Who are you watching? 2014

[Zins30]

Good points.  Seems like the same way we grabbed Bernard Scott and he worked out well for a 6th rounder.  Wish he got more chances and stayed healthy but good value for a late pick.

 

 

BTW, I'm just curious where you guys watch tape of players.  Do you just do a Google search or hit up Youtube?

[Bengals1181]

Good points.  Seems like the same way we grabbed Bernard Scott and he worked out well for a 6th rounder.  Wish he got more chances and stayed healthy but good value for a late pick.

 

 

BTW, I'm just curious where you guys watch tape of players.  Do you just do a Google search or hit up Youtube?

 

 

youtube, and if all possible the full snap videos.  I try to never watch highlight videos unless its the only option.  I like to watch skill players even if the ball doesn't come their way.

[happyrid]

Good points.  Seems like the same way we grabbed Bernard Scott and he worked out well for a 6th rounder.  Wish he got more chances and stayed healthy but good value for a late pick.

 

 

BTW, I'm just curious where you guys watch tape of players.  Do you just do a Google search or hit up Youtube?

 

 

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/

 

Click on the players name. They have a bunch of videos (every play in the game, good, bad or otherwise) of all the top prospects and usually have at least 2 or 3 of even the late round guys. 

[happyrid]

Here's another late round RB that intrigues me and seems like he'd be a good fit for what we need, Storm Johnson of UCF:

 

http://youtu.be/WbdkDtq854s

 

Has some similarities to Carlos Hyde without the 2nd round price tag.

 

I watched him vs. Louisville and his bowl game vs. Baylor and he really stood out. Surprising long speed. Decent hands. And just a really powerful, tough inside runner. Seems like another who would be a good guy to pair with Gio long term.

 

Here's his draft breakdown link with 6 game videos:

 

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/storm-johnson/

[happyrid]

I've seen some talk this guy up. Lorenzo Taliaferro:

 

<iframe width="450" height="420" src="http://www.draftbreakdown.com/video-embed/?clip=246778" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

 

You can tell he is really good as a pass blocker and pass catcher. Actually reminds me of Brian Leonard. Which is good and bad. Hard to find a role for him on the Bengals since Gio is our 3rd down back. Not sure he's big enough to be a true FB. And not sure he makes guys miss enough to be a true RB. 

 

Overall, I could see him being a useful player for somebody if they have a role for him, but not sure I see any spot he really fits for us. 

[happyrid]

Terrance West vs. an FBS opponent:

 

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/terrance-west-vs-connecticut-2013/

 

You can definitely see why he's going to get drafted, especially a couple of those 4th quarter TD runs. Seems kind of similar to a young BJGE. Not bad at all, but not super exciting either.

[Bengals1181]

Here's another late round RB that intrigues me and seems like he'd be a good fit for what we need, Storm Johnson of UCF:

 

http://youtu.be/WbdkDtq854s

 

Has some similarities to Carlos Hyde without the 2nd round price tag.

 

I watched him vs. Louisville and his bowl game vs. Baylor and he really stood out. Surprising long speed. Decent hands. And just a really powerful, tough inside runner. Seems like another who would be a good guy to pair with Gio long term.

 

Here's his draft breakdown link with 6 game videos:

 

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/storm-johnson/

 

 

yea storm would be a nice 5th round option to pair with Gio.

[texbengal]

Here's another late round RB that intrigues me and seems like he'd be a good fit for what we need, Storm Johnson of UCF:
 
http://youtu.be/WbdkDtq854s
 
Has some similarities to Carlos Hyde without the 2nd round price tag.
 
I watched him vs. Louisville and his bowl game vs. Baylor and he really stood out. Surprising long speed. Decent hands. And just a really powerful, tough inside runner. Seems like another who would be a good guy to pair with Gio long term.
 
Here's his draft breakdown link with 6 game videos:

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/storm-johnson/

I remember Latavius Murray, who was drafted out of UCF last year. Storm took over as feature back last year. He's probably not big enough to take on a lot of carries, but I can see him as a complementary back.

The FL "directional" schools like UCF and USF have done a good job of sending talent into the NFL lately. FL International too, for that matter. If the Bengals were to spend a later pick on someone like Storm, I'd be kewl with it, although I do think Rex is going to show up for them this fall. Competition is always a good thing, though.

[Bengals1181]

I remember Latavius Murray, who was drafted out of UCF last year. Storm took over as feature back last year. He's probably not big enough to take on a lot of carries, but I can see him as a complementary back.

The FL "directional" schools like UCF and USF have done a good job of sending talent into the NFL lately. FL International too, for that matter. If the Bengals were to spend a later pick on someone like Storm, I'd be kewl with it, although I do think Rex is going to show up for them this fall. Competition is always a good thing, though.

 

?

 

he's 6'0" 209lbs

 

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/storm-johnson?id=2543570

[Bengals1181]

I've seen some talk this guy up. Lorenzo Taliaferro:

 

<iframe width="450" height="420" src="http://www.draftbreakdown.com/video-embed/?clip=246778" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

 

You can tell he is really good as a pass blocker and pass catcher. Actually reminds me of Brian Leonard. Which is good and bad. Hard to find a role for him on the Bengals since Gio is our 3rd down back. Not sure he's big enough to be a true FB. And not sure he makes guys miss enough to be a true RB. 

 

Overall, I could see him being a useful player for somebody if they have a role for him, but not sure I see any spot he really fits for us. 

 

 

I really like him.  I like the way he runs.  He can catch, he can block.  In fact, he seems to love to hit people.  Seems like a guy who gives his best effort every play.

 

He was the best blocker at the Senior Bowl.  

[happyrid]

 

 

I really like him.  I like the way he runs.  He can catch, he can block.  In fact, he seems to love to hit people.  Seems like a guy who gives his best effort every play.

 

He was the best blocker at the Senior Bowl.  

 

I kind of like him, but just not sure where he fits with us. Seems like a FB/RB tweener (like Brian Leonard). I think there's definitely a place for him in the NFL, but don't know if he fits our offense. 

 

I just can't figure out how we would use him. Seems like Hue wants a true FB. He's not built like a John Conner or Chris Pressley, low to the ground and 250ish. So not sure he could pull that off at a high level. Which leaves you with RB. And not sure there's enough there as a true RB either. At the very least, there are a dozen other RBs in this draft that I like better.

 

You could maybe compare him to Marcel Reece who Hue had in Oakland. But Reece has almost 30 pounds on Taliaferro and I think that's where the comparison falls apart. 

[Bengals1181]

 

I kind of like him, but just not sure where he fits with us. Seems like a FB/RB tweener (like Brian Leonard). I think there's definitely a place for him in the NFL, but don't know if he fits our offense. 

 

I just can't figure out how we would use him. Seems like Hue wants a true FB. He's not built like a John Conner or Chris Pressley, low to the ground and 250ish. So not sure he could pull that off at a high level. Which leaves you with RB. And not sure there's enough there as a true RB either. At the very least, there are a dozen other RBs in this draft that I like better.

 

You could maybe compare him to Marcel Reece who Hue had in Oakland. But Reece has almost 30 pounds on Taliaferro and I think that's where the comparison falls apart. 

 

 

nah, that quote  by Hue has been taken so out of context to this point.  He never says he wants a true FB, just that the team needs a FB on the team.  CincyJungle has bastardized the quote.  It was hue that chose Orson, and Hue is adamant about his backs being able to play in the passing game.  He had a very good receiving FB in Oakland with Reece, which was the thinking with Orson.  

 

I think there's certainly a role for Lorenzo.  He runs hard, is a very good blocker, and a very good pass catcher.  He kind of reminds me of Thomas Jones as a player, but someone who can also potentially be a fullback.  

 

IMO he could be a replacement for BJGE, or he could be a replacement at FB.

 

I'd love to get him in the 4th or 5th round.

[Bengals1181]

here's the full quote from Hue from the combine.  He never states that he wants a true FB, but that's what CincyJungle ran with.

 

 

 Q: Do you need a fullback?

HJ: Yeah. You do need a fullback on the football team.

 Q: Can Orson (Charles) do it?

HJ: We’re going to find out.

 Q: Do you need a traditional fullback, like a John Conner?

HJ: What I would love to have is that I’m going to take whatever the organization’s going to give me.

 Q: You can tell them.

HJ: Well, that’s the most important thing. And maybe I have. But I’m just saying, whatever we get, we’re going to get it and coach it. I’m not as down on Orson as maybe some people are. He has some improving to do, but again, it’s like anything else. If you want somebody to be good at something, you’ve got to let them do it. You’ve got to do it more in order to see if a guy can really do it. Late in the year, he did better things. Maybe not where he needed to be, but he got better.

 At the end of the day, he now has an understanding of what the position is and what the demands of it is, and hopefully he’ll ascend to that.

 Q: You seem to like two-back, two-tight end systems …

HJ: I like it all.  I’m not married to anything. I’m married to winning. I’m married to whatever it takes to win on offense. You know, everybody keeps talking about system. And West Coast, and this coast. I love to look at our players and take our players and put them in positions to do well.  I don’t care. We might put seven linemen out there. There might be. I don’t care what it does.

 Q: You might run behind four wide?

HJ: Absolutely. It’s whatever it takes to win. It’s whatever it takes to defeat the teams that we have to defeat, and sometimes you don’t know what that is until you get there. But I know we have a lot of good players that if we can coach them up and keep improving their skills and their abilities, then great things can happen.

 

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hue-Jackson-combine-transcript/09c0a801-bb8a-4701-bd9a-3b9152fe2286

[Bengals1181]

Finally got around to watching Jimmy Ward.  IMO he's easily the best of the top 3 safeties.  He can cover like a corner, but can also play deep and in the box as a safety.  Solid tackler who actually wraps up most of the time.  

 

Could be a sleeper pick for the Bengals given his ability to cover like a corner.  Allows them to not have to do as much substituting in their nickel and dime packages.

[texbengal]

Finally got around to watching Jimmy Ward.  IMO he's easily the best of the top 3 safeties.  He can cover like a corner, but can also play deep and in the box as a safety.  Solid tackler who actually wraps up most of the time.  

 

Could be a sleeper pick for the Bengals given his ability to cover like a corner.  Allows them to not have to do as much substituting in their nickel and dime packages.

 

Some think he's in the top 2. He does give you versatility to swing between corner and S, like they had with Crocker.

 

FYI, I was watching Path to the Draft on NFLN yesterday, and Casserly had a lot of nice things to say about Jason Verrett. Basically saying if it weren't for his height, he'd be the best corner out there. Of course, that's not a small flaw, especially these days with WRs getting bigger and bigger. I did think he was the most impressive at the Combine re: movement skills, and having seen him play several times, he's a tough, feisty guy who really covers well. He'd be great in the slot. 

 

Casserly did say that compared to smaller corners he's had - Darrell Green (I know, a HOF'er), and Aaron Glenn (had an excellent career, too), Verrett wasn't as sudden/explosive. But that's high company. 

[HairOnFire]

 

FYI, I was watching Path to the Draft on NFLN yesterday, and Casserly had a lot of nice things to say about Jason Verrett. Basically saying if it weren't for his height, he'd be the best corner out there. Of course, that's not a small flaw, especially these days with WRs getting bigger and bigger.

 

 

Yeah, he said Verrett did everything at he combine better than any other CB and claimed that if judged soley on tape he was also the best CB in this draft.

 

Then he mentioned that he was 5'9" and promptly gave him a 2nd round grade.

 

Later called Verrett his 4th rated CB.

 

 

 

BTW, I also loved the way Casserly pimped CJ Mosely as a perrenial pro bowl player the other day. Said the number of pro bowls he went to would be limited only by the number of years he played.

[texbengal]

Yeah, he said Verrett did everything at he combine better than any other CB and claimed that if judged soley on tape he was also the best CB in this draft.
 
Then he mentioned that he was 5'9" and promptly gave him a 2nd round grade.
 
Later called Verrett his 4th rated CB.
 
 
 
BTW, I also loved the way Casserly pimped CJ Mosely as a perrenial pro bowl player the other day. Said the number of pro bowls he went to would be limited only by the number of years he played.

I think he's slipped some - at least I've heard/read that, FWIW - due to some of the injuries he's had.

No doubt he's a playmaker and tremendous in coverage. I'd sure take him at #24, if per chance he slipped that far.

[HairOnFire]

I think he's slipped some - at least I've heard/read that, FWIW - due to some of the injuries he's had.

 

Holding steady at 27 on DraftScout, but they rarely update. Biggest drop I've seen is at WalterFootball where Verrett is currently ranked 85th.

[alleycat]

 

Holding steady at 27 on DraftScout, but they rarely update. Biggest drop I've seen is at WalterFootball where Verrett is currently ranked 85th.

 

Now THAT is crazy. If he gets to 85 you trade your 3rd and 4th right now to go up and take him.  Unless they go CB in round 1, I'd be surprised to see him get past our 2nd pick here.  The rub in this draft is we need a DE, OT/G, and CB, ideally with the first three picks.  Based on just those choices and the way the talent in the draft breaks down this year, I'm curious how you guys would use those picks. (I still think they'll go BPA in 1 but this is hypothetical and player agnostic, which is of course sill bc the draft is the is by definition available-player dependent).

 

The problem is, in each of these scenarios I don't see a guy I love in 2 being their at either OT or CB. 

 

SO I'm going to go ahead and say:

 

1) OT/G (assumes OT-quality player who may have to serve time at G for now). Frankly, I think we'll be lucky to get the choice.

2) DE - Martin or Clark will be there and will grade better than the cb's who will be available (assumes Fuller, Joyner, and (of course) Verrett will be gone).

3) CB - Better value for the guys who will be here. Purifoy might be worth the character risk here. Roberson. Some of those long armed fellas...

 

Alternatively, you could give up on the whole T/G idea and go pure Guard, and that opens things up a lot. In that case, I would take a guy with T experience that I would feel comfortable would do well as a Road Grader at RT (Cyril Richardson?) and plan on moving Andre Smith to LT in the event of a Whitworth injury.

 

That would allow us to go CB in 1, and then choose BPA between the other two positions in two and pick up the other in 3.

 

Again, this is a bit of a pointless idea because we choose based on player not positions, but if we didn't this would be my thinking. If Aaron Donald is there in one the whole thing blows up.

 

I've also seen Anthony Barr falling to a more reasonable level based on his tape, and would be intrigued by getting one of my hopeful's for last fall's number 1 this year.

 

Damn, I want 3 picks in the first 2 rounds every year.

[happyrid]

Just watched some Paul Richardson, WR from Colorado. Not real impressed. He has some serious wheels but he is just so skinny and is a bit of a long strider. Saw him make a few great catches but also had some bad drops. I've seen him compared to DJax, but the guy he reminds me of is Ted Ginn without the return skills. He's probably a bit more polished and a better route runner than Ginn but he is still going to be a bit of a 1 trick pony (deep threat) who is going to have a tough time with big physical NFL CBs.

[happyrid]

Watched Allen Hurns, WR from Miami. He's a guy who I haven't heard mentioned at all by the draft pundits and he seems like he is going to go pretty late in the draft, but figured I'd check him out since I saw he had visited with the Bengals. Surprisingly impressed by him. 

 

He isn't the most physical guy and he's a little bit skinny, but he looks like he can get open and makes some nice catches. Shows some great deep speed. Really good production as a senior for Miami. Reminds me a little bit of our guy Marvin Jones. 

 

Here he is vs. Va. Tech:

 

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/allen-hurns-vs-virginia-tech-2013/

[Bengals1181]

Watched Allen Hurns, WR from Miami. He's a guy who I haven't heard mentioned at all by the draft pundits and he seems like he is going to go pretty late in the draft, but figured I'd check him out since I saw he had visited with the Bengals. Surprisingly impressed by him. 

 

He isn't the most physical guy and he's a little bit skinny, but he looks like he can get open and makes some nice catches. Shows some great deep speed. Really good production as a senior for Miami. Reminds me a little bit of our guy Marvin Jones. 

 

Here he is vs. Va. Tech:

 

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/allen-hurns-vs-virginia-tech-2013/

 

 

very willing though from what I saw.

[Bengals1181]

just watched a nice battle of OT Ja'Wuan James vs DE Michael Sam.  Probably played out as a draw.

 

 

You can't convince me that Michael Sam won't be an NFL player though.  He beat a likely second round pick multiple times.

[EnglishBengal]

DE Will Clarke - fits Bengals like a glove. Like him in round 3.

[Bengals1181]

Some nice TE's starting in the 3rd round.

 

Troy Nicklas

Jake Murphy

CJ Fiedorowicz

 

 

all 3 guys can block well but also be passing threats.