Pauline NFL draft risers, sliders: Week 9

[RS12]

Risers

Ezekiel Ansah/OLB-DE/BYU: Ansah, the former track athlete from Ghana we spoke of in Week 4, is quickly transferring his athleticism onto the football field and is flying up draft boards. He's shown improvement on a weekly basis and stood out during the Cougars' victory over Georgia Tech, leading the team with eight tackles and helping to hold the lethal Yellow Jacket offense to 17 points and 12 first downs. For the season, he's registered 44 tackles -- including 11 tackles for loss -- as well as five pass defenses. Ansah needed assistance on how to properly put on his football equipment when he joined the BYU football team in 2010. There's now talk in the scouting community he could be the surprise pick of Round 1 in April.

Dallas Thomas/OL/Tennessee: The Volunteers moved the ball up and down the field against a talented South Carolina defense and totaled 478 yards in a game they lost by three points. Thomas lead the way for Tennessee on the offensive line. He's a versatile blocker who played left tackle as a junior before moving into guard this season. Thomas has NFL talent and combines fundamentals with power to control opponents. His leadership skills and football instinct are evident in games and the ability to line-up at several blocking positions will serve him well at the next level.

Tanner Hawkinson/T/Kansas: Hawkinson is another offensive lineman who displays versatility. He made a seamless transition to the all-important left tackle spot this season after manning the right side as a junior. The Jayhawks posted 273 rushing yards, much of it behind Hawkinson, during their four-point loss to Texas. He's been compared to New England Patriots three-time Pro Bowler Matt Light by Kansas head coach Charlie Weis and Hawkinson offers starting potential for the next level. The senior should end up in the middle rounds next April.

Brian Winters/OL/Kent State: Winters makes it a trio of offensive line prospects rising up draft boards.


Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...risers-sliders-week9/index.html#ixzz2AeadM4Vk

 

[RS12]

Ezekiel Ansah/OLB-DE/BYU: Ansah, the former track athlete from Ghana we spoke of in Week 4, is quickly transferring his athleticism onto the football field and is flying up draft boards.

Tell me this guy doesnt have Dallas Cowboy written all over him.

 

[RS12]

• Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M continues to impress NFL scouts. The junior left tackle followed up his tremendous performance against LSU by shutting down Corey Lemonier of Auburn. Lemonier entered the game with five sacks and eight quarterback hurries, yet was held to just two tackles by Joeckel, who now grades as a mid first-round pick.

You reading this Jerry?

 

[RamziD]

You reading this Jerry?

3 good OL in the first round next year: Joeckel (T), Barrett Jones (C), and Jake Matthews (T). Would love any one of those guys.

 

[NeonNinja]

3 good OL in the first round next year: Joeckel (T), Barrett Jones (C), and Jake Matthews (T). Would love any one of those guys.

I like Warmack and Cooper too.

 

[supercowboy8]

Dallas Thomas would be a perfect LG here

 

[Oh_Canada]

Tell me this guy doesnt have Dallas Cowboy written all over him.

Second that motion.

 

[xwalker]

Second that motion.

I have watched a lot of Ezekiel Ansah and Dallas Thomas this season.

Ansah:
He's a terrific physical specimen at 6-6, 270 lbs with excellent quickness. Despite very limited football experience, he appears to have very good instincts.

BYU plays multiple fronts and Ansah lines up all over. I've seen him as both a DE and and NT in a 3-man line, as both a DE and a DT in a 4-man line and wide outside in a 2-point stance like a 3-4 OLB. He is probably lined up as a 3-4 DE most often.

Most draft projections have him as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB; however, I envision him bulking up to play 3-4 DE (5-technique) for the Cowboys. I see him as that tall, long armed and quick inside JJ Watt type of player.

I would not have a problem taking him in the mid 1st round.

Dallas Thomas:
I've primarily watched him this year at LG, but he played LT last year.

He is very quick/athletic and strong. He is very good at getting the initial help-block and then getting to the 2nd level.

He would be a perfect fit in Callahan's Zone Blocking Scheme.

I don't know why they moved him from LT to LG, but he appears to have the build and athleticism to play OT.

I would love for the Cowboys to get this player in the 2nd round.

 

[RS12]

I have watched a lot of Ezekiel Ansah and Dallas Thomas this season.

Ansah:
He's a terrific physical specimen at 6-6, 270 lbs with excellent quickness. Despite very limited football experience, he appears to have very good instincts.

BYU plays multiple fronts and Ansah lines up all over. I've seen him as both a DE and and NT in a 3-man line, as both a DE and a DT in a 4-man line and wide outside in a 2-point stance like a 3-4 OLB. He is probably lined up as a 3-4 DE most often.

Most draft projections have him as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB; however, I envision him bulking up to play 3-4 DE (5-technique) for the Cowboys. I see him as that tall, long armed and quick inside JJ Watt type of player.

I would not have a problem taking him in the mid 1st round.

[

Welp, Jerry is in copy the Giants mode. He closes his eyes and sees JPP.

 

[RS12]

Ezekiel Ansah, BYU, Defensive end Ansah is a long, raw defensive end who has a boatload of potential, but not a lot of game experience to go off of. Ansah came to BYU as a track athlete and decided to give football a try as a sophomore. Now a senior, the 6-foot-6 270-pound Ansah is a freak athlete who's only beginning to see his potential as a football player. He uses his long arms and athletic build to get around offensive linemen, and could be viewed as a clean slate without any bad habits for NFL coaches to work off of. Keep Ansah's name in mind for next February's NFL scouting combine, when he'll be sure to make waves with his speed and athleticism. The Accra, Ghana native has been timed at 10.9 seconds in the 100 meter dash according to the Deseret News. Ansah's an incredibly smooth athlete for his size and plays all over the BYU defense at end in three-man and four-man fronts, standing up outside at linebacker and even playing some nose tackle in obvious passing situations. Ansah could afford to bulk up, and has room to on his thin frame. The sky is the limit for Ansah, and it will be up to NFL teams to decide how early they want to gamble on his upside. Ansah will no doubt receive comparisons to Jason Pierre-Paul and Chandler Jones while he's being evaluated. Check out the video below of Ansah playing against Notre Dame last Saturday.

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/10/ezekial...ft-prospects-in-byu-georgia-tech-matchup.html

 

[xwalker]

• Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M continues to impress NFL scouts. The junior left tackle followed up his tremendous performance against LSU by shutting down Corey Lemonier of Auburn. Lemonier entered the game with five sacks and eight quarterback hurries, yet was held to just two tackles by Joeckel, who now grades as a mid first-round pick.


You reading this Jerry?

It would be worth using another top 10 pick on an OT, IMO, but I don't see any chance of the Cowboys doing it.

3 good OL in the first round next year: Joeckel (T), Barrett Jones (C), and Jake Matthews (T). Would love any one of those guys.

I like Warmack and Cooper too.

Dallas Thomas would be a perfect LG here

I see Cooper (late 1st) and Thomas (2nd) as the best options for Dallas.

Joeckel will be a top-10 pick.

Warmack, Jones and Matthews will probably all be over-drafted.

 

[RS12]

RANK PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND
6 *Bjoern Werner DE 1 Florida State Jr 6-4 256 1
11 *Sam Montgomery DE 2 LSU rJr 6-5 260 1
13 *Damontre Moore DE 3 Texas A&M Jr 6-4 250 1
17 Alex Okafor DE 4 Texas Sr 6-5 265 1
29 Dion Jordan DE 5 Oregon rSr 6-6 243 1-2
37 *Jackson Jeffcoat DE 6 Texas Jr 6-5 245 1-2
44 Cornellius Carradine DE 7 Florida State Sr 6-4 265 2
48 *Corey Lemonier DE 8 Auburn Jr 6-3 242 2
54 *William Gholston DE 9 Michigan State Jr 6-6 278 2
66 John Simon DE 10 Ohio State Sr 6-2 260 2-3
77 Ezekiel Ansah DE 11 Brigham Young Sr 6-5 270 2-3
87 Margus Hunt DE 12 Southern Methodist rSr 6-7 280 3

Per Draft scout

 

[RS12]

It would be worth using another top 10 pick on an OT, IMO, but I don't see any chance of the Cowboys doing it.








I see Cooper (late 1st) and Thomas (2nd) as the best options for Dallas.

Joeckel will be a top-10 pick.

Warmack, Jones and Matthews will probably all be over-drafted.

All the guy does is stone wall the guys they are thinking about drafting. Joeckel and Te'o are two of the surest players in the draft IMO.

 

[xwalker]

The Accra, Ghana native has been timed at 10.9 seconds in the 100 meter dash according to the Deseret News. Ansah's an incredibly smooth athlete for his size and plays all over the BYU defense at end in three-man and four-man fronts, standing up outside at linebacker and even playing some nose tackle in obvious passing situations. Ansah could afford to bulk up, and has room to on his thin frame. The sky is the limit for Ansah, and it will be up to NFL teams to decide how early they want to gamble on his upside. Ansah will no doubt receive comparisons to Jason Pierre-Paul and Chandler Jones while he's being evaluated. Check out the video below of Ansah playing against Notre Dame last Saturday.

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/10/ezekial...ft-prospects-in-byu-georgia-tech-matchup.html

Interesting article.

I see his style as more JJ Watt than JPP or Chandler Jones.

Ansah rarely, if ever, attempts a true "bend the corner" type of outside speed rush.

 

[xwalker]

All the guy does is stone wall the guys they are thinking about drafting.
Not sure I understand. Jerry?

Joeckel and Te'o are two of the surest players in the draft IMO.

Agree.

The top QBs are not locks like last year. The outside pass rushers have some questions about where they fit based on ability to play the run or play in coverage, etc.. Lotulelei's talent is great, but he appears to wear-down later in games. Do you spend a top-5 pick on a DL if he has to play in a rotation to stay rested?