faba Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 Top pick still struggles... It was a struggle for a second straight week for San Francisco QB Alex Smith, the first player selected overall at the 2005 draft, when the 49ers played the Broncos in a week 2 pre-season game. Smith completed just 2 of 7 pass attempts for a measly 18 yards; overall, Smith has completed just 5 of 16 passes for 43 yards in two pre-season starts. The only good thing for Smith is that he hasn't thrown any interceptions. And with incumbent 49ers' QB Tim Rattay continuing to play well, Smith hold on the starter's job with the 49ers remains a tad tenuous. Meanwhile, Cleveland WR Braylon Edwards, the 3rd player selected this year, scored the winning TD in the Browns' win over Detroit on Saturday afternoon. While several top picks have struggled in the early pre-season going, the most productive round at this year's draft may be the 4th. Fourth round players who have had solid camps to date include Chicago QB Kyle Orton, Arizona OG Elton Brown, Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, Jets' safety Kerry Rhodes, St. Louis OG Claude Terrell, and Miami CB Travis Daniels, while 3rd rounders QB Charlie Frye of Cleveland, CB Ellis Hobbs of New England, and RBs Vernand Morency of Houston and Ryan Moats of Philadelphia have made their respective teams' scouting staffs look good. Other late rounders to turn heads include New England 7th round QB Matt Cassell, and Dallas OT Rob Petitti and Jacksonville WR Chad Owens, a pair of 6th rounders. Broncs UDFA DB out for a while... Denver DB Brandon Browner, one of the highest rated undrafted free agents in the 2005 draft class, broke his hand in the Broncos' pre-season game with the 49ers Saturday and is expected to miss at least 6 weeks. There is a good chance that Browner, who shocked just about everyone when he left school after his sophomore season only to undrafted, may end up on injured reserve. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R44 Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 Petti is a huge suprise? Or is he? I thought Pettiti, a Jersey native, looked like a total bad a$$ during the 2004 season, just stopping top DE's Mathias Kiwanuka (a likely top 10 pick) and Justin Tuck (Giants 3rd rounder) cold in games in 2004 (no sacks; few tackles). He did come in way overweight during workouts, but sometimes we forget O-Lineman are supposed to be "fat" and really don't need to run the 40 yard dash in real games....so why did Pettiti's 40 torpedo him? ***** Brandon Jacobs looked great to us last season---Might be the best pick the Giants made, by far. Brandon B. of the Broncos is a total clown....How could he not know he was way too slow to play CB in the NFL....His 4.8 40 at the combine was the average for a defensive end, not a CB... so much for rumors that he ran 4.4 at 6' 4" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swaps Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 You need to be athletic to play O-line, not just fat. There is a lot more running then people think. When coaches think about the best guards they will look at speed. One of the benefits the Vikings has in Matt Birk is that he is a "speedy" O-lineman. He is a great guy to pull to help block for a running play. There is MUCH more then just being tough and fat to be an Offensive lineman. Most linemen do better in the Wonderlic test then any other position (including quarterback and runningback) not suprising, D-linemen typically have below average scores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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