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R_T26

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http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

1. Mathias Kiawanuka, DE, Boston College.

Viewed by some as a top-five pick prior to the 2005 season, Kiawanuka will now be lucky to be selected on day one of the draft. The perception is that Kiawanuka had his "ass whupped" at the Senior Bowl, and that he showed no leg strength or intensity. Three teams that we know of have him rated as a fourth-rounder.

2. Jimmy Williams, CB, Virginia Tech.

Williams is regarded by some league insiders as a "very bad dude" -- and not in the good way. We've heard that some teams have removed him completely from their boards.

3. Claude Wroten, DT, LSU.

We reported on Friday, citing three league sources, that Wroten tested positive at the combine. Although the teams know about the result, no one else in the media has made the connection between the positive result and the negative impact on his draft stock.

Wroten also was arrested on marijuana charges earlier this year, but the charges were dropped. To compound the problem, we're told that some teams were not enamored by his interviewing skills.

4. Derek Hagan, WR, Arizona State.

Before the 2005 season, he consistently was viewed as one of the top receivers in the country. His inconsistent hands are putting him in the round three range now.

5. Dominique Byrd, TE, USC.

Byrd was seen as one of the top two tight ends before the 2005 season. But a "brutal" pro day workout and a "lackadaisical attitude" have fueled a fall.

6. LenDale White, RB, USC.

For anyone who has been living under a rock or, even worse, on top of one, White is this year's poster child for how not to handle the run-up to the draft. A hamstring injury was disclosed when he showed up for his pro day workout. He managed a total of 15 reps in the 225-pound bench press.

At one point, White was a possible top-ten pick. Now, he'll be lucky to hear his name called by dinner time on Saturday. White's likely response?

"Mmmm. Dinner."
 
Great. Now the Pats can pick up Kiwanuka at #86...
 
I'm a big Kiwi fan. He has great character and a nice work ethic.
 
One of the knocks on him is that he got all 9 of his sacks in just 3 of his games... I wonder if that means he can feast on average college tackles but can't beat the good college tackles. If that is the case he is going to have problems in the pros...
 
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JustWinBrady said:
I'm a big Kiwi fan. He has great character and a nice work ethic.

I agree.

Is it just me, or do all the prospects with Hawaiian-sounding last names always end up being good NFL players? Lofa Tatupu in Seattle, Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh, Chris Naeole in Jacksonville, Kimo von Oelhoffen in Pittsburgh, Mark Tuinei in Dallas, young Junior Seau in San Diego, etc etc. I don't know, maybe it just seems that way.

Also, according to PonyExpress' college production posts, Kiwi has the potential to be a very good pro player.

.
 
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maverick4 said:
I agree.

Is it just me, or do all the prospects with Hawaiian-sounding last names always end up being good NFL players? Lofi Tatupu in Seattle, Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh, Chris Naeole in Jacksonville, Kimo von Oelhoffen in Pittsburgh, Mark Tuinei in Dallas, young Junior Seau in San Diego, etc etc. I don't know, maybe it just seems that way.

Also, according to PonyExpress' college production posts, Kiwi has the potential to be a very good pro player.

.
von Oelhoffen doesn't sound Hawaiian to me! :rofl:
 
PromisedLand said:
One of the knocks on him is that he got all 9 of his sacks in just 3 of his games... I wonder if that means he can feast on average college tackles but can't beat the good college tackles. If that is the case he is going to have problems in the pros...

Or they could have looked @ the tapes of the VA game and seen he was the victim of a crackback & was injured and never the same this season. He was handled pretty easily by Ferguson during Senior Bowl practices.
 
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PromisedLand said:
von Oelhoffen doesn't sound Hawaiian to me! :rofl:

Well check out his photo and decide for yourself. The guy's first name is KIMO!!
 

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Kiwanuka is dropping because teams think he's weak, due to his 17 reps on the bench, and because he's too smart (getting a masters degree in English). Despite their opinions I am confident that barring a crippling leg injury, random gunfire, or the sudden desire to enter the clergy, Kiwanuka will become a top-notch NFL player.
 
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I never understood the obsession with bench press reps. Let's say you have two players. In their last two seasons, player A gets: 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, compared to player B, who got 5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. However, player B benches 3 times more than player A. Who do you pick?

If Kiwi drops, people will be talking about him like people talked about Lofa last year (as in "how did that guy drop so far in the draft?").
 
maverick4 said:
I never understood the obsession with bench press reps. Let's say you have two players. In their last two seasons, player A gets: 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, compared to player B, who got 5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. However, player B benches 3 times more than player A. Who do you pick?

If Kiwi drops, people will be talking about him like people talked about Lofa last year (as in "how did that guy drop so far in the draft?").

Bench reps have little relation to football strength. Richard Seymour did 18 reps coming out of Georgia. But the predraft season is a meatmarket and heterosexual GMs become enamored with muscle-heads in shorts. Hence the rise of Kamerion Wimbley. (Romeo if you're reading this, he's your guy at #12!):D
 
I would love to get Kiwi in the third round. Put him through Strength & cond for a year and we have the next Willie Mac.

Good news.
 
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Seymour only bench pressed 18 times at the combine!?!?!?!

Okay, that's it. From now on, I could care less if a receiver runs a 40-yard 5.0 time, or a QB scores a 5 on the Wonderlic.

I wonder if the guy that invented the NFL combine was actually a genius GM many years ago who wanted to confuse his less-intelligent counterparts from taking the correct players.
 
I already came down on Kiwi in another thread so I'll keep it short...

Kiwi was completely abused by Ferguson at the Senoir Bowl in the one on one drills. Not just once, but several times over and Ferguson made it look pretty easy while Kiwi was going bonkers but pretty much just fell on the ground. Ferguson may be a power stud but he's a lot more like the guys Kiwi will face in the NFL than the nameless schmoes he ran around in college, and all the scouts and GM's really seemed to take notice.

Add in the sorry legacies of BC D-linemen like Hovan and Mamula and you see why Kiwi will really slide. Man, if he's another dud, he'd look great in a Jets or Bills uni, oh yeah baby!!!!
 
I see Kiwi having a productive NFL career. He sure will work for it. I believe it has to be at DE though. I don't see him slipping out of the first, but if he was there in the third I guess we would have to try him at OLB.
 
maverick4 said:
Well check out his photo and decide for yourself. The guy's first name is KIMO!!
OK, so maybe he's German-Hawaiian, but you were talking about the SOUND of his name, not what he looks like!
 
Kiwi got whupped by Brick. Big deal. Most college DE's will get whupped by that stud OL. To say that Kiwi isn't a good player because he got beat bad by Ferguson is like saying Ogden isn't a good player because he got beat bad by Freeney. Neither makes sense.
 
The real question is can Kiwi play an outside pass rusher role in a 3-4. (There's no way he can play 3-4 DE with Seymour, Warren and Green on the roster.)
If you look at his game carefully, it's easy to see him do well as a rush linebacker. However the picture gets a little fuzzier when you think about him as a run defender on a play run right at him. And finally when you think if him in coverage, the picture gets scary.
OK so he needs some 3-4 seasoning.So then you ask yourself, can he help on ST????
I can't call it at this point, so I'll see what BB says on Saturday.
 
JustWinBrady said:
I'm a big Kiwi fan. He has great character and a nice work ethic.

So does Klecko. And Klecko is more accomplished as a college football player. But guess what, neither one of them is agile enough to play in space. I think Kiwi will be a starting 4-3 DE, but he won't be able to play OLB in the 34.
 
Boston Tim said:
Kiwi got whupped by Brick. Big deal. Most college DE's will get whupped by that stud OL. To say that Kiwi isn't a good player because he got beat bad by Ferguson is like saying Ogden isn't a good player because he got beat bad by Freeney. Neither makes sense.


Have a tendency to agree with this statement. Yes it isn't a big deal for the Senior Bowl. The interesting question becomes what happens the next time they meet when its in the NFL and after both have had heavy work in the strength and conditioning programs along with expert technique tutoring by an NFL line coach. Then the question becomes who's the best and quickest learner as well as the most motivated? Have a feeling being knocked on your butt and embarrassed could be a really strong motivational tool. Will be looking forward to the rematch whenever and wherever it shows up. Should be fun to watch. :)
 
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