The Picks

[painekiller]

I will post reviews of the player from thehuddle.com . The views being shown do not reflect the views of this poster in all cases, they are mearly being shown to give a viewpoint or in many cases a counter view. If you have access to other scounting reports, please add them to this thread.

Drew Boylhart April 2008

Duane Brown OT Virginia



STRENGTHS

Duane has excellent athletic talent. He has the ability to play more than one offensive line position and the talent to play them all very well. Duane is the type of kid that has success at just about anything he chooses to do on the football field because of his natural athletic talent. He shows good enough feet to play in any offensive line blocking scheme. If Duane had been left alone to play just one offensive line position at the college level and had not been moved around so much, he just might have been considered as one of the better offensive lineman in this draft.



NEEDS TO IMPROVE

Duane might be one of the better athletic offensive lineman in this draft, but his techniques might be the worst. Some of this is because Duane was moved around so much, but most of it, I suspect, is due to Duane's athletic talent and the fact that he never had to work at improving his techniques. Duane's natural athletic ability has taken him this far; however, if he doesn't have the work ethic, mental stamina and strength to improve on his techniques along with the intelligence to realize that his biggest weakness is the lack of techniques, he will never see the field at the next level.



TALENT BOARD ROUND 4

Usually when a player with this much athletic talent does not improve through the years in his techniques, it is a red flag for lack of work ethic. I just can't help feeling that Duane has a work ethic problem, which could mean he will struggle taking what he needs to learn in the classroom to the field. Athletic players who do not improve on their techniques have problems when they come up against players who have as much talent as they do. They will often just give up and throw in the towel when challenged. There is also another problem that a very athletic person runs into and that is a coach who is going to scream all day at them (for in most cases, the first time in their football lives). They have never experienced a coach yelling at them before because they have had more athleticism and talent than anyone else on the field. Coaches were busy yelling at other players -- players like Duane become the coaches' favorite. In the NFL, Duane's athletic ability will not be enough for him to get by and coaches will be all over this kid to improve. For Duane, this is going to be a really big shock and if he is not ready for this type of interaction with an authority figure, he just might crawl up into the fetal position and go home. Duane has the talent to be a starting offensive lineman in the NFL. I think his impact position is as a LG because I see a lack of lateral agility in his workouts, but that's debatable. If he is not taken too high in this draft and forced onto the field too early in his development, it will be possible for him to become a hell of a football player. Duane will have to show that, along with his athletic talent, he has the mental strength and stamina to become a starting offensive lineman in the NFL. There is hope; Jason Peters (LT Buffalo Bills) came into the league with the same type of athletic talent and questions that I have with Duane. He was picked up after the draft as a rookie free agent and has become one of the better LT's in the NFL. Duane can do the same if he wants it bad enough!

No profile is recorded for Molden at this site.

[painekiller]

Here is the 3rd and 4th rounder
Drew Boylhart February 2008

Steve Slaton RB West Virginia



STRENGTHS

Steve is an athletic player that could play more than one position for the team that drafts him. He is the type of player that does not need to get many repetitions in a game to impact that game. Steve has the quickness to go along with good speed to become a match up nightmare. He has strong hands and can catch the ball down the field as well as any WR in this draft. Steve is a RB who has the speed to sweep around the corner and the vision and lateral agility to run in between the tackles. He can play in any style of offense. He plays with a lot of heart to go along with his talent.



NEEDS TO IMPROVE

Steve has injury problems and he has a bad habit of fumbling. The team that drafts him has to look at him as future WR because he is just not mentally tough enough to take the pounding at the next level as a RB. He is a specialty player and that’s how you should think of him when drafting him.



TALENT BOARD ROUND 3

I feel that Steve will have to be used as a slot receiver / return man for the first few years in the NFL. He might turn into a WR later in his career, but to be honest, I would not worry about it. He has the talent to impact as a return man and a slot receiver so just use him in that way. He reminds me of Antwaan Randle-El (WR Washington Redskins). Steve will take some time to learn the slot, but while he learns, he can impact on special teams. He has to learn to hold onto the ball and not fumble or he will not play very much at all. Steve has talent, but I don’t feel he understands his limitations. He tries too hard at times to make the big play and this causes him to get injured and sometimes lose the ball. He wants to impress so much that he loses himself. He needs to learn situational football -- when to go down, out of bounds or how deep to run his route. He just needs to settle down and learn the game of football and he will impact. Right now, he is just a better athlete than most of the players he is up against. He has a lot to learn and he needs some good coaching. Give him time and he’ll be just fine.

Drew Boylhart March 2008

Xavier Adibi LB Virginia Tech



STRENGTHS

Xavier is an excellent coverage LB. He is quick, fast and shows good instincts for defending on passing downs. He likes defending against the pass and when you see a player who likes to do something on the field, you would be a fool not to take advantage of it. Xavier has been playing more MLB than OLB and I feel for the next level that OLB will be his impact position. VT also wants all its players to be good special teams players and Xavier is no exception to that rule.



NEEDS TO IMPROVE

There is a big hole in Xavier's game in that he does not tackle very well. The reason for this is that he doesn't like the contact. He will drag you down from behind, but he does not like to meet you head up and challenge you at the college level; therefore, don't expect it to get better at the NFL level.



TALENT BOARD ROUND 5

It's a shame this kid is not a better tackler because Xavier is very athletic. However, the fact that he does not like contact means to me that he picked the wrong game to in which to use his enormous athletic talent. He tries hard, but facts are facts. He runs around blocks and tries to arm tackle way too much. I know he was playing out of position, but at any of the LB positions you have to be able to tackle. He could be a solid cover LB in a nickel-dime package and help on special teams, but I don't see him challenging for a starting position. It's very tough to pass on an athletic person when you are about to draft, but if you draft Xavier thinking he is going to be your starting anything for your defense, you are making a big mistake. Xavier will do fine if he is not on the field for any length of time and might be able to assist with turnovers when defending in the passing game, but if he is on the field down after down, your defense will have big problems. Remember, tackling is fundamental to the game of football. If you don't like to do it and cannot force yourself to be at least average, then I suggest you play flag football instead. Oh, by the way, don't bother to suggest to me that he can be switched to the safety position. Safeties have to be excellent open field tacklers or they are of little use to a defense.

[painekiller]

Round 5
Drew Boylhart December 2007
Frank Okam DT Texas

STRENGTHS
Frank is a massive defensive tackle with extraordinary athletic talent to play his position at the next level. He is an offensive lineman’s recurring nightmare. He can play in any style of defense, on the nose, in a 1-gap attack style of line play or in a 2-gap defense. He does a good job using his hands, has excellent in the box quickness and is without a doubt the most talented DT in this draft. Frank shows the ability to handle the double team to allow his teammates to make plays and is a great tackler. He is a smart player and understands what is happening to him and can adjust as the game goes on. So the question is, why have you not heard of Frank (The Nightmare) Okam? This is why you become a member of THR. I’m the only one that will tell you the real reasons why!

NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Frank needs to get in better shape. His mental toughness, physical stamina, lack of quick or agile footwork and lunging are just some negatives that he possesses. Add to all of that his unique ability to take downs off and you have just some of the reasons that Frank needs to re-think what his priorities are in life. Of course, all of these issues might not be a big deal at the NFL level because most teams rotate D-lineman. I’m not sure how easy it is to coach Frank, but I do know that he is a smart player. Maybe he is too smart!

TALENT BOARD ROUND 2
Frank reminds me of Ted Washington (DT Cleveland Browns). Ted was the one of the best DT’s that I have ever seen and Frank has that same kind of potential. Frank needs better coaching and a team that will appreciate him. He strikes me as the type of kid that need a pat on his back when he comes off the field to show him your appreciation for him playing his responsibilities. He wants to get positive feedback from teammates and coaches. Whatever comes after that is gravy. Believe me when I say that Glen Dorsey wishes that he had Frank’s athletic talent. But Frank wishes he had Glen’s need to impress everyone with his talent. I feel that when Frank works out he will show everyone what kind of athletic talent he has, which will move him into the latter part of the first round or to an early second round pick. In my opinion, that is the perfect spot to pick this kid because it is my guess that Frank knows he can be the best and he just might have a chip on his shoulder if he is picked later in the draft than he thinks he should go. Wade Phillips was the only coach that got through to Ted Washington when he was a young player. Dallas has two 1st round picks in this draft and if they hold onto them, it would not surprise me to see Frank drafted by the Cowboys with one of those picks. Good or bad workouts will be the key to the round in which Frank will be drafted. If Frank does not do well at the combine or in his private workouts, he might not be drafted until the third or fourth round. Maybe that will wake him up! Personally, I would take a chance on Frank in the latter part of the 1st round and even be tempted to trade up in the 2nd round to draft him. I call him Frank (The Nightmare) Okam: remember it!

Anyone finding profile on the missing guys should add them

[Roy P]

I

No profile is recorded for Molden at this site.

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/cb/antwaunmolden.html

Click on the Draftguy TV feature. He talks about being coached by Ted Ginn Sr.

[Arky]

Here's a video on Okam from the same website (if the link works):

http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/draftguys-tv/profile--frank-okam---dt?autoplay=true

[nunusguy]

Just how much difference is there between Slaton, taken late in the third round, and 2 other similar backs IMO taken in the first round - Felix Jones &
Chris Johnson taken by the Cowboys and Titans respectively.
These backs are all 3rd down, gadget type offensive weapons who may take a handoff now & then, a little flip-pass out in the flat, or line up in the slot as they are all thought to have good hands. Maybe even be at wide-out occasionally.
Slaton is slightly smaller than the other 2, but has comporable speed and quickness to Jones while Johnson has the title as the fastest guy in this years combine. But I don't think any of these guys can consistantly run between the tackles ?
I'm very confidant that we got the most "bang for our buck" because most agree that its doubful that any of these guys are feature NFL backs, so just what did the Cowboys & Titans get in the first-round that we didn't get in the third round ?

[KJ3]

I'm very confidant that we got the most "bang for our buck" because most agree that its doubful that any of these guys are feature NFL backs, so just what did the Cowboys & Titans get in the first-round that we didn't get in the third round ?

twice a thousand yard rusher as the #2 guy in college, and 4.24 speed to answer your question. they aren't chopped liver, but i agree that slaton is comparable and at a lower round. runningbacks....in lower rounds....i know philosophies when i see them!

i think this draft has the widest margin of boom/bust. but kubiak has shown the prowess to coach up players and make gems out of the unexpected though, so i'm not too worried.

[NBT]

1)I think Boylhart is wrong on Duane Brown. I think, with the help of his teammates, and the agitation of coach Gibbs, Brown will achieve that technique goal. I just feel Brown was coach Gibbs pick through and through, so I will trust coach Gibbs over Boylhart.

2) Slaton is a good player, but he got beat out by a better one at VT. That is the only reason I see that his production slipped these last few years. As a situational player, he will fit a want of coach Kubiak, IMO.

[NBT]

Here's a video on Okam from the same website (if the link works):

http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/draftguys-tv/profile--frank-okam---dt?autoplay=true

Noticed Okam needs to keep his pad level down, but the video says he has great qualifications, if he gets his mind right.I;m sure coach Jethro will have something to say to him about that. I really feel that Okam could be the secret to a better run defense this year.