2010 Draft Spotlight: Earl Thomas – FS – Texas
April 27, 2010 by Richard Lines
Filed under Draft Reviews, Prospects
Earl Thomas is one of the most fascinating prospects in the 2010 NFL Draft. Well recruited out of high school where he excelled at tailback, receiver, returner and in the secondary, his stock has risen quickly since announcing his intentions to go pro as a redshirt sophomore. He started all 26 games at Texas, flipping between free and strong safety, although all 13 of his final season starts came on the strong side. He’s a player who splits opinions; no-one denies his natural athletic ability, borne out both at the Combine and the UT pro day, but concerns over his size haven’t disappeared.
2010 Draft Spotlight: DE Derrick Morgan – Georgia Tech
April 1, 2010 by Richard Lines
Filed under Draft Reviews, Prospects
Derrick Morgan is very much an effort player. Unfortunately, he is not the most athletically gifted player in the 2010 Draft Class. That does not mean that Morgan lumbers by any means, he simply will not “wow” you with his athleticism.
2010 Draft Spotlight: OLB Sean Lee – Penn State
March 11, 2010 by Richard Lines
Filed under Draft, Previews, Prospects
Penn State has long been known as “Linebacker U” as the school and Patriarch Joe Paterno have a long history of turning out NFL caliber linebackers. The 2010 Draft features 3 Penn State linebackers, all with varying degrees of talent. Sean Leewas probably the most consistent member of the unit when he was healthy. Lee won the 2005 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette High School Male Athlete-of-the-Year award. The Pittsburgh native was named to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25 in 2005, and played in the Big 33 Classic against Ohio that same year.
Outside Opinion: Big Board
March 4, 2010 by Richard Lines
Filed under Draft, Previews
Every draftnik today has their own draft board. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are the most famous personalities to have compiled their list of top players. I will be doing my own in the next couple weeks. I will have a two part series ranking the top fifty players in this years class, based on my own set of eyes. Today’s board will feature 1-25 and the next one will feature 26-50. There are some players that are ranked higher than you will see at other sites and there are some that will be ranked lower or not even in the top twenty-five.
2010 Spotlight: OLB Ricky Sapp – Clemson
February 20, 2010 by Richard Lines
Filed under Draft, Draft Reviews, Prospects
In 2008, the Clemson defense as a whole registered only 14 sacks for the season. Sapp only had 2 in a shortened year as he tore his ACL in the second half of the season against Virginia. In 2009, Sapp faced questions regarding his health and his ability to make the switch to more of a linebacker role under new Defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele. Sapp responded with one of his best season at Clemson, registering 56 tackles 5 sacks and 16 total tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 7 quarterback hurries.
2010 Spotlight: S Taylor Mays – USC
February 14, 2010 by Richard Lines
Filed under Draft, Prospects
Taylor Mays of USC is one of the more controversial prospects in the 2010 draft and opinions on his ability vary greatly. A four year starter at free safety for USC, he is a physical marvel at 6’3, 231lbs. One of the most coveted prep stars in recent history, he was a unanimous All American selection and was the back to back state 100 and 200m champion as a high school junior and a senior, recording a 100m time of 10.88 seconds.
2010 Spotlight: OLB – Sean Weatherspoon – Missouri
February 7, 2010 by Richard Lines
Filed under Draft, Prospects
The NFL of yester year is a thing of the past, run first offenses are having lunch with the Dinosaurs. In this century the NFL is most definitely a passing league that rivals the days of the original AFL and Sid Gillman. Regardless, whichever scheme a Defensive Coordinator chooses, they will need athletic linebackers that can take on blockers at the point of attack then turn and drop into coverage 20 yards down the field.
2010 Spotlight: DE Jason Worilds – Virginia Tech
January 31, 2010 by Richard Lines
Filed under Draft, Draft Reviews, Prospects
With the prevalence of the 3-4 system, more and more college defensive ends are finding that their paths to the NFL lead not in one but two directions. For many, if they have the requisite skill set, a move to outside linebacker is a possibility. But it doesn’t suit all.
2010 Spotlight: OLB Jerry Hughes – TCU
I have commented before that due to the proliferation of 3-4 defenses over the last few years, hybrid defensive players will be at a premium. I believe that conversion candidates for the outside linebacker position must possess three traits: base strength, fluid movement and lateral agility and the ability to rush the passer. There are few players that possess all of those criteria.
2010 Spotlight: OLB Sergio Kindle – Texas
Over the last two years there has been a new proliferation of 3-4 defensive schemes in the NFL. As such, hybrid outside linebackers have become more of a commodity. However, these players need to have several innate elements to their game in order to make the transition successful at the next level.