YouTube Saturday: B.J. Raji and Michael Oher
by Brian Galliford on Mar 21, 2009 6:00 AM EDT
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PrintYou know why I love the NCAA Tournament? Outside of the Cinderella stories, uniqueness of the spectacle and marveling at the poise of kids my age, I mean. I love the NCAA Tournament because it bridges the gap between NFL free agency and the NFL Draft. When this tournament is over, we'll be less than two weeks away from Draft Day 2009 here at Buffalo Rumblings.
We've been delving into draft stuff pretty heavily in these parts. Naturally, considering the current state of the Buffalo Bills' roster, we've spent most of our time talking pass rush, offensive guards and tight ends. There are two rock-solid prospects out there that don't get a lot of discussion in these parts, however, that are now the subject of this week's edition of YouTube Saturday.
Boston College DT B.J. Raji is, by leaps and bounds, the best defensive tackle available this year. The 6'1", 337-pound senior is a powerful bowling-ball type player that has proven very difficult for one lineman to block. He's getting a lot of attention as a 3-4 nose tackle from teams in the Top 10, but there's an outside shot (a remote one) that he slides - and he spent most of his time at BC playing in a 4-3.
Raji is a fantastic athlete for a man his size; the only downfall with this kid is a questionable motor. There aren't many safer bets in this year's draft; considering the age of Marcus Stroud and the need to constantly improve the run defense, Raji makes sense for the Bills, even if they're craving talent at other positions.
I know what you're thinking. "Michael Oher is an offensive tackle, and the last time I checked, Jason Peters is still a Bill!" Strictly speaking, that's true. But there are a handful of scouts who believe that the 6'4", 309-pound Oher can play guard at the NFL level as well - in fact, Oher broke into the college ranks as a guard at Ole Miss. Jason Smith, Eugene Monroe and even Andre Smith are the big names at tackle, but it's Oher that sits atop my list. I consider him the best lineman available this year - he's versatile, athletic, and though he reportedly has motor issues like Raji, a good coach will turn this kid into a perennial All-Pro.
We're not sure what's going to happen with Peters and his contract negotiations. I would be far more than satisfied if the Bills elect to take Oher if he's available, plug him in at left guard, and get him reps at tackle to protect themselves against Peters potentially leaving. And if they sign Peters, then Oher can still play and be considered the long-term replacement for Langston Walker on the right side. That might actually be one of the more brilliant maneuvers the team could make in April.
Thoughts on Oher and Raji are encouraged in the comments section.
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You already know my feeling on Raji. If he’s there, they HAVE to draft that kid.
Excellent comments about Oher. He was my favorite lineman going into the ‘08 college season. Unfortunately he had somewhat of an average year, but, IMO, he is still tops in my book. This would be an excellent move if the Bills were to land this kid. I also like Loadholt at RT in maybe round 2 or 3 if he’s still there and we need a lineman.
"If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?"
~Vince Lombardi~
I don't know if he makes it to the third...
but he should be there in the second. We are drafting Oher as our new starting guard and potential LT. Can Loadholt play guard?
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
by MattRichWarren on Mar 21, 2009 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
IMO...
He is 6-7 3/4, 335lbs and is a very good all around lineman. He played LT in college and played well, but, he struggles with the speed rusher. He has slightly heavy feet at times, so, I would project him at RT or a guard. If we drafted him, we put him at RT, move walker inside to RG and butler to LG. Or hell, just put Loadholt at LG. I think he could be a force. No let up in this guy and great work ethic.
"If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?"
~Vince Lombardi~
Like the big men
Raji would legitimize our Run D for the next decade and also be our Manster when Stroud hangs them up.
Wasn’t aware that Oher played guard but like the idea that we could have that good an athlete at LG.
Personally, I would never draft a lineman who couldn’t play tackle. Even Jonathan Ogden played LG as a rookie in Baltimore!
VA Tech, Maryland, Vandy
I realize that Boston College wasn’t even in the top 25 this year but Maryland and Vandy aren’t exactly football powerhouses either. I’d be more interested in how Raji did against Georgia Tech and Florida State than Maryland and Vandy. Even then, however, we’d still only be talking about his performance in a handful of games—though at the 2nd tier of college football at least.
I guess it’s the bane of highlight material—you never get to see enough.
NFL Library
I think the NCAA/NFL would make a mint if they opened up their digital tapes library to have online access for a subscription fee. Imagine for $30/month being able to watch any tape on any player from any play from any game in the past year or two. Armchair coaches and scouts would eat that up.
Someone get to work on that!
That would be AWESOME if someone managed to get that done
I know a ton of people who would pay that happily every month.
If the Bills were a drug, I could only hope they were like speed so I could lose some weight as well.
That would be great
and they could put some sort of copyright protection on them too, since I think that’s probably the big hangup.
Really, what good reason is there for not making old NFL game available to the masses? If people want to watch those games, make them available to them. The NFL could add a significant revenue stream by doing this, could really drum up interest in the history of the game this way, and could actually get some use out of the old game tapes just lying around.
~K
"I’m Kurupt with Buffalo Rumblings. I am worth hundreds!"
My worry Ron was how many times Raji stood up on a play
And I don’t mean, GOT stood up, he just came up and out of his stance upright. For a DT thats a no no, and that scares me somewhat. I can see why people like the looks of his running mate Ron Brace more for certain D’s like the 3-4, dude stays low to the ground every play.
If the Bills were a drug, I could only hope they were like speed so I could lose some weight as well.
NCAA has been advertising old games on the "new NCAA.com"
Check it out. Maybe they have stuff. Maybe it’s tourney only.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
by MattRichWarren on Mar 21, 2009 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Raji /Oher
I was watching NFL network last night and they had a pretty reasonable mock from 1-10 and Raji’s name wasn’t on it. Its not outside the realm of possibility.I think they’ll add the top playmaker available anywhere in the front seven.
I like your idea on Oher too, but I have doubts the Bills will draft an OL in the first round unless they’ve already traded Peters by then. I really can’t see that saga extending beyond draft day. Not that its a bad idea, but I think their priorities are elsewhere.
That had to be the worst “highlight reel” I have ever seen. There were so many plays were Raji did nothing on the play. I thought the one of Pettigrew was bad because he fumbled on the last play they showed, there were plays were Raji was blocked and was a non-factor in the play.
I’m not saying that I don’t like him as a prospect, but that was a bad video.
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
Glass half empty, sireric????
How about the plays he did make? I saw a guy who has exceptional strength, quickness, and balance for a man his size. If the Bills had their pick of any player at #11, I would be hard pressed not to pick Raji. Curry would be his only competition.
Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'... but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?
Sure, there were plenty of plays that he did make yes. But that is a highlight reel, why put plays in it were he does nothing?
That was a criticism of the person who put together the highlights, not Raji.
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
fair enough
Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'... but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?
Yeah what Joe said!
Raji will not unfortunately, IMHO, make it out of the top 10, but if he does they sure as hell better be up there with their pick of him before Goddell even announces we’re on the clock. Oher is the pick if Peters is gone, but I don’t think Buffalo’s gonna let that happen. He would make for a solid competition at LT between Chambers, Oher, Bell, and to a lesser extent Walker. I think we could find an adequate replacement for Peters out of that group with significant upside. The only way we trade Peters is if we can somehow rangle Philly’s 2 firsts and keep ours at 11, which was just shot down by Adam Chein and Solomon Wilcots on the Blitz when I proposed it yesterday (Pete in MO is my handle). Raji’s a no brainer though.
Draft Raji but..
We’ll need to add more color to the away game jerseys so he doesn’t look so much like the Michelin man like in BC’s game against Vanderbilt.
I’m with you Kry.
The fact that he could play either Guard or Tackle, really makes him an attractive option.
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
It sure does. At best, our current OL(including Peters) are about a “C+” in proven ability. We need to make a big improvement, and at least one other complimentary improvement, to build the OL to a solid eight. Assuming the Bills can’t acquire a veteran lineman, they’re going to have to draft two or more lineman that grade out to at least a “B” to help make the offensive productive.
Of all the holes the Bills have, the offensive line ones are the biggest. Keeping Trent Edwards healthy is most likely mandatory to win games. And while their is definitely room for improvement in other areas like defensive front seven
Raji/Oher -- 2 of my most favorite players in this year's draft
I’ve been advocating for the longest time that the best pass rusher we can get in this year’s draft is BJ Raji (not any of the DEs people keep talking about). Even on the highlights where Raji didn’t make a tackle, you can see that he can practically manhandle the OG and push them a few yards into the backfield. That puts immediate pressure to both the running and passing game. His strength and agility can also been seen from the film. The problem is, Raji is a legit top 5. KC, Seattle, Cleveland, and Cincy are all likely spots. The key will be whether the 2 top QBs in the draft (Stafford and Sanchez) will end up being drafted in the top 10. But unless the Bills trade up, I think it is unlikely the Bills can land Raji.
Again, I’ve liked Oher since the beginning. A lot of draft boards are down on the guy. Don Banks and a few ranked him in the 2nd round. And unless something drastic like this happen (Oher being available in the 2nd round), I can’t see the Bills being able to draft Oher (as I think their #11 pick will be used on defense).
Bills fan half way around the world
Even on the highlights where Raji didn’t make a tackle, you can see that he can practically manhandle the OG and push them a few yards into the backfield.
But who is he pushing into the backfield? It’s not like he’s in the backfield before Brady can pass it. And it’s not like he’s driving Matt Birk into the backfield.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
by MattRichWarren on Mar 21, 2009 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions
IF we went say Oher and Connor Barwin in the 1st 2 rounds this April, I would be a happy man
We need some insurance on the oline and getting a OT who can play G just as well is always a plus. Thats why I keep pushing for TJ Lang in the 5th as well. I think he would be a huge boon for us there as he is a college LT moving to G, but does have very good footwork so he can swing out in a pinch as well, just like Oher. Having two guys like that on the roster along with Bell would give us HUGE amounts of flexibilty on the oline.
If the Bills were a drug, I could only hope they were like speed so I could lose some weight as well.
You saw that Barwin ran a 4.47 at 256 pounds yesterday, right?
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by Brian Galliford on Mar 21, 2009 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions
That means he is going to go in the first now, right?
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
by MattRichWarren on Mar 21, 2009 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think it means anything other than he’s really, really fast.
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by Brian Galliford on Mar 21, 2009 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
And he played DE for one season. Workout warrior or future star?
~K
"I’m Kurupt with Buffalo Rumblings. I am worth hundreds!"
He was a very very good TE before he became a DE to help out the team
He also still played it while he was at DE, for a guy who hadn’t played it before his numbers there were pretty sick. He had 11 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss along with 7 pass breakups in his ONLY season as a defensive player. He was a walk on at Cincinnati as a basketball player, so we know he has ups and hands as well. Dude is just a god athlete plain and simple.
If the Bills were a drug, I could only hope they were like speed so I could lose some weight as well.
I agree that his one year was pretty impressive, but it’s not a large body of work. He’s still a risk and now because of his workout numbers, may move into round 1. That’s kind of crazy isn’t it?
I do like him too. Too bad we probably won’t be getting him in round 2 now. He sure looks like a very solid future pro, at the very worst.
~K
"I’m Kurupt with Buffalo Rumblings. I am worth hundreds!"
I don’t think you are allowed to use that stat K. Your boy Everette Brown was only a starter for one season too!
Then again Brown did play DE at FSU for four years (one as a redshirt) while Maybin only played for 3 seasons (again with one as a redshirt). Brown saw a little more playing time as a freshman than Maybin did and a ton more PT as a sophomore than Maybin did as a freshman, so maybe it isn’t all that similiar.
Either way
Brown had something like 24 or 25 career starts.
Plus I was talking about Barwin only PLAYING DE for a year, not just as a starter….That’s why I’d be concerned about taking him in the first round if I were some team.
~K
"I’m Kurupt with Buffalo Rumblings. I am worth hundreds!"
I guess I can understand the Oher at #11 idea, and it is intriguing to fill an OL hole, protect for the future and likely reinvigorate our run game again. However, taking a guy that may only end up playing Guard for us at 11 is rather questionable. Would his picking be based on Peters not being a Bill in a year or two for sure? If not, I don’t really like the idea of taking Oher.
Plus, I think Oher and Raji will be gone before we pick anyhow….
~K
"I’m Kurupt with Buffalo Rumblings. I am worth hundreds!"
Oher keeps dropping in mocks.
I don’t know why. He’s my favorite OL prospect.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
by MattRichWarren on Mar 22, 2009 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions
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