Just from listening to him talk, I'm thinking he's borderline "mentally challenged". I would bet money that he didn't ace the Wonderlic.
I'd say Newton's mechanics right now are somewhere between Vince Young and Tebow. He's a guy you want on the field because of his sheer athleticism and will to win, but at the end of the day in the NFL you have to make the big throws.
Oh, I agree 100% that Okam and Okoye aren't even in the same stratosphere athletically as Austin, but the Texans just don't have a good track record when bringing in guys who are "motivationally challenged." I think it would be a Travis Johnson-esque exercise in futility if we spent a first-rounder on somebody who doesn't want to bring it every single down. This team needs PRODUCERS on the field in the worst way, and I would much rather bring in somebody who doesn't have red flags off the field.
My wish list: Rd 1: Prince Amukamara - CB, Nebraska Rd 2: Marvin Austin -- DT, UNC Rd 3: Curtis Brown -- CB, Texas
According to Trent Dillfer, his mechanics and form are as NFL ready as any college quarterback can possibly be. The questions are all between his ears in terms of experience and personality. All I've been hearing over and over is that comparing him to Tebow is a mistake. I keep hearing people talk about JaMarcus Russell as a comparison in terms of how he physically looks on the field, and some of the experience concerns. (Obviously, Russell failed as epically as is possible in the "personality" category, but for this discussion it is kind of irrelevant, beyond using that as the worst case downside for Newton.) Newton still has the chance to be a top 10 guy. Entering this week he had pushed himself into the position of being a darkhorse for #1 overall. I don't think that is the case anymore, but he is still a top 10 guy. Nobody in their right mind would have drafted Tebow in that range. I think most people thought he was drafted far too high.
DB notes: Prince Amukamara - 4.43 Forty; 38 Vertical; 10.8 Broad Jump Patrick Peterson - 4.34 Forty; 38 Vertical; 10.6 Broad Jump Curtis Brown - 39.5 Vertical; 10.8 Broad Jump Aaron Williams - 37.5 Vertical; 10.7 Broad Jump Still trying to find official Forty times for C. Brown and A. Williams, but both Prince and PP really pulled away from all the DBs and its not even close IMO. Would still like to pick up Aaron Williams and move him over to FS.
Aaron Williams -- 4.52 Curtis Brown -- 4.51 Chykie Brown -- 4.51 The NFL Network analysts were disappointed with Williams' 40 time, and as you mentioned, they like him better at safety. Deion compared him to former Ohio State corner Malcolm Jenkins, who currently plays safety for the Saints.
[rquoter]By Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl Defensive back workouts always produce some of the best 40-yard dash times at the NFL combine, and 2011 is no different. Miami CB Demarcus Van Dyke blazed the fastest time at this year's combine on Tuesday, posting an official time of 4.28, and LSU CB Patrick Peterson was close behind at 4.34. How do those times compare to recent bests? RB Chris Johnson (4.24) is the only player since 2005 to run a faster time than Van Dyke, while WR Jacoby Ford ran an identical 4.28 last year. Peterson's time is two-tenths of a second below the average for all cornerbacks (4.54) over the last three years. Here's a look at the top five official times from this year's defensive back class. 1. Demarcus Van Dyke (4.28) 2. Patrick Peterson (4.34) T3. Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State (4.40) T3. Chris Culliver, South Carolina (4.40) T5. Prince Amukamara, Nebraska (4.43) T5. Joe Lefeged, Rutgers (4.43) • Colorado CB Jimmy Smith posted an impressive 4.46 at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, showing good speed to go with his elite size for the position. All three of our top corners -- Amukamara, Peterson, and Smith -- have held up under scrutiny and backed up what we've seen in film. • Chekwa's 4.40 was also impressive, but Van Dyke and Chekwa are tight in the hips and struggle to make lateral cuts to turn and run in coverage. • UCLA S Rahim Moore looked good in position drills, showing quick feet and more fluid hips than expected. He was technically sound when turning and running, and just like on film Moore tracked the ball very well. • West Virginia S Robert Sands is high-cut at 6-4 and struggles to open his hips, something that stood out even more today while he performed alongside smaller, quicker cornerbacks. Sands can play the point effectively but he has limitations in man coverage and will be more of an in-the-box safety at the next level. • We talked about Chattanooga CB Buster Skrine during the practice week leading up to the NFLPA (Texas vs. Nation) all-star game, and while his technique and anticipation need to be refined Skrine did run a 4.44 40 and confirmed his ability to turn, run and recover when caught in trail position. [/rquoter] [rquoter] By Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl The final day of workouts at the NFL combine puts defensive backs in the spotlight, and there are some noteworthy prospects making early impressions. • One of the questions facing CB Prince Amukamara (Nebraska) is his deep speed. He helped ease those concerns early Tuesday. Amukamara ran in the high 4.3-second range in the 40-yard dash, and he displayed the ball skills and foot quickness we like so much on film. As for Amukamara's top competition at cornerback, LSU's Patrick Peterson checked in at 219 pounds and is built like a running back. Peterson put up a very good broad jump at 10-foot-6, and we're interested to see how he moves and runs with some extra weight on his frame. • Miami DC Brandon Harris stayed low and balanced when asked to backpedal, flip his hips and run. He also did a better job of ripping his elbow through than most of the corners. Ripping the elbow through turns the torso and forces the legs to whip around. • Virginia CB Ras-I Dowling pulled a hamstring on his only 40 attempt of the day, and even though he ran an unofficial 4.40 it only serves to reinforce durability concerns. Dowling has the tools to quickly develop into an effective starter in a zone-heavy scheme but hamstring, knee and ankle injuries limited him to five games and just two starts last year. Injuries also prevented him from attending the Senior Bowl, so we were excited to see him work out in Indianapolis. • Texas CB Curtis Brown did not rip off a blazing 40 time, but his time in the mid-4.5s is good enough. Brown is standing out in drills, showing quick feet, good ball skills and timing leaps, and high-pointing the ball well. He also showed more fluid hips than expected. • North Carolina CB Kendric Burney did not run well (low 4.6s), but that was somewhat expected due to questions about his long speed. However, Burney looked good during drills with his short-area quickness and elite ball skills. He tracked a ball over his shoulder and made a nice catch on a deep pass, and while he will need to be protected in a Cover-2-heavy scheme at the next level, he has the potential to develop into an adequate starter in time and a valuable special-teams contributor early on. • Temple S Jaiquawn Jarrett struggled a bit during drills, looking tight and taking extra steps to gather at the top of his backpedal and transition forward. He also showed inconsistent hands. We like the way he plays near the box on film, though, and because of his limitations in coverage Jarrett will be utilized a lot in run support at the next level. Every year prospects try to cheat drills in an effort to mask their weaknesses. Colorado DC Jalil Brown looked like he tried to hide the tightness in his hips, backpedaling slower than a lot of the corners to make it easier for him to open and run. This rarely works for two reasons. First, teams already know about his tight hips based on film study. Secondly, scouts will take a second look at the film of these workouts and pick up on any attempts at cheating.[/rquoter]
Chykie sucks. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, and was consistently abused down the field. Quarterbacks feasted on him in single coverage, and he seemed to frequently be out of position or overzealous in zone coverage. Below average ball skills... he saw action in a loaded Texas secondary all four years on campus, yet he only recorded 2 career interceptions. Curtis was solid, but I'll never forget Crabtree torching him for that game-winning TD in Lubbock in '08.
Eh, just re-watching that play for the first time in a long time it looks like it wasn't awful coverage, (not good either) just a good throw and Earl Thomas took a lousy angle to come up under rather than hang back. Can't really tell though. Obviously, had Gideon not been Gideon...not even having this conversation
Yeah, you're right... I just re-watched it, and the coverage was decent, but Brown's attempt to tackle Crabtree was absolutely pathetic. As far as Gideon goes, I would love nothing more than to see that stone-handed choke artist lose his job this season. He's solid fundamentally, but the guy was burned over the top in a number of critical situations last season.
Chykie is an intriguing prospect due to his measurements alone, a lot of physical ability with a huge wingspan. But his coverage skills are terrible and just doesn't have it there mentally. Curtis is one of the most underrated prospects in this draft IMO. He took a lot of abuse early on in his career but became a really good cover corner with a lot of experience. I think he moved himself into the 2nd round today. Here's video of Patrick Peterson's performance. He might be the one guy that I'd trade up for...http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combi...00d5d81e8d3ec/Combine-Day-4-Player-of-the-Day
I couldn't agree more. Curtis is going to fly up draft boards after his performance at the combine this morning. He's a very fluid athlete -- quick feet and great hip movement.
Peterson would be somebody I would LOVE to trade up for.....but he's going to come at a very steep price I'm afraid.
Selecting Marvin Austin, powerhouse DT out of UNC, in the 2nd round would be an absolute robbery. He ran a 4.8 at 309 pounds, and threw up 38 reps at 225, better than any offensive lineman was able to push this year and second-best overall. Spoiler
