Today we are focusing on the big guys that take up all the space in the middle of the field. Being an old QB myself I want to take care of these guys and make sure that they are getting the recognition they deserve. Here is a look at the guards that are coming out of college this year.
| 1 | 71 | Albert | Branden | Virginia U | OG | 6055v | 309v | 5.20v | I | |
| Junior eligible player with excellent size, range and athletic ability. Pass sets were quick and efficient. Good stunt awareness, feet and range. Good knee bender. As a run blocker, engages quickly with good hand placement and sustain. Very impressive on his pull and lead. Can improve his overall body strength, but I saw little else that I didn’t like with this player’s game. Round # 1 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 66 | Rachal | Chilo | USC | OG | 6050v | 315v | 5.26v | I | |
| Missed some time due to injury in 07. Very physical and strong. Excellent punch and ability to move his feet. Liked his pull and lead skills. Good power in his hands. Excellent finisher. Should become a productive professional very quickly. Hits up and works for position after contact. Good body balance. Adequate to reach playside. Might be a tear away from factoring, but has a good deal of talent. Round # 2 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 75 | Cousins | O’Niel | Texas-El Paso | OG | 6036v | 308v | 5.04v | I | |
| Impressive Senior Bowl practice effort. Has good inline power and the ability to finish people. Good hand placement and ability to steer and stick on blocks. Reaches effectively and runs his feet on contact. Powerful guy who plays on his feet. On pass pro, his mass and ability to drop his base, enables him to handle the bull rush. Inconsistent with his kick/slide (depth and width). A high ceiling player with natural tools. Round 2 draft potnetial | ||||||||||
| 4 | 79 | Greco | John | Toledo U | OG | 6046v | 305v | 5.26v | F | |
| An impressive athlete with good feet and strength, size and athletic ability. Looked natural on the left size, but due to his limited arm length would project this player down inside. Liked his work on pass protection (sets, kick step and striking power). A knee bender with striking power and savvy. Liked his balance points and recovery skills. Under the radar player who has a chance to play a very long time. Smart and aware. Round 2 – 3. | ||||||||||
| 5 | 75 | McGlynn | Mike | Pittsburgh U | OG | 6042v | 311v | 5.41v | F | |
| College ROT. Is a big sucker (small hands), who impressed me with his work at OG during Senior Bowl workouts. Strong and efficient in a limited area. Not as nifty or quick as one would want, but was physical, and was an adequate to good finisher. Struggled with the quick edge rusher on the outside (gets his feet crossed some). Some block point balance problem. Solid journeyman prospect. Has solid 3rd to 4th round potential. | ||||||||||
| 6 | 60 | Radovich | Drew | USC | OG | 6044v | 301v | 5.38v | F | |
| Versatile player with surprising athletic skills & versatility. Can swing between the tackle and guard positions. Need to improve his overall upper body strength but I like his toughness. More then adequate bend and playing savvy. Comes off the ball & hit up with more then adequate punch. Good hand placement and fits. Efficient short set and extend. See him as a valuable back up at the pro level. Round 3 – 4 draft potential. | ||||||||||
| 7 | 67 | Schuening | Roy | Oregon St | OG | 6035v | 306v | 5.32v | F | |
| Is a good technician who was both smart and experienced.. Not as explosive as a run blocker as I expected. Good to short set and mirror. Limited playing range. Some inconsistency in 07. Needs to take better angles and improve efficiency at the second level. Marginal to reach playside. Is never going to be a great one, but has the ability to become a regular in time within the league. Draft round 3 – 4 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 61 | Felton | Robert | Arkansas U | OG | 6035v | 313v | 5.54v | F | |
| A big thick, bad body guy with good upper body strength and quickness, but had some contact balance problems (on the ground too frequently) Feet had a tendency to stall on contact. Got to second level & was able to hit up turn and wall defender. On pass protection, I liked his setting quicks, feet and movement, although I didn’t he get consistent lockout. Will need to keep his weight under control, but is a smart and versatile player. Round 4 draft consideration | ||||||||||
| 9 | 74 | Barton | Kirk | Ohio St | OG | 6043v | 310v | 5.30e | F | |
| Much better suited physically and from an athletic standpoint to play down on the inside. Tough kid with some playing experience. Doesn’t kick butt, but also doesn’t get his butt kicked. Has a tendency to engage with his hands from the outside the defenders frame and doesn’t alway bring his feet with him. Not real effective adjusting to movement off the LOS. On pass pro, anchored well on his short sets. Problems with speed out on the edge. Rd 4 – 5. | ||||||||||
| 10 | 77 | Rinehart | Chad | Northern Iowa U | OG | 6051v | 320v | 5.34v | F | |
| Not impressive from a physical standpoint but was technically sound, very tough and understands the game. Would project down inside to a guard position. Has a good understanding of angles and he wasn’t on the ground a great deal. Good to scoop, but wasn’t real effecient at the second level. Is a journeyman player who gives you some versatility and experience. Not a supple easy moving athlete. Solid mid to late second day selection (Rd 5-7). | ||||||||||
| 11 | 73 | Bernadeau | Mackenzy | Bentley College | OG | 6041v | 304v | 5.27v | F | |
| An athletic, explosive and tough individua,, who can run and adjust in space. Showed good ball smarts, adjusted well on the move and had some nasty in him. Pass sets, feet and use of hands were impressive given his limited background. Missed last 3 games of the 07 season with an MCL injury. Dominates the competition. Similar to Jahri Evans (Saints) in playing style although might not be his equal as an athlete. Has 4th to 5th round draft potential. | ||||||||||
| 12 | 55 | Thomas | Donald | Connecticut U | OG | 6033v | 303v | 5.06v | I | |
| The big question is whether he going to be big enough? Has good upper body strength, but his feet often stalled on contact inline. Tried to muscle people rather then hitting up and working around defender. Tough nasty individual who has an edge about him. On pass pro, was effectively able to anchor once he locked on with his hands. Base has a tendency to get too wide I didn’t like the way his toes turned out. Mid to late round draft potential (4 -6). | ||||||||||
| 13 | 63 | Crummey | Andrew | Maryland U | OG | 6045v | 301v | 5.36v | F | |
| Is big, smart & experienced player with knowhow. Comes out of a balanced stance, was adequate on his get off but was not a consistent finisher.. Just not a power player. Feet tended to stall on contact . On pass pro, I didn’t think his feet were quick, played, rigid & didn’t get consistent lock out. Overall, I didn’t see special skills, but I believe he has shown enough good things to make a club in a back up role. Round 6 to 7 consideration. | ||||||||||
| 14 | 74 | Murphy | Shawn | Utah St | OG | 6037v | 320v | 5.21v | F | |
| Tough, strong, highly physical and versatile (LOT in 06 – LOG in 07). Son of former Braves baseball great Dale Murphy. J.C. transfer, who is very much a work in progress. Former DE. Comes off the ball showing good balance points. Works to sustain, but was not particularly explosive on contact. Can pull, lead and adjust on the move. On pass pro, is going to needs work on his hand use and set more efficiently. Draft consideration 5th – 7th. | ||||||||||
| 15 | 59 | Scott | Walter | Kentucky U | OG | 6032v | 298v | 4.91v | J | |
| Former TE and defensive linemen. First year regular. Good athlete, but did not play particularly strong (can’t move big people inline). Did show some shock on the snap but not a big finisher. I do like his feet, balance and bend, but is just not ready at this time. Late developmental prospect who could pay big dividends. Good smarts and playing intangibles. Draft consideration round # 6 to 7. | ||||||||||
| 16 | 70 | Clark | Devin | New Mexico U | OG | 6035v | 313v | 5.29v | F | |
| A mauler who showed the ability to bend his knees. Better suited to play down inside. Can make a club based on ability, but is going to have to become more accountable off the field (need to check some off his off the field incidents). Good pass pro skills (liked his sets and range). A mauler who played with some tenacity. Playing ROT, but is better suited to move down inside (OG). Has a chance to become a good one. Late round consideration. | ||||||||||
| 17 | 54 | Young | Eric | Tennessee U | OG | 6035v | 310v | 5.25e | I | |
| First season at the LOT position. Appeared top heavy. Doesn’t play with a lot of power. Comes off the ball well, but doesn’t climb or finish consistently. At the second level or on the backside, was quick to do little. Feet and pass sets were solid, but again doesn’t get lockout and was not strong on his feet. Just does not bend well and lacks power. A waist bender although he covers ground and showed. Finesse rather then he is a power player. Round 6th to 7th. | ||||||||||
| 18 | 71 | Zuttah | Jeremy | Rutgers U | OG | 6033v | 303v | 5.07v | I | |
| Good size and lots room to grow with his frame. Outstanding test athlete, but lacked functional playing strength. Played consistently straight legged and was stiff in his hips. A non knee bender in the classic sense. Playing a ROT, but is better suited to play inside. On pass pro, his lack of balance points will always limit this player (gets driven back). Adequate college player with tools, but has a very long way to go. Needs position refinement. Draft # 7 | ||||||||||
| 19 | 53 | Gibson | Mike | California U | OG | 6034v | 305v | 5.29v | F | |
| Is an athletic big man who appeared more natural on the right side then his current LOT position. Is a versatile player, who although is better suited inside, could lineup in a pinch at the tackle spot. Didn’t see him as having a lot of functional playing strength at this time (legs stall on contact), but appeared to have more then adequate feet and contact balance. Would give late round draft consideration, but is more likely a priority free agent prospect. | ||||||||||
| 20 | 68 | McDuffie | Chris | Clemson U | OG | 6041v | 330v | 5.35e | F | |
| Proto type look physically although lacks functional playing strength (gets his pads up consistently). Didn’t consistently come off the ball and lacks rear power to get movement inline. Plays hard but was barely an adequate athlete. All of his success and effectiveness was in a short area. Hate to give up on a big man, but this isn’t a quick fix type player. Late consideration, but is more likely a priority free agent player | ||||||||||
| 21 | 77 | Sosa | Pedro | Rutgers U | OG | 6035v | 300v | 5.35e | F | |
| LOT starter, but is far better suited to play down inside (Doesn’t play heavy and lacks the foot quickness to play out on an island). Inline flashed take off quicks, but feet generally stopped on contact. Catch and steer guy who lacked short area explosiveness. On pass pro, is a classic waist bender who will have consistent problems with balance. Not a bad athlete, but has a lot of things that need to be fixed. 7th round or PFA. | ||||||||||
| 22 | 75 | Schwartz | Geoffrey | Oregon U | OG | 6061v | 332v | 5.39v | F | |
| An absolute giant!. Has decent footwork and effectiveness in a limited area. Not particularly tough and had real problems with speed people on the edge. If he can front up a defender and get his hands on them has a chance to roster. Missed much of 07 due to injury. Has long snap skills which further enhance his playing chances. Late consideration, but is more likely a free agent player within the league. | ||||||||||
