DB's NFL DRAFT NOTEBOOK: Sample

[DraftBoy]

LSU Tigers come into this matchup the #2 ranked team in the country to face SEC West rival Mississippi State. LSU is the overwhelming favorite and has a ton of future NFL talent on their squad. But this is Sylvester Croom's make it or break it year so he will have his boys ready to play.

Players to Watch:
LSU-
QB 15 Matt Flynn-Sr
FB 18 Jacob Hester-Sr
WR 9 Early Doucet-Sr
TE 89 Keith Zinger-Sr
OG 73 Will Arnold-Sr
OC 74 Brett Helms-Jr
OT 79 Herman Johnson-Jr
DE 93 Tyson Jackson-Jr
DT 72 Glenn Dorsey-Sr
LB 7 Ali Highsmith-Sr
LB 48 Darry Beckwith-Jr
CB 19 Jonathan Zenon-Sr
CB 21 Chevis Jackson-Sr

Mississippi State-
QB 7 Micheal Henig-Jr
WR 89 Jamayel Smith-Jr
WR 4 Tony Burks-Sr
TE 88 Eric Butler-Sr
OT 77 Mike Brown-Jr
OG 53 Anthony Strauder-Jr
OC 76 Royce Blackledge-Sr
DE 54 Titus Brown-Sr
LB 5 Gabe O'Neal-Sr
LB 22 Jamar Chaney-Sr
S 3 Derek Pegeus-Jr

[BILLSROCK1212]

LSU Tigers come into this matchup the #2 ranked team in the country to face SEC West rival Mississippi State. LSU is the overwhelming favorite and has a ton of future NFL talent on their squad. But this is Sylvester Croom's make it or break it year so he will have his boys ready to play.

Players to Watch:
LSU-
QB Matt Flynn-Sr
FB Jacob Hester-Sr
WR Early Doucet-Sr
TE Keith Zinger-Sr
OG Will Arnold-Sr
OC Brett Heims-Jr
OT Herman Johnson-Jr
DE Tyson Jackson-Jr
DT Glenn Dorsey-Sr
LB Ali Highsmith-Sr
LB Darry Beckwith-Jr
CB Jonathan Zenon-Sr
CB Chevis Jackson-Sr

Mississippi State-
QB Micheal Henig-Jr
WR Jamayel Smith-Jr
WR Tony Burks-Sr
TE Eric Butler-Sr
OT Mike Brown-Jr
OG Anthony Strauder-Jr
OC Royce Blackledge-Sr
DE Titus Brown-Sr
LB Gabe O'Neal-Sr
LB Jamar Chaney-Sr
S Derek Pegeus-Jr
I recall watching Matt Flynn play Miami in the Peach bowl (i think the peach bowl not sure) in 2005 and they kicked Miami's butts. He is definitely one of my favorite gus to break out and show the country he is one of the elite QBs in D1 football. Early Doucet is one of if not the best senior WR in the country and him and Matt Flynn should develope a great connection this year. The offensive line who's star is OG Will Arnold should be one of the best in the country this year. Glenn Dorsey and the Tiger's defense should also shine and be one of the best in the country and also maybe the quickest. Overall this team is definitely one of the top 5 best teams in the country.

Sylvester Croom is definitely in his make or break year and it will be tough but I look for Mississippi St. to have a decent year this year and barely save Sylvester Croom's job.

[DraftBoy]

Well the game is in Mississippi and its on ESPN so you know the Bulldogs will be pumped up to play. Im going to add numbers for all the players so they are easier to identify.

[BILLSROCK1212]

Well the game is in Mississippi and its on ESPN so you know the Bulldogs will be pumped up to play. Im going to add numbers for all the players so they are easier to identify.thanks for that

[DraftBoy]

numbers added now for easier identification

[BILLSROCK1212]

12:46 left in the 3rd and this is what I've seen....

Matt Flyn is looking pretty good, fairly accurate but still needs some work. Early Doucet is getting some great seperation from the CBs. The LSU O-line seems to be struggling against a very quick Mississippi St. D-line. The LSU D-line is man handling he MSU O-line. Chris Taylor looks good replacing Laron Landry. Ali Highsmith is making some good plays but has a mistake or so but he looks ready for a great season. LSU has 4 INTs. With less QB mistakes the MSU WRs look pretty good. LSU running game looks better than last season and Jacob Hester seems like a pretty good short yardage back.

[DraftBoy]

Analysis should be up in less than hour, I just got in from my buddies place where I was watching the game (shocking I know but I do have a life).

[BILLSROCK1212]

Analysis should be up in less than hour, I just got in from my buddies place where I was watching the game (shocking I know but I do have a life).
can't wait

[DraftBoy]

LSU dominated every bit of this game in winning 45-0 in truth this game was not even close. The Bulldogs came out pumped up and looked good until the end of the first half. This is Sylvester Croom’s last change to turn around this horrible program and he now has to not only figure out how to come back from this beat down but also rebuild the confidence in his starting QB. Below is the analysis of the draftable players in this game;

LSU:
QB 15 Matt Flynn-Sr-11-16 for 123yards, 68% cmp, 2TD, 6 rushes for 51 yards
Matt Flynn came in today and showed exactly why he was chosen over highly hyped youngster Ryan Perrilloux. Flynn showed the Senior leadership on offense that you wanted and his scrambling ability surprised me as I was not aware he was that athletic. His arm strength does leave a little to be desired by Flynn is extremely accurate and can throw on the run. Definitely went out with a statement tonight.

FB 18 Jacob Hester-Sr-8 carries for 41 yards, 1 reception for 9 yards
Hester was the unsung star of the LSU offense tonight. He not only ran very hard when in there but he was also a beast making chip blocks but also helping to pick up the blitz. He reminded me this evening of Brian Leonard and if he improves his pass catching then he could become this years Leonard. One of the most telling things about Hester is the way he lowered his shoulder tonight and delivered the boom multiple times to unsuspecting Mississippi State defenders.

WR 9 Early Doucet-Sr-9 catches for 88 yards, and 1TD
Doucet did what he does best and that’s work underneath find the open spots in the zone and make plays. Not only did Doucet become the most useful outlet for Flynn all game long but he also routinely could be seen holding his block on running plays.

TE 89 Keith Zinger-Sr-0 catches for 0 yards
Zinger was invisible tonight in the passing game and didn’t get a throw his way all game. For the most part he did his job in the blocking game and neutralized his man in the running game. A solid but unspectacular job for Zinger tonight.

OG 73 Will Arnold-Sr
Arnold surprisingly played the whole game for LSU tonight and was not subbed in late and did very well. I noticed him both pulling with ease and getting outside to lead block. He pancake his defender a couple of times and did a good job blocking in pass protection as I did not see him concede a sack. A good return game for Arnold though Id like to see more of a mean streak.

OC 74 Brett Helms-Jr
Very good job all night snapping and also calling out blocking assignment adjustments. He would routinely change the assignments calling out blitzes. He maintained a good base with solid footwork, and great technique. Got beat once by a DT and it resulted in a loss of yardage but for the most part was very good.

OT 79 Herman Johnson-Jr
Johnson got beat quite a few times to the outside by the speed of Mississippi State’s DE. Routinely the MSU defensive ends would beat the OT to the outside around the corner and because of the savvy running of Matt Flynn big losses did not occur. Herman Johnson has to improve his lateral footwork and use more power in his punch as his initial move to stop speed rushers.

DE 93 Tyson Jackson-Jr
Was all over the field from the go, he swarmed to the ball and provided consistent pressure all night again Henig. Jackson showed his speed well chasing down runs from behind but he did get beat twice that I noticed on jukes from Anthony Dixon. That’s simple recognition and I think as the season goes on he will become better at it.

DT 72 Glenn Dorsey-Sr
How do you say dominant? Dorsey consistently collapsed the pocket and knifed through the offensive line to get to the quarterback. He had a sack against Henig and applied a lot of pressure all night. Not only did Dorsey make plays on the field but on the sideline he was shown psyching up his teammates and keeping spirits high. A very good example of what a team leader is.

LB 7 Ali Highsmith-Sr
The fast flying Tiger LB showed the bulldogs plenty of his face tonight as he consistently read and and destroyed screen passes. He also was caught a number of times over pursuing the play and showed a tendency to bite on play fakes. His speed for the most neutralized any mistakes he made but it could be a problem against better teams. Highsmith came on the blitz a number of times and each time he forced Henig into a hurried throw.

LB 48 Darry Beckwith-Jr
Beckwith quietly went around and did his job. He filled in running lanes and took up blockers. He also made a number of plays on Dixon and really did a great job playing the Mike linebacker. Not known as a blitzer Beckwith played the run well and was as equally good in coverage.

CB 19 Jonathan Zenon-Sr
Came away with one of Henig’s six interceptions tonight. He consistently showed the ability to run step for step with any of Mississippi State’s Wide Receivers. Zenon also came up and made a couple of sticks in the running game. Though he was not very challenged tonight.

CB 21 Chevis Jackson-Sr
Jackson like Zenon ran step for step with his wide receiver tonight and was not challenged at all. He did get beat on one deep ball that Henig underthrew, and also was the victim of a questionable Pass Interference call.

Mississippi State-
QB 7 Micheal Henig-Jr-9 of 24 for 110yards, 37% cmp, 0 TD, 6 INT
Henig has an absolutely horrible game. He showed back mechanics and extremely limited athletic ability. Henig did show great leadership and personality by going out there and getting crushed play after play but continuing on till he was pulled for what I think was his own physical and mental safety. Henig is a much better QB than he showed this evening.

WR 89 Jamayel Smith-Jr-1 catch for 11 yards
Smith was disappointing tonight, not only could he not get open whatsoever but his blocking was pitiful. He also showed almost no awareness of defensive schemes and did not cut off routes to make it easier on Henig.

WR 4 Tony Burks-Sr-1 catch for 44 yards
Had a huge catch where he went up in traffic and came down with the ball. Unfortunately Henig could not find him the rest of the night through both himself being covered and Henig just not having the time to find Burks.

TE 88 Eric Butler-Sr-1 catch for -1 yards
None existent tonight, he did not show up one bit. He wasn’t impressive as either a blocker or as a receiver.

OT 77 Mike Brown-Jr
Got beat by Jackson a few times and must maintain his blocks more consistently and not allow for release so quickly. Showed good push at the point of attack though and did create some running holes.

OG 53 Anthony Strauder-Jr
Went one on one with Dorsey a few times and definitely lost the battle over all. He did get the better of Dorssey on a few plays but for the most part Dorsey was able to fight through his block and either make a play in the backfield or force a bad throw.

OC 76 Royce Blackledge-Sr
Helped to chip on Dorsey after the 1st drive and looked good in helping out. He looked good overall in snapping the ball though there was one missnap with the Freshman QB, but the fault looked to fall on the QB as he pulled away too quickly.

DE 54 Titus Brown-Sr
Showed amazing speed tonight and it helped him bring the only pressure Flynn felt all night as he forced him to step up in the pocket and scramble consistently but he also took himself out of the plays a lot when LSU would call a QB draw and he would be way out of his lane.

LB 5 Gabe O'Neal-Sr
Struggled all night to get to the ball, he looked almost flat footed all day as all LSU RB’s seemed to run past him with ease. O’Neal showed poor ability to shed blocks and poor recognition on cut back runs.

LB 22 Jamar Chaney-Sr
Chaney showed a little more skill in the field as he made most of the plays on defense for the Bulldogs. Chaney showed good speed tracking down ball carriers from behind along with decent block shedding ability.

S 3 Derek Pegeus-Jr
The bulldogs did not get beat deep very often and that is to the credit of Pegues who patrolled the backside of the bulldog defense. He showed good speed and good ability to come up and make some hits. He laid out one player where he picked him up and slammed him back down to the ground. Pegues however did get hurt near the end of the game and his injury details are not known.

[BILLSROCK1212]

LSU dominated every bit of this game in winning 45-0 in truth this game was not even close. The Bulldogs came out pumped up and looked good until the end of the first half. This is Sylvester Croom’s last change to turn around this horrible program and he now has to not only figure out how to come back from this beat down but also rebuild the confidence in his starting QB. Below is the analysis of the draftable players in this game;

LSU:
QB 15 Matt Flynn-Sr-11-16 for 123yards, 68% cmp, 2TD, 6 rushes for 51 yards
Matt Flynn came in today and showed exactly why he was chosen over highly hyped youngster Ryan Perrilloux. Flynn showed the Senior leadership on offense that you wanted and his scrambling ability surprised me as I was not aware he was that athletic. His arm strength does leave a little to be desired by Flynn is extremely accurate and can throw on the run. Definitely went out with a statement tonight.

FB 18 Jacob Hester-Sr-8 carries for 41 yards, 1 reception for 9 yards
Hester was the unsung star of the LSU offense tonight. He not only ran very hard when in there but he was also a beast making chip blocks but also helping to pick up the blitz. He reminded me this evening of Brian Leonard and if he improves his pass catching then he could become this years Leonard. One of the most telling things about Hester is the way he lowered his shoulder tonight and delivered the boom multiple times to unsuspecting Mississippi State defenders.

WR 9 Early Doucet-Sr-9 catches for 88 yards, and 1TD
Doucet did what he does best and that’s work underneath find the open spots in the zone and make plays. Not only did Doucet become the most useful outlet for Flynn all game long but he also routinely could be seen holding his block on running plays.

TE 89 Keith Zinger-Sr-0 catches for 0 yards
Zinger was invisible tonight in the passing game and didn’t get a throw his way all game. For the most part he did his job in the blocking game and neutralized his man in the running game. A solid but unspectacular job for Zinger tonight.

OG 73 Will Arnold-Sr
Arnold surprisingly played the whole game for LSU tonight and was not subbed in late and did very well. I noticed him both pulling with ease and getting outside to lead block. He pancake his defender a couple of times and did a good job blocking in pass protection as I did not see him concede a sack. A good return game for Arnold though Id like to see more of a mean streak.

OC 74 Brett Helms-Jr
Very good job all night snapping and also calling out blocking assignment adjustments. He would routinely change the assignments calling out blitzes. He maintained a good base with solid footwork, and great technique. Got beat once by a DT and it resulted in a loss of yardage but for the most part was very good.

OT 79 Herman Johnson-Jr
Johnson got beat quite a few times to the outside by the speed of Mississippi State’s DE. Routinely the MSU defensive ends would beat the OT to the outside around the corner and because of the savvy running of Matt Flynn big losses did not occur. Herman Johnson has to improve his lateral footwork and use more power in his punch as his initial move to stop speed rushers.

DE 93 Tyson Jackson-Jr
Was all over the field from the go, he swarmed to the ball and provided consistent pressure all night again Henig. Jackson showed his speed well chasing down runs from behind but he did get beat twice that I noticed on jukes from Anthony Dixon. That’s simple recognition and I think as the season goes on he will become better at it.

DT 72 Glenn Dorsey-Sr
How do you say dominant? Dorsey consistently collapsed the pocket and knifed through the offensive line to get to the quarterback. He had a sack against Henig and applied a lot of pressure all night. Not only did Dorsey make plays on the field but on the sideline he was shown psyching up his teammates and keeping spirits high. A very good example of what a team leader is.

LB 7 Ali Highsmith-Sr
The fast flying Tiger LB showed the bulldogs plenty of his face tonight as he consistently read and and destroyed screen passes. He also was caught a number of times over pursuing the play and showed a tendency to bite on play fakes. His speed for the most neutralized any mistakes he made but it could be a problem against better teams. Highsmith came on the blitz a number of times and each time he forced Henig into a hurried throw.

LB 48 Darry Beckwith-Jr
Beckwith quietly went around and did his job. He filled in running lanes and took up blockers. He also made a number of plays on Dixon and really did a great job playing the Mike linebacker. Not known as a blitzer Beckwith played the run well and was as equally good in coverage.

CB 19 Jonathan Zenon-Sr
Came away with one of Henig’s six interceptions tonight. He consistently showed the ability to run step for step with any of Mississippi State’s Wide Receivers. Zenon also came up and made a couple of sticks in the running game. Though he was not very challenged tonight.

CB 21 Chevis Jackson-Sr
Jackson like Zenon ran step for step with his wide receiver tonight and was not challenged at all. He did get beat on one deep ball that Henig underthrew, and also was the victim of a questionable Pass Interference call.

Mississippi State-
QB 7 Micheal Henig-Jr-9 of 24 for 110yards, 37% cmp, 0 TD, 6 INT
Henig has an absolutely horrible game. He showed back mechanics and extremely limited athletic ability. Henig did show great leadership and personality by going out there and getting crushed play after play but continuing on till he was pulled for what I think was his own physical and mental safety. Henig is a much better QB than he showed this evening.

WR 89 Jamayel Smith-Jr-1 catch for 11 yards
Smith was disappointing tonight, not only could he not get open whatsoever but his blocking was pitiful. He also showed almost no awareness of defensive schemes and did not cut off routes to make it easier on Henig.

WR 4 Tony Burks-Sr-1 catch for 44 yards
Had a huge catch where he went up in traffic and came down with the ball. Unfortunately Henig could not find him the rest of the night through both himself being covered and Henig just not having the time to find Burks.

TE 88 Eric Butler-Sr-1 catch for -1 yards
None existent tonight, he did not show up one bit. He wasn’t impressive as either a blocker or as a receiver.

OT 77 Mike Brown-Jr
Got beat by Jackson a few times and must maintain his blocks more consistently and not allow for release so quickly. Showed good push at the point of attack though and did create some running holes.

OG 53 Anthony Strauder-Jr
Went one on one with Dorsey a few times and definitely lost the battle over all. He did get the better of Dorssey on a few plays but for the most part Dorsey was able to fight through his block and either make a play in the backfield or force a bad throw.

OC 76 Royce Blackledge-Sr
Helped to chip on Dorsey after the 1st drive and looked good in helping out. He looked good overall in snapping the ball though there was one missnap with the Freshman QB, but the fault looked to fall on the QB as he pulled away too quickly.

DE 54 Titus Brown-Sr
Showed amazing speed tonight and it helped him bring the only pressure Flynn felt all night as he forced him to step up in the pocket and scramble consistently but he also took himself out of the plays a lot when LSU would call a QB draw and he would be way out of his lane.

LB 5 Gabe O'Neal-Sr
Struggled all night to get to the ball, he looked almost flat footed all day as all LSU RB’s seemed to run past him with ease. O’Neal showed poor ability to shed blocks and poor recognition on cut back runs.

LB 22 Jamar Chaney-Sr
Chaney showed a little more skill in the field as he made most of the plays on defense for the Bulldogs. Chaney showed good speed tracking down ball carriers from behind along with decent block shedding ability.

S 3 Derek Pegeus-Jr
The bulldogs did not get beat deep very often and that is to the credit of Pegues who patrolled the backside of the bulldog defense. He showed good speed and good ability to come up and make some hits. He laid out one player where he picked him up and slammed him back down to the ground. Pegues however did get hurt near the end of the game and his injury details are not known.Great job once again....only thing is I didnt believe Matt Flynn had a very smooth passing motion and at times held onto the ball for too long. I am one of Flynn's biggest fan's and I think he wil have a phenomenal season but today he did not play his best. Once again....amazing job.

[DraftBoy]

Great job once again....only thing is I didnt believe Matt Flynn had a very smooth passing motion and at times held onto the ball for too long and the speed in which the ball reached the reciever wasn't too fast. I am one of Flynn's biggest fan's and I think he wil have a phenomenal season but today he did not play his best.


To be honest I didnt see any issues with his motion but I didnt concentrate on it alot but Ill look for it next week. As for holding onto the ball he very well could of done that due to his lack of exp, but he will learn quickly against better defenses that holding onto the ball will hurt. As for his pass speed, there was a big difference in speed between his throws and that of Perrilloux but it wasnt anything inhibiting I thought.

[BILLSROCK1212]

To be honest I didnt see any issues with his motion but I didnt concentrate on it alot but Ill look for it next week. As for holding onto the ball he very well could of done that due to his lack of exp, but he will learn quickly against better defenses that holding onto the ball will hurt. As for his pass speed, there was a big difference in speed between his throws and that of Perrilloux but it wasnt anything inhibiting I thought.
agreed....u know i guess his throwing motion wasn't bad but i think i am expecting more of a jamarcus russel which i will not get....i do love what i see from this LSU team and as the season goes on i think they will get soooo much better and will probably play in the national championship game and if they do they will put up a very tough fight for their opponent.

[BILLSROCK1212]

obviously its a bit early but DB, where do u think Flynn will be drafted? at best I would say he is the 7th or 8th QB taken (as long as no juniors come out)

The top 10 QB prospects in this years draft (Seniors) for me is....

1. Brian Brohm-Louisville
2. Andre Woodson-Kentucky
3. Colt Brennan-Hawaii
4. Erik Ainge-Tennessee
5. John David Booty-USC
6. Chad Henne-Michigan
7a. Matt Ryan-BC
7b. Matt Flynn- LSU
9. Sam Keller- AZ St. transfer to Nebraska
10. Anthony Morelli-Penn St.

Notables:

Paul Smith-Tulsa
Dennis Dixon-Oregon
Blake Mitchell-South Carolina
Kyle Wright-Miami (based on potential that he has not shown in college)