cowboyjoe
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THE SLEEPER FILE
PROSPECTS TO WATCH FOR THE 2009 DRAFT OUTSIDE DIA FOOTBALL
Wednesday, April 15... CB Greg Toler, St. Paul’s… Just about every time we are interviewed we get asked who is going to be this year’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the Tennessee State corner who was selected 16th overall by Arizona at the 2008 before going to have a solid rookie campaign that included a start in the Super Bowl. And while he isn’t going to drafted anywhere near that early - in fact, he’s no lock to be selected at all - the CB who reminds one the most DRC this year is unheralded Greg Toler from tiny D-II St. Paul’s. In fact, not even the majority of NFL teams had heard of Toler until recently, however, he really popped up on the national draft radar when he ran a 4.37 40 in wind and rain at the Richmond pro day. Of course, it just happens that Richmond has arguably the top non-D1A prospect in the 2009 draft class in DE Lawrence Sidbury and the Spiders on-campus workout, which usually barely attracts more than a couple of scouts, was well attended by NFL personnel people who were really introduced to Toler. Toler took a circuitous route to St. Paul’s, and at 24 is a little older than the usual draft prospect; he was a reasonably well regarded prep player, but struggled to stay academically eligible in high school and was never considered for a college scholarship because of poor grades. Toler wound up as a storeroom clerk at a JCPenney stocking shelves and sweeping aisles, but eventually got a chance to play for a semi-pro team and was later invited to play for DII St. Paul’s in Lawrenceville, Virginia which was in the process of re-establishing its program. For the record, at 5-11, 190, Toler is similar in size to Rodgers-Cromartie and like DRC has a great break on the ball and good ball skills. Indeed, Toler picked off 6 passes in 2008 and broke up 13 others to rank in the top three in the country at the DII level despite the fact that opposing teams tended to avoid his side of the field. For good measure, Toler also picked off passes at both the East Coast and Cactus Bowl all-star games. Not surprisingly, though, Toler‘s technique is still very, but he is fluid through the hips, has quick feet and a second gear when the ball is in the air. If Toler has a weakness, other his overall experience, its that he isn’t all that aggressive supporting the run defense. Toler was originally scouted by Baltimore and Washington, but once word got out he has started to pile up the frequent flyer miles with pre-draft visits or workouts with Houston, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Arizona, Green Bay, Minnesota, Arizona, Miami, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and the Jets and is now considered a possible-round selection at the upcoming draft.
PROSPECTS TO WATCH FOR THE 2009 DRAFT OUTSIDE DIA FOOTBALL
Wednesday, April 15... CB Greg Toler, St. Paul’s… Just about every time we are interviewed we get asked who is going to be this year’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the Tennessee State corner who was selected 16th overall by Arizona at the 2008 before going to have a solid rookie campaign that included a start in the Super Bowl. And while he isn’t going to drafted anywhere near that early - in fact, he’s no lock to be selected at all - the CB who reminds one the most DRC this year is unheralded Greg Toler from tiny D-II St. Paul’s. In fact, not even the majority of NFL teams had heard of Toler until recently, however, he really popped up on the national draft radar when he ran a 4.37 40 in wind and rain at the Richmond pro day. Of course, it just happens that Richmond has arguably the top non-D1A prospect in the 2009 draft class in DE Lawrence Sidbury and the Spiders on-campus workout, which usually barely attracts more than a couple of scouts, was well attended by NFL personnel people who were really introduced to Toler. Toler took a circuitous route to St. Paul’s, and at 24 is a little older than the usual draft prospect; he was a reasonably well regarded prep player, but struggled to stay academically eligible in high school and was never considered for a college scholarship because of poor grades. Toler wound up as a storeroom clerk at a JCPenney stocking shelves and sweeping aisles, but eventually got a chance to play for a semi-pro team and was later invited to play for DII St. Paul’s in Lawrenceville, Virginia which was in the process of re-establishing its program. For the record, at 5-11, 190, Toler is similar in size to Rodgers-Cromartie and like DRC has a great break on the ball and good ball skills. Indeed, Toler picked off 6 passes in 2008 and broke up 13 others to rank in the top three in the country at the DII level despite the fact that opposing teams tended to avoid his side of the field. For good measure, Toler also picked off passes at both the East Coast and Cactus Bowl all-star games. Not surprisingly, though, Toler‘s technique is still very, but he is fluid through the hips, has quick feet and a second gear when the ball is in the air. If Toler has a weakness, other his overall experience, its that he isn’t all that aggressive supporting the run defense. Toler was originally scouted by Baltimore and Washington, but once word got out he has started to pile up the frequent flyer miles with pre-draft visits or workouts with Houston, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Arizona, Green Bay, Minnesota, Arizona, Miami, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and the Jets and is now considered a possible-round selection at the upcoming draft.
