NFLsFuture.com

Stephen Hill impressive in Indy

Georgia Tech has been a run-oriented team under Paul Johnson but you wouldn’t know it by the NFL talent that has been produced by the school lately.

Stephen Hill was the latest Georgia Tech wide receiver to blow scouts away with his physical gifts.  The 6’4″ 215 pound receiver tied for the fastest 40 time among the 2012 WR group.  Hill ran a 4.36, vertical leaped 39.5″ and caught the ball with consistency in drills.  Hill challenged Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd for the most impressive performance on Sunday.  Hill is the latest of Georgia Tech wide receivers that wowed with their physical gifts despite limited collegiate production.

Hill caught just 28 balls for 820 yards and five touchdowns.  At nearly 30 yards/reception, Hill proved to be a dangerous downfield threat in Paul Johnson’s run-oriented GT offense.  For some perspective, Demaryius Thomas, 2010 first round pick of Denver, averaged 25 yards/reception before entering the 2010 NFL Draft.  Thomas checked in at 6’3″ 225 pounds and ran a 4.38 40 at his pro day workout.  Impressive numbers but outdone by Hill on Sunday.

The grossest example of freakish athleticism from a Georgia Tech receiver comes at the hands of Calvin Johnson.  Johnson ran a 4.35 40 at 6’5″ 235 pounds.  Johnson was considered by many to be the top prospect in the 2007 NFL Draft that included Adrian Peterson and Joe Thomas.  He is arguably the most physically dominating receiver in the NFL and may be giving an August speech in Canton, Ohio after he decides to retire from the NFL.

Hill was considered to be a second-round pick by most prognosticators but had the upside to warrant a late-first round selection.  With Alshon Jeffery opting to not run in Indy and rumors of so, so interviews with teams he could continue his gradual slide down draft boards.  Jeffery loss could be Hill’s gain.  There will be a fairly large learning curve for Hill once he hits an NFL camp but you can’t teach what he has.

Cam Johnson

Virginia

Ht. 6-4 Wt. 270

Pass Rush:  Cam Johnson has a solid first step but not elite.  He can get by blockers with his quickness.  He moves laterally well and has developed some pass rush moves in 2011.  Enough power to bull rush opponents and uses his hands well to fight off blockers.  He plays a little high and gets upright on contact.  He will need to work on staying low through contact in order to be an effective pass rusher in the NFL.

Against the run:  Johnson’s hands placement and ability to gain leverage on opponents in the run game is a major plus.  He is violent with his hands which makes it tough to get into his body.  He’s a slippery guy in the run game and has good awareness.  He plays a little high in run game as well and isn’t as explosive against the run as you would like. Read the rest of this entry » «Cam Johnson Scouting Report»

As Robert Griffin III was doing as expected at the NFL Scouting Combine, rumors began swirling of the Redskins offering a king’s ransom for the services of the Baylor quarterback.

The original tweet appears to have come from Philadelphia Sports Talk host, Howard Eskin.

I’m told by people within Redskins they are prepared to offer picks 1,2 and 3 this year, at least a 1 next year to move up to get RG3 at 2

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) February 26, 2012

The St. Louis Rams hold the 2nd pick in April’s draft and would have to jump at the opportunity to obtain the haul that Eskin has been proposed by his sources.  The Redskins and Browns appear to be heavy favorites for the 2nd pick.  The Browns could offer some combination involving the 4th and 22nd pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  With the Browns appearing to be clear cut leaders in the RGIII sweepstakes, it may take Eskin’s proposed offer to lure the Rams to do the deal with Washington.

The rumored offer would far exceed the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart value but we are talking about Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins.  After watching the combination of Rex Grossman and John Beck man the quarterback spot in 2011, they are desperate.  This is definitely one that will only become more intriguing as we head into free agency.

Hill impressive with an unofficial 4.3 40 time

Day two of the on field workouts in Indianapolis are underway and starting with a bang.

The talk of the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine has been early impressions on the impressive Baylor QB, Robert Griffin III.  RGIII didn’t disappoint this morning blazing an unofficial 4.38 40 yard dash time.  Griffin has had a near perfect showing in Indy as he was an impressive interview, measured in at 6-2 3/8 and 223 pounds, and ran the fastest unofficial 40 time for a QB in this year’s group.  Once the official time becomes official, he will have likely run the second fastest QB time since Michael Vick ran 4.33 in 2000.

An equally impressive performance has been that of Georgia Tech WR Stephen Hill.  Hill played in the run-oriented GT offense which had some questioning his transition to an NFL passing attack. They won’t be questioning his speed.  Hill blazed an unofficial 4.30 40 time with an even more impressive 1.20 10 yard split.  Hill was beginning to pick up steam in NFL Draft circles because of his size and upside.  With few reps coming in college, Hill needed a strong Combine performance.  At 6’4″ 215 pounds Hill impressed indeed.

Could the past 10 years give us insight on the direction of finding quality receivers in the 2012 NFL Draft?

This article goes back and details the successful and failed picks at the Wide Receiver position from 2001-2010 in the NFL Draft, and relates it to the current 2012 NFL Draft to see how it could affect this current Draft.

The idea for this article came about because of the perceived depth of this upcoming 2012 NFL Draft at the WR position. Not only are there a number of potential 1^st Round Prospects (Justin Blackmon, Kendall Wright, Michael Floyd and Alshon Jeffrey), but there are also a number of players after Round 1 that could make a real impact in their rookie seasons and beyond. With the depth in the 2^nd, 3^rd and even 4^th rounds this year, it got me thinking of past drafts and where the best value may be at the receiver position. So with that in mind, I went back to each draft from 2001 to 2010 and recorded each player that I believed to be a successful pick in each round of each draft. The results could be a little bit subjective, with no real strict formula to separate successful from unsuccessful. But for the most part the results do the job they are intended to, and help to detail the value each round presents at WR over the past 10 years. The 2011 Draft is not included in the study because it is too early to tell on the successes and failures of that draft.

Results of the Study: Read the rest of this entry » «10 Year WR Case Study: How does it affect this year?»

Chandler Jones

Syracuse

Ht. 6-5 Wt. 265

Pass Rush:  Chandler Jones is a tall, lean guy with the body to fill out without losing speed.  He is raw but the abilities are there as a pass rusher.  He doesn’t have elite get off but enough to get the edge on most NFL tackles.  As I said, he’s raw so there’s a ton of downside to his game.  First and foremost, he plays high and drops his head into contact.  When I say high, it’s all 6’5 high.  He has to learn to drop his pad level because he’s not strong enough to rely on his bull rush against NFL OT’s.  He doesn’t move well laterally and really struggled in tight spaces.

Against the run:  Jones can stack and shed blocks.  He uses his long arms to extend into contact and shows solid hand placement.  His combination of length and strength makes it tough for blockers to stay engaged.  Once again, he struggles to keep his pads down.  He is a tall target and needs to work on lowering his base.  He struggles to anchor because of his length despite being a naturally strong athlete. Read the rest of this entry » «Chandler Jones Scouting Report»

RGIII is on fire in Indy

Robert Griffin III hasn’t thrown, nor will he throw a pass at the NFL Scouting Combine yet he’s Indy’s big winner thus far.

The guy that won over the college football world with his magnetic personality, other-worldly play,  and superhero socks has won NFL media and presumably NFL teams in his first day in Indy.

Griffin started the day with proving that he has the measurables of an elite quarterback.  Grifffin checked in at 6-2 3/8 and 223 pounds.  After many questioned whether Griffin would break the 6-2 mark, he surpassed those expectations.  Griffin would continue to impress when he stepped to the podium to take on the media.

Andrew Luck may be a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback prospect but Griffin is hot on his heels.  What was once thought of as an impossibility is becoming a near reality.  Luck was viewed as the clear cut No. 1 pick but Griffin’s presence is causing some to question whether he doesn’t have what it takes to overtake Luck in the minds of NFL talent evaluators.

While it’s the longest of long shots for Griffin to overtake Luck as the top prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft he has certainly cemented himself as the No. 2 pick in April’s draft. Outside of Ben Dogra (Griffin’s agent) the most excited party in Indy has to the St. Louis Rams who hold the 2nd pick.  The price of that pick could be on a steady rise.

Griffin has stole the show and has many questioning whether we could have two once-in-a-lifetime quarterbacks in the 2012 NFL Draft.