Duke Preston visits

[Italian Stallion]

Bills | Preston had Pre-draft Visit - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 18 Apr 2005 10:39:46 -0700

NFL Draft prospect OL Duke Preston (Illinois) has had a pre-draft visit with the Buffalo Bills.


Anybody know anything about him?

[Rhettoric]

Here's a link to his bio looks like he played center in collage.

http://fightingillini.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/preston_duke00.html

[Rhettoric]

This is analysis from Sports Illustrated.


POSITIVES: Excellent position blocker with outstanding football intangibles. Explosive off the snap, blocks with a nasty attitude and very active. Quarterbacks the line well, helps out teammates and fights throughout the play. Sets with a wide base, seals defenders from the action, and keeps his feet moving throughout the play.

NEGATIVES: Not a dominant or powerful center who opens up the middle of the field. Lacks footwork in space and overall blocking range.

ANALYSIS: A marginal athlete with adequate size and poor speed, Preston makes up for his physical shortcomings with a great understanding of the game. Offers some growth potential and could very easily backup at several positions for an NFL squad.

PROJECTION: Undrafted Free Agent http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2005/draft/players/59652.html

So it looks like we snag him after the draft and see what McNally can do with in camp.

[mysticsoto]

This is what nfldraftcountdown.com has to say about him: http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/playerprofiles/c/dukepreston.html


<table align="center" border="0" height="150" width="70%"> <tbody><tr bgcolor="#ffffff" valign="top"><td colspan="3">Strengths: Has good size...Very tough and strong...A hard worker who always gives his all...Technically sound...Very smart and has the goods mentally to make it.</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff" valign="top"> <td colspan="3">Weaknesses: Very limited athletically and now very fast...Lack of physical tools will be much more glaring in the pros...Upside may be limited at the next level.</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff" valign="top"> <td colspan="3">Notes: Real first name is Raymond...Dad is a former San Diego Charger linebacker...Player who gets the most out of his ability and could develop into a solid backup at the pro level.</td></tr></tbody> </table>

[Dicknoze69]

Sounds like a McNally guy to me

[jdbillsfan]

Sounds like Trey Teague

[BuffaloRanger]

Another TT. Hearing that an OL has a nasty side or mean streak is getting old. I think the only one I have ever seen drafted without one is Sobieski who was called "soft."

[jamze132]

So what are we going to do when we get all these "back ups" together? Are any of them going to step up?

[McGee]

So what are we going to do when we get all these "back ups" together? Are any of them going to step up?:clap:

At the moment, I'd much rather see an OL that can start visiting w/ the team, as opposed to a probable undrafted free agent.

[clumping platelets]

7th rd pick

[camelcowboy]

So what are we going to do when we get all these "back ups" together? Are any of them going to step up?
I guess TD might be thinking that if you bring in enought of these "off the radar" line man Mike Pukecillo, Ben Sobeneski, Dylan McFartland you may find one that turns out to be a ok lineman. I know Mcnally is good, but im sick of giving him trash and asking him to turn it into gold. Why can't we spend a second, third, even a fourth round pick on some decent linemen.

Instead of turning below average talent into a good line, how about take a good line and try to make it into a dominant line. TD has ignored the o-line too long!

[The Spaz]

Real name is Raymond. Here is a summary from GM Jr.

<b>Strengths</b>
Raymond is a big center whose competitiveness and smarts made him a good college center. He gets off the ball quickly and blocks the DT aggressively on down/side blocks and can drive man down LOS. He gets thru the the 2nd level quicker than you expect and can seal or cut block the LB well. He does a good job in pass pro in a small area. He is very smart in pass pro which enables him to consistently pick up blitzes and adjusts well to hand-off with the OG on DL stunts/loops.

<b>Weaknesses</b>
Raymond is a stiff and limited athlete who too often bends at the waist, leans and over-extends. Despite size, he lacks playing strength - He cannot get movement on straight ahead run blocks and can be jolted backwards by explosive bull rushers. He lacks agility and feet to slide quickly to side to side to adjust fast to quick COD pass rush moves. On in-line run blocks he has very bad habit of stopping feet after making initial contact, bending at the waist and falls off his blocks too often.

<b>Summary</b>
Raymond is a big, thick bodied center who lacks the overall athleticism to be an effective blocker when he has to move his feet a lot. He usually gets off the ball quickly because of his top instincts and help him to get thru the LOS to cut block LB's on the 2nd level, but despite gettin goff the ball quick he does not get his feet and body around the play-side DT to make the reach block consistently. He has the natural size to hold ground on POA vs bull rushers when he gets set quickly, gets his hands on the DT fast and keeps his knees bent, but too often he doesn't get hands on DT quickly and gets driven backwards bt explosive bull rushers wat too often - He is going to need to improve his playing strength thru weight room work t have a chance strength wise in the NFL. He is the most successful because he is very smart and instinctive - He consistently reads the DL stunts and adjustments well and makes the necessary calls for the OL. verall, Raymond's size, smarts and instincts will giv ehim a chance to make a team as a backup center, but if he doesn't improve his playing strength and learns to keep his feet under him better he will be out of the league quickly.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

I guess TD might be thinking that if you bring in enought of these "off the radar" line man Mike Pukecillo, Ben Sobeneski, Dylan McFartland you may find one that turns out to be a ok lineman. I know Mcnally is good, but im sick of giving him trash and asking him to turn it into gold. Why can't we spend a second, third, even a fourth round pick on some decent linemen.

Instead of turning below average talent into a good line, how about take a good line and try to make it into a dominant line. TD has ignored the o-line too long!
I've posted this quote from P.Kirwin's article on offensive linemen on NFL.com before, but it might explain why the front office has taken the approach to the offensive line that it has of late:

"There's a whole group of these O-line coaches who don't want any high draft picks. Renowned line specialists like Alex Gibbs and Jim McNally would prefer second-day picks that they choose themselves. Other coaches complain the front office and head coaches pass over them when top draft picks are under consideration. To say the least, it is critical all the decision-makers at every club need to have a clear understanding of what kind of offensive line coach they have and just what their offense is trying to accomplish."
URL: http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/8387948

If Coach McNally is an offensive line coach who does not want to work with high draft choices, why do Bills fans insist on blaming the front office for not using high draft picks on offensive linemen? Obviously, the front office knows what he has been telling them that he wants and is responding to that.

And, who is to say that taking an offensive lineman early in the draft is going to guarantee that our offensive line is going to be any better? Let me remind everyone that the Bills used relatively high draft picks on M.Williams, J.Jennings and M.Sullivan recently. And, what did they actually end up with? M.Williams was a disappointment until last season despite being a high # 1 draft pick. J.Jennings was a solid, but unspectacular LT who is being vastly overpaid by SF and will never be a Pro Bowler. M.Sullivan...is he still even in the league?

Drafting offensive linemen early in the draft does not guarantee that a team will have a good offensive line. If you don't believe me, take the time to look at how the Pats acquired the offensive linemen that took them to the Super Bowl the last two years--the Bills had more offensive linemen taken in the draft and higher draft picks on their offensive line than the Pats did. When the Bills had M.Williams, R.Brown, J.Jennings and M.Sullivan starting on their offensive line, was their offensive line better than the Pats offensive line (even if you counted D.Woody)?

Now, I'm not saying that the Bills shouldn't draft any offensive linemen on Day One of the draft or that an O-lineman taken on the first day of the draft won't develop into a great NFL player, but just because an offensive lineman is taken on Day One of the draft it is no guarantee that he will become a good NFL offensive lineman or that he will be able to step into the starting lineup and be effective right away. And, fans who keep saying that the Bills haven't used high draft picks to address the offensive line in recent years simply haven't been paying attention to what they have been doing in comparison to other teams and/or aren't taking into consideration the philosophy of their offensive line coach--a guy who happens to have had a fair amount of success doing things his way in the NFL.

[mysticsoto]

Very true. Right now, I believe TD will take best player available. Unless he really wants Spencer, he can probably wait until the 3rd or even 4th and still get a good Center. I believe also that TD might feel he has done his best for the line. He has gotten some new people that have probably been evaluated by McNally and has said, "Okay, here. I got rid of the people that weren't working out and brought some new talent. See what you can do with them." I believe Anderson will work out great on LG. For LT, I have a feeling that TT is probably going to get that spot and that we will draft a strong Center that will either start immediately, or have us start Tucker and him take over mid-season. I believe, that Jason Peters really wants to play and will try hard (with McNally's help) to unseat TT at LT. If he can learn the nuances of blocking, he will probably unseat TT, as his physical characteristics make him an astounding athlete that are needed for that position. Other than that, we have Gandy and Bannan as backups now which must be perceived as better backups than Price or they would have brought Price back (they still can). So I think we will be fine - we also have a QB that is not going to just stand there like a deer in headlights. Remember last year when McNabb stayed alive for like 7 seconds while being chased - enough time to get away from his pursuers and have a WR break out for a long TD pass. Philly has a decent line, but having a QB with an ability to move will do wonders for your O-line.

I think we will be okay in that area. So I'm more interested in TD getting good players that will not only add to our depth, but produce astounding starters in the short term (next few years)...

[ILOVEMIBILLS]

Projection: Undrafted Free Agent

So much for that.

[Michael82]

Projection: Undrafted Free Agent

So much for that.
:sigh:

Can I go to bed and wake up and have these last two days be a dream? Did the NFL Draft never start yet? :ill:

[Dozerdog]

Just wake up in time for camp, Mikey!

[Mr. Cynical]

Projection: Undrafted Free Agent

So much for that.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that statement.

[Philagape]

Scanning down the whole NFL draft list, one notices that projections and reality are not quite the same thing. Screw projections. If someone's at the top of YOUR board, take him.