Water Boy
In the Starting Line-Up
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.The D-Line competition this year is going to be a great one to watch. A lot of players lobbying for the spots. Outside of Wilfork, Love, Deaderick, and Jones, it's really an open competition.
One of the writers said that Francis stood out at the OTAs. There is lots of interesting competition on defense this year.
Yhe guy who really has a little pop to his game — and, again, it’s only May in “underwear” (shirts and shorts) — is Rutgers DE Justin Francis, who was an undrafted free agent. If any of the rookies have opened any eyes in the earlier going, it’s Francis. He’ll be an interesting guy to watch moving forward.
Obviously he will be a rush OLB. His slow foot speed would be a liability in coverage but his three cone drill suggests that he has a quick first step. Training Camp will be more interesting than usual this year. Unfortunately the Patriots are no longer able to sneak guys through onto the Practice Squad these days so he will have to make the cut.
As Justin Francis has spoken to NFL scouts and coaches, at the league's scouting Combine in Indianapolis and through the weeks of waiting before the draft, one attribute of his has come up in just about every conversation. Francis was a starting defensive tackle for Rutgers last season, but he previously played at defensive end and also has experience standing up as a linebacker. "I played all three of the positions, and played a fair amount," Francis said by phone last week. "That’s the one thing a lot of teams talk about with me, is my versatility. I can play with my hand on the ground, and stand up and cover ground as well."
OTA's tell you about as much of a players future potential as the Combine. Its just another version of the underwear Olympics, ESPECIALLY when dealing with linemen.
OTA's in May are all about learning the semantics, learning plays, and getting familiar with the coaches and surroundings. OTA's in June are just to determine how much the players retained from the mental work done in May
There is a reason BB emphasizes over and over that the OTA are NOT used to judge players, but to teach them. Jet fans are all wet because Coples swatted down a pass in an OTA practice and was "credited with a few phantom "sacks" in a non contact drill Sounds ludicrous doesn't it. Well so is this.... but to a much lesser degree.
The bottom line is that the only way to judge football players is watching them play football...in pads....with contact. And that's not happening until early August, AFTER the conditioning tests are over and the players put on pads and hit.
There is a 95% chance that the only thing that come out of this article is that Francis will have something to show his kids about the time when Dad was a football player.
That would be Greg Bedard, as the OP noted. Bedard noted in his OTA observations from last week:
Patriots open OTA No. 2: Practice observations - Page 2 - Boston.com
I'm glad it's obvious to you. Personally, I'm not sure where Francis would play. He's 6'2" 270#, but he played mostly inside at tackle for Rutgers last year. He has previously played defensive end, and also standing up. NFL Draft Scout noted prior to the draft:
Justin Francis*|*Rutgers,*DE*:*2012 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile
I have no idea where this kid fits. He seems too slow to be a rush OLB or full time 4-3 DE, and too small to be a full time DT. But he has nice agility (7.05 3-cone), burst (1.6 10 yard split), explosiveness (36" vertical) and long arms (34.5") in addition to his versatility, and a good motor. Matt Miller of the Bleacher Report compared Francis to Oakland Raider DE/DT Lamarr Houston, even though Houston is 35 lbs. heavier than Francis. I don't know if Francis has the frame to add 20-30 lbs. Again, I don't know where he fits, but he is an intriguing developmental guy. Hope he makes it to the PS.
Going to NFLDS's website gave me the idea to look at Courtney Upshaw,
who is similar physically (6'2/270):
Courtney Upshaw*|*Alabama,*DE*:*2012 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile
Justin Francis*|*Rutgers,*DE*:*2012 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile
Except for the 40- & 20-yd dashes, Francis beats Upshaw everywhere else athletically.
He also has longer arms (33.7" to 32") and bigger hands (10.1" to 9").
The 10-yd splits are even; and that shows me that Francis is just as explosive, but cannot
sustain over distance. At 4-3 DE, distance would not be quite the issue it would be at OLB.
2 years ago, I would've said that a 6'2/270 defender w/ the 10-, 20- & 40-yd splits that Francis has would have no place on this defense; today, I no longer believe that to necessarily the case. Perhaps he can give the perpetually-injured Myron Pryor a run for his money, maybe not as a full-time DT, but as someone who, experienced playing inside, can be moved along the DL in passing situations & as a big LB in GL/short-yardage situations.