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motife
04-24-2007, 02:27 AM
Draft Preview: Wide receivers, tight ends
Experts say Johnson is best player in draft this year
Posted: April 23, 2007
On the Packers

Bob McGinn

Green Bay - Eighteen personnel men responsible for the entire country were asked by the Journal Sentinel to identify the best player in the entire draft.

No one brought up other names. No one hemmed or hawed. Most of the replies came instantaneously.

By acclamation, wide receiver Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech was No. 1.

"Oh, without a doubt, it's Johnson," said Bill Polian, president of the Indianapolis Colts. "As much as anybody can be can't-miss, he's can't-miss."

In a draft with a franchise running back in Adrian Peterson, a tremendous tackle in Joe Thomas, a terrific pass rusher in Gaines Adams and a sensational safety in LaRon Landry, Johnson stands alone by unanimous decree as the leading man.

Given almost four months to do nothing but scrutinize on-field performance and off-field behavior, a National Football League scout can diss or dig dirt up on anybody. It's a wonderful year for wide receivers, probably the best position in the draft, but the peerless Johnson is a cut above.

"There's questions, big questions, on the other receivers," said Marc Ross, an 11-year veteran of NFL scouting circles who handles the national side for Buffalo. "But he basically is everything you want in a player. This guy might be the best player that I've ever scouted, like Reggie Bush last year. He's a once in a lifetime kind of talent."

You start with Johnson's size. He's 6 feet 5 inches and 239 pounds, for heaven's sake. For comparison sake, Randy Moss was 6-3 1/2, 200 when he entered the NFL in 1998, Michael Irvin was 6-1 1/2, 200 in '88 and Jerry Rice was 6-2, 195 in '85.

Johnson's speed in the 40-yard dash time is 4.35. Moss ran 4.42. Irvin and Rice were in the range of 4.55, as was Terrell Owens (6-3, 211) in '96. Javon Walker (6-2 1/2, 210) ran 4.41 in '02. Roy Williams (6-2 1/2, 212) ran 4.44 in '04.

On his pro day in Atlanta last month, Johnson's vertical jump was 42 1/2 inches and his broad jump was 11-7. Both efforts were incredible, especially the broad jump. Chris Chambers went 11-2 in '01, the best by a receiver at the combine this decade.

Arm length? Johnson was measured at 36 inches, tied for third longest among 320 athletes at the combine.

Wonderlic intelligence test score? Johnson posted 23, higher than the other top eight wide receivers. In their day, Moss mustered 12, Owens scored 13 and Sterling Sharpe registered 16.

Johnson often is compared to Keyshawn Johnson in terms of size and body control. But Johnson (6-3, 220) ran 4.53, had a vertical of 31 1/2 and scored 11 on the Wonderlic.

Humble and mature, Johnson's character might be just as flawless. His mother uses her Ph.D. in a leading administrative position for the Atlanta public school, his father is a conductor for the Southern-Pacific Railroad and his sister attends medical school.

The noted trainer, Tom Shaw, after working with Johnson this winter, said, "He's Peyton Manning."

Johnson's highlight reel is filled with circus catches in traffic, powerful releases against press coverage and 28 touchdowns in three seasons despite constant double-teaming and quarterback Reggie Ball's wild arm.

Arizona scout Jerry Hardaway was coaching at Grambling when Rice played at Mississippi Valley State and has been evaluating talent across the Southeast for not quite two decades. Moss remains the ultimate for Hardaway in terms of deep receiving ability, and he says Johnson doesn't play quite to Moss's deep speed. But Hardaway and others see Johnson having impact early similar to Moss.

"Why not?" asked Jerry Angelo, Chicago's general manager. "And given the character. You kind of almost can say you got Moss traits with Jerry Rice character."

Obviously, Johnson got all 18 first-place votes (90 points) in a Journal Sentinel poll asking scouts to list their favorite receivers on a 1-to-5 basis.

After Johnson, it was Robert Meachem with 50 points, Dwayne Bowe with 42, Ted Ginn Jr. with 41, Dwayne Jarrett with 18, Steve Smith with 10, Craig Davis with nine, Sidney Rice with eight and Jason Hill with two.

The antithesis of 2006, this draft is so loaded with wide receivers that Angelo said Green Bay's Greg Jennings would rank about eighth this year. And Angelo is high on Jennings.

"Four in the first (round), maybe five," said Angelo. "The teams that wanted a receiver last year and couldn't get him because there weren't any will now go back into the draft."

Just the opposite is true at tight end, which was an extremely deep and talented position in '06 but is barren now. In a Journal Sentinel poll asking scouts to name the best one, Miami's Greg Olsen drew 16 votes, Arizona State's Zach Miller had one and the other personnel man said none was deserving.

"Olsen is going to get pushed up so far because he's the only guy and he's not a first-round guy," Ross said. "There's not an athlete. There's not a blocker. It's a terrible year for tight ends. Terrible."

NEXT: Defensive linemen

motife
04-24-2007, 02:29 AM
Draft Preview: Offensive linemen
Thomas could be 'next big-time tackle'
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: April 22, 2007
On the Packers

Bob McGinn

Green Bay - Late in Anthony Munoz' unmatched career as a tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, an award citation issued by NFL Alumni read as follows:

"The NFL has three levels of offensive linemen. The bottom rung is for players aspiring to make the Pro Bowl. The next step is for those who have earned all-star status. Then there's Anthony Munoz."

During a five-year stretch in the mid-1990s, five tackles entered the league and would eventually prove worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Munoz: Willie Roaf, Tony Boselli, Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace and Walter Jones.

It has been a decade since the last of that vanguard came onto the NFL scene. Even now, in the latter stages of their careers, Jones, Ogden and Pace are as good if not better than anyone playing left tackle.

The torch, however, has not been passed. Is Wisconsin's Joe Thomas next in line?

The question is legitimate. Not only was Thomas gifted with ideal size and boundless athletic ability, he has played the game exceptionally well. His limitations appear nil.

Earlier this month, a cross-section of personnel men for NFL teams was asked if Thomas would become the next "aircraft carrier" at left tackle. Ten said that he wouldn't and two, including general manager A.J. Smith of the San Diego Chargers, said that he would.

"Barring injury, this should be the next big-time tackle," Smith said. "Just do in the pros what you did in college and go to the Pro Bowl nine times. Joe Thomas is a no-brainer."

Smith added this caveat: "We all thought (Robert) Gallery would be one, too."

In 2004, Gallery was regarded as the finest player in the draft by scouts including New England's Scott Pioli, who said at the time: "He is the absolute complete and total package as a player and makeup-wise. You want this guy on your football team."

Gallery, the second pick overall, continues to have major problems in Oakland. Three other tackles taken with top-10 picks this decade - Leonard Davis, Mike Williams and Bryant McKinnie - either have failed or been disappointments.

The stench associated with Tony Mandarich going off No. 2 in 1989 remains fresh, especially in Green Bay.

No player is "bust proof," but none of 20 scouts expressed any significant reservations regarding Thomas.

"Joe Thomas was much better coming out than Robert Gallery," an AFC personnel director said. "He's a physical guy and he's got good feet. He'll be a 10-to-12 year player and will go to Pro Bowls, barring injury."

The Journal Sentinel asked 18 personnel people to rank their favorite offensive linemen on a 1-to-5 basis, with a first-place vote worth five points, a second-place worth four points and so on. Thomas, with 17 firsts and one second, amassed 89 points.

Eight other plays received votes. Levi Brown was second with 65 points, followed by Ben Grubbs with 40, Arron Sears with 24, Joe Staley with 21, Ryan Kalil with 17, Tony Ugoh with eight, Justin Blalock with five and Samson Satele with one.

Again, trumping the 2007 draft class isn't the same as becoming an all-time great.

"He's going to be really good player," Philadelphia general manager Tom Heckert said. "He might be great. You just don't see a super, super guy."

The scouts holding back on Thomas cited a variety of reasons. In comparison to the franchise left tackles, they say Thomas isn't quite as powerful, isn't quite as nasty and isn't quite as quick-footed.

"He's not a finisher and he gets beat some," an AFC scout said. "He's good and will start from day one, but I just don't see a dominant player there."

Dominance defined Munoz, who came out in 1980 carrying 285 pounds on his 6-6 frame and ran 40 yards in 4.9 seconds. In turn, it defined Roaf (6-4 1/2, 307, 5.05), Boselli (6-7, 323, 5.12), Ogden (6-8, 318, 5.05), Jones (6-5, 303, 4.85) and Pace (6-7, 328, 4.97).

Two scouts posited that Thomas (6-6 1/2, 311, 4.92), still just 15 months removed from reconstructive knee surgery, figures to be markedly better in 2007 and beyond.

Several scouts who don't see a Hall of Fame future for Thomas brought up the ongoing careers of Chris Samuels (6-5, 320, 5.10) and Tra Thomas (6-7 1/2, 335, 5.30) as reasonable end games. They have combined for five Pro Bowls.

A more frequent comparison was Paul Gruber (6-4 1/2, 290, 4.91), another former UW left tackle. Partially due to playing on poor teams, Gruber was never voted to the Pro Bowl. He did average 15.3 starts from 1988-'99 and, for most of a decade, ranked among the top eight or so tackles in the league.

Jerry Angelo, the Chicago Bears general manager who helped draft Gruber for Tampa Bay with the No. 4 pick, says Thomas was better than Gruber and on a par with Samuels. Tampa Bay personnel consultant Jim Gruden, Smith and Heckert view Thomas and Gruber as nearly equal.

If Thomas were to become the No. 2 pick, he would join fullback Alan Ameche (1955) and halfback Pat Harder (1944) as the highest-drafted Badgers ever.

"Of the 60 guys that we had at the combine, Joe Thomas had to be among our top four interviews," an AFC personnel man said. "He has a good feel for what he wants to do in life and articulates well. Guys like that will be successful no matter what they do."

NEXT: Wide receivers and tight ends

packrulz
04-24-2007, 06:41 AM
"You start with Johnson's size. He's 6 feet 5 inches and 239 pounds, for heaven's sake. For comparison sake, Randy Moss was 6-3 1/2, 200 when he entered the NFL in 1998, Michael Irvin was 6-1 1/2, 200 in '88 and Jerry Rice was 6-2, 195 in '85.

Johnson's speed in the 40-yard dash time is 4.35."

Wow! CJ is a freak of nature. I'm jealous. Imagine him catching bombs from Favre. TT should still get a good WR though.