Bleeding Green Nation: All Posts by Dan Klausner

Damaris Johnson Hype is Ramping Up

2013-05-24T15:00:08Z

On Wednesday, Jeff McLane put out the inaugural Damaris Johnson hype piece of 2013. If you'll remember, Johnson was something of a revelation last offseason after the Eagles signed him as undrafted free agent (and paid a premium, unprecedented price to secure his services). Despite a slight, DeSean Jackson-esque frame, he impressed in camps and preseason with his soft hands and electrifying jitterbugness (not a word -- yet) in the open field. Andy Reid even made the DeSean Jackson comparison (a poor man's DeSean is more apt, due to lack of 4.3 speed). People wondered if the little guy opening eyes, who held the NCAA record for total all-purpose yards after his junior season and missed his senior year because of an unfortunate embezzlement episode, might burrow his way into the regular offense. There were some instances of that, there should have been more. Johnson had flashes of brilliance, sprinkled in with dangerous punt return moments that gave us heart attacks. But hey, without such antics we wouldn't have been privy to the 98-yard beauty against the Cowboys (not for the win, but to cover the spread at least!). Given Damaris's visibility and displays of scintillating ability, I was surprised when McLane wrote:

[Maclin] singled out Damaris Johnson, the small and speedy receiver who made the roster last season as an undrafted rookie but hardly did enough to suggest a quantum leap in Year 2.

Ok, the word "quantum" is pretty significant, but didn't Damaris Johnson in fact do enough in his rookie season to suggest he could make some kind of sizable leap? There were definitely fans and writers alike out there who surmised that Johnson's skill set would fit in a Chip Kelly-designed offense. Even Damaris himself felt that way:

"When I heard that Coach Kelly got hired, the one thing that just lit up in my mind was thinking, 'Oh, man, it's going to be a spread offense. He's going to give guys the chance to have the ball in space, and I know that that works to my advantage,' " Johnson said Wednesday.

Yesterday, Tommy Lawlor followed with an article on Iggles Blitz entitled "Wide Receiver Position is Wide Open," expressing his excitement and lauding Johnson's potential in the Eagles' new offense. He opined that Damaris might steal Jason Avant's position in the slot, citing the former's superior YAC stats:

The WR I'm most excited about is Damaris Johnson. He could steal the primary slot role from Avant. Check out this Yards after catch stat, per ESPN:

Jason Avant - 53 catches - 167 yards after catch - 8 receptions of 20 or more yards

Damaris Johnson - 19 catches - 104 yards after catch - 4 receptions of 20 or more yards

Avant is averaging 3.15 YAC per reception. Johnson is at 5.47. Which guy do you want with the ball in his hands?

It's a legitimate argument. Kelly preaches getting the ball out quickly, a different kind of quick strike offense than what we saw under Andy Reid. For that reason, it would be natural that Chip has a proclivity for players who can take advantage of open space and pick up chunks of yards once they receive the ball. It's the role Damaris was born to play, and he can line up anywhere -- in the slot, split wide, in the backfield. If anything, it is Johnson, not Jackson, who's equipped to be used like DeAnthony Thomas because of his experience as a ball carrier at Tulsa.

Fun stat: Damaris's official bio page on the Eagles website says he had 150 touches at Tulsa that went for at least 20 yards. A staggering amount, for sure. Not including kick/punt returns, he had 304 total touches receiving and rushing in college. *Brain goes into super complicated math mode.* So, wait, if that number doesn't include kick/punt returns, that would mean half of his offensive touches in college went for 20 yards or more. Is that possible? That's not possible, right? Please be possible, I want to believe it. If that number includes kick (122) punt (53) returns, then the total touches for the sample size is 479, and means 31% -- 1 out of every 3-4 -- of them went for at least 20 yards. Still highly impressive. Taking a kick return at least 20 yards is considered the lower end of the norm, while doing so on a punt is considered a big play.

150 of Johnson's touches at Tulsa went for at least 20 yards

Examples are in the archives, and I don't have to tell you how much I value Damaris Johnson's skills (but I will later), or that I was his biggest advocate before (twice), during and after last season. The dude can really play, and I pray we as fans experience it more often in 2013. There's tremendously beneficial utility to be exploited with Johnson, he just needs a chance. Is my obsession weird and borderline unhealthy, as Mike Kaye might suggest? Or is perfectly healthy and totally reasonable, as Brandon Lee would suggest? Obviously, Brandon is the sane and correct one here. I think it's weird if you don't get (irrationally) excited by what Damaris Johnson's brings to the table.

I first watched Damaris in what turned out to be his final collegiate game, the 2010 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, during which he tore up Hawaii and later earned a mention in my college football season/bowl recap.

Damaris Johnson vs Hawaii (via JMPasq)

Johnson is an elusive and dynamic playmaker, but one who lacks explosive acceleration and pure speed. He has trouble turning the corner and gets caught from behind. I know in the McLane article Howie Roseman said Damaris had long speed, but I disagree in the true sense of the description given that he very much plays to his 4.5+ time. As Lawlor pointed out, where Damaris excels most is with the ball in his hands. He's up there as the quickest blur of a player I've seen in that capacity, and is always a threat to turn a short gain into something more. A professional ankle-breaker and jock strap-snapper extraordinaire, Johnson has special vision coupled with moves on top of moves on top of double and triple moves, and I will yell from the mountaintop to find him consistent touches in the offense until it actually happens. I'm hopeful it happens with Chip Kelly at the helm. What's more, lost in the praise of his play in space is how talented a natural receiver Damaris is as well. He's sudden off the line, with great hands and body control to make difficult catches look easy.

If the Eagles insist on leaving Johnson as the top punt returner, he absolutely has to cut out the dangerous and unacceptable habit of fielding the ball inside his 10-yard line. I appreciate the desire to make a play, but... no, no, NO! Otherwise, and I feel this should be the case anyway, find on offense the touches Johnson requires. CREATE those touches, damnit. Just get the ball in his hands. Put Damais Johnson in position to make plays, even if you have to save him from himself by taking him off punt returns and incorporating those would-be touches into the regular offense. The team will be better for it the more he touches the ball, I promise.

Damaris Johnson Bandwagon, full steam head. Hop on.

2014 Draft Prospect to Remember: Cody Hoffman, WR, BYU

2013-05-15T18:50:23Z

I first noticed Cody Hoffman while scouting Dexter McCoil. It was the Tulsa/BYU 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, and a number of Hoffman's catches left my mouth agape, my mind marveling at his ability. His final stat line: 8 catches, 122 yards, 3 touchdowns. I had a simple note -- "BYU #2 = STUD" -- written in the margins of my legal pad and, upon figuring out through research that the object of my affection was a 2014 NFL Draft prospect, decided he'd be one of the players I'll pay extra close attention to during the 2013 college football season.

Name: Cody Hoffman
School: Brigham Young
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 6024 / 215 (unofficial)
Year: rSr.

2012 games viewed: @Utah, vs. Utah State, vs. Oregon State, @Notre Dame, vs. Idaho, @San Jose State, @New Mexico State
2011 games viewed: @Tulsa (Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl)

Positives

Tall body with long legs and arms.

Really soft, sticky, strong hands; textbook catch technique -- reaches for, snatches ball away from his frame and out of the air with aplomb. Only had two bad drops in the 8 games viewed, but both were sure TDs (vs. Oregon State, 2Q, 5:08, 3rd & 1; vs. Idaho, 2Q, 0:03, 1st & 10).

Effective leaper with go-up-and-get-it mentality, large catch radius and always high-points the ball. Can jump, fully extend and high-point the ball while running without breaking stride (@Tulsa, 3Q, 4:13, 3rd & 10).

Smooth, graceful athlete and mover with fluid hips and tremendous balance.

Lines up split wide (X) and in the slot (Y).

Quick off the line and can beat jam (though CB attempts to disrupt him at LOS were rare).

Reliable, high-volume target who finds holes in the defense and gets open a lot.

Dependable on 3rd down, knack for making clutch catches and moving the chains.

Polished, excellent route runner; master of the double move, sells fakes and creates separation with quickness and suddenness of movement in and out of his breaks, as well as subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) use of arms and hands.

Uses body well to box out DB, create space and make catch.

Strong lower half, breaks tackles, doesn't go down easily and drags defenders for extra yards.

Uncanny ability to adjust to the ball while it's in the air, reaches across/behind body and makes difficult catches while mid-stride (vs. Oregon State, 3Q, 12:26: 3rd & 6; @Tulsa, 4Q, 14:09, 3rd & 13, with BYU backed up at its own 9-yard line) and mid-jump (vs. Utah State, 2Q, 7:27, 1st & 10; 2Q, 0:23, 2nd & 2). Doesn't give up on the ball, love the effort even on poorly thrown passes.

Functional blocker who typically fights to maintain blocks and allows ball carrier to pick up extra yards. Particularly effective on bubble screens.

Incredible field awareness, conscious of where he is at all times and had an example in each game of being adept at tapping feet inbounds along the sideline when making a catch; after securing the ball, eyes immediately go down to check where his feet are in relation to the field.

Concentration + very strong at the catch point (vs. Utah State, 4Q, 6:59, 3rd & 8); maintains focus, is able to haul in deflections (@San Jose State, 4Q, 2:36, onside kick recovery as part of the hands team) and juggle to secure double-catches while getting hit (@San Jose State, 4Q, 3:33, 2nd & 10); makes contested catches with defender/s on his hip and draped all over him (vs. Utah State, 2Q, 7:55, 3rd & 5; @New Mexico State, 1Q, 10:47, 1st & 10, against Jeremy Harris); is tough, works in traffic and can take a big hit and hold on (i.e. vs. Oregon State, 2Q, 11:12, 3rd & 10; @Notre Dame, 3Q, 9:42, 2nd & 4).

Able to get low, dives to pluck the ball right before it hits the ground.

Precise route running, body control, soft hands, concentration, field/sideline awareness, toe-tapping are frequently all combined into a single play (i.e. @Notre Dame, 3Q, 8:18, 3rd & 12; vs. Idaho, 2Q, 11:10, 1st & Goal, TD reception; @Tulsa, 2Q, 4:40, 1st & 10, leaps and stretches out full-extension to high-point and snag the ball, replay appears to show he gets right toe down just barely in bounds, even though ref calls him out out of bounds and replay upholds it).

Picture of durability, hasn't missed a game in three seasons.

Negatives

Not a dynamic threat with the ball in his hands (though he has a bit of wiggle, can make initial defender miss and pick up some YAC; best post-catch moment came @New Mexico State, 3Q, 3:10, 3rd & 10, ran perfect dig route, caught the ball at the 25, turned up field, hurdled a DB at the 15 and tip-toed down the sideline into the end zone. There's also an example in the San Jose State game where he hurdles two defenders.).

Lacks truly explosive element to his game, both in terms of speed/acceleration and athleticism.

Will run a 4.5+ time in the 40-yard dash; not a deep threat, confined mostly to working underneath and intermediate part of the field.

Perhaps it's just his natural gait, but I don't get the sense he's always going full speed; sometimes appears to gear down when the play isn't designed to go to him or lackadaisically saunters and fails to locate, block defender on a run (i.e. @Notre Dame, 3Q, 13:59, 1st & 10)

Conclusion

Really like Cody Hoffman's game, few negatives. At worst, I think you're getting a very good #2 WR who's versatile enough to play the X and Y positions and create matchup problems for the defense. In addition to his size, length, strength and leaping ability, Hoffman is a savvy receiver and top-level -- extremely impressive -- route runner who can create separation that way, which bodes well for his transition to the NFL. He will find his niche as a valuable possession option and red zone threat, as well as a wonderful complement to the speedy Z receiver. A reliable target with soft and strong hands, elite body control and field awareness who can work in traffic; makes tough catches look routine and will take a hit to make a play. It seemed like every other time Hoffman made a catch (difficult or not), it came on 3rd down and resulted in a 1st down or touchdown. Smooth and fluid rather than freakish and explosive athletically. I don't think Hoffman's going to be a workout wonder, but there's no question in my mind he can play and be a top-2 WR at the next level. I don't necessarily like doing NFL player comparisons, but I understand their value and purpose. Plaxico Burress and Anquan Boldin are the names that kept popping into my head to reflect the combination of Hoffman's body type and demonstrated skill set.

Value: 2nd-3rd round (would take him in the 2nd)

Stats: (via http://www.cfbstats.com/2012/player/77/1023357/receiving/split.html)
2012: 13 GP, 100 REC, 1248 YDS (12.48 AVG), 11 TD
2011: 13 GP, 61 REC, 943 YDS (15.46 AVG), 10 TD
2010: 13 GP, 42 REC, 527 YDS (12.55 AVG), 7 TD

Bio: (via http://byucougars.com/athlete/m-football/cody-hoffman)
DOB: March 13, 1991
Hometown: Crescent City, CA (HS: Del Norte)
Major: Geography
Phil Steele All-Independent First Team and FBS All-Independent Team in 2011 and 2012.
Had surgery for torn shoulder muscle after 2012 season and missed entire 2013 spring camp (http://www.heraldextra.com/sports/college/byu/football/byu-s-rehabbing-hoffman-celebrates-birthday-during-spring-football-that/article_ccc12b04-8c4a-11e2-a5d6-001a4bcf887a.html)

Why You Should Be Excited About Chip Kelly, Play-caller

2013-05-08T14:27:35Z

The inspiration for this post comes from an article posted to FishDuck.com, entitled "Fiesta Bowl No Huddle Dynamics" and written by Josh Schlichter (@joshschlichter). First published on January 22, but I wasn't aware of it -- and therefore didn't read it -- until Monday when Ben Aven (@100AndBenPercnt) tweeted out the link. I strongly encourage you to read the article in full if you haven't already, and I dare you not to get a little giddy while doing so. I believe that will become the natural reaction to how Chip Kelly calls plays. Also, remember the formations and play-calls because I'm sure you'll be seeing them again with the Eagles.

Two quotes that stood out:

However, out-scheming Chip Kelly often takes more defensive adjustments than it would for any other coach in the game today simply because when Oregon "gets on a roll," it becomes incredibly hard for a defensive coordinator to identify and call proverbial counters to Oregon's rapid pace and subsequent play calls, effectively handcuffing the defense to a handful of coverages.

Running a no huddle offense might present several challenges for a coaching staff, but forcing a defense to play off of pure reaction as opposed to identifying formations, plays, and tendencies can help your offense immensely. As soon as a defense is on its heels, Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich have a really amazing ability to find which plays will work the best against a basic defense.

We're all searching for clues as to how Kelly will run his offense in the NFL. Here we have been presented with some more insight, specifically in a no-huddle situation at the end of the half. It also further highlights why Kelly was so intent on signing James Casey and drafting Zach Ertz, who are both formation-versatile and can line up in a variety of spots. They are chess pieces, particularly invaluable when switching out personnel groupings is eliminated. From one snap to the next, they can morph into different roles. Ertz presents one more wrinkle than Casey: In addition to lining up in the backfield as an H-Back or in-line as a traditional TE spot, he can split out wide as a WR. By the way, Colt Lyerla is awesome and we're totally drafting him, whether it's in 2014 or 2015. I also believe Marcus Mariota, who I view as a bona fide NFL QB prospect, will be targeted by Kelly whenever he declares for the draft (could be as early as 2014).

After a missed field goal by Kansas State, the score remained 15-10 in favor of Oregon, which had experienced literally no success on offense in the second quarter to that point. With 1:00 left on the clock and timeouts remaining, Chip Kelly was feeling anything but apprehensive despite his offense's recent struggles. I think there's a fair number of coaches who might have been content with the lead and called for a run play or two (dumb), or for his quarterback to take a knee twice (smart), to bleed the clock and get into the locker room to regroup. That's just not in Chip Kelly's nature. He went right for his opponent's heart. Five plays and 77 yards later -- boom, boom, boom -- Oregon's offense was celebrating a touchdown and 22-10 lead, having demoralized a Kansas State team that was feeling pretty good about itself a minute earlier. Like a roundhouse kick to the face. Perhaps such aggressiveness will get Kelly burned at times, but I also think he'll be more successful than not in the long run as a result.

While I acknowledge that players still have to execute (which was has been a problem with this crew), how the drive in the Fiesta Bowl played out embodies one of the reasons I believe in Chip Kelly. It has to do with his overall personality and approach, and how both are infused into his play-calling. Attack, attack, attack, come at you in waves, never let up. Kelly is unfazed in high-pressure situations; in fact, he thrives, which makes me so hopeful above all else, since that's where Andy Reid had his meltdowns. There's also something genius and beautiful about the simplicity of the pay-calls. Unlike his predecessor, Kelly doesn't appear to be the type of coach who's prone to outsmarting himself, and he's not afraid to run the same play over and over if it's working. I could get used to the Eagles being a "you know what's coming and still can't stop it" offense.

Whereas with Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg I had come to fear the very thought of the Eagles operating a no-huddle, two-minute offense, I'm encouraged and excited -- GIDDY -- imagining about how it'll work with Chip Kelly. Guys, I don't think we're going to have to worry about terrible play-calling or time management anymore. And that makes me smile.

Recapping the Philadelphia Eagles' 2013 Draft

2013-04-29T17:00:07Z

After months and months of scouting, analyzing, planning, yelling and banging the table, the three-day marathon of excitement known as the NFL Draft is over (until next year!). Now we enter into a relative dead period for the league until training camp starts in July. WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH OUR LIVES?! That's a good question. The Flyers aren't in the playoffs, neither are the Sixers, and we're still not sure the Phillies -- who are baseball's version of the current Boston Celtics -- can be anything more than a middling team this summer. If only they could play the Mets every series. In the meantime, let's recap all eight of the Eagles picks, bookended with two Oklahoma Sooners: Lane Johnson (4th overall) and David King (239th overall).

1 (4): Lane Johnson - OT - Oklahoma

There's no doubting Lane Johnson's freakish, mouth-watering athleticism and movement skills, which will be utilized pristinely in Chip Kelly's offense on pulls and screens of all kinds. He developed remarkably well over just two seasons of playing OT, and had as good a week as Eric Fisher at the Senior Bowl. When it became clear that both Fisher and Luke Joeckel would go within the first three selections, I started to consider Johnson as a potential target. But even then, I wondered if the Eagles were more interested in trading down and acquiring extra mid-round picks than taking Johnson, who, in my opinion, was clearly behind Fisher and Joeckel. I like how he's used to playing in an up-tempo offense, flashed a mean streak as 2012 season progressed and started finishing every block. Lane showed exceptional foot quickness to stay in position and mirror pass rushers, with rare recovery skills and fluidity in his hips to reposition and stand his ground after taking a false step. I almost felt like I was watching a CB at times, and I can safely say it's the first time such a thought has occurred to me when scouting an OT. Johnson consistently caved in the DE to create holes in the run game, and he typically kept Landry Jones clean in the pocket. Got to the second level in the blink of an eye but wasn't always decisive in space, and I saw issues with technique -- specifically dropping his hands too much and getting overextended. Also, DEs were able to dip under and bend around the edge a few too many times for my liking, even if Johnson was able to frequently use those long arms to disrupt momentum and push them off course.

More: Lane Johnson: I'm ready to start now

Here's what I'll say about Lane Johnson: He might have a higher ceiling than both Fisher and Joeckel because of his rare, literally unprecedented athletic ability, but he also has a lower floor. He's either going to keep developing and turn into a stud, or he's going to plateau and fall short of everyone's lofty expectations. Jeff Stoutland pounded the table for Johnson, and getting to work with Coach Stout is the best possible situation for any developing OT. With Jason Peters and Todd Herremans each over 30 and coming off injury, getting started on finding their eventual replacements is necessary. Dennis Kelly remains a swing tackle with upside, but Johnson could be that franchise cornerstone. I know Chip Kelly says players determine the depth chart with their play on the field, but it feels like Johnson is penciled in at RT already with Herremans sliding inside to RG.

PS - Chip's going to install certain goal line packages that take advantage of Lane Johnson's past life as a junior college QB, right? Please? Let him be tackle eligible, or line up in the backfield and run a QB draw. I don't care, just have it be something awesome.

2 (35): Zach Ertz - TE - Stanford

A pick that I admit I did not particularly like at the time. I was hoping for Arthur Brown; the fact that Ozzie Newsome traded up later in the round to take him has me feeling vindicated. Back on topic. I've made no secret of the fact that I think Travis Kelce -- of course Andy Reid took him! -- is the best TE in this class for Chip's offense, and the TE with the highest upside in general; if the Eagles were going to address the position, he would've been my top choice. Obviously Chip felt differently, and I get the feeling he has a better idea than I do of what TE would ideally fit his offensive vision.

More: Kelly: Ertz is a "mismatch nightmare"

When it comes to Ertz, I had specific expectations of him when I watched his tape for the first time back in January. The hype led me to believe I should be expecting this superstar TE with freakish, explosive athletic ability. Instead, what I saw was a player who elicited a reaction of "he's good, sure, but overrated based on my preconceptions." Perhaps I had to just recalibrate those preconceptions. Ertz is a "move" TE who's versatile and lines up everywhere (backfield, in-line, split wide, outside hashes) -- plays more like a big WR. Blocking has good moments and bad; inconsistent overall, but not for lack of effort. Quick off the line with initial burst; he's a superb route runner who sells fakes and displays suddenness at the stem, which will be necessary to create separation at the next level. Finds soft spots in the defense. I don't think Ertz plays as fast as his 4.68 40-yard dash; not stiff but not especially elusive after the catch, though he does run hard, lowers his shoulder to initiate contact and fall forward. Typically soft hands and rarely lets the ball get into his body (plucks it out of the air), but there were also some (easy) drops that were frustrating and prohibited me from anointing his hands as "excellent." Won jump/50-50 ball for TD catch to tie game vs. Oregon, but will short arms (smaller catch radius) and average vertical manifest themselves at NFL level? We'll see.

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

3 (67): Bennie Logan - DT - Louisiana State

I was hoping this pick would be Jesse Williams, but apparently his medicals -- specifically his knee -- pushed him down boards. Also, according to Albert Breer, who polled NFL teams, the general draftnik community simply overrated Williams' talent level. We'll see on that; I'm sure he'll thrive in Seattle. Nevertheless, I'm happy with Logan, who I think fits the mold of a versatile DL and should see time at both NT and DE/5-tech. He's athletic and can both anchor and penetrate, which is an invaluable commodity, particularly in the type of defense the Eagles hope to run. Just solid all around, plug-and-play type who should start as part of a rotation at DT and see his snaps steadily increased as the season progresses. Other pluses that stuck out to me about Logan on tape: Plays low and with good leverage, read/react ability, gap-discipline, range against the run, hustles, quick and strong hands to disengage and defeat blocks, good tackler who engulfs ball carrier.

4 (98): Matt Barkley - QB - Southern California

Easily the pick that has generated the most conversation, both optimistic and pessimistic. Barkley, if he had come out for the 2012 draft, was generally regarded as the consensus third-ranked QB behind Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Let's remember that. At first, I was perturbed because Barkley disappointed me this season, with one moment in particular -- which I watched in real-time -- that stuck in my craw and really soured me on him. I'm talking about the end of the Arizona game. With his Trojans trailing 39-36, Barkley got the ball at his own 13-yard line with 55 seconds left and no timeouts. His first throw annoyed me, as it was a 7-yard throw before the sticks to Silas Redd, who had to break a tackle to get the first down and stop the block. Two passes that gained a total of 27 yards followed. The USC offense was at the Arizona 48 with 15 seconds left, needing to get into position for a game-tying field goal. It's the next play that pissed me off to the point of losing faith in Barkley. Deep drop with pump fake before barely overthrowing Marquise Lee deep down sideline, play takes 10 seconds. Why not, instead, try for another quick 10-15-yard throw in the middle of the field? Could've left time for one more quick throw after that. As a result, all he had left was time for a bomb into the endzone (which was broken up). I don't know, I felt this was an issue of time and situational mismanagement -- nothing drives me crazier.

More: Chip Kelly lauds Barkley's intangibles Concerned about Barkley's arm strength? Don't be

As I thought more and more about the pick, I came to rationalize it. I know this makes him no different from any other GM, but Howie Roseman consistently preaches the importance of finding value. Is there a better instance of potentially finding value than drafting a former consensus top-pick -- at the most important position, no less -- in the 4th round? There are 21 cutups on draftbreakdown.com, and I plan to watch each and every one of them. At some point down the line, when I go through them all, I'll do a more in-depth scouting report. For now, my quick takes:

(+)

Pre-snap orchestrator, has free reign at LOS

Polished, patient, goes through progressions, wins with his brain

Tough, not afraid to stand in the pocket and take a hit to make a throw

Keeps eyes downfield while sliding and stepping up to avoid pressure

Capable of making "wow" throws that are not stereotypical arm strength throws, but more having to do with touch and ball placement

Throws a pretty nice deep ball downfield (actually overthrows open receivers at times)

Underrated lower body strength, won't elude defenders with his feet but can shed would-be tacklers to extend plays

(-)

Doesn't always handle pressure well, can get skittish in the pocket if protection isn't up to snuff

Minimal zip on his passes (no "zing" quality), which is especially troublesome when having to squeeze the ball into tight windows (as is necessary in the NFL)

Lack of natural arm strength can't make up for feet not being set, struggles when forced to shuffle/reset and unable to step into throws

Ball hangs in the air, doesn't (can't?) consistently drive throws outside the numbers

Misses some wide open throws

Below average athlete

Makes some baffling decisions, even when he has time, and throws into coverage

Sometimes appears too nonchalant, question poise and sense of urgency under pressure

I think the best way I can sum up Barkley is thusly: His physical skill set is such that he needs to be perfect -- and needs his surrounding cast to be perfect -- in order to succeed. When Barkley -- and his team -- falls short of that, he doesn't have the special tools to compensate. However, protect him capably, surround him with talented weapons, install an offense predicated on short-drops and quick decisions (which is what Chip wants)... and you might end up getting that franchise QB. For now, I'm still on Team Foles.

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

5 (136): Earl Wolff - SS - North Carolina State

I imagine Wolff is going to compete for playing time immediately, given the relative uncertainty at the safety positions -- Kenny Phillips' knee, Patrick Chung's inconsistency, Nate Allen's regression, Kurt Coleman being Kurt Coleman. It wouldn't even surprise me if he wins a starting spot in training camp; I at least expect him to see the field plenty as part of a heavy rotation. Suddenness of movement, range and closing speed stick out. Physical player who can pack a punch and is a smooth, natural, gifted athlete. Good at baiting the QB by hiding in coverage, explosive jumper and made sticky hands INT vs. Clemson (2012); also remember him making a nice INT vs. Maryland in 2011. Instincts are questionable; bites on play-fakes and sometimes take poor angles/missteps. Great motor, chases the play all over the field, typically solid tackler who wraps up (though there were some whiffs) and gets ball carrier on the ground. I think Wolff needs to be told either to stay in the deep half and play coverage or roam in the box down near the LOS. I like him a lot as an assignment-player, but you're playing with fire if you ask him to read and react consistently.

7 (212): Joe Kruger - DE - Utah

Paul's brother. Our very own SouthernPhilly tipped this off months ago with his "Re-Recruiting Trail" article, and then called the pick right before it happened. Something of an underrated darling who had his cause championed by the Twitter draft community, I didn't scout Joe Kruger extensively, but he had a knack for making plays during live viewings and showed up time after time while I was watching Star Lotulelei's tape. Long, sleek build. Fired off the ball like he was shot out of a cannon; used his arms really well to bull rush and lock out blockers, combined with using his hands to defeat them. Tenacious, seemingly always pushing blocker back and getting into QB's kitchen, great motor, so much fun to watch in pursuit. Kruger lined up all over the front 4, played with his hand in the dirt and standing up. I know initial word is the Eagles plan to use him as a DE/OLB hybrid, which is how he was deployed in college, but I wonder if the long-term plan is to eventually get him into the 280-290-pound range and playing 5-tech full-time. I'm sure this will depend both on how Kruger plays and how the position battles shake out at DE and OLB.

More: Joe Kruger hoping to follow in brother's Super Bowl footsteps

7 (218): Jordan Poyer - CB - Oregon State

No one could understand how and why Jordan Poyer was in free-fall throughout the draft. I was one of those people, as I really liked Poyer on tape, despite a lack of explosiveness that showed up in his workouts. I guess questions about his speed and athleticism prevailed in scouting circles because the only off-field concern stemmed from an incident in which he, when underaged, refused to leave a bar. Diagnoses and reacts instantaneously, quick feet, balanced, tough, smart, instinctive playmaker with perhaps the best ball skills -- locates in the air, spectacular hands -- of any CB in the draft. More of a hitter than tackler, though he does show ability to wrap up, and never shies away in run support. Played all types of coverages at Oregon State, but appeared most comfortable and aware in zone -- where he could read QB and slide into position -- which is where he's best suited to excel in the pros. Size and poor vertical jump hampered him from winning jump ball battles with WR in college, will be even more magnified in the NFL. Is this something he'll be able to overcome? Can he be trusted one-on-one against NFL WR?

More: What you'll get from Jordan Poyer

7 (239): David King - DE - Oklahoma

Here's what I know about David King: When I'd go to NFLDraftScout.com and look through the position rankings, I'd always get to the end of the supposed draft-worthy prospects that garnered the "7-FA" grade. King's height/weight/speed combination -- as well as the rest of his workout numbers -- always caught my eye. His production is minimal and, this might come as a surprise to you, but I would've preferred Tristan Okpalaugo (who remains unsigned as a UDFA) at this spot.

Grade: Draft grades are so incredibly dumb and pointless right now. Mel Kiper gave the Seahawks an "F" this time last year for their 2012 haul. I thought the Eagles stayed true to their board and lined up BPA and value with needs very well.

2013 NFL Draft Fearless Predictions

2013-04-25T14:00:08Z

Two of your fearless underling ~~leaders~~ writers here at Bleeding Green Nation are fearlessly predicting 16 things each that will happen during what promises to be a totally crazy three-day NFL draft, in which all fans will be anxiously --fearfully -- holding their breath when it comes time for their team to pick. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. When it comes to fear, less is more.

Kaye:

1. At least two teams will give up a 2014 first round pick in order to trade up into the Top 12 picks of the draft.

2. At minimum, five defensive tackles will be selected in the first round and at minimum, five cornerbacks in the second round.

3. Both the Raiders and Jaguars will stay put with their first round picks, but not by choice.

4. The Miami Dolphins will trade up for a cornerback, not an offensive tackle, if they do move forward.

5. Geno Smith will not be selected before the 20th pick.

6. The Vikings will trade one of their two picks.

7. Wide Receiver will be the most selected position in the first two days of the draft.

8. FIU will have as many first round picks in 2013 as LSU.

9. At least three veteran starting players will traded in the first two days of the draft.

10. We will still have no clue what Chip Kelly plans to do on offense or defense following the first two days of the draft.

11. The Eagles will not select a QB until Day 3.

12. Despite the measures taken to not spoil picks, ESPN and NFL Network will both produce counter-productive to their "no spoilers" policies.

13. There will be more 24-year old players taken in the first round then 21-year old players.

14. At least 3 teams will trade into the 1st round from the 2nd round.

15. Elway to Marino will be referenced at least 35 times during ESPN's coverage of the draft, while Cleveland 96 will be referenced at least 25 times on NFL Network's draft coverage.

16. Thomas Dimitrioff will make another massive trade up for the Falcons, but it will be for a player that no one sees coming.

Klausner:

1. The first two picks of the draft will be OT, but not in the order that most people are predicting. Instead, Eric Fisher will be selected first overall by the Chiefs, and Luke Joeckel will be selected second overall by the Jaguars.

2. The Eagles will trade back at least once in the first round, with the intention of drafting Star Lotulelei somewhere between picks 7-12. They will then trade up into the second half of the first round to select E.J. Manuel if he's still available between picks 20-32. But how will the Eagles trade back into the later part of the first round? Jeremy Maclin will be part of a deal to the Colts for their 24th overall pick.

3. Over half the teams in the first round will not pick at their originally designated slots. The San Diego Chargers will get things started by trading up into the top-5 to ensure getting one of the consensus top-three OT.

4. One of the teams selecting in the 22-32 range will trade up into the top-10.

5. Three quarterbacks will be selected in the first round.

6. The position with the most number of prospects selected in the first round will be DT, with six (gotta one-up you here, Mike): Sharrif Floyd, Star Lotulelei, Sheldon Richardson, Johnathan Hankins, Sylvester Williams, Jesse Williams. In that order.

7. The New York Jets, if they stay at picks 9 and 13, will select Tavon Austin and Geno Smith, respectively. They'll take Tavon Austin at 9 no matter what... if he's still there.

8. On the heels of his personal workout and absolutely remarkable rehab from an ACL tear, Cornellius "Tank" Carradine will be a top-15 pick.

9. Dee Milliner will NOT be the first CB drafted. He might not even be the second. Mel Kiper, crestfallen that his draft crush is falling like a rock and in the throes of a fit of disbelief, starts gesticulating so crazily that he accidentally slaps Jon Gruden across the face.

10. Bill Polian will say, at least once, that if he were in charge, he would take Landry Jones in the first round over all the other QBs. Because "he's a winner"... that one time Polian saw him beat Ryan Tannehill head-to-head in 2011. Landry Jones sucks.

11. Both Chance Warmack and Jonathan Cooper will be taken within three picks of one another. Where? I don't know.

12. Justin Hunter, who has the highest ceiling of any WR in this draft, will be selected before teammate Cordarrelle Patterson, who will fall out of the first round altogether due to concerns about his maturity as both a player and person.

13. Jonathan Cyprien will be selected before Kenny Vaccaro as the first S off the board.

14. Arthur Brown will be selected before Manti Te'o and Alec Ogletree as the first ILB off the board.

15. The Eagles will find a way to draft Travis Kelce, who, in addition to the feel-good story of reuniting him with Jason Kelce, is the best fit for Chip Kelly's offense of all the TE in this draft.

16. Viewing him as a fascinating developmental prospect with freakish, truly rare physical characteristics and high upside who fits with their desire to transition to a hybrid, interchangeable front 7, the Eagles WILL select my man Tristan Okpalaugo (OLB, Fresno State) on Day 3.

More from Bleeding Green Nation

E.J. Manuel says Eagles "Want me bad"

Rumor: Eagles looking to move down and target Austin or Mingo

Final 7 round mock draft

Chip Kelly likes Nick Foles more than Geno Smith

2013 NFL Mock Draft: Final 7 round projection

2013-04-22T11:00:08Z

This marks the last 7-round mock draft before the real one finally, mercifully begins. Anders Jensen (@Mjoedgaard) helped through the first three rounds, Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) through the fifth round, and then Brian Hughes (@BHugh215) and myself (@dklausner) took it home in the sixth and seventh rounds. And yes, yesterday's trade between the Jets and Buccaneers for Darrelle Revis is included. As always, feel free to leave your comments and tell us why we're stupid and you're smart, what you would have done instead, so on and so forth.... because, really, what would a mock draft be without such banter? Useless, that's what. Here is the Eagles' total haul:

1 (4): Eric Fisher - OT - Central Michigan

2 (35): Jesse Williams - DT - Alabama

3 (67): Kiko Alonso - ILB - Oregon

4 (101): Nick Kasa - TE - Colorado

5 (136): Cooper Taylor - SS - Richmond

7 (210): Tristan Okpalaugo - OLB - Fresno State

7 (212): Lerentee McCray - OLB - Florida

7 (218): T.J. Barnes - DT - Georgia Tech

7 (239): Vernon Kearney - CB - Lane (TN)

Round	Pick (Overall)	Team	Player	Pos	School	Selector
1	1	Chiefs	Sharrif Floyd	DT	Florida	Anders
1	2	Jaguars	Dion Jordan	OLB	Oregon	Mike
1	3	Raiders	Ezekiel Ansah	DE	Brigham Young	Brian
1	4	Eagles	Eric Fisher	OT	Central Michigan	Dan
1	5	Lions	Luke Joeckel	OT	Texas A&M	Dan
1	6	Browns	Barkevious Mingo	OLB	Louisiana State	Brian
1	7	Cardinals	Lane Johnson	OT	Oklahoma	Mike
1	8	Bills	Dee Milliner	CB	Alabama	Anders
1	9	Jets	Tavon Austin	WR	West Virginia	Anders
1	10	Titans	Chance Warmack	OG	Alabama	Mike
1	11	Chargers	Star Lotulelei	DT	Utah	Brian
1	12	Dolphins	D.J. Fluker	OT	Alabama	Dan
1	13	Jets	Geno Smith	QB	West Virginia	Dan
1	14	Panthers	Sheldon Richardson	DT	Missouri	Brian
1	15	Saints	Kenny Vaccaro	FS	Texas	Mike
1	16	Rams	Tyler Eifert	TE	Notre Dame	Anders
1	17	Steelers	Jarvis Jones	OLB	Georgia	Anders
1	18	Cowboys	Jonathan Cooper	OG	North Carolina	Mike
1	19	Giants	Bjoern Werner	DE	Florida State	Brian
1	20	Bears	Arthur Brown	LB	Kansas State	Dan
1	21	Bengals	Johnathan Cyprien	SS	Florida International	Dan
1	22	Rams	Cordarrelle Patterson	WR	Tennessee	Brian
1	23	Vikings	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Clemson	Mike
1	24	Colts	Johnathan Hankins	DT	Ohio State	Anders
1	25	Vikings	Cornellius Carradine	DE	Florida State	Anders
1	26	Packers	Xavier Rhodes	CB	Florida State	Mike
1	27	Texans	Keenan Allen	WR	California	Brian
1	28	Broncos	Desmond Trufant	CB	Washington	Dan
1	29	Patriots	Justin Hunter	WR	Tennessee	Dan
1	30	Falcons	Travis Kelce	TE	Cincinnati	Brian
1	31	49ers	Matt Elam	SS	Florida	Mike
1	32	Ravens	Kevin Minter	LB	Louisiana State	Anders

Round	Pick (Overall)	Team	Player	Pos	School	Selector
2	33	Jaguars	Zach Ertz	TE	Stanford	Anders
2	34	49ers	Jamar Taylor	SS	Boise State	Mike
2	35	Eagles	Jesse Williams	DT	Alabama	Brian
2	36	Lions	Datone Jones	DE	UCLA	Dan
2	37	Bengals	Menelik Watson	OT	Florida State	Dan
2	38	Cardinals	D.J. Swearinger	SS	South Carolina	Brian
2	39	Jets	Robert Woods	WR	Southern California	Mike
2	40	Titans	Damontre Moore	DE	Texas A&M	Anders
2	41	Bills	Ryan Nassib	QB	Syracuse	Anders
2	42	Dolphins	Jordan Poyer	CB	Oregon State	Mike
2	43	Buccaneers	Alex Okafor	DE	Texas	Brian
2	44	Panthers	Markus Wheaton	WR	Oregon State	Dan
2	45	Chargers	Gavin Escobar	TE	San Diego State	Dan
2	46	Rams	Larry Warford	OG	Kentucky	Brian
2	47	Cowboys	Eric Reid	SS	Louisiana State	Mike
2	48	Steelers	Zac Dysert	QB	Miami (OH)	Anders
2	49	Giants	Justin Pugh	OT	Syracuse	Anders
2	50	Bears	Matt Barkley	QB	Southern California	Mike
2	51	Redskins	Phillip Thomas	FS	Fresno State	Brian
2	52	Vikings	Sylvester Williams	DT	North Carolina	Dan
2	53	Bengals	E.J. Manuel	QB	Florida State	Dan
2	54	Dolphins	Eddie Lacy	RB	Alabama	Brian
2	55	Packers	Giovani Bernard	RB	North Carolina	Mike
2	56	Seahawks	Terron Armstead	OT	Arkansas-Pine Bluff	Anders
2	57	Texans	Jamie Collins	OLB	Southern Mississippi	Anders
2	58	Broncos	Sio Moore	OLB	Connecticut	Mike
2	59	Patriots	D.J. Hayden	CB	Houston	Brian
2	60	Falcons	Alec Ogletree	OLB	Georgia	Dan
2	61	49ers	Vance McDonald	TE	Rice	Dan
2	62	Ravens	Da'Rick Rogers	WR	Tennessee Tech	Brian

Round	Pick (Overall)	Team	Player	Pos	School	Selector
3	63	Chiefs	Kyle Long	OG	Oregon	Mike
3	64	Jaguars	Margus Hunt	SS	Southern Methodist	Anders
3	65	Lions	Manti Te'o	ILB	Notre Dame	Anders
3	66	Raiders	Dallas Thomas	OT	Tennessee	Brian
3	67	Eagles	Kiko Alonso	ILB	Oregon	Mike
3	68	Browns	Tyler Wilson	QB	Arkansas	Dan
3	69	Cardinals	Mike Glennon	QB	North Carolina State	Dan
3	70	Titans	Johnthan Banks	CB	Mississippi State	Brian
3	71	Bills	Jordan Reed	TE	Florida	Mike
3	72	Jets	Johnathan Franklin	RB	UCLA	Anders
3	73	Buccaneers	David Amerson	CB	North Carolina State	Anders
3	74	49ers	Trevardo Williams	OLB	Connecticut	Mike
3	75	Saints	Chris Faulk	OT	Louisiana State	Brian
3	76	Chargers	Vinston Painter	OT	Virginia Tech	Dan
3	77	Dolphins	Quinton Patton	WR	Louisiana Tech	Dan
3	78	Rams	Bacarri Rambo	FS	Georgia	Brian
3	79	Steelers	Terrance Williams	WR	Baylor	Mike
3	80	Cowboys	Barrett Jones	C/OG	Alabama	Anders
3	81	Giants	Tyler Bray	QB	Tennessee	Anders
3	82	Dolphins	Robert Alford	CB	Southeastern Louisiana	Mike
3	83	Vikings	Tyrann Mathieu	CB	Louisiana State	Brian
3	84	Bengals	Darius Slay	CB	Connecticut	Dan
3	85	Redskins	Marquise Goodwin	WR	Texas	Dan
3	86	Colts	Andre Ellington	RB	Clemson	Brian
3	87	Seahawks	Kawann Short	DT	Purdue	Mike
3	88	Packers	Brian Winters	OG	Kent State	Anders
3	89	Texans	Matt Scott	QB	Arizona	Anders
3	90	Broncos	Le'Veon Bell	RB	Michigan State	Mike
3	91	Patriots	Travis Frederick	C	Wisconsin	Brian
3	92	Falcons	Blidi Wreh-Wilson	CB	Connecticut	Dan
3	93	49ers	Brandon Williams	DT	Missouri Western State	Dan
3	94	Ravens	Quanterus Smith	OLB	Western Kentucky	Brian
3	95	Texans	Jon Bostic	ILB	Florida	Mike
3	96	Chiefs	Corey Lemonier	OLB	Auburn	Anders
3	97	Titans	Stedman Bailey	WR	West Virginia	Anders

Round	Pick (Overall)	Team	Player	Pos	School	Selector
4	98	Jaguars	David Bakhtiari	OG	Colorado	Mike
4	99	Chiefs	Aaron Dobson	WR	Marshall	Brian
4	100	Raiders	Akeem Spence	DT	Illinois	Dan
4	101	Eagles	Nick Kasa	TE	Colorado	Dan
4	102	Vikings	Shawn Williams	SS	Georgia	Brian
4	103	Cardinals	David Quessenberry	OT	San Jose State	Mike
4	104	Browns	Josh Johnson	CB	Purdue	Mike
4	105	Bills	Corneilius Washington	DE	Georgia	Brian
4	106	Jets	Michael Buchanan	OLB	Illinois	Mike
4	107	Titans	Montori Hughes	DT	Tennessee-Martin	Brian
4	108	Panthers	Earl Wolff	SS	North Carolina State	Dan
4	109	Saints	Chase Thomas	OLB	Stanford	Dan
4	110	Chargers	Leon McFadden	CB	San Diego State	Brian
4	111	Dolphins	T.J. McDonald	SS	Southern California	Mike
4	112	Buccaneers	Dion Sims	TE	Michigan State	Dan
4	113	Rams	Kevin Riddick	ILB	North Carolina State	Mike
4	114	Cowboys	Chris Gragg	TE	Arkansas	Mike
4	115	Steelers	Marcus Lattimore	RB	South Carolina	Brian
4	116	Giants	B.W. Webb	CB	William & Mary	Dan
4	117	Bears	Lavar Edwards	DE	Louisiana State	Dan
4	118	Bengals	Khaseem Greene	OLB	Rutgers	Brian
4	119	Redskins	Dwayne Gratz	CB	Connecticut	Mike
4	120	Vikings	Alvin Bailey	OG	Arkansas	Brian
4	121	Colts	Sam Montgomery	DE	Louisiana State	Dan
4	122	Packers	Kenny Stills	WR	Texas	Mike
4	123	Seahawks	DeVonte Holloman	OLB	South Carolina	Brian
4	124	Texans	Josh Evans	FS	Florida	Dan
4	125	Broncos	Ryan Otten	TE	San Jose State	Dan
4	126	Buccaneers	Chris Harper	WR	Kansas State	Brian
4	127	Falcons	Logan Ryan	CB	Rutgers	Mike
4	128	49ers	Ryan Swope	WR	Texas A&M	Mike
4	129	Ravens	William Gholston	LB	Missouri	Brian
4	130	Ravens	Duke Williams	FS	Florida	Mike
4	131	49ers	Joe Kruger	TE	Colorado	Brian
4	132	Lions	Brian Schwenke	WR	Arkansas	Dan
4	133	Falcons	Christine Michael	OT	Louisiana Tech	Dan

Round	Pick (Overall)	Team	Player	Pos	School	Selector
5	134	Chiefs	Nico Johnson	ILB	Alabama	Brian
5	135	Jaguars	Landry Jones	QB	Oklahoma	Mike
5	136	Eagles	Cooper Taylor	SS	Richmond	Dan
5	137	Lions	Tharold Simon	CB	Louisiana State	Brian
5	138	Seahawks	Denard Robinson	WR	Michigan	Mike
5	139	Browns	Kyle Juszczyk	FB	Harvard	Dan
5	140	Cardinals	Mychal Rivera	TE	Tennessee	Brian
5	141	Jets	Brandon McGeen	CB	Miami (FL)	Mike
5	142	Titans	Sanders Commings	CB	Georgia	Dan
5	143	Bills	Sean Renfree	QB	Duke	Brian
5	144	Saints	Jordan Rodgers	QB	Vanderbilt	Mike
5	145	Chargers	John Jenkins	DT	Georgia	Dan
5	146	Dolphins	Adrian Bushell	CB	Louisville	Brian
5	147	Buccaneers	Stepfan Taylor	OT	Wisconsin	Mike
5	148	Panthers	Hugh Thornton	OG	Illinois	Dan
5	149	Rams	Sean Porter	OLB	Texas A&M	Brian
5	150	Steelers	Will Davis	CB	Utah State	Mike
5	151	Cowboys	Bennie Logan	DT	Louisiana State	Dan
5	152	Giants	Montee Ball	RB	Wisconsin	Brian
5	153	Bears	Kenjon Barner	RB	Oregon	Mike
5	154	Redskins	Nicholas Williams	DT	Samford	Dan
5	155	Vikings	Jake Stoneburner	TE	Ohio State	Brian
5	156	Bengals	Tavarres King	WR	Georgia	Mike
5	157	49ers	Zac Stacy	RB	Vanderbilt	Dan
5	158	Seahawks	Zavier Gooden	OLB	Missouri	Brian
5	159	Packers	Xavier Nixon	OT	Florida	Mike
5	160	Texans	Maliciah Goodman	DE	Clemson	Dan
5	161	Broncos	David Bass	DE	Missouri Western State	Brian
5	162	Redskins	Lonnie Pryor	FB	Florida State	Mike
5	163	Falcons	Devin Taylor	DE	South Carolina	Dan
5	164	49ers	Ace Sanders	WR	South Carolina	Brian
5	165	Ravens	Kwame Geathers	DT	Georgia	Mike
5	166	Dolphins	Jordan Hill	DT	Penn State	Dan
5	167	Packers	A.J. Francis	DT	Maryland	Brian
5	168	Ravens	Ryan Griffin	QB	Tulane	Mike

Round	Pick (Overall)	Team	Player	Pos	School	Selector
6	169	Jaguars	Cody Davis	FS	Texas Tech	Dan
6	170	Chiefs	Cody Grissom	DT	South Florida	Brian
6	171	Lions	Shamarko Thomas	SS	Syracuse	Dan
6	172	Raiders	Brandon Jenkins	DE	Florida State	Brian
6	173	Browns	Jordan Mills	OT	Louisiana Tech	Dan
6	174	Cardinals	Stansly Maponga	OLB	Texas Christian	Brian
6	175	Browns	Jonathan Stewart	ILB	Texas A&M	Dan
6	176	Raiders	Don Jones	SS	Arkansas State	Brian
6	177	Bills	Brennan Williams	OT	North Carolina	Dan
6	178	Jets	Reid Fragel	OT	Ohio State	Brian
6	179	Chargers	Jeff Tuel	QB	Washington State	Dan
6	180	49ers	Dustin Hopkins	K	Florida State	Brian
6	181	Buccaneers	J.J. Wilcox	SS	Georgia Southern	Dan
6	182	Panthers	Joseph Fauria	TE	UCLA	Brian
6	183	Saints	J.C. Tretter	OG	Cornell	Dan
6	184	Rams	Connor Vernon	WR	Duke	Brian
6	185	Cowboys	Aaron Mellette	WR	Elon	Dan
6	186	Steelers	Ricky Wagner	OT	Wisconsin	Brian
6	187	Giants	Keith Pough	OLB	Howard	Dan
6	188	Bears	Omoregie Uzzi	OG	Georgia Tech	Brian
6	189	Vikings	Brad Sorensen	QB	Southern Utah	Dan
6	190	Bengals	Ray Graham	RB	Pittsburgh	Brian
6	191	Redskins	Garrett Gilkey	OT	Chadron State	Dan
6	192	Colts	Nickel Roby	K	Florida State	Brian
6	193	Packers	Kerwynn Williams	RB	Utah State	Dan
6	194	Seahawks	Michael Williams	TE	Alabama	Brian
6	195	Texans	Zach Sudfeld	TE	Nevada	Dan
6	196	Buccaneers	Brad Wing	P	Louisiana State	Brian
6	197	Bengals	Mike Catapano	DE	Princeton	Dan
6	198	Falcons	Josh Boyd	DT	Mississippi State	Brian
6	199	Ravens	Eric Hermann	OG	Ohio	Dan
6	200	Ravens	Khalid Wooten	CB	Nevada	Brian
6	201	Texans	Dax Swanson	CB	Sam Houston State	Dan
6	202	Titans	Mike Gillislee	RB	Florida	Brian
6	203	Ravens	Khaled Holmes	C	Southern California	Dan
6	204	Chiefs	Marc Anthony	CB	Iowa	Brian
6	205	Raiders	Terry Hawthorne	CB	Illinois	Brian
6	206	Steelers	Rontez Miles	SS	California (PA)	Brian

Round	Pick (Overall)	Team	Player	Pos	School	Selector
7	207	Chiefs	Gerald Hodges	OLB	Penn State	Dan
7	208	Jaguars	Jelani Jenkins	OLB	Florida	Brian
7	209	Raiders	Lucas Reed	TE	New Mexico	Brian
7	210	Eagles	Tristan Okpalaugo	OLB	Fresno State	Dan
7	211	Lions	Ty Powell	OLB	Harding	Brian
7	212	Eagles	Lerentee McCray	OLB	Florida	Dan
7	213	Vikings	Kayvon Webster	CB	Central Florida	Dan
7	214	Seahawks	Caleb Sturgis	K	Florida	Brian
7	215	Jets	Keelan Johnson	FS	Arizona State	Dan
7	216	Titans	Josh Boyce	WR	Texas Christian	Brian
7	217	Dolphins	Oday Aboushi	OT	Virginia	Dan
7	218	Eagles	T.J. Barnes	DT	Georgia tech	Dan
7	219	Cardinals	Luke Marquadt	OT	Azusa Pacific	Dan
7	220	Seahawks	Manase Foketi	OT	West Texas A&M	Brian
7	221	Chargers	Cobi Hamilton	WR	Arkansas	Dan
7	222	Rams	Earl Watford	OG	James Madison	Brian
7	223	Steelers	Corey Fuller	WR	Virginia Tech	Dan
7	224	Dolphins	William Campbell	DT	Michigan	Brian
7	225	Giants	Matt Furstenburg	TE	Maryland	Dan
7	226	Patriots	Braxton Cave	C	Notre Dame	Brian
7	227	49ers	Michael Mauti	ILB	Penn State	Dan
7	228	Redskins	Walter Stewart	OLB	Cincinnati	Brian
7	229	Vikings	A.J. Klein	ILB	Iowa State	Dan
7	230	Colts	John Boyett	SS	Oregon	Brian
7	231	Vikings	Chris Thompson	RB	Florida State	Dan
7	231	Packers	Kapron Lewis-Moore	DT	Notre Dame	Brian
7	233	Texans	Joseph Randle	RB	Oklahoma State	Dan
7	234	Broncos	Vince Williams	ILB	Florida State	Brian
7	235	Patriots	Casey Walker	DT	Oklahoma	Dan
7	236	Falcons	Jawan Jamison	RB	Rutgers	Brian
7	237	49ers	Rashaan Melvin	CB	Northern Illinois	Dan
7	238	Ravens	Justice Cunningham	TE	South Carolina	Brian
7	239	Eagles	Vernon Kearney	CB	Lane (TN)	Dan
7	240	Bengals	Johnny Adams	CB	Michigan State	Brian
7	241	Seahawks	Dexter McCoil	FS	Tulsa	Dan
7	242	Seahawks	Meshak Williams	OLB	Kasnas State	Brian
7	243	Falcons	Tony Jefferson	FS	Oklahoma	Dan
7	244	Falcons	Nathan Willams	OLB	Ohio State	Brian
7	245	Lions	John Simon	DE	Ohio State	Dan
7	246	49ers	Marquess Wilson	WR	Washington State	Brian
7	247	Ravens	Everett Dawkins	DT	Florida State	Dan
7	248	Titans	Brandon Moore	DT	Texas	Brian
7	249	Falcons	Charles Johnson	WR	Grand Valley State	Dan
7	250	Dolphins	Michael Clay	OLB	Oregon	Brian
7	251	Bengals	Chris Jones	DT	Bowling Green	Dan
7	252	49ers	Travis Bond	OLB	Washington State	Brian
7	253	Giants	Sheldon Price	CB	UCLA	Dan
7	254	Colts	Jeff Baca	OG	UCLA	Brian

Mike Kaye's Editors Note: As I have noticed that critics are up in arms over the two QBs to the Jets thing, I would like to point out that we did this mock five days ago. Being that we would live sad and lonely lives if we re-did a 7-round mock draft following a trade that went through Sunday afternoon and then published on Monday morning, we decided to just swap out the Buccaneers pick for the Jets that we felt would work. I have now traded the Nassib selection to the Bills for Robert Woods to give the Jets another weapon.

NFL Draft Profile: Dexter McCoil, S, Tulsa

2013-04-20T16:00:08Z

I first mentioned Tulsa's Dexter ("McPoyle") McCoil in a post back in December, as, of course, it was his height for the safety position that caught my eye while doing research. Then one of BGN's all-time beloved posters, the dearly departed GGeagle/John G/other alias, made sure everyone knew McCoil was one of his favorite prospects in the entire draft. So here's to you, GGeagle/John G/other alias, wherever you are (he's migrated and has effectively taken over the "Eagles 24/7" site's comments section). For real, though, I like McCoil a lot as a Day 3 pick. There's considerable upside with him.

Name: Dexter McCoil
School: Tulsa
Position: S (I think he fits best as FS)
Height/Weight: 6040 / 224
Class: Sr.

40 Yrd Dash: 4.63
20 Yrd Dash: 2.77
10 Yrd Dash: 1.54
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 06
Vertical Jump: 28 1/2
Broad Jump: 09'09"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.40
3-Cone Drill: 6.96

2011 games viewed: vs. BYU* (Armed Forces Bowl)
2012 games viewed: @Arkansas, vs. Central Florida, vs. Iowa State (Liberty Bowl)

*2014 NFL Draft prospect BYU WR Cody Hoffman is a beast.

(via nepatriotsdraft.pixafy.netdna-cdn.com)

Positives

Tall, long, lanky, Randy Moss-like frame -- very skinny but should have room for more bulk -- that allows him to get his hands on a lot of balls, even if he doesn't take the best angle (i.e. vs. BYU, 2Q, 0:39, 3rd & 10).

Pretty incredible range due to long strides, height and length.

Dangerous roamer on the backend, always seems to be around the ball.

Has a certain swagger to him on the field, which I like.

Shows off leaping ability, but it's really all about his length more so than explosion/actual vertical jump.

Exudes football savvy, shows keen instincts in coverage and trusts his gut; reads keys immediately and jumps routes (i.e @Arkansas: 2Q, 7:29, 2nd & 8, jumping WR's out route at stem causes Wilson, who's looking specifically at that WR, to hesitate, pull ball down and panic --> results in sack).

Comfortable, capable and highly effective centerfielder, makes a bunch of INTs on overthrows; right-place-right-time, momentum-changing playmaker (18 career INT) with ball skills and hands to match; can make difficult, contested catches for INT (i.e. @Arkansas: 2Q, 2:03, 1st & 10) and exhibits field/sideline awareness to get feet inbounds (vs. Iowa State, 4Q, 4:05, 1st &10).

Highly effective centerfielder. Right-place-right-time, momentum-changing playmaker with ball skills and hands to match.

Willing to come up and support against the run, not afraid to stick his nose in there to tackle ball carrier or disrupt blocking setup.

More physical than you'd think just by looking at him and, though not necessarily a natural against the run, he was better than I anticipated coming down toward LOS and attacking; he does sift through traffic well to find ball carrier and fill holes (i.e. vs. Central Florida, 1Q, 2:51, 1st & 10)

Follows and shadows the play very well, cognizant to cut off the angle to sideline for ball carrier and force him back inside to where there's help for the tackle (i.e. vs. BYU: 2Q, 11:31, 2nd & 4).

Not content to watch the pile, helps finish the tackle and get ball carrier on the ground.

Doesn't give up on plays, shows good pursuit.

Plays on punt coverage unit; length allows him to play on the FG block unit as outside rusher.

(via matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com)

Negatives

Looks like a string bean frame-wise.

Doesn't always appear to play at full speed; don't think it's a motor issue, but something that bothered me on tape.

Didn't jump off the screen as an explosive athlete (I'd say he's solid), at least not in a way that made me say "wow"; movements seem deliberate, not real sudden.

Looks like a string bean. Doesn't always appear to play at full speed. Didn't jump off the screen as an explosive athlete.

Not especially fast, more of a glider with minimal initial acceleration.

Easily blocked, needs to get stronger and use arms to bench press/keep blockers off his body (only recall him doing this once -- vs. UCF, 2Q, 2:24, 3rd & 10 -- and it was against a WR).

Even if instincts are correct in coverage, doesn't always take proper angle and can allow both completion and YAC (i.e. vs Central Florida, 1Q, 4:18, 1st & 10).

Inconsistent tackler. Has flashes of proper, strong, solo technique but overall not powerful, intimidating or especially reliable; ball carriers able to break free from grasp; more of an ankle diver who goes low, tries to wrap up legs/ankles and then wait for the calvary, or deliver a blow with just his arms/shoulders/upper body force instead of attempting to form tackle and wrap up (very hit or miss here); ball carrier pretty much always able to fall forward.

Doesn't attempt to take on and shed blocks, instead launches like a torpedo and goes low in attempt to blow up the block altogether (again, a very hit or miss tactic).

Aggressiveness in coverage is double-edged sword; if he makes the wrong read and gets sucked in, doesn't have necessary speed to recover -- will get burned, badly (vs. Iowa State, 1Q, 3:59, 2nd & 3, results in a 69-yard TD catch-and-run; although it's possible TE might not have been his original responsibility, him biting on the fake handoff on the end-around leaves his coverage quadrant of the field vacant).

(via cdn.fansided.com)

Overall

Dexter McCoil is a unique prospect for the safety position in terms of height/length, and the natural coverage instincts make him that much more intriguing. He's a savvy player who thinks the game well and always puts himself in position to make plays. Doesn't take on blocks, but his ability to flow to the action and find holes to fill makes him better in run support than I thought going into the evaluation; willing to play physically and not a total liability. I don't see him being a consistent physical force in the NFL, though I bet he'll flash this aspect of his game from time to time. Probably don't want McCoil one-on-one against receivers often, but he excels in the deep half and as a help defender in coverage. There will be times where the risks he takes in coverage result in big plays against, but it's something you'll have to learn to live with for when those risks pay off wonderfully. He will need to put on muscle/bulk and get stronger, but that should be doable with his frame (put on 50 pounds over course of freshman to senior seasons). A legitimate playmaker with 18 career INT (17 in the past three seasons), McCoil will truly find his niche in the NFL as an adept centerfielder (and therefore FS) in the Ed Reed mold due to his instincts, range, length and ball skills. Should play on special teams immediately with upside to develop into a starter.

Value: 4th-5th round

Stats (http://www.cfbstats.com/2012/player/719/1026586/tackle/split.html):

2012: 14 GP, 91 TT (59 solo/1.5 TFL), 5 INT, 9 PBU, 1 FF
2011: 13 GP, 84 TT (48 solo/3.0 TFL), 6 INT, 7 PBU
2010: 13 GP, 56 TT (35 solo/1.0 TFL), 6 INT, 3 PBU
2009: 12 GP, 85 TT (44 solo/1.5 TFL), 1 INT, 6 PBU

Bio (http://www.tulsahurricane.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/dexter_mccoil_459425.html):
DOB: September 5, 1991 (in Metairie, LA)
Hometown: Lutcher, LA (HS: Lutcher High)
Major: Exercise and Sports Science
Only missed one game in college career due to injury (2010 vs. Bowling Green)
2012 First-Team All-Conference USA
2011 Second-Team All-Conference USA
Second cousins with New York Giants CB Corey Webster

NFL Draft Profile: Sio Moore, LB, Connecticut

2013-04-17T19:40:04Z

I was watching SportsCenter within the last half-hour, and Mel Kiper was on, since, you know, it's that time of year. After profiling Ezekiel Ansah, the host asked him for an under-the-radar player who people aren't hyping as much as others but would present excellent "value" as a pick after the first round. Kiper's response: Sio Moore. Then, naturally, he went into a classic Kiper diatribe, doing his classic Kiper schtick, chock-full of dramatic pauses, voice inflections and gesticulations. He anointed Moore as a "solid second round pick" who might deserve to go higher.

STORY TIME! It was late December, I was a few weeks into my 2013 NFL draft evaluations, still very much in the early, information-gathering stages. I was watching a recording of the Maryland/Connecticut game on my DVR from September. This one player kept jumping off the screen, literally jumping as he exploded off the ground to bat down passes. He was unstoppable around the edge as a pass rusher, racking up 2.5 sacks, and showed tremendous pursuit in chasing the play. This dude was an athletic freak and made plays all over the field. I audibly said "wow" on three occasions. After the third such occasion, I paused the DVR and brought up the Connecticut football roster on ESPN.com, searching for #3. His name: Sio Moore. Luckily, draftbreakdown.com had three more of his games (NC State, Rutgers, Pittsburgh). Below is the resulting scouting report I wrote, which I may or may not have emailed to a current NFL GM. Since that time, two more cutups (Louisville, Temple) have been added, and I've taken a look at those, as well, but decided to stick with my original evaluation for the sake of this post. I have also updated his height/weight and workout numbers.

My conclusion that persists to today: Sio's a versatile player with legit ability who's a very impressive pass rusher due to explosion/power/leverage/bend/balance combination, but not developing more moves and being a one-trick pony with the bull rush will limit his overall effectiveness in this regard. Moore is an intriguing talent and three-down LB who can play multiple positions and fit in a variety schemes. However, his hot/cold motor and sometimes passive nature really aggravated me, and I don't feel his play on tape consistently matched up with the excellent workout numbers.

Name: Sio Moore
School: Connecticut
Height/Weight: 6006 / 245
Class: Sr. (redshirt)
40 Yrd Dash: 4.62
20 Yrd Dash: 2.64
10 Yrd Dash: 1.58
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 29
Vertical Jump: 38
Broad Jump: 10'07"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.31
3-Cone Drill: 7.49

(via www.trbimg.com)

2012 games viewed: vs. NC State, @ Maryland, @ Rutgers, vs. Pittsburgh

Positives

Definitely talented and can be a force when engaged

Looks bigger than listed weight, strong

Versatile; can play with his hand in the ground or standing up, but is most comfortable when tasked with rushing the quarterback

Dangerous, effective blitzer with good timing

Not the smoothest athlete in space, but passable and has shown ability to hang with receivers in coverage

Impressive, explosive leaper who reads the quarterback well, active hands routinely get in passing lanes

Disruptive pass rusher; quick around the edge and dips shoulder to slip under offensive tackle while maintaining balance and momentum

Disruptive pass rusher; quick around the edge and dips shoulder to slip under offensive tackle.

Anticipates the snap really well, shows burst and can blow up plays before they even start; forces QB to get rid of the ball before he's ready and racks up tackles for loss

Drew some critical holding penalties (including one that negated a touchdown run for Rutgers: 1Q, 2:33 left, 3-0 Rutgers)

Ability to get leverage on OT when pass rushing jumps out, puts him on roller skates back into QB; typically does the same thing leverage-wise and uses hands well when taking on blocker in space, has a knack for pushing him into path of ball carrier

Always seems to be flowing to the ball

Can drop back and play in space, but is a little stiff -- I wouldn't say it's a strength, but not a prohibitive weakness either

Flashes football smarts and coverage awareness

Diagnoses screen passes immediately and has quickness to react before blocker can get to him

Durable, played and started in all 37 games over last 3 seasons

Negatives

Average tackler -- has moments where he soundly breaks down and wraps up ball carrier, has others where he tries to administer big hit but misses and takes himself out of the play

I thought he had adequate speed, but didn't strike me as a 4.63 guy (as listed on his NFLDraftScout.com page); can be a second late arriving

Not thrilled with his motor, will slow down especially if he doesn't make the play initially

Effort at end of play needs to be better, doesn't consistently finish enough

Not thrilled with his motor. Effort at end of play needs to be better.

Conditioning? Looks like he's tired, appears to labor at the end of some plays and that's why he couldn't/didn't finish

Doesn't have an array of moves when rushing the passer, relies mostly on speed and bull rush

Gets in position, but doesn't always make the play (see: dropped interception vs. Pittsburgh, tight coverage on #88 for NC State but can't make play on the ball and gives up completion)

Sometimes seems content to shadow the play and let teammate make the tackle while he just watches the pile

I've seen him take on offensive lineman with no problem but also get single-blocked by TE, RB, and WR

Will get caught cheating and trying to read the QB instead of sticking with his assignment in coverage

Tweener; what's his position at the next level? Does he fit best as a 3-4 OLB so he can rush the passer? Can he play inside in a 3-4, or is he SLB or WLB in 4-3?

Total tackle production declined in each of his three seasons as starter -- not sure if the reason is play- or scheme-related; TFL and sack numbers remained consistent, so I wonder how much reason there is for concern, especially without watching game tapes from 2010 and 2011

Forced 8 turnovers combined (4 INT, 4 FF) -- with 3 FR -- in 2010 and 2011, but 0 in 2012 (with 1 FR)

Value: 3rd-4th round

Stats (http://www.cfbstats.com/2012/player/164/1016056/tackle/split.html):
2009: 4 GP, 6 TT (2 solo), 1 TFL (1 yard)
2010: 13 GP, 110 TT (72 solo), 11.5 TFL (32 yards), 1.5 sacks (10 yards), 1 PD, 1 INT, 2 FF, 2 FR
2011: 12 GP, 86 TT (55 solo), 16 TFL (58 yards), 6.5 sacks (40 yards), 6 PD, 3 INT, 2 FF, 1 FR
2012: 12 GP, 72 TT (45 solo), 15.5 TFL (78 yards), 7.5 sacks (55 yards), 11 PD, 0 INT, 0 FF, 1 FR

Bio (http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/moore_sio00.html):
Full name: Snorsio Alston Moore
DOB: May 2, 1990
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Apex, North Carolina
High School: Apex High (Apex, NC)

"2011: Has more tackles than any other returning Husky ... started all 12 games last year at linebacker ... has started 21 games during his Husky career ... was the third-leading tackler on the 2011 Huskies with 86 and led the team with 16 tackles for a loss and was second with 6.5 sacks ... had a season-high 13 tackles vs. Louisville and also had ten vs. Pittsburgh (Oct. 26) ... his career high remains 17 tackles vs. West Virginia (Oct. 20, 2010) ... had 3.5 tackles for a loss of 21 yards at Vanderbilt (Sept. 10) ... all of those TFLs were also sacks ... was 21st in the country in tackles for a loss with 1.33 per game and was second in the BIG EAST.

2010: Two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week...Started nine of the final ten games of the season...Was the second leading tackler on the team with 110 stops...Was second on the team with 11.5 tackles for a loss and also had 1.5 sacks...Had 17 tackles in win over West Virginia (Oct. 29) and was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for the WVU game...Was also named the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America/Bronko Nagurski Award National Defensive Player of the Week...Also earned the Defensive Game Ball...Turned in double-digit tackles with 16 vs. Buffalo (Sept. 25), 12 vs. Rutgers (Oct. 8) and 10 vs. USF (Dec. 4)...Was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for the Buffalo game...Had an interception against Buffalo and a pair of forced fumbles vs. West Virginia.

2009: Saw action in four games ... Had six tackles on the season with one tackle for a loss ... Made three tackles with that tackle for a loss against Rhode Island (Sept. 26) ... also made a tackle against Ohio (Sept. 5), Pittsburgh (Oct. 10) and Syracuse (Nov. 28).

2008: Redshirted ... Named the Defensive Scout Team Player of the Week before the Louisville (Sept. 26), North Carolina (Oct. 4) and Syracuse (Nov. 15) games ... Named the Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Week before the Hofstra game (Aug. 28).
High School: Named all-area ... Played his freshman year at West Haven (Conn.) High School before moving to North Carolina."

Bleeding Green Nation: All Posts by Dan Klausner

Damaris Johnson Hype is Ramping Up

2014 Draft Prospect to Remember: Cody Hoffman, WR, BYU

Why You Should Be Excited About Chip Kelly, Play-caller

Recapping the Philadelphia Eagles' 2013 Draft

1 (4): Lane Johnson - OT - Oklahoma

2 (35): Zach Ertz - TE - Stanford

3 (67): Bennie Logan - DT - Louisiana State

4 (98): Matt Barkley - QB - Southern California

5 (136): Earl Wolff - SS - North Carolina State

7 (212): Joe Kruger - DE - Utah

7 (218): Jordan Poyer - CB - Oregon State

2013 NFL Draft Fearless Predictions

More from Bleeding Green Nation

2013 NFL Mock Draft: Final 7 round projection

2013 NFL mock draft central

NFL Draft Profile: Dexter McCoil, S, Tulsa

2013 NFL draft scouting reports

NFL Draft Profile: Sio Moore, LB, Connecticut

2013 NFL draft scouting reports