The 2013 Prospect Thread

[mackenzie45220]

Oh, and I'd be surprised if he entered the draft, but Corey Nelson, although short and skinny, is really talented. If he gets to 235lbs by next offseason, he could a more athletic Lavonte David.
In general, height is overrated for linebackers. Half of these undersized linebackers are athletic enough to play the weakside. The only time in which I think it's a legitimate problem is when they are too short to cover tight ends (strongside) but not athletic enough to cover running backs (weakside). Guys like Melvin Ingram (no role in a 3-4), Jarvis Jones (don't get me wrong, Jones is awesome, but coverage is a problem), and tons of inside linebackers (Manti Te'o, Dont'a Hightower, Collin McCarthy, Sean Lee). Basically, it's a problem if you are <6'3 AND your 40 is >4.65, at least for man coverage (in your case, Hightower is very smart in zone)

 

[Snake Eyes]

If I had to pick a LDE prospect to pair opposite Chandler Jones, from what little I've seen of Ansah and given his development so far, his maturity, work ethic, intangibles, smarts, length, bulk, flexibility, strength and lack of character issues, he seems like a pretty ideal prospect. He's much stronger than Dion Jordan, much more fluid than Margus Hunt or Devin Taylor, much more versatile in coverage than Tank Carradine, and much more explosive than William Gholston. Of course, he's rawer than any of them. But given how far he's come, I wouldn't bet against him, and I would probably bet that he develops faster than expected.

Here's a really nice read on the kid, which I don't think has been posted yet:

BYU football: No longer a football novice, Ziggy Ansah has NFL potential | Deseret News

What stands out in that article is how far Ansah has come. He literally started from scratch 3 years ago, and he persevered even though he really didn't have a clue. The light is just beginning to come on for him. He's a smart kid and a hard worker, he's persevered, and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a huge leap forward as he starts to get a grasp of the game. The physical tools are incredible.

Again, I give full credit to Brother Manx and others for spotting him early.

Great stuff, I'm almost wondering if Hunt might be destined to play DT or even TE, he'd be like a super sized Gronk.

 

[Merril Hoge's Tie Knot]

A little OT, but I'm surprised to see Texas getting rolled by Oklahoma.

Also Logan Thomas sucks. He should stay in school.

 

[Avenger]

Derek Mayo would be good if we are looking at undersized linebackers, we would probably be able to get first dibs at signing him as a UDFA. Would be a good LB/S fit, 5-10 220 and runs a 4.4-4.5 40 yard dash.

 

[Luxusdk]

That would be nice. I badly wanted Earl Thomas in 2010, and hoped he might somehow slip to 22. Tony Jefferson from Oklahoma is the closest thing that I see right now.

Think ill go with Rambo - Mix between Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. Got off-the-field problems there could keep hes value down. Rambo might be faster then Jefferson, might be a real BB troy.

 

[mackenzie45220]

A little OT, but I'm surprised to see Texas getting rolled by Oklahoma.

Also Logan Thomas sucks. He should stay in school.

I'm so disappointed by Thomas. I don't know what's happening this season. Last year, he was a good decision maker with incredible throwing mechanics. This year, his throwing mechanics have hardly changed, but, for some reason, he has just been inaccurate. I can't figure out why.

 

[fightingirish595]

anyone see k. short from purdue today. if you did, how did he look

 

[fightingirish595]

we need a cover safety. ik some guys have been displeased with chung. chung is great against the run and i think if we give him some time he can be a stud. but he would certainyl benefit with a guy who specializes in coverage

 

[manxman2601]

I'm not saying he won't be a first rounder, I'm just saying that if people are saying first rounder right now, 6 months out, it's a little extreme. This is a guy with 6 career starts at age 23. He's 6 months older than Aaron Hernandez and has just 3 sacks against second tier competition.

Ezekiel Ansah Stats, News, Videos, Pictures, Bio - Brigham Young Cougars - ESPN

I'm projecting when I say he's a first rounder. Remember when Michael Brockers declared, virtually every team in the NFL had him in for a visit. I can see the same with Ansah and someone will probably fall in love with him. Of course, he could have a poor Senior/Shrine bowl or fail to live up to expectations at the combine (or get a serious injury God forbid) but his current path leads me to believe he'll be a first rounder and very possibly a high one.

 

[manxman2601]

I need to watch Rutgers' Khaseem Greene, sounds like he's having an excellent season at OLB. Anyone seen him and have any thoughts?

 

[mayoclinic]

I'm projecting when I say he's a first rounder. Remember when Michael Brockers declared, virtually every team in the NFL had him in for a visit. I can see the same with Ansah and someone will probably fall in love with him. Of course, he could have a poor Senior/Shrine bowl or fail to live up to expectations at the combine (or get a serious injury God forbid) but his current path leads me to believe he'll be a first rounder and very possibly a high one.

A high 1st round pick is possible, but a long way off. There's a numbers game to be played, and as a 4-3 DE Ansah would have to leap frog a lot of other guys to be a top 10-15 pick. Sam Montgomery, Bjoern Werner. Guys from bigger name schools with more experience, better stats and more tape. It's possible - it only takes 1 team falling in love with a prospect - but it's an uphill climb. But by no means out of the question.

Looking at some of the "fast risers" on defense who have seemingly emerged from nowhere in 1 year prior to the draft:

2009: Connor Barwin. TE convert to DE who led the Big East with 12 sacks and 16 TFL, had great intangibles and off the charts measurables. Originally called a 3rd round pick, bumped up to the 2nd round and was considered a possible 1st round pick by some after blowing away the Combine and he Pro Day, before eventually going to Houston at #46 overall.

2010: Jason Pierre-Paul. The Haitian Sensation was a JUCO transfer who emerged from the shadow of George Selvie. Had 16.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks for USF as a junior before declaring. Taken #15 overall by the Giants.

2011: JJ Watt. Another TE convert to DE. Exploded his senior year with 21 TFL. Lott Trophy award winner, 1st team All Big 10 and 2nd Team All American. Team MVP. Taken #11 overall by Houston.

2012: Dontari Poe. Limited production for Memphis, but ideal size and freakish athleticism. Taken #11 overall by Kansas City.

2012: Chandler Jones. Hampered by injuries. Showed flashes of production, but didn't post eye-popping stats. Projected initially as a 2nd round pick when he declared as a junior, was a fast riser projected by some as a possible top 15 pick prior to the draft. Taken #21 overall by the Patriots.

4 of those 5 guys were 1st round picks. 3 were top 15 picks. Watt, Pierre-Paul and Barwin all produced at a very high level against strong competition. Poe had the least production against the weakest competition and the most developmental time, and has shown the slowest development, though his position is one that often takes time to develop.

Ansah is very raw, but if he continues to produce I think he will almost certainly be a top 50 pick, and most likely intrigue someone enough to be a top 40 or late 1st round pick. Beyond that right now is too hard to project, but his physical talent level is certainly off the charts.

If I had to guess right now I'd say there's about a 20% chance he goes top 20, a 50% chance he goes 20-50, a 20% chance he goes 50-100, and a 10% chance he goes lower than that (either because of inconcsistency, poor meaurables, a red flag, or mostly likely injury). But it's pure guesswork.

 

[Austin]

The pats really need LB depth, a guy I really like in the late rounds is Will Compton out of Nebraska. He doesn't have any film online but he has really impressed me in every Nebraska game I have watched.

 

[mayoclinic]

The pats really need LB depth, a guy I really like in the late rounds is Will Compton out of Nebraska. He doesn't have any film online but he has really impressed me in every Nebraska game I have watched.

Don't forget the Pats should have Dane Fletcher back next year. And possibly Bobby Carpenter if he works out. Plus Jeff Tarpinian on the PS. I'm not sure that LB depth is that high on my list of concerns, personally, though I'm always open to good LBs.

 

[Austin]

Don't forget the Pats should have Dane Fletcher back next year. And possibly Bobby Carpenter if he works out. Plus Jeff Tarpinian on the PS. I'm not sure that LB depth is that high on my list of concerns, personally, though I'm always open to good LBs.

Dane Fletcher is a good LB but he will be coming back from a terrible season ending injury

Bobby Carpenter won't be on the team come next year. The only reason he was signed was because we didn't have anyone who could play LB other than the 3 starters.

Jeff Tarpinian hasn't proved anything

Tracy White is a special teamer

 

[Snake Eyes]

Dane Fletcher is a good LB but he will be coming back from a terrible season ending injury

Bobby Carpenter won't be on the team come next year. The only reason he was signed was because we didn't have anyone who could play LB other than the 3 starters.

Jeff Tarpinian hasn't proved anything

Tracy White is a special teamer

Sure, we could stand to improve our LB corp but will we get as much impact as we'd get by beefing up the D-line, which is the first point of contact?

 

[Luxusdk]

Sure, we could stand to improve our LB corp but will we get as much impact as we'd get by beefing up the D-line, which is the first point of contact?

How many should we have ?
ILB: Spikes, HT,Mayo - OLB Cunningham,Ninko,Fletcher + Carpenter, White and Koutouvides - Not saying all are good - but 9 atm

Ok last 3 can go that would still leave us with 6.

 

[Austin]

Sure, we could stand to improve our LB corp but will we get as much impact as we'd get by beefing up the D-line, which is the first point of contact?

When did I say the d-line was not important? All I said was that we should get another LB in the late rounds.

How many should we have ?
ILB: Spikes, HT,Mayo - OLB Cunningham,Ninko,Fletcher + Carpenter, White and Koutouvides - Not saying all are good - but 9 atm

Ok last 3 can go that would still leave us with 6.

Not sure if serious. Are you mentally stable? Did you even read my last comment? Have you ever even watched a patriots game? Cunningham and Nink are D-linemen. And I already went over Carpenter and White in the last comment. That would leave us with 4.

 

[manxman2601]

How many should we have ?
ILB: Spikes, HT,Mayo - OLB Cunningham,Ninko,Fletcher + Carpenter, White and Koutouvides - Not saying all are good - but 9 atm

Ok last 3 can go that would still leave us with 6.

But how many of them can cover worth a damn. Would be nice to have a LB who could cover more than five yards down field.

 

[manxman2601]

When did I say the d-line was not important? All I said was that we should get another LB in the late rounds.



Not sure if serious. Are you mentally stable? Did you even read my last comment? Have you ever even watched a patriots game? Cunningham and Nink are D-linemen. And I already went over Carpenter and White in the last comment. That would leave us with 4.

Way to have a sensible discussion. I'll give you Cunningham, but Nink WAS a LB last year so hardly unreasonable to mention him.

 

[Avenger]

Jamoris Slaughter, S, Notre Dame

Injured this year, if he doesn't get a medical redshirt he could be a good late round/UDFA guy