2004 Draft main discussion

Some senior bowl notes pasted from a friend from a pay site:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Arizona State fullback Mike Karney improved his draft
value
more than any other NFL prospect at the 79th annual East-West Shrine
Game.

Fullback is a dying breed in the NFL, and 2004's draft class is as weak
as
the position has been in the past decade. But, Karney's performance
throughout the week of practice and particularly in Saturday's game
should
solidify his position as the top fullback prospect. He probably will be
an
early Day 2 selection in the draft.

Karney went very much unnoticed at Arizona State the past two seasons
in
coach Dirk Koetter's wide-open offensive scheme, but he reminded NFL
scouts
of his versatility and potential on Saturday. He delivered several
pancake
blocks on isolation runs, displayed the softest hands of any running
back or
tight end in the game, and he proved to be a bulldozer with the ball in
his
hands.

If drafted by the right team, Karney has a chance to make an impact
similar
to that of the 49ers' Fred Beasley.



Karney wasn't the only player who improved his draft stock during
Shrine
Game week. Here are six players who gained the most from participating.

Lawrence Richardson, CB, Arkansas. Fellow Razorbacks cornerback Ahmad
Carroll announced last week that he would forgo his senior season to
enter
the NFL. That will make Richardson the second cornerback from his
school
selected in the upcoming draft.

However, Richardson did all he could do to impress scouts throughout
the
week. He is undersized with adequate, but not great speed. His biggest
problem throughout his college career was that he tended to be
over-aggressive and lacked the speed to make up for mistakes. But
during
Shrine Game week Richardson was as disciplined and sound as we have
ever
seen him. He never got caught peeking in the backfield and he showed
very
good recognition skills and patience.

If Richardson runs somewhere near 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at February's
NFL
Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, he could wind up being drafted in the
middle rounds.

Bernard Berrian, WR, Fresno State. Berrian was nowhere near as
productive
this season as he was in 2001, before a season-ending foot injury in
2002.
However, by showing terrific speed and running fluid, explosive routes
throughout the week and in Saturday's game Berrian proved to NFL
officials
that he is fully healed. It appears his drop in production had more to
do
with the Bulldogs' inconsistency at quarterback than anything.

Casey Cramer, TE, Dartmouth. Cramer was the week's biggest surprise.
He's a
'tweener fullback/tight end and would be a perfect fit as a backup
H-back
who could contribute on special teams. Coaches in the Shrine Game raved
of
Cramer's intelligence and ability to pick up the offense, which is
common
with Ivy League prospects. And he did so not only at tight end but also
at
fullback.

Cramer shows potential as a blocker and also is a tough route runner
with
very soft hands. In many ways, he reminds us of the Vikings' Jim
Kleinsasser, but has less talent.

Before last week, we did not have Cramer rated as a draftable prospect.
We've changed our minds.

Justin Jenkins, WR, Mississippi State. Jenkins was very inconsistent as
a
college player. But after seeing his overall effort, willingness to
block,
top-end speed, toughness over the middle and soft hands, it's easy to
believe that Jenkins' inconsistency had much more to do with the team
he
played on than it did with his effort or abilities. If as expected
Jenkins
runs in the 4.4 range at the Combine, he could emerge as a late Day 1
prospect.

Darrion Scott, DL, Ohio State. Scott was unquestionably the Shrine
Game's
best all-around defensive lineman. He consistently won his battles in
individual drills during the week of practice, and he displayed the
best
combination of quickness and power of any defensive lineman we saw.

Scott is versatile enough to play either inside or outside, and he
might be
a good fit as a 3-4 defensive end. He should contribute as an interior
pass
rusher right away and could develop into a Shaun Ellis-type player who
could
be used outside on early downs but move inside to rush the passer on
obvious
passing downs.

Scott could be the highest drafted player from this year's East-West
Shrine
Game, most likely in the second round.

Isaac Hilton, DL, Hampton. Hilton is raw, but his athleticism and speed
at
defensive end turned a lot of heads. He will need time and coaching to
develop into a consistent contributor. He must play with better
leverage,
use his hands better and show more moves as a pass rusher.

However, a team is likely to take a chance on Hilton late on Day 1.
Why? You
can't teach his combination of size and speed -- at 6-3, 244 he runs a
4.5
in the 40-yard dash. In many ways he reminds us of an unpolished but
taller
Dwight Freeney.



It's rare to hear an NFL official say that a player damaged his draft
value
by participating in a postseason all-star game, but there are always
players
whose weaknesses get exposed when competing against some of the
nation's
best players.

Boise State quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie's lack of ideal arm strength was
a
good example of that during the week of practice. But as we mentioned
in our
earlier dish, NFL scouts must be careful not to put too much stock into
two
or three practices.

Much like the 49ers' Tim Rattay and Kliff Kingsbury of the Patriots in
years
past, Dinwiddie overcame a tough week of practice by playing extremely
well
in Saturday's game. That's just the type of player that Dinwiddie is.
He's
not going to impress anyone when he steps off the bus and won't win any
quarterback challenge competitions, but there is a place for Dinwiddie
because he is a playmaker with terrific accuracy as a passer.

While Tennessee's Casey Clausen had the best week of practice out of
the six
quarterbacks, Dinwiddie played the best in the game. We expect a team
that
uses a form of the West Coast offense -- like the 49ers, Packers,
Eagles or
Seahawks, among others -- to take a chance on Dinwiddie in the middle
to
late rounds.

Other players weren't able to overcome disappointing weeks of practice.
Among them were Boston College running back Derrick Knight, Wyoming
quarterback Casey Bramlet and Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel.

Knight was among the nation's most productive runners during the 2003
season. He is tough for his size, has terrific vision, shows good burst
to
the line and is a patient runner who will hit a lot of cutback lanes.
However, while he is quick and tough, he lacks great speed and is among
the
smaller backs in his draft class. Knight's biggest problem, which was
made
most evident during the week of practice, is his marginal hands. As one
coach told us before Saturday's game, "Knight would have a tough time
catching a cold."

Bramlet was afforded the opportunity to compete in the Shrine Game
because
of Colorado State quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt's hand injury. While
Bramlet
looks the part physically and has adequate-to-good arm strength, he
just
doesn't make plays in game situations like Dinwiddie does. Bramlet
looked
lost at times during the game, and the speed of this level of
competition
seemed to take him by surprise.

Krenzel was somewhat of a disappointment during the week of practice --
but
not nearly as disappointing as he was during the game. Krenzel
displayed
good pocket presence and the ability to take off and run. He also is
well
built, strong and a competitor. However, Krenzel just doesn't stack up
to
draftable quarterbacks when it comes to accuracy, arm strength and the
ability to survey the field and make quick decisions.

Krenzel turned the ball over three times (one fumble and two
interceptions)
and just seemed to be overwhelmed by the speed of the West's defensive
backs. A team might take a chance on Krenzel in the late rounds because
of
his toughness and ability to win, but there are too many quarterbacks
with
more upside worth drafting over Krenzel.

 

Matt Ware

UCLA Jr. CB Matt Ware has a declared eligable for the draft.

He's been my guy (along with Colbert) all season.

Anybody else like him?

 

Wouldn't that make him our second UCLA corner and don't they go on a Quarter schedule that screws up their minicamps? Not that it is too big of a deal about the quarter system but it almsot always seems to mean the player is not as developed at the beginning of the season.

 

Yeah they miss the May camp, but he's better then Manning (IMHO) and I'll take it in May, June, July...you get the picture..

 

He's tall, apparently without much flexibility problem like most 6'2 and above corners have; but he's been injured a lot. He's played a lot in other sports, and that had something to do with it, but he's gotta be checked out to see if he trains right, and so on, because a lame corner doesn't help you much.

 

One guy to watch that just came out is athletically gifted, and large, receiver Devard Darling. Former FSU receiver who has similar game to Boldin, has physical size, but deceiving athleticism that probably eclipses Boldin's. He'll have to learn a little bit, because he lost time due to transferring and then coming out early. But he can learn from Muhammad for a year, then work his way into starting. Everyone I talk to, says the guy is a stud.

But we have someone who knows him (and QB Matt Kegel, whose exercises are famous...doubt anyone gets that).
Guess who's the RBs and ST coach for WSU?

Also, likely to be the first player born of the Bahamas to be drafted.

 

Thats one excercise I don't do..who's the connection at WSU?

 

you should, and Kelly Skipper. Duh. :flipgrin:

 

So we're looking at 31 or 32 for sure now. Cool.

 

yup.... we damned well better win it all now cause our draft spot SUCKS