The Penn State Football Show

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4324108&name=feldman_bruce

Check out Bruce Feldman's blog on espn.com listing his 10 players he is most excited to see this fall. Lots of interesting PSU related notes from this list:



1. Obviously it's awesome to see a Penn State player on this list. I have read so much hype about Jack Crawford, I can not wait to see him play this fall. If I made a list of PSU players I'm most excited to see, he's without a doubt number one on the list.

2. Notice Big Bad Phil Taylor has made the list. I would not be surprised to see him have a big year for Baylor under Coach Norwood.

3. Terrelle Pryor. I agree with this pick. It will be interestinig to see if he improves as a passer. If OSU is going to be good, he has to get a lot better at throwing the football. I'm not so sure he has the arm to do it. We will see. vs. USC week two will be very interesting.

4. Notice Sean Lee and Ryan Mallett listed at the bottom. I'd love to see Michigan struggle again this year and Mallett have a big year for Arkansas. Two more O-linemen transferred away from Michigan this summer complaining about the new coaching staff by the way.

5. Completely unrelated to PSU, but as a college football fan, I agree with his chioce for #1. Dez Bryant is a man-child and I am excited to see him play this fall. Oklahoma State may have the best offense in the country with Bryant and Zac Rombinson at quarterback. Look for them to do some damage against Big 12 opponents such as Oklahoma and Texas. Also look for Bryant to be a top 10 draft pick next April.

Sorry we've been slacking on the blog lately. A lot of exciting things have been going on in the world of Penn State football, especially with recruiting. Here are some Penn State football articles to recap what's been happening:

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/07/14/crawford_looking_to_impress_th.aspx

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/07/15/fathead_will_release_beaver_st.aspx

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/07/13/hayes_ready_to_come_back.aspx

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09191/983052-100.stm?cmpid=psu.xml

http://ydr.inyork.com/ydr/psu/ci_12720267

Here are some encouraging comments about the leaders stepping up this off-season:

http://www.nittanynetwork.com/index.php/component/resource/article/6-football-stories/434-lions-not-lacking-leadership

I'm starting to get excited...

Also, from the same site, here is a list of the top 10 PSU QB's of all time. I think Zack Mills has to be in the top ten for what he did in his career. And Chuck Fusina is my man.

http://www.nittanynetwork.com/index.php/component/resource/article/6-football-stories/431-nfr--psu's-all-time-top-10-quarterbacks

NFL DRAFT

I’ve covered the draft from a Penn State perspective. Now I will discuss the draft from a draftnik’s perspective.

As a 49er fan, I was very pleased with this draft. After getting Michael Crabtree with the tenth overall pick, San Fran could honestly have drafted Rudy with their next pick and I still would have been ecstatic. I said it a few weeks ago: I think Crabtree is the top overall prospect in this entire draft. I kept hearing he might fall to the 49ers at 10, but had a hard time believing it could actually happen. I can not wait to see what he does at the next level. He is the #1 wide receiver that the team has lacked since TO left.

After that, I liked the trade they made to pick up a #1 for 2010, although I also would have been happy seeing them take Everette Brown who was there for them in the second. Brown was projected as a first round pick, so I was surprised he lasted to the Niners in round two. Nevertheless, there must have been something that the scouts didn’t like about him, since they traded the pick.

I liked the picks of Glenn Coffee and Scott McKillop. The only pick I didn’t like was Nate Davis from Ball State. I watched him this year and was not impressed. I know he was great in college, but he doesn’t look like an NFL type QB to me. I would have rather them taken Graham Harrell or Drew Willy, but time will tell.

Okay, I realize nobody else cares about the 49ers, so I will just give my opinion on some of the biggest picks of the draft. I will start by listing what I thought were the best value picks in the draft:

-Chris Wells at 31 is an absolute steal. He was the best back in the draft in my opinion, and for him to fall that far is incredible. He’s my early pick to win Rookie of the Year next year for Arizona.

-Rashad Johnson at the end of the third to Arizona was another steal. I listed him in an earlier post as one of my favorite players in this draft because he was such a playmaker and a leader for Alabama. I think he will be a starting safety in the NFL.

-Darius Butler to New England in the second. The debate is between Butler, Vontae Davis and Malcolm Jenkins for who the top corner in the draft was. The other two went in the first, so Butler was the best value pick of the three.

-Orakpo falling to 13 was surprising. He could have just as easily gone in the top 5. He is a great player, and the Redskins wisely pounced on him when he was still on the board at 13. I have no idea how Denver passed on him to take a running back.

-Duke Robinson out of Oklahoma had a great college career. Somehow he fell all the way to the fifth (163). The Panthers will be happy with this pick. He has experience at both guard and tackle. I think he will be a successful pro.

-Tackle Thomas Morstead went with the very next pick after Robinson. He was rated highly on many people’s boards, including draft guru Gil Brandt. That’s good enough for me. He was on the board for too long.

-AQ Shipley: He should have been picked earlier than the seventh round. He will have a long career in the NFL.

WORST PICKS:

-Darrius Heyward-Bey at number 8 to Oakland. I’m sure you’ve already heard all about this crazy pick, but honestly, this was just dumb. I kept hearing that the Raiders love speed, and that they may even take Maclin or Heyward-Bey at #8 over Crabtree, but I refused to believe these rumors until I actually saw it happen. Al Davis is out of his mind. First, Crabtree is without a doubt the best wide receiver in this draft. Second, how can you take a player in the top 10 based solely on his impressive size-speed ratio? That’s exactly what they did. His production at Maryland was not incredibly impressive. It’s foolish to pick someone that high just because the guy is 210 lbs. and runs a 4.3. Those measurables only go so far. You need to get a proven consistent playmaker at that spot, not somebody that actually had games last year where he failed to record a single reception.

-Knowshon Moreno to the Broncos at 12. I’m not saying he’s not a great running back, because I think he is. But this pick doesn’t make sense to me for the Broncos. A lot of people liked this pick, but I just don’t understand it, when they have so many needs on defense. Brian Orakpo was there. He would have been a perfect fit, and they should have been happy to have him fall that far. Most importantly, why did they go out and sign all of those free agent running backs this off-season? I liked what they did this off-season going out and getting Buckhaulter, Arrington and Lamont Jordan, who I think are all solid backs. Running back, in my opinion was not a big need for Denver, especially since you can get good value at running back in the later rounds. They had much larger needs they could have filled with this pick, and taking Moreno doesn’t make sense to me. A lot of people liked this pick, but I just don’t agree. I liked their next pick taking Robert Ayers later in the first, though.

-Josh Freeman: I just don’t see it. I think he’s overrated. He’s a good athlete, but I don’t see him being successful in the NFL. His decision making is lacking and his mechanics are far from where they need to be. I realize it may be a large drop off to the next group of quarterbacks after him, but that doesn’t make Freeman a first round pick. He is head and shoulders below Sanchez and Stafford. I don’t think Freeman will be an NFL starter.

More to come including which teams I thought had the best drafts.

I was not able to make it to Penn State for the Blue White Game, and it was not televised, so I can’t really provide any insight on the game. I know Rudy dished out ten bucks to watch it online, so hopefully he can share what he saw.

Of course, you can’t really take much out of the Blue White Game anyway. Remember how good Morelli looked in his first Blue White game? Anyway, from what I’ve read about it, everything went as expected: Clark looked great. Offensive line struggled. Secondary struggled. I read that Derek Moye looked pretty good at wide receiver. Also, apparently Andrew Quarless had a big game… maybe he will finally come to play this year. If so, he could be in store for a huge senior season. I also heard good things about Hodges, the freshman safety.

While I missed the Blue White Game, I certainly did not miss the NFL Draft this weekend. As most of you know, the NFL Draft is my favorite event of the year, and this year did not disappoint. I watched every second of the first round, missed the second round because I had to make my pitching debut for the Brookline Black Sox, but then watched almost all of Day 2, missing only some of the seventh round. So, basically, on the only weekend of nice weather I’ve had since moving to Pittsburgh, I sat in front of the television for over 15 hours watching nothing but the draft. And I loved every second of it.

Since this is a Penn State Football blog, I will once again start with my thoughts on Penn Staters in the draft, before moving on to the draft as a whole:

I was EXTREMELY pleased with the way the draft went for the Nittany Lions. Maybin went very high (#11 to Buffalo) and to a perfect fit for him. As stated in my earlier post, I really didn’t think Maybin projected well as a 3-4 outside linebacker as many people had projected him to be. Putting him at linebacker takes away his biggest strength: His explosive first step off the line. I think Buffalo will handle Maybin the right way: Slowly let him get his feet wet in the NFL. I think he will start out as a third down pass-rushing specialist, because I don’t think he is ready to be a 3-down player in the NFL. But if they put him in on passing downs, he can make in impact early. Eventually he can become an every down player too. I also like the fact that he is teamed with Poz.

Derrick Williams went in the third round, which is right about where most people expected. I personally don’t think he is worth a third round selection, but I hope he proves me wrong. I’m sure Detroit will plan on using him as a returner, but I don’t think he will pan out as a punt returner. He may work out as a kick returner though.

Deon Butler went surprisingly early (round 3 to Seattle). I am happy for him and hope he succeeds.

The pick I was most happy to see was Rich Ohrenberger going to New England in the fourth round. Most people didn’t have Ohrenberger getting drafted at all, so fourth round is extremely early for him. He was a tremendous college player that many people didn’t think translated well to the NFL, mainly due to a lack of size. However, if there is a team that knows what they are doing in the draft, it’s the New England Patriots. They obviously saw something in Rich that they liked, and I’m sure he will succeed in their program with the coaching he will get.

I was also very happy to see AQ Shipley go to Pittsburgh. Again, another perfect fit. I knew as soon as Pittsburgh passed on Unger in the first that they would take Shipley later in the draft. They love taking Penn State guys, and Shipley is the perfect Steeler. He is a little undersized and has short arms, but is a very hard worker, and just a great overall football player. I’ve heard a lot of discussion about whether or not he will make the squad. I think he will, and I think he will have a 15 year career with the Steelers. He played high school football in Moon, college ball at Penn State, and now professional football for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the words of Nick Powden, “That’s ideal. That’s what you want.”

Gerald Cadogan, Maurice Evans and Jordan Norwood all went undrafted. Cadogan and Norwood don’t surprise me, but I thought someone would take a shot on Evans just based on the potential he showed as a sophomore. I have NEVER, seen anyone’s draft stock plummet as much as Mo Evans. After his sophomore campaign, he was projected as a top 15 pick. I really doubt that there have been many players that have fallen from a top 15 pick to being completely undrafted. I’m sure all three will be signed by a team, if they haven’t already.

MATTHEW STAFFORD: He has all the physical tools you look for in quarterback, and I’ve heard a million times that he “can make all the throws.” But so could Kyle Boller. I think Stafford is a great prospect, but I don’t think he is worth the first overall pick.

My main argument against Stafford is that to me, in a quarterback, you need a leader and a winner. Georgia is loaded with talent year in and year out. They were the preseason number one last year. If Stafford was a great leader and a winner, they would have done much more last year. At quarterback, you need a winner. Someone to lead the team to victory in crunch time. Stafford has not shown he is that guy.

JEREMY MACLIN: He was very productive in Missouri’s wide-open offense, but I don’t think he projects well to the NFL. I agree with Rudy’s assessment. He’s an explosive guy, but he’s not an NFL #1. He won’t be anything more than a deep threat in the NFL.

JOSH FREEMAN: The only reason he is even being mentioned as a first rounder is because of how big the drop-off is after him. But this guy is not going to be an NFL starting quarterback in my opinion. His mechanics are not even close to where they need to be. I don’t see him being successful in the NFL, and if a team takes him in the top two rounds, they are making a mistake.

DERRICK WILLIAMS: See my write-up in earlier post.

MICHAEL OHER: Too inconsistent to be a top 10 pick.

AARON MAYBIN: See write-up in earlier post. Not proven enough to warrant a top 15 pick.

So it's been a while since I last wrote anything of substance on here, but I have been busy. Strangely enough I have two finals and a project due in the next 3 days so why I am choosing now to write...I don't know. But the draft is this weekend and so is the Blue/White game. I will talk about the draft now, maybe the BW game later...

DRAFT:
Pete I like your analysis. I feel like Maybin may be one of those guys a team won't want to pass on. I think that he will be the most sought after DE in the draft over Orakpo simply because of his desire (they are very similar athletically and physically). Maybin will go in the top ten despite most experts saying he will go 11th to Buffalo. Plus its hard enough to have my Patriots play against Poz...I dont need another PSU guy hunting down Tom Brady. Bad for business.

Williams will go in the second round. He has decent hands and he is a physical receiver and a strong runner with the football (not a flopper like Randy Moss/Marvin Harrison/etc). The receivers this year are very underwhelming with the exception of Crabtree, who when healthy will be a playmaker. Great hands and great motor and fight in him. Calvin Johnson was a similar guy at GT, but his NFL career has yet to take off, part of which may be due to his lack of determination. Other than Crabtree though...no one else is a great WR. Many have Maclin going in the top 10, and in my opinion he is NOT a very good WR. Certainly extremely fast and a great returnman, but undersized, not very strong, and will never be a go to receiver, just a big play guy. As for a guy that Pete likes a lot, Nicks from UNC...very good numbers, but he is not very fluid. He sort of clamps down on the ball when he catches it rather than accepting it. This was very evident to me last night when, upon Pete's request, I watched the ESPN skills competition, where Jordan Norwood was able to showcase his hands. Butler and Norwood will both be drafted. Butler could go in the 3rd or 4th because his speed is very elite. Norwood is a reliable guy that teams will be able to count of for catching. Receivers are tough to draft because many times teams will get guys who are fast, strong, tall, whatever...but they dont have great hands and they think that at some point they'll learn to catch better. Not the case. Patriots in 2006 drafted Chad Jackson from Florida with the 36th pick of the draft. Total waste, the guy cant catch. Reliable hands are not a commodity, and I expect teams to be salivating if Norwood is still available in the 7th round.

Shipley is another under the radar guy. One of the highest wonderlic scores at the combine, great athleticism, but again people point to things like short arms, small hands, no height...whatever people, this guy is a great football player who transitioned from DL to center and became the Remington Trophy winner. He will have a successful NFL career. Cadogan should perform well in the NFL as well. He made huge strides from his junior to senior season. Finally, Dan Lawlor. He won't get drafted, but he'll make a team and will be an asset. This guy is a great blocker and has decent speed as well.

Others: At quarterback I feel the best guy out there is Sanchez. It's tough not to think that after he torched Penn State with precise passes that simply could not be defended by the 3-deep coverage of Penn State. He has a strong arm, kind of a long motion, but great accuracy and mobility. I feel he is a much better quarterback than Leinart ever was (total bust). As for Stafford, I think he's trash. I also have a newly discovered hatred for the University of Georgia, but I've never liked this guy. Overhyped like the rest of the team. Ranked #1 at the beginning of the year!? Give me a break. Moreno is another guy who is overrated and simply a youtube allstar. Look at me, I hurdle people! Too bad that's one of the first things a football coach will tell you not to do. One day he'll find out the consequences of leaving your feet in the NFL.

Some quick hitters:
BJ Raji (BC) - total freak
Michael Johnson (GT) - total freak but also total pussy
Vontae Davis (ILL) and Malcom Jenkins (OSU) - nasty corners that will play immediately
Laurenitis (OSU) - people say that he is very overrated, but I feel like he will have a solid career
Donald Brown (UConn) - Best RB in the draft. NFL ready (people get so excited over these guys in college that have 90 yard runs...that doesnt happen in the NFL...you gotta be able to pound)
USC LB's - Cushing is the only one worth drafting in the 1st round, but he's on steroids anyway. Maualuga is slower than my dog if you chopped her two right legs off (love you Sadie).

Sleepers:
Nate Davis (Ball State) - Saw this guy play on ESPN one time and he's a great passer and will be a starting QB in the next few years
Travis Beckum (Wisc) - Last year this time people would have had him going in the first two rounds, but some injuries and a down year for Wisconsin have hurt his stock, but this guy could be a Dallas Clark kind of guy. Great hands, pretty fast and good strength (not a great blocker but that's something easily improved).
Shonn Greene (Iowa) - Can't believe no one is talking about him. Another NFL ready kind of guy that will be more durable than Beanie Wells who is injury prone (also a freak if he's healthy).