Combine chatter

[Paradis]

@RobR

Here's a deep cut for you-- Devon Johnson who popped a little collegiate bowl. Worth keeping tabs on during drills at Indy

 

Quote

• LT/ OT  – Devon (Bo) Johnson
• School: Ferris State
• Height 6’7  
• Weight: 320 lbs
• Projected Forty – 5: 25                
• Projected Reps at 225 –  30
• All Consensus All American     
• Played in NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Now Invited to NFL Combine.

Report

Johnson is an intriguing OT prospect that went from a small school onto the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Now because he impressed scouts  from almost every team, he has been invited to the combine in Indy next month. A four year starter for Ferris St and was the GLIAC Offensive player of the year  as part as one of the Nations best OL units in 2018. Be able to add his combine numbers to the report after the combine. One of my favorite sleepers not only as a OT but overall.  Can find his interview from draft diamonds done previously by searching his name.

In The Run Game

Comes of the snap smoothly with speed  outstanding bend technically sound blocker grabs defenders between the shoulders ragdolling them out the picture.  Ridiculous athletic prowess engaging defenders on the move getting his hands out moving bodies. Knees arms stay bent the whole time beastly strong blocks are fueled by his enormous size & power. Elite aggressiveness at finishing blocks. Johnson can take a edgerusher & manhandle him to the turf.  

In The Pass Game

Good flexibility agility for a big guy in pass blocking a lot to like about big Bo. Comes off the line quickly, fluidly, hips look extremely oily for a 6 ft 7 OT. Loose natural movement skills pass blocking gem. Johnson engages quickly some of the best lateral movement i’ve seen of OT’s of his size or any size in any draft. Feet moving knees always bent throughout the blockhead is always in the game. Knows where his QB is at all times protects him like his only daughter. Castes a wide net  keeps a deep pocket not easy getting around big Johnson. Head stays down upon engagement his long reach strong hands always getting to the defender first locking him down. Swallowing up pass rushers like a 2 piece & a biscuit. Really gets after it in a hurry a LOT on every scouts radar now he’s going to the combine.  Could be a plug n play OT from jump street. OG/OC – Darrell Brown

 

[RobR]

I'll definitely keep an eye on him during the combine, especially the drills.

[#27TheDominator]

The Jets had the QB from Ferris State, Vander Laan kicking around for a couple of years.  He was the NCAA QB rushing leader and converted to TE.  I think they had another guy from Ferris too.  It used to mean some kind of connection when teams had a few guys in from some smaller schools, but I guess now everybody scouts everywhere and Ferris State has sent a few guys to NFL camps, though I'm not sure any put up stats.  Seiler was drafted by the Ravens in the 7th last year. 

I think there is a decent chance that the Jets eventually end up bringing in Tavierre Thomas a 2018 UDFA special teams CB that got run for Williams in Cleveland last year.   Right now the Browns have him signed cheap, but those kind of guys tend to bounce around with the coaching change. Bonus, he wore #27

[derp]

Curious to see how Cody Ford looks. Seems really athletic for his size and wonder if he'll test well and end up getting some looks to move over to LT even though he played on the right side in college. Think he's the most likely potential "riser" in an OL class that seems to lack a clear cut top guy at this point. On the flip side though, wonder if he comes in a little top heavy.

If they move down he'd be a fun guy to take, maybe throw at LG or something, and just let him run around and destroy guys. I think his experience at multiple line spots along with his size, athleticism, and motor makes him a moderately higher floor guy but I also don't do a tremendous job with OL evaluation.

[PepPep]

Surprise surprise, I will be looking at Q.Williams and J.Allen. That's pretty much it. 

One of them is bound to be there at 3 and I want to know as much as I can about their combine results. 

Unless the Jets trade down its going to be Q.Williams or J.Allen at #3.  

[Mackman55]

On 2/21/2019 at 1:14 PM, derp said:

Curious to see how Cody Ford looks. Seems really athletic for his size and wonder if he'll test well and end up getting some looks to move over to LT even though he played on the right side in college. Think he's the most likely potential "riser" in an OL class that seems to lack a clear cut top guy at this point. On the flip side though, wonder if he comes in a little top heavy.

If they move down he'd be a fun guy to take, maybe throw at LG or something, and just let him run around and destroy guys. I think his experience at multiple line spots along with his size, athleticism, and motor makes him a moderately higher floor guy but I also don't do a tremendous job with OL evaluation.

Ford's the one I like for the Jets 1st round pick after they trade down a few spots. He has the versatility to play any position on the OL and I think he could easily be a fixture at LT for a long time to come. He should shine at the combine as he has great natural athleticism for a man his size. Possible minor concerns to watch for are arm length and sometimes sloppy footwork but with our new OL coach to help mold him he could be a perennial  All Pro. 

[Thai Jet]

On 2/11/2019 at 10:39 AM, RobR said:

I'll definitely keep an eye on him during the combine, especially the drills.

That is one good thing with the combine. Sleeper players from small schools that there's not much film on can get noticed. I'll be watching Johnson as well.

[Thai Jet]

On 2/22/2019 at 10:42 AM, PepPep said:

Surprise surprise, I will be looking at Q.Williams and J.Allen. That's pretty much it. 

One of them is bound to be there at 3 and I want to know as much as I can about their combine results. 

Unless the Jets trade down its going to be Q.Williams or J.Allen at #3.  

Not much to disagree with here. I'm still hoping they'll trade down to say 7-9th. Then I'd grab Bama's other Williams Jonah if he's still there.

[Barry McCockinner]

 

 

[maury77]

Bad news about Taylor, who was one of my favorite prospects in the draft. 

[Thai Jet]

22 minutes ago, Barry McCockinner said:

 

 

I hope he still does the bench press. I would be most interested to see that.

[MDL_JET]

I really feel like we should be able to trade down. Kyle Murray is starting to pick up steam. Between him and Haskins, and the wildcard of Raiders maybe taking a QB. Jets should do everything they can to throw out rumors as well. Even see if the Raiders will swap spots with them like the Trubisky trade. 

Get it done Mac!

 

[#27TheDominator]

3 hours ago, Thai Jet said:

I hope he still does the bench press. I would be most interested to see that.

I'm not sure how much I care about bench for OT.  Being strong is important, but buys with longer arms traditionally do a bit worse.  I actually care even more about length than strength.  Bright side, they will still measure him.  It was actually one of the surprising things about the Ferris State guy - 6'7" with a projected 30 reps? Sounds crazy.  For some reason, the bench seems to coincide with success at RB.  Not completely sure why, but it was a Seahawk thing I read back when.

[JustInFudge]

3 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

I'm not sure how much I care about bench for OT.  Being strong is important, but buys with longer arms traditionally do a bit worse.  I actually care even more about length than strength.  Bright side, they will still measure him.  It was actually one of the surprising things about the Ferris State guy - 6'7" with a projected 30 reps? Sounds crazy.  For some reason, the bench seems to coincide with success at RB.  Not completely sure why, but it was a Seahawk thing I read back when.

Orlando Brown was one of the best rookie's OL in the NFL last year and was legit laughed off the field at combine. 

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

3 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

I'm not sure how much I care about bench for OT.  Being strong is important, but buys with longer arms traditionally do a bit worse.  I actually care even more about length than strength.  Bright side, they will still measure him.  It was actually one of the surprising things about the Ferris State guy - 6'7" with a projected 30 reps? Sounds crazy.  For some reason, the bench seems to coincide with success at RB.  Not completely sure why, but it was a Seahawk thing I read back when.

Yeah, the guy who does the SPARQ numbers started out on a Seattle blog. I don't remember anything about bench for RB there or anywhere else though. There was an old study, I think on Ourlads, that had it as statistically significant for TE, albeit barely. I don't use it for anything.

[#27TheDominator]

24 minutes ago, JiF said:

Orlando Brown was one of the best rookie's OL in the NFL last year and was legit laughed off the field at combine. 

What is your point?  One outlier means the combine is senseless? It is a tool.  I like it because it is the one place where speed comparisons are on equal footing.  That is not particularly relevant for offensive linemen. 

[JustInFudge]

7 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

What is your point?  One outlier means the combine is senseless? It is a tool.  I like it because it is the one place where speed comparisons are on equal footing.  That is not particularly relevant for offensive linemen. 

You're not sure how much you care about bench for an OT.  I shared a prospect that didnt do well on bench (and other drills) but had the college tape and ability to shine in the NFL despite not bencing well.  It was reinforcing your point.  Certain drills dont really translate for certain positions. 

Was that difficult? 

[Philc1]

On ‎2‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 9:42 AM, PepPep said:

Surprise surprise, I will be looking at Q.Williams and J.Allen. That's pretty much it. 

One of them is bound to be there at 3 and I want to know as much as I can about their combine results. 

Unless the Jets trade down its going to be Q.Williams or J.Allen at #3.  

I want Allen but Q is the safer pick.  Allen could be great, or he could suck.  Q is going to be really good no matter what

[Philc1]

39 minutes ago, JiF said:

Orlando Brown was one of the best rookie's OL in the NFL last year and was legit laughed off the field at combine. 

Same s happens every year.  Some stud OT from college who always plays well against top competition doesn't run a 4.2 40 and everyone suddenly thinks he has to become a Guard 

[#27TheDominator]

23 minutes ago, Miss Lonelyhearts said:

Yeah, the guy who does the SPARQ numbers started out on a Seattle blog. I don't remember anything about bench for RB there or anywhere else though. There was an old study, I think on Ourlads, that had it as statistically significant for TE, albeit barely. I don't use it for anything.

Yeah.   It was those fieldgulls guys.  I can't find the piece.  In the 2014 SPARQ analysis he found they seemed to be prioritizing bench a bit, but nothing firm enough to call a trend. In the 2015 Combine Preview I didn't see anything more, but he did project Thomas Rawls and Mike Davis as backs in the "Seahawks mold" - though he wanted to avoid Rawls based on arrest.

[Philc1]

Btw if you want your blood to absolutely BOIL Macagnan draft Nathan Shepherd over Orlando Brown last year  UGH

[#27TheDominator]

6 minutes ago, JiF said:

You're not sure how much you care about bench for an OT.  I shared a prospect that didnt do well on bench (and other drills) but had the college tape and ability to shine in the NFL despite not bencing well.  It was reinforcing your point.  Certain drills dont really translate for certain positions. 

Was that difficult? 

Well, I'm just not one of those "the combine is meaningless" guys.  I think the combine numbers generally don't translate much for o-line, or if they do, I don't know how to translate them.  I remember you talking up Brown in the mock last year.  What do I know?  I picked Landry.  

[#27TheDominator]

15 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

Same s happens every year.  Some stud OT from college who always plays well against top competition doesn't run a 4.2 40 and everyone suddenly thinks he has to become a Guard 

Nobody cares about the 40 time of offensive linemen.  They care about the splits and Brown's was predictably poor.  Who else has this happened to?  Andre Smith?  Boobs McGee sucked at the combine, but he still went 6th overall.  The "stud OT's" don't move inside unless they suck when tried outside (Scherff) or have short arms (Forrest Lamp).  

[JustInFudge]

3 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

Well, I'm just not one of those "the combine is meaningless" guys.  I think the combine numbers generally don't translate much for o-line, or if they do, I don't know how to translate them.  I remember you talking up Brown in the mock last year.  What do I know?  I picked Landry.  

I talked up Brown but was ultimately wrong about his draft slot (lost a bet to Rob R.) which I think was impacted by his combine.  Dude didnt give up a sack or miss a snap his entire career at OU but fell to the 3rd with his pedigree?  Definitely combine related.  He ended up playing like I expected, a 1st rounder but he fell to the 3rd. 

I'd rather have him than Sheppard who had a strong SPARQ score.

[Philc1]

5 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

Nobody cares about the 40 time of offensive linemen.  They care about the splits and Brown's was predictably poor.  Who else has this happened to?  Andre Smith?  Boobs McGee sucked at the combine, but he still went 6th overall.  The "stud OT's" don't move inside unless they suck when tried outside (Scherff) or have short arms (Forrest Lamp).  

Two years ago Cam Robinson was being labeled a Guard.  The combine is a joke when evaluating OL

[#27TheDominator]

12 minutes ago, JiF said:

I talked up Brown but was ultimately wrong about his draft slot (lost a bet to Rob R.) which I think was impacted by his combine.  Dude didnt give up a sack or miss a snap his entire career at OU but fell to the 3rd with his pedigree?  Definitely combine related.  He ended up playing like I expected, a 1st rounder but he fell to the 3rd. 

I'd rather have him than Sheppard who had a strong SPARQ score.

When you say "strong SPARQ" score, you have to temper it.  It is up to the team to decide what factors they weigh.  I don't think anybody is just weighing SPARQ and putting one guy over another.  You are going to weigh certain factors higher than others depending on the position.  Doesn't the "gimmick" offense hurt Brown as much as the QB when rating time comes? 

[JustInFudge]

2 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

When you say "strong SPARQ" score, you have to temper it.  It is up to the team to decide what factors they weigh.  I don't think anybody is just weighing SPARQ and putting one guy over another.  You are going to weigh certain factors higher than others depending on the position.  Doesn't the "gimmick" offense hurt Brown as mush as the QB when rating time comes? 

I dont know, his QB just went 1st overall.  haha

[#27TheDominator]

6 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

Two years ago Cam Robinson was being labeled a Guard.  The combine is a joke when evaluating OL

What the **** did any of that have to do with the combine?  People like to blame any issues with testing on the combine.  People were saying that about Robinson before the combine.  Mayock was spouting it from the start.  If anything, his measurements at the combine screamed TACKLE  

[derp]

1 hour ago, Philc1 said:

Two years ago Cam Robinson was being labeled a Guard.  The combine is a joke when evaluating OL

Apparently the 20 yard short shuttle has been a great way to predict success across rounds on the OL. Like 75% if they're 4.44 or faster. And tackles who are fast in the 40 have good hit rates too. I think the positive thresholds mean more than the negative ones though.

There was an interesting one too about guys with arms that are in the 32-33 inch range outperforming draft slots. Thought being maybe teams have thresholds but the minimum threshold is too high and grabbing guys who fall below that and slip because of it gives you a little edge.

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

2 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

Nobody cares about the 40 time of offensive linemen.  They care about the splits and Brown's was predictably poor.  Who else has this happened to?  Andre Smith?  Boobs McGee sucked at the combine, but he still went 6th overall.  The "stud OT's" don't move inside unless they suck when tried outside (Scherff) or have short arms (Forrest Lamp).  

 

[Thai Jet]

9 hours ago, JiF said:

Orlando Brown was one of the best rookie's OL in the NFL last year and was legit laughed off the field at combine. 

His 12 something reps and being timed with a sun dial in the 40 did it.

[maury77]

15 hours ago, JiF said:

I talked up Brown but was ultimately wrong about his draft slot (lost a bet to Rob R.) which I think was impacted by his combine.  Dude didnt give up a sack or miss a snap his entire career at OU but fell to the 3rd with his pedigree?  Definitely combine related.  He ended up playing like I expected, a 1st rounder but he fell to the 3rd. 

I'd rather have him than Sheppard who had a strong SPARQ score.

I've been thinking about Sheppard after Pennel got cut and I think Sheppard may be a pleasant surprise this year.

1) A couple of the scouting reports I read on Sheppard said he would need a year or so before making an impact, so I'm not surprised he had a quiet rookie year. 

2) PFF gave Sheppard a high grade during the preseason last yet, so he has flashed (albeit against backups). 

3) This is speculation on my part, but I believe part of the reason Pennel's option was declined is because management had an expectation Sheppard would improve this year. 

 

 

[Philc1]

17 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

What the **** did any of that have to do with the combine?  People like to blame any issues with testing on the combine.  People were saying that about Robinson before the combine.  Mayock was spouting it from the start.  If anything, his measurements at the combine screamed TACKLE  

Because combine garbage doesn’t apply to OL.  Playing OL is all about footwork, intelligence and technique you either have it or don’t.  Winston Justice destroyed the combine and was a JAG in the NFL

[#27TheDominator]

13 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

Because combine garbage doesn’t apply to OL.  Playing OL is all about footwork, intelligence and technique you either have it or don’t.  Winston Justice destroyed the combine and was a JAG in the NFL

Everything applies to everybody.  It is just a matter of weighing the importance of each item.  You can keep dropping names, but single names really don't mean anything.  You need to look at the data as a whole and see what characteristics players that succeed have and those that fail lack.

[JustInFudge]

11 hours ago, maury77 said:

I've been thinking about Sheppard after Pennel got cut and I think Sheppard may be a pleasant surprise this year.

1) A couple of the scouting reports I read on Sheppard said he would need a year or so before making an impact, so I'm not surprised he had a quiet rookie year. 

2) PFF gave Sheppard a high grade during the preseason last yet, so he has flashed (albeit against backups). 

3) This is speculation on my part, but I believe part of the reason Pennel's option was declined is because management had an expectation Sheppard would improve this year. 

 

 

That's all fair and I cant really argue any of it.  It wouldnt be a shock if Sheppard was a serviceable player next season.  I'd still rather have the answer at one of the OT positions rather than a DT run stuffer, which is all Sheppard will really be.  Those dudes are a dime a dozen.  As opposed to a guy like Brown who didnt let up a sack his rookie season and hasnt in 5 years now dating back to his career at Oklahoma.  IMO he has an elite ceiling and ultimately; protect the QB >>>> over stop the run.