LifetimeBillsFan
01-20-2008, 08:54 AM
I watched the game closely, trying to focus on how the players at the positions of need for the Bills performed and here are my thoughts for what they are worth:
DT:
Nick Hayden (E-96), Wisconsin, was the only DT that I saw who actually held his ground against a double-team, consistently got at least some push in the pass rush, and was able to disrupt more than one play (the RB from Houston actually bounced his TD run outside because of penetration by Hayden in the middle messed up the blocking). He wasn't fantastic, didn't make any eye-opening plays, but he had an overall solid game. But, I have a problem with Hayden that I can't seem to get over: I've seen a lot of Wisconsin D-linemen do really well in college and all-star games in recent year and then do absolutely nothing in the NFL. Hayden is probably a mid-round pick, but that would make me leery of even spending a mid-round pick on him at this point.
Frank Okam (W-97), Texas, played a lot of minutes (like Hayden did for the East), but did absolutely nothing. This is a guy that some have talked about as a 2nd round choice for the Bills, so I really watched him and, frankly, he confirmed my fears about him: like a lot of Texas players, he has all of the measureables, but seems to be missing something when the whistle blows. Like the other West DTs, he was consistently getting blown off the ball by the East offensive linemen. He pursued well and made some tackles, but most were 4-6 yards behind the line of scrimmage. And, he got almost no push on his pass rush until the very end of the game when the East was passing on every down and the West finally started to put some pressure on the East QBs. Very disappointing. I would be very concerned about him turning into another M.Williams....
Derek Lokey (W-60), Texas, didn't play as much as Okam and, like the other West DTs, didn't do much, but he did manage to make one good play, stopping the East RB for a loss. Doesn't seem to have enough size for DT at the next level.
Keilen Dykes (E-93), West Virginia, wasn't quite as stoud against the run as Hayden, but otherwise played a decent game. Even though he didn't get to the passer, he got a nice push up the middle on several passes. He and Hayden made it difficult for the West QBs to step up into their throws a number of times. At 295, he could put on a little weight and develop into a decent player in the middle of a T-2 defense. Might be worth a 3rd-4th round pick.
DE:
Like the rest of the DTs, I didn't see a single DE that impressed me. The only other D-lineman that I saw in the game that I thought showed some potential to be more than a back-up in the NFL was:
Kendall Langford (E-98), Hampton, who made a big mistake on one play, but showed some quickness and ability and made a nice play on the fumble. He looks like the kind of kid who can play inside or outside (he did play some DE for the East as well as at DT) and might develop into a pretty good player in a year or two.
IMHO, the line play, especially in the running game, but also in the passing game, was not reflected in the final score. The East consistently got a better push in the pass rush than the West D-line did and was much better against the run inside. Neither defensive line got to the QB or was really able to consistently harrass the opposing QBs.
QB:
Josh Johnson (W-11), San Diego, was, without a doubt, the best player on the field on either side. The only thing I did not see from him--because he didn't have a chance to do it--was whether he can throw the deep ball. Otherwise, he really impressed me with his ability to throw the ball: not just how hard and fast he could zip the ball, but, even more, by how, on a couple of occasions, he took a little something off the ball (the TD pass was obviously one of these occasions, but he actually made an even better throw on another pass on that drive). I don't know about his ability to learn how to read defenses, but, if he can get a little bigger and stronger, he could be the real deal in the NFL. I'd love to see the Bills get him and try to develop him behind Edwards, but I think it will take a higher draft pick than the Bills can afford to use on a QB in this draft.
Kevin O'Connell (W-7), San Diego St, strikes me as a "poor-man's" JP Losman: huge arm, great mobility, but horrible mechanics and inaccurate. Maybe he can learn to be more accurate and will be quicker to learn how to read defenses in the NFL than Losman, but I'm not sure about that....
Sam Keller (W-9), Nebraska, is a player that I have seen a fair amount and I still can't understand how he has been able to do as well as he has done thus far--I'd be surprised if he can continue to be as successful in the NFL. He has horrible mechanics and not much of an arm, isn't particularly accurate, but is just good enough to get the job done at times. I don't think he has enough arm strength to deal with the weather conditions in Buffalo, but, then again, he played in Nebraska and it can get windy and cold there, too. I don't know about this guy, but I'm not a fan.
Bernard Morris (E-5), Marshall, struck me as the best QB prospect other than J.Johnson of this group. But, is he ever raw. I liked what I saw of his arm and his pocket presence, but, if he is going to make it, I think it will take at least a year on the practice squad before he will come close to resembling a NFL player. But, I think a kid as raw as he appears to be is a better bet than a Keller, who is about as finished a product as he is going to be, or an O'Connell, who has real problems with his accuracy. The way he was interacting with D.Vermiel, I think that Morris may be a coachable kid.
Paul Smith (E-7?), Tulsa, is a kid who baffles me: he has put up astounding numbers (astounding to me) for Tulsa, but every time I have seen him play, especially against better competition (and I've seen him play 6-7 games), he stinks. He's a really smart, tough, kid who has a decent arm and I think that might be just enough for him to make it as a back-up in the NFL, but I don't knowif he has the size or the mechanics or the ability to play up to the competition to develop into a starter or even a F.Reich-level # 2. Maybe. But, I wouldn't spend more than a 6th or 7th round pick on him.
Anthony Morelli (E-14), Penn State, is and has been a total waste of talent. He has been given every chance to shine and has been nothing more than mediocre and his performance against the West confirmed it: he virtually gift-wrapped the game for the West. Ugh!
TE:
Nobody really stood out. I expected more from G.Barnidge (E-82), but with the East QBs throwing so poorly, it was hard for him to do much--although I really wasn't satisfied by the separation that he got (or didn't get) on the balls thrown his way.
WR:
Did any WR in the game not drop a pass???
Paul Hubbard (E-19), Wisconsin, showed me once again why I like him as a mid-round pick (but not higher). I've seen him play quite a bit, but for once I would really like to see him play with a decent QB. He reminds me a lot of C.Chambers at this stage of his career: a big, rangy guy who can get open deep and catch the short pass for a 1st down. He will, however, drop the occasional pass--although at this stage I think he has somewhat better hands than I recall C.Chambers having. He's had some injuries and doesn't seem quite as fast as I think he used to be, but I like him a lot. He's not as big as Hardy from Indiana, but he's smoother and may not take as long to develop.
Justin Harper (E-81), Virginia Tech, didn't show much in this game, but had a good bowl game. He has really nice speed for a big WR, really nice and, while he will drop the occasional ball, has decent hands (he will have to improve on that in the pros. To me, he is still a raw talent, but could be a late round steal if a team gives him time to develop: Va.Tech WRs have tended to be very raw and take time to blossom, but can turn into pretty good NFL players.
Dexter Jackson, (E-2), Appalachian State, looks to me to be a "poor man's" DeSean Jackson--with perhaps a little less wear and tear on him. I know the Bills need a big WR, but I have to say that this guy is going to help some team in the NFL somewhere. He's still raw, but he can fly.
Kevin Robinson, (W-6), Utah State, may be just as good or even better than Dexter Jackson. He can fly, too, and looks like a more polished PR and WR at this stage. He, too will help some NFL team and already looks like he can step in on STs right away. He reminded me a lot of Roscoe Parrish.
Marcus Henry (W-88), Kansas, was someone that I was hoping to see some good things from and he showed up with the dropsies. UGH! I was very disappointed by what I saw from him.
Jerome Simpson (E-4), Coastal Carolina, got talked about a lot, but really didn't show much. But, I'm not sure if that was because the East QBs were so bad or because he was just okay--making one catch--going up against better competion.
Finally, I thought that the DBs in the game did a pretty decent job. Concentrating as much as I was on the line play and the WRs and TEs, I really couldn't follow the CBs as much as I would have liked. The one DB who obviously stood out was J.Silva (E-44), from B.C., who was everywhere on the field. The one concern that I would have about him (and I do not think that the Bills will draft a SS), is that he will end up being another J.Leonard. Leonard was a similar kind of omnipresent player and even more of a play-maker in college, but just doesn't have the speed to keep up at the NFL level.
Well, those are my observations on the game. Any comments or other observations--or disagreements--are more than welcome.
DT:
Nick Hayden (E-96), Wisconsin, was the only DT that I saw who actually held his ground against a double-team, consistently got at least some push in the pass rush, and was able to disrupt more than one play (the RB from Houston actually bounced his TD run outside because of penetration by Hayden in the middle messed up the blocking). He wasn't fantastic, didn't make any eye-opening plays, but he had an overall solid game. But, I have a problem with Hayden that I can't seem to get over: I've seen a lot of Wisconsin D-linemen do really well in college and all-star games in recent year and then do absolutely nothing in the NFL. Hayden is probably a mid-round pick, but that would make me leery of even spending a mid-round pick on him at this point.
Frank Okam (W-97), Texas, played a lot of minutes (like Hayden did for the East), but did absolutely nothing. This is a guy that some have talked about as a 2nd round choice for the Bills, so I really watched him and, frankly, he confirmed my fears about him: like a lot of Texas players, he has all of the measureables, but seems to be missing something when the whistle blows. Like the other West DTs, he was consistently getting blown off the ball by the East offensive linemen. He pursued well and made some tackles, but most were 4-6 yards behind the line of scrimmage. And, he got almost no push on his pass rush until the very end of the game when the East was passing on every down and the West finally started to put some pressure on the East QBs. Very disappointing. I would be very concerned about him turning into another M.Williams....
Derek Lokey (W-60), Texas, didn't play as much as Okam and, like the other West DTs, didn't do much, but he did manage to make one good play, stopping the East RB for a loss. Doesn't seem to have enough size for DT at the next level.
Keilen Dykes (E-93), West Virginia, wasn't quite as stoud against the run as Hayden, but otherwise played a decent game. Even though he didn't get to the passer, he got a nice push up the middle on several passes. He and Hayden made it difficult for the West QBs to step up into their throws a number of times. At 295, he could put on a little weight and develop into a decent player in the middle of a T-2 defense. Might be worth a 3rd-4th round pick.
DE:
Like the rest of the DTs, I didn't see a single DE that impressed me. The only other D-lineman that I saw in the game that I thought showed some potential to be more than a back-up in the NFL was:
Kendall Langford (E-98), Hampton, who made a big mistake on one play, but showed some quickness and ability and made a nice play on the fumble. He looks like the kind of kid who can play inside or outside (he did play some DE for the East as well as at DT) and might develop into a pretty good player in a year or two.
IMHO, the line play, especially in the running game, but also in the passing game, was not reflected in the final score. The East consistently got a better push in the pass rush than the West D-line did and was much better against the run inside. Neither defensive line got to the QB or was really able to consistently harrass the opposing QBs.
QB:
Josh Johnson (W-11), San Diego, was, without a doubt, the best player on the field on either side. The only thing I did not see from him--because he didn't have a chance to do it--was whether he can throw the deep ball. Otherwise, he really impressed me with his ability to throw the ball: not just how hard and fast he could zip the ball, but, even more, by how, on a couple of occasions, he took a little something off the ball (the TD pass was obviously one of these occasions, but he actually made an even better throw on another pass on that drive). I don't know about his ability to learn how to read defenses, but, if he can get a little bigger and stronger, he could be the real deal in the NFL. I'd love to see the Bills get him and try to develop him behind Edwards, but I think it will take a higher draft pick than the Bills can afford to use on a QB in this draft.
Kevin O'Connell (W-7), San Diego St, strikes me as a "poor-man's" JP Losman: huge arm, great mobility, but horrible mechanics and inaccurate. Maybe he can learn to be more accurate and will be quicker to learn how to read defenses in the NFL than Losman, but I'm not sure about that....
Sam Keller (W-9), Nebraska, is a player that I have seen a fair amount and I still can't understand how he has been able to do as well as he has done thus far--I'd be surprised if he can continue to be as successful in the NFL. He has horrible mechanics and not much of an arm, isn't particularly accurate, but is just good enough to get the job done at times. I don't think he has enough arm strength to deal with the weather conditions in Buffalo, but, then again, he played in Nebraska and it can get windy and cold there, too. I don't know about this guy, but I'm not a fan.
Bernard Morris (E-5), Marshall, struck me as the best QB prospect other than J.Johnson of this group. But, is he ever raw. I liked what I saw of his arm and his pocket presence, but, if he is going to make it, I think it will take at least a year on the practice squad before he will come close to resembling a NFL player. But, I think a kid as raw as he appears to be is a better bet than a Keller, who is about as finished a product as he is going to be, or an O'Connell, who has real problems with his accuracy. The way he was interacting with D.Vermiel, I think that Morris may be a coachable kid.
Paul Smith (E-7?), Tulsa, is a kid who baffles me: he has put up astounding numbers (astounding to me) for Tulsa, but every time I have seen him play, especially against better competition (and I've seen him play 6-7 games), he stinks. He's a really smart, tough, kid who has a decent arm and I think that might be just enough for him to make it as a back-up in the NFL, but I don't knowif he has the size or the mechanics or the ability to play up to the competition to develop into a starter or even a F.Reich-level # 2. Maybe. But, I wouldn't spend more than a 6th or 7th round pick on him.
Anthony Morelli (E-14), Penn State, is and has been a total waste of talent. He has been given every chance to shine and has been nothing more than mediocre and his performance against the West confirmed it: he virtually gift-wrapped the game for the West. Ugh!
TE:
Nobody really stood out. I expected more from G.Barnidge (E-82), but with the East QBs throwing so poorly, it was hard for him to do much--although I really wasn't satisfied by the separation that he got (or didn't get) on the balls thrown his way.
WR:
Did any WR in the game not drop a pass???
Paul Hubbard (E-19), Wisconsin, showed me once again why I like him as a mid-round pick (but not higher). I've seen him play quite a bit, but for once I would really like to see him play with a decent QB. He reminds me a lot of C.Chambers at this stage of his career: a big, rangy guy who can get open deep and catch the short pass for a 1st down. He will, however, drop the occasional pass--although at this stage I think he has somewhat better hands than I recall C.Chambers having. He's had some injuries and doesn't seem quite as fast as I think he used to be, but I like him a lot. He's not as big as Hardy from Indiana, but he's smoother and may not take as long to develop.
Justin Harper (E-81), Virginia Tech, didn't show much in this game, but had a good bowl game. He has really nice speed for a big WR, really nice and, while he will drop the occasional ball, has decent hands (he will have to improve on that in the pros. To me, he is still a raw talent, but could be a late round steal if a team gives him time to develop: Va.Tech WRs have tended to be very raw and take time to blossom, but can turn into pretty good NFL players.
Dexter Jackson, (E-2), Appalachian State, looks to me to be a "poor man's" DeSean Jackson--with perhaps a little less wear and tear on him. I know the Bills need a big WR, but I have to say that this guy is going to help some team in the NFL somewhere. He's still raw, but he can fly.
Kevin Robinson, (W-6), Utah State, may be just as good or even better than Dexter Jackson. He can fly, too, and looks like a more polished PR and WR at this stage. He, too will help some NFL team and already looks like he can step in on STs right away. He reminded me a lot of Roscoe Parrish.
Marcus Henry (W-88), Kansas, was someone that I was hoping to see some good things from and he showed up with the dropsies. UGH! I was very disappointed by what I saw from him.
Jerome Simpson (E-4), Coastal Carolina, got talked about a lot, but really didn't show much. But, I'm not sure if that was because the East QBs were so bad or because he was just okay--making one catch--going up against better competion.
Finally, I thought that the DBs in the game did a pretty decent job. Concentrating as much as I was on the line play and the WRs and TEs, I really couldn't follow the CBs as much as I would have liked. The one DB who obviously stood out was J.Silva (E-44), from B.C., who was everywhere on the field. The one concern that I would have about him (and I do not think that the Bills will draft a SS), is that he will end up being another J.Leonard. Leonard was a similar kind of omnipresent player and even more of a play-maker in college, but just doesn't have the speed to keep up at the NFL level.
Well, those are my observations on the game. Any comments or other observations--or disagreements--are more than welcome.