Thread on OT prospects

Jeff Otah
Strengths: Is a massive, mauling right tackle type. Has a huge frame with very long arms (35.3 inches). Not a great athlete but does play with good balance. He has a massive base. Will get low and uproot DL. Does an excellent job of anchoring versus the bull rush. Shows very good overall strength. Rarely loses a battle once he is locked on. Will drive his legs and create a new line of scrimmage as a run blocker. Still learning technique but is intelligent and continues to improve with more experience and coaching.

Weaknesses: Below average athlete. The more space he's in the less effective he becomes. Lacks ideal initial quickness out of his stance and struggles to get set in time versus speed edge rushers. Struggles to reach the second level ass a run blocker. Will have trouble hitting moving targets in space. Hands are smaller than ideal (9.2 inches).

Overall: Otah was born in Nigeria, came to the United States when he was seven years old and did not play organized football until his senior season of high school. He attended Valley Forge (Pa.) Military College in his first two years out of high school (2004-'05), making 17 consecutive starts at left tackle. He also averaged nearly 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Valley Forge basketball team. Otah transferred to Pitt in 2006 and made an immediate impact, starting all 24 games of his junior and senior seasons with the Panthers. He was an All-Big East first team selection in 2007. The Nigerian-born Otah lacks ideal playing experience and is still unpolished. While he is not a great athlete, he is not as slow as his combine workout numbers might indicate, as he participated despite an ankle injury. Otah is a massive mauler with the size, power and short-area quickness to develop into a good starting right tackle in the NFL, which is why we grade him as a mid-to-late first round prospect.
Gosder Cherilus
Strengths: Has a massive frame and good feet for his size. His arms (36.2 inches) and hands (11.6 inches) are enormous. Plays with a mean streak. Is big enough to engulf defenders if he's in position, can wear them down over the course of a game and has the frame to add even more weight. Won't take many false steps, is efficient and generally gets into sound position. Drives legs once in position, shows above-average lower body strength and is a powerful run blocker that can get movement in short-yardage situations. Plays with good motor, stays under control when gets into space and is an effective downfield blocker. Efficiently gets into pass set and uses long arms to ride pass rushers past the pocket. Moves feet well for size, stays balanced and flashes the ability to counter double moves. Keeps head up, shows good awareness and can pick up the blitz as well as line stunts.

Weaknesses: Plays entirely too high. Has quick feet for his size and good overall strength but both can be compromised by his marginal leverage. Though he gets good hand placement and rarely loses battle once locked on to the defender, he doesn't deliver a powerful initial punch. While big enough to hold ground most of the time, he bends at the waist rather than the knees and powerful bull rushers should have some success pushing back into the pocket.

Overall: Cherilus redshirted in 2003, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in March 2003, and then went on to start every game in his playing career at Boston College. In his first three seasons (2004-06), he made 37 consecutive starts at right tackle. As a senior, he moved to left tackle and started all 14 games. Gosder needs to work on staying lower to the ground and he appears to be a better fit at right tackle than left tackle. Regardless, Cherilus is a four-year starter who possesses a very good overall talent, including a massive frame, quick feet for his size and a mean streak to finish off blocks. He projects as a late-first or early second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

 

Just in case we go with another position in rd one
Sam Baker
Strengths: Possesses adequate height and size-potential. Feet are his best asset. He displays very good initial quickness as a run blocker and in pass pro. Gets set quickly and stays under control. Can mirror-and-slide with elite pass rushers and rarely gets beat by speed off the edge. His hand placement is outstanding. He shows very good awareness and rarely misses an assignment. Takes good angles as a run blocker and is technically sound in that facet of the game. Also does a good job of mixing in cut blocks to keep defenders off-balance.

Weaknesses: Lacks ideal bulk. Has short arms (32.6 inches) and small hands (9.2 inches). Too much of a finesse blocker. Plays with a narrow base and would benefit from added strength in his lower-body. He's not overpowering in the run game and he will struggle at times to generate a new line of scrimmage versus bigger, stronger DE's. He works hard to sustain blocks but he doesn't show enough of a mean-streak at times. Durability is suddenly a concern following arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage in his left knee prior to 2007 spring practice and lingering hamstring injury that cost him playing time as a senior.

Overall: Baker arrived at USC in 2003 and redshirted his first year. He moved from guard to offensive tackle before the 2004 season, and went on to make 39 consecutive starts at left tackle over the next three years (2004-'06). As a senior in 2007, he played 10 games (all starts). He was a first team All-America selection as a junior (2006) and a second-team selection as a senior (2007). He missed three games in his last season because of a left hamstring strain. Baker also suffered a bone chip in his left knee in 2005; played through a left knee sprain in 2006 (which required arthroscopic surgery at the end of the season); and suffered a cracked rib before the 2007 season. Son of AFL commissioner David Baker, Sam Baker enters the NFL draft as a four-year starter from one of the top programs in college football. He possesses good agility for the position and generally will get in position as a run blocker and in pass pro. However, Baker is a bit of a finesse player that lacks explosive power and does not play with consistent leverage. He also has short arms and small hands. Baker struggled to stay healthy as a senior and did not make the necessary improvements as a result. He is no longer expected to be drafted in the first round but he should be off the board by the end of Round 2.

and finally the best OT in the draft
Jake Long
Strengths: An experienced, technically sound OT prospect with great size-potential. Is versatile; has experience at left and right tackle and could play either/both in the NFL. Also has proven capable of performing at a high level in power-run scheme and new zone-blocking scheme. Possesses excellent height, adequate bulk and the frame to get bigger if necessary. He has a massive wingspan with long arms and big hands. A natural knee-bender; he gets set quickly in pass pro, plays with good body lean and rarely gets caught lunging. He shuffles his feet quickly and can get back inside to defend double move. Uses long arms and powerful punch to jar defenders and run them wide as pass rushers. Shows excellent awareness in pass pro; consistently gives inside help and does an great job of picking up stunts, twists and blitzes. He takes very good angles as a run blocker. Has adapted very well zone-blocking and shows the mobility to execute in a similar scheme in the NFL. He has good upper-and-lower body strength as a run blocker. Also works hard to sustain and shows a good mean streak. Great intangibles. A leader and hard worker on-and-off the field. Good student in the classroom and intelligence carries over to the field, where he picks up techniques, schemes and assignments quickly.

Weaknesses: Lacks elite mobility for an elite OT prospect. Has enough quickness and balance to perform at a high level in the NFL, but he is not as nimble as former top OT prospects such as Orlando Pace (Rams), Jonathan Ogden (Ravens), D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets) and Joe Thomas (Browns). Had some trouble versus Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston's elite speed rushers. Durability is somewhat of a concern after he missed the first seven games of the 2005 season with an ankle/foot injury.

Overall: Long was redshirted in 2003. In his first active season at Michigan (2004), he appeared in 12 games, starting the last 10 at right tackle, and was selected to the Freshman All-America team. As a sophomore in 2005, played five games (four starts) at right tackle. He moved to left tackle in 2006, and went on to start all 26 of the Wolverines' games over his final two seasons. He was a first team All-America selection and the Big Ten Lineman of the Year in each of his last two seasons. Long missed the first seven games of 2005 while recovering from spring shoulder surgery and suffering from foot and ankle injuries. Long has outstanding experience to go along with his massive frame, above-average quickness for his size, a powerful upper body (37 reps), long arms (35.6) and big hands (11). He is not as athletic as last year's top tackle prospect Joe Thomas (Browns), but Long has more than enough range to effectively protect the quarterback's blindside in the NFL and he's bigger, stronger and more physical than Thomas was coming out of school. One year later, Long grades out slightly lower than Thomas (No. 3 overall in 2007) but he could actually come off the board earlier in what projects to be a weaker class.

 

what if there were a town named otah, utah


that would be soemthing

 

oh boy would it

 

or, let's just say, hipotheicly, you had otah play for utah

again, you are talking about some irowny.

 

I don't see Cherilus as a second round prospect at all. Honestly, I think seeing him listed at GBN's month and a half old ratings at 45 has given that impression.

Honestly, I have Clady, Williams, and Cherilus all around each other - around 12-18 - and Otah and Baker as 2nd round guys. I think there's a big dropoff between those three and the 2nd 2. I don't believe Cherilus is the prototype LT, which some do, but I think he can play it a la Chad Clifton.

Clady and Otah I find most risky. Clady is a manchild, and Otah's a typical overweight, athletic but problematic RT. I don't get putting Clady in the top 5-7. I don't find him better than Williams, just a different brand. I think his being physically bigger isn't a big asset, like he's a huge engulfing OT like Pace or Ogden, because I don't think he's that elite. He's also going to have a bigger learning curve, which is where a fair amount of devalue does come. He has more potential than Williams, sure.

 

Clady sounds like the best of the bunch that might be available at 13 to me. I like his size. I would probably take him if he is there but if not I would consider a DE. Harvey might be a good pass rusher. I could live with a guy like Baker in the second round if it meant we got a top DE in the first round.

 

Personally, I think Brandon Albert should be included as a prospect...he has the ability to play either guard or tackle, and may be the best O-lineman of the bunch, regardless of position, when all is said and done.

 

John Fux = Black & Blue

 

Worst kept secret. Fux and so many others....