The earliest I ever felt like talking about the draft.
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BTW, Al, why list Michael Johnson like he's going to be one of the top all around lb's ? That's bs:
He doesn't have the intensity or the strength to be a Cleveland Brown. After all these years, the last thing
the Browns need is a lb who plays when $$$$ is on the line, and underachieves like crazy.
Here's more on him: (maybe you'd like to tell us he plays like a mad dog in a meat market?)
Michael Johnson, 2009 NFL Draft Prospect
Defensive End
6' 6" 258 lbs.
Georgia Tech
Senior
Strengths: Athleticism, explosiveness, Burst
Weakness: Consistency, durability, run support
Scouting report by Daryl Breault
Date: 10 November 2009
Michael Johnson is nearly the complete package when looking for a pass rusher. His explosion and burst is arguably the best in college football. He has great size and can add a few more pounds without it affecting his speed. He has a higher ceiling then any other senior DE and maybe more so than some of the top rated juniors. He can be an absolute terror for opposing tackles. He may have been a third round pick last year if he had come out. So why do I think Michael Johnson will never amount to anything?
Coming into 2008 Johnson had started exactly one career game and had only 10 sacks. He has been nothing more than a pass rushing specialist, and an inconsistent one at that. Pass rush specialists are 4th round picks not potential 1st round picks and definitely not the #2 ranked senior DE in the country. A first round label on him is a joke and a bad one.
Johnson is finally putting some of his talent together and having a very good season. He’s starting, finally, and has 11 TFL and 5 sacks so far. Things are coming together for him at the opportune time. Where was he for the first three years of his college career though? With his blend of size, speed and athleticism, Johnson should have been one of the most dominating defenders in the country, and yet he wasn’t even the best defender on his own team. Is all that potential really worth a 1st round pick?
It seems to me Johnson is putting it together at the opportune time, just in time to get a big fat NFL contract. Every year there are pros and college players alike who can see dollar signs and suddenly their game goes to a new level. Then they get paid and they crash. It happens every year, and every time we roll out the “he played for a new contract” spiel as a warning sign and yet it happens over and over again. The NFL will continue to take chances on the players with immense potential and once in a while it works, but the majority of the time it fails miserably.
Johnson may very well just be a late bloomer and this year is a sign of greater things to come but it’s tough to overlook three years of unmotivated play for one decent season of play. It’s more likely that Johnson is playing for that big contract. I would not spend anything higher than a 3rd rounder on him.
It goes without question that Johnson is one of the most athletically gifted college players in quite some time. Few players can equal his astounding burst off the ball and his ability to hit with force and cause fumbles. He projects as a hybrid end/LB type with the potential to be dominating at either. He has long arms to keep defenders at bay, changes directions effortlessly and closes faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.
At his size, his lack of strength is worrisome. He’s tall and lanky and at 6’ 6”, OT will find it easy to get under his shoulder pads if they get there hands on him. His long arms help, but he doesn’t have the strength to fight off blocks and once someone get’s their hands on him, he’s usually done. His height will help him bat down a lot of balls. It’s tough to project him as anything more than a pass rush specialist until he adds some serious muscle and learns some new tricks. He is so explosive that he is out of the play before he has a time to react to the ball. He has to learn when to use his speed and when to hold his gap, backs have far too much success running in his direction, a major reason he has not been a regular starter before this year.
He is improving in some aspects of his game, namely against the run, but this year will not be enough for me to put him in the first two rounds. So far he is all potential and spending a 1st round pick is too great a gamble to see if he will ever reach it. There’s too many warning signs telling me that the light came on as soon as those dollar signs got closer to reality and that it might not stay on afterwards. He has had injury problems in the past, but he has shown the mental toughness to play through his numerous injuries this year, if he stays healthy he is one of those guys that could end up as a much better pro than a college player.
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Yeah, the story about Brown running a 4.5 40 got mentioned here.
Raji didn't play last year due to academic issues. Not sure if that qualifies as a full-blown character issue, but it certainly raises a red flag.
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BTW, Al, why list Michael Johnson like he's going to be one of the top all around lb's ? That's bs:
He doesn't have the intensity or the strength to be a Cleveland Brown. After all these years, the last thing
the Browns need is a lb who plays when $$$$ is on the line, and underachieves like crazy.
Here's more on him: (maybe you'd like to tell us he plays like a mad dog in a meat market?)
Michael Johnson, 2009 NFL Draft Prospect
Defensive End
6' 6" 258 lbs.
Georgia Tech
Senior
Strengths: Athleticism, explosiveness, Burst
Weakness: Consistency, durability, run support
Scouting report by Daryl Breault
Date: 10 November 2009
Michael Johnson is nearly the complete package when looking for a pass rusher. His explosion and burst is arguably the best in college football. He has great size and can add a few more pounds without it affecting his speed. He has a higher ceiling then any other senior DE and maybe more so than some of the top rated juniors. He can be an absolute terror for opposing tackles. He may have been a third round pick last year if he had come out. So why do I think Michael Johnson will never amount to anything?
Coming into 2008 Johnson had started exactly one career game and had only 10 sacks. He has been nothing more than a pass rushing specialist, and an inconsistent one at that. Pass rush specialists are 4th round picks not potential 1st round picks and definitely not the #2 ranked senior DE in the country. A first round label on him is a joke and a bad one.
Johnson is finally putting some of his talent together and having a very good season. He’s starting, finally, and has 11 TFL and 5 sacks so far. Things are coming together for him at the opportune time. Where was he for the first three years of his college career though? With his blend of size, speed and athleticism, Johnson should have been one of the most dominating defenders in the country, and yet he wasn’t even the best defender on his own team. Is all that potential really worth a 1st round pick?
It seems to me Johnson is putting it together at the opportune time, just in time to get a big fat NFL contract. Every year there are pros and college players alike who can see dollar signs and suddenly their game goes to a new level. Then they get paid and they crash. It happens every year, and every time we roll out the “he played for a new contract” spiel as a warning sign and yet it happens over and over again. The NFL will continue to take chances on the players with immense potential and once in a while it works, but the majority of the time it fails miserably.
Johnson may very well just be a late bloomer and this year is a sign of greater things to come but it’s tough to overlook three years of unmotivated play for one decent season of play. It’s more likely that Johnson is playing for that big contract. I would not spend anything higher than a 3rd rounder on him.
It goes without question that Johnson is one of the most athletically gifted college players in quite some time. Few players can equal his astounding burst off the ball and his ability to hit with force and cause fumbles. He projects as a hybrid end/LB type with the potential to be dominating at either. He has long arms to keep defenders at bay, changes directions effortlessly and closes faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.
At his size, his lack of strength is worrisome. He’s tall and lanky and at 6’ 6”, OT will find it easy to get under his shoulder pads if they get there hands on him. His long arms help, but he doesn’t have the strength to fight off blocks and once someone get’s their hands on him, he’s usually done. His height will help him bat down a lot of balls. It’s tough to project him as anything more than a pass rush specialist until he adds some serious muscle and learns some new tricks. He is so explosive that he is out of the play before he has a time to react to the ball. He has to learn when to use his speed and when to hold his gap, backs have far too much success running in his direction, a major reason he has not been a regular starter before this year.
He is improving in some aspects of his game, namely against the run, but this year will not be enough for me to put him in the first two rounds. So far he is all potential and spending a 1st round pick is too great a gamble to see if he will ever reach it. There’s too many warning signs telling me that the light came on as soon as those dollar signs got closer to reality and that it might not stay on afterwards. He has had injury problems in the past, but he has shown the mental toughness to play through his numerous injuries this year, if he stays healthy he is one of those guys that could end up as a much better pro than a college player.
BTW, Al, why list Michael Johnson like he's going to be one of the top all around lb's ? That's bs:
He doesn't have the intensity or the strength to be a Cleveland Brown. After all these years, the last thing
the Browns need is a lb who plays when $$$$ is on the line, and underachieves like crazy.
Here's what I actually wrote:
DE: Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech - gifted athlete who hasn't yet put it all together. May be too tall (listed at 6'7") to play 3-4 OLB, but he could be an interesting prospect if he slides to Round 2.
I mentioned him because he was named first-team all-ACC, not because I'm particularly enamored with his play.
At this point, he's a situational pass rusher in a 4-3 defense, and he may be too tall to play linebacker. Still, he's a physical freak who may become a great player with a couple years of good coaching.
He wouldn't be my top choice in Round Two, but he'd be part of the conversation. In saying that, I'm disagreeing with the many mocks that have him being taken in the Top 15-20 picks.
So I don't get where I said anything close to what you said I did.
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makes me wonder how many workout warriors actually make it in the league. i'm guessing very few: vernon davis is nowhere near the player he should be, mike mamula was too often injured, vernon gholston hasn't even gotten on the field (though he's still a rook).
but johnson makes me nervous nonetheless.
one thing i don't get is why 6'7" would preclude him from being an OLB. would it make it too easy for people to block him by getting lower than he can? and, if so, wouldn't that also make it really hard for him to play DE, too?
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That's part of it.
Also, it's very hard for a guy that tall to drop back into coverage and move laterally across the field.
It's kind of like how it's very rare that you get a CB who's 6'2"-6'3"; at a certain point, the advantages of being taller are outweighed by the decrease in backpedal ability.
And though I'm sure that there are guys capable of doing it, the inter-sport division of labor probably has those guys playing basketball instead. If you have a guy who's 6'7" and is athletic enough to drop into coverage, he's also athletic enough to be a solid small forward.
Anyways, we should probably wait until draft workouts & the Combine to judge Johnson. When Mathias Kiwanuka was at BC, he was listed as being over 6'7", yet he measured slightly under 6'6" at the Combine. And I'm sure many of us would be comfortable having him man one of our OLB spots.
More importantly, the workouts will indicate whether he's capable of playing LB. Last year, Derrick Harvey looked good in LB drills, which played a role in the Jags trading all the way up to pick #8 to get him. Not because they wanted him to play 3-4 OLB, but because his value across the league surged once he became valuable to 3-4 teams.
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makes me wonder how many workout warriors actually make it in the league. i'm guessing very few: vernon davis is nowhere near the player he should be, mike mamula was too often injured, vernon gholston hasn't even gotten on the field (though he's still a rook).
but johnson makes me nervous nonetheless.
one thing i don't get is why 6'7" would preclude him from being an OLB. would it make it too easy for people to block him by getting lower than he can? and, if so, wouldn't that also make it really hard for him to play DE, too?
makes me wonder how many workout warriors actually make it in the league. i'm guessing very few: vernon davis is nowhere near the player he should be, mike mamula was too often injured, vernon gholston hasn't even gotten on the field (though he's still a rook).
Just saw this blurb on Gholston:
For the first time, Mangini sounded frustrated by the slow development of rookie OLB Vernon Gholston, the sixth pick of this year's draft. "He had a significant shot (Sunday)," Mangini said tersely. "There were plays to be made." Gholston, in limited action, made two glaring mistakes. He got caught out of position on a bootleg pass completion, biting hard on an inside play fake. Later, he missed a chance for his first sack, hesitating and letting Jay Cutler out of the pocket for a long pass completion. Gholston showed little closing speed. Acknowledging frustration, the rookie, who has no sacks, said: "You look at the sack total for yourself and you wish you had some, but there have been a lot where I've been close. The thing with sacks, once you get that first one, you keep on rolling."
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The Cleveland Browns 2009 Draft:
Round 1: Rey Maualuga (He is a fricken beast, think Ray Lewis/Polamalu hybrid!)
Round 2: Phil Loadholt (Right Tackle, Oklahoma)
Round 3: Best Corner Available
Round 4: Rashad Jennings (Runningback, Liberty)
Round 5: Will Davis (DE, llinois)
Round 6: Lovon Ponder (SS, Miami)
Round 7: some awesome Phil savage Prospect (round 7 is his best one so far, I think Hall and Mcdonald came in round 7)
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okay, so gholston's been on the field but has made no positive impact. his combine numbers say he should be destroying half the planet right now and fighting mecha-gholston.
as for johnson, if he breaks 4.5, he's going top 10, and not to us. 4.5-4.65 will put him somewhere in the top 20. and, unlike percy harvin, johnson's workout pics are terrifying. the way his arms are curled kinda makes him look like a little person.
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