With all the Bush / VY talk, I thought this would be a nice read: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2343439 INDIANAPOLIS -- No wonder Virginia left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson's stature in the NFL draft continues to grow. He's still growing. Considered the best left tackle prospect in the past two drafts, Ferguson checked into the NFL scouting combine and surprised even himself. He weighed in at 312 pounds, 14 pounds heavier than his 298 weigh-in at the Senior Bowl. The tale of the tape was a bigger surprise. "I was 6-foot-5½, but I was 6-6 this week," Ferguson said with a smile. Ferguson proved at the Senior Bowl what he showed all season at Virginia: He's a dominating blocker even though he's not the biggest lineman. He grew up in the New York area and liked former Giants tackle Lomas Brown, who had a great career even though he weighed only 275. Nowadays, NFL teams like their left tackles weighing in the 320-330 range, to give them a stronger base for blocking. If there was one early concern about Ferguson, it was his weight. With the third widest wingspan among the offensive linemen and the fact he's gaining weight -- and height -- there shouldn't be any concern about whether he could grow into being a future Pro Bowl tackle. Ferguson actually had a Brown-type body midway through his college career. He was in the 250-260 range when he was a sophomore. His best growth spurt was between his sophomore and junior years. How did he do it? "I was able to work on my diet and my eating habits, and I really tried to pay more attention to the things I was consuming," Ferguson said. "I was 250ish, 260ish. Being a 260-pound tackle, you're not given the opportunity to exert yourself on other defenders as you can at 290 pounds. I felt I would have an advantage with the additional weight and size, and I didn't think it would hurt my movement." It didn't, and -- fortunately for Virginia -- his growth as an NFL prospect didn't affect his movement from the college ranks. He felt he wasn't close to being a pro, so he stayed in school for his senior year. He got his degree and received the benefits of getting coached by a former NFL head coach, Al Groh. For years, NFL teams have been looking for a good class of tackle prospects because things have been drying at the top of drafts. Jammal Brown and Alex Barron were first-round picks last year, but they ended up at right tackle. In 2004, Robert Gallery went to the Raiders but ended up at right tackle. Shawn Andrews went to the Eagles in the first round and ended up at guard, although he eventually will be a right tackle. Mike Williams, the first tackle taken in 2002 -- by the Bills -- ended up being a bust and was released Thursday. This year is different. Ferguson is a top-five pick. Winston Justice of Southern California, Ryan O'Callaghan of California, Jonathan Scott of Texas and maybe even Eric Winston of Miami are possible first-round picks. "The tackle depth is actually pretty good," Steelers vice president Kevin Colbert said. "You think you can get a good tackle throughout the first day, maybe early the second day." Teams such as the Browns and Bills plugged the left tackle position with one-year fixes but could look to possible long-term solutions now. "It's one of your impact positions, that left tackle spot," Browns general manager Phil Savage said. "In our eyes, it's almost a skill position in terms of the abilities it takes to play out there." But the list starts with Ferguson. He grows on you.
I've never really understood why over the past 10-15 years there was this sudden change in linemen where they were expected to weigh so ridiculously much. It seems to me that the best linemen are usually the most physically fit, not the heaviest. A nimble set of feet is very useful in blocking schemes. Tackles theoretically should weigh the most, as they are the cornerstones of pass protection, but just because something is heavier doesnt mean it is going to block better.. something that is agile and strong will always do better than what is just plain heavy and strong. And also, linemen who are grossly overweight usually end up injured more often, as their abilty to avoid injury is hampered.
Successful Tackles have power to open up the running lane and lateral movement to protect the passer. Fat offensive tackles are a thing of the past. I have no doubt that Brick will be a premier OT for many years.
The 4 pro bowl starter OTs average about 330. Ogden, probably the best over the last 5 years, is listed at 345. 300 or 290 isn't a killer asan OT if you are a fine athlete, but that is not the prototype of the most dominant tackles either.
I don't see a whole lot of mock drafts out there that still have Eric Winston and J. Scott in the 1st. I would like to see the Texans pick one of those guys up w/ the 33rd pick, Marcades Lewis would be a good pick as well.
The Texans need to get Marcus McNeil from Auburn. 6'9 335 pound RT. The man is punishing. I think the Bucs might take him at # 23 so we would have to trade up but this guy is a flat out stud.
Marcus McNeil may go higher than #23. Maybe Atlanta at #15. He ran a 5.07 40 at the combine. I'm sure it turned a lot of heads. I'm not sure how he would fit into the zone blocking scheme the Texans will employ next year, but, I would rather trade down to get him than trade up. I'd like to see the Texans come out of this draft with atleast 3 O linemen.
