@inspecta said:

that's the first time a rookie has ever been on the cover of madden, and also means I don't want to touch that kid with a 20 foot pole.

The kid is doomed, why oh why did his agent agree to this?

Whoops, my bad. It is the EA NCAA cover.

@oconrecon said:

i'm reading that it is the cover on ncaa football along with sanchez, percy harvin and utah quarterback brian johnson. i think it is just the college orakpo will be on.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/04/22/...2010-ncaa-game/

@oldcrow1945 said:

I think he has cooled on Orakpo too. Mcshay is now saying he doesn't even think he's a OLB. Questions his cover ability.

He thinks he's a pure 4-3 DE.

Texas played some 3-4 this year and Orakpo played OLB and scouts say the film of him in coverage was very good. He also did a very good job at the combine in the LB drills.

McShay is flip-flopping on a lot of guys in the last few days. He's had Orakpo going to Cleveland, Sanchez going to Cleveland, Crabtree going to Cleveland and now Raji going to Cleveland.

Fact is nobody has a clue what the Browns are going to do.

@inspecta said:

that's the first time a rookie has ever been on the cover of madden, and also means I don't want to touch that kid with a 20 foot pole.

The kid is doomed, why oh why did his agent agree to this?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

@cambridgeho said:

The guy is well respected around the league....He's been evaluating talent for a living for well over ten years.

He's not just another ESPN reporter.

He was tutored by long time scout and coach Gary Horton for the war room. This firm is hired by NFL teams to provide independent scouting reports.

I think he has cooled on Orakpo too. Mcshay is now saying he doesn't even think he's a OLB. Questions his cover ability.

He thinks he's a pure 4-3 DE.

1 tackle. I Qb hurry and he played LE on only one play.

He had 0 tackles. He had one QB hurry and caused one holding penalty when he had beat Boone.

To his credit almost everything the Buckeyes ran was to their right side.

@riffer-x said:

I sack and two tackles is not shut down?

Ok!!

As I said in the prvious post....Can't say Orakpo was spying Pryor when Boeckman threw the ball 12 times for 110 yards and a TD.

I guess Orakpo was being shut down at LE by.....Bryant Browning!!

Aloysius said:

You can re-watch the game on Hulu. There's been a lot of unfair criticism of his play in that game. And because it's the only Texas game a lot of OSU/Browns fans saw, it's leading to some being a lot lower on Orakpo than they should be.

Don't need to rewatch it cuz that's how I remember it. He definitely did not get "shut down".

Aloysius said:

You can re-watch the game on Hulu. There's been a lot of unfair criticism of his play in that game. And because it's the only Texas game a lot of OSU/Browns fans saw, it's leading to some being a lot lower on Orakpo than they should be.

Ok, then Bryant Browning shut him down....Even worse!!! A guard who had been moved to Tackle out of need.

Either way, his presence was not felt often in that game.

Where was he when Boeckman played? Didn't have to worry about Pryor rolling on those plays. He never came close to Boeckman.

Todd was 5-12 for 110 yards and a TD. During those plays Texas knew they Buckeyes were going to throw. The perfect time for Orakpo to put his head down and go. Where was he?

@oldcrow1945 said:

That's not true. It wasn't Orakpo's best game, but Boone didn't "shut him down". In fact, Orakpo lined up a lot at LE because they wanted to stop Pryor from simply rolling to the right whenever Orakpo beat Boone, which happened a few times early in the game.

You can re-watch the game on Hulu. There's been a lot of unfair criticism of his play in that game. And because it's the only Texas game a lot of OSU/Browns fans saw, it's leading to some being a lot lower on Orakpo than they should be.

@calfoxwc said:

Oklahoma's mammoth Phil Loadholt (6-8, 337) in an eye-opening performance earlier this year.

And late round selection or undrafted FA Alex Boone shut him down. Orakpo had one early sack and two tackles in the Fiesta bowl. After the 1st period he completely disappeared.

I think this is why Mayock as cooled on him. Could he be great? You bet.... But Mayock sees a guy that isn't consistent.

Mayock acts now as if he doesn't even think he's worthy a top ten pick.

But even though they are similar in build, their mental make up seems to be very, very different.

Ghouston was a loner, and quiet. Competitive on the field

But Orakpo is extremely competitive, and outgoing, and funny, and -into the game-.

The big different, imho, is the personality and drive of Orakpo. That will make him a big success in the NFL.

*****************************

Texas' opponents experiencing Orakpo phobia

01:29 AM CDT on Thursday, October 30, 2008

AUSTIN – Brian Orakpo, a fan of author John Steinbeck, penned a concise description of his playing

style for the Texas football Web site: "Too fast for your eyes."

The problem was that Orakpo was more visible than he wanted to be in 2007, slowed by a knee injury.

The senior defensive end whom coach Mack Brown called maybe the best pass rusher of his time in

Texas managed just 5 ½ sacks after suffering a chop block against Arkansas State.

Now, the Orakpo everybody expected has emerged. He's in the face of offensive linemen, the heads of

quarterbacks and on a mission, he says, to make up for time lost.

The next challenge of Orakpo and his defensive teammates will be getting past Texas Tech's ample, accomplished

offensive line and invading Graham Harrell's personal space.

"They've only given up three sacks all season," said Orakpo (6-4, 260). "We understand their philosophy. We

understand that the sacks aren't going to be a huge numbers.

"But from what we've saying from Day 1 is putting the pressure, making them somewhat uncomfortable and not letting

them sit back there for days."

Containing Orakpo has bedeviled even the biggest and best offensive linemen. Somehow, Orakpo found a route around

Oklahoma's mammoth Phil Loadholt (6-8, 337) in an eye-opening performance earlier this year.

"It means a lot to our defense because you know somehow the quarterback will be affected," Texas defensive tackle

Roy Miller said. "Rak has a mismatch on everybody he plays."

In big-time college football, just about everybody is strong.

Or fast.

Or gifted.

I never saw him as a Linebacker.

@oldcrow1945 said:

Oh, I don't contest that Gholston was a dominant college player. I'm focusing more on the skills that project to NFL success, particularly as a 3-4 linebacker.

The stiffness affects Gholston's ability to play in space. When I watched the prospects run through LB drills at the Combine last year, I though Chris Long looked more like a guy capable of transitioning to linebacker. In reality, both players are probably better off playing 4-3 end.

Also, I think one of Gholston's problems is that he was able to physically overwhelm guys at the collegiate level, whereas he'll need to refine his hand usage and rush moves to have consistent success as a rusher in the NFL. Orakpo needs some work in this area too, but he's got the quickness to beat guys with speed. Plus, he's shown the commitment to improving his game, spending the '08 offseason studying martial arts in order to improve his hand play. I've heard that some question Gholston's desire to be great; I don't think that's much of a concern with Osackpo.

I'll go with Mayhock's analysis......"His effort isn't consistant. He seems to disappear at times. I'd be shocked if he weren't a top ten pick but at #5 I'm just not an Orakpo guy at that level".

Don't know what's up with Mayock. A couple months ago, he was saying that Orakpo reminded him of DeMarcus Ware and Aaron Curry could play anywhere in any scheme. Now, he's a hell of a lot more skeptical about Orakpo and is "more comfortable" projecting Curry to a 4-3 front. And then there's the whole Robert Ayers thing...

Still have a ton of respect for the guy's opinion. Just wish I could get a clearer explanation for why his views are evolving. Watched the Alabama-Tennessee game because he mentioned that Ayers dominated Andre Smith, and I saw a guy reducing inside to use his good but not great quickness to beat Bama's LG. Watched the Texas-Oklahoma State game because he mentioned how Pettigrew handled Orakpo, and I see Orakpo overwhelm a future 1st round left tackle.

Just don't get why Ayers is suddenly a better prospect than Orakpo and Curry.

Aloysius said:

There's some risk with any 3-4 front seven projection; Orakpo's no exception. But his upside is incredibly enticing.

I'd take Osackpo over anyone in this draft not named Aaron Curry.

Actually his stiffness wasn't the point of the post......It was a response to another post that said he didn't dominate against big time talent. I think Long is Bigger than the two mentioned in your post.

I'm not even sure how much Orakpo lined up against Okung on the right side.

I'll go with Mayock's analysis......"His effort isn't consistant. He seems to disappear at times. I'd be shocked if he weren't a top ten pick but at #5 I'm just not an Orakpo guy at that level".

There's some risk with any 3-4 front seven projection; Orakpo's no exception. But his upside is incredibly enticing.

I'd take Osackpo over anyone in this draft not named Aaron Curry.

@calfoxwc said:

Orakpo dominated two blue chip LT's, one from Oklahoma, and had great games.

.

You didn't see the Michigan game where Gholston beat Jake long twice? It was the first sack Long gave up that year.

The season previous, he not only ran over Long on one play, he ran over the next blocker and still got to the Henne.

We are talking Jake Long here....Phil Loadholt isn't even close. Who is the other blue chipper that Orakpo had a great game against?

His sophomore year.

This is his junior year. At the 2:32 point is where he completely runs past Jake Long.

@ytownbrownsbacker said:

Orakpo may be a beast as a DE, but can he transition to a 3-4 OLB nd be dominate in his first year? If there's a question, I'd rather pass and find a few guys later in the draft, far cheaper and work them in. There isn't too many guys who stepped right in and were a success at a 3-4 OLB position. Ware and Merriman, but not many others.

So, if you want to pick Orakpo, you better be sure because he is going to make a hell of a lot of money.

If I'm picking at #5 I want a guy that will come in and be an impact player, right now. I don't care what position, if he can make an immediate impact he makes the team better.

Absolutely you must get a STARTER with the #5 pick. Thats a lot of $$ for developing.