Tavares Gooden

[Remix 6]

6"1 235 ran in 4.4s, had a 39.5 inch vertical and did 22 reps of 225 @ Miami Pro Day

the dude is an athletic freak on the field and his numbers back it up. Hes raw but he can definitely play ILB with some coaching. He hits hard as well

 

[drew4008]

The U does have a good history with LBs... or defensive players in general. Where in the draft are we talking? 2nd-3rd?

 

[mavfan2390]

Personally, I think he's more athlete than player, he has trouble shedding blocks, and probably doesn't have the instincts to play inside for the Patriots.

 

[sebman2112]

6"1 235 ran in 4.4s, had a 39.5 inch vertical and did 22 reps of 225 @ Miami Pro Day

the dude is an athletic freak on the field and his numbers back it up. Hes raw but he can definitely play ILB with some coaching. He hits hard as well

Either he was injured at the Combine (didn't hear anything about him being injured going in, but he did have a neck injury late in the year.), or those are some fishy numbers. I say that because they are extremely different from his combine workouts. I will say that he looked athletic, and fluid in some of the coverage drills, but look at his times/results:

4.65 forty, 22, and a 35in vertical
http://www.footballsfuture.com/2008/combineLB.html

Also, did he do the short shuttle, three cone, or broad jump at his Pro Day?

 

[PonyExpress]

Did you all notice how comparatively low the vertical jumps at the combine were this year? A number of prospects were complaining about the way they were getting marked on the VJ, including Gholston.

 

[dryheat44]

Did you all notice how comparatively low the vertical jumps at the combine were this year? A number of prospects were complaining about the way they were getting marked on the VJ, including Gholston.

That's odd...since it seems cut and dried....your jump height is the highest slat you move.

As for Gooden, I think he's definitely too short and light to play on the inside. He looks to have shorter than usual arms, as well, which helps with the bench numbers. After three years, I also have learned that there's not a Hurricane prospect that Remix doesn't want to put in the Hall of Fame.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

That's odd...since it seems cut and dried....your jump height is the highest slat you move.

As for Gooden, I think he's definitely too short and light to play on the inside. He looks to have shorter than usual arms, as well, which helps with the bench numbers. After three years, I also have learned that there's not a Hurricane prospect that Remix doesn't want to put in the Hall of Fame.

Could it be that the apparatus was mis-adjusted, so the zero was in the wrong spot?

 

[jeffbiologist]

Maybe the first guys carved out a hole,lol.

 

[sebman2112]

That's odd...since it seems cut and dried....your jump height is the highest slat you move.

As for Gooden, I think he's definitely too short and light to play on the inside. He looks to have shorter than usual arms, as well, which helps with the bench numbers. After three years, I also have learned that there's not a Hurricane prospect that Remix doesn't want to put in the Hall of Fame.

I usually try to note which LB's have short arms, and last year David Harris actually had pretty short arms for his height. A number of shorter LB's had longer arms than Harris, too. You might remember I actually posted a list on here comparing arm lengths. In any case, Harris seems to be doing just fine in the NFL, despite his arm length.

That doesn't mean that I believe Gooden will also play at a high level (he's got some question marks concerning his ability to play in a 3-4), just that shorter arms aren't always an indication of your possible success in the league.

BB seems to have also been pretty fond of Miami defensive prospects over the past few years. BB likes Vilma & Reed, and selected Wilfork, Meriweather, Kareem Brown, and Leonard Myers. Santonio Thomas is still on the team as well.

 

[dryheat44]

BB seems to have also been pretty fond of Miami defensive prospects over the past few years. BB likes Vilma & Reed, and selected Wilfork, Meriweather, Kareem Brown, and Leonard Myers. Santonio Thomas is still on the team as well.

Well I can't argue with that....and I don't want to minimize the caliber of athletes that go to UM, or the great success the program has had until very recently. I was only trying to make a good-natured comment that in some eyes, all Hurricanes are ideal Patriots and better players than everyone seems to think they are.

It's a tough paradox....the people who have seen the players play the most tend to have a highly inflated value of them. For Remix, it's Miami. Other posters pump up players from Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn St, or BC, because they're fans of the team, and they see them play all the time.

 

[DaBruinz]

Ok.. Here are some of the negatives on Gooden from NFLDraftscout.com:

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Not the most instinctive player, as it takes him some time to diagnose plays...Bit of a liability in pass coverage, as he doesn't open his hips well to come out of his breaks cleanly and mirror the receiver through the route...Bites on play-action often and lacks a good feel for pocket movement...
Injuries have limited his practice time and though he does well in the classroom, he does need several reps to retain plays...Not the type that will play through pain...Struggles to track the ball in flight with his back to the quarterback and must do a better job of using his hand jolt to fend off double teams, as he does get bounced around some trying to shoot the gaps...

Just doesn't seem like a the type of player that the Pats look for from their ILBs.
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[dryheat44]

Did you all notice how comparatively low the vertical jumps at the combine were this year? A number of prospects were complaining about the way they were getting marked on the VJ, including Gholston.

I wanted to revive this thread because I think there is definitely something to this. So far, of all the players I've looked at, every single one has improved their Vertical at their Pro Day. Some of them by 6-8 inches. Time to sack the guy running the VJ drill. The VJ was also held at the end of the positional drills, so understanably some guys were gassed.

 

[Mr.Muhozi]

Ok.. Here are some of the negatives on Gooden from NFLDraftscout.com:

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Just doesn't seem like a the type of player that the Pats look for from their ILBs.
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those negatives completely outweigh his positives, NEXT

 

[BRiZ]

a recent interview with Gooden.

Tavares Gooden is one of the most exciting linebacking prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft. Gooden continues the long line of outstanding Hurricane linebackers and took a few minutes to discuss his Miami career and his NFL aspirations with the War Room Report's Chris Otwell.
Chris Otwell: What position do you think you translate best to at the NFL level?

Tavares Gooden: Any line backer spot. Playing at Miami I played at all 3 linebacker spots, so that’s what I bring to the table. I feel like I can play all of them well so in the NFL, I'll play all the line backer spots and I feel like I am good at every one of them.

Otwell: How do you feel the combine went and were you satisfied with your performance?

Gooden: I went out there and did everything I had to do and trained for. I ran hard. You can only run as fast as you can run and jump as high as you can jump. Next to everyone else’s performance as a whole, I feel like I showed my explosiveness and my speed.

Otwell: You were a high school track and field star, how has that helped you become a better football player?

Gooden: I don’t know that it did, I mean it just shows how athletic I am. I’m not sure that track and field can help you be a better football player, it just shows how willing you are to compete. It shows how fast you are, how strong you are, and how much of a burst you have. I think playing other sports just shows how smart you are and shows off how versatile you really are. I think that track showed that everything I show isn’t a fluke, that I can do it on the track too, and just shows that I have what it takes to be competitive and win.

Otwell: How did playing with Rd 1 talent such as Calais Campbell , Kenny Phillips , and Jon Beason help your development?

Gooden: Well, it wasn’t jus those guys, I played with Jonathan Vilma, DJ Williams, Sean Taylor, Frank Gore, Kellen Winslow, Devin Hester. It just shows you the talent level at the University of Miami and helps you out because when you got to play other players, you have seen that type of speed, even faster than what you see normally and that helps you out a lot.

Otwell: What do you think the biggest transition is going to be going from college to the pro level?<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
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Gooden: I mean I don’t think its going to be a hard transition for me because I have the physical tools to play at the next level. I think I can help myself by meeting with coaches all day and learning the systems and getting to know them.

Otwell: What do you feel like your strengths are going into the NFL?

Gooden: Well, I am physically ready for the NFL. I feel like I can go out there and play, and respond to the system. I feel like I can respond well and play middle linebacker well. I called the shots at MLB, I called the checks, I'm fast, I can run with TE’s and WR’s, even guys with 4.3 speed. I have all the tools that a MLB needs to play in the NFL and excel at that level.

Otwell: If you could tell the NFL coaches right now what kind of player they will be getting if they draft Tavares Gooden, what would you tell them?

Gooden: I mean they wouldn’t question my work ethic. As a freshman I squatted around 400 lbs when I was red shirted. In my senior year I ended up squatting 550 and bench pressing 355, came in running 4.6, so you can’t question my work ethic. I am going to be bigger, faster, and stronger and I do all the things it takes to win and be a good MLB.

Otwell: If you had to compare your game to any current NFL player, who would that player be and why?

Gooden: I’m different from those other guys, you know. There are a lot of guys that came before me but I wouldn’t compare my game to any of them. I have a different style and I can do many different things, so I don’t think it would be a comparison to any of them. If I had to be, I would say that I am a couple players rolled into one.

http://warroomreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=181&Itemid=1

 

[mavfan2390]

He pimped his speed the whole interview. LOL. I don't think he fits here.

 

[DaBruinz]

a recent interview with Gooden.

*blah blah blah. I'm Tavares Gooden, bow down to my self-proclaimed greatness blah blah blah. I'm great. I'm god. The NFL will be easy for me blah blah blah. Cause I'm Tavares Gooden. blah blah blah...

http://warroomreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=181&Itemid=1

What Gooden can't do is stay on the field regularly. He's been injured in each of the last 4 years of his college career. Including this one.

People can make excuses that it was after the season, but in the NFL the REAL season would have just been starting.

He's also a liability in pass coverage. Probably more so than Bruschi or Seau. And maybe even more so than Monty Beisel.