Some early draft thoughts-- early rounds...

[silverbear]

I have been studying the NFL Draft Scout ratings over on CBSSports.com, and have worked my way through their current top 100 players, plus a few... recognizing that these rankings are extremely preliminary, I thought I'd share some of my new pet cats for you, a look at how I might draft if the draft were held tomorrow... the number before each players' name is their current NFLDS ranking, and you'll notice that my ratings are not in strict numerical order... I'm listing the players I like the most for each pick first...

FIRST ROUND

21 Margus Hunt, DE, SMU... 6-7. 290 lbs., 4.65 second 40... this is the one player I'd most like to see in a Cowboys uniform next year, his athleticism and power are off the hook... he's still raw as a football player, but check out that 40 time for a 290 pounder... he is an outstanding track and field athlete, having won gold medals in the discus and shot put at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing (a double victory no other junior athlete had ever achieved, and a testimony to his explosive strength)... he also has a 36 inch vertical jump, and can put up 35 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press... if you're still not sold on him, consider that in 3 years of college football, he has blocked FOURTEEN kicks... he could step in and contribute immediately, which is what you want from your first round pick... I'm convinced his best football is ahead of him...

28 Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M... 6-5, 310 lbs., 5.1 second 40... the son of Hall of Fame OT Bruce Matthews, considered by some to be the best OT to ever play the game... however, he is just a junior, so it's no certainty he'll declare for this draft... he might not start ahead of Tyron Smith and Doug Free, but he could step in and hold his own if either had to miss time due to injury...

24 Alex Okafor, OLB, Texas... 6-4, 260 lbs., 4.65 second 40... yeah, I'm a Horns fan, but Alex has 9.5 sacks, 36 quarterback pressures, 20 tackles for loss and 4 forced fumbles for his career... the guy makes plays... those numbers might be even better if the Horns hadn't played him out of position at DT (he was about 250 pounds at the time) in his sophomore season... draft guru Rob Rang raves about his strength, and said "his most impressive attribute is his power. Okafor can knock opponents onto their heels on his way to the quarterback and also sets the edge nicely as a run defender. Okafor's ability to make plays against the run and pass makes him arguably the most well-rounded senior defensive end in the country." Adding Alex would allow the Boys to part company with Anthony Spencer...

25 T.J. McDonald, S, USC... 6-2, 210 lbs., 4.5 second 40... though he plays FS for the Trojans, his skillset translates better to SS in the NFL... he is the archetypical center fielder type, and of course the Boys need to upgrade their safeties...

Other possibilities:

26 Sean Porter, OLB, Texas A&M... 6-2, 235 lbs., 4.6 second 40...

32 Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin... 6.6, 325 lbs., 5.3 second 40...

Note that with a few exceptions like Matthews, I'm not including underclassmen in this analysis...

SECOND ROUND

49 Khaled Holmes, C/OG, USC... 6-3, 316 lbs., 5.15 second 40... the consensus best center in this draft, I'm eager to upgrade the center position...

55 Aaron Mellette, WR, Elon... 6-3, 216 lbs., 4.5 second 40... he's a Miles Austin starter kit in my opinion, only not quite as fast... it's unusual to see a player from a school that small rated so highly by NFLDS, but there's a reason for that-- pure production... he has simply been dominant at his level of competition, a man among boys... we're talking 113 receptions last year (that's right, I said 113 receptions, for 1639 yards... over his last two seasons, he has 199 catches for 2739 yards and 24 TDs...

43 Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor... 6-2, 210 lbs., 4.45 second 40... caught 59 passes for 957 yards and 11 TDs last year, has 105 receptions for 1502 yards and 15 TDs for his career... also returns kickoffs... I'm thinking that the Boys might put a high priority on finding WR help next offseason...

54 Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia... 6-3, 216 lbs, 4.75 second 40... this is the year the Boys should draft a successor to groom for Tony Romo... I say that because there is incredible depth in this quarterback class, and you can get some serious talent even in the second round... in Smith's last two seasons, he has completed over 65 per cent of his passes, for 55 TDs against only 14 ints... he has some warts to his game, but nothing that good coaching can't overcome... he threw for an impressive 4385 yards last year in WVU's wide open attack...

60 Casey Pachall, QB, TCU... 6-4, 216 lbs., 4.65 second 40... if Geno Smith's flaws scare you off, maybe you'll like this gunslinger... he's another underclassman, so he might not declare, but if he does, well, check out the game he had in the Horned Frogs' 36-35 "upset" of Boise State-- 24 of 37 for 473 yards and 5 TDs... last year, he threw for almost 3000 yards and 25 TDs, against 7 ints... he completed 66.5 per cent of his passes, a school record...

51 Travis Frederick, OG/C, Wisconsin... 6-4, 325 lbs., 5.25 second 40... I have developed a fondness for offensive linemen from Wisconsin... Frederick has played mostly guard, with a little center mixed in, but from what I've read, he'll be moving to center full-time this year... if he is effective in that role, I'd be happy to invest a 2nd round pick on him...

Other possibilities:

42 Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma... 6-4, 235 lbs., 4.7 second 40... if he can cut down on his ints, I'll move him up my list of preferences...

53 Cyril Richardson, OG/OT, Baylor... 6-5, 340 lbs., 5.25 second 40...

56 Kenny Vaccaro, SS/FS, Texas... 6-1, 216 lbs., 4.55 second 40...

44 Brandon Jenkins, OLB, Florida State... 6-3, 260 lbs., 4.65 second 40...

59 Davin Taylor, OLB, South Carolina... 6-6, 260 lbs., 4.7 second 40...

46 Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State... 6-2, 195 lbs., 4.5 second 40...

THIRD ROUND

91 Tavon Austin, WR/KR, West Virginia... 5-9, 180 lbs., 4.35 second 40... in my estimation he is the most dangerous little waterbug-type receiver in the nation... he is a converted running back who averaged 198 all-purpose yards per game last year, averaging over 14 yards per punt return, and 28.6 yards per kickoff return with 2 TDs (he has 3 kickoff returns for TDs)... Austin has drawn comparisons to Dante Hall... and oh yeah, he caught 1186 yards worth of passes last year...

102 Oday Aboushi, OT, Virginia... 6-6, 316 lbs., 5.15 second 40... UVa has a track record for cranking out NFL caliber OTs, Aboushi is the latest in that string...

Other possibilities:

69 Cassius Marsh, DE, UCLA... 6-3, 285 lbs., 4.85 second 40...

81 Josh Boyce, WR, TCU... 5-11, 206 lbs., 4.5 second 40...

96 Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M... 6-0, 210 lbs., 4.5 second 40...

85 Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky... 6-3, 340 lbs., 5.25 second 40...

77 Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina... 6-7, 316 lbs., 5.0 second 40...

97 Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford... 6-4, 245 lbs., 4.7 second 40...


Just a few players for you college football fans to keep your eyes on in the upcoming season... when I get around to studying the prospects outside of the top 100, I'll offer some thoughts on possible mid and late round prospects...

 

[Dwight]

Nice work. I'm interested in Dallas selecting Margus Hunt. He seems to be more athletic than Chris Canty. Next years draft is loaded with talent. If a team has two first round picks, that team will come out smoking. Let's hope Jenkins gets healthy and the Lions are desperate and give Dallas a first round pick.

 

[silverbear]

Nice work. I'm interested in Dallas selecting Margus Hunt. He seems to be more athletic than Chris Canty.

I honestly think Hunt can be a star in the NFL... he has all the tools, he's just raw...

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

You should have started with Tavon and Stopped with Tavon...but I will not ding you too much since you at least had him in there.

Oh and do a little research on WVU Center Joe Madsen...you might like him in the later rounds.

 

[Yeagermeister]

My early thoughts are its WAY to early for draft talk

 

[RS12]

While I am a big fan of Hunt, who has ridiculous athleticism and is becoming a really nice player, I think his age will weigh on him around draft time.

 

[xwalker]

I have been studying the NFL Draft Scout ratings over on CBSSports.com, and have worked my way through their current top 100 players, plus a few... recognizing that these rankings are extremely preliminary, I thought I'd share some of my new pet cats for you, a look at how I might draft if the draft were held tomorrow... the number before each players' name is their current NFLDS ranking, and you'll notice that my ratings are not in strict numerical order... I'm listing the players I like the most for each pick first...

FIRST ROUND

21 Margus Hunt, DE, SMU... 6-7. 290 lbs., 4.65 second 40... this is the one player I'd most like to see in a Cowboys uniform next year, his athleticism and power are off the hook... he's still raw as a football player, but check out that 40 time for a 290 pounder... he is an outstanding track and field athlete, having won gold medals in the discus and shot put at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing (a double victory no other junior athlete had ever achieved, and a testimony to his explosive strength)... he also has a 36 inch vertical jump, and can put up 35 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press... if you're still not sold on him, consider that in 3 years of college football, he has blocked FOURTEEN kicks... he could step in and contribute immediately, which is what you want from your first round pick... I'm convinced his best football is ahead of him...

It would be incredible if he really runs a 4.65 forty at 290 lbs.

He will be 26 to start the 2013 season.

28 Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M... 6-5, 310 lbs., 5.1 second 40... the son of Hall of Fame OT Bruce Matthews, considered by some to be the best OT to ever play the game... however, he is just a junior, so it's no certainty he'll declare for this draft... he might not start ahead of Tyron Smith and Doug Free, but he could step in and hold his own if either had to miss time due to injury...

They are not going to use a 1st on a player unless he is expected to be a starter. Free would have to fail this year in order for this to be a possibility.


24 Alex Okafor, OLB, Texas... 6-4, 260 lbs., 4.65 second 40... yeah, I'm a Horns fan, but Alex has 9.5 sacks, 36 quarterback pressures, 20 tackles for loss and 4 forced fumbles for his career... the guy makes plays... those numbers might be even better if the Horns hadn't played him out of position at DT (he was about 250 pounds at the time) in his sophomore season... draft guru Rob Rang raves about his strength, and said "his most impressive attribute is his power. Okafor can knock opponents onto their heels on his way to the quarterback and also sets the edge nicely as a run defender. Okafor's ability to make plays against the run and pass makes him arguably the most well-rounded senior defensive end in the country." Adding Alex would allow the Boys to part company with Anthony Spencer...

Okafor is a good college player; however, I hope the Cowboys never draft a UT player in the 1st round. The track record of UT players in the Pros is just not that good, IMO.

25 T.J. McDonald, S, USC... 6-2, 210 lbs., 4.5 second 40... though he plays FS for the Trojans, his skillset translates better to SS in the NFL... he is the archetypical center fielder type, and of course the Boys need to upgrade their safeties...

If he is an archetype (prototype) center fielder, doesn't that translate to FS more than SS.

Other possibilities:

26 Sean Porter, OLB, Texas A&M... 6-2, 235 lbs., 4.6 second 40...

32 Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin... 6.6, 325 lbs., 5.3 second 40...

Note that with a few exceptions like Matthews, I'm not including underclassmen in this analysis...

SECOND ROUND

49 Khaled Holmes, C/OG, USC... 6-3, 316 lbs., 5.15 second 40... the consensus best center in this draft, I'm eager to upgrade the center position...

I'm hoping that Nagy or Kowalski become the starter at Center and exceed expectations. If not, then they need to quit screwing around and get one in the draft.

55 Aaron Mellette, WR, Elon... 6-3, 216 lbs., 4.5 second 40... he's a Miles Austin starter kit in my opinion, only not quite as fast... it's unusual to see a player from a school that small rated so highly by NFLDS, but there's a reason for that-- pure production... he has simply been dominant at his level of competition, a man among boys... we're talking 113 receptions last year (that's right, I said 113 receptions, for 1639 yards... over his last two seasons, he has 199 catches for 2739 yards and 24 TDs...

43 Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor... 6-2, 210 lbs., 4.45 second 40... caught 59 passes for 957 yards and 11 TDs last year, has 105 receptions for 1502 yards and 15 TDs for his career... also returns kickoffs... I'm thinking that the Boys might put a high priority on finding WR help next offseason...

54 Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia... 6-3, 216 lbs, 4.75 second 40... this is the year the Boys should draft a successor to groom for Tony Romo... I say that because there is incredible depth in this quarterback class, and you can get some serious talent even in the second round... in Smith's last two seasons, he has completed over 65 per cent of his passes, for 55 TDs against only 14 ints... he has some warts to his game, but nothing that good coaching can't overcome... he threw for an impressive 4385 yards last year in WVU's wide open attack...

60 Casey Pachall, QB, TCU... 6-4, 216 lbs., 4.65 second 40... if Geno Smith's flaws scare you off, maybe you'll like this gunslinger... he's another underclassman, so he might not declare, but if he does, well, check out the game he had in the Horned Frogs' 36-35 "upset" of Boise State-- 24 of 37 for 473 yards and 5 TDs... last year, he threw for almost 3000 yards and 25 TDs, against 7 ints... he completed 66.5 per cent of his passes, a school record...

If they draft a QB, I really hope they do extensive research pre-draft. It seems like they just threw a dart at the wall when the picked McGee.

I do think that the biggest thing that Garrett brings to the draft process is his focus on the mental side of players. A lot of the misses under Wade and Parcells were due to mental, not physical issues. I'm including being soft or lacking the desire to play football as mental issues.


51 Travis Frederick, OG/C, Wisconsin... 6-4, 325 lbs., 5.25 second 40... I have developed a fondness for offensive linemen from Wisconsin... Frederick has played mostly guard, with a little center mixed in, but from what I've read, he'll be moving to center full-time this year... if he is effective in that role, I'd be happy to invest a 2nd round pick on him...

Other possibilities:

42 Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma... 6-4, 235 lbs., 4.7 second 40... if he can cut down on his ints, I'll move him up my list of preferences...

53 Cyril Richardson, OG/OT, Baylor... 6-5, 340 lbs., 5.25 second 40...

56 Kenny Vaccaro, SS/FS, Texas... 6-1, 216 lbs., 4.55 second 40...

44 Brandon Jenkins, OLB, Florida State... 6-3, 260 lbs., 4.65 second 40...

59 Davin Taylor, OLB, South Carolina... 6-6, 260 lbs., 4.7 second 40...

46 Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State... 6-2, 195 lbs., 4.5 second 40...

THIRD ROUND

91 Tavon Austin, WR/KR, West Virginia... 5-9, 180 lbs., 4.35 second 40... in my estimation he is the most dangerous little waterbug-type receiver in the nation... he is a converted running back who averaged 198 all-purpose yards per game last year, averaging over 14 yards per punt return, and 28.6 yards per kickoff return with 2 TDs (he has 3 kickoff returns for TDs)... Austin has drawn comparisons to Dante Hall... and oh yeah, he caught 1186 yards worth of passes last year...

I saw a good bit of Tavon last year while watching WV games to see Bruce Irvin. He good.

102 Oday Aboushi, OT, Virginia... 6-6, 316 lbs., 5.15 second 40... UVa has a track record for cranking out NFL caliber OTs, Aboushi is the latest in that string...

Other possibilities:

69 Cassius Marsh, DE, UCLA... 6-3, 285 lbs., 4.85 second 40...

81 Josh Boyce, WR, TCU... 5-11, 206 lbs., 4.5 second 40...

96 Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M... 6-0, 210 lbs., 4.5 second 40...

85 Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky... 6-3, 340 lbs., 5.25 second 40...

77 Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina... 6-7, 316 lbs., 5.0 second 40...

97 Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford... 6-4, 245 lbs., 4.7 second 40...

 

[Dino]

1 rd

Barrett Jones, 6-5/311
Alex Okafor, 6-4/260
T.J. McDonald, 6-3/205
Jonathan Cooper, 6-3/310 OG
William Gholston, DE, Michigan State 6/7 #275
Brandon Jenkins, OLB 6-3/265
Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
Jackson Jeffcoat*, OLB, Texas


2

Tyler Eifert, 6-6/251
Johnathan Jenkins, NT, Georgia
Khaled Holmes, C, USC
Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
Eric Reid*, S, LSU

 

[silverbear]

You should have started with Tavon and Stopped with Tavon...but I will not ding you too much since you at least had him in there.

Oh, I like him a lot... I kinda like Geno Smith too, warts and all...

Oh and do a little research on WVU Center Joe Madsen...you might like him in the later rounds.

Well, I try not to have too many 'Eers on my list, but I'll check him out...

 

[silverbear]

My early thoughts are its WAY to early for draft talk

Blasphemer... repent, or face the wrath of the Oracle of the Draft...

 

[silverbear]

While I am a big fan of Hunt, who has ridiculous athleticism and is becoming a really nice player, I think his age will weigh on him around draft time.

I hope it does, otherwise he might not make it to the Cowboys' pick...

 

[Dino]

http://i1267.***BLOCKED***/albums/jj559/tomsautos/JoeMadsen.jpg

love the mohawk


6-4 #310

2011 (r-Jr.)
- All-Big East First Team (ESPN.com)
- All-Big East Second Team (Coaches, Phil Steele)
- WVU Offensive Player of the Week against Maryland
- Helped pave the way for the WVU offense to average 37.6 points per game and to finish with more than 4,500 passing yards and more than 6,100 total yards
- Ranked second on the offense, seeing action on 943 plays
- Saw action on 70 or more plays in six games
- Saw action on 80 or more plays in two games
- Led the team with 55 knockdowns, averaging 4.2 knockdowns per game
- Season-high seven knockdowns against LSU
- Finished with five or more knockdowns in six games

Playing in this offense, Madsen has proven to be a capable shotgun snapper, demonstrating the combination of awareness, quickness and balance scouts are looking for in middle to late round center prospect.

To improve his standing with scouts, Madsen needs to continue to get stronger, as he relies on his quickness and technique to create holes. When faced with stronger defenders, Madsen can struggle to generate movement at the point of attack, resulting in his playing lower but also ducking his head on impact, at times, which can lead to successful swim moves by his opponent.

--Rob Rang

 

[Dino]

oh yea I might add my 3 rd pick is going to be QB

will not change I have seen the kid play

Alex Carder, QB, Western Michigan
Height: 6-2. Weight: 224.
Projected 40 Time: 4.61.
Projected Round (2013): 4-6.
5/8/12: Carder has been a prolific passer for Western Michigan and was a 2011 Second-Team All-MAC performer as a junior. He lit up Purdue in his bowl game completing 31-of-57 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns. Carder played well against Illinois and Michigan as well. Against Connecticut, He completed 37-of-51 passes for 479 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions, carrying the Broncos to a road win over the Huskies.

Carder completed 3,873 yards with 31 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2011. He has a nice arm and is a good decision maker. His senior season will be more difficult without star wide receiver Jordan White.

Carder completed 63 percent of his throws for 3,334 yards with 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has been extremely efficient for Western Michigan

 

[silverbear]

21 Margus Hunt, DE, SMU... 6-7. 290 lbs., 4.65 second 40... this is the one player I'd most like to see in a Cowboys uniform next year, his athleticism and power are off the hook... he's still raw as a football player, but check out that 40 time for a 290 pounder... he is an outstanding track and field athlete, having won gold medals in the discus and shot put at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing (a double victory no other junior athlete had ever achieved, and a testimony to his explosive strength)... he also has a 36 inch vertical jump, and can put up 35 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press... if you're still not sold on him, consider that in 3 years of college football, he has blocked FOURTEEN kicks... he could step in and contribute immediately, which is what you want from your first round pick... I'm convinced his best football is ahead of him...

It would be incredible if he really runs a 4.65 forty at 290 lbs.

He will be 26 to start the 2013 season.

I know about his age, but he has little tread on his tires, not having played football until he came to SMU... as for that 40 time, he reportedly ran a 4.7 flat when he auditioned for June Jones, and had never trained for it... his coach says he expects him to run a 4.6 at the Combine...

This squares with the reported 36 inch vertical jump, also pretty incredible for a guy that size... but not really, when you think about it, he was a world class discus and shot put guy in track and field, and those events require more than just strength, they require what you call "explosion"...

Bottom line, the guy's just an amazing athlete, and has physical skills that should make for an impressive NFL caliber DE... at least, IMO...

28 Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M... 6-5, 310 lbs., 5.1 second 40... the son of Hall of Fame OT Bruce Matthews, considered by some to be the best OT to ever play the game... however, he is just a junior, so it's no certainty he'll declare for this draft... he might not start ahead of Tyron Smith and Doug Free, but he could step in and hold his own if either had to miss time due to injury...

They are not going to use a 1st on a player unless he is expected to be a starter. Free would have to fail this year in order for this to be a possibility.

If you project him to someday be a Pro Bowl tackle, you might make an exception to that rule... Free isn't getting any younger...

24 Alex Okafor, OLB, Texas... 6-4, 260 lbs., 4.65 second 40... yeah, I'm a Horns fan, but Alex has 9.5 sacks, 36 quarterback pressures, 20 tackles for loss and 4 forced fumbles for his career... the guy makes plays... those numbers might be even better if the Horns hadn't played him out of position at DT (he was about 250 pounds at the time) in his sophomore season... draft guru Rob Rang raves about his strength, and said "his most impressive attribute is his power. Okafor can knock opponents onto their heels on his way to the quarterback and also sets the edge nicely as a run defender. Okafor's ability to make plays against the run and pass makes him arguably the most well-rounded senior defensive end in the country." Adding Alex would allow the Boys to part company with Anthony Spencer...

Okafor is a good college player; however, I hope the Cowboys never draft a UT player in the 1st round. The track record of UT players in the Pros is just not that good, IMO.

Brian Orakpo says "hello"...

25 T.J. McDonald, S, USC... 6-2, 210 lbs., 4.5 second 40... though he plays FS for the Trojans, his skillset translates better to SS in the NFL... he is the archetypical center fielder type, and of course the Boys need to upgrade their safeties...

If he is an archetype (prototype) center fielder, doesn't that translate to FS more than SS.

He's too physical to waste his abilities at FS, and I want my SS to be capable when giving deep help...

49 Khaled Holmes, C/OG, USC... 6-3, 316 lbs., 5.15 second 40... the consensus best center in this draft, I'm eager to upgrade the center position...

I'm hoping that Nagy or Kowalski become the starter at Center and exceed expectations. If not, then they need to quit screwing around and get one in the draft.

What I'm really holding out hope for is that Max Unger hits free agency, I seem to recall reading somewhere that he'll be a free agent this coming offseason... I want somebody who's not just serviceable at center... I don't really know if that's Holmes, but he's apparently the top rated center at this point, and he has the numbers you look for at that position, size and agility-wise...

54 Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia... 6-3, 216 lbs, 4.75 second 40... this is the year the Boys should draft a successor to groom for Tony Romo... I say that because there is incredible depth in this quarterback class, and you can get some serious talent even in the second round... in Smith's last two seasons, he has completed over 65 per cent of his passes, for 55 TDs against only 14 ints... he has some warts to his game, but nothing that good coaching can't overcome... he threw for an impressive 4385 yards last year in WVU's wide open attack...

60 Casey Pachall, QB, TCU... 6-4, 216 lbs., 4.65 second 40... if Geno Smith's flaws scare you off, maybe you'll like this gunslinger... he's another underclassman, so he might not declare, but if he does, well, check out the game he had in the Horned Frogs' 36-35 "upset" of Boise State-- 24 of 37 for 473 yards and 5 TDs... last year, he threw for almost 3000 yards and 25 TDs, against 7 ints... he completed 66.5 per cent of his passes, a school record...

If they draft a QB, I really hope they do extensive research pre-draft. It seems like they just threw a dart at the wall when the picked McGee.

I'll trust the redhead's judgement when it comes to quarterbacks... remember, he was reportedly hot for Andy Dalton...

91 Tavon Austin, WR/KR, West Virginia... 5-9, 180 lbs., 4.35 second 40... in my estimation he is the most dangerous little waterbug-type receiver in the nation... he is a converted running back who averaged 198 all-purpose yards per game last year, averaging over 14 yards per punt return, and 28.6 yards per kickoff return with 2 TDs (he has 3 kickoff returns for TDs)... Austin has drawn comparisons to Dante Hall... and oh yeah, he caught 1186 yards worth of passes last year...

I saw a good bit of Tavon last year while watching WV games to see Bruce Irvin. He good.

He'd be a dangerous weapon as a kick returner, something the Boys could use...

That's some good feedback, pal-- thanks...

 

[Zordon]

Nice work Silverbear.

I like the receiver out of WVU and Hunt is an intriguing prospect right in our backyard. JPP also had similar athletic traits and minimal football experience. Do you know if Hunt is a nasty player like Watt or more of a finesse guy?

As for Okafor, mentally he is no Orakpo. Orakpo was all business when he came to UT. He has a mean streak that he was born with and he didn't lose it when he was amongst all of temptation in Austin. He was a very stern serious guy who handled his business in the weight room and the film room. RKG all the way. If Sergio Kindle had the same mental makeup, he would have been better than Orakpo.

Okafor is somewhere in between of those two mentally. He wasn't a complete screwball like Kindle but Okafor when he came to the 40 acres befriended several of the players on the team that have now transferred elsewhere do to bad grades/trouble. I don't think he fufilled his potential is first few years b/c he was not fully committed to football (like much of the 2010 team). He seems to have gotten over those issues the last year but even this offseason him and vaccaro had a little run in with the law. It wasn't a big deal but something you don't want to see from one of the older players on the team. Physically he still has more room to grow. His forearms looked like basketball players forearms when he came to UT but he's improved in that area. I think he needs to get a little quicker off the snap, play more physical, and improve overall strength.

I know there is a bad stigma about UT players. I understand it, I have my thoughts about the root of it but I'll save you my mack brown rant for the day. So I see why some would be hesitant about Okafor.

 

[silverbear]

As for Okafor, mentally he is no Orakpo. Orakpo was all business when he came to UT. He has a mean streak that he was born with and he didn't lose it when he was amongst all of temptation in Austin. He was a very stern serious guy who handled his business in the weight room and the film room. RKG all the way. If Sergio Kindle had the same mental makeup, he would have been better than Orakpo.

Okafor is somewhere in between of those two mentally. He wasn't a complete screwball like Kindle but Okafor when he came to the 40 acres befriended several of the players on the team that have now transferred elsewhere do to bad grades/trouble. I don't think he fufilled his potential is first few years b/c he was not fully committed to football (like much of the 2010 team). He seems to have gotten over those issues the last year but even this offseason him and vaccaro had a little run in with the law. It wasn't a big deal but something you don't want to see from one of the older players on the team. Physically he still has more room to grow. His forearms looked like basketball players forearms when he came to UT but he's improved in that area. I think he needs to get a little quicker off the snap, play more physical, and improve overall strength.

I know there is a bad stigma about UT players. I understand it, I have my thoughts about the root of it but I'll save you my mack brown rant for the day. So I see why some would be hesitant about Okafor.

My point was to mock the "I'd never draft a Longhorn" BS that I hear periodically in here... I could have offered an extremely lengthy list of Texas Longhorns who are currently quite successful in the NFL, and some who are either recently retired or nearing the end of productive careers... d

I just used Orakpo as an example of the silliness of that position, I did not mean to insinuate that Okafor is the same kind of player... at the same time, Rob Rang raves about his strength for a DE (of course, if drafted by a 3-4 team he'll make the move to OLB)... and again, his productivity thus far in his career has been hurt by being played out of position at DT his sophomore year... hard to be dominant when you're a 250-260 pound DT...

I'm eager to see what kind of season Jeffcoat and Okafor have this year, they'll be key to how much success the Horns enjoy... well, them and Malcolm Brown and the rest of the RBs... I hope Mack is serious about featuring the running game more this year, they have the horses to do it...