East/West Shrine game Q&A with
NFLDraftGuys.com (Sigmund Bloom and
Cecil Lammey)
Sigmund Bloom and Cecil Lammey run
NFLDraftGuys.com, a comprehensive NFL draft site. These scouts were in attendance of Shrine game activities from
weigh-ins to practices and the Shrine game itself. Exclusive to Stillers.com, here is some Q&A about the
players in attendance.
Q: We are all aware the Steelers major area of need is the
O-line. Can you talk about the play of John Greco and do you see him as a
Guard or Tackle at the next level? Can he be a good fit at either
perhaps?
A: Greco looks like a great pass
blocking left tackle to us. He always keeps his feet moving and uses his arms
and strong punch to keep the pass rusher at bay. He has dropped a lot of weight
going into the Shrine Game, which means he also has a better chance of
succeeding as a pulling guard in the Steelers run offense, but he would be more
valuable and more sorely needed as a tackle.
Q:
Any other Tackles worth mentioning from the game?
Pedro Sosa out of Rutgers looked
up to the task against both speed and bull rushers and Duane Brown has retained
enough of the athleticism that got him recruited to Virginia Tech as a TE to
stay at left tackle in the NFL.
Q:
The next big need is along the interior OL, specifically
at center. You have Drew Miller and Fernando Velasco there, critique
their play and feel free to throw your best insult at Sean Mahan's 2007 play.
A: Why single out Mahan? Most of the line play was barely adequate
this year. Miller and Velasco are both team players that switched to center
after previously playing some of the best ball in the SEC at guard. Each showed
the ability to blot out targets at the second level and drive block in a power
running game, although they would be better guards than centers at the next
level.
Q.
The third area of major need is 3-4 DE. Some mid-round guys at the
Shrine game that fit the bill are Kendall Langford, Lionel Dotson, and Keilen
Dykes. Talk about those guys or anyone else who may have stood out as a
potential 3-4 DE prospect.
A: Lionel Dotson clearly had the best quicks for a player who has
the size to stick at DT, but he may lack the bulk to absorb double teams and
probably would be best cast as an undertackle. Keilen Dykes can play just about
anywhere in any scheme, and is a junkyard dog, but he is not an ideal 3-4 DE.
Kendall Langford, on the other hand, has the perfect frame and athleticism for
the penetrating 3-4 DE the Steelers scheme calls for, and with a little more
bulk, should be well-suited for the role.
Q.
Can Frank Okam play 3-4 DE, or is he strictly an interior player?
A: Okam certainly has the size to play 3-4 DE, but he actually has
more of a squatty build despite being 6’4”. He has outstanding quicks for a man
mountain, but he’s closer to being a 3-4 NT, assuming he can avoid his bad
habit of playing too high, than a 3-4 DE. His ideal home would be 4-3 NT.
Q.
With Haggans and Porter leaving the roster in back to back years, depth
at 3-4 OLB is needed. Tommy Blake & Chase Ortiz come to mind. How do
they look, and any other 3-4 OLB prospects to comment on?
A: Tommy Blake seems to have lost his passion for the game and is
probably only a late round/UDFA shot in the dark at this point (albeit one with
high upside, and a similar risk has worked out for the Steelers in Gary
Russell). Ortiz is very disruptive and has a motor that never stops. He also
has a knack for batting down passes and still blowing up pass plays with his
leaping ability and timing even when he doesn’t generate pressure. Curtis
Johnson from Clark Atlanta seems have the ideal game for a 3-4 OLB, but we
didn’t get to see him in that role in Houston.
Q.
A guy I really like from a toughness/versatility/leadership aspect
is Jameel McClain from Syracuse.
I think he'd be a nice 3-4 ILB, A possible 2 down thumper as the Buck
ILB. How does he look at LB, does he have enough speed to make the
transition from DL to ILB?
A: McClain was lining up some with his hand on the ground in the pit
and holding his own as a pass rusher. Maybe he could be a new breed player in
the Steeler defense, one that plays inside on rush downs and outside on pass
downs. He would be a liability in coverage, but moving him to the outside on
passing downs would minimize that weakness.
Q:
You know we Stillers fans love us some RB's (especially fat ones).
What do you make of the RB's at the shrine game? Is BenJarvis Green-Ellis
our next powerback or what?
A: Cory Boyd (South
Carolina) could be converted to fullback, but more of a
utility pass-catching fullback, which the Steelers already have in Carey Davis.
Thomas Brown (Georgia)
will not be needed as he’s a similar RB to Fast Willie, although he could be a
nice sleeper for an RB needy team. Anthony Alridge (Houston)
will not stay at RB at the next level, and Marcus Thomas (UTEP) is too hesitant
for the Steelers power run game. Allan Patrick had a poor week and looks like a
marginal prospect. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Ole Miss) certainly could be, because
he has the power and willingness to run inside very effectively. We like his
burst through the line of scrimmage and the fact that he wants to bowl over
defenders. He also runs very compact with a low center of gravity and wins most
collisions. However of all the RBs in the Shrine Game, Jerome Felton (Furman)
is the type of back that the Steelers could use most effectively, not only as a
running back, but a classic lead-blocking fullback as well. Jerome Bettis is
his favorite player, and the Felton-Bettis comparison is not that far-fetched –
although Felton is in outstanding shape.
Q: Another area of need for this
off-season is KR/WR. Are there any diamonds in the rough for us to keep
an eye on? How about the Michigan
slayer Dexter Jackson?
A: As a kick returner, Jackson
would certainly fit the bill. As a receiver, he is very raw and would only fit
in as a 4/5 at best with the current WR corps. Willie Reid was a very similar
prospect, and he has not worked out. Kevin Robinson (Utah
State) definitely made a
name for himself in the game with his two TDs (one receiving, one punt return)
and he showed explosion after the catch all week on underneath routes. He’s not
as fast as Jackson (who is?), but he’s every bit as quick.
Q: I've heard some rave reviews of CB Dwight Lowery. What is
your take?
A: He has the ball skills of a WR, with the anticipation of a
shutdown corner. What he lacks in raw speed and quicks, he makes up by
correctly diagnosing the route. By the end of the week, QBs were afraid to throw
his way, just as they were when he was a back to back All-American at San
Jose State.
He is equally adept at covering small receivers as he is at covering big
receivers. He has very fluid hips that allow him to change direction
effortlessly, which also takes the edge off his lack of elite speed and
quickness.
Q:
Give me one more name to keep an eye on from what you've seen at the
practices this week.
A: Josh Johnson, the QB out of San
Diego… we can not give him enough praise. He doesn’t use
his hips and body enough to generate power on his throws from the pocket, but
otherwise, he does not have any major flaws, and that flaw is easily
correctable. This year he had 43 touchdowns and 1 interception. That is not a
typo. He also ran for 726 yards on 101 carries and completed 68.4% of his
passes. The most amazing thing about Johnson’s stats is that he was pulled
before the 4th quarter in most games. He is a gifted runner with a
deceptive long stride that causes defenders to take bad angles much like Vince
Young. But don’t call him a running quarterback. He hangs in the pocket when
the bullets are flying and patiently goes through his progressions before
pulling down the ball and running. Best of all, he’s a humble and heady player
– former coach and NFL QB Jim Harbaugh said “If there was an SAT for football,
he would blow it away.”
Q: Finally
a shameless plug. What all can we expect to find at your new site NFLDraftGuys.com?
A: Maybe a better question is “what can’t you find at www.NFLDraftguys.com We’ll have rankings from multiple experts,
face-offs about top prospects, audio and text interviews, mock drafts, coverage
of all of the major draft events and the draft itself, all as credentialed
media at the events, pro day updates, even draft analysis through a fantasy
football lens. Best of all, we’re very excited about a new part of the site
we’ll be unveiling in mid-February. Stay tuned.