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Some Draft Info For You

Boomer

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I've had enough of the numpties on the normal site, thus won't be posting that there......here's some notes from the East/West Shrine Practices from a friend at TFY who is there.

No news on Miami scouting anyone. KC seem the busiest......49ers and Cardiansl seemed hot for Derek Anderson....Baltimore seemed to like Chauncy Stovell and DRob, the two FSU wideouts. 49ers also spent a lot of time with Albert Means. They were also talking Mike Heimerdinger up as a strong head coaching candidate if Crennel goes to Cleveland.

A player I really like is Toledo's OT/G Nick Kaczur. The Jags were all over him like a rash, as well at TB Ryan Moats.

Pats were loving OLman Jonathan Colon. Baltimore spoke with Timmy Chang.

Monday Notes:
Kyle Orton did well with short and intermediate balls....but struggled with the deep pass, really fluttering some up there. Stefan LeFors, demonstrated great athleticism throughout practice but struggled mightily with the medium and deep balls and barely hit receivers on several long passes.

Louisville WR J.R. Russell looked great on Monday had one of the better practice sessions. Russell got downfield with ease and ran good routes. Chauncy Stovall and Dominic Robinson flashed nice hands, medium speed and very crisp rotes. Taylor Stubblefield of Purdue did not have a great day. Josh Davis of Marshall dropped several catchable balls.

The best offensive player during practice was, Nick Kaczur. Kaczur played left tackle all day and was only beaten on a single occasion in drills. Florida's Jonathan Colon was also impressive at right tackle but had trouble protecting the edge against fast pass rushers. C.J. Brooks of Maryland lined up at guard all day and did not play well at all.

Louisiana Tech junior Ryan Moats was the only running back that stood out for the east. Moats is small but quick and runs under control. He could have a future as a third down back.

Auburn's Jay Ratliff was the most impressive player of the day from either team. Ratliff was unblockable during drills and scrimmage, getting penetration on almost every snap. Though he held up well in one-on-one drills he was not as consistent. Ratliff shows some size potential but looks like a better fit at left defensive end rather then the tackle spot he manned today. Albert Means was one of the biggest guys on the field and at times one of the best. Means does look a bit heavy in the tummy yet didn't always use that size to his advantage. Santonio Thomas, another talented defensive tackle, was a big disappointment who did not show much desire to succeed.

North Carolina State's Pat Thomas impressed scouts all day with his athletic and intense play. Thomas batted down several balls in pass coverage and made a point to hit anyone that caught a pass in his zone. Arnold Harrison of Georgia also demonstrated athleticism as well as the ability to effectively move upfield, in reverse, or laterally.

Sidney Haugabrook a player the Patriots were all over, was the most impressive of the defensive backs. Haugabrook stayed low in his backpedal and did not come out until necessary. He is not a physical presence but displayed all the tools needed to play cornerback

Hawaii WR Chad Owens was outstanding. Both quick and fast, Owens practiced under control and excels in both route running and extending to catch the ball. Earvin Johnson of UNLV was also impressive and made several great catches throughout the day. Utah's Paris Warren also had a good day running consistent routes and making several nice catches.

The most impressive quarterback was Derek Anderson of Oregon State. Anderson displayed a strong arm and drove the deep ball downfield even as the late afternoon wind kicked up. Hawaii's Tommy Chang and Dustin Long, a late game addition from Sam Houston State, threw with accuracy until the winds kicked up.

A pair of running backs caught the eye of scouts. Nevada's Chance Kretschmer was the best looking ball carrier, running with nice balance and a burst. He showed no signs that his knees were bothering him, something which concerned scouts. Former Auburn turned Southern Illinois back Brandon Jacobs looked good catching the ball and only made one mistake as a runner, which was a fumble. Overall Jacobs did not stand out carrying the ball and appears to run too upright for the liking of scouts.

The offensive line for the West team has several athletic players who lack a physical nature. Washington State's Calvin Armstrong was actually used in pass coverage in drills and joked with coaches about a position switch to linebacker. When moved back to his tackle spot, Armstrong was neither mean nor physical and got little push from run blocks. Small school prospect Michael Roos anchored well at left tackle and is swift enough in space to protect the quarterbacks blindside. Like Armstrong, the Eastern Washington prospect did not look impressive blocking for the running game.

Michael Montgomery dominated almost everyone he faced in individual drills. The tackle from Texas A&M also showed well during scrimmages, getting pressure on the quarterback and making plays in the backfield against the run. His college teammate Marcus Jasmin looks huge and practiced that way. UNLV's Adam Seward looked good at middle linebacker getting depth on pass drops and displaying lateral speed.

Kansas State's Cedric Williams is a smallish/non-physical corner that used his incredible speed and quickness to stick with receivers across the field. Aric Williams was another physical corner today but the Oregon State product did not show the speed needed to stay with receivers in the NFL.

No player has hurt themselves more than Pete McMahon. Scouts from one team have definitely removed him from their board at tackle and will only consider him now as an interior lineman.


Tuesday:
Kyle Orton had a much better day throwing the football as well, though he has the benefit of teammate Taylor Stubblefield catching passes. Their comfort with one another became apparent today but Orton still had difficulties making plays when pressured. And like yesterday, his deep throws continue to flutter. Stefan LeFors made several plays with his feet during passing drills but his lack of arm strength was evident and he had difficulty completing many of his passes. A number of scouts say he simply won't get drafted.

The most impressive players for the East was Louisville receiver J.R. Russell. He ran excellent routes and showed the ability to get downfield throughout practice. Everyone present took notice when he left a defensive back on the ground following after a double move downfield. Another receiver who played well was Chauncy Stovall. Though not as tall as Russell, he is much thicker and plays a more physical brand of football. Doing a nice job of keeping his body between the defensive back and the ball, Stovall extended his hands to make the catch all day.

Lehigh tight end Adam Bergen had a solid practice.


Ryan Grant had another solid if unspectacular day running the football. Grant stands out with his hustle and did a nice job keeping his balance during full contact drills. The best looking running back for either team so far remains Ryan Moats.

The easiest player to root for is Navy fullback Kyle Eckell. Eckell hustles more than anyone on the field and plays tenaciously. Unfortunately he is too small to play fullback in the NFL.

Nick Kaczur and Jonathan Colon remain the class of the offensive linemen from the East. Both blockers continued to play well in space and moved their opponents off the ball in run blocking situations. Kaczur did not look comfortable today when positioned at guard, he did show the ability to get out to the second level and destroy linebackers. Vanderbilt's Justin Geisinger had a much better day at guard. Illinois center Duke Preston had a nice day playing guard. He held his ground in pass protection and played with more strength then on Monday. Minnesota offensive tackle Rian Melander had a tough time holding up today and did not look as sound as he did on Monday. Jason Respert, Bucky Bab****, and Scott Mruczkowski did not stand out today. Unfortunately for C. J. Brooks and Pete McMahon they did stand out as they got beat all practice by opponents.

Defensively it was more of the same on the front seven. Jay Ratliff continues to be unblockable during drills and was even allowed to line up at defensive end today. Once place on the outside Ratliff showed the ability to beat tackles going inside, outside, or straight through them. Albert Means also had another good day. South Carolina's Darrell Shropshire was another that had a good day for the East. Shropshire did a nice job coming off blocks and got penetration several times throughout practice. When double teamed however, Shropshire was ineffective. Darrell Reid of Minnesota won the award for most enthusiastic player of the day. Reid was the first to volunteer for special teams duties and lobbied continuously to get more opportunities during drills. He made an impressive play during scrimmage running down Ryan Fitzpatrick on a naked bootleg. Simon Fraser continued to build on Monday's solid practice. Fraser has difficulty coming off blocks but possesses a quick first step and gives a maximum effort until the play is blown dead. Santonio Thomas continues to disappoint with his uninspired play.

Arnold Harrison continues to show superior speed and does a nice job getting depth on drops in pass coverage. Unfortunately he appeared a step slow mentally diagnosing the action. He also had difficulty coming off of blocks. Leroy Hill of Clemson looked forceful against the run and did a nice job eluding blockers then getting to the ball carrier. Pat Thomas continues to impress with his athleticism and intensity. He and Kyle Eckell got into one scuffle on the sidelines today following a play in scrimmage. Lionel Turner did not stand out.

Andre Maddox displayed a nice break on the ball. Dustin Fox continues to play well but may be a step slow for the next level. Sidney Haugabrook was unable to continue the momentum he started in yesterday's practice. Though fundamentally sound Haugabrook is susceptible to double moves and was beaten several times today
 
Wow, what a great write up. There seems to be a lot of players in there that might attract Miami's eye if they are available.

I'm sure your board or value rankings go through a lot of changes with the workouts and offseason events -- do you actually have a personal position top 5 chart that you can share with us a little closer to the Draft?
 
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