Official 2015 Draft Discussion

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

What's the plus and minus for?

[Formula 21]

One up, one down.

[Mister Hoarse]

I'll give them a +1 and a -1.

Thanks for nothing.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Yep.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Pimp post!
2015 Draft Prospects
GRADE
5.35

Jamison Crowder (WR)
HT: 5'8" WT: 185LBS.
POSITION: WR
SCHOOL: Duke
ARM LENGTH: 30 3/8"
HANDS: 8 3/4"
Overview
Selected to 2015 Senior Bowl. In 2014, was selected first-team All-ACC wide receiver and special-teams performer. Was second in the ACC in receptions with 85 and returned two punts for touchdowns. In 2013, selected first-team All-ACC wide receiver and second-team special-teams performer. Led ACC in receptions with 108 and finished with 1,360 yards and 8 touchdowns while returning two punts for touchdowns. Honorable mention All-ACC, starting all 13 games in 2012. Led Duke in all-purpose yards as a freshman in 2011. Ran track, played football and played basketball in high school. Won a 1A State Championship in basketball. Looking to become the first wide receiver drafted from Duke since 1990.

Pro Day Results

40-yard dash: 4.46 and 4.48 seconds
20-yard short shuttle: 4.25 seconds
3-cone drill: 6.98 seconds
Broad jump: 10 feet, 3 inches
COMBINE STATS
40 YARD DASH: 4.56 SEC
BENCH PRESS: 10 REPS
VERTICAL JUMP: 37.0 INCH
BROAD JUMP: 115.0 INCH
3 CONE DRILL: 7.17 SEC
20 YARD SHUTTLE: 4.32 SEC
ANALYSIS
Strengths
Great instant acceleration. Will burst out of cuts and gain separation when working underneath. Good route-runner who consistently gets on top of defenders quicker than they expect. Will sink hips and snap his route off abruptly. Has experience as both outside and slot wide receiver. Will give effort as a blocker. Has return experience in special teams.
Weaknesses
Lacks desired NFL size. Below-average length and hands and offers a small target radius for quarterbacks. Not an authoritative runner after the catch. Can be redirected in his routes by physical cornerbacks. High number of targets came from bubble screens and quick hitters. Has focus drops.
NFL Comparison
Eddie Royal
Bottom Line
Smallish slot wide receiver who will have to win with his quickness and route proficiency. Features point-guard quickness and generally solid hands. Has proven his willingness to compete all over the field despite his lack of size

[Formula 21]

Thanks for nothing.

One guy is going to make it, one isn't.

[QSmokey]

One guy is going to make it, one isn't.

Mister H was making a play on the 'sum' of +1 and -1 (if you thought he didn't get it).

[Formula 21]

Mister H was making a play on the 'sum' of +1 and -1 (if you thought he didn't get it).

Thanks, I did have an alternate interpretation of his comment.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

NFL Draft
Vic Beasley, Todd Gurley among potential draft-day trade targets
By Bucky Brooks
NFL Media analyst
Published: March 30, 2015 at 11:30 a.m.
Updated: March 30, 2015 at 12:33 p.m.

The draft-day trade market is always a reflection of supply and demand at marquee positions. Decision makers will evaluate the depth at each position group and pinpoint a player who could be the last of the crown jewels at a particular spot. Given some time to survey the 2015 NFL Draft class, here are five prospects (listed in alphabetical order) who will be worth trading up for on April 30:

Vic Beasley, OLB/DE, Clemson: The 2015 class is loaded with disruptive edge rushers -- and Beasley is the most explosive guy on the board. The 6-foot-3, 246-pound playmaker finished his college career with 33 sacks, 52.5 tackles for loss and a whole host of splash plays. Beasley displays exceptional first-step quickness and snap-count anticipation off the edge. He complements his remarkable athletic attributes with a polished game built upon three rush moves (speed rush, bull rush and inside rip move) and a non-stop motor that allows him to chase quarterbacks down from the back side. While others might offer better skills against the run, Beasley is the most pro-ready pass rusher in the draft, possessing a skill set that will allow him to consistently notch 10-plus sacks throughout the course of his career. Given the importance teams place on knocking down opposing quarterbacks, Beasley's talent and potential should make him a coveted commodity on draft day.

La'el Collins, OL, LSU: There is always a demand in the NFL marketplace for big, athletic offensive linemen with quick feet, explosive athletic attributes and a nasty demeanor. Thus, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Collins' stock has been rising in the pre-draft season, thanks to a rock-solid week at the Senior Bowl and an impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. Evaluators view the 6-4 1/2, 305-pounder as a potential left tackle candidate who boasts the ability to snuff out elite pass rushers with his brute strength and physicality. Most importantly, Collins is athletic enough to mirror finesse edge rushers attempting to win with speed and quickness. With Collins also showcasing the versatility to play right tackle or move inside to either guard spot, the ex-LSU standout is an attractive O-line prospect capable of delivering a Zack Martin-like impact to a team in need of an upgrade along the offensive front.

Landon Collins, S, Alabama: The lack of quality at the safety position will make Collins' stock soar through the roof on draft day. The ex-Alabama All-American is a sensational deep-middle defender with the instincts and ball skills to defend the pass. Collins also displays the toughness and tackling ability to be a disruptive playmaker against the run. With few top options available at a position that's as important as ever for NFL defenses, teams in need of a difference-making safety will have to consider moving up to secure the services of the premier talent on the board.

Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia: It's crazy to consider an injured prospect as one of the hottest commodities in the draft, but scouts universally view Gurley as a top-10 talent when healthy. Before tearing his ACL last November, the 6-1, 222-pound back thrashed SEC defenses with a rugged running style built on toughness and physicality. Gurley routinely ran through contact at the point of attack, yet displayed the speed, quickness and burst to blow by defenders on the second level. With Gurley also exhibiting exceptional balance and body control in the hole, several teams are salivating over the possibility of adding a Marshawn Lynch-like playmaker to the lineup. If Gurley gets a clean bill of health from the medical personnel at the NFL combine re-check in a few weeks, the ex-Georgia standout could come off the board sooner than expected in Round 1.

Danny Shelton, DT, Washington: Shelton is arguably the top pure defensive tackle in the draft, due to his versatility and disruptive skills. Evaluators view the 339-pounder as a dominant interior defender with rare athleticism and playmaking ability for his size. Shelton is capable of wreaking havoc from the 0-technique (head up on the center) or 1-technique (aligned on the outside shoulder of the center), but he also possesses the athleticism to line up as a 3-technique (aligned on the outside shoulder of the guard) in an aggressive 4-3 scheme. With fellow defensive lineman Leonard Williams expected to come off the board almost immediately, the market could bubble up for Shelton.

[QSmokey]

NFL Draft

Vic Beasley, Todd Gurley among potential draft-day trade targets

By Bucky Brooks
NFL Media analyst

The draft-day trade market is always a reflection of supply and demand at marquee positions. Decision makers will evaluate the depth at each position group and pinpoint a player who could be the last of the crown jewels at a particular spot. Given some time to survey the 2015 NFL Draft class, here are five prospects (listed in alphabetical order) who will be worth trading up for on April 30:

Vic Beasley, OLB/DE, Clemson: The 2015 class is loaded with disruptive edge rushers -- and Beasley is the most explosive guy on the board. The 6-foot-3, 246-pound playmaker finished his college career with 33 sacks, 52.5 tackles for loss and a whole host of splash plays. Beasley displays exceptional first-step quickness and snap-count anticipation off the edge. He complements his remarkable athletic attributes with a polished game built upon three rush moves (speed rush, bull rush and inside rip move) and a non-stop motor that allows him to chase quarterbacks down from the back side. While others might offer better skills against the run, Beasley is the most pro-ready pass rusher in the draft, possessing a skill set that will allow him to consistently notch 10-plus sacks throughout the course of his career. Given the importance teams place on knocking down opposing quarterbacks, Beasley's talent and potential should make him a coveted commodity on draft day.

La'el Collins, OL, LSU: There is always a demand in the NFL marketplace for big, athletic offensive linemen with quick feet, explosive athletic attributes and a nasty demeanor. Thus, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Collins' stock has been rising in the pre-draft season, thanks to a rock-solid week at the Senior Bowl and an impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. Evaluators view the 6-4 1/2, 305-pounder as a potential left tackle candidate who boasts the ability to snuff out elite pass rushers with his brute strength and physicality. Most importantly, Collins is athletic enough to mirror finesse edge rushers attempting to win with speed and quickness. With Collins also showcasing the versatility to play right tackle or move inside to either guard spot, the ex-LSU standout is an attractive O-line prospect capable of delivering a Zack Martin-like impact to a team in need of an upgrade along the offensive front.

Landon Collins, S, Alabama: The lack of quality at the safety position will make Collins' stock soar through the roof on draft day. The ex-Alabama All-American is a sensational deep-middle defender with the instincts and ball skills to defend the pass. Collins also displays the toughness and tackling ability to be a disruptive playmaker against the run. With few top options available at a position that's as important as ever for NFL defenses, teams in need of a difference-making safety will have to consider moving up to secure the services of the premier talent on the board.

Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia: It's crazy to consider an injured prospect as one of the hottest commodities in the draft, but scouts universally view Gurley as a top-10 talent when healthy. Before tearing his ACL last November, the 6-1, 222-pound back thrashed SEC defenses with a rugged running style built on toughness and physicality. Gurley routinely ran through contact at the point of attack, yet displayed the speed, quickness and burst to blow by defenders on the second level. With Gurley also exhibiting exceptional balance and body control in the hole, several teams are salivating over the possibility of adding a Marshawn Lynch-like playmaker to the lineup. If Gurley gets a clean bill of health from the medical personnel at the NFL combine re-check in a few weeks, the ex-Georgia standout could come off the board sooner than expected in Round 1.

Danny Shelton, DT, Washington: Shelton is arguably the top pure defensive tackle in the draft, due to his versatility and disruptive skills. Evaluators view the 339-pounder as a dominant interior defender with rare athleticism and playmaking ability for his size. Shelton is capable of wreaking havoc from the 0-technique (head up on the center) or 1-technique (aligned on the outside shoulder of the center), but he also possesses the athleticism to line up as a 3-technique (aligned on the outside shoulder of the guard) in an aggressive 4-3 scheme. With fellow defensive lineman Leonard Williams expected to come off the board almost immediately, the market could bubble up for Shelton.

I'm gonna guess this is a list of draft day targets FOR THE CHARGERS.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Except for Shelton...

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

March 30, 2015
Chargers to work out Brindza
Andrew Ivins
BlueandGold.com Recruiting Analyst

Talk about it in Rockne's Roundtable
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The San Diego Chargers will work out Notre Dame placekicker Kyle Brindza.

Blue & Gold Illustrated has learned that the Chargers are sending an assistant coach to South Bend to take a closer look at Brindza during Notre Dame's Pro Day this Tuesday.

Kicking guru Brandon Kornblue, who has worked with Brindza since the latter's days in high school, said on Monday that the Chargers are on a short list of NFL teams that have been in contact with Brindza.

 

Kyle Brindza has been talking with eight to ten different NFL teams.
"I don't know specifically which teams or coaches will be there, but one of the San Diego Chargers coaches will be running the combine for Kyle and having him go through what they want him to do," Kornblue said. "There are about eight to 10 teams that have been talking to him pretty regularly and showing interest, so I would assume that there will be somebody — whether a special teams coordinator or a scout — from those teams that will be there."

While it might seem like an industry standard for an NFL coach to be on hand to run a specialist through drills, Kornblue explained that's not always the case. He has had clients in the past earn invites to the NFL Combine, and then get little to no attention from scouts at a Pro Day.

"I have heard story after story of things like that happening, and I have seen it first hand," Kornblue said. "It's like the scouts are there, but they don't care. It's a pattern for kickers and the nature of the position, but having a guy that is an actual NFL coach running the kicking portion will be helpful."

Brindza, who was 14-for-24 on field goals attempts in 2014, is ranked by WalterFootball.com as the No. 2 kicking prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft. He participated in the NFL Combine last month but didn't have a favorable performance on the field in front of scouts.

Kornblue said that the duo spent time together after the combine to hash out some hitches with technique in Naples, Fla., and he believes that Brindza is kicking better than he was previously.

"The thing with him was the holding issues," said Kornblue of a late-season change from regular holder Hunter Smith to backup quarterback Malik Zaire. "Not that that was out of his control, but what happened was, because of that, he picked up some technical flaws. With me being from a distance and not being able to work with him hands on during the season, I wasn't able to pinpoint anything. So as soon as he got down here it was obvious he had picked up some bad habits that we had to correct."

In addition to the one-on-one instruction that Brindza received with Kornblue, he also trained at Ignition APG Florida — a state-of-the-art facility for NFL draft hopefuls — and changed his diet.

Kornblue said it was there at a two-week combine camp that Brindza, also the Irish starting punter the past two years, got the idea that he could challenge the NFL combine bench record for a kicker. While Brendzia managed to only get 14 repetitions at 225-pounds last month at the combine, he'll try again on Tuesday to break the record of 25.

"That's what I think separates him for the rest," Kornblue said. "It's very rare for a kicker to have an agent invest into that type of training and to have a kicker with the desire to do that type of stuff."

It's also rare for an NFL team to send a coach to watch a kicker at Pro Day.

In addition to Brindza, there will 10 other former Irish football players returning and participating to various degrees: receiver DaVaris Daniels, tight end Jake Golic, quarterback Andrew Hendrix, defensive lineman Ethan Johnson, tight end Ben Koyack, running back Cam McDaniel, linebacker Kendall Moore, cornerback Cody Riggs, defensive lineman Justin Utupo and tight end Alex Welch.