YouTube Saturday: Four Top Draft Prospects

Not because we might draft him, but simply for the fact that he can play the C position more than just compentanly, but well?

I like how Brown has the recognition skills to read the non-handoff OR handoff to the back, though he could make a play on him if need be, then just runs down the QB if its a fake. He just tosses 77 around in the VT game, like that power. He shows good awareness in how to setup his opponent before either using his strength or speed to beat them, means he watches film, good sign. Shows a good jump off the line of scrimmage, has that borderline offsides thing going on all good rushers have.

Orako is a physical beast, but he also scares the crap outta me in that he might get busted in the NFL for HGH. Otherwise, like what little ESPN shows of his speed on the field, didn’t see any bullrushing moves but that was mostly a body-building episode there.

Raji, what is there to say? Any big man who can carry the G, shrug off the FB and then kill the RB on the same play? Holy crap! I like what I’m seeing about him on the web, all the reports show him to be football smart and just unstoppable when he gets moving.

Needless to say, any of these 4 at #11 would make me a happy Bills fan come the draft. For fun I wandered over to ESPN and used my insider account to look at what they say on Mack and Raji post Senior Bowl week, here are the grades for them both (ESPN grades on a 5 point scale, 1 the best, 5 the worst):
Raji
93 overall
Production
Grade- 2
Raji appeared in 11 games during his true freshman season in 2004 finishing with 13 total tackles, six unassisted tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss. He started five of the 11 games he appeared in during the 2005 season finishing with 27 total tackles, 15 unassisted tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks and one pass breakup. Raji started six of the 12 games he appeared in during the 2006 season finishing with 23 total tackles, 16 unassisted tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, three pass breakups and one forced fumble. In 2007, Boston College red-shirted him because of academic issues
Height-Weight-Speed
Grade- 2
Height is decent but he’s thickly built. Despite shedding some weight heading into the 2007 season, Raji is still bigger than most DT’s. Also possesses better-than-average speed for his size
Durability
Grade- 3
Raji missed 2008 spring practices while rehabbing from shoulder surgery
Character
Grade- 4
Ejected from the 2006 Central Michigan game and suspended for the first half of the Clemson game the following week after throwing a punch at a Central Michigan player. Academic issues and inability to stay eligible raise concerns about work ethic
Defensive Tackle specific Traits
Agility/Quickness
Grade- 2
While lacks elite initial burst and lateral mobility, is still quick and athletic for size.
Strength/Toughness
Grade- 3
Hasn’t shown elite lower body strength and has problems anchoring against double teams. Appears to wear down late in games and effort is inconsistent when he starts to tire
Instincts
Grade- 2
Keeps head up and locates ball quickly
Pass Rusher
Grade- 3
Takes the shortest path to the quarterback, flashes the ability to collapse the pocket and is a relentless pass rusher. Though isn’t very tall, generally gets hands up when isn’t going to get to the quarterback and can tip passes at the line of scrimmage. Flashes an effective spin move but relies on power too much and needs to develop more pass rush moves
Run Stopper
Grade- 2
Inconsistent in this area and needs to work on consistently getting under blockers’ pads but can hold ground at the point of attack when stays low to the ground. Doesn’t use hands well and takes too long to shed block when gets reached. Anticipates snap count and flashes the ability to makes plays behind the line of scrimmage. Takes adequate angles to the ball and flashes the ability to make plays in pursuit.

Mack
85 Overall (Behind Unger who ESPN likes better)
Production
Grade- 2
2004: Cal red-shirted Mack in 2004. 2005: Appeared in a back-up role seeing reps mostly in a mop up role. 2006-07: Mack started all 26 games
Height-Weight-Speed
Grade- 1
Possesses outstanding size and shows above-average speed for the position
Durability
Grade- 1
Expected to make his 27th consecutive start when the 2008 season opens
Character
Grade- 0
N/A
Offensive Center specific Traits
Strength/Toughness
Grade- 2
Displays a strong punch and can jolt defenders. Has a mean streak and works from the snap until the whistle on every play. Shows above-average lower body strength.
Agility
Grade- 2 Moves well in open space and can get out on the edge on screens. Able to get to second level and cut off linebackers. Shows above-average body control and can adjust to moving targets downfield
Awareness
Grade- 1
Keeps head on a swivel and is able to recognize/adjust to line stunts as well as blitzes quickly
Pass Protection
Grade- 2
Gets hands inside defenders’ frames, locks on with hands and locks out arms once in position. Sinks hips and can recover when bull rushers are able to get an initial push. At times, gets overaggressive and can get beat by effective double moves on occasion
Run Blocking
Grade- 2
Shows outstanding quickness snapping the ball and taking first step simultaneously. Stays low and plays with leverage allowing him to root defenders off the ball. Does not show elite balance and seen on the ground at times.

I enjoyed watching these clips and look forward to more of them.

3 of these 4 excite me. The one that scares me is Orapko.

The Bills should steer clear of any prospects from Texas. Not only does Mike Williams still leave a bad taste in my mouth, but there have been other busts coming out of Mack Brown’s house this decade.

If Raji is there at #11, I can’t see us passing on him. Alongside Stroud, I have to believe he’s make our DEs and pass rush better.

This made working on a saturday some what bearable. All of these guys would be a great pick at # 11. I know a lot of the Texas players are coddled and aren’t as tough as what they should be but Orakapo seems like a beast and Brown def seems like he is the whole package IMO. Mack also looked very good but I have said this before he is a big reach at # 11. Raji looks like the kind of space eater that along with Stroud could allow the rest of the front seven to do more. Allow the LB’s to make more tackles the DE’s do not get double teamed it would be a huge pickup if he is there. As far as his character goes Boston College is not a football factory and it is not an eay place to play football because they expect you to go to class and play football unlike a lot of other programs. I don’t think it is as much character as this kid probably did not want to go to school. There have been a ton of kids that didn’t like college that have been huge in the NFL and I think he would be one of them. So if he is there at 11 take him of the board!!!

but with a more apparent chip on his shoulder. How do you pass this guy up?

Like WABillsfan I worry a little about Orakpo, plus I wish I would have seen more highlights of him dominating good LTs

I like Raji a lot, I watched every practice on NFL Network and this guy is amazing. I do worry a little about his character and his consistency, he seems to take plays off.

I must admit that Brown does look pretty awesome. I was particularly impressed by his ability to stop the run, often a point of weakness for pure speed pass rushers. I also realize that these are highlight clips that don’t show the bad stuff so..? My only concern about Brown is is frame & size. He seems more like a rushing OLB than a pure 4-3 DE, not sure how a guy that size could handle going up against 300+ lb tackles play in play out..

Alex Mack is still one of my favorites. I remain convinced that he will be an immediate starter in the league and he could cement our line into one of the most physical run blocking lines in the league, which would inevitably improve our 3rd & short problems as well as our redzone production issues.

Next major step: FA
FA will determine everything. I would love to see the Bills go after Suggs but as many of you point out that’s probably a pipe dream. More probably is the Bills pursuing a guy like Birk who looks under appreciated in Minny. If that happens then I’d be fine with either one of the three D-Linemen above but I’d have a preference for Raji. My though process is that he is clearly the top DT in the draft, with perfect size/speed measuments. He could be a monster next to Stroud and together they could collapse the pocket on every play. We need to bring in a guy at DT at some point because Stroud won’t be around foreever and Raji is a better athlete than the two others in my opinion. In the Senior Bowl he’s been incredible, the only guy that eventually stopped him was Mack. Everyone else looked like rag dolls being pushed aside! The other reason I like Raji over the other two, is that with a monster front two, a guy like Ellis could be let loose without having to worry about the run so much. The draft is also a bit deeper at DE than DT, guys like Matt Shaughnessy could be available in later rounds.

I just see Gholston Part II. Luckily for me I have a feeling that he’s going to be this year’s workout warrior. He’s definitely going to put up some obscene numbers at the combine and jump 3-5 places in the draft.

Whenever I watch at DE, I can’t help but compare them to Bruce Smith. One of the most amazing things about Smith was his balance…..his ability to keep his footing while leaning to turn the corner on a LT. I swear…..the man could run full speed while leaning at a 45 degree angle!!!! Do any of you see even a glimmer of that ability in Brown or Orapka? I just don’t see it. I see guys who use their speed to get around LTs or their power to bull rush or hold the point of attack. These are good things. But, are these guys special? Or, are they just the best of this years’ DEs who will be average in the NFL? There is no doubt in my mind that Mack and Raji will be special at their position.

im not sold on the guy…..out of the 4 I’d still take Raji

Thanks for posting this Brian. I think I was most impressed by what I saw of Brown actually. I had pretty much written him off as a pure speed rusher, but it appears he not only has a pretty devastating counter spin move but a little bit of a club as well. I was also impressed by how he played fast but disciplined against the option on the outside. He’s got great lateral agility too. That would be a definite help when Fewell calls on of those zone dogs which puts one of DEs against a RB coming out of the backfield. How many times last year did we watch Denney or Kelsay uselessly running after a clearly superior athlete? I’d like to see more of Brown against runs directly at him where he has to stack and shed though. It seems like most of the plays he made against the run he was either unblocked or used his quickness against inferior athletes.

But something about watching Mack…I feel like he has a tendency to get his hands too far outside a lot. I don’t know. Just something in the clips made me slightly less sold on him. Ron, any thoughts, being that you’re the line guru ’round these parts?

That being said, I’m coming around on Orakpo, and the other two I wouldn’t hate as a pick, but would rather see us go with someone else.

Are we gonna do this every Saturday til the draft for most of the top prospects? I’d be all for that, myself. It’s good to see a lot of these guys that I didn’t see through the year (I didn’t watch a lot of ACC football this year…I know, for shame).

Good stuff here. I have a lot of trouble throwing myself into the draft hype until about a week or two after the Super Bowl each year and with the decision to throw 2009 away by bringing Jauron back for another year, it may take longer than that this year. In any event, I want linemen and more linemen from this year’s draft so that the next coaching staff (the one that actually believes we can “compete” with the 2nd place Patriots) has a foundation to start rebuilding. Of the linemen featured above, I liked Brown and Raji the best. I prefer a DE, but seriously, I wouldn’t kill the drafting of any lineman on either side of the ball come draft weekend. By the time this team is ready to attempt to win again in 2010, Jason Peters (if he’s not holding out), Brad Butler, and Kyle Williams might be the only Bills’ linemen that will still be able to contribute. It’s time to admit the mistakes of Schobel, Kelsay, McCargo, (probably) Ellis, Dockery, Fowler-Preston, and Walker. The sooner we start adding their replacements, the sooner the new coaching staff can get this thing going again.

is having a good game. He is blocking well and has caught a few passes out of the backfield. And, just got a running TD showing his power and great second effort. If he keeps this up, his stock is going to rise.