Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

[justasportsfan]

"He's a freak athletically," said Bills scout Terry Wooden. "He's a big guy that can run. He has pretty good cover skills. He's a real smart kid. I see him being a tough kid that doesn't make that many mistakes."

The reason Bills scouts Wooden and Brad Forsyth are convinced that his classroom intelligence translates to the field is due to the plethora of responsibilities his coaches gave him in their defensive scheme at Wyoming.

"They were changing things up on this guy each and every week," said Forsyth. "They were throwing so many things at him and laying it on his shoulders that they admit they were probably too hard on him."

As a result Wendling's statistics didn't take a big jump his last two seasons, which a lot of talent evaluators look for as a player matures.

"I think he can be a good safety, it's just a matter of settling down and giving him something to do week after week after week," said Forsyth. "He's got a lot of upside."

Wendling, who scored high on the wonderlic test (32), is modest when asked about his intelligence and says his grades never came without effort.

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=4793

[Chris23]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

Looks like Ko Simpson will be getting pushed for his starting spot around week 7 (after the bye).

[casdhf]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I don't understand. This guy is quite a physical freak ... how did he last until the 6th round?

[PECKERWOOD]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I think that Wendling will be a good ST player. His combo of size and speed is intriguing. I'm curious if Buffalo has any intentions of moving him to WLB.

[PECKERWOOD]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I don't understand. This guy is quite a physical freak ... how did he last until the 6th round?

I heard he was under utilized at Wyoming.

[Ickybaluky]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I don't understand. This guy is quite a physical freak ... how did he last until the 6th round?

I can't say I've seen him play, but from the pre-draft guides the reason he wasn't rated higher was:

1) He played at a mid-major school

2) His straight-line speed was good, but he wasn't rated as high in change-of-direction or burst (acceleration), which is important for a DB

3) His tackling was suspect at times, as he would fail to wrap up and take bad angles.

Take that for what it is worth. NFL Draft Scout (my favorite draft site) compared him to Kerry Rhodes, who had similar measurables and was drafted in the 4th round. Rhodes has developed into a good player.

[Chris23]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I can't say I've seen him play, but from the pre-draft guides the reason he wasn't rated higher was:

1) He played at a mid-major school

2) His straight-line speed was good, but he wasn't rated as high in change-of-direction or burst (acceleration), which is important for a DB

3) His tackling was suspect at times, as he would fail to wrap up and take bad angles.

Take that for what it is worth. NFL Draft Scout (my favorite draft site) compared him to Kerry Rhodes, who had very similar measurables and was drafted in the 4th round. Rhodes has developed into a good player.

I can see him becoming a steal with a little bit of experience.

[Ickybaluky]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I can see him becoming a steal with a little bit of experience.

Or he could be Coy Wire II.

Who knows?

[PECKERWOOD]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I can't say I've seen him play, but from the pre-draft guides the reason he wasn't rated higher was:

1) He played at a mid-major school

2) His straight-line speed was good, but he wasn't rated as high in change-of-direction or burst (acceleration), which is important for a DB

3) His tackling was suspect at times, as he would fail to wrap up and take bad angles.

Take that for what it is worth. NFL Draft Scout (my favorite draft site) compared him to Kerry Rhodes, who had similar measurables and was drafted in the 4th round. Rhodes has developed into a good player.

I don't think burst will be a problem for Wendling. I've seen a video of him jumping over a 5 foot high bar from a complete stand still.

[Mr. Miyagi]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

Or he could be Coy Wire II.

Who knows?

Yes, or Eugene Wilson.

[The Spaz]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

Yes, or Eugene Wilson.

Zing!

[ublinkwescore]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I don't think burst will be a problem for Wendling. I've seen a video of him jumping over a 5 foot high bar from a complete stand still.

Actually, he took like two steps, but it was still very impressive.

[Goobylal]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

I can't say I've seen him play, but from the pre-draft guides the reason he wasn't rated higher was:

1) He played at a mid-major school

Probably the biggest reason. That and his stats didn't improve his last 2 years, which his college coaches said was their fault, because they gave him too much to learn every week.

2) His straight-line speed was good, but he wasn't rated as high in change-of-direction or burst (acceleration), which is important for a DB

Wendling's 10-yard, 20-yard, bench press, VJ, BJ, 3-cone, and short shuttle (and I'd bet Wonderlic as well) were all significantly better than the Pats' 1st round pick Brandon Merriweather's. The only place Merriweather beat Wendling was 40-yard time, but that was different by only 0.01 seconds. And Wendling is almost 3" taller and 30# heavier. That's from NFL Draft Scout, which is also my favorite draft site.

3) His tackling was suspect at times, as he would fail to wrap up and take bad angles.

That stuff can be taught. And wrapping-up is also a problem for Merriweather.

Take that for what it is worth. NFL Draft Scout (my favorite draft site) compared him to Kerry Rhodes, who had similar measurables and was drafted in the 4th round. Rhodes has developed into a good player.

I'd take it.

[ShadowHawk7]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

He may play in Nickel or Dime situations as a 3rd Safety, but I can't see him supplanting Ko Simpson this year.

[Ickybaluky]

Re: Wendling A Smart Fit For Bills

Wendling's 10-yard, 20-yard, bench press, VJ, BJ, 3-cone, and short shuttle (and I'd bet Wonderlic as well) were all significantly better than the Pats' 1st round pick Brandon Merriweather's. The only place Merriweather beat Wendling was 40-yard time, but that was different by only 0.01 seconds. And Wendling is almost 3" taller and 30# heavier. That's from NFL Draft Scout, which is also my favorite draft site.

I've never seen Wendling play, I was just passing along information in response to a query.

Measurables are all well and good, but ultimately it will come down to whether a guy can play football. There are a lot of guys who test well and can't play, while others don't test as well but are great players.

I don't know if Meriweather or Wendling will end up being good, they are just rookies. Time will tell.