#34fan

After watching a few Abilene Christian games, I can see how Johnny Knox could be a total stud there. What I can't explain, is how he's capable of taking it to the next level. When scouts go to a school like that, I'm not sure what they're expecting. Nevertheless, I think the fact that more scouts are attending their pro days is a sign that Christian schools will be getting better sooner rather than later. With the right schedule, I wouldn't be surprised to see TCU make a national title run.

Given his skill set, I'm not sure Tebow would have been as successful at a place like TCU. I think the fact that Tebow was surrounded by such stellar coaching, and deep talent at UF, facilitated his rise. By the same token, I wonder if Jeremy Kerley, Johnny Knox, or Andy Dalton would have been anything to look at at UF, Michigan, Nebraska, or USC. They could have been rendered all but invisible under all that talent. I don't know that they would have been able to rise to the top.

I see Tank Carder going in the 4th-5th, and ending up in a place like Houston, or New Orleans. Given Buddy Nix's history with Darren Sproles, he could invite a kid like Greg McCoy to camp. A consistent return weapon takes A LOT of pressure off your offense. This kid has a knack for breaking long ones. Other than Nova, Webb, and BYU, I don't really see any pro level talent coming out of those schools. You could get the odd guy out of Fordham, but that's it. -If you know of any gems there please post their names. I'd like to take a look at them.

Poking fun at a few Christian schools which may, or may not, have an evangelical presence on their football roster, was just a device. The purpose of the thread was actually to highlight certain players from those programs. The post is about football. There was no religious agenda apart from that, I swear.

Even though you clearly did not grasp the tongue & cheek, I hope you found some of the information in the post useful. It's actually my fault. -When you upload posts this long, you can't control how much of it people will actually read. And you certainly can't control what message they take away from it. -Lesson learned. GO BILLS.

Not bad, for a bunch of bible-thumping church-boys. Here are some of the kids I believe COULD make a 2012 pro roster. -God-willing. I posted video wherever possible. Enjoy! ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY Daryl Richardson RB 5'10", 192, (Pro Day) 4.49 40YD, 40.5inch vert, 16 strength reps. The younger brother of Bengals reciever Bernard Scott, Richardson is a smallish, but very speedy playmaker. Can create plays in the open field, and catch out of the screen. May be slightly faster than his 4.49 40 implies. 1196 all-purpose yards in 2011. Not the biggest of accomplishments if your toughest rival is Eastern New Mexico State, and West Texas A&M. Aston Whiteside DE 6'2, 260, (Pro Day) 4.88 40YD 33.5inch vert, 19 strength reps. 12.5 tackles for loss in 2011. -Six sacks. Not very instinctive, but plays very fast. Not sure how much of that 260lbs is muscle. SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY Taylor Thompson DE/TE 6'5" 259 (Pro Day) 4.56 40YD, 22 strength reps. 10.6 long jump. A tight-end coming out of high school, Taylor Played DE for the Mustangs his junior and senior years. in 2011 he racked up 41 tackles (7.5 for loss) and 7 sacks. Scouts, however, were not thrilled with him at the DE position. Word on the street was that he was too small, couldn't shed blockers, couldn't deliver a hit, and lacked drive. Long story short, he ends up busting TE drills on his pro day. -Which Drove up his stock, big time. Scouts liked his hands, athleticism, and speed. He's now expected to go as a 4th-6th round TE! J.J. McDermott QB 6'4" 225, 10.5inch hands, (NMSU transfer) -Yanked a hamstring, and didn't work out on his pro day. Still, McDermott is a kid I paid very close attention to at SMU. He played in 13 games as a senior for the 'stangs. He threw for 3,421 total yards on the year, and 17 touchdowns. Of course, he also threw 16 INT's, and got sacked 27 times, but hey, what part of Conference USA was unclear? IMO, the kid moves around well in the pocket, and throws a very pretty long ball. Have a look at these links. Don't be shocked if someone takes a chance on him in the 5th-6th round. Oh, and don't stare too long at SMU's RB ZACH LINE. He's next year's draft-candy. TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY Braylon Broughton DE 6'6" 272 4.55 40YD, 36.5 vert, 26 strength reps. Finished his senior year with 25 tackles, -six for loss, and two sacks. Scouts are saying that he under-produced at TCU, given his size, speed, and athleticism. Still, he's a very big, very fast kid, who should make somebody's roster by the mid rounds (4th-5th) Tank Carder LB 6'3" 237 4.69 40YD, 19 strength reps (combine) 70 tackles last season. 45 solo. 2 INT's. Admittedly, "Tank" is a dated tough-guy nickname. However, this kid actually lives up to it. Carder literally throws his body all over the field. -Breaks on the ball like no other. He's a great tackler, and loves breaking up passes. Projected as a 3-4 ILB, or 4-3 strong-side LB, he should still be around in the 4th, but he's projected to be gone sometime in the 5th. Negatives: Some think he's too small in the upper body, and could have a tough time wrapping up guys at the next level. Not so sure I'm buying that. I like Carder. I think any team would welcome him in their locker room. His work ethic is legendary at TCU, and that should carry over easily to the pro's. Check him out for yourself Right here Antoine Hicks WR 6'2" 212 (Pro day) 4.59 40YD, 33.5in vert. 17 strength reps. In 2011, Hicks made 33 catches for 347 yards. he had 1 recieving, and 2 rushing TD's. Not the biggest reciever, but he's strong, deceptively fast, and versatile. Hicks can catch in traffic, and doesn't mind going accross the middle. Check out it's a small sample, but Hicks has produced steadily throughout the 2011 season. This link shows Hick's compensating somewhat for his lack of size. IMO, this is a 6th to UDFA type guy. Some team should really take a chance on this guy. Greg McCoy CB 5'10" 181 (Pro day) 4.42 40YD, 10.0ft broad jump, 12 strength reps. Despite being on the smallish side, MCCoy is a very good tackler. In his junior year he racked up 24 solo tackles. As a senior, he recorded 25 solo tackles, with 7 break-ups, and 2 INT's. McCoy could also be a serious weapon in somebody's return game. Check these out. If I'm a GM, who's already had a good draft, I definitely invite this kid to camp. A return-man with this type of ability could be the key to a championship run. I've got a feeling you'll be seeing some of these kids on Sunday. -And I don't mean in church.

I've got this recurring nightmare containing a sequence where we move up to take Trent Richardson. ...Okay, so it's more of a Beer-induced daydream. still, When I think of us taking Spiller #9 overall when we already had good backs in Lynch, and Freddy, I get anxious. Buddy wouldn't do it. Not again. Would he? Dammit, he's thinking about it, isn't he? I knew it. In some people's twisted minds, Richardson is the BPA after RG3. I mean he had a stellar pro day. Richardson showed tremendous speed, strength, and versatility. Which is why I'm hoping like heck Buddy isn't interested in another back. Freddy's no spring chicken. Him going down last year may have left Nix with a bad taste. -Probably why he's not that interested in paying him much. I like Richardson, but if he's going to run behind that O-line, it needs some shoring-up. A first-round talent at WR couldn't hurt either. Bottom line, -I REALLY don't want us drafting another RB in the first round this year. I Sure hope this fear I have proves to be irrational.

Sometimes I wonder why we revere these guys so much. For the most part, they're a bunch of schmucks.

More often than not, that "something" seems to be interceptions. Fitz will have his chance to show his worth next season. If he proves me wrong I'll be the happiest man on earth. If not, I suspect you and I will be having this same conversation in the off-season. The only difference being we'll both be a year older, and no closer to the playoffs. GO BILLS.

Damn Damond, you really rep the smaller schools. -What would we do without you?!

Well said. I've mentioned Fitz's penchant for short passes before, IMO it appears to be by design. And while I can't say 100% that this is Fitz' way of padding stats, It seems to be a very effective way of maintaining his "average" QB identity.

Yah, that's what the horse WANTS you to think. I'm kidding. -I've actually known that fact about PCP since junior high. I use the term "on PCP" in everyday speech for effect. -Kind of the same way people use the term "sweating like a pig" when we know that pigs sweat a miniscule amount. This is a pretty intelligent board, so I should have anticipated a correction. Anyway, thanks for paying attention. -GO BILLS!

Wow, that sucks. RIP Joe.

Mods, I think merging this independent thread into a Russell Wilson megathread was premature. The thread had some pretty distinct information, and also provided a link the whole board could have benefited from. I believe it should be re-instated as a normal thread, and allowed to die it's own natural TBD death. Thank you.

Admittedly, I feel that TOO MUCH is made of this particular test score. That said, I wouldn't feel great about drafting a kid that scored, say, a 4, or some other miserable single digit out of 50 potential points. IMO, it's not a red flag, but rather an emergency flare fired from a vessel in SERIOUS distress. I won't expand on that because it's being discussed on another thread. Still, Per the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Russ Wilson rocked a 28 on his Wonderlic test. Granted, It's not a 48 like old whats-his-face, but it IS the identical score achieved by one Drew Brees, and one (dare I say it!) Peyton Manning. FYI, Per yahoo sports, the NFL average is 21. Check out some of your favorites on this Wonderlic score slideshow and sound off!

After a lot of consideration, (and re-consideration) It's becoming obvious that Cordy Glenn may be the best LT prospect in this draft. He's certainly better than Reiff, baggage or no baggage. I wouldn't be completely disappointed if we took him @ 10. IMHO There could be a problem with him holding at the next level, but I'd expect that to be ironed out in training camp. My personal favorite Tackle prospect is Boise State's Nate Potter. He doesn't possess Glenn's size, but is very instinctive, fearless, and nimble. I could envision a compromise where we take DeCastro @ 10, and Grab Potter in a later round. DeCastro IMO is the must-have player (if he's still there) @ 10. Watch this reel: My link Look at how much POP this kid possesses. He absolutely flattens people. An aircraft carrier could take it's time passing through the holes he creates for the run game. As an interior lineman he is both wall and battering-ram. I take Buddy at his word, but I don't pass on DeCastro @ 10. No way.

-A Buttload. Many are holdovers from the 90's who kept the faith. The NY, NJ, CT, tri-state area hides alot of Billievers. A winning season should bring them all out of the woodwork.

I partially agree. Nate Potter is a stud, from an o-line of studs that finished the year tied for 1st in sacks allowed (0.67) -Ideally, I'd take D-cups (DeCastro) @ 10, then snag Potter in a later round. That would be the makings of a terriffic O-line. I'm also encouraged by the fact that these kids would be scrimmaging top-flight pasrushers in training camp. Competing against BOTH Williams brothers, Dareus, and Mark Anderson could give young OT's/OG's a trememdous advantage coming out of the gate.

Average? something like 6'6"

So long 'Scoe. -Thanks for the memories!

Ralph said he wants 'runners'. -This kid runs like a thoroughbred on PCP. I thought Wilson looked damn good running a pro-style offense at NC state, but I had no clue of the athlete he was until he went to Wisconsin. This kid learned a completely different system in THREE WEEKS. He went from throwing accurately over big linemnen in the ACC, to throwing even more accurately over even bigger linemen in the Big-ten. How do you knock a guy that goes from from ACC wannabe to Big-ten Champion in under A YEAR? You don't. You DRAFT him.

Me either. Both have been his meal ticket for far too long.

Yah, I've mentioned him in the shoutbox before. I also posted video of him in a Ryan Lindley (SDSU QB) thread that appeared a few weeks back. -Not certain if Burris fits our scheme, but he is one heck of a player. -Wouldn't be surprised if his name got called in the 5th or 6th.

I dunno about superb. Although, it was good enough to steal a win from the minute-men.

Some GM will no doubt make the same mistake I made at a rec-center a while back. I needed five guys for a hoops pickup game, and it came down to two players. One seemed athletic, but was painfully short. The other was a tall, lanky, beanpole character I believed would dunk every time we fed the rock to him. Needless to say I was wrong. The shorter guy was an absolute dynamo on the court. He, in fact, dunked several times in the course of the game, which ended up being an 11-4 blowout. Big man was teats on a steer. However, I can't put it all on him. It was my down, and I shouldn't have allowed prejudice to govern my selections. By picking solely on size, I alone sealed our embarassing fate that afternoon. Don't be like me. Osweiller may yet become a successful pro. However, given his limited body of work, a first-round phone call to his agent could be a mistake. -Hey, I LIKE the kid. He Stands tall in the pocket, plays fearless, and really wants to win games. Still, I can envision YEARS of him holding clipboards without really becoming a legit NFL QB. Third round should be the earliest Osweillers's name is even brought up. For my money, I'd gamble on Russell Wilson (if he was still there.) In the 4th. -Wilson has a 12-guage arm, and is deadly-accurate as a passer. He's an electrifying athlete who's had great success executing two BCS pro-style offenses. This time, I gotta roll with the short guy. Super-size prospects can sometimes equal super-size letdowns.