Possible draftee, Justin Durant - LB

[USN Bengal]

Copied this from another message board because I live in Virginia Beach and have watched this kid play both in high school & college. He can flat out play & I think would be worth a mid round shot. He's a diamond in the rough that I can recall NO issues... no police etc.


Interesting tidbits from Dayton Daily News - most interesting is what could have been if the Bengals took Bethea instead of wasting a pick on McNeal. NFL Draftscout projects this kid as a 4th round pick.


Bengals looking for talent in unlikely places
There is no secret that the Cincinnati Bengals will be looking to snag another linebacker in this year's draft, and don't be surprised if they look to a small-school to get a big-time player. Hampton LB Justin Durant is believed to be showing up on the Bengals radar screen like a heat-seeking missile, and word has it that he's a Marvin Lewis favorite.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker finished the 2006 season with 98 tackles, including 65 solo stops and was named the SBN Sports Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. There are those who believe that Durant could be this year's Danieal Manning, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second-round in '06, out of tiny Abilene Christian.
I'm not surprised by the Bengals interest of a small-school talent like Durant. During last year's draft, member of the Bengals defensive coaching staff were enamored with Indianapolis Colts DB Antoine Bethea from Howard University. However, the team failed to pull the trigger and draft the hard-hitting strong safety. Bethea was selected in the sixth-round by the Super Bowl champion Colts and started 14 games as a rookie and finished third on the team in tackles with 90. The Bengals used their sixth-round pick on project/troubled QB Reggie McNeal.
Let's see if the Bengals can find themselves a small-school gem this season.

From NFL Draftscout:

Positives: Good instincts for the position. Recognizes the action and physically gets involved. Has rare straight-line speed for the position and moves well to the outside, consistently beating the back to the edge. Cognizant defender while in coverage. Good open-field tackler.

Negatives: Level of competition is an obvious concern, especially after Durant looked tentative during the East-West Shrine Game practices. Better athlete than inside linebacker at times. Isn't a big hitter and has been able to get away with just his athleticism at the college level. Lacks the explosive use of hands to disengage from blocks and is only a marginal blitzer.

02/27/07 - There is no secret that the Cincinnati Bengals will be looking to snag another linebacker in this year's draft, and don't be surprised if they look to a small-school to get a big-time player. Hampton LB Justin Durant is believed to be showing up on the Bengals radar screen like a heat-seeking missile, and word has it that he's a Marvin Lewis favorite. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker finished the 2006 season with 98 tackles, including 65 solo stops and was named the SBN Sports Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. There are those who believe that Durant could be this year's Danieal Manning, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second-round in '06, out of tiny Abilene Christian. - Carlos Holmes, Dayton Daily News

02/22/07 - NFL Combine, Sleeper: LB Justin Durant, Hampton. The unheralded Wilson High product ended his Hampton career as the three-time MEAC defensive player of the year and two-time national black college defensive player of the year. The knock against him is his level of competition (Division I-AA) and his size (6-0, 232 pounds), which is slightly below the average for inside linebackers. Still, scouts rave about his motor and his college coach (Joe Taylor) said no player on his team could break down film like Durant, who was a teammate of Lawrence Timmons at Wilson High. - Myrtle Beach Sun News

Justin Durant, ILB, Hampton
Name: Justin Durant
College: Hampton Number: 52
Height: 6-1 Weight: 230
Position: ILB Pos2: OLB
Class/Draft Year: Sr/2007
40 Time: 4.51 40 Low: 4.48 40 High: 4.60
Projected Round: 4 Stock:
Rated number 8 out of 91 ILB's 131 / 2340 TOTAL

[Guest Bengals1181]

I still think in the longrun we'll be happy with the McNeal pick.

[Scoutforlife591]

We've been keeping track of all these guys here... [url="http://forum.go-bengals.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=27454&view=findpost&p=432024"]http://forum.go-bengals.com/index.php?s=&a...st&p=432024[/url]

Durant is on there. He's a classic Marvin backer. About 6-1, 230, and runs like the wind.

If you've got rumors post em there. They need to be credible though, so a source is good.

[USN Bengal]

[quote name='Scoutforlife591' post='447790' date='Mar 1 2007, 09:22 AM']We've been keeping track of all these guys here... [url="http://forum.go-bengals.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=27454&view=findpost&p=432024"]http://forum.go-bengals.com/index.php?s=&a...st&p=432024[/url]

Durant is on there. He's a classic Marvin backer. About 6-1, 230, and runs like the wind.

If you've got rumors post em there. They need to be credible though, so a source is good.[/quote]

LOL!

Thanks for the reminder Scout... forgot all about that thread.

Getting old sucks... [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/38.gif[/img]

[4th & 1]

Durant clocked in with a 4.09 20 Shuttle (VERY impressive), another player very much like Durant and in the mold that Marvin likes is Ole' Miss LB Rory Johnson who BESTED Durant in the 20 Shuttle with a 4.07.

Only profile I can find of his is from CDS:
Super stud JC transfer from Hinds (Raymond, MS) Community College where he enrolled in the fall of 2004 after originally commiting to Mississippi State. Played extremely well in '04 and '05 at Hinds before transferring to Ole Miss in August of '06. Rumored to have run as low as a 4.28 in junior college.

Super fast linebacker who finds the ball carrier. Sheds blocks well. Hits hard and wraps up. Instinctive. Very fluid in pass coverage. Good natural pass coverage awareness. Excellent lateral pursuit. Can chase backs and receivers down from behind. Showed in just one year of part-time play (with his role even more prevalent after LB Gary Pack was dismissed from the team) that he is the real deal, and actually outplayed more-heralded teammate Patrick Willis during the second half of the year. Has a real knack for stripping the ball loose. Upside is outstanding. Will turn 21 just a month before the draft.

Has not seen enough or done enough to be considered a proven commodity. Sometimes makes false reads and takes false steps. Still has a lot to learn, and may need some time adjusting to complex pro schemes.

(Sabby Piscitilli is reported to have come in a 3.90, at about 6-3, 220. Damn)

[texbengal]

[quote name='4th & 1' post='447800' date='Mar 1 2007, 08:33 AM']Durant clocked in with a 4.09 20 Shuttle (VERY impressive), another player very much like Durant and in the mold that Marvin likes is Ole' Miss LB Rory Johnson who BESTED Durant in the 20 Shuttle with a 4.07.

Only profile I can find of his is from CDS:
Super stud JC transfer from Hinds (Raymond, MS) Community College where he enrolled in the fall of 2004 after originally commiting to Mississippi State. Played extremely well in '04 and '05 at Hinds before transferring to Ole Miss in August of '06. Rumored to have run as low as a 4.28 in junior college.

Super fast linebacker who finds the ball carrier. Sheds blocks well. Hits hard and wraps up. Instinctive. Very fluid in pass coverage. Good natural pass coverage awareness. Excellent lateral pursuit. Can chase backs and receivers down from behind. Showed in just one year of part-time play (with his role even more prevalent after LB Gary Pack was dismissed from the team) that he is the real deal, and actually outplayed more-heralded teammate Patrick Willis during the second half of the year. Has a real knack for stripping the ball loose. Upside is outstanding. Will turn 21 just a month before the draft.

Has not seen enough or done enough to be considered a proven commodity. Sometimes makes false reads and takes false steps. Still has a lot to learn, and may need some time adjusting to complex pro schemes.

(Sabby Piscitilli is reported to have come in a 3.90, at about 6-3, 220. Damn)[/quote]

I thought Durant looked the part, and he ran and lifted well. And he's dominated at his level. But I wouldn't read too much into the "Marvin loves..." stuff. Reportedly, he loved Thomas Howard last year, and in years past, Devery Henderson, Asante Samuel, etc. - and none were drafted by the Bengals.

Piscitelli is a bit of an enigma. Good college player who wasn't a dominant one. Obviously, he tested out extremely well. I was surprised with how big he was, with not an ounce of fat. He actually looked lean! But I fear the Mike Mamula/Artrell Hawkins factor with him.

[New Jersey Bengal]

[quote name='texbengal' post='447803' date='Mar 1 2007, 09:40 AM']I thought Durant looked the part, and he ran and lifted well. And he's dominated at his level. But I wouldn't read too much into the "Marvin loves..." stuff. Reportedly, he loved Thomas Howard last year, and in years past, Devery Henderson, Asante Samuel, etc. - and none were drafted by the Bengals.

Piscitelli is a bit of an enigma. Good college player who wasn't a dominant one. Obviously, he tested out extremely well. I was surprised with how big he was, with not an ounce of fat. He actually looked lean! But I fear the Mike Mamula/Artrell Hawkins factor with him.[/quote]
[b]You are 100% right about this. Marvin supposedly loved Thomas Howard last year and I really thought the Bengals would take him. I am a Sirius Satellite Radio subscriber and I talk to Solomon Wilcots every so often. He is close with Marvin being that he's an ex Bengal. He almost assured me that the Bengals were going to take Howard last year. Did'nt happen. I've yet to get his opinion this year. I really think the bengals go for a LB or CB in Round 1...I am really hoping they get Willis from Ole Miss..we need game changers on defense and I believe that Willis is a game changer..[/b]