Archive for December, 2009
Brandon Graham
- Height: 6-2
- Weight: 263
- DE
- Michigan
-
Courtesy of Mgoblue.com
Courtesy of Mgoblue.com
| Attribute | Rating |
| Explosiveness |  |
| Pass Rush | |
| Run Defense | |
| Strength | |
| Agility | |
| Football I.Q | |
| Tackling | |
| Durability | |
Scouting Report
An undeniably gifted athlete, Brandon Graham is the #2 career sack leader at Michigan. Despite being surrounded by inexperienced teammates, Graham has been able to carry the Wolverines with his intensity and passion for the game.
His productivity is second to none: finished his junior year with 20 TFL (2nd in nation) and 10 sacks. His senior campaign has been equally impressive: 26 TFL, 10.5 sacks, 2 blocked punts, and 1 defensive TD. Aside from his relatively small stature, the Detroit native would be a serious contender for a top 5 pick in the draft were he 2-3 inches taller. And make no mistake about it, he will test off the charts at the scouting combine. All in all, he figures to be a late first round, early second round pick at this point.
Explosiveness: Possesses potentially the quickest first step in football. Two years of training under esteemed strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis has turned Graham’s already quick burst into his strongest trait. In obvious passing situations, he is consistently able to shoot off the line like a cannon. Excellent endurance allows him to play with the same explosiveness throughout the entire game.
Pass Rush: Elite burst to beat the tackle around the edge. Demonstrates violent hands and long arms to prevent bigger tackles from locking on and pushing him wide. Displays a superb ability to get low and dip around the edge, which he effectively couples with a strong rip move similar to that of Indiannapolis Colt Dwight Freeney. Always plays low and displays good leverage when deploying his bull rush. Occasionally will allow tackles to out-muscle him if they get into his pads. Will need to display better use of inside pass rush moves, such as the spin, in order to keep pass protectors guessing.
Run Defense: Most improved area of Graham’s game. Very patient, and seldom lets the play get outside of him. Due to his explosiveness, he flashes big play potential by slicing through the line to tackle the running back behind the line of scrimmage. Sniffs out cut blocks before they happen. Extremely high motor and will pursue the ball carrier laterally down the line. Uses his free hand to keep linemen at bay while the running play develops. Due to his smaller stature, he can be dominated by massive tackles for short stretches. But his high football I.Q. helps him to find ways to compensate.
Strength: Very underrated in this category. Has developed a chiseled physique, but probably won’t get much bigger. Although he won’t wow teams with this brute strength, he is extremely powerful for his size.
Agility: Comfortable moving laterally, but his ability to drop into space and play coverage has yet to be seen. This is something that will be scrutinized at the Senior Bowl. He obviously is very agile for a defensive lineman, but for him to raise his stock as a potential pass rushing OLB, he needs to demonstrate fluidity in space, like his former teammate Lamarr Woodley (now with the Pittsburgh Steelers).
Football I.Q: Smart, very intense, and relentless at all times. Plays with great awareness, and is consistently around the ball. Seldom out of position and is disciplined. Team leader, steps up in big games. Sometimes he is so dominant that he could have a picnic in the opposing backfield.
Tackling: Packs a powerful punch at times, but often will settle for wrapping up opponents. Almost never misses a tackle.
Durability: No major issues thus far.
Listed below are a few Youtube video links of Brandon Graham for you to study:
Michigan Vs. Western Michigan 2009 (created by ZeckBlue)
Graham 2009 Season Highlights (created by Prodraftparty)
I finished my latest mock draft for picks 1-5.
So feel free to check it out and let me know what me know what you think!
Click here to view David’s Draft Scenarios/Mock Draft
Recently, I was having a conversation with my friend Ty, author of The Lions in Winter blog, shooting the breeze about Lions-related news and some Draft morsels. I told him about how I’ve been calculating strength of schedule for several of the league’s bottom feeders. He pointed out to me, the latest buzz about the draft is all about which team will get Ndamukong Suh. I’ve peeked around NFL fan forums and draft message boards to confirm this statement, and it most certainly is the case.
So here’s the truth. Week 15 of the NFL regular season has changed everything.
Before this week, there were 3 teams with a decent shot at getting Suh. Tampa Bay was holding the number 1 draft spot, until they smothered the Seattle Seahawks, and Cleveland was nipping at their heels with the number 3 slot. However, both teams miraculously won their games, thus pushing them both behind Detroit. Now, the draft order should look like this:
- St. Louis Rams
- Detroit Lions
- Tampa Bay Bucs
- Cleveland Browns
In order for the Lions to maintain this number 2 draft slot, they must maintain a weaker strength of schedule than the Bucs. Considering that the Lions have a nine game advantage over the Bucs with only two weeks remaining, it seems likely that Detroit will be selecting ahead of Tampa in April.
Right now, here is how each team stands in strength of schedule in terms of win-loss record:
Detroit Lions opponents: 115-108 (0.51570 %)
Tampa Bay Bucs opponents: 124-98 (0.55856 %)
Finally, the main reason that Detroit will land Suh in the draft is because St. Louis should be drafting a QB with the number 1 overall pick. This is a quarterback-driven league, and although the Rams need to upgrade their pass rush, they will decide to replace Marc Bulger with a young signal caller.
The only way that I see Detroit passing up Suh is if they are given a blockbuster deal worth at least two 1st round picks, and will allow the Lions to pick outside the top 10 for once.
Eric Berry
- Height: 5-11
- Weight: 203
- S
- Tennessee
- NFL.com
| Attribute | Rating |
| Speed/Acceleration | |
| Ball Skills | |
| Pass Coverage | |
| Run Defense | |
| Agility | |
| Football I.Q | |
| Tackling | |
| Durability | |
Scouting Report
Now that he has declared for the draft, Eric Berry will battle Ndamukong Suh for title of top prospect of the 2010 NFL Draft. A gifted athlete and leader, Berry is exactly the kind of impact player that all NFL franchises covet. The Thorpe award winner is # 2 in the NCAA for career interception yards after only playing 3 years of college ball. Although safeties don’t traditionally get picked in the top 5, there is now a premium placed on game-changing safeties, which could drive Berry’s stock up enough to become only the 5th safety to be chosen in the top 5 since 1967.
Speed/Acceleration: Elite speed for a safety, and can run with virtually any receiver. Excellent closing burst to make a play on the football. Should run in the 4.4 range at the combine.
Ball Skills: Easily one of Berry’s strongest skills. Excellent hands for the interception, and can catch the ball like a receiver. Had 12 interceptions through 2008. Gets hands under the ball when thrown low, but will want to demonstrate a consistent ability to high point the ball. Very good jumping ability, and isn’t afraid to leap horizontally to make play on the ball. Knack for being around the football. Superior run-after-catch ability. Very dangerous with the ball in his hands. Runs like a tailback after the catch, switching hands with the football to keep it secure.
Pass Coverage: Initially started out playing cornerback. Often asked to play man coverage at the line of scrimmage, where he is able to use his aggressiveness to dominate receivers. Very fluid in his backpedal and mirrors his man well. Has very good recovery speed to make a play on the ball. Shows an aptitude for sticking his foot in the ground and driving hard on the ball. Always keeps one eye on the quarterback, looking for the interception.
Run Defense: Disciplined and is reliable in filling his gap. Often uses his violent hitting ability to intimidate ball carriers, but this causes him to sometimes take somewhat poor angles to the football in attempting to deliver the knock out. Generally quick to diagnose run plays. Good at sealing the edge in close yardage situations. Very rangy defender who utilizes his great closing speed to reach the edge on outside runs. When ball carrier is running in the box, Berry often waits for the action to come to him. Seldom is asked to engage and shed blockers when playing close to the line. But this is not highly unusual for safety, especially one who frequently is asked to play center field.
Agility: Moves well laterally, and can change direction comfortably. Good but not elite ability to flip hips in coverage.
Football I.Q: Team leader capable of being the quarterback of the defense for any NFL team. Able to diagnose plays quickly. Excellent character and smart kid who works very hard.
Tackling: Big hitter who drives through ball carrier and can deliver jarring hits. Sideline to sideline kind of tackler who flies all over the field to make plays. Displays proper tackling technique and keeps eyes on his target. Usually displays proper pad level when tackling. Unintimidated by much larger foes. Needs to work on open field tackling, sometimes getting overeager for the big hit.
Durability: Both mentally and physically tough. Plays through injury. Only reported injury to date is to his shoulder last season, which didn’t force him tomiss any playing time.
(Video thanks to psheezybaby)
