chain_gang
04-13-2009, 08:26 PM
This is sort of a spin off of Bretsky's Prospect a Day topics. One of the best things about the draft is you never know if your 3rd/4th to 7th round pick will outshine your 1st/2nd round picks. If you want I can try and Do a "Sleeper" Prospect a day, let me know.
Anyways on to my number 1 sleeper in this whole draft......(You may recognize him from my earlier mock draft)
Phillip Hunt, DE/OLB, Houston.
In my mind he has the potential to be a James Harrison type player. It's sort of eery how similar these players are. Harrison is 6-0 242lbs from a smaller program Kent State. Harrison was a first team Mid-American Conference selection his senior season, finishing with a conference-high 15 sacks and ranking second with 20 tackles for losses.
Phillip Hunt(6-1 244lbs), much the same as Harrison, went to a smaller school(Houston), and had monster production his senior season. #2 in the NCAA with 14 sacks, and 18.5 TFL's. In his junior and senior seasons combined he had 107 tackles, 36.5 TFL's, 25 sacks and five forced fumbles. This past year he was C-USA's Defensive Player of the Year.
Hunt also had a great pro day workout according to Gil Brandt.
Houston Pro day: The University of Houston held its pro day on Friday indoors on AstroTurf in front of representatives from 17 NFL teams. DE/ILB Phillip Hunt (6-0 7/8, 244 pounds) had times of 4.75 and 4.76 in the 40, with an impressive 41 1/2-inch vertical and a 9-foot, 8-inch broad jump. He had a 4.22 short shuttle and a 6.91 three-cone time, with 14 reps on the bench. He took part in drills to show he could pass rush and drop into coverage.
The bench reps worry me a bit, but he should be able to improve his strength, his vertical is just sick.
Here's his Analysis from NFL.com.
Analysis
Positives: Strong upper and lower body for a defensive end with a long wingspan. ... Comes strong out of his stance, gets inside the jersey of his man and can rip off his man to get to the quarterback. ... Uses his hands well in the pass rush. ... Has swim moves either direction. ... Lines up at end, tackle and linebacker. ... Usually comes on the blitz when standing up. ... Chases down the line. ... Secure open-field tackler using his long arms and strength to wrap up. ... Gets his hand on the ball to force turnovers when the tackle is secured. ... Splits double-team blocking when lined up at end or as a linebacker. ... Gets hands up in passing lanes (10 pass breakups in 2007). ... Maintains gap and contain discipline.
Negatives: Production often comes against poor competition or overmatched running backs. ... Short for a defensive end but lacks the bulk to play tackle in most systems, although Tampa-2 teams may try him as a pass-rushing specialist inside. ... Lacks the quickness to beat NFL tackles off the edge. ... Only changed direction on bootlegs and misdirection plays. ... Is not a fluid runner or a quick-twitch athlete and might struggle in space if tried at linebacker. ... Fails to get off blocks of tackles or tight ends too often.
And Finally here's a video I found showcasing some of his skills.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r7XKd3Gaew
Anyways on to my number 1 sleeper in this whole draft......(You may recognize him from my earlier mock draft)
Phillip Hunt, DE/OLB, Houston.
In my mind he has the potential to be a James Harrison type player. It's sort of eery how similar these players are. Harrison is 6-0 242lbs from a smaller program Kent State. Harrison was a first team Mid-American Conference selection his senior season, finishing with a conference-high 15 sacks and ranking second with 20 tackles for losses.
Phillip Hunt(6-1 244lbs), much the same as Harrison, went to a smaller school(Houston), and had monster production his senior season. #2 in the NCAA with 14 sacks, and 18.5 TFL's. In his junior and senior seasons combined he had 107 tackles, 36.5 TFL's, 25 sacks and five forced fumbles. This past year he was C-USA's Defensive Player of the Year.
Hunt also had a great pro day workout according to Gil Brandt.
Houston Pro day: The University of Houston held its pro day on Friday indoors on AstroTurf in front of representatives from 17 NFL teams. DE/ILB Phillip Hunt (6-0 7/8, 244 pounds) had times of 4.75 and 4.76 in the 40, with an impressive 41 1/2-inch vertical and a 9-foot, 8-inch broad jump. He had a 4.22 short shuttle and a 6.91 three-cone time, with 14 reps on the bench. He took part in drills to show he could pass rush and drop into coverage.
The bench reps worry me a bit, but he should be able to improve his strength, his vertical is just sick.
Here's his Analysis from NFL.com.
Analysis
Positives: Strong upper and lower body for a defensive end with a long wingspan. ... Comes strong out of his stance, gets inside the jersey of his man and can rip off his man to get to the quarterback. ... Uses his hands well in the pass rush. ... Has swim moves either direction. ... Lines up at end, tackle and linebacker. ... Usually comes on the blitz when standing up. ... Chases down the line. ... Secure open-field tackler using his long arms and strength to wrap up. ... Gets his hand on the ball to force turnovers when the tackle is secured. ... Splits double-team blocking when lined up at end or as a linebacker. ... Gets hands up in passing lanes (10 pass breakups in 2007). ... Maintains gap and contain discipline.
Negatives: Production often comes against poor competition or overmatched running backs. ... Short for a defensive end but lacks the bulk to play tackle in most systems, although Tampa-2 teams may try him as a pass-rushing specialist inside. ... Lacks the quickness to beat NFL tackles off the edge. ... Only changed direction on bootlegs and misdirection plays. ... Is not a fluid runner or a quick-twitch athlete and might struggle in space if tried at linebacker. ... Fails to get off blocks of tackles or tight ends too often.
And Finally here's a video I found showcasing some of his skills.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r7XKd3Gaew