Raves on Aaron Merz (second 7th rd pick)

[mysticsoto]

si.com speaks highly of Aaron Merz...I've been looking for more information on him since I know virtually nothing, but this was a pretty good review for a 7th rounder!!! There was no picture, but at 346 lbs, he must look alot like Max Jean-Gilles in body type. Let's hope he plays with that same nasty demeanor!!!


Aaron Merz

Position: OG (http://www.billszone.com/football/2006/draft/breakdowns/by_position/og.html)
Class: Sr
School: California (http://www.billszone.com/football/2006/draft/breakdowns/by_school/calif.html)
Conference: Pacific-10 (http://www.billszone.com/football/2006/draft/breakdowns/by_conference/pac10.html)
Ht., Wt.: 6-3.5, 346
40 Time: 5.48
Selected by: Buffalo Bills (http://www.billszone.com/football/2006/draft/teams/bills.html)
Round 7 (http://www.billszone.com/football/2006/draft/breakdowns/by_round/7.html), pick 40 (248 overall)BIO: Three-year starter at both guard positions. Previous All-Conference selection.

POSITIVES: King-sized blocker who can be a dominant force. Plays with good pad level, naturally strong and pushes defenders from the line of scrimmage. Anchors in pass protection and walls opponents from the action. Nasty and always looking for someone to hit.

NEGATIVES: Lacks adjustment, not light on his feet and gets tall as the play proceeds. Not considered a hard worker who does the extras. Shoulder injuries have been a concern in the past.

ANALYSIS: A former walk-on with the size and intelligence to play in the NFL, Merz is a gifted lineman with starting potential. Must consistently give effort on and off the field.

PROJECTION: Undrafted Free Agent

[Forward_Lateral]

:rofl: They rave about him, then they predict he won't get drafted. Priceless.

[Mr. Pink]

His negatives say all you need to know...he won't succeed at the NFL level. Doesn't adjust, has bad footwork and doesn't work hard=will not make an NFL roster.

[FlyingDutchman]

http://assets.buffalobills.com/uploads/players/B37D3E7F678E4241A6E81419A3F35044.jpg

[FlyingDutchman]

http://images.nfl.com/images/draft/2006/mugs/merz_aaron.jpg

[TigerJ]

I remember a certain guard drafted in the seventh round who was the opposite of Merz. He was supposed to be a good technician, but he wasn't very strong. Merz is a bull whos a little slow and doesn't do everything to technical perfection. Who was the other guy? The famous Mike Pucillo. You're not going to find perfection in the seventh round. Hopefully, Jim McNally can fix the things Merz does wrong. At least he's got a strong son of a gun to work with. He couldn't be any worse than Pukecillo. It's hard to imagine he'd be a lot worse than Bennie "Lard Butt" Anderson.

[Michael82]

Here's our future starting offensive lineman.....

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2004/10/01/sp_aaronmerz_ho.jpg

[Dozerdog]

That is one fat bastard

[YardRat]

He'll get a shot to prove whether or not he can play in the NFL when the minicamps start and training camp rolls around.

Once the contracts are signed, it doesn't really matter whether he was a seventh rounder, a third rounder, or a street FA...it'll all come down to what he's able to do with the opportunity he's been given.

[ddaryl]

p-r-a-c-t-i-c-e s-q-u-a-d and NFL Europe player

[LABillsFan]

In one sentence, Not considered a hard worker who does the extras. The next,
Merz is a gifted lineman with starting potential. Huh?

[LifetimeBillsFan]

In one sentence, Not considered a hard worker who does the extras. The next,
Merz is a gifted lineman with starting potential. Huh?

How could he go from being a walk-on to being a starter without being a hard-worker? I'm sorry, but that just doesn't happen! A walk-on has to prove to the coaches that he is worthy of a scholarship and doesn't get to be a starter by being a fat slob who doesn't work. So, something doesn't ring right here.

Considering that Cal has had a decent running game the last couple of years and this guy was starting in the middle of their line, he must have been doing something pretty well.

Here's what they said about him on BB.com and in Chris Brown's blog:

9th pick (7th round) - Aaron Merz - C/G - Cal
This guy isn't your typical short center. Listed at 6'4" 340 pounds, not many defensive tackles moved him out of the way at the college level. Talking to Jim McNally the knock on him was he has short arms, which is why McNally plans on putting him in pivot. But at 340 pounds you've got to believe he can anchor down and hold his ground. He's got a lot of competition on this roster, but we'll see what kind of impact he can make.
http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=3742&hs=178

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT MERZ:
Bills Assistant GM Tom Modrak offered the following on Merz
"He's a center-guard combination guy," said Modrak. "They had a couple of offensive linemen out there at Cal and they were well trained. He's the kind of guy that plays on his feet, plays smart. He plays the game hard. He's a thickly built guy."

"My sense is he's going to be more of an inside guy since we took Butler and Pennington who are tackles."
http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=3740&hs=177

He sounds like a guy that they will look at to see if they can develop him with a year on the PS who's not likely to draw much attention if they can, but is entirely expendable if he doesn't show them what they are looking for between now and training camp. It also sounds like this was a McNally selection more than anything else. Who knows?