mayoclinic

Here's an interesting draft profile from CNNSI:

Position: OLB
Class: Sr
Ht., Wt.: 6-4, 251
40 Time: 4.65

POSITIVES: Athletic, play making defender with great potential for the next level. Keeps his pads low to the ground, fluid changing direction and pursues from the backside with speed. Quick changing direction or altering his angle of attack and possesses the ability to make plays in any direction. Fast off the edge, can flatten and very tough to stop. Doubled by opponents yet stays on his feet and holds his ground. Looked outstanding at the Combine when used at linebacker and was a force during Senior Bowl week.

NEGATIVES: Lacks the quick first step out of a three point stance. Engulfed by larger opponents. Limited experience playing in space.

ANALYSIS: A productive collegiate defensive end. Has the athleticism and abilities to be used at a variety of positions in the NFL. Perfectly suited to stand up over tackle in a 34 defense and could eventually develop into a solid strong side linebacker. Possesses the physical skills as well as mental abilities to see significant action as a rookie. Rising up draft boards off his performances in the postseason.

PROJECTION: Early Second Round

The player: DeMarcus Ware.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2005/draft/players/66970.html

Sound reminiscent of anyone we know? Too bad the Cowboys "reached" for this "workout warrior".

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bucky

Yeah, and here's what they said about Manny Lawson:

BIO: Two-year starter awarded All-Conference honors after his senior and junior campaigns. Numbers last season were 53/18.5/9.5 and 50/12/7 the prior year.

POSITIVES: Tremendous athlete watching his draft stock soar. Plays with good pad level, is rarely off his feet and makes plays in every direction of the field. Fast off the edge, terrific in pursuit and runs ball carriers down from the backside. Effectively used in space on zone blitzes. Reads the action and stays with assignments. Hard-hitting and plays with an aggressive style.

NEGATIVES: Undersized out of a three-point stance and can be engulfed by large blockers. Occasionally takes wide angles to avoid linemen altogether.

ANALYSIS: After a terrific campaign in '05, Lawson performed well at the Senior Bowl and combine. Has the skills to stand up over tackle in a 34 defense.

Box_O_Rocks

Well, he is a starter in the NFL.

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signbabybrady

Not to mention I believe he had pretty significant injury.

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Box_O_Rocks

Mike Singletary? TBC suffered a similar injury.

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mayoclinic

Good counterargument. It's clearly not a precise science. As you say, Lawson got a lot of interest on the boards 3 years ago, and while injuries may have played a role, he certainly hasn't done anything to set the world on fire.

There are some subtle differences betwen Lawson and Barwin which may be significant. Lawson played as part of a tremendous college DL next to 2 other 1st round picks in Mario Williams and John McCargo. Barwin hasn't had that advantage. Lawson was definitely on the light side with kind of a tall, skinny frame, and he has had trouble maintaining the necessary bulk to be effective against the run. The "undersized" and "can be engulfed by large blockers" concerns have been a serious issue for him.

Could Barwin end up being another Manny Lawson? Absolutely. That would be about the equivalent of how Lawrence Maroney has worked out for us - not a bust, but not the world-beater that we thought he would be. Can I live with taking that chance? Personally, the answer is yes, but everyone is going to have to do their own calculus on this.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

bucky

That's exactly right. We all have our own threshold on risk. As I've said before, I have absolutely nothing against Barwin as a prospect. I'm just concerned about projecting him based on his athleticism. His ability to play TE and ST is surely a plus, but to me it's not what you draft a guy for in the first round.

juxtapoz15

Do they have profiles up for '09 players? I poked around and haven't seen anything.

Box_O_Rocks

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Bring Back Antowain!

No, at least not yet. I always liked their highlight videos... their analysis is usually decent and always concise.

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Super Bowls with Antowain Smith over 3 Year Period: 2
Super Bowls in nearly 50 years without him: 1
Solution: Bring Back Antowain!


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