Yomar Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 Draft Dish: Breaking down the Shrine Game linemen January 9, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO -- Wednesday was NFL Day at the East-West Shrine practice week. Rather than splitting into two separate practices, the two squads went through weigh-ins at the Hyatt in the morning and practiced together at City College of San Francisco in the afternoon. The advantage of practicing together for an extended period is that NFL scouts and coaches were able to see the East and West players match up against one another in one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills, as well as in scrimmages. Here's a breakdown by squad of the offensive and defensive linemen that stood out -- positively and negatively -- from the combined practice on Wednesday. Tomorrow, we'll evaluate fullbacks, running backs, linebackers and specialists. East Team Offensive Line: The East's offensive line set the tempo for the afternoon practice. Florida State offensive tackle Todd Williams and Northwestern guard Jeff Roehl started several shoving matches and didn't stop taunting the West defensive line during one-on-one drills. Some scouts were impressed by their energy, while others we spoke to thought it showed a lack of discipline. At either rate, Roehl has proven to be one of the more consistent guards in this game and solidified himself as a mid-round prospect. Williams is massive and rarely loses a one-on-one matchup once he locks on, but he looks out of shape, top-heavy and sloppy at times. He doesn't have the feet to play outside in the NFL and he may have to move inside to guard, where he would be a massive mauler in the run game. Notre Dame's Jordan Black has been the most consistent tackle on the East team. There's not a lot that's flashy about what Black does, but he plays with terrific balance and body control. He sets up quickly in pass protection and does a nice job of bending at his knees. He also gets terrific positioning in the running game and has a nice combination of upper and lower body strength. Black could fit late in the first day as one of the top five to seven tackles taken. In addition to Roehl, Alabama's Marico Portis is another guard that has helped himself with his play this week. Portis played well as a first-year starter as a junior before emerging as a dominant blocker this past season. He has always had terrific strength, but he has improved his feet and overall quickness. He may have earned himself some money this week as a fourth- or fifth-round prospect. Northern Iowa center Chad Setterstrom has not been impressive. He was considered a late-round sleeper throughout the season, but he hasn't shown any reason this week to use a draft pick on him. Setterstrom has adequate size, but he's a poor athlete and isn't tough. He absorbs contact rather than initiating it and he really struggles to pick up the blitz. Defensive Line: Defensively, the East doesn't have as much talent on their line as the West does, but Michigan defensive end Dan Rumishek was solid and the Citadel's Cliff Washburn and Israel Idonije from Manitoba, Canada, at least made the most out of their respective opportunities. Rumishek is a late-round prospect that does a nice job of holding up against the run on the perimeter, but he's too small to move inside and not fast enough to play the end position. Washburn is raw, but he looks the part and he runs well. At 6-7, 270 pounds, he shows good body control and quickness. He's not worthy of a draft pick, but because of his combination of size and athleticism, he should be given a chance to make an NFL roster as a developmental defensive end. Similarly, Idonije (6-8, 285) is too raw to draft, but he certainly has drawn some attention because of how well he runs for his size. More than likely he'll get a chance to compete in an NFL training camp. At 6-2, 230 pounds, North Carolina State defensive end Shawn Price is going to have to change positions in order to make it in the NFL. Price has good speed and initial quickness when rushing the passer off the edge, but he's vastly undersized. He runs well, but it still remains to be seen whether he's athletic and fluid enough to change directions and drop into coverage as a linebacker. He should be using this week to show scouts that he can, but so far he's remained at defensive end, where he's been overmatched at the point of attack. West Team Defensive Line: Fresno State defensive end Nick Burley has been one of the most consistent playmakers this week. He's a bit undersized at 250 pounds, but he has the frame to add weight and shows good burst and speed off the edge. There are some that believe Cal's Tully Banta-Cain is the better prospect, but after watching the two play together this week, there isn't a big difference. Banta-Cain runs a little bit better in transition and weighs 260, but it looks like Burley is the quicker of the two off the edge. Either way, both players will be first-round picks. Oregon State defensive tackle Eric Manning and Colorado defensive end Tyler Brayton also have been as good as advertised. Manning has a terrific combination of size, power and quickness. He's close to 300 pounds and consistently wins the “battle of the first step.” Brayton is playing both end and tackle this week and depending on the team that drafts him, he could probably play either or both positions in the NFL. He doesn't have great size to play inside, but he does have terrific initial quickness and if nothing else, he could play outside on first and second downs and then move inside to rush the passer on third downs. Brayton could be drafted as high as the late first round, while Manning is quickly emerging as a solid second-round prospect. Stanford defensive tackle Matt Leonard hasn't played poorly, but he just doesn't have a whole lot of upside. He's a good power player that does a nice job of staying low and controlling his gap, but he doesn't show much in terms of a pass rush and he won't make a lot of plays if he does get through the line. At best, a team will take a chance on Leonard in the third round, but more than likely he'll slip lower. Offensive Line: The West team's offensive line leaves a lot to be desired. San Jose State offensive tackle Tim Provost looks more like a tight end than a tackle, but he caught our eye as a solid second-day developmental prospect because he moves well and has room to add bulk to his frame. UCLA offensive tackle Mike Saffer plays with balance and is quick to get into position, but he absorbs too many blocks, he doesn't show great upper body strength and he just looks too soft at the point of attack. He'll have to get tougher and stronger up top if he's going to make it in the NFL. Colorado State's Morgan Pears and Arizona's Makoa Freitas were the only other offensive linemen from the West that showed us anything, but Pears plays too high and Freitas doesn't look athletic enough when forced to play in space. The War Room, a team of football scouts headed by Gary Horton, analyzes NFL and college players, coaches and teams exclusively for The Sporting News. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 There are some that believe Cal's Tully Banta-Cain is the better prospect, but after watching the two play together this week, there isn't a big difference. Banta-Cain runs a little bit better in transition and weighs 260, but it looks like Burley is the quicker of the two off the edge. Either way, both players will be first-round picks. Huh? He's saying these two may also go in the first round? In this article alone, he's added three additional 1st round DE's to go along with.... *McDougal *Will Smith (If he declares) *Suggs *M. Haynes *T. Brayton *Dewayne White *Cory Redding Someone is falling into the second.... Might there be a steal there? Hummmmmmm......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yomar Posted January 10, 2003 Author Share Posted January 10, 2003 I don't think Dewayne White ios going in the 1st, but a lot of players are going to see their value rise or fall...some maybe both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nighthawk Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 I think he meant first day picks and not first round picks. I really like Tully Banta-Cain and would love to see him in a Redskins uniform but he isn't a first round pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golgo-13 Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 I think that if we ever picked a good year to have a sub-par record, this was it. This draft seems MUCH deeper than drafts of the past few years. This seems like the one we have been waiting for for several years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 escholz, it's never a good year to have a sub-par year in terms of fans. Having a great year and picking #32 would still give us an opportunity to pick up a guy with potential and upside brought out by good coaching. As for the DE & DL in the draft, I think this is certainly the year to concentrate on them. Last year, if you remember, had possibly four really good DL in Peppers, Henderson, Haynesworth, and Simms. The others were average, and subsequently fell into the later rounds. This year, there are at least five DE's alone that could go in the first, with an additional five DT's. If that's our focus, we should pick up a solid player. I happen to think we could trade down to the bottom of the 1st and still pick up a solid DL prospect, then add additional second and third round picks to solidify the OL, WR, and FS. Wouldn't someone like McDonals (ASU) help us in the second, or the safety from Bethune, or a guard like Dockery or Hollande in the bottom second or third? We've got so many options and we're better off than we believe. We're one OG away from having an above average line, either by DF or draft on day one. We're one speed receiver who runs great routes and has great hands either in FA or draft, and we're one upgrade at FS from either in FA or draft from filling our most needed holes. Add a DT with upside from the draft, or even a young up and comer from FA and we're looking pretty formidable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Diggler Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 Could you imagine the announcer or commentator dreading the call every time the Skins are on defense? Tackle by Ifeanyi Ohahlete assisted by Tully Banta-Cain Sounds like a UN Summit :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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