Draft Chat with Rob Rang (From footballguys)
I've been swamped so I haven't been able to post this sooner. I wanted to share it with everyone. If you want more info then you can get it at www.footballguys.com (giving proper credit to them for the info)
Posted 4/13 by David Dodds, Exclusive to Footballguys.com
Rob Rang, one of the foremost Draft Experts in the country, is the Senior Draft analyst for NFLDraftScout.com. Prior to that, Rob was the Owner and Editor of Westcoastdraft.com for many years. First recognized by SportsTALK.com (now a component of ESPN Insider), Rob's work has been featured in print, radio, internet, and television networks across the country. USA Today, ESPN, FOX, The Sporting News, MSNBC, AOL, and CBS Sportsline are among those who have all featured elements of Rob's work in the past.
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FBG: Welcome Rob.
FBG: Because we are a site that focuses on Fantasy Football, we are going to start off with questions regarding some of the skill positions (QB, RB, WR and TE).
Rob Rang: Okay, ready to roll whenever you are.
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FBG: Do most scouts believe Vince Young has the "read and react" capability to succeed at the pro level?
Rob Rang: Scouts are a bit divided on Young's mental capacity to handle the traditional role at quarterback. That is the biggest polarizing reason for some teams to rank him as an elite prospect, others to rank him as a borderline first round pick. The team that takes him, likely Tennessee, Oakland, Arizona, etc. will have to devote a good deal of time towards his progressions, while still allowing him to function as the athletic marvel he is.
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FBG: If Tennessee takes a QB and both Leinart and Young are available, who do they prefer?
Rob Rang: That is the question of the draft, my friend. My sources indicate that the coaching staff is leaning towards Leinart. Chow, in particular, would love the reunion, I'm told. Young, however, because of his upside is reportedly favored by the scouting department.
The choice might be made for the Titans because the Jets, with 5 first day picks, including 2 first rounders, have plenty of ammunition to jump ahead of the Titans. If that occurs, it would seem likely the Jets would take Leinart, leaving Young to Tennessee.
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FBG: How do you rank the 2nd tier QBs after the big 3 are gone (Leinart, Young and Cutler)?
Rob Rang: Our top 5 (after the top 3) are:
Charlie Whitehurst - Clemson
Brodie Croyle - Alabama
Bruce Gradkowski - Toledo
Erik Meyer - Eastern Washington
Omar Jacobs - Bowling Green.
Rising up the list is Oregon's Kellen Clemens after his leg was cleared at the Combine.
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FBG: You have Eastern Washington's Erik Meyer higher than most other scouts. For those of us unfamiliar with Meyer, could you talk a bit about what skills he brings to the field?
Rob Rang: Meyer posted monstrous numbers at EWU over his career, including an 84/17 TD to INT ratio (school record), as well as the most passing yards in school history (10,261). He also holds the NCAA Division 1-AA all-time record with a 166.47 passing efficiency rating.
Meyer lacks great size at 6-1, 210, but is a gutty competitor with enough arm strength to complete the NFL passes. He has very good accuracy in the short to medium range and is at his best rolling out.
We expect to see him drafted in the 5th round or so and feel he'll surprise if given time to develop.
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FBG: Bowling Green's Omar Jacobs was wildly productive but seems to be getting a "system" label. Do you share those concerns and, if so, do you think he got some bad advice in deciding to come out early?
Rob Rang: It is tough to say that he got bad advice, because I don't know his personal situation. If he has issues to deal with such as financial, academic, or family problems, his decision to leave school for the money makes sense. I do believe he could have very much improved his standing with the NFL with another season. He is a bit of a system QB, but the biggest knock is a terrible delivery that will need to be completely overhauled. That said, he is an intelligent pocket-passer with solid accuracy and a better arm than credited for. I firmly believe he can be successful at the NFL level if allowed to sit and learn for a year or two.
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FBG: Would Alex Smith grade out to a first round QB in this year's draft?
Rob Rang: Yes. He is a talented guy, he just needs a good deal of work, like all young QBs do. He seems smart and mature enough to handle the transition, which was a huge reason why SF took him last year. They (team and player) knew he'd struggle as a rookie, but it takes a pretty strong character to handle the criticism and pressure of being #1 overall, struggle, and fight through it to improve.
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FBG: Of the past or present NFL running backs who does Reggie Bush most remind you of?
Rob Rang: A combination of Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders.
Like these two HOFs, Bush's best attribute is his ability to create space from defenders. He has great speed, but his ability to elude defenders in the open field is unbelievable, at times.
That said, considering this is a fantasy football site. Don't overdraft the guy. He'll rack up a lot of yards, both as a runner and receiver, but like Sanders, the Texans might look to sub for him in short yardage and goalline situations.
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FBG: How far in the draft do you feel LenDale White has fallen due to his poor performance at his Pro-day? Do the Steelers have a shot at him with the last pick in the 1st round?
Rob Rang: Good question. The scout in me says that there is no way 31 teams ignore the film on this kid and focus on his workout results to let him slide that far.
The other part of me, however, argues that I certainly wouldn't be willing to fork over millions of dollars to a guy who clearly wasn't prepared to workout at his own Pro Day. I don't know that all 32 teams will agree with this rationale, but I do know of 2 teams that have taken him off their board for the first round -- and each were considering a RB in the first round. (Pitt wasn't one of them, though I think a WR or especially S might be their preferred route).
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FBG: Jerious Norwood. Better YPC than Addai with a lesser line and a similar schedule. Great speed, good size, great hands, great kid, good burst up the middle, dangerous outside -- Why no love for this guy from the scouts?
Rob Rang: Quite simply, he doesn't break enough tackles.
He is a terrific athlete. A very good football player. Just doesn't play with a great deal of physicality. He is viewed as a bit of a change-the-pace back at the next level, much like Seattle back-up Maurice Morris. Will break some long runs if given the chance, though. We have him as the #7 RB in the draft and a 2-3rd round pick.
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FBG: A lot of discussion on this board involves the skill set of the top RBs and how they fit with the offensive philosophy they might be drafted into. Assuming Bush goes to Houston, where do you see the best fits for Williams, White and Maroney?
Rob Rang: All have the vision and burst to be successful in Indianapolis' or Denvers' scheme, so, not surprisingly, the RBs drafted early by those teams will be ones to watch.
Williams lacks size obviously, but is probably the best combination of interior and exterior running of these three. He shows good hands, as well. Williams has legitimate breakaway speed.
Maroney has the deceptive speed that Shaun Alexander has used so well. He can run with some power and some speed, but is rated so high because he is pretty good at everything -- but not great at any one thing.
White brings the power. His ability to break tackles and drag defenders makes him a great option for a power rushing team. He hasn't been used often as a receiver, but has softer hands than most credit him with.
Watch out too for Joseph Addai. The best pass blocking RB of the draft and we've all seen talented rookie RBs not get playing time because of their pass blocking. He could see the field earlier than other, more highly acclaimed RBs.
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FBG: Which middle to late-round running back has the best chance of surpassing expectations at the pro level?
Rob Rang: This is a tougher question than it looks because, as you alluded to in the last question, much of the success/failure ratio for RBs is determined by which scheme they're drafted into.
That said, based on pure talent, one late guy to watch out for is former South Carolina RB Demetris Summers. He signed on as just as highly recruited as Reggie Bush, but two marijuana tests later, he was cut. He's clean now and working out for scouts and could get a shot. Talented kid who seems to have smartened up a bit.
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FBG: Where do you see Maurice Drew going?
Rob Rang: The best RB no one seems to be talking about... He's a definite 2nd round pick. If the Colts aren't able to fill their need for a RB, they have Drew ranked pretty high. The Giants and Falcons like him as a potential replacement for Barber, Dunn eventually.
Current mock has him going to Carolina with pick #58, second round.
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FBG: Given the Terrell Owens/Eagles debacle last year, which rookie WR in this class do you think has the most character issues?
Rob Rang: Not as many character issues this year, thankfully, as in years past.
A stretch, but some of the underclassmen are a little immature and some of the QBs turned WRs like Brad Smith, Michael Robinson are being pretty stubborn about making the transition to wideout.
Nothing to really worry about.
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FBG: You were very high on Jon Orr (Wisconsin) exiting the season, but he's now fallen down your rankings considerably. Is that more a reflection of Orr disappointing you in some way or to better align with where he's likely to be drafted?
Rob Rang: A little of both, to be honest. I'm still quite high on his upside and traveled to San Antonio to personally scout the East-West Shrine Game practices to clean up my thoughts on a few prospects -- one of which was Orr.
He is a legitimate 6-2, 200 pounder with 4.4 speed and leaping ability. That said, for all of his athleticism and big play potential, he just didn't come up with the big play when opportunities presented themselves at the Shrine Game. I'm a firm believer in the adage that big players make big plays in the big game. If you aren't making big plays in the biggest auditions of your life, you're going to drop down my board. Orr did this at the Shrine practices and dropped. Derek Hagan did the same at the Senior Bowl and dropped...
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FBG: When all is said and done this 2006 tight end class might be the best and deepest ever. We all know Vernon Davis is the class of the group. But how do you rate the next tier, and out of that group who do you see making the biggest impact out of the group of Pope, Byrd, Lewis, Fasano, Day, Thomas, Klopenstein etc.
Rob Rang: Agree 100% on the talent and depth of this TE class...
After Davis, we rank them this way:
Marcedes Lewis - UCLA
Joe Klopfenstein - Colorado
Dominique Byrd - USC
Leonard Pope - Georgia
Anthony Fasano - Notre Dame
I fully expect Pope to be either the 2nd or 3rd TE selected and Klopfenstein as the 3rd to 5th selected. That said, Klopfenstein is the better football player right now. Pope has unbelievable upside, but he's almost too tall. He isn't the smoothest football player out there and seems to be still growing into his body.
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FBG: Vernon Davis just had the best combine in the history of the position, superseding what Ben Watson delivered a few years ago. In your estimation, where does Vernon rank relative to other recent elite TE prospects (e.g., Shockey, Winslow, Heap, Crumpler).
Rob Rang: #1.
Ahead of all except for Winslow in terms of his athleticism/size combination. Ahead of Winslow because of Winslow's character concerns when he came out. Kid really is a terrific talent. Been quite some time since a TE was selected before a WR...
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FBG: Discuss the positives and negatives of WR Brandon Marshall
Rob Rang: Positives: Size, obviously (6-5, 225 for people who don't know). Strength. Willingness to block as a WR. Possession receiver capable due to his routes, strong hands, leaping ability, and determination when ball is in the air. Unlike other receivers mentioned previously, Marshall stepped up when under the big lights. MVP type performances in bowl game, Hula Bowl.
Negatives: Lacks speed and agility. Not a lot of upside. Has been featured in a passing offense, which has inflated his stats. Physically bigger and stronger than opponents at this level and has gotten away with plenty of push-offs.
We see as the 26th best WR and a likely 5th-6th round pick.
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FBG: It seems more and more front offices are emphasizing "intelligence and character" in what they look for in the draft. We've all heard about LenDale White, Marcus Vick, and some about Jimmy Williams.
Tell us about some players being downgraded over character concerns who we may not have heard about?
Who are some who could see an upgrade for strong character?
Rob Rang: Downgraded a lot: Marcus Vick, LenDale White, AJ Nicholson
Downgraded slightly: Jimmy Williams, Brodrick Bunkley, Dusty Dvoracek, Richard Marshall
Upgraded a lot: Bobby Carpenter, Kyle Williams
Upgraded slightly: Cedric Griffin, Tamba Hali, Daryl Tapp
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FBG: Can you give a quick rundown and highlights of the top skill position prospects in the 2007 draft for those of us looking ahead to next year?
Rob Rang: Top 3 per position (seniors and elite juniors):
* denotes junior
QB
Brady Quinn - Notre Dame
Drew Stanton - Michigan State
Brian Brohm - Louisville*
RB
Adrian Peterson - Oklahoma*
Michael Bush - Louisville
Kenny Irons - Auburn
WR
Jeff Samardzija - Notre Dame
Calvin Johnson - Georgia Tech*
Dwayne Jarrett - USC*
Ted Ginn, Jr - Ohio State*
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FBG: Which players have helped/hurt themselves the most (in terms of their draft appeal) in the offseason workouts?
Rob Rang: Hurt the most:
LenDale White - RB - USC
Tamba Hali - DE - Penn State
Alan Zemaitis - CB - Penn State
Jason Avant - WR - Michigan
Helped the most:
Chad Jackson - WR - Florida
Winston Justice - OT - USC
Vernon Davis - TE - Maryland
Johnathan Joseph - CB - South Carolina
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FBG: How big of a drop off do you see in terms of OL - specifically after D'Brickshaw, Winston Justice.. are the guys like Marcus McNeill, Jon Scott and Eric Winston?
Rob Rang: There is a significant drop off from Justice to McNeill/Winston. Teams are split on these two. Winston is viewed as the safer pick even with his knee recovery, because he is better blocking for the run and can move to RT. McNeill has great quickness for such a big man and can be a standout LT, but he is prone to laziness and that will get him beat constantly at the next level. Scott is at least another round down the board. Daryn Colledge is a hardworking smaller OT who could surprise as a mid 2nd rounder, ahead of Scott.
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FBG: Some mock drafts have as many as eight to ten defensive backs coming off the board in round one, would you agree with that estimate and does that indicate this is one of the better DB classes in recent memory?
Rob Rang: Absolutely agree that could happen. It is an enigmatic DB class. By that I mean there is terrific talent throughout the first and second rounds. The depth is great. That said, usually each draft will feature at least one "guaranteed" shut down CB. This draft does not offer that. Half of the DBs selected in the first - Joseph, Jennings, Youboty, Marshall, Williams, Allen, Huff, Whitner, Bing, etc. are possible busts. There is a lot of size/speed combinations that are exciting, but few truly steady performers.
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FBG: Rob, we used all of our time here. This has been outstanding.
His work can be found at NFLDraftScout.com. We threw the toughest questions we could think of and without any prep time, Rob has answered them all in great detail.
Thank you so much for your time. It is greatly appreciated.
Rob Rang: Okay. Thanks for having me. I enjoyed my time as a guest at Footballguys.com.
FBG: You are always welcome to talk football here. Again thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to answer our questions.
