kastofsna
Hall of Fame
this is from a very knowledgable poster, Boomer, on the FinHeaven board. i would say everything he said, but he knows more than me. he knows what he's talking about, read it:
"Brown is the better player, Staley has the bigger upside. But to be honest, both have the great intangibles that you're looking for.
You know what you're getting with Levi; 4 year starter at a top school, great size, good strength, tough as nails, good punch, can move defenders in the run game, takes good angles, good kick slide, mature, serious, loves the game and wants to be the best that he can be. He'll play through pain and go that extra mile for the team. Look at him - he's huge with the big wingspan, the big bubble and the thick frame. You're not moving this cat off the ball. He has some issues with technique which can get a little flabby at times and you'll see him bend at the waist and he'll be a little inconsistent with his hands. This is especially the case against lesser talent. But I think it's all coachable. And he's a leader of men. You only had to see him tear BranDon Snow a new one in the Minnesota game to know that, after Snow shouted at an assistant coach. Brown ripped him to shreds on the sidelines, telling him that it was utterly unacceptable. Brown talks the talk, but he walks the walk as well and as team captain at PSU, that was classic senior leadership. A pair of scouts in Indy thought that in terms of on field ability, he was as athletic as Joe Thomas when he's switched on. Obviously he's not the same in shorts and a t-shirt, but when the pads are on, different matter. I want to see him improve his technique and ratchet up the consistency, but he's a fine player.
Staley has followed a path similar to Joe Toledo in that he was a tight end who's grown into a LT. He has superior feet....I mean, they're really good, but he has issues with his strength. He doesn't get a really great push at the point of attack and he's raw. But when you see him play, what immediately strikes you is that he has the feet to handle edge rushers in the pros. He too has a good wingspan and uses his hands well, but I think he lacks the physical strength to be a force in year 1. He's a very fine pass protecter in part because he gets off the snap so damn fast and because he understands how his feet should work. His base is solid and he keeps himself well balanced in front of his target man. He can be very aggressive, and whilst he's strong enough, I don't think he's yet strong enough to handle his role at the next level. He doesn't have the mass but he is focused enough to get it. Any time you get a guy as big as he is who can bend and slide as well as he can...... you take note and as one scout said in Indy; "He's not going to let himself fail because of his personality."
A pair of really good kids."
"Brown is the better player, Staley has the bigger upside. But to be honest, both have the great intangibles that you're looking for.
You know what you're getting with Levi; 4 year starter at a top school, great size, good strength, tough as nails, good punch, can move defenders in the run game, takes good angles, good kick slide, mature, serious, loves the game and wants to be the best that he can be. He'll play through pain and go that extra mile for the team. Look at him - he's huge with the big wingspan, the big bubble and the thick frame. You're not moving this cat off the ball. He has some issues with technique which can get a little flabby at times and you'll see him bend at the waist and he'll be a little inconsistent with his hands. This is especially the case against lesser talent. But I think it's all coachable. And he's a leader of men. You only had to see him tear BranDon Snow a new one in the Minnesota game to know that, after Snow shouted at an assistant coach. Brown ripped him to shreds on the sidelines, telling him that it was utterly unacceptable. Brown talks the talk, but he walks the walk as well and as team captain at PSU, that was classic senior leadership. A pair of scouts in Indy thought that in terms of on field ability, he was as athletic as Joe Thomas when he's switched on. Obviously he's not the same in shorts and a t-shirt, but when the pads are on, different matter. I want to see him improve his technique and ratchet up the consistency, but he's a fine player.
Staley has followed a path similar to Joe Toledo in that he was a tight end who's grown into a LT. He has superior feet....I mean, they're really good, but he has issues with his strength. He doesn't get a really great push at the point of attack and he's raw. But when you see him play, what immediately strikes you is that he has the feet to handle edge rushers in the pros. He too has a good wingspan and uses his hands well, but I think he lacks the physical strength to be a force in year 1. He's a very fine pass protecter in part because he gets off the snap so damn fast and because he understands how his feet should work. His base is solid and he keeps himself well balanced in front of his target man. He can be very aggressive, and whilst he's strong enough, I don't think he's yet strong enough to handle his role at the next level. He doesn't have the mass but he is focused enough to get it. Any time you get a guy as big as he is who can bend and slide as well as he can...... you take note and as one scout said in Indy; "He's not going to let himself fail because of his personality."
A pair of really good kids."
pretty much echoes my sentiment as well 
