For Manwagoners & Maualuga lovers

[Aloysius]

ESPN Classic is re-airing the USC-Oregon State game tonight at 9. Watch Jacquizz Rogers knife through SC's defense as Maualuga runs in the opposite direction, then falls down.

It's also a chance to get a look at Browns 4th round pick Kaluka Maiava. IIRC, he had a lot of tackles in the game, but he also got pushed around by the Beavers' offensive line.

[Riffer X]

Aloysius said:

ESPN Classic is re-airing the USC-Oregon State game tonight at 9. Watch Jacquizz Rogers knife through SC's defense as Maualuga runs in the opposite direction, then falls down.

It's also a chance to get a look at Browns 4th round pick Kaluka Maiava. IIRC, he had a lot of tackles in the game, but he also got pushed around by the Beavers' offensive line.

Watched it the first time and saw Rey do pretty much what you said. Will pay more attention to Maiava.

[Aloysius]

Here are some Maiava highlights from the game. Unfortunately, the 2nd quarter is missing.

Larger clip

[Bronx Cheer]

Maiava is #43, right? He didn't much impress.

[Aloysius]

Yep, that's him.

He did look better in the Virginia game.

(Larger clip

)

I don't see how this guy fits in a 3-4 defense. Though he's strong (30 bench), he doesn't shed blocks particularly well and is extremely undersized for playing 3-4 ILB. I've heard that he tried to bulk up in '06 and it made him sluggish, so he may be maxed out physically.

If he's only going to be a nickel linebacker/special teams player, that doesn't seem to me like a good use of a 4th round pick. You can get those guys later in the draft or as UDFA's.

[D'Qwimbley]

When he plugs the hold, he does a nice job. But he doesn't go hard enough. He tiptoes way too much and tries to spin off blocks. The few times I saw him step up and fill the hold, he did a very nice job. I see potential if he gains about 10 pounds and learns to stop tippytoeing and plug the hole

[Riffer X]

My take on Maiava is that they see him being a beast on specials out the gate. That's pretty can't miss when you know for a fact a guy can do that (he's proven it), so for a fourth rounder that is equal trade. Now if he can play situationally in certain packages in a sort of hybrid SS/ILB/Monsterback role while continuing to develop, that only adds to his value. Also, he fits in the Jackson mold of being a smallish ILB and can serve as his backup while maintaining the same continuity.

Shall we go back and review prior 4th rounders of this team since '99?

---Choice traded to San Francisco along with the Browns’ first pick in the 5th round for QB Ty Detmer and the 49ers’ 4th round pick

---Choice traded to San Francisco for FB Marc Edwards

Wali Rainer

Lewis Sanders

Aaron Shea

Anthony Henry

Kevin Bentley

Ben Taylor

Darnell Sanders

Lee Suggs

Luke McCown

Antonio Perkins

Leon Williams

Ike Sowells

Beau Bell

Martin Rucker

It's hit or miss, although I've debated with guys like Masters in the past that you should hit on 4th rounders more often than not, especially after the Perkins debacle and his BS 4.29 time.

I think Maiava is in that football player mold that Mancock seems to prefer, which is a guy who can do multiple things and hold his own as a staple on ST's. If I remember correctly, they harped on his ST ability in the after draft presser.

[Aloysius]

@riffer-x said:

My take on Maiava is that they see him being a beast on specials out the gate. That's pretty can't miss when you know for a fact a guy can do that (he's proven it), so for a fourth rounder that is equal trade. Now if he can play situationally in certain packages in a sort of hybrid SS/ILB/Monsterback role while continuing to develop, that only adds to his value. Also, he fits in the Jackson mold of being a smallish ILB and can serve as his backup while maintaining the same continuity.

I think Maiava is in that football player mold that Mancock seems to prefer, which is a guy who can do multiple things and hold his own as a staple on ST's. If I remember correctly, they harped on his ST ability in the after draft presser.

To me, Maiava seems like a safe, possibly low upside pick. Like you said, if he ever ends up playing in our base defense, it'll be as a weakside guy, most likely as D'Qwell's backup. And considering that D'Qwell's only played 16 games once and is a free agent after this season, it's not a bad idea to add depth to the position. I'm sure Mangini didn't want to have Leon Williams playing big minutes if DQ went down. Now, he can move Barton over to WILB and let Bowens or Veikune play SILB. Or if Maiava develops, he could step up and play WILB.

This is only speculation on my part, but I think Mangini and Kokinis may have been hoping that a couple of guys who ended up going before #104 would fall to them. OL coach George Warhop fell in love with Texas Tech OG Louis Vasquez, but the Chargers took him in the middle of the 3rd round. Jason Williams and Tyrone McKenzie were two linebackers with size & athleticism that the Browns looked at, but the Cowboys and Pats took them in the 3rd. They also worked out Georgia CB Asher Allen, who went to Minnesota twelve picks before the Browns got on the clock.

So it's possible that they had Maiava targeted as a safe option in case some of those more enticing prospects weren't available. As you said, they seemed excited to have him in their post-draft presser, but they may have been even more excited if a guy like Louis Vasquez had been available. He could have challenged for a starting spot on the right side or could have been groomed to replace Steinbach, whose contract numbers get crazy in 2010 ($5.75M base salary).

I would have liked to have seen them take T.J. Lang, who played left tackle at Eastern Michigan but projects well to playing LG. When I watched this guy play, he looked like a perfect complement to Joe Thomas.

[Aloysius]

Sobo at the OBR watched the game last night. Here are his thoughts on how Maiava played:

Sobo said:

Gotta say...if you wanted to watch anyone on this SC defense and be impressed, this certainly wasn't the game. It wasn't just Maualuga or Mays but basically everyone. It wasn't a fluke that the Beavers won. They merely went hat on hat against the best defense in the country and were the more physical team on that day.

What was most concerning was watching Maiava getting completely washed out by much bigger offensive linemen. He definitely had the best overall instincts of the LB corps, was generally in position (though he did overrun a couple), made a few plays, but boy did he struggle with a lineman got locked on. He was done in those instances. But where he really excelled was scraping down the line, working laterally, and in pass coverage especially against TE's. I can now certainly see him really embracing the role as nickel linebacker on his new squad. If Leon Williams falters slightly, Maiava will see playing time quickly.