Louisville Wins the Big East 2007 NFL Draft originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 01 May 2007 18:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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)

College Eye for the NFL Guy: Dan Mozes originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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

College Eye for the NFL Guy: Brandon Myles originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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

College Eye For the NFL Guy: Brian Leonard originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

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

The facts here are somewhat brutal:

• Jackson's play appeared best when he was playing alongside current Pittsburgh Steelers safety Anthony Smith. In 2006, Jackson's first year without Smith, the senior corner oftentimes struggled, seemingly unable to flourish without strong support from behind. He was never Syracuse's best defensive player, but played very competently alongside other, more talented compatriots.

• Jackson is a solid tackler, yet does not have enough footspeed to play isolated man coverage. He has solid form and technique when retreating, yet was often beat on inside patterns. Jackson is going to have to learn to use his physical frame to combat his oftentimes weak pattern reads at the line of scrimmage.

• Jackson's tackling prowess, clearly, is best suited for teams that emphasize zone packages. However, his inability to create "big plays" or act as a ballhawk limits his value in such schemes. As a result, he maintains a skill set that does not mesh cleanly with any defensive method.

• The final piece of the Jackson puzzle is that if he is not going to be a starting corner at the NFL level, he may not have a position other than as a special teams contributor. He does not have a nose for the quarterback to play in nickel situations. Moreover, while he played some safety at the Senior Bowl and during a few instances over Syracuse's last two seasons, he has not dramatically established himself as a viable option at that position.

Overall, Jackson is clearly worth a draft selection, but that selection should not come until the second day. He is a "work in progress" type player that could grow into a solid roster option at some point in his career. He has "football player" written all over him, but at this point, is not the type of player that can anchor a corner position for 10 years or so.

College Eye for the NFL Guy: Tanard Jackson originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

College Eye for the NFL Guy: Darrelle Revis originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 08:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who's Keeping It Realer, Pacman Jones or Chris Henry? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 22 Feb 2007 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSU Coach: Dantonio or Grantham originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Mel Kiper: Syracuse Freshman Makes Impact originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fassel's Firing, Redemption for Cavanaugh? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 18 Oct 2006 22:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What's Next for the Falcons, Burning Couches? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 21 Sep 2006 21:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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