NFL Big East

To go along with Louisville's 2006 Big East Football Championship, and a nifty pair of Big East Golf Championships, Louisville is also this years winner in the 2007 NLF Draft among Big East teams. The Cardinals were able to land four players on NFL teams in this years draft. They were followed by Pittsburgh and Rutgers with three each, Syracuse and Cincinnati with two each, South Florida and Connecticut each had one player drafted, and dammit I'm missing someone here. Let's see....oh yeah, West Virginia with zero players drafted. Ugh!

Another sign that the Big East is crawling out of obscurity, this was the first year since 2004 that the Big East had two players drafted in the first round. The 16 players drafted this year also compares favorably to 11 Big East players being drafted in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Next years draft should consume more high profile players from the Big East with the likes of Brian Brohm, Steve Slaton, Mario Urrutia, and Pat White all eligible.

Previously at the Fanhouse:

West Virginia Shut Out in the 2007 Draft
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Dan Mozes
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Brandon Myles
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Brian Leonard
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Tanard Jackson
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Darrelle Revis

NFL scouts think they know Dan Mozes, and they are probably right.....

Can the undersized body and over sized heart of Dan Mozes find the right team to take advantage of his unique skills as a center in NFL?

Dan Mozes, Center, West Virginia

WHAT NFL SCOUTS ARE SAYING:

NFL.com

Positives: Has a thick lower body with room on his frame to carry at least another 20 pounds of bulk ... Has thick ankles that allow him to put his foot into the ground and anchor in one-on-one confrontations ... Has good lateral agility and a quick forward thrust ... Takes good angles after locating linebackers in the second level and comes off the snap low with his hands extended to engage and lock on ... Plays with pain and has a solid work ethic ... Unquestioned leader of the team who plays with good aggression ... Has very good field instincts and vision ... Makes all blocking calls and is alert to twists and games ... Comes off the snap with good urgency and is quick to get his hands into the defender's chest ... Has the body control and leg drive to make the reach blocks moving up field ... Shows determination to stay on his blocks and demonstrates proper hand usage to gain leverage on the defender ... Can wall off and turn when he keeps his pad level down (needs to get under the defender to be effective here) ... Lacks the strength to get movement off the snap, but is effective enough vs. the shade or two-technique

Negatives: Has natural strength, but lacks muscle tone (body looks fleshy) ... Needs to add more bulk to help in his anchor, as strong bull rushers are quick to power through and pressure the pocket (struggled to contain pressure at Senior Bowl practices) ... Shows a strong hand punch, but needs to be more active and consistent shooting and recoiling his hands in order to rock the defenders back ... Can control and sustain, but his marginal hand placement allows defenders to slip past his blocks at times (short arms too much)

PROBABLY GETTING DRAFTED:

It's hard to say. There are certainly bigger centers to be had in the draft. It depends on what a team like Denver where Mozes could fit in perfectly to their zone blocking scheme is looking for. Should be a first rounder on skill and heart alone, but rich NFL types don't work like that.

GUY THAT WATCHED HIM FOR FOUR YEARS SAYS:

NFL scouts think they know Brandon Myles, and they are probably right......

Does a wide receiver in one of the most run happy offenses in the history of run happy offenses have a shot at making an NFL team? Did Brandon Myles do enough in post season Senior Bowl type games and workouts to get an NFL scout to look at him seriously?

Brandon Myles: Wide Receiver

What NFL Scouts are Saying:

NFL.com

Positives: Has a lean frame with decent muscle tone ... Naturally fluid route runner with excellent speed, but needs to build to top acceleration ... Best on deep routes, as he seems more comfortable running straight-line than working underneath on slants or screens ... Has enough burst to separate after the catch and plays with adequate field instincts ... When given a free lane, he is quick to come off the line and into his routes ... Showed improvement in 2006 in attempts to sink his hips in order to better get in and out of his routes ... Has a decent feel for sticks and boundaries ... Has natural, soft hands, doing a good job of catching outside the frame ... When given room, he is quick to gobble up the defender's cushion ... Runs precise deep routes and creates separation instantly after the catch

Negatives: Has a sudden burst off the line, but will then gather himself before getting into gear, making him late into his routes ... Needs to work on his transition through patterns, as he tends to round his cuts, especially when working underneath ... Lacks route variety, working generally on deep patterns ... Needs to vary his speeds, as he will overrun the ball at times on deep routes ... Has poor blocking technique, as he is slow to break down and stalk and lacks the strength to sustain

Probably Getting Drafted....

Most likely on day two if at all.

Guy Who Watched Him for Four Years is Saying

NFL scouts think they know Brian Leonard, and they are probably right.....

Can a guy a little too small for a NFL fullback and not quite fast enough to be an NFL running back find a home in the NFL? More to the point, is there a star in Brian Leonard's future, or will he be relegated to being the best special teams demon sine Don Beebe?

Brian Leonard: Running Back/Fullback, Rutgers

What NFL scouts are saying:

NFL.com

Positives: Solidly built with above-average strength, thick thighs and calves, good bubble, tight waist, broad shoulders and good arm-muscle definition ... Has excellent speed for his position, showing the upper body strength and leg drive to create and maintain a rush lane as a lead blocker ... Has a good short area burst through the creases and the change-of-direction agility to make the initial tackler miss ... Shows the plant-and-drive agility to make precise cuts ... Has very good balance and body control throughout his stride, demonstrating fluid flexibility and quickness getting to top acceleration

Negatives: When he gets too erect in his stance, he will lose some base and get pushed back through the rush lane ... While Leonard has had success bouncing outside to gain yardage in the past, he was used mostly on runs between the tackles as a senior ... Seems to have the speed to get outside, make the cut and turn it up the field, but he tends to lose his body lean and get too high in his stance, leaving his feet exposed for shoestring tackles

Probably Getting Drafted...

Most likely on the first day, but depending on team needs (our favorite get out of jail free phrase) could fall to an early second day draft pick.

Guy Who Watched Him for Four Years is Saying

NFL scouts think they know him, but they're wrong . . . .

Can a cornerback with five career interceptions and 10 passes defended actually become a legitimate first-round selection? Or will playing for the 81st-rated pass efficiency defense doom him to NFL obscurity and/or Canadian Football League mediocrity?

Tanard Jackson: Senior cornerback, Syracuse

What the Scouts are Saying

From NFL.com

Positives: Long armed, with a smooth total body musculature ... Rare size and size potential at the position at 6-foot, 195 pounds ... Very good body control and overall quickness ... Can mirror the receiver at the line of scrimmage and has a smooth swivel to turn and run ... At his best in zone coverage ... Good diagnostic skills ... Reads the quarterback's eyes well and can break on the ball ... Reads the action, but remains disciplined and is rarely out of position ... Good overall tackler, though he can get in some trouble when he tries to lay the boom ... Physical tackler and likes to intimidate his opponent with his striking ability ... Rare toughness in run support.

Negatives: Lacks timed speed ... Might be best suited to zone-coverage scheme as he loses ground as the route lengthens ... Has improved his hands, but isn't a natural receiver ... Seems much more interested in tackling the receiver than going for the ball ... Has only five career interceptions and finished with only six total pass breakups this season (including two interceptions).

Probably Getting Drafted . . . .

Somewhere in the latter half of the first round or early in the second stanza. This, of course, depends on whether an anticipated run on secondary prospects occurs. As a result, Jackson's value is inflated because of the positional market rather than his actual productive worth.

Guy Who Watched Him for Four Years is Saying

NFL scouts think they know him, but they're wrong...

Darrelle Revis, cornerback, Pitt

WHAT NFL SCOUTS ARE SAYING

ESPN.com ($): "A tall, well-built cornerback with impressive athleticism for his size. He is instinctive and does a great job of reading opposing quarterbacks' eyes. Displays better than average ball skills. Shows toughness and aggressiveness in press coverage. Fills hard versus the run and has developed into a reliable open-field tackler... Lacks elite quick-twitch athleticism. His hips are fluid but he doesn't display ideal lateral quickness. He will struggle to match-up one-on-one versus NFL's quicker and faster wide receivers... He displays adequate man-to-man cover skills but we feel he's better suited to play in a zone-heavy defensive scheme."

The Sporting News Pro Football Draft Guide: "Must improve his technique. Often uses a sidepedal instead of a straight backpedal and struggles to transition out of it without losing steps."

Pro Football Weekly 2007 Draft Guide: "A good-sized, physical press corner in the same mold of Patriots S Eugine Wilson, Revis might turn out to be a better safety than corner with the way he likes to hit."

PROBABLY GETTING DRAFTED

Middle of the first round according to just about every projection. Somewhere in the 15-23 range. The Sporting News is the only publication to put him (late) in the second round.

GUY WHO WATCHED HIM FOR THREE YEARS SAYS

Both Pacman Jones and Chris Henry have shown flashes of greatness on the field in their short time in the NFL. Just as they did when they were teammates at West Virginia. But off the field, these two have been anything but super. In fact, both have probably received more press for their off the field fiasco's than anything they've done on it. So who is keeping it realer? In the short term, and pending the outcome of recent events, you have to give the nod to Pacman Jones.

But if you look at the overall record over the past couple years, Chris Henry is no slouch himself. Well, actually he is. And if "I can do anything better than you" is the name of this game, Cincinnati and the entire metro area needs to consider calling out the National Guard like yesterday.

I think that any Mountaineer fan would be lying to you if they said they didn't see this coming. Not so much for what they did off the field, but what they did on it in their time at West Virginia. The two were major contributors to West Virginia's mind blowing 1,008 penalty yards in 2004. And yes, that's a huge reason why West Virginia started the season ranked in the top ten, but ended the season out of the polls.

I'm not ready to crown a champion just yet, but you are more than welcome leave your "Realer Champion" vote in the comments section.

East Lansing's online community is abuzz and amazingly active for a non-basketball, post-football, Sunday night. The buzz is all about the next Michigan State football coach, and competing reports as of 9:30 p.m. point to either of two figures as the next MSU coach, possibly to be announced on Monday.

Either University of Cincinnati head coach Mark Dantonio (pictured at right) or Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

According to a report by Cleveland Plain Dealer as published on Browns247.com, Grantham has accepted the job as the next head coach for Michigan State. This contradicts a report last week from Tim Staudt of WILX-TV that Grantham was no longer in the running for the job. WILX must be sticking to Staudt's story, because the station's Jeremy Sampson has reported tonight that Dantonio has accepted the job. Earlier the past week, MSU requested permission to speak with Dantonio, as reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Bearcat message board all but assumes Dantonio has been tabbed for MSU and is headed on a flight to land in East Lansing at 9:39 pm tonight (Sunday).

MSU, which finished dead last in the Big Ten this year at 1-7 (their worst conference record in 50 years), would benefit from either coach. And, either coach would benefit from MSU's situation. The Spartans can only go up.

Stay tuned. Yet another edition of your Spartan Soap Opera.

Freshman wide receiver Mike Williams provided neophyte Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson with the Orange's first scholarship commitment for the 2005 recruiting season.

In the 14 months since his decision to join the Syracuse program, Williams has seen his stock rise and fall relative to other freshman performing at his position. Then in August, the NCAA prevented Williams from enrolling with his fellow Orange freshman in Syracuse's second semester summer session due to an unfounded Clearinghouse issue.

Now, Williams has established himself not only as a reliable target in the Syracuse receiving corps, but also as one of the more productive and intriguing freshman in the nation. As ESPN draft expert and resident hair care aficionado Mel Kiper describes in his latest contribution to the World Wide Leader in Sports, Williams may just be the most important player on Syracuse's maturing sideline:

I don't usually like to talk about true freshmen, but Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams (6-2, 205) has been one of the team's few bright spots on offense. In the last three weeks, the Orange have scored only 41 points against Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Louisville. In those three games, Williams caught 11 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns. Williams is a player I expect to hear a lot more about in the coming years.

Granted, Kiper's assessment may be a little premature. Syracuse's opponents continually press the defensive box, putting pressure on Syracuse's woeful offensive line and daring Orange quarterback Perry Patterson to succeed through the air. This has allowed Williams to roam free at times, either using his strength and athleticism to simply run past press coverage or to sit underneath or behind wide gaps in three and four-man defensive zones.

Williams' offensive production and effect, however, are still notable. When fellow receiver Taj Smith broke his collarbone against Miami (OH), much was made in the media that Syracuse -- then devoid of a sure-handed deep threat -- would suffer mightily due to both an inconsistent and youthful receiving corps. Williams, to the surprise of many, has ably assumed Smith's role, giving the Orange offense a different look and feel that has, at times, positively impacted the offensive philosophy of new Syracuse offensive coordinator Brian White.

That, in and of itself, merits medals and many laudatory fruit baskets.

In the end, Delone Carter may become the most highly touted member of the 2005 recruiting class. Williams' presence and skill, though, should not go unappreciated.

Until he agreed to leave his position as Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator, Matt Cavanaugh was widely reviled in Baltimore and the scapegoat for the never ending offensive struggles of the Ravens (well, not by all). Cavanaugh landed on his feet to be the offensive coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh under his old friend, boss and fellow Pitt alum Dave Wannstedt.

Cavanaugh's first year as Pitt OC didn't exactly vindicate himself. The Pitt offense which had been a high scoring group the year before struggled mightily and QB Tyler Palko had a horrible year under Cavanaugh. It looked like a lot of the complaints against Cavanaugh were valid.

The only thing holding out right vilification was that the Ravens still didn't make much progress on offense under new OC Jim Fassel. Of course progress appeared to be made and a lot of the struggle were excused for learning a different system and the player talent issue.

The Ravens, even after spending money on the offense, including bringing in Steve McNair, has looked almost like it has the last few years regardless of the OC.

This year, Pitt's offense is significantly improved. Tyler Palko is one of the most efficient passers in the NCAA and all facets of the offense are much better then last year. Scoring, red zone efficiency, passing, running, blocking, receiving, and O-line are all improved. Matt Cavanaugh, while not taking credit for these things directly, is clearly involved in causing the improvements.

Hmm. The constant has been Ravens' HC Brian Billick. A fact that hasn't escaped Billick, and realizing that the focus and blame was increasingly falling on him decided to fire Jim Fassel. The action can only be described as a power struggle that has descended to a "He said. He said" battle of who meddled, interfered and sought more power. Billick as the head coach ultimately won the battle, and now takes control and direct blame responsibility for the offense.

Now, I'm sure Matt Cavanaugh won't say a word against Billick. He won't say, "I told you so." He won't do anything publicly. I do imagine, though, he is laughing just a bit. In private. At home. With the curtains drawn.