Don't know if this has been posted yet...Scouts Inc profiles of our draftees...

[ckparrothead]

We'll start with the new UFA addition RB Fred Russell.

RB | (5'7", 195, 4.5) | IOWA | COLLEGE STATS
Data from Scouts, Inc.


Grade: 54
Alerts: (B: BULK/SIZE) Lacks size/bulk for position

Comments: Russell was tremendously productive at the highest collegiate level and shows very good vision and patience. He does a fine job of finding cutback lanes and typically does a very good job of reading blocks. He has great initial burst and quickness and good speed. He has a second gear in the open field and has the hips and elusiveness to make defenders miss in space. He suffered a shoulder injury early in his career but was durable his last two seasons. Russell is small and does not have the strength or bulk to hold up as an every-down runner. He doesn't break tackles and lacks lower-body strength. He will get overwhelmed as a pass blocker, and makes for a small target as a receiver. Russell suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery in 2000 and sat out as a medical redshirt. Russell had a breakout junior season for the Hawkeyes in 2002 with 1,264 rushing yards and had 1,355 yards as a senior He is a scrappy runner with very good quickness and above-average speed. He shows good vision, runs hard and shows some open-field elusiveness. But Russell projects as a change-of-pace back. He is undersized and lacks the strength to handle a full-time job. He also is limited in the passing game. He will likely need to learn how to return kicks to make a career for himself, and he'll probably go in the mid-to-late rounds

Next up, our first round selection and likely our new RT, Vernon Carey.

SELECTED BY MIAMI , ROUND 1, PICK 19, OVERALL PICK 19
OG | (6'4", 335, 5.25) | MIAMI (FLA.) | COLLEGE STATS
Data from Scouts, Inc.


Grade: 89
Comments: Carey is well-built, terrific overall strength. Adequate initial quickness out of his stance, a powerful run blocker. Terrific at driving his legs in the running game. Strong lower body, can engulf linemen once he locks on. Plays with a mean streak and finishes blocks. Good initial pop. Quick in short area, but loses effectiveness in space. Moves well laterally in short area. Can mirror and slide in pass pro. Good body control and solid overall quickness in short area. Excellent base to anchor vs. bull rush in pass pro. Won't lose many one-on-one matchups when locked on. But his footwork can be inconsistent, and he must play with consistent leverage. Can improve technique. Hasn't learned to use hands well in pass pro. Played through an ankle injury most of senior season, which limited his quickness and mobility, but he is average. Decent initial quickness. Can be inconsistent out of his stance. Looks lazy at times. Tends to be too high coming out of stance. Vernon has excellent size and strength for an interior lineman and is a mauler. When he places his hands correctly, he can jar an opponent. Strong punch, engulfs at point of attack. Excellent lower-body strength. Plays too high at times, but has an excellent base to anchor. Rarely overpowered at point of attack. Will pancake his opponent if he locks on with good position and works to finish. Doesn't have great suddenness or initial quickness, but moves well for his size. Shows some lateral agility in pass pro when he bends at the knees. Runs well in the open field for a massive lineman. Can reach the second level and hit moving targets in running game. Carey isn't tall but is massive, and he came into come into his own as a starter at left tackle for the Hurricanes in 2002. He has good mobility for his size, is a dominant run blocker when he locks on and holds up well on the perimeter in pass pro. Carey was moved inside to left guard as a senior. He struggled early because of an ankle sprain but developed into the best interior offensive lineman in the nation. He can't handle speed rushers on an island and fits much better inside at guard than at tackle. However, Carey could develop into a dominant player if he works at improving his leverage and hand placement. He's likely to be taken in the first two rounds

Next up, our fourth round STEAL Will Poole. I wanna little credit on this guy I was sayin his name over and over again in chat but nobody seemed to hear me on it...he could be our Sam Madison replacement, and he could achieve what Sam has in his career. No word of lie.

SELECTED BY MIAMI , ROUND 4, PICK 6, OVERALL PICK 102
CB | (5'10", 184, 4.65) | USC | COLLEGE STATS
Data from Scouts, Inc.


Grade: 86
Alerts: (C: CHARACTER) Problems on and off the field

Comments: Poole is a fluid athlete with smooth hips. Agile, changes directions without losing anything. Outstanding instincts. Gets great break on balls, best when breaking forward. Very good burst to ball. Adjusts to ball in air. Plus leaping ability. Exceptional at reading quarterbacks' eyes in man-to-man and zone coverages. Mean streak, physical, but technique in press coverage inconsistent. Lacks speed, has problems staying with premier receivers downfield. Adequate recognition skills, but is overaggressive, gambles to make big plays and lacks second gear to recover. Explosive first step, accelerates well when coming forward, can cover lots of ground in short time. Good, but not great speed. Has trouble turning, running with faster NFL receivers. Soft hands, will come up with interception when in position, can make acrobatic catches. Has body control to adjust to ball in air, has leaping ability to catch balls at their apex. Aggressive filling against run, not afraid to sacrifice body, good pop at point of attack. Has agility to make plays in space, generally wraps up on contact, can knock balls loose. Poole took over as a starter in his junior season and made his presence felt as a senior. He was not on the NFL's draft radar prior to this season but emerged as a top playmaking Pac-10 corner. There are some concerns about Poole's character (he was suspended while attending Boston College, and eventually left the school), but he has not been in any trouble since. Poole might be better suited to play in a zone scheme in the NFL, but he has enough physical tools to play man and zone coverage, and he is a physical, aggressive cornerback who will press receivers and support the run. He is a late-first-round prospect who should improve with experience. He also has the potential to return punts, and he'll deserve a look in that area

Next up, our new backup Center allowing St Clair to focus on the guard and tackle positions rather than being a jack of all trades, Rex Hadnot. You know someone mentioned this guy a while before the draft I wish I could remember why but someone did nickname him "Rex we-Hadnot-better-draft-him" I'll have to do a bit of a search, hehe.

SELECTED BY MIAMI , ROUND 6, PICK 9, OVERALL PICK 174
OG | (6'1", 320, 5.5) | HOUSTON | COLLEGE STATS
Data from Scouts, Inc.


Grade: 56
Comments: Hadnot is an experienced, versatile interior lineman. Extremely efficient in college. Savvy, excellent football intelligence. Very good awareness in pass pro. Adequate feet in short area. Adequate upper-body strength, can keep separation in pass pro. Plays with leverage, can anchor against bull rushers. Tough, aggressive run blocker. Takes good angles. Adequate lower-body strength, drives legs, works to sustain. Lacks height. Has quick feet in short area, but mediocre athleticism. Lacks initial quickness, speed. Rough on pulls and traps. Struggles to reach second level, hit moving targets in space in running game. Lacks mobility to shuffle in pass pro. Good power and bulk, but mediocre size, won't overwhelm tackles at point of attack. Hadnot started his last three seasons at Houston and did not give up a sack throughout his first two seasons as a starter (over 800 passing attempts). Hadnot was an extremely efficient interior offensive lineman in college and played guard and center. He has good bulk, adequate strength and is an aggressive blocker. He has adequate feet in the short area and is very alert in pass protection, but is a mediocre athlete. Hadnot has some upside because of his versatility and experience, but he will be hampered by his lack of agility and height. Hadnot is worth drafting in the final few rounds because he can develop into a quality backup at center and both guard positions

Here's out lay-the-wood linebacker Derrick Pope. I kept confusing him at the Senior Bowl for Kendyll Pope. A couple of times Derrick drew the eye at the Senior Bowl with his backlayer tackles. Could be a good part timer.

SELECTED BY MIAMI , ROUND 7, PICK 21, OVERALL PICK 222
OLB | (5'11", 233, 4.6) | ALABAMA | COLLEGE STATS
Data from Scouts, Inc.


Grade: 46
Alerts: (B: BULK/SIZE) Lacks size/bulk for position

Comments: Pope is one of the hardest-working players in the 2004 class. Overachiever who always gives great effort. One of the best tacklers in this class, could become an outstanding special-teams player. Instinctive, tough, physical, aggressive. Very good recognition. Plus speed, quickness. Good power for a smaller player, shows hip explosion as tackler. Plus range in zone. Very good closing burst, ball skills in coverage. Inexperienced. Only started one season in college. Short, small. Lacks strength. Struggles to get through traffic. Can't take on blocks in phone booth. Can't match up vs. big TE's one-on-one, lacks speed, athleticism to handle upper-echelon RBs in. Pope was a backup his first three seasons at Alabama before starting as a senior in 2003. Pope played on the outside on running downs, but moved inside on passing downs. Pope started at strongside but is a weakside prospect. He is undersized, but he plays a lot bigger than his measurables indicate and he has good speed and athleticism. Pope lacks the physical tools to ever develop into a starter, but he is worth drafting because has the heart and athleticism to make a career as a backup who can contribute on passing downs and give a great effort on special teams. He is one of the finest, most technically sound tacklers in this class

And here's Tommy Hendr.....Tony Bua.

SELECTED BY MIAMI , ROUND 5, PICK 28, OVERALL PICK 160
S | (5'11", 209, 4.62) | ARKANSAS
Data from Scouts, Inc.


Grade: 55
Alerts: (S: SPEED) Player lacks ideal speed at position

Comments: Bua has a high energy, nonstop motor. Overachiever, great toughness, competitiveness. Adequate speed, good athlete for size. Nose for ball, very good instincts. Good at reading keys, reacting. Excellent range vs. run. Great pursuit angles, makes lots plays from behind. Slips blocks, protects body when getting through traffic. Solid open-field tackler. Good pop, hip explosion for a safety. Fearless, will throw body around. Best in limited zone coverage. Plays faster than timed speed because of good recognition. Good quickness, speed, instincts in zone coverage, can matchup with most tight ends, some running backs in man coverage. Great instincts as blitzer. Durability concerns (shoulder and hamstring). Undersized linebacker who moved to safety, lacks experience. Struggles at point of attack when reached. Poor at disengaging once reached, gets engulfed by bigger opponents when they get into his body. Runs around too many blocks, misses tackles because he is out of position. Good speed, cover skills at LB, but lacks range as safety must be protected. Lacks athleticism, speed to cover down middle. Lacks hips, agility to match up vs. slot receivers. Bua is a classic overachiever. He was an undersized linebacker who had an improbable breakout season as a sophomore. After shoulder surgery his junior year, Bua moved to safety. He started 13 games in '03 and had 126 tackles with a sack, two interceptions and seven passes broken up. Bua might never develop into a starter, but he is someone you want on your team. He is a high-energy player with good size, adequate athleticism, great toughness and a knack for making plays. He has great potential as a special-teams player and could be a nickel linebacker on passing downs

And finally, our 6'6" tackle prospect...adding a little depth not named "Greg Jerman" to the roster and possibly negating the need to count on Damian Dixontosh....

SELECTED BY MIAMI , ROUND 7, PICK 20, OVERALL PICK 221
OT | (6'6", 324, 5.22) | MICHIGAN | COLLEGE STATS
Data from Scouts, Inc.


Grade: 47
Alerts: (S: SPEED) Player lacks ideal speed at position

Comments: Pape is experienced, efficient player with good size, strength and quickness. Quick out of stance, quick set in pass pro. Long arms, good at finishing in pass pro once locked on. Better in running game. Has size/frame to engulf linemen at point of attack. Tough, aggressive, competitive blocker. Really works to finish, drives legs in running game. Is durable, consistent, solid leader and hard worker. Solid, but not spectacular. Must play with leverage. Adequate short-area quickness, but lacks agility. Struggles to redirect in pass pro against double moves. Plays too high and looks stiff. Has trouble hitting moving targets in space. Works hard to finish and has good strength, but is not overpowering. Pape was a two-year starter at left tackle before moving to right tackle as a senior. He is an efficient, aggressive, strong lineman with plus technique and hand usage. He has long arms and adequate short-area quickness in pass protection, but is not a great athlete and is a bit stiff. He'll probably have to play right tackle or move inside to guard. Pape is a fierce competitor who is great at finishing blocks once locked on. If he can play with consistent leverage, he could develop into a strong run-blocking and efficient pass blocking right tackle. Pape might slip to Day 2 because he doesn't wow you, but we think he's underrated because he's instinctive and will probably earn a starting job in the NFL

And lastly, none of this would be fair or even complete, if I didn't include links to our own FinHeaven draft specialist Boomer's write-ups on some of the above players.

Tony Pape
http://www.finheaven.com/seasonal/ot/ot4/index.php#pape

Vernon Carey
http://www.finheaven.com/seasonal/ot/ot2/index.php#carey

Its too bad Boomer never got the CB rankings up prior to the draft I would have loved to see what he would have written about Will Poole BEFORE we drafted him...heh...no offense Boomer but you're a dolfan and naturally I'd be a little worried you pump up the guy a little bit now that he's a Phin. If you DID write anything about Poole or any of the other guys prior to the draft Boom, I'd LOVE to see it...

 

[dolfan87]

I am pretty sure Boomer had that stuff written up prior to the draft, and it just never made it up until yesterday.

87

 

[ckparrothead]

The CB stuff? I still don't see any CBs up on the draft central page...just Safeties...

 

[Agua]

He had it written up prior to the draft.

 

[ckparrothead]

Thats cool and all but where is it?

 

[Agua]

It was posted in some thread of his yesterday. I'm too lazy to hunt it up but you ought to find it on one of the first four pages. Surprisingly, he had Poole as his #1 CB.

 

[DOLFANMIKE]

"Pape might slip to Day 2 because he doesn't wow you, but we think he's underrated because he's instinctive and will probably earn a starting job in the NFL "

Thats what I'm thinking......This guy should have gone by the 5th round. I can't believe he fell to the 7th.

 

[Danny]

Good job CK and I was saying all day yesterday that Pape was a great pick and that he could start for us at some point. Some guys jumped all over me when I said that but I think we're lucky to have him and I compared him to Ron Heller who always got the job doen somehow.

Ozzy rules!!