PonyExpress
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2006
- Messages
- 4,659
- Reaction score
- 78
Clady's 7.07 in the 3-cone drill is the fastest for a 300 lb NFL prospect, on either side of the ball, dating back to 1999 (unless I missed someone). The same unusual coordination, flexibility and foot speed are evident watching Clady play football. His arm length of 36 3/4 is extremely rare. His base strength (310 lbs and 31'' VJ) is very competitive with current quality NFL LTs.
The knocks on Clady seem to be
a) level of competition
b) passion for the game
c) upper body strength
Level of competition is a concern, considering how rare it is for non-BCS LT prospects to flourish in the NFL (Michael Roos for the Titans being a recent exception). Still, a guy like jason peters with almost no college OT experience and a 9 Wonderlik score, is now hailed as the NFL prototype at the position after being developed gradually.
As for Clady's passion for the game, I can't answer that, other than to say he seems to play with as much of a mean streak as any of the other elite OT prospects. This concern about Clady was hinted at after a few team interviews, so we have no idea if it is real or a smokescreen.
Clady's supposed lack of upper body strength was raised after he did "only" 24reps on the bench and strained a pec muscle at the combine. Taking into account that Clady has the longest arms in the draft, that Richard Seymour only did 18 reps, and Mankins only 21, this does not seem like a major issue Woicik couldn't correct, given a willing student.
While my top 2 players are still M Ryan and C. Long, from a purely physical standpoint the most unique "athletes" among the consensus top 10 prospects seem to be Gholston, McFadden and Clady.
The Pats have not had an issue drafting O-lineman in rd 1 who played at non BCS schools (Mankins); they have drafted trench players in rd 1 with reputations for "lacking passion for the game" (Warren); And they have drafted trench players in rd 1 with "substandard" upper body strength (Seymour). So the complaints about Clady do not preclude the Pats from pulling the trigger. If the Pats do pull the trigger on Clady, we can conclude that any of his flaws, if they exist, are correctable; therefore I would be very happy with the selection.
It's interesting that the Pats have not brought Clady or B.Albert in for a visit, to my knowledge; other than McFadden's visit, every other one seems to have involved defense. Most of the league seems to be under the impression that the Pats are going D at #7; And it seems KC wants to trade down, possibly with Baltimore at #8 in exchange for Ryan, because KC feels that #8 is a better slot to spend on either Clady or Albert.
It wouldn't be out of character for the Pats to sandbag a bit, and conceal interest in a player with such obvious athletic upside as Clady.
The knocks on Clady seem to be
a) level of competition
b) passion for the game
c) upper body strength
Level of competition is a concern, considering how rare it is for non-BCS LT prospects to flourish in the NFL (Michael Roos for the Titans being a recent exception). Still, a guy like jason peters with almost no college OT experience and a 9 Wonderlik score, is now hailed as the NFL prototype at the position after being developed gradually.
As for Clady's passion for the game, I can't answer that, other than to say he seems to play with as much of a mean streak as any of the other elite OT prospects. This concern about Clady was hinted at after a few team interviews, so we have no idea if it is real or a smokescreen.
Clady's supposed lack of upper body strength was raised after he did "only" 24reps on the bench and strained a pec muscle at the combine. Taking into account that Clady has the longest arms in the draft, that Richard Seymour only did 18 reps, and Mankins only 21, this does not seem like a major issue Woicik couldn't correct, given a willing student.
While my top 2 players are still M Ryan and C. Long, from a purely physical standpoint the most unique "athletes" among the consensus top 10 prospects seem to be Gholston, McFadden and Clady.
The Pats have not had an issue drafting O-lineman in rd 1 who played at non BCS schools (Mankins); they have drafted trench players in rd 1 with reputations for "lacking passion for the game" (Warren); And they have drafted trench players in rd 1 with "substandard" upper body strength (Seymour). So the complaints about Clady do not preclude the Pats from pulling the trigger. If the Pats do pull the trigger on Clady, we can conclude that any of his flaws, if they exist, are correctable; therefore I would be very happy with the selection.
It's interesting that the Pats have not brought Clady or B.Albert in for a visit, to my knowledge; other than McFadden's visit, every other one seems to have involved defense. Most of the league seems to be under the impression that the Pats are going D at #7; And it seems KC wants to trade down, possibly with Baltimore at #8 in exchange for Ryan, because KC feels that #8 is a better slot to spend on either Clady or Albert.
It wouldn't be out of character for the Pats to sandbag a bit, and conceal interest in a player with such obvious athletic upside as Clady.
Last edited: