Maurice Stovall

[Tony Oday]

Any news on this guy? I wanted us to pick him in the 3rd round in the WORSTE way. I just love the combo of speed and size. How is he doing?

[woodbuck27]

Fan comments:

** I watched Stovall play at Notre Dame last year, and let me tell you; he always makes the tough catches. Brady Quinn lofted seemingly uncatchable balls all over the defensive backfield, but every time one looked like it might miss, Stovall would leap up and pick it down with one hand. He'd be a great slot guy for the Bucs, and down the road could be involved in one of the NFL's best WR combos, combined with Clayton.

** The Bucs got a steal in the late 3rd round with Mo Stovall. The guy has a HIGH ceiling, and one can only imagine how his career would've been had he played under Charlie Weis for his entire career. He has outstanding body control, great instincts, soft hands, tremendous physicality, and very good downfield blocking skills. He won't be a burner, but he's a redzone target, and he has no problems going across the middle. With the emergence of Chris Simms and Michael Clayton along with the re-emergence of Joey Galloway, Stovall should make an already dangerous passing attack moreso. Throw in Cadillac, and you've got a very balanced offense that makes the defense pick its poison.


Comment:

Stovall may fill the bill as 'the Buc's' slotback.

Stovall is compared to the Houston Texans ' Eric Moulds, who spent the first 10 seasons of his career shining with the Buffalo Bills.

Moulds, a 6'2", 210-pound WR has hauled in 675 receptions in a successful career. Of all the qualities Moulds possesses, it's his physicality that stands out.

Since Stovall is bigger and equally as fast as Moulds, he already possesses traits that could lead to success. If the youngster can improve his level of physicality against opposing defenders, the Bucs may have stumbled onto something great.


What are 'the Buc's' choices here?

Veteran Ike Hilliard, doesn't seem like the right man for the job, since he averaged just 8.2 yards per reception last season. Hilliard's a somewhat-reliable target, but he lacks the explosiveness and big-play ability needed for a receiver coming out of the slot.

The next possible choice, Edell Shepherd, lacks the consistency to be the Bucs' No. 3 wideout next season. With just 10 receptions in his three-year career.

With those two possible candidates unlikely to take the slot this season, it brings the Bucs' possibilities down to Mo Stovall, the 90th overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Stovall never came on until last season, his junior year, but after entering the spotlight, he shined . The 6'4", 217-pounder caught 69 passes for a whopping 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2005. After running a respectable 4.58 40-yard dash at February's scouting combine, Stovall won the respect of many teams as someone with the potential to make a helpful impact in the league.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/08/images/large/1Star_1adiges_502715.jpg

[woodbuck27]

Son's dedication pleases mom

Bucs rookie and soon-to-be Notre Dame grad Maurice Stovall tries not to worry about his cancer-stricken mother.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published May 8, 2006


TAMPA - On some days, the disease that has relentlessly ravaged Cynthia Stovall's body won't permit her to rise from bed. The self-described busybody has raised a son who can outmaneuver speedy defensive backs, but cancer is a much tougher opponent.

The aggressive chemotherapy and medications often leave her literally breathless, barely able to speak. But on Saturday - on the weekend son Maurice began his Buccaneer career in rookie minicamp - Cynthia found the strength to make it to the rummage sale at her Philadelphia area church. And she had enough stamina to grab a cell phone from her husband, Maurice Sr., and tell the inquirer on the line she has every intention of being there for the biggest day of her son's life.

Not draft day, but graduation day.

"Oh, I'm going," said Cynthia, whose son was Tampa Bay's third-round pick out of Notre Dame. "Trust me."

The date has been circled on calendars in the Stovall residence for a while now. May 21. South Bend, Ind. It will be the culmination of many years of hard work and a few months of growing up quickly.

Make that a nerve-racking few months. In the midst of preparations for the NFL scouting combine, where millions are made and lost, Stovall learned of his 45-year-old mother's diagnosis: ovarian cancer. By the time it was discovered in February, it had begun spreading uncontrollably.

But Stovall had more than football on his mind. And to Cynthia, it was something much more important. He had dedicated himself to completing the final credits needed for his dual majors in computer applications and sociology. Football and school are more than enough to overwhelm a young man barely old enough to drink legally (he turned 21 in February). But Stovall had greater concerns.

"She tells me to worry about me and not her," Stovall said, "but you can't. I do in front of her, but when I'm away, I think about her a lot. It's tough because your mother is always like the strongest person in the world to you, so it really hurts to see her go through it. But she never complains and says, "Why me?'

"She just says it's a cross she has to bear. I'm very proud of her. I think she's holding up pretty well. Seeing her go through it and still smile, I can only imagine the pain she's going through."

Doing his best to focus, Stovall asked his professors for some flexibility, and soon, he will reward them for their patience by graduating. Many draft candidates drop out of school once their collegiate playing days end, choosing to delve full time into football careers.

Not Stovall. He left school Thursday morning, boarded a flight to Tampa, arrived ready for business in slacks and a button-down shirt, and was in meetings past 9 p.m. After minicamp ended Sunday, Stovall planned to head back to South Bend to wrap up the semester despite the nice payday about to come his way.

Some might consider what Maurice is doing special. The Stovalls call it routine.

"We've always had a balanced approach to academics and athletics," said Maurice Sr., a former standout defensive lineman at Cheyney (Pa.) University. He has taken a leave from his job supervising former prisoners on probation to care for his wife - a decision Maurice Jr. quietly admires.

"My wife told the kids she did not want them to deviate from the plan," the father added.

The plan also applies to baby sister Enonge', a freshman basketball player at Virginia. For Cynthia, this was the expectation for Maurice since she enrolled him in kindergarten at age 4.

"Our thing has always been accountability and professionalism," Cynthia said. "You're supposed to graduate as far as we're concerned. I never wanted him to think that what he was doing was special. We never even allowed him to read newspaper articles about himself when he was in high school. We didn't want that head to get too big.

"But don't get me wrong: I am so proud."

She should be.

Stovall had a breakout season as a senior, catching 53 passes for 887 yards, nearly doubling his 2004 production. Much of the gains had to do with former New England assistant Charlie Weis taking over as Notre Dame's coach, opening up the offense and making Stovall a central figure.

"They had a superstar at quarterback (Brady Quinn) and they have a guy calling plays who has won Super Bowls," said coach Jon Gruden, who has Stovall working at flanker, where the Bucs hope he'll push Michael Clayton.

"But they asked a lot of Maurice as a receiver. They asked him to get his weight down and become more of a pivotal part of the passing game."

All Maurice has to do now is try to make a similar jump on a much higher level. As for his mother, oh, she can take care of herself.

"I don't expect him to fall apart or worry," Cynthia said.

"He knows that I'm a tough cookie."

[Tony Oday]

I think we missed BIG by not taking him.

[woodbuck27]

I think we missed BIG by not taking him.

Jon Gruden has never been known as stupid.

So we get Charles Woodson. They have an excellent person and prospect in Mo Stovall.

It's interesting that if you really pay attention to draft prospects ,you pick up on players of interest that go to other teams.

One of those for me, is CB/KR/PR Justin Miller that went to the Jet's in the 2005 draft. Another is DE Justin Tuck of 'the Giants'.

As it turned out we drafted S Nick Collins instead of Justin Miller and WR Terrence Murphy ( who we sadly lost) rather than Justin Tuck.