NFL teams can find quality, experienced blockers in the draft and don't have to spend a first-round pick on them.
New England used a third-round selection on tackle Nick Kaczur in 2005. He started 51 games at Toledo and wound up starting in his rookie season for the AFC East champion Patriots.
Tampa Bay used a fourth-round selection that same draft on guard Dan Buenning. He started 49 games at Wisconsin and started every game of his rookie season for the NFC South champion Buccaneers.
Indianapolis used a fifth-round selection on guard Jake Scott in 2004. He started 45 games at Idaho and is in his third season as a starter for the Super Bowl champions.
"Experience is a trait you look for at every position, but especially on the offensive line," Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. "It's an indicator of how far along a player is in his football development."
The Oakland Raiders drafted Kevin Boothe in the sixth round last April. He started four years at Cornell, then started 14 games for the Raiders last season. The Packers drafted Jason Spitz in the third round. He started four years at Louisville, then started 13 games for the Packers at guard opposite Colledge.
"If you've got four-year guys, you've got smart players," Colledge said. "They know the game, know defenses, know how it works. Those intangibles can turn a good player into a great one."
Deep draft class
NFL teams are studying one of the deepest, most experienced draft classes of offensive linemen in decades. There are 16 players on the 2007 draft board who started at least 45 games.
Four started at least 50 games. Hawaii center Samson Satele broke Colledge's record for consecutive starts by a college linemen with 53, and Texas tackle Justin Blalock set the school record with 51 consecutive starts.
Purdue tackle Mike Otto also set a school record with 50 consecutive starts. West Virginia center and Rimington Award winner Dan Mozes started 50 times in 51 games. His only non-start was on Senior Day of his freshman season. He started the 40 games thereafter.
TCU tackle Herb Taylor, Northern Illinois tackle Doug Free and New Mexico guard Robert Turner also set school records with 49 starts, and Steve Vallos of Wake Forest set a school record with 48 starts. Free kept his streak intact despite playing with a stress fracture in his right foot most of the 2006 season.
"I take a lot of pride," in the record, Free said. "You can get bumps and bruises and try to sit out games. But the true champions – the true tough people – fight through those injuries and the little things that happen every week to play each game. It's been a great run for me."
Chances are his run will continue in the NFL. The search is on for blockers with longevity, durability and productivity. That makes four-year starters easy to spot and easier to draft.
IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL
Pos. Player School Starts C Samson Satele Hawaii 53 T Justin Blalock Texas 51 C Dan Mozes West Virginia 50 T Mike Otto Purdue 50 T Doug Free Northern Illinois 49 T Herb Taylor TCU 49 G Robert Turner New Mexico 49 G Steve Vallos Wake Forest 48 T Daniel Inman Georgia 47 T Chase Johnson Wyoming 47 G Kyle Young Fresno State 47 T Chris Denman Fresno State 46 G Brian Daniels Colorado 45 G Matt Maddox Illinois 45 T Levi Brown Penn State 45 T Ryan Harris Notre Dame 45
[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Players and NFL teams benefit in long run when offensive linemen pay their dues in college
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]02:00 AM CDT on Sunday, April 8, 2007
[/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_rgosselin.jpg
Guard Daryn Colledge brought second-round ability to the Green Bay Packers in the 2006 NFL draft. More important, he brought a first-round mentality.
Colledge arrived in Green Bay expecting to start. Why not? Colledge started every game he played in his four seasons at Boise State, an NCAA record 52 in a row by an offensive lineman. That was his selling point during the draft process.
"I'd tell the teams I started 52 games," Colledge said. "I stayed healthy. I showed up for work every day. I didn't miss any practices, didn't miss any games. I'm a longevity guy. I'm a guy who's going to be there for you today, tomorrow, every day and I'm going to keep working."
Colledge didn't start in his NFL debut, a 26-0 blowout home loss to the Chicago Bears. But he started all 15 games thereafter on a team that finished 8-8 with the NFL's eighth-ranked offense.
Nineteen rookie blockers finished the 2006 season in NFL starting lineups – and 10 were rare four-year starters in college. Colledge underscores a shift in NFL drafting philosophy in the last 14 years.
Historically, offensive linemen have taken longer to develop than other positions. Few blockers walked in and played as rookies in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. As a rule, they needed to become stronger and polish up their blocking techniques before they could be entrusted with the task of protecting a franchise quarterback.
But all that changed with the advent of the salary cap in 1994. There was no longer enough money in a team's vault to pay all of its best players. The discretionary dollars were spent on the playmakers: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, pass rushers and cornerbacks.
So players at the blue-collar positions along the offensive line have been allowed to walk out the door in free agency. Teams didn't bother anteing up to keep incumbent Pro Bowlers such as Will Wolford (Buffalo), Howard Ballard (Buffalo), Mark Stepnoski (Dallas), Kevin Glover (Detroit) and Steve Hutchinson (Seattle), so all left.
Just this off-season, guards Leonard Davis, Derrick Dockery and Eric Steinbach commanded free-agent contracts in excess of $49 million apiece, including $18 million apiece in signing bonuses. And not a one of them had been to a Pro Bowl.
No time to waste
So NFL teams no longer can exercise patience in the development of young linemen. There has been so much turnover in recent years on blocking fronts that teams have been forced to go with affordable youth.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/04-07/0408jblaylock.jpg Getty Images
Former Plano East star Justin Blaylock set a Texas record with 51 consecutive starts.
The young linemen who stand the best chance of survival as rookies are the ones who arrive in the NFL with the most college experience. So the four-year starters like Colledge have become premium commodities. It's a smaller step for them to take from college to NFL fields.
"The more downs you've played allow you to come in here and say, 'This isn't all new to me. I've seen this stuff before. This is football, and I've played a lot of football,' " Colledge said.
"If you've done it for four years, you have a belief and a confidence in your own ability to say, 'I can do this. It's not going to be great every single down and it's not going to be perfect, because these guys are the best of the best. But I know I can get in there and be competitive.'
"That gives you an advantage over a guy who may have done it just his junior or senior season. A guy who started four years may have more maturity, more refinement to his game."
Four-year guys a plus
The best part is NFL teams can find quality, experienced blockers in the draft and don't have to spend a first-round pick on them.
New England used a third-round selection on tackle Nick Kaczur in 2005. He started 51 games at Toledo and wound up starting in his rookie season for the AFC East champion Patriots.
Tampa Bay used a fourth-round selection that same draft on guard Dan Buenning. He started 49 games at Wisconsin and started every game of his rookie season for the NFC South champion Buccaneers.
Indianapolis used a fifth-round selection on guard Jake Scott in 2004. He started 45 games at Idaho and is in his third season as a starter for the Super Bowl champions.
"Experience is a trait you look for at every position, but especially on the offensive line," Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. "It's an indicator of how far along a player is in his football development."
The Oakland Raiders drafted Kevin Boothe in the sixth round last April. He started four years at Cornell, then started 14 games for the Raiders last season. The Packers drafted Jason Spitz in the third round. He started four years at Louisville, then started 13 games for the Packers at guard opposite Colledge.
"If you've got four-year guys, you've got smart players," Colledge said. "They know the game, know defenses, know how it works. Those intangibles can turn a good player into a great one."
Deep draft class
NFL teams are studying one of the deepest, most experienced draft classes of offensive linemen in decades. There are 16 players on the 2007 draft board who started at least 45 games.
Four started at least 50 games. Hawaii center Samson Satele broke Colledge's record for consecutive starts by a college linemen with 53, and Texas tackle Justin Blalock set the school record with 51 consecutive starts.
Purdue tackle Mike Otto also set a school record with 50 consecutive starts. West Virginia center and Rimington Award winner Dan Mozes started 50 times in 51 games. His only non-start was on Senior Day of his freshman season. He started the 40 games thereafter.
TCU tackle Herb Taylor, Northern Illinois tackle Doug Free and New Mexico guard Robert Turner also set school records with 49 starts, and Steve Vallos of Wake Forest set a school record with 48 starts. Free kept his streak intact despite playing with a stress fracture in his right foot most of the 2006 season.
"I take a lot of pride," in the record, Free said. "You can get bumps and bruises and try to sit out games. But the true champions – the true tough people – fight through those injuries and the little things that happen every week to play each game. It's been a great run for me."
Chances are his run will continue in the NFL. The search is on for blockers with longevity, durability and productivity. That makes four-year starters easy to spot and easier to draft.
IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL
Pos. Player School Starts C Samson Satele Hawaii 53 T Justin Blalock Texas 51 C Dan Mozes West Virginia 50 T Mike Otto Purdue 50 T Doug Free Northern Illinois 49 T Herb Taylor TCU 49 G Robert Turner New Mexico 49 G Steve Vallos Wake Forest 48 T Daniel Inman Georgia 47 T Chase Johnson Wyoming 47 G Kyle Young Fresno State 47 T Chris Denman Fresno State 46 G Brian Daniels Colorado 45 G Matt Maddox Illinois 45 T Levi Brown Penn State 45 T Ryan Harris Notre Dame 45
