The 2013 Prospect Thread

[Snake Eyes]

First of all, he's been adding weight since his freshman year, when he was 215lbs. Secondly, muscle is denser than fat. The fact that he is so wiry means that he has an incredibly muscular frame, with virtually no body fat. An athlete needs a little bit of body fat just so they can absorb contact and have good balance. A little bit of body fat (he has none) is easily retained. He can add 20-30lbs no problem. He has enough room on his frame.

While he might have room on his frame his metabolism might disagree, some people simply cannot add a lot of weight, I've known people who've many spent years in the gym and are very strong but not very big at all. Also, all of the field work a player does really cuts into bulking up, it's one thing to put on weight if that's the thing they're working on but the demands of being a NFL player compromise that significantly.

I read an interview with Lou Ferrigno many years ago where he talks about how he was actually invited to try out for the NY Jets, it was thought that with his build he'd be amazingly suited to the game. On the first day he was killing it in the weight room and one of the vets asked him if he thought he'd be able to do that in a day or two, to which he replied "sure, why not"? After a day or so of all the field work they'd done he wouldnt even look at the weights, and he decided pro football wan't for him.

Taylor might actually be able to put on weight but I certainly wouldnt bet a high round pick on the idea that'll he'll become very effective if he adds that weight.

 

[Merril Hoge's Tie Knot]

The New England Patriots defense needs an interior pass rush presence even more than an outside one.

I like Sheldon Richardson in that role. He's much like Warren Sapp or Geno Atkins. He's 6'3" 300 but is very athletic. I've seen him play linebacker.

 

[ATippett56]

WalterFootball.com: 2013 NFL Draft Stock - Week 9

Devin Taylor, DE, South Carolina

Taylor has had a disappointing year and that continued against Tennessee. The senior was single-blocked all day going against a passing offense that had quarterback Tyler Bray throw 43 attempts. Taylor got zero pass rush and was a non-factor. He didn't apply pressure on Bray much less get close to a sack. Taylor had three tackles versus the Volunteers.

Taylor has totaled 28 tackles, six tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks this season. 1.5 of his sacks came against Kentucky, a weak SEC team. He flashes some disruption at times, but rarely ever finishes plays. Taylor's closing speed is seriously lacking. Teammate Jadeveon Clowney has seen constant double-teams all season, leaving Taylor almost nothing but one-on-ones. He hasn't made the most of the opportunity. Taylor could have been a second-day pick, but now looks like a fourth- or fifth-rounder.

 

[ATippett56]

I like Sheldon Richardson in that role. He's much like Warren Sapp or Geno Atkins. He's 6'3" 300 but is very athletic. I've seen him play linebacker.

Sheldon Richardson could be a possible candidate to play left defensive end on first and second down for the New England Patriots and kicked inside to defensive tackle on third down.

Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Just a thought.

 

[manxman2601]

I like Sheldon Richardson in that role. He's much like Warren Sapp or Geno Atkins. He's 6'3" 300 but is very athletic. I've seen him play linebacker.

I'm struggling to see why Gerald McCoy or Fairley , or for that matter Fletcher Cox, are better than Sheldon Richardson, and so I tend to think of them when considering his draft position ie unobtainable. (Sigh)

 

[mayoclinic]

Sheldon Richardson could be a possible candidate to play left defensive end on first and second down for the New England Patriots and kicked inside to defensive tackle on third down.

Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Just a thought.

Without a doubt. He's got to be on the list. Currently rated #39 by NFL Draft Scout, and I wouldn't be surprised if he climbs.

THere will be a lot of jockeying for the top 40 or so spots. Some very talented players will slip through the cracks. Yum.

 

[mayoclinic]

BTW, I absolutely love the idea of Sheldon Richardson as a LDE in the Red Bryant mold and kicking inside on 3rd down, with Cunningham/Ninkovich moving up on passing downs - or, better yet, someone like Dion Jordan. There Manx, I've now mentioned Jordan.

 

[Merril Hoge's Tie Knot]

As former LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu tries to shift his focus from returning to college football to preparing for the NFL draft, he’ll get a change of scenery.

Report: Matthieu moves in with Patrick Peterson’s family | ProFootballTalk

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Quanterus Smith -- DE/OLB -- 6'5 250lbs -- Western Kentucky



Currently leads the NCAA in sacks. Might be under the radar due to the school he's at, but don't be fooled. He's had his best game against the best College team in the Nation (Alabama). 3 sacks against NFL level competition on the Roll Tide.


Could be a mid-late round steal

 

[Merril Hoge's Tie Knot]

Quanterus Smith -- DE/OLB -- 6'5 250lbs -- Western Kentucky



Currently leads the NCAA in sacks. Might be under the radar due to the school he's at, but don't be fooled. He's had his best game against the best College team in the Nation (Alabama). 3 sacks against NFL level competition on the Roll Tide.


Could be a mid-late round steal

Not under the radar here, brah

RI has been pimpin' him for weeks, nay, months.

 

[Merril Hoge's Tie Knot]

“Keenan won’t play against Washington,” Tedford said in a statement released by the school. “We’ll continue to evaluate him on a weekly basis.”

The initial word is that Allen is suffering from a PCL injury in his left knee and could be looking at two-three weeks of recovery. Tedford also told the media that they “won’t do anything to jeopardize his health,” which is rather ironic given the circumstances surrounding the injury.

Regardless, the loss of Allen, whether it be for just one or multiple games, is a significant blow to the Bears’ offense. The junior leads the Bears in receptions (61), receiving yards (737) and receiving touchdowns (six).

Cal confirms Keenan Allen’s out indefinitely with knee injury | CollegeFootballTalk

A man can dream right?

 

[mackenzie45220]

Watching Ansah. Lacks the flexibility needed to get good leverage against the run, so he better improve his hand usage and strength if he wants to have a chance to succeed against the run. He is very quick and he is a good athlete.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Watching Ansah. Lacks the flexibility needed to get good leverage against the run, so he better improve his hand usage and strength if he wants to have a chance to succeed against the run. He is very quick and he is a good athlete.

I hope he stays inflexible for the time being to tank his draft stock. The good thing is that flexibility, like strength, can be developed.

 

[mackenzie45220]

I hope he stays inflexible for the time being to tank his draft stock. The good thing is that flexibility, like strength, can be developed.

It must be amazing to be a Pats fan. You hope that Ansah's stock falls because of flexibility simply because you know that Belichick will be smart enough to pick him up if he falls.

 

[Luxusdk]

It must be amazing to be a Pats fan. You hope that Ansah's stock falls because of flexibility simply because you know that Belichick will be smart enough to pick him up if he falls.

It makes it abit more fun to watch young players, when you know Bill use even more time then we do. So when we see something, the odds are, he also noticed it. BUT last we was right about Jones... That also mean, for the next many years, wont even get close

 

[mackenzie45220]

Unlikely to enter the draft, but Cody Hoffman is spectacular, second round pick in my mind

 

[Snake Eyes]

It must be amazing to be a Pats fan. You hope that Ansah's stock falls because of flexibility simply because you know that Belichick will be smart enough to pick him up if he falls.

YES, it is AMAZING to be a Patriots fan!!

You DO realize that you can join Patriots Nation whenever you like and that we will welcome you with open arms!

 

[ATippett56]

Prioritized Senior Watch List - 2013 New England Patriots Defensive Prospects

Defensive End

Cornellius Carradine - Florida State
Ezekiel Ansah - Brigham Young

Defensive Tackle

Jesse Williams - Alabama
Kawann Short - Purdue
Abry Jones - Georgia (recovering from ankle surgery)
Cory Grissom - South Florida

Free Safety

Kenny Vaccaro - Texas
Bacarri Rambo - Georgia
D.J. Swearinger - South Carolina
Bradley McDougald - Kansas

Strong Safety

Robert Lester - Alabama
Shawn Williams - Georgia
Phillip Thomas - Fresno State
Rontez Miles - California (PA)

 

[manxman2601]

**Super Sleeper Beast**​

Nick Kasa, TE, Colorado





I've mentioned him before, but Chris Steuber ( @chrissteuber) tweets weekly about which scouts are going to which college games. Yesterday he tweeted this:

I'm told scouts from Bills, Broncos, Browns, Cardinals, Patriots, Texans & Vikings will attend #Stanford, #Colorado game on Sat. #CFB #NFL

https://twitter.com/ChrisSteuber/status/264504893665079296


Instinctively, one would suppose that they were looking at Stanford prospects but I noticed that this was the second time that Patriot scouts had been to a Colorado game. I decided to do a quick check at NFLDraftscout to see what prospects Colorado had but there's not a great deal there. However, I did notice Nick Kasa and became intrigued. So here's the skinny on him.


He was recruited to Colorado as a four star recruit to play DE although, notably Florida also tried to recruit him and Urban Meyer told him he thought he could play OT. He's had a difficult and unsuccessful time at DE at Colorado and last season asked his coach if he could switch to the offense so that he could help his team out better and they decided he would try out at TE so 2012, his senior year, is the first season he's played at TE.

He's reportedly between 6'5" and 6'7" and weighs in at 250lb to 260 lb. More interestingly he's been timed at 4.6 in the 40 when he was 10lb's heavier. He has 17 catches for 306 yards (avg 18.00) and three TD's. serving to highlight his speed, one of those TD's was a 70 yarder (see below).

CU Nick Kasa's 70 yd TD catch against WSU - YouTube

He also comes across well:

Nick Kasa switch to TE - YouTube

And a couple of interesting articles:

Nick Kasa fitting in just fine at tight end on CU football team - The Denver Post

"As a tight end, Nick is really like a freshman," Embree said this week. "There are a lot of nuances that go with that position, from blocking and running routes and finding the soft spot in the defense.

"Earlier in the game (against Washington State), Jordan threw him the ball but Nick wasn't looking. If Nick had played two or three years at that position, he would have caught it. But he's really done a great job of working hard and not making the same mistake twice."

Before each practice, Kasa catches 100 passes thrown by a machine.

"Honestly, I was as impressed with the one-handed catch he got over the middle last week as I was with the long touchdown," Brookhart said. "For Nick, that one-handed catch was big. He has really good hands, but he didn't grow up catching the football. You don't trust yourself because it doesn't come naturally."

Nick Kasa Slowly Becoming a Big Offensive Threat

Kasa has obviously made his share of mistakes during his transition but what Embree likes about him is that he does not make the same mistakes again.

“He’s done a really great job at working hard and not making the same mistake twice” Embree said. “I’m glad that we have him, like I said he gets better every week, he does, he makes his share of mistakes, the thing I love about Nick he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. As a coach that’s really what you love, because its so important to them, he’s a prideful guy he wants to do it right.”

His coach Jon Embree is a former NFL TE and TE coach so hopefully he knows a little of what he's talking about:

Notable players coached

Christian Fauria (All-Big 8), Matt Lepsis (All-Big 8 2nd team), Daniel Graham (2001 John Mackey Award Winner), Marcedes Lewis (2005 John Mackey Award Winner), Tony Gonzalez (Pro Bowl all 3 seasons under Embree with his best 3-year statistical stretch of his career despite entering his 30s), Chris Cooley (39 receptions through 8 games in 2010).

To me, Kasa is the ideal Belichickian prospect. He's a TE for starters, he's athletic with, at the very least, the upside for positional versatility (I'm not suggesting he'd be used that way, just that it reflects a degree of intelligence and athletic flexibility), he's very under the radar (999th prospect on NFLDraftScout), he's a hard worker and liked by his coaches.

You think the Aquib Talib trade was to acquire a no 1 CB to help our beleagured pass defense and the 7th rounder was a make weight in the deal. I think BB needed another 7th rounder to draft Kasa and Talib was in fact the makeweight

 

[manxman2601]

Just been watching Nick Kasa in the game against ASU.

1. Blocks like an OT. Doesn't give up too much ground to D/Linemen but at the same time has quick enough feet to block blitzers and edge rushers.

2. Gets to the second level in the run game very well. Nice feet.

3. Is used on almost every offensive down. Not bad for an effective freshman on offense.

4. Just caught a crucial 4th down pass towards the end of the first half. But what really impressed me was that during the run after catch, he was barrelling through defensive players -Very Gronk-like.

5. Does look a little hesitant when leaving the LOS on passing plays. Whether this is a lack of explosion or a result of his newness at the position I'm not sure.

6. Looks closer to 6'5" than 6'7".

Only watched a half and will hope to watch the second half later. He's only had one catch so far but I have to say, I've been impressed by his blocking and he does have the look of a future Gronk type player.


Edit:

5. Does look a little hesitant when leaving the LOS on passing plays. Whether this is a lack of explosion or a result of his newness at the position I'm not sure.

LOL. The next play I watched after typing these notes, Kasa showed the same hesitancy off the line but then changed up a gear showing real burst and caught a 20+ TD pass down the seam.

He's going in my mock and will likely stay there.