YouTube Sunday: Duke Robinson and Herman Johnson
by Brian Galliford on Mar 15, 2009 1:48 PM EDT
in Blog Series
Email
PrintIt's Sunday. Let's watch some football - even if it's only for eight minutes and twenty seconds.
The Buffalo Bills are still in search of a new starting guard now that Derrick Dockery is no longer with the team. Luckily for the Bills, there are some very solid guard prospects available via the NFL Draft this season - and, even better, there are a handful of players that might be able to start right out of the gate.
Oklahoma's Duke Robinson is ranked by Mocking the Draft as the best available guard (see MtD's scouting report on Robinson here). An athletic 335-pound mauler, Robinson would slide into the left guard spot vacated by Dockery quite nicely. Check him out below.
LSU's Herman Johnson, meanwhile, is ranked second overall in terms of guards over at SB Nation's NFL Draft blog. A freakishly massive man, the 6'7", 362-pound Johnson has the ability to dominate any defensive tackle, though he's not the world's most outstanding athlete. Not that one would expect a man of his stature to move like Barry Sanders. Check out MtD's scouting report on Johnson here, and watch him for youself (with some bonus Quinn Johnson footage) below.
Comments on Robinson, Johnson and how you think the Bills should address their opening at guard are, of course, encouraged. Let's hear it, folks. We've got a few hours to kill before we turn our attention to brackets, after all.
29 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I know Robinson is expected to be an early second round pick.
What about Johnson? When is he expected to go?
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
By the NFL Post
he is rated #2 OG, and ranked #57 overall.
by Billsfanstuckinthesouth on Mar 15, 2009 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Anywhere from very late second to early fifth. Guards are impossible to predict because internet scouts just aren’t good enough at what they do to differentiate the position and come up with lists that have much in common and because every team is looking for different things in guards. Buffalo might have a guy like Herman Johnson as their number 2 or 3 guard, but other teams might not have him in the top 10 because he is so huge and unathletic.
It’s one of the reasons I want Buffalo to wait on a guard unless Robinson really stands out as the BPA in the second round. You could find a guy like Johnson, Levitre, Urbik or someone who’s highly tought of in the 4th round. You could even find a solid player like Greg Isdaner, Louis Vasquez, TJ Lang or somebody like that in the 6th round. Buffalo’s best bet might be to ignore the offensive line early and then take like 3 or 4 in a row to end to draft and sign a coulple FAs after the draft and a couple UFAs that nobody else wants. You then treat the sitauation like a MLB bullpen and just throw all the names against a wall and see what sticks.
Agreed, I think someone like Lang who is a converted LT from the college level could come in and be a Butler redux for us
He just is alot more durable than Butler, and would be awesome depth if Chambers becomes our new RG. Of course, we could end up drafting Mack or Woods to be a G for a few seasons and then replace Geoff when he moves on after his contract at C.
If the Bills were a drug, I could only hope they were like speed so I could lose some weight as well.
Nice Vid's Brian
Definitely helped my football withdrawel symptoms. They both look good at LG, but i did see the Duke down field more mauling guys. One play he was there at the spot where the RB got tackled almost like ho hum, that was fun, lets do it again guys.
by Billsfanstuckinthesouth on Mar 15, 2009 2:10 PM EDT reply actions
I would never draft a 6’7" 382 lb inconsistent blocker that struggles to keep his weight below 400 lbs. That just has bad idea written all over it.
~K
"I’m Kurupt with Buffalo Rumblings. I am worth hundreds!"
Yeah, and he looked slow.
That is only going to get magnified in the NFL.
The other day I came home and a guy was jogging, naked. I asked him,
'Why?' He said, 'Because you came home early.' - Rodney Dangerfield
I thought you liked fat guys and skinny women?
LOL.
Seriously, I just finished watching the BCS National Championship Game (Oklahoma versus Florida). Robinson got off to a bad start in that game. He committed and was penalized for a personal foul (finishing a block and driving a defender into a pile barely after the whistle) and for holding (negated the deep sideline pass completion to Jermaine Gresham) in the first quarter. Robinson did not play the following series in the first quarter and did not play for one series at the start of the fourth quarter (I don’t know if it was due to performance, injury, or whatever, but he played the remainder of the game).
When Robinson did play, I thought he was average overall in this game. I didn’t see hardly any combo blocks; he was usually able to block a defender without any help, run or pass. On two pass plays, he got beat pretty bad. On the first one, a DT not aligned head-on with Robinson penetrated the A gap and just ran by him. On the second one, a DE beat him with a spin move. On the other hand, Robinson had at least two plays (both in the running game I believe) where he drove the defender into the ground. Once he latches on, he drives his legs. I saw him occasionally get to the second level. I didn’t see a lot of pulling or zone-blocking; mostly just mashing straight ahead. From what I could tell, he played some two-point and some three-point stance techniques. Thick legs and long arms. Robinson seems heavy-footed, though. He doesn’t show the ability to adjust and recover in space; I am concerned about his ability in pass protection in the NFL. Even for an offensive lineman, he has a fleshy body and smooth muscle tone that looks cries for a weight room and certainly could use some improved conditioning.
Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.
LOL! Yeah, but they have to be light on there feet. So, in your opinion
if the Bills wanted to take an O-lineman in round 2, would you get Robinson or one of the C/G types like Mack? I am leaning toward the C/G guys.
The other day I came home and a guy was jogging, naked. I asked him,
'Why?' He said, 'Because you came home early.' - Rodney Dangerfield
Agreed.
I would take one of the C/G players over Robinson.
Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.
Couldn’t agree more. He’s another Bennie Anderson. I suspect that’s also the case with Robinson, who has had serious weight and attitude problems, and who has limited ability to operate in space. My preference would be to pick one of the highly talented Centers available, all of whom have seen duty at Guard. Alex Mack would obviously be the best choice, but Unger and Luigs would both do fine at G as well, as might Antoine Caldwell. That way if Hangartner does not turn out to be the answer at C we will be covered.
After Robinson
I really like Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin more than Herman Johnson. Hep plays nasty and is a great pass blocker in addition to being a mauler. If we don’t go Robinson in round 2, Urbik could be a nice pickup in round 3
"Gooood…..let the apathy take root…" - Ron from NM
I’ve seen Urbik rated a 4th/5th round prospect….that’d be a great pickup
~K
"I’m Kurupt with Buffalo Rumblings. I am worth hundreds!"
wow
that would be amazing value if we got him in round 4 or 5
"Gooood…..let the apathy take root…" - Ron from NM
I really like Robinson
If we don’t plug Chambers into the RG role the we could draft him in the second round and start him at LG, thus keeping Butler as RG and giving us a strong line all across.
by CanadianBillsFan on Mar 15, 2009 5:16 PM EDT reply actions
THE REAL DEAL WINN BABY
LOOK we cab talk who we like but this guy from L.SU he is a mountain hooly crapolly we say we like this guy and that guy but the bills have scouts everywere watching this players year round. LETS yous hope we dont get a guy like MIKE WILLIAMS holly crap BATMAN == this guy has to be the worst pic ever seriously he has to be up there with RYAN LEAF .—————- for real LETS GET a player that in five years he want to be the best at his position not just a guy who comes and collects and see you next season
No Brainer
Duke Robinson looked much better than Herman Johnson. And, frankly, Robinson performed much better against Texas than Johnson did against App St… Robinson impressed me very much because he FINISHES his blocks, something our current linemen struggle with, particularly Jason Peters. Johnson doesn’t really lock on to defenders, he’s more of a reacher and a pusher. If big Herman is the 2nd ranked OG in the draft, then that’s not saying much about this batch of interior linemen. But Duke Robinson seems to be a very safe pick, even in the late 1st round.
"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."
If you ask me, Herman Johnson is in a group of guards that goes 6 or 7 deep, so if he is the 2nd best guard in the draft, it doesn’t speak poorly of the depth of the group, only of how shallow the top tier is.
And Robinson vs. Johnson isn’t really a question of who is better. The question is, who provides better value? Would you rather have a player like Herman Johnson, Kraig Urbik, Andy Levitre, Louis Vasquez or someone like that in the 4th round or would you rather have Duke Robinson in the 2nd round? And I think that is a very debatable subject.
I hadn’t heard that, but I don’t know all that much about him. All I really know about him is that he has good size and strength and is a great pass blocker with all his experience in that spread offense and while he isn’t all that good of a run blocker currently, he has the tools to be a really good run blocker at some point too. To me that sounds like a good backup up guard who won’t kill you if he has to play as a rookie and who could develop into a really nice player down the road. I like him if he lasts, but would rather go with a ton of other players in the 3rd round.
Then...
It depends on how serious Buffalo is about Kirk Chambers, because if they are confident he can bring more to the table than a 2nd round pick, you can bet your Bills tickets Buffalo will not take any offensive linemen until late on Day 2. And if Herman Johnson represents the 2nd tier so-to-speak, then I don’t want Buffalo to invest anything more than a 5th rounder on any of those guys. I really think a lot of the C prospects are going to fall much further than people think on draft day. The only reason people around here even mention C in the 2nd round is because there is some sort perception amongst fans that the C position has been THE reason the Bills cannot run the ball, which is ridiculous. Ryan Kalil was by far the best center in the draft a couple years ago and he fell all the way to the 3rd (in my opinion Kalil is a better prospect than any of this year’s centers).
The front office has a clear strategy when it comes to offensive linemen: veterans and late-round picks. In fact, this regime has not invested anything higher than 5th rounder on the OL.
But to answer your question, I’d rather take an Unger/Mack/Wood type in the 3rd… which ever of them falls there… maybe 2 out of 3 or even all of them.
"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."
by ForeignArrow on Mar 16, 2009 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Eric Wood from Louisville
I am a fan of Wood, does anyone know where he is projected to go?
by NorCal BillsFan on Mar 16, 2009 2:25 PM EDT reply actions
very early second to mid third, most likely between picks 41 (Cincinatti’s second rounder) and 63 (Arizona’s second rounder). He could go as early as Arizona or Pittsburgh in the first round or Detroit with the first pick in the second round or as late as us in the third round or even past us to the 18th-22nd pick where Detroit, Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota all pick.
That’s my guess based on the vague round grades that scouts give out listing Wood as a second or third rounder and I then take those grades and compare them to the draft order to see which team’s have a need at the position.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
