Sound_n_Fury

PFW profile: Positives: Thickly built. Instinctive. Keys & diagnoses, and gets to the ball quickly. Motor is always running. Uses his hands well to shed. Great effort and hustle. Solid wrap-up tackler who will strike a blow. Tough, aggressive and very competitive. Outstanding work habits. Bench pressed 225 pounds a linebacker-best 36 times at the Combine. Negatives: Lacks great size. Not explosive. Too stiff and struggles to change direction. Over-pursues and takes himself out of plays. Gets locked up and stuck on blocks. Marginal cover skills. Does not get great depth in his drops. Lacls the speed to match up with NFL backs. Has not faced top competition. Summary: May have a chance as a two-down tackle-to-tackle ILB at the next level and could be drafted late, but translating outstanding college production will not be easy. Reminds scouts of Seahawks LB Isaiah Kacyvenski and will need to prove himself on special teams before earning a job.

no

Don Banks chimes in, too: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writ...ers.day2/1.html

Looks pretty good. I wonder what DeLucia was watching! http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/3566364

Can I ask where you're getting your player info from (draft guides, video, etc.). Just curious.

I wouldn't put the two OL guys in that category at all: Preston is a bright kid who learns well. He makes all the calls and adjustments for the line and knows each of his linemates’ assignments. He also excels in the classroom, garnering academic honors. (33 Wonderlic score). Geisinger was a member of National Honor Society and high honor roll student, graduating with a 4.0 grade point average in high school (29 Wonderlic score). Both are blue collar maulers who should fit right in as interior backups and down-the-road starters. As far as contact goes, even though I'm not a fan of the Parrish pick, the video I saw on the kid shows he's got a bit of spunk and doesn't shy away from contact. The same with King. Yeah, this draft class wasn't a big name group that we can crow about because of all the national press they got...but so what. They seem like competitive guys who will improve the teams depth and might provide a surprise or two.

From Amerks.com: http://www.amerks.com/FeatureStories.aspx?news_id=451 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's a blurb on the low attendance so far for the AHL playoffs from the D&C. It looks like the NHL lockout has soured a lot of fans on the pro game in general: Fan apathy: The first round of the Calder Cup playoffs continues to be an enigma for the entire AHL. Friday's crowd of 5,817 at the War Memorial was the largest so far in the league. The Amerks, whose crowds always grow larger as they go deeper into the playoffs, drew 3,807 Wednesday. Two other cities drew over 5,000 on Friday (Manchester with 5,337 and Philadelphia with 5,158). The Chicago Wolves were regular-season attendance leaders at a 9,209 average but sold just 2,411 tickets for Game 1 against Houston on Tuesday and 3,021 for Game 2 on Thursday. Milwaukee, the defending Calder Cup champions, played in front of 2,366 fans in the opener against Cincinnati on Wednesday.

I had a lot of respect for the late Joel Buschbaum, and so did a lot of other NFL personnel men. He was the geekiest guy you ever saw, but he made a lot of good calls watching tapes in his apartment. It's still about gut feel and intangibles, and nobody has a monopoly on that yet...including the NFL. Just look at all the bonehead picks made each year by the "professionals."

You know, I think this might be the year of the June 1 cuts, rather than UDFAs. I'm going to focus more attention on looking at the other 31 rosters to see where cap casualties might come from than I am the jamokes left from this year's college crop....

Whoop-di-doo. Pasquarelli will probably write an article about TD's shrewd draft somewhere in the next two days. It'll mean just as much.

So. It's entertainment man. I suppose all the NFL scouts have PhD's

Wow, another big 3rd period comeback. What's got into Novotny!

I actually like Euhas. I see Everett as a developmental guy who could turn into a nice speed, change of pace TE given a year of hard work in a pro system.

I can't see Wilkerson at this point. The Bills picked their center, and there just aren't enough reps to go around.

OK....you haven't been a fan very long if you think the draft can be graded right now! (Sorry man, just pulling your chain )

I look at him as a special teamer only. The LB crop was incredibly thin....he'll play on teams for 1-2 years (if he makes the team) before someone else takes his place.

The undrafted guys are usually announced at the post-draft mini camp, although some names might slip out in advance.

Too soon to tell...instant analysis, as we've seen over the past two days, is a losing proposition (although DeeRay seems to have no problem with it! ). Check back in July. BTW, Pat Williams was an undrafted FA.

Tough and strong are two different things.

Strengths: Is a powerful runner with a good combination of size and strength. He has good initial burst to the hole and adequate speed for his size. Shows good vision and patience. Runs with good pad level and shows adequate initial power at the POA. Is a straight-line runner that is at his best when running downhill. He finds his hole, is very decisive and will not dance much in the backfield. He has adequate hands and is reliable in the short-passing game. Has the size and strength to hold up at the POA when he is in position as a pass blocker. Weaknesses: Doesn't have any special qualities. Is a solid all-around back but lacks explosiveness. Has marginal top-end speed. Is a little bit too straight-lined and seems to have just one-speed. Lacks a second gear when he gets into the open field. He doesn't run by many defenders and he won't make many miss. He never has established himself as the "bell-cow" at Louisville. He is just decent in pass protection and needs to improve his awareness vs. the blitz. Also, while he has good hands and feel in the passing game, he's not an explosive threat after the catch. Had some durability issues in 2003 and 2004. Also had some fumbling problems earlier in his career. Overall: Gates really split carries throughout his career at Louisville. He was a backup much of his sophomore season in 2002 and, while he did lead the Cardinal's in rushing with 817 yards on 141 carries as a junior in 2003, he still split caries with Eric Shelton. The situation wasn't any different for Gates as a senior in '04, as he has continued to split carries with Shelton and Michael Bush, finishing with 373 yards and seven TD's on 76 carries. He also had 71 yards and two TD's on 10 receptions. Gates missed three games because of injury as a senior, two of which were due to a knee injury at the end of the season. Gates has good size, adequate initial burst and is a solid north-south runner. He also has reliable hands and the potential to develop into a solid blocker in the passing game. However, his lack of explosiveness and elusiveness as a runner really limits his NFL potential. His durability issues and minor fumbling problems are also red flags. Overall, Gates has a chance to make it in the NFL as a change of pace backup that can provide some tough carries and also contribute on special teams, but he's too slow and has too many question marks to draft any higher than the middle rounds. ------------------------------ has special teamer written all over him.

That'd be my guess, too. But this year's LB crop has to be one of the worst in years....

Munoz? Maybe we have an inside track.

Whoa...I guess I won't reply after all.

Good bye Smith and Sobieski. There, that wasn't so hard.

Great insight....thanks for sharing.