Beerball Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 It's an insider article so I'll post portions of the article. Top five participants1. Boston College DT B.J. Raji Raji clearly has the size and strength to quickly develop into a starting nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme. Throughout the practice week, he consistently dominated California's Alex Mack and Oregon's Max Unger, whom we consider the top two center prospects in the country. Raji isn't one-dimensional, either. At 344 pounds, he's still quick and athletic enough to excel as a one-gap tackle in a 4-3 scheme. But no player is perfect, of course, and Raji needs to be more consistent and improve his overall technique. 2. USC MLB Rey Maualuga Maualuga clearly will have a tough time matching up with NFL backs and tight ends in man coverage. He just doesn't have the hip fluidity to do so, and it showed during Senior Bowl week. Perhaps more importantly, he lacks ideal instinct and got caught out of position too often during the week. So why is he No. 2 on this list? Maualuga is a wrecking ball of a run defender. The 254-pounder is aggressive and blows up blockers even when he doesn't fill the correct gap. He also has above-average range for his size and impressed us with the awareness he showed in zone coverage as the week progressed. 3. Oklahoma State TE Brandon Pettigrew Pettigrew entered the week as our top-ranked tight end, and although he didn't have a spectacular week of practice, he keeps the top tight end spot on our list. The 6-foot-5, 257-pound Pettigrew is an effective inline blocker who has the quickness to get into position and lateral mobility to sustain his blocks. He also has enough room on his frame to add some weight. Pettigrew had some problems separating from man coverage as a receiver, though, and he lacks ideal top-end speed. However, he is a reliable possession receiver who has the wide frame to shield defenders from the ball and the strong hands to catch it in traffic. 4. Southern Cal OLB Brian Cushing The 243-pound Cushing showcased his versatility in Mobile. For starters, he did an excellent job of stoning tight ends and setting the edge as a run defender during practices. Second, he played with great intensity and even laid out 234-pound Liberty RB Rashad Jennings at the end of one run. Third, he showed the burst necessary to turn the edge and get to the quarterback at the NFL level. On the flip side, although Cushing rarely is caught out of position in zone coverage and can reroute tight ends at the line of scrimmage, he lacks elite man-to-man cover skills. 5. Ole Miss OT Michael Oher On the rise: 1. Ohio State WR Brian Robiskie Robiskie started with a strong practice Monday, performed well throughout the week and finished with an above-average performance during the game. He was by far the most polished receiver on either roster, running precise routes and showing a knack for getting open. Scouts also liked his soft hands and ability to effortlessly snatch the ball out of the air before it hit his pads. 2. Southern Miss TE Shawn Nelson Scouts fell in love with Nelson's top-end speed, quickness and tremendous ball skills. However, they knew going in that he had the goods to develop quickly into a productive receiving tight end. It's the toughness and willingness to block he showed that have him shooting up draft boards. In addition, Nelson weighed in at 238 pounds and has enough room on his frame to add 15 to 20 pounds without losing speed or quickness. 3. Northern Illinois DE/OLB Larry English Orakpo's decision not to participate this week meant scouts were paying more attention to English, and to his credit, he rose to the occasion. English showed he has the power and speed to get to the quarterback while working against some of the top offensive tackle prospects in the 2009 class, quieting concerns about the level of competition he faced in college. Even more impressive is that the 254-pound English is stronger against the run than his size suggests and athletic enough to develop adequate cover skills. He performed so well at the Senior Bowl that he's considered one of the top outside linebacker/rush end prospects in this year's draft. In fact, he could come off the board late in the first round. 4. Western Michigan S Louis Delmas 5. North Carolina State RB Andre Brown The entire article can be found here. This illustrates why the Bills will be in the drivers seat on draft day. Trading down or standing pat we will come away with a player at a need position who will step in immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 It's an insider article so I'll post portions of the article. The entire article can be found here. This illustrates why the Bills will be in the drivers seat on draft day. Trading down or standing pat we will come away with a player at a need position who will step in immediately. I've never been much of a McShay fan, but I have to give him credit for identifying two of “my” guys in English and Nelson. Anyone that reads this board knows I’m ga-ga for Larry English; a relentless pass-rusher with enough athleticism to be effective in coverage. Nelson is a guy that I sort of thought would be an off-line TE in the Donald Lee mold, but he sure looked the part as a blocker during Senior Bowl week. In fact, on one play in practice on Wednesday, he drove Rey Maualuga back about 5 yards and then pancaked him, drawing a roar from his teammates. I would be very happy if Buffalo ended up with either of these guys, but the reality is that they won’t take English at 11 and he’ll be long-gone when they pick again at 42. Nelson seems a more likely option, but there’s the potential that he’ll be valued at the bottom of the second round, and that the Bills may wait until round 3 to try to pick him up. If that happens, I expect they’ll be disappointed, as teams tend to lock onto players that confirm their skills in all-star games while improving upon their apparent deficiencies. My guess is that Nelson will come off the board within the first few picks of the third round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABills Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 All we need is a CB from Ohio State. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUFFALOTONE Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 All we need is a CB from Ohio State. Malcolm Jenkins!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABills Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Malcolm Jenkins!! Doesn't matter who. Just a Cb from Ohio State. Anyone will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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