Errant Hothy
Hypermediocrity
Round 1
Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
6’2” 302 lbs 4.88
A lot has been said already, so much so that I have nothing more to add about his play on the field. With all that said, not by me, it’s nitpick time. My only concern is his age. 19 is awfully young to be a multi-millionaire, and I know I wouldn’t have been able to handle it at his age. I know his brother is moving to Houston with him, but his brother is also going to be his business manager. I’m a firm believer that family and business should never mix, especially with the amount money that will be involved with the draft’s 10th pick. My other concern is that Okoye has less then the average draftee’s football experience and it’ll be up to the coaching staff to continue his growth. Sadly our staff does not have the best track record, with a focus on the D-line staff.
Round 2
Matt Schaub, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Will I never thought the price to acquire Schaub was too steep it was nice to see that none of the premier talent at OT, S, or CB fell to the pick we gave up for Schaub.
Round 3
Jacoby Jones, WR, Lane
6’ 2 5/8” 210 lbs. 4.5
The worst kept sleeper in this year’s draft. Biggest asset is history of always playing up to the talent lined up across from him. Return ability is a big bonus. Plays faster then his forty time, and has great size. Only downside his is smaller hands, it shouldn’t keep him from succeeding; but it will mean that he’ll have to spend some serious time in front of the JUGS machine. Given Jones attitude and desire I have little doubt he’ll put the work in. Returned 5 kicks for TDs, and atleast 1 passing TD and 1 rushing TD.
Round 4
Fred Bennett, CB, South Carolina
6’ 7/8” 196 lbs, 4.49
Good size and speed. Played CB in the physically imposing SEC, and while he’s not a great ball-hawk he does not have stone hands. A bit of a long strider, and it would be nice if he played up to his size. Will need some work on his zone coverage reads, but the good thing is that he is not overly tight in the hips, he may always be vulnerable to some WRs, and a few weeks at camp should start to fix all of this. Bennett was a three year starter.
Round 5
Brandon Frye, OT, Virginia Tech
6’ 4 1/8” 301 lbs. 5.01
Limited playing time at OT, and still needs some serious time in the weight room. Is naturally athletic, plays through pain, has NFL bloodlines, and has already demonstrated the work ethic need to succeed at the pro level. The biggest downside is his short arms, and his tendency to play soft. Has upside.
Brandon Harrison, S, Stanford
6’ 1 7/8” 227 lbs. 4.58
Probably the most confusing pick of the draft to me. The positives are that he played several games at corner in the Pac-10, he has good size, he’s not afraid of contact, he has a good back pedal, and shows some range when he plays. The negative’s are that he seems to the perpetually a step away from making the big played, he looked lost several times in Stanford’s scheme (which does not employ a typical free and strong safety), does not have great recovery speed, and does not hit as hard as his size might suggest he could. The more perplexing thing is I don’t know which of the starters at S he could replace. He doesn’t seem to have the ball skills of Brown nor does he hit like Earl, might be a tweener type safety; and with Kube’s constant statement that his happy with the play of the starters at safety maybe we just don’t know the type of safeties this team is looking for.
Round 6
Kasey Studdard, OG, Texas
6’ 2 ½” 303 lbs. 5.18
Attitude, attitude, attitude. Does not posses much athleticism, but he plays with a desire and a mean streak sorely lacking on the Texans at times. Has the strength to play and at times has shown a wicked hand punch. If he can overcome his limited foot speed and correct his tendency to wind up on his butt, he’ll have a place here. While he’s never really been injured I’d be willing to bet that he could play through the pain.
Round 7
Zach Diles, LB, Kansas State
6’ 1/8” 240 lbs. 4.76
The coaching staff got a good look at him during the Texas Bowl, and says he has shown some leadership ability. Shows good strength, and has average quickness at least judging by his pro day numbers. Mel Kiper, Jr. seems to really like him. If you can’t tell I don’t know that much about the kid, and finding information about him hasn’t been the easiest thing.
Undrafted Free Agents
Jared Zabransky, QB, Boise State
6’ 2 1/8” 219 4.59
We all saw what he did to Oklahoma. Has good speed, but is a touch short. Throws well on the run, screams WC QB. Makes the poor decision a little to much, has a bit of a wind up type motion, and will lock on to a receiver. He might challenge for the third QB after a year on the practice squad. Yet another great attitude guy.
Jon Abbate, LB, Wake Forest
5’ 9 ¾” 231 lbs. 5.06
Instinct, attitude, desire, and football player; these are the word most closely associated with Jon Abbate. Had great production over the last two years in the ACC. Abbate will bite on play action and over-run the play, and doesn’t have the foot speed to recover. A Zach Thomas starter kit?
Cory Anderson, FB, Tennessee
6’ 2 ¼” 247 lbs. 4.72
He moves well, and has good enough hands to contribute in the passing game. Hopefully he can replace Cook. Anderson is the typical WCO fullback prospect.
Onrea Jones, WR, Hampton
5’ 11 1/8” 202 lbs. 4.58
Jones has a good size and history of producing on the field. Could contribute on coverage teams, might be the gunner we hoped Starling would become. Needs work on his route running and getting in and out of his breaks if he is going to see any playing time at WR.
Derrick Roberson, CB, Rutgers
5’ 9” 182 lbs. 4.41
Roberson’s biggest wart (and all UDFA have warts) is his lack of height. The rest of his Pro Day numbers: 42 1/2” vertical, a 10’ 11” broad jump (the numbers show good explosiveness), 4.14 short shuttle, 6.87 three-cone, and 18 reps at 225. Returned 3 kicks for Tds.
Deljuan Robinson, DE, Mississippi State
6’ 3 1/8” 299 lbs. 5.07
The Chronicle listed him as a DE (which could mean so did the Texans), but I’ve only seen him listed as a DT. Pro Football Weekly says he has a “very serious injury concern”, but I can’t find what it is. Thanks to Lucky it was heart surgery to fix a leaky valve. Pro Day numbers: 27” vertical, 9’ 5” broad jump, 4.74 short shuttle, 7.54 three cone, and 23 reps at 225.
Brandon Mitchell, FS, Ohio State
6’ 7/8” 1.99 4.6
Possess good size and a willingness to hit in run support. Only started for a year, and is a former walk-on. The question here is has Mitchell reached his ceiling or does he still have room to grow. Not a ballhawk.
Luke Smith-Anderson, TE, Idaho
6’ 5” 253 lbs 4.99.
Long injury history, highlighted by rupturing his spleen in 2005 and two blown ACLs. Not a great blocker, but can get the job done. Good height for the red zone, and has good hands.
Victor DeGrate, DE, Oklahoma State
6’ 2 5/8” 249 lbs. 4.81
Played OLB for a 2 years before moving to DE for his last 2 years with the Cowboys. Tackles well, plays with a good motor, and will be able to win some one-on-ones against the OL. Shown improvement from year to year. Had some maturity issues as an underclassmen, and got busted for pot a week before the draft. Pro Day numbers: 32” vertical, 9’ 1” broad jump, 7.72 three cone, and 18 reps of 225, can you say “Needs some weight room time.”
Terry Richardson, WR/RS, Arizona State
5’ 11 1/2” 182 lbs. 4.55
Best chance to make the team comes as a returner; has the ability to make people miss in space. Failed to stay on the field due to his inability to digest the playbook, other concern is a lack of work ethic.
Genoka Lucas, C/OG, Oregon State
6’ 2 5/8” 303 lbs. 5.46
Lucas got owned at the Hula Bowl. He does pick up the blitzer well, and can get to the second level and wall off would be tacklers. Was the Beavers offensive team captain. Not the best athlete, and doesn’t play as strong as his weight room numbers would suggest.
Tavo Tupola, OT/OG, Utah
6’ 3 3/4” 313 lbs. 5.5
Well be a 26 year old rookie, after taking a 2 year mission before enrolling at Utah. A four starter at LT for the Utes. Will get beat be the speed rushers, and tend to play to upright. Pro Day numbers: 24 ½” vertical, 8’ 2: broad jump, 4.57 short shuttle and 18 reps of 22.
Eric Wilbur, P, Florida
6’ 2” 200lbs.
Will hopefully challenge Stanley. Career average of 42.9, and put 26 punts behind the 20. Named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. Has good size.
According to Rick Smith there is still one more to come.
Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
6’2” 302 lbs 4.88
A lot has been said already, so much so that I have nothing more to add about his play on the field. With all that said, not by me, it’s nitpick time. My only concern is his age. 19 is awfully young to be a multi-millionaire, and I know I wouldn’t have been able to handle it at his age. I know his brother is moving to Houston with him, but his brother is also going to be his business manager. I’m a firm believer that family and business should never mix, especially with the amount money that will be involved with the draft’s 10th pick. My other concern is that Okoye has less then the average draftee’s football experience and it’ll be up to the coaching staff to continue his growth. Sadly our staff does not have the best track record, with a focus on the D-line staff.
Round 2
Matt Schaub, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Will I never thought the price to acquire Schaub was too steep it was nice to see that none of the premier talent at OT, S, or CB fell to the pick we gave up for Schaub.
Round 3
Jacoby Jones, WR, Lane
6’ 2 5/8” 210 lbs. 4.5
The worst kept sleeper in this year’s draft. Biggest asset is history of always playing up to the talent lined up across from him. Return ability is a big bonus. Plays faster then his forty time, and has great size. Only downside his is smaller hands, it shouldn’t keep him from succeeding; but it will mean that he’ll have to spend some serious time in front of the JUGS machine. Given Jones attitude and desire I have little doubt he’ll put the work in. Returned 5 kicks for TDs, and atleast 1 passing TD and 1 rushing TD.
Round 4
Fred Bennett, CB, South Carolina
6’ 7/8” 196 lbs, 4.49
Good size and speed. Played CB in the physically imposing SEC, and while he’s not a great ball-hawk he does not have stone hands. A bit of a long strider, and it would be nice if he played up to his size. Will need some work on his zone coverage reads, but the good thing is that he is not overly tight in the hips, he may always be vulnerable to some WRs, and a few weeks at camp should start to fix all of this. Bennett was a three year starter.
Round 5
Brandon Frye, OT, Virginia Tech
6’ 4 1/8” 301 lbs. 5.01
Limited playing time at OT, and still needs some serious time in the weight room. Is naturally athletic, plays through pain, has NFL bloodlines, and has already demonstrated the work ethic need to succeed at the pro level. The biggest downside is his short arms, and his tendency to play soft. Has upside.
Brandon Harrison, S, Stanford
6’ 1 7/8” 227 lbs. 4.58
Probably the most confusing pick of the draft to me. The positives are that he played several games at corner in the Pac-10, he has good size, he’s not afraid of contact, he has a good back pedal, and shows some range when he plays. The negative’s are that he seems to the perpetually a step away from making the big played, he looked lost several times in Stanford’s scheme (which does not employ a typical free and strong safety), does not have great recovery speed, and does not hit as hard as his size might suggest he could. The more perplexing thing is I don’t know which of the starters at S he could replace. He doesn’t seem to have the ball skills of Brown nor does he hit like Earl, might be a tweener type safety; and with Kube’s constant statement that his happy with the play of the starters at safety maybe we just don’t know the type of safeties this team is looking for.
Round 6
Kasey Studdard, OG, Texas
6’ 2 ½” 303 lbs. 5.18
Attitude, attitude, attitude. Does not posses much athleticism, but he plays with a desire and a mean streak sorely lacking on the Texans at times. Has the strength to play and at times has shown a wicked hand punch. If he can overcome his limited foot speed and correct his tendency to wind up on his butt, he’ll have a place here. While he’s never really been injured I’d be willing to bet that he could play through the pain.
Round 7
Zach Diles, LB, Kansas State
6’ 1/8” 240 lbs. 4.76
The coaching staff got a good look at him during the Texas Bowl, and says he has shown some leadership ability. Shows good strength, and has average quickness at least judging by his pro day numbers. Mel Kiper, Jr. seems to really like him. If you can’t tell I don’t know that much about the kid, and finding information about him hasn’t been the easiest thing.
Undrafted Free Agents
Jared Zabransky, QB, Boise State
6’ 2 1/8” 219 4.59
We all saw what he did to Oklahoma. Has good speed, but is a touch short. Throws well on the run, screams WC QB. Makes the poor decision a little to much, has a bit of a wind up type motion, and will lock on to a receiver. He might challenge for the third QB after a year on the practice squad. Yet another great attitude guy.
Jon Abbate, LB, Wake Forest
5’ 9 ¾” 231 lbs. 5.06
Instinct, attitude, desire, and football player; these are the word most closely associated with Jon Abbate. Had great production over the last two years in the ACC. Abbate will bite on play action and over-run the play, and doesn’t have the foot speed to recover. A Zach Thomas starter kit?
Cory Anderson, FB, Tennessee
6’ 2 ¼” 247 lbs. 4.72
He moves well, and has good enough hands to contribute in the passing game. Hopefully he can replace Cook. Anderson is the typical WCO fullback prospect.
Onrea Jones, WR, Hampton
5’ 11 1/8” 202 lbs. 4.58
Jones has a good size and history of producing on the field. Could contribute on coverage teams, might be the gunner we hoped Starling would become. Needs work on his route running and getting in and out of his breaks if he is going to see any playing time at WR.
Derrick Roberson, CB, Rutgers
5’ 9” 182 lbs. 4.41
Roberson’s biggest wart (and all UDFA have warts) is his lack of height. The rest of his Pro Day numbers: 42 1/2” vertical, a 10’ 11” broad jump (the numbers show good explosiveness), 4.14 short shuttle, 6.87 three-cone, and 18 reps at 225. Returned 3 kicks for Tds.
Deljuan Robinson, DE, Mississippi State
6’ 3 1/8” 299 lbs. 5.07
The Chronicle listed him as a DE (which could mean so did the Texans), but I’ve only seen him listed as a DT. Pro Football Weekly says he has a “very serious injury concern”, but I can’t find what it is. Thanks to Lucky it was heart surgery to fix a leaky valve. Pro Day numbers: 27” vertical, 9’ 5” broad jump, 4.74 short shuttle, 7.54 three cone, and 23 reps at 225.
Brandon Mitchell, FS, Ohio State
6’ 7/8” 1.99 4.6
Possess good size and a willingness to hit in run support. Only started for a year, and is a former walk-on. The question here is has Mitchell reached his ceiling or does he still have room to grow. Not a ballhawk.
Luke Smith-Anderson, TE, Idaho
6’ 5” 253 lbs 4.99.
Long injury history, highlighted by rupturing his spleen in 2005 and two blown ACLs. Not a great blocker, but can get the job done. Good height for the red zone, and has good hands.
Victor DeGrate, DE, Oklahoma State
6’ 2 5/8” 249 lbs. 4.81
Played OLB for a 2 years before moving to DE for his last 2 years with the Cowboys. Tackles well, plays with a good motor, and will be able to win some one-on-ones against the OL. Shown improvement from year to year. Had some maturity issues as an underclassmen, and got busted for pot a week before the draft. Pro Day numbers: 32” vertical, 9’ 1” broad jump, 7.72 three cone, and 18 reps of 225, can you say “Needs some weight room time.”
Terry Richardson, WR/RS, Arizona State
5’ 11 1/2” 182 lbs. 4.55
Best chance to make the team comes as a returner; has the ability to make people miss in space. Failed to stay on the field due to his inability to digest the playbook, other concern is a lack of work ethic.
Genoka Lucas, C/OG, Oregon State
6’ 2 5/8” 303 lbs. 5.46
Lucas got owned at the Hula Bowl. He does pick up the blitzer well, and can get to the second level and wall off would be tacklers. Was the Beavers offensive team captain. Not the best athlete, and doesn’t play as strong as his weight room numbers would suggest.
Tavo Tupola, OT/OG, Utah
6’ 3 3/4” 313 lbs. 5.5
Well be a 26 year old rookie, after taking a 2 year mission before enrolling at Utah. A four starter at LT for the Utes. Will get beat be the speed rushers, and tend to play to upright. Pro Day numbers: 24 ½” vertical, 8’ 2: broad jump, 4.57 short shuttle and 18 reps of 22.
Eric Wilbur, P, Florida
6’ 2” 200lbs.
Will hopefully challenge Stanley. Career average of 42.9, and put 26 punts behind the 20. Named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. Has good size.
According to Rick Smith there is still one more to come.
