Question about OL

[patchick]

Neal/ O'Callahan will be rotated, IMO. Neal's strength is in pulling, pass protection was a problem last year. He will probably start, O'C may become part of a short-ydg, goal-line Jumbo pkg, possibly with Britt. As the season rolls on, he may be in on obvious passing downs if he seems better than Neal in pass protection. Neal may well improve, last yr was only his 2nd as a full time starter.

I like your goal-line scenario, except that it would mean activating an awful lot of tackles for the game. Right now O'Callaghan is a monster run blocker but very raw in pass protection, and has never played guard (or, I believe, LT) at any level. Tucker and even Britt offer a little more position versatility, which is what you like to see in a gameday backup.

I guess you could use O'Callaghan as the RG/RT backup, swinging Kaczur from RT to LT in case of injury to Light...nervewracking, though.

 

[arrellbee]

Here is one scouting report ... was posted the other day

Scouting Report: A two-time All-American, Callaghan is capable of simply flattening defensive linemen. While not an elite athlete, O'Callaghan has all the other ingredients NFL scouts and coaches look for when building an offensive line. O'Callaghan had great success in college thanks to his superb size and power, but also because he's a solid tactician who plays with constant intensity and a real edge. He was out-and-out dominant at the college level plowing the field for Cal's rushing game, but he isn't likely to be able to just manhandle defenders in the NFL. That said, his prospects for pro success are excellent. He's a true warrior and a team-first type, one who will battle on every down. His lack of lateral mobility and quickness make him a bit of a liability picking up pass rushers so a move to guard is likely. O'Callaghan also needs to prove he can stay on the field, as injuries have hurt him in the past. All in all, he's a bona fide NFL O-lineman.


http://www.forecaster.ca/dallasnews/football/draft-team.cgi?NE&DraftID=11#7808

Besides this I was listening to a JETs fan talk about him. He watched him a lot and is a pretty knowlegable fan and thought O'Callaghan was a steal.
Guess will know soon.

It's very encouraging. But I think perhaps the comments about mobility and quickness may be fairly important. Just have to see I guess. We always hope that the lower round draft picks can turn out to be solid important starters.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I think we need to re-evaluate Neal's abilities for a second.

Neal is adept at coming off the LOS with a flat back and shows decent hand punch and foot movement. He accels at getting position and turning the opposing DL to create a crease. He is a technician, not by any stretch a road grader.

Neal struggles with pass protection. He can set short but he reaches and leans too much. He can be bulled backwards, too much also. Neal is terrible when it comes to disengaging. All OL read inside to outisde. Neal really struggles picking up blitzes to his right. Either he isn't reading it right, or he can't disengage properly.

As for O'callahan, he may one day turn out to be an excellent road grader, but that day isn't coming this year. I've watched some of his games since the Pats drafted him and I'm not sure how strong he is. Yes in college he moved oppsing DE's and LBs, but if he moves to OG with the Pats, he's going to go up against NFL DTs. (Stroud, Henderson, Hampton, etc) I don't see the functional strength that he's going to need at this point. If he is pressed into service early next season, I see him getting injured, much as Kazcur did last season.

 

[arrellbee]

I think we need to re-evaluate Neal's abilities for a second.

Neal is adept at coming off the LOS with a flat back and shows decent hand punch and foot movement. He accels at getting position and turning the opposing DL to create a crease. He is a technician, not by any stretch a road grader.

Neal struggles with pass protection. He can set short but he reaches and leans too much. He can be bulled backwards, too much also. Neal is terrible when it comes to disengaging. All OL read inside to outisde. Neal really struggles picking up blitzes to his right. Either he isn't reading it right, or he can't disengage properly.

As for O'callahan, he may one day turn out to be an excellent road grader, but that day isn't coming this year. I've watched some of his games since the Pats drafted him and I'm not sure how strong he is. Yes in college he moved oppsing DE's and LBs, but if he moves to OG with the Pats, he's going to go up against NFL DTs. (Stroud, Henderson, Hampton, etc) I don't see the functional strength that he's going to need at this point. If he is pressed into service early next season, I see him getting injured, much as Kazcur did last season.

Thanks for perspectives.