Top-10 Mock Draft

I don’t want to get into a full first-round mock draft, though at some point I’ll have at least a 2-round mock and maybe a 3-round mock. But I can’t even tell you who’s picking #32, which is kind of important when deciding who is taken there. Without further ado, my first mock draft for the top-10.

1.) Detroit Lions *snicker*: Matthew Stafford, QB, UGA
Stafford is the highest rated player I have so far and a franchise QB is too tempting to pass up for a team lacking an identity.
2.) St Louis Rams:  Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
I bet this turned some heads. Conventional wisdom is that StL will take a tackle, but unless Pace is retiring I don’t see it happening, especially since the one LT who could play guard well (A.Smith) isn’t good enough to go #2. StL has their tiny burner in Donnie Avery, Crabtree will provide a bigger target for StL.
3.) Kansas City Chiefs: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
I thought Thigpen might prove to be the long-term answer for the Chiefs, but I don’t think he will be with a new regime coming in. He is, however, good enough that Bradford can be eased into things slowly.
4.) Seattle Seahawks: Michael Oher, LT, Ole Miss
I’m just full of surprises, huh? I’m grading Smith right now, and just finished Oher, and there is no doubt in my mind that Oher is a better LT for Seattle than Smith. I’ll leave it at that and make you all wait for the reports.
5.) Cleveland Browns: Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
I am predicting that the Browns stick with their 34 defense, and Rey Maualuga is the best defensive player on my board. I think as a 34 LB he’ll be a household name, as most of his flaws will be shielded by the system.
6.) Cincinnati Bengals: Jason Smith, LT, Baylor
Now you can tell I really don’t think much of Andre Smith. J-Smith is rocketing up draft boards, and is a legitimate LT prospect for a team that needs a LT badly.
7.) Oakland Raiders: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
Is it the smart pick? Probably not. But I can envision Al Davis going gaga over the speedy Missouri reciever. And, in a way, it makes sense, as Russell to Maclin is a fearsome combination.
8.) Jacksonville Jaguars: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
It isn’t the biggest need for the Jaguards – they’re smarting from losing Marcus Stroud, and need recievers more than anything – but Curry is BPA and would start right away for the Jags.
9.) Green Bay Packers: Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
Green Bay was actually a decent defense against the pass, but their secondary would be very thankful if the Packers defensive line could generate sacks without Aaron Kampman, and Orakpo is good enough to beat a single blocker even as a rookie.
10.) San Francisco 49ers: Andre Smith, OL, Alabama
It isn’t a matter of Smith not being good enough for the NFL, though at his weight I do wonder. But Smith is not a sure bet at even RT, and #9 is as early as I can remember a guard going, so #10 to San Fran makes sense. If Martz is retained, Smith is unlikely since a great run blocker requires a coordinator who has running plays in his playbook.

Juaquin Iglesias, WR, OU

Name: Juaquin Iglesias
Position: Wideout
School: Oklahoma
Height: 6001 E
Weight: 204 E
40 Time: 4.50 E

Athleticism: 6.0
Iglesias is a good athlete for an NFL WR. His quickness off the line of scrimmage and with the ball in his hands is good, and he possesses excellent balance and change-of-direction skills. He could stand a little more quickness out of his cuts, but he has enough raw athleticism to start in the league.
Quickness: 6.0
Balance: 6.5
Fluidity: 6.5

Physical Talents: 6.0
Iglesias is generally a talented player, but he has his strengths and weaknesses. His body is already NFL-ready, as he has decent height with a thick and strong lower body and a decently built upper body. Because of this, he plays with more natural strength than most 6’0 WRs. Iglesias’ natural explosion is lacking a bit.
Body Type: 6.5
Strength: 6.0
Explosion: 5.5

Polish: 6.5
Iglesias is generally a polished receiver. It’s always tough to tell route-running without access to coach tape, but his routes generally appear very well done and he shows the understanding needed to throttle down in empty areas when facing zone coverage. His understanding of the playbook is above-average, and he shows very good instincts.
Understands Playbook: 6.5
Proper Technique: 7.0
Instincts: 6.5

Competitiveness: 6.0
Iglesias appears to be a tough kid with a good approach to football. Unlike many receivers, he does not shy from physicality in his blocking, running, or catching. He generally plays well in big games and he is usually consistent, except when he drops footballs. His effort, especially while blocking and fighting for extra yards, impressed me quite a bit.
Toughness: 6.5
Consistency: 6.0
Clutch Play: 6.0
Effort: 6.5

Football Character: 6.0 Did the little things you’d want a WR to do, plays tough.
Personal Character: 6.0 No red flags, in fact his personal life is surprisingly unreported.
Durability: 7.0 Three year starter with no injury history that I can find, combined with his build, suggests a healthy NFL career.

Wideout Specific Skills:
Consistency Catching: 6.0 Iglesias had a couple drops in the four games I evaluated, primarily from letting the ball into his chest. Shouldn’t be a problem here, but don’t expect Jerry Rice.
Initial Quicks: 6.0 Iglesias has good quicks off the line of scrimmage, and while he doesn’t eat up cushion quickly, he’s too quick to jam easily.
Clean Release: 6.5 Due to his good strength, quickness and savvy, Iglesias is a tough wideout to jam at the LOS.
Routes: 6.5 All of his routes looked very good, he came back to the quarterback, and consistently got separation. He doesn’t have the explosiveness, but shows all of the other traits needed to be a great route-runner with experience.
Tough Catches: 6.0 While Iglesias does not make the incredible catches, he does make catches in traffic and shows no tendency to hear footsteps.
Run After Catch: 6.5 Iglesias is a great RAC receiver. He has a natural sense for juking defenders, and he has the size and balance to consistently gain yardage.
Deep Threat: 5.5 Iglesias had some success getting open deep in college, but I don’t think he has the pure speed to run away from cornerbacks in the NFL. He can do it, but it’lll require a perfect throw.
Blocking: 6.5 Iglesias is a very good blocker at the WR position. He shows flashes where he is more refined than others, but overall gave excellent effort and has the size to be effective on corners and safeties.
Errors: 6.5 Occassionally suffers from drops, but otherwise makes few errors and seems to use his head to make plays most wouldn’t.

Summary: Iglesias is not the freak athlete who can fit all systems, but his best skills – route running, blocking, run-after-catch – are all traits that make him a great fit in a west-coast style offense. While he is no Andre Johnson, there are plenty of WRs in the NFL who possess similar traits who become quality #1 WRs, and I believe if he is placed in a good situation Iglesias will become a great receiver despite being only a good athlete.

Final Grade: 6.2

Note: Due to the still ongoing nature of the college football season, it is possible and even probable that I will scout more Oklahoma games. For this reason, I maintain the right to change these grades at any point up to the 2009 NFL Draft.

Games Scouted: Texas Tech, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma State

Update

Best of the Holidays to everyone reading this. Hope all is well and you all have gotten to spend time with family… I’ve been snowed in under two feet of snow the past week so that’s all I’ve been doing. I just wanted to assure everyone here that, yes, I am indeed alive. I’ve been scouting Ole Miss which is rather like getting kicked in the face, only less pleasant, because the video quality of the Ole Miss games is really lacking. I’ve only been able to view three games, and I might be able to get a fourth file working tonight, but I am pretty much done with LT Michael Oher. DT Peria Jerry and WR Mike Wallace are a little tougher, so I’ll be focusing on them more.

Oher will be up in a few days, I want to ask a few others about some things to see if they’ve seen what I’ve seen. Hopefully that’ll give me time to see whatever bowl Ole Miss is in this year, which should be a higher video quality than Ole Miss vs Arksansas (which kept skipping plays).

I’ll also be posting incomplete scouting reports over the next few days on Marcus Freeman of OSU, Nic Harris of OU and Curtis Taylor of LSU. I don’t have enough footage to justify a long report (which take a huge amount of time) and I want to get these reports written while I still remember the players somewhat. Expect to see more of these as I attempt to cover more players and as I start to run out of games where I have sufficient footage. The quality of scouting is the same, just not as much of it – I promise next year I’ll be more prepared for downloading the video needed.

I should also be posting my first mock draft up here either tonight or tomorrow. Feel free to make comments as needed. It will be a 7-round Seahawk-specific mock draft, which generally I hate, but given how the draft is still four months away I can’t even pretend to accuracy for other teams – I know Seattle best.
Best wishes to you all, and enjoy the New Year!

Kyle

Chris Wells, RB, OSU

Name: Chris “Beanie” Wells
Position: RB
School: Ohio State
Height: 6011 E
Weight: 237 E
40 Time: 4.45 E

Athleticism: 6.5
Beanie is a very good athlete with surprisingly quickness and balance for a man his size. When fully healthy, he shows the ability to move his feet very quickly and he’s often rolls off of one tackle – high or low – while still keeping his feet underneath him. He changes directions well for a man his size, but these ratings are made without factoring his size, so he only grades as adequate.
Quickness: 6.5
Balance: 6.5
Fluidity: 5.5

Physical Talents: 7.0
Wells is a very talented player, a true specimen. At 6’1 he is a little tall for my tastes, but 237lbs and a penchant for keeping his keeping his pads low make up for it. He is immensely strong, showing a strong stiff-arm and the ability to overpower a single tackler with his strength. Wells has some explosion, but too often it isn’t shown (could be due to his foot injury) on tape.
Body Type: 7.0
Strength: 7.0
Explosion: 6.0

Polish: 6.5
Wells has seen quite a bit of action during his time at Ohio State and it shows in his smart play. He is a fundamentally sound player who knows how to play his position – he can pick his hole, lean forward, sell play action, etc. While I see nothing especially extraordinary about his instincts, neither do I see any deficiencies.
Understands Playbook: 6.5
Proper Technique: 6.5
Instincts: 6.0

Competitiveness: 7.0
Wells is a very tough and competitive kid. I’m not sure I’ve seen him 100% healthy in the first three games I’ve scouted, but he has handled the lions share of carries despite that. He’s a very consistent runner who usually can be relied upon to pick up a few yards if there is no hole, and big chunks of yards if there is a hole. He will fight for extra yards on all downs, but comes through on important downs very often due to his effort and strength.
Toughness: 7.0
Consistency: 7.0
Clutch Play: 6.5
Effort: 7.0

Football Character: 6.5 Between his on-field effort and excellent build, I have no doubt Beanie is an excellent worker.
Personal Character: 6.5 Squeaky clean off-field, with charisma to boot.
Durability: 4.0 Wells has struggled with minor injuries each of the past two years, and for a 6’1 back who takes a lot of punishment that is concerning.

Run Instincts: 6.0 Generally has a good feel for finding the holes, doesn’t always get through it in time.
Tackle-Breaking: 7.0 While Wells has little-no wiggle, his sheer strength does lead to a lot of arm tackles being broken, and he has the balance to take hard hits and stay on his feet.
Cutback Ability: 5.5 Wells can make big, deliberate cuts when the defense is totally out of position, but cannot consistently do so against a smart defense.
Inside Running: 6.5 Shows good patience finding the hole and almost always grinds out consistent yardage. Doesn’t always burst through the hole in time.
Outside Running: 6.0 He can establish the corner, but he is not fast enough to beat many NFL defenders to a spot outside.
Receiving Skills: 5.5 His hands are fine, he can do what you’d expect from your back, but he isn’t a real threat past the line of scrimmage. Needs to be accounted for but that’s it.
Run After Catch: 6.0 His toughness and strength makes him good for at least one missed tackle, but doesn’t have the speed to make huge-gains. A chain-pusher.
Open-Field: 5.5 Not real elusive, struggles changing directions, and in the NFL he will be caught by secondary players.
Pass Blocker: 6.0 Shows good effort here, but not asked to do so a lot. Can stay on field on 3^rd downs.
Fumble/Errors: 6.5 Beanie showed no tendency to make errors or fumble the football.

Summary: Wells is an interesting runner because he seems perfectly content to grind out 5 yard runs behind a solid OSU offensive line – most college backs constantly try to make the big play, but Wells rarely sacrifices positive yardage in that attempt. He’s at his best behind a good offensive line that can get give him a hole, as he doesn’t have the cutback ability to make too many cuts. His speed is the biggest question mark – you can see flashes of very good speed for about twenty yards, and he has very quick feet, but he rarely seems to hit max speed, possibly due to injury. Given his height (6’1) and injury history, I’d be very hesitant to select Wells in the first round, even though he’s a great running back. The grade he receives, however, is independent of his injury history, and he deserves a high grade because he will contend for pro-bowls if he can stay healthy. My money is that he will not be able to consistently play 16 games a year.

Edit 12/23/08: I’ve actually changed how I want to do these evaluations. Health should impact a player’s grade, so Beanie Well’s, and other injury-prone players will receive two grades: Their real grade, and the grade they’d receive strictly from when they are on the field.

Final Grade: 6.1 I
6.5 When Healthy

Note: There is a high probability that I will watch more Ohio State games in the future, and for that reason I reserve the right to change this grade up until the 2009 NFL Draft.

Games Scouted: Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan State

Duke Robinson, OG, Oklahoma

Name: Duke Robinson
Position: OG

School: Oklahoma

Height: 6047 E

Weight: 337 E

40 Time: 5.5 E

Athleticism: 5.5

Duke is not as good an athlete as advertised, though he has enough athleticism to play in the NFL. He struggles on reach blocks and at getting to the second level, which speaks to marginal quickness. He really struggles with his balance while blocking, often over-extending in pass protection. He shows good hips for seal blocking, but his change-of-directions on the second level is marginal.
Quickness: 5.5

Balance: 5.5

Fluidity: 5.5

Physical Talents: 6.5
Duke is a big, strong player with a lot of talent. At basically 6’5 335, Duke has exceptional size for a guard, and really looks the part. A little heavy, but not a bad build. Thick lower body, and that’s shown in his lower-body strength. Excellent drive blocker due primarily to excellent strength throughout his body. Marginal explosion.

Body Type: 7.0

Strength: 7.0

Explosion: 5.5

Polish: 6.5

It’s really easy to think that Duke is a guy who just throws his weight around, but that is a mistake. He doesn’t appear to have problems with blitz pickups or working with other linesmen, as you would expect from an experienced guard. Most impressive about Duke is his excellent hand technique – almost always gets them between the shoulders of the linesmen, which is textbook. Instincts in-line are good, but sometimes struggles to locate the linebacker on the 2^nd level.

Understands Playbook: 6.0

Proper Technique: 7.0

Instincts: 6.0

Competitiveness: 6.5
Everything on tape shows Duke as being a tough, competitive kid. I really love his aggression when run blocking, there’s a bit of attitude in his blocking that I like. He does not really seem to step up his blocking in big games or on big plays, but his play does not diminish either (consistent) and he does seem to block especially well at the goal-line. I have to mention this somewhere, but Oklahoma seems to sub him out a few series every game, but without knowing the reason why I don’t want to lower his grade for that reason. It is a caution, however.

Toughness: 6.5

Consistency: 6.5

Clutch Play: 6.0

Effort: 6.5

Football Character: 6.0 On field, no doubt he is a gamer. But off-the-field his football character is largely unknown.

Personal Character: 6.0 Nothing to suggest he will be a problem in the NFL. Clean record.
Durability: 6.5 Duke has been very durable over his Oklahoma career.

Play Strength: 7.0 Duke has exceptional strength that he uses to move guys in run blocking.

vs Speed Rush: 6.0 Duke sets up quickly off the snap, but marginal athleticism could hurt him against elite, quick DTs.
vs Bull Rush: 7.5 Given Duke’s toughness, hand placement, and strength… good luck.
Footwork: 6.0 Exceptional seal and drive blocker because he uses his feet well. Average footwork in pass protection, below average at the 2^nd level.
Hand technique: 7.5 I don’t think you could ask for more consistent technique. His hands shoot out fairly quickly, and the placement is always textbook.
2nd level blocking: 5.5 Duke lacks the quickness and instincts to block well on the 2^nd level.
Quickness off snap: 5.5 Duke lacks great quickness in run-blocking, but does set-up quickly in pass protection.

Proper Balance: 5.5 This is Duke’s biggest weakness, and a 5.5 may be generous.

Lateral Slide: 6.0 Rarely demonstrates his slide, but appears good here.

Errors: 6.0 Occasionally draws a flag, but nothing major. Can be beaten, but again, not major.

Summary: Duke was a player I was a little disappointed to grade, largely because of the hype. While Duke is a solid guard who has excelled in college, he is nowhere near deserving of a top-10 pick due to his mediocre athleticism, particularly balance and quickness. Players like Duke definitely deserve a place in the NFL – strong, mauling guards with excellent technique and competitiveness are not exactly common – he is unlikely to be the perennial pro-bowler that some make him out to be. In the end, he’s a very strong guard who plays smart and with fire, despite limited athleticism, and deserves to be taken no earlier than the 2^nd round.

Final Grade: 6.1 (Need to learn why he is subbed out a few drives each game)

Note: Due to the still-ongoing nature of the college football season, it is possible, even probable, that I will grade more Oklahoma games and for that reason I retain the right to change this grade up to the 2009 NFL Draft.

Games Scouted: Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Nebraska

Edit 12/23/08: I thought about editting Duke’s grade, but I will just say this instead: To Seattle, Robinson represents a late-second value at best. To a team that doesn’t ask for as much movement and requires more physical dominance from their guards, Robinson probably grades as a 6.3 or 6.4, late-first to early-second.

Mohamed Massaquoi, WR, UGA

Name: Mohamed Massaquoi
Position: Wideout
School: Georgia
Height: 6013 E
Weight:200 E
40 Time: 4.47 E

Athleticism: 6.5
Mohamed is a very good athlete, especially with the ball in his hands. He has quick feet and can change directions fairly quickly and without losing his footing while running routes. After the catch, he shows good balance and pretty decent acceleration.
Quickness: 6.0
Balance: 6.5
Fluidity: 6.5

Physical Talents: 6.0
Mohamed is talented, as shown by his very high ranking as a high school prospect. However, he has shown that while his certainly has the size and speed to play in the NFL, he is not a freak talent. He has good height and good weight for the position, and is stronger than I expected when I came in to grade him. He does lack top-end explosion, but has enough for an NFL starter.
Body Type: 6.5
Strength: 6.0
Explosion: 6.0

Polish: 6.5
Massaquoi is a veteran player who has learned some of the tricks of the position. He knows how to sell his routes, where the first down marker is, and how to use his body to make catches and draw flags on the player covering him. He seemed to be on the same page as his quarterback and looks to have a proper understanding of the playbook.
Understands Playbook: 6.0
Proper Technique: 7.0
Instincts: 6.5

Competitiveness: 6.0
Massaquoi keeps his head into the game this year, which he did not a few years ago, but he does sometimes try to do too much and suffers because of it. He went over the middle a lot for Georgia and took hits without fear, which earned him points in my book because a lot of college WRs hear footsteps. He consistently used his hands to catch the ball and would fight for the first down, but he also made a few big errors trying to make plays for his team (2 fumbles in the 4th quarter of tough game vs Kentucky, but then ripped a huge catch-and-run that set up the go-ahead TD). If he can be convinced to work harder blocking this grade could rise.
Toughness: 6.0
Consistency: 6.5
Clutch Play: 5.5
Effort: 6.5

Football Character: 6.5 Seems to be developing as a leader for Georgia, taking the young freshman phenom AJ Green under his wing.
Personal Character: 6.5 No red flags, seems like a good kid who could embrace the community he is drafted into.
Durability: 6.0 Been injured a bit, but nothing serious and has played 13 game seasons.

Wideout Specific Skills:
Consistency Catching: 7.5 He has struggled with drops earlier in his career, but didn’t drop a single pass in the 4 games I graded. Uses hands.
Initial Quicks: 6.0 He doesn’t eat cushion especially quick, but isn’t slow either.
Clean Release: 6.5 Rarely jammed, probably because he is crafty enough to get past it quickly.
Routes: 6.0 Shows good depth and has good burst in his routes, but rounds his cuts when working inside.
Tough Catches: 6.5 Went over the middle constantly and caught everything needed. No jaw-dropping catches, but takes hits and holds onto most balls.
Run After Catch: 6.0 He runs aggressively and with good burst, but lacks the elite speed to outrun a cornerback ahead of him. League-average for an NFL starter.
Deep Threat: 6.5 He shows the ability to get surprisingly open against some fast secondaries. Has a second gear despite not being a burner.
Blocking: 5.5 I feel he could improve his blocking. On screens, he was aggressive, but mostly he is a pester blocker who gets in the way of defenders but doesn’t dominate them.
Errors: 6.0 He made a couple crucial fumbles against Kentucky, but otherwise was fine. I don’t think he is mistake prone.

Summary: I went in with very low expectations because the Massaquoi I remembered was mistake prone and a dropper like Reggie Brown and Fred Gibson, only in the 2009 draft. Instead, I saw a guy who showed great hands, ran good routes, and took a leadership role without hurting Stafford’s place. In the end, he’s not a particularly flashy player because he lacks great size or speed, but he is the kind of player who will take a year or two then become a very good 3rd wideout, and after a couple more years will be ready to become an asset as a #2 WR.

Final Grade: 5.9

Note: Due to the still ongoing nature of the college football season, it is possible and even probable that I will scout more UGA games. For this reason, I maintain the right to change these grades at any point up to the 2009 NFL Draft.

Games Scouted: Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina

Demetrius Byrd, WR, LSU

Name: Demetrius Byrd

Position: Wide Receiver

School: Louisiana State University

Height: 6005 E

Weight: 200 E

40 Time: 4.45 E

Athleticism: 6.0
Demetrius is a good athlete for an NFL receiver. He has good quickness off the line of scrimmage, shows good body control making catches, and does not lose balance in his routes. However, he doesn’t use show any burst in his routes, and takes just a bit long to reach top speed.

Quickness: 6.0

Balance: 6.0

Fluidity: 6.0

Physical Talents: 6.0
Demetrius has good physical talents. He has good height at 6’0 ½, and while he could stand to add more weight (looks smaller than 200lbs, but also taller than 6’0 ½) to his frame, his frame will not prohibit him from a successful NFL career. He doesn’t show strength catching, running, or blocking, but much of that is his game, which is very finesse. He lacks explosion in his routes, but shows some explosion on with the ball in his hands.

Body Type: 6.0

Strength: 5.5

Explosion: 6.0

Polish: 5.5
Byrd only started playing football his senior year of high school, then played two years of community college football. It shows. While he seems to be largely on the same page as his new quarterback, he does not run good routes and does not consistently follow the ball into his hands. He also, on the rare occasion he shows effort blocking, uses poor technique. He does show some natural awareness for the chains and as a blocker.

Understands Playbook: 6.0

Proper Technique: 5.0

Instincts: 6.0

Competitiveness: 5.5
Frustrating kid to grade for competitiveness. He shows absolutely no fear going over the middle, and caught some passes despite taking hard hits. Then you see him run a curl route without any plant-and-explode, or watch him barely get in the way of the cornerback while blocking, and you wonder what makes him tick. He did come back after getting knocked out of the game against Alabama, and has made some big-time TD catches. It is tough to weigh that against disinterest blocking and unreliable hands.

Toughness: 6.0

Consistency: 5.0

Clutch Play: 6.0

Effort: 5.5

Football Character: 6.0 While his effort is inconsistent, he is willing to take a hit for a small gain.

Personal Character: 6.0 Research showed nothing that makes me suspicious.

Durability: 6.0 Was dinged up a couple of times, but no serious injury in college.

Wideout Specific Skills:

Consistency Catching: 5.0 Body catches at times, doesn’t always follow the ball into hands.

Initial Quicks: 5.5 Doesn’t explode at all off of LOS.

Clean Release: 6.0 No false steps off of LOS. Gets into route efficiently.

Release vs Jam: 6.0 Uses hands well to avoid being jammed despite lanky frame.

Routes: 5.0 Does not run good routes at all. Probably a limited-route runner forever due to lack of explosion running routes.

Tough Catches: 6.0 Makes tough catches more often than you’d expect.

Run After Catch: 5.5 Shows little YAC, partially due to inability to generate separation.

Deep Speed: 6.5 Demetrius is a vertical threat who can outrun the coverage even against good college opponents.

Blocking: 5.0 Low effort blocker. Pester-type. When he does block with enthusiasm, very upright.

Errors: 5.5 Several drops over the four games scouted. Not a penalty threat.

Summary: If Demetrius were bigger and a little more competitive, he’d remind me a lot of Carolina Panther DJ Hackett coming out of Colorado. Hackett was a deep threat who learned who to turn that vertical ability into short-route separation. Unfortunately for Byrd, his lack of explosion in his routes hurts him, as does his disinterest in blocking and sketchy hands. Byrd has a place for an NFL team, but right now all he can do well is run deep. Byrd has enough athleticism to turn himself into an okay starter, but I feel the odds are simply stacked too high against him for him to reach his potential. I see no reason why he could not perform well as a gunner on STs, which may become vital to him earning a job in the NFL.

Final Grade: 5.7

Note: Due to the still ongoing nature of the college football season, it is entirely possible that I will watch more LSU games and I retain the right to change my grades up until draft day.

Games Graded: Tulane, Alabama, Florida, Auburn

Herman Johnson, OG, LSU

Name: Herman Johnson
Position: OG
School: Lousiana State University
Height: 6067 E
Weight: 362 E
40 Time: 5.4 E

Athleticism: 6.0
For someone who weighs 360lbs, Johnson is a surprisingly good athlete. He’s a good enough athlete for a 6′3 300lb guard, so to be 6′7 360 with his athleticism is excellent. He shows excellent balance and good knee bend, rarely overextends. He doesn’t lumber as he runs despite being among the heaviest players in college football.
Quickness: 6.0
Balance: 6.5
Fluidity: 6.5

Physical Talents: 6.5
I don’t like tall guards, but I like my guards heavy. I’m unsure exactly how to grade his body type because of this, but he does play with surprising leverage for being so tall a player. He has the ability to have a 7.5 or 8.0 strength grade, but too often he doesn’t play aggressively and this causes him to play weaker than his physical talents suggest. Don’t be surprised if he struggles at the bench due to his long arms. Average quickness off the snap. (Edit: 12/3/08 – changed strength to 7, since he has at least 7.0 talent, his play strength grade shows what actually translates consistently to field)
Body Type: 6.5
Strength: 7.0
Explosion: 5.5

Polish: 6.5
I’m very impressed with how smart Johnson plays. He is never fooled by blitz schemes, and while it is hard to tell how much of that is due to C Brett Helms, Johnson certainly doesn’t appear deficient in his understanding of the position. He plays with great knee bend for a player his size, and his hands give a jolt. However, he doesn’t shoot them out especially quick. This is correctable, and he has the potential to improve this. He shows very good instincts when reacting to blitzing linebackers or blocking in tandem with the C.
Understands Playbook: 7.0
Proper Technique: 6.0
Instincts: 6.5

Competitiveness: 5.5
This is his biggest weakness. With his size, there is no excuse for how rarely he dominates the opposing DT. He has the physical tools to be among the best drive-blockers in the NFL, but even in college he settles too often for containing the DT when he could be dominating the DT. He does seem to ramp up his play in important drives, but his snap-to-snap consistency isn’t always good as he can get worn down late in games and doesn’t play with the same explosion.
Toughness: 6.5
Consistency: 5.5
Clutch Play: 6.5
Effort: 5.5

Football Character: 6.5 Has lost weight since coming to LSU (arrived at 400lbs), is a smart player. This speaks to some degree of dedication. But his inconsistent effort hurts him.
Personal Character: 6.0 Comes across as quite intelligent in interviews, no problems in past.
Durability: 6.5 Has had some injuries, but nothing especially concerning.

Play Strength: 6.0 Destroys linebackers, but too often settles by latching onto DTs.
vs Speed Rush: 6.0 Smaller, quicker DTs can get past him if they’re lucky. Not weak, but not great.
vs Bull Rush: 7.5 Long arms and strength mean that no DT successfully used a bull-rush in 4 games.
Footwork: 6.0 Good in-line footwork. Can get tripped up working around trash.
Hand technique: 6.0 Powerful jolt. Placement of hands is often a little wide. Correctable.
2nd level blocking: 7.0 Doesn’t move especially well, but finds LBs and erases them almost every time.
Quickness off snap: 6.0 Good even for a normal-sized guard. Can be beaten, but not consistently weak.
Proper Balance: 6.5 Sits on a chair and uses great knee-bend for a player his size.
Lateral Slide: 6.0 Rarely asked to slide in space, but has shown the shuffle and slide needed to pick up stunting DTs.
Errors: 6.5 Occassionally gets a penalty, but it isn’t a major problem.

Summary: Never before have I seen such a frustrating player to grade. Johnson has the potential to be a HOF guard in the mold of Larry Allen. When he reaches the second level, which he does with surprising frequency, linebackers are done for. He uses his strength then quite well. Half of my notes are about his surprising athleticism, the other have are criticizing him for not using his strength more – just from the notes, you’d think he was 60lbs lighter. If he can consistently play with the motor he has shown on key LSU downs and drives, he will wind up in Canton someday. Were I to make a prediction, however, I don’t think he ever fully reaches his potential and becomes a good starting guard in this league who is occassionally beaten by the quicker DTs.

Final Grade: 6.2 (12/23/08: 6.3)

Note: Especially with Herman Johnson, I retain the right to change this grade at any point until the 2009 NFL Draft. I will likely scout more LSU games and more guards in general, so this grade could change as I get a better feel for what other guards in the draft are like.
Games Scouted: Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Tulane

Edit 12/23/08: I just scouted Johnson against Georgia, and have revised my grade accordingly. I decided that he is an above-average fit for Seattle’s zone-blocking scheme, and so he deserves to be taken in the early second, or a 6.3 grade. This was also one of my first scouting reports, so I’ve updated a couple minor grades as I’ve gotten more standardized in my thinking.