I think I speak for everyone when I say that I've been a huge fan of BBS's draft profiles throughout the off-season.  I'm not the biggest draft buff, so these have been a huge, huge help to me.  My one gripe is that he never chronicled my new favorite prospect, linebacker Donald Thomas.

Now don't get me wrong, I understand why he probably didn't do it.  Guys from Eastern Illinois don't traditionally get a lot of pre-draft coverage, but at 5-10, 237 pounds, he fits the billing for the speedy, undersized LB that Polian and Dungy use heavily in the Cover 2.  Although he isn't projected to be selected in the draft, many think he could make it as an undrafted free agent, even Donald will admit as much:

“Being drafted is not even an option for me,” he said. “I’m definitely looking for a free agent deal. My agent, he’s just putting my name out there, just letting these guys know I’m from a small school but I’m some kind of a big-time player, just trying to get me back on the field. That’s all I want is one opportunity to showcase my talent.”

Later on he goes on to mention that the Colts have expressed interest in doing just that, so there's a good chance that he could be around for mini-camp. One of things that could keep him around is his hitting ability, some say he hits like a car. Actually, check that, he was hit by a car :

Maybe the question should be how badly is the car damaged after accidentally hitting linebacker Donald Thomas.

Eastern Illinois’ pro-football hopeful star reports to be OK after the mishap on the Monday before this weekend’s NFL draft.

“He says it wasn’t as bad as the hit he took against Tennessee Tech,” EIU defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “He said that felt like he was hit by a truck.”

Monday’s accident at the corner of Fourth Street and Grant when Thomas was jogging still threw him a scare.

“I felt like I did getting hurt at Murray State in the most important season in my life,” said Thomas, who missed a game and was slowed in others by that ankle injury the past season. “Now here the week when I find out my fate in football I get hit by a car. But I think I’m all right.”

Thankfully, he appears to be OK, so that shouldn't hurt his chances to be signed next week.  I really hope he signs with the Colts, if for no other reason so that he can compare getting hit by a car with getting hit by Darrell Reid.  Something tells me he'd rather take his chances being Frogger.

Photo via media.rivals.com

For the last Who the hell will they draft for 2008, I decided to focus on a LBer that will likely be available in rounds 4-7: Boston College’s Jo-Lonn "Joey" Dunbar.

All throughout this series, I focused on players who I think the Colts will draft this weekend. These players must fit a certain mold Indy looks for when going into the draft (speed over strength, quickness over size, what school you played at makes little difference, and high character). Because of this, I’ve likely missed on some people that the Colts could very well take on draft day. One person I left out is Tennessee TE Brad Cottam, but soon I should have some thoughts from SB Nation’s own Rocky Top Talk (Tennessee Volunteers blog) on Cottam and his NFL potential. I’ve also done some brief write-ups on Manningham, Doucet, and the Marshall prospects: Bernard Morris and Doug Legursky. I’ve spent a lot of time dissecting offensive and defensive lineman, RBs, and TEs. Left out of most of the talk (other than kicker and punter) is a linebacker.

 

And like most LBers the Colts like, Dunbar is small, fast, and a hard, hard hitter.

 

 

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This is the second to last Who the hell will they draft 2008 feature I plan to do. When we first started this, waaaaaaaay back in February, I talked about doing profiles of several Hoosier state college prospects, like Cliff Avril and Trevor Laws. I also listed Indiana WR James Hardy in the mix of Hoosier prospects I thought the Colts could draft at #59, but the more I read about him the more I think the Colts will pass. Hardy has characters issues (beat his girlfriend in 2006), runs bad routes, and is slow. I have a hard time imagining the Colts using their first pick in 2008 on a guy like this. So, I opted to do a profile of Dustin Keller, much to MasterRWayne’s annoyance. Hey, what can I say? Purdue makes better football players than IU. The results are undeniable.

With this profile, we shift away from Hoosier state prospects and from Division 1 NCAA football entirely and focus on a guy that many think is one of the best defensive backs in this draft: Appalachia State’s Corey Lynch.

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I really hope you are all enjoying the new features associated with Stampede Blue 2.0. I want to take the time to give a big "OMFG You Are Da Jesus!" moment to SB Nation's technical genius, Trei. Trei is one of head gurus on SB Nation's tech side that ran this upgrade process, and he did a magnificent job creating a beautiful, fan-friendly upgrade. Guys like Trei make blogging at SB Nation easy, and like most tech guys he usually gets ZERO recognition, until now.

We love ya, Trei.

Ok, 'nuff on that loving the techie guy crap! Let's get back to more manly things, like making theoretical guesses on who the hell the Colts will draft this weekend. One of the things I'm going to start employing a bit is the use of Intro Paragraphs, like this one. To read the rest of this story, you just need to click the link below to read more. It's no biggie. This profile will focus on Purdue TE Dustin Keller, a player many feel the Colts will take in the 2nd Round at #59.

Continue reading this post »

He needs to improve his foot work and get more consistent, but Kevin O'Connell has the arm and brains to develop into a quality NFL QB.

We're eight days from the draft, and between now and April 25th we will wrap up our Who the hell will they draft with some players we think Indy should take a look at, but might not be on the Colts radar. Yes, I still plan to do profiles of guys like Dustin Keller, James Hardy, and Corey Lynch (guys Indy has expressed some level of interest in), but now I'd like to shift to a roster area the Colts have not had to worry about for quite some time: Quarterback.

We're a spoiled bunch in Indiana. We really are. We have arguably the greatest QB ever to lace them up throwing the football for our team. If you sit back and think about that, it is truly an awesome thing. But the reality is he will not play forever, and if he should ever get hurt this Indianapolis team is in serious trouble. Since September 1998, Peyton Manning has started every game he has been a member of the Colts. Because of this, the Colts have not invested that much in acquiring good back-up QBs. The excuse of "Well, Peyton never gets hurt, so how can a back-up QB develop?" is a tired and silly excuse. Brett Favre never missed a start throughout his entire NFL career, and back-ups that developed behind him on the depth chart in Green Bay were Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks, and recently Aaron Rogers. The Colts have an outstanding QB coach in Jim Caldwell, and if a QB can't learn from Caldwell then he better start checking the want ads. And while players like Jim Sorgi are not "bad," they do not offer anything that can develop into a solid starting QB if Manning should go down with injury.

It's high time Bill Polian look for a guy who has the intelligence, arm strength, and leadership skills needed to run this Indy Colts offense, and I think he needs to look no further than San Diego State's Kevin O'Connell.

Like it or not, you have to have a strong arm to run the Colts offense. There is just no way around it. The base package is a 2 TE alignment that utilizes deep passes to set up the run. How many times have we seen play fake, deep throw to Harrison, TD? Unfortunately, none of the QBs on Indy's roster not named Manning have strong arms. Jim Sorgi is average at best and Josh Betts is... well, he's Josh Betts. Kevin O'Connell, by all accounts, has what scout call an NFL arm:

New Era Scouting:

NFL.com:
NFL Draft Countdown:
Ok, so we know he can chuck the football. Bully for him. So could Michael Vick, but Vick's problem was he was as dumb as a post, both on and off the field. A strong-armed QB without any brains is as useless as rebuilt 1965 Mustag with no engine or driver. Usually, when you see guys like O'Connell projected as 4th or 5th round picks, it is usually because they are known as idiots on the field. What's unusual about O'Connell is he seems to have the kind of field general mentality needed to make it in the NFL: O'Connell also had a very strong showing at the NFL Combine, showcasing the ability to make pretty much every NFL throw. New Era claims his deep out passes (the passes any quality NFL QB must be able to make) had very little wobble on them. Spirals were tight, velocity strong, and he has shown good accuracy. O'Connell is considered a "pocket passer," but for someone 6'6 and 228 pounds he has a remarkable ability to run with the football. But O'Connell is not someone who looks to run first: The key here is he will wait for the open receiver, not just take off and run if his first or second options are covered. O'Connell also seems to have the toughness needed to play QB. He missed only 6 games during his college career, all with a thumb injury. He also seems to have genuine fun playing football, a trait we rarely see from Peyton because he is always so serious.

So, O'Connell is smart, hard-working, likable, tough, strong-armed, accurate, and shows excellent field vision. Then why is he a 5th round prospect?

NFL Draft Countdown:

New Era Scouting:
NFL.com:
The words "raw" and "inconsistent" come up a lot when discussing O'Connell. He seems to have all the physical tools and the mental fortitude to succeed in the NFL, but he has some mechanics issues planting his feet when he's ready to throw. Sometimes, he will throw off his back foot, doing his best "Brett Favre" impersonation. Still, these things look to be correctable by good coaching. That's where someone like Jim Caldwell, and perhaps by extension Peyton Manning, can work with O'Connell to become more consistent.

Of all the late round QBs, O'Connell is the most intriguing combining arm strength with toughness, smarts, and a leader's mentality. The key when evaluating him is does he have the ability to retain the work within the no-huddle, check-with-me offense the Colts use. At San Diego State, he played in a spread offense designed to maximize his size and arm strength. I think the answer is yes, he can learn and retain the Colts offense. He shows a strong desire to study and put in the necessary prep, but he needs to display more consistency in his decision-making. That can get corrected with great QB coaching.

O'Connell offers the most intriguing late round QB prospect that I see in this 2008 draft. He needs a few years to develop, but with a guy like Peyton Manning playing in front of him on the depth chart, he will have that time.

On the surface, Maryland's Joey Haynos is a Ben Utecht clone, sort of.

If you are like me, you HATED the most recent Star Wars films. Attack of the Clones was especially dreadful. It was so bad I wanted to take hostages after walking out of the theater. Between Natalie Portman's fake crying and Hayden Christiansen's laughable "anger face," the very mention of the word "clone" will evoke a strong reaction from me akin to projectile vomiting.

So, why am I referencing projectile vomiting and Star Wars in a Who the hell will the draft 2008 write-up? Because Maryland's Joey Haynos is a Ben Utecht clone, folks. And I fully believe Bill Polian let Utecht go to Cincy because he intends to draft Haynos late in the draft.

Unlike Draft Tek, I do not think the Colts will draft a TE early. Guys like John Carlson and Dustin Keller are intriguing, but I would seriously lose my sh*t if Polian passed up Matt Forte or Chris Johnson for a TE, especially with a guy like Haynos available in later rounds. When looking for a #2 TE, the Colts are very particular. They are looking for a blocking TE. We've done profiles of Carlson and Kentucky TE Jacob Tamme, but neither of them are excellent blockers (especially Tamme). Haynos is an outstanding position blocker able to overpower lineman and linebackers.

A former walk-on, Haynos decided not to take basketball scholarships and focus solely on playing football. He started out as a lanky, 215 pound guy and after 4 years of college (and numerous hours in the renowned Maryland training facility) Haynos weighs in at 260 pounds, and very little of it is fat. At 6'7, he reminds virtually everyone of Ben Utecht. In fact, NFL.com's Combine analysis compares him directly to Utecht:

Now, we can all debate the pros and cons of Ben Utecht. His pros were that he was an outstanding blocker and along the goal line and in the red zone, he could come through with a big catch. The cons were Utecht had trouble controlling the football, especially last season. He also got hurt. A LOT! He was so big, and played so tall, that when little guys would fly in and tackle him, he'd almost always stay down. Still, despite these cons, Utecht was a very serviceable TE, especially in short yardage, and finding a replacement is important. With Haynos, "replacement" is almost an understatement. They might have found Utecht doppelganger: The one area Haynos seems to deviate from Utecht is his ball control. Haynos was not known as a fumbler or a dropper in college. Haynos also has some decent speed, especially for a guy listed at 6'7: If Haynos can learn to "play low," it will prolong his NFL by several years. Far too often, tall players are knocked out of the league because smaller guys can fly in there and damage legs, arms, ribs, and backs. That said, everything else about his receiving skills sounds excellent. He runs good routes, fights hard for the football, and has good initial quickness to get off the line separate from LBers and safeties.

But it is not necessarily Haynos' receiving skills that the Colts are interested in. It is Haynos' blocking that will provide the compliment to Dallas Clark that the Colts need when they go to their base 2 TE package. Dallas Clark is a fine blocker, and in some cases a dominant blocker. But Dallas' skills make a difference in the passing game. We can debate who is better, but it is clear that is that Dallas Clark, Jason Witten, and Antonio Gates are the three best TEs in football right now. However, unlike SD and Dallas, the Colts like to run a base 2 TE package. Sometimes, they switch to a 3 WRs package with Dallas Clark in the slot receiver position rather than down on the line, but most of the time the 2 TE is the base offensive package.

In the 2 TE, an important key is having a good blocking TE. For years, Ken Dilger filled this role until he retired in 2002. After Dilger, the Colts experimented with guys like Joe Dean Davenport until they finally settled on Ben Utecht, who manned the #2 TE spot for four years. The #2 TE is key because the Colts like to run the stretch run play (and other running plays) towards the stronger blocking TE. Since the Colts do not use a fullback (unless neat the goal line or short yardage), the #2 TE is responsible for blasting linemen and LBers off the line and sealing blocks to allow the RBs to get past the front line and into the second level. Haynos excels at doing exactly this:

Finally, what also stands out about Haynos is his competitiveness and character. He spurned some good basketball scholarships to play football. That tells me that this kid LOVES football, and works hard to succeed at it. He's known as a high character guy with top intangibles, and if he went from 215 pounds to 260 pounds, that tells me he knows the work needed to get better in this league. Unlike watching Attack of the Clones again, I will not vomit if the Colts draft the Ben Utecht clone known as Joey Haynos. Haynos seems to have everything the Colts are looking for with a #2 TE, and he good develop into a better player than Utecht.

Carlton Powell could be a serious diamond in the rough-type DT if drafted by the Colts.

The last DT we covered in this series was the first player we covered in this series: Trevor Laws. Recently, in the SB Nation Mock Draft, Laws was selected in the first round (which should give you a general impression of just how much Laws' stock has risen since we did our initial Who the hell will they draft 2008). It's now highly unlikely the Colts will get a crack at Laws, but unlike previous years the DT position for the Colts is now one of the deepest on the roster. Ed Johnson, Quinn Pitcock, Keyunta Dawson, Darrell Reid, and Raheem Brock are all excellent DTs, and performed exceptionally well in 2007. Still, that doesn't mean a DT won't get drafted by Indy, especially in later rounds, and the DT I think they are looking at is Virginia Tech's Carlton Powell.

Now, we all know I don't have the same kind of insider info available as the guys at Coltpower do. In all seriousness, I could go and ask them if Indy has worked out (or inquired about) Carlton Powell, but if I did I could not write up what I was told because it would violate trust. As annoying as it is, Coltpower makes its money off paid subscriptions to their content. If I took that content and posted it here, I'd be in big trouble. So, knowing that, it is more my instinct that the Colts are looking at Powell rather than my insider knowledge.

So, why Powell?

Well, for starters, he doesn't seem to have the same kinds of serious character flaws guys like Lionel Dotson and Letroy Guion have. DTs tend to slide in drafts more because of character flaws than any other position player. Look at Ed Johnson. He was, arguably, one of the best rookies of 2007 overall. Guys like Alan Branch (second round) did not perform as well as Big Ed, who went undrafted in 2007 mainly because of character issues (issues that have seemingly been sorted out). But unlike Big Ed, guys like Guion (guilty of academic cheating) have about as much a chance of making the Colts roster in 2008 as I do. A guy like Powell, who experienced the after affects of the Virginia Tech shootings last season, character concerns are not the reason he will likely slide to the late rounds or go under drafted entirely.

Carlton Powell strikes me as another Ed Johnson-type of guy. He seems to do everything "well" but is not AMAZING at any one particular aspect of the game. He isn't lightening quick as a DT. He isn't a gigantic space-eater, able to engulf five o-linemen. He isn't a sack artists, ala Warren Sapp in 1995. He's just a guy with a very long list of good things from his NFL Combine appearance. Yet, despite this long list of good things (and a short list of negatives) he will likely get drafted in rounds 4-7, if at all.

Indeed, it's a real head scratcher.  

Now again, I'm basing this off my reading various mock draft sites, and even though many of them are great, they are not an accurate reflection of what actual teams are thinking. The most accurate one is New Era Scouting, and no I'm not saying that because they work with SB Nation. Last season, New Era was the only site I saw that had Quinn Pitcock and Tony Ugoh going to the Colts. They also said Gonzalez would get drafted by Indy. Matt Miller is pretty sharp when it comes to evaluating who likes whom, and I'm not betting against him this year. Matt's most recent mock draft has Powell going in round 6, and he ranks him near the bottom of the DTs available in this draft. Yet, for the life of me, I cannot understand why people do not think more highly of this guy, because all I read are gushing reviews:

Again, the more I read about him, the more I get the sense that this guy would excel in a Tampa 2-style defense. NFL.com's Combine Report (via The Sports Xchange) sums up my feelings about Powell's potential in a Dungy defense, where the DTs are not big (over 300 pounds) and rely more on penetrating into the backfield and causing disruption: Just so you know, the "under tackle" position is the one Booger McFarland played in 2006, and Ed Johnson played in 2007. While I still hold out the hope that Booger will get re-signed by Indy, that might be a pipe dream. More likely, the Colts are looking at a player like Powell, a guy who sheds blocks well and gets after the ball carrier.

Powell's other strengths are his motor, instincts, and awareness. It's one thing to be smart. It's another to be football smart, and Powell seems to have those smarts. At 6'2, 300 pounds he is ideally suited for the Tampa 2 DT position. If you want to know why guys like Shaun Rogers suck playing in a Tampa 2 scheme (other than the fact that he's a lazy punk), it's because he's too big to play in it. Teams that use a Cover 2 (or Tampa 2 or Dungy 2 or whatever they like to call it) scheme usually require their DTs to shed weight and bulk rather than gain. As dominant as the Williams guys are in Minnesota, it's no secret that they wear down during the season, and because they are so big they rarely, if ever, generate a pass rush. They dominate against the run, but if you spread the Vikings out (as the Patriots did in 2006), they are helpless because the Williams guys cannot penetrate through the o-line and pressure the QB.

Powell seems to have the tools to do this. As a run stuffer he receives high marks, but I was surprised when I read that he has impressive pass rushing skills:

So, with all these wonderful, positive things to say about Powell, what are his weaknesses? It's funny because whereas one site speaks well of Powell's range, another says it is a weakness. One site says he has a good burst; another doesn't. NFL.com offers the best analysis of his negatives: These mostly strike me as technique flaws rather than a lack of talent, and if you team Powell up with a coach like John Teerlick, some good things could happen. Of all the DTs in the later rounds, I think Powell offers the most potential for the Colts, and I'm a bit surprised he hasn't appeared on New Era's team interest list. I'm not even sure if Indy attended his Virginia Tech Pro Day. I hope they did, because Powell could do some damn good things in a Cover 2 style defense.

Update [2008-4-10 15:23:40 by BigBlueShoe]: Ok, we have confirmation from Carlton Powell himself that the Colts have indeed expressed interest in him. Can I pick'em or WHAT!

Jack Williams might be the only corner Bill Polian drafts this year.

First of all, congrats to Kansas fans everywhere. I was rooting for them last night, and for their coach Bill Self. I remember a few years ago he got a highly ranked Kansas team into the tourney only to lose in the second round. Everyone wanted his head on a pike. Now, he's the Prince of Lawrence. Meanwhile, the incompetent John Calipari continues to show us how to lose games down the stretch. I have nothing against Memphis, but Calipari is a total boob and I had issue with him losing, again.

But basketball is not what we are here for. We're here for football, and the NFL Draft is two-and-a-half weeks away! OMG! I Can't wait to smell the sweet hair grease oozing from Mel Kiper's head. BTW, be sure to sign-up for the21eraser's NFL Mock Draft Contest. As we gear up for the draft, we'll continue doing profiles of players we think the Colts will pick. Today, we focus on Kent State CB Jack Williams.

I've included Jack Williams on a the last few mock drafts I've done, and people are starting to ask Who the hell is this guy? and Why the hell would the Colts draft ANOTHER cornerback? Well, to answer the second question, the conclusion I came to years ago is Bill Polian does not feel right about the draft unless he takes at least one CB or S for no damned reason whatsoever. For years, we've seen guys like Donald Strickland, Cory Bird, Indress Bashir, and Joseph Jefferson get drafted (usually in the third round) only to get cut a few years later. Last year, many scratched their heads at picking a safety (Brandon Condren) in round five when areas like DT were still a big concern. However, per usual, Polian made fools of us all. He signed a free agent rookie (Ed Johnson) and drafted Keyunta Dawson in the seventh round.

Polian is god, folks. Polian is god.

As for Who is this guy?, I'll simply state that Jack Williams is the proto-typical Cover 2 corner, and he would fit in perfectly with what Dungy and Polian like to do in the secondary. For example, look at these measurements:

Height: 5'9, Weight: 178

I could be talking about Donald Strickland, Jason David, or Tim Jennings when I list those measurements, but I'm not. I'm talking about Jack Williams. As with all corners Polian looks at late in the draft, Williams is short. But, like with most other positions, height at CB is over-rated, especially if the corner is tough and can jump. Jack Williams can do both. He had a strong showing at the NFL Combine, displaying both strength and speed. Here's what NFL.com has to say about him (via The Sports Xchange):

13 career INTs. Wow! For comparison's sake, Thorpe Award winner Antoine Cason (a projected first round pick) has 15 college career INTs.

Before I go further, I'd like to direct you to skywalker's write-up of Jack Williams, which includes links and clips from KentStateSports.com. What skywalker's diary tells us is Williams has a ton of experience at CB. He's not some converted WR or a CB in college who could only play S in the pros. Williams has started since his sophomore year, and his production has remained consistent year after year. The other thing you learn from skywalker's diary is Jack Williams is ALWAYs around the football. He recorded 4 recovered fumbles, 4 pass break-ups, 4 INTs, and 3 sacks his senior year. Williams also played a lot of special teams at Kent State, earning him the team's award for Defensive Back of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year. Williams' ability to play special teams would prove invaluable to him making the roster on a squad that, for the most part, has its secondary locked up. Marlin and Kelvin are the starters with Tim Jennings battling Dante Hughes, Keiwan Ratliff, and Michael Coe for nickel duty. I think Hughes will win the nickel job because he was really coming into his own before he got hurt last season.

Still, despite this heavy competition, Jack Williams could find his place on this roster, because when you look at his strengths, he is exactly the kind of dude you want smacking WRs on your defense:

The speed and quickness will suit him well on special teams, and his ability to close on the ball carrier or on a live football is likely why he always seems to generate turnovers. Tony Dungy LOVES these kinds of guys. Despite Williams 5'9 size, he is apparently very physical when jamming WRs at the line of scrimmage. His speed and quickness allow him to recover well, and the sentence I bolded above makes him ideal for the Cover 2. All Cover 2 corners must be willing to come up and stop the run. Williams also comes across in interviews as a smart guy with a good knowledge of football.

His weaknesses? Well, to start, he grew up a Cowboys fan. This means that Jack was 10 years old the last time the Cowboys won a playoff game. Poor, poor Jack. I guess nobody's perfect. Jack's other weaknesses are his hips, which aren't very fluid when he turns to run. Again, he has the speed and quickness to run with many WRs, but if your hips don't turn quick when re-acting to a move, an NFL-caliber WR will eat you alive. More negatives, via NFL.com:

Williams has generated a lot of interest because when you compare his strengths with his weaknesses, he could turn into one helluva Tampa-2 style corner. He could go as high as round 3, but I think he should be there in round 4, and if he is the Colts (who have expressed interest in him) will take him. Unlike the Donald Stricklands of the past, this kid looks and sounds like someone who wants to make an impact. And he seems to have the tools to do just that.

Rudolph Hardie = Super Sleeper?

We've dedicated the last few profile to skill position players, like Matt Forte and John Carlson, and now we will shift back to the offensive and defensive lines for the next few write-ups. Also, we will place extra emphasis on "sleeper" players that the Colts could draft in rounds 6 and 7; many of these players are pass rushing specialists like Howard's Rudolph Hardie.

While it is possible that the Colts will draft Georgia DE Marcus Howard or Purdue's Cliff Avril in rounds 2 or 3, that does not mean pass rushers in later rounds will get ignored. A player like Hardie is intriguing here, especially when you consider Indy's success with drafting late round defensive talent. First and foremost, Hardie played college ball at Howard, an African American college that does not play premiere talent. But I'm not one to put a ton of stock in the big school mentality. As I've said before, Laurence Phillips played a lot of college ball against top tier talent, and still sucked at the pro level. Vince Young and Reggie Bush played top tier college talent, and both are fading fast in the pros. Hardie's college, Howard University, runs a Tampa 2-style defense and it produced Colts starting safety (and Pro Bowler) Antoine Bethea.

The system Howard runs is a system very similar to Indy's. So, naturally, Indy's scouts take an interest when a player from Howard starts to make waves. Hardie was not present at the NFL Combine, but his production at Howard (in particular his knack for destroying QBs) and his university work out on March 11 impressed scouts. With Hardie, it is not his timed speed that wows scouts but rather his quick first step and non-stop motor. Hardie is also very stout against the run, as NFL Draft Scout notes, able to take on guards and tackles.

What also catches your attention is Hardie's amazingly consistent production. Many college players will have two or three years of "meh" production and then, in their senior year, they go nuts. Some of it is legit. Barry Sanders played behind Thurman Thomas at OK State, and didn't get a chance to showcase his super human talents until after Thomas left. Other times, the player just had a lucky season, and they are cashing in with the draft. With Hardie, his production has been so consistently dominant it is hard to ignore him. In his junior and senior seasons, Hardie averaged 23 tackles behind the line and 11 sacks. His 25 sacks in 2007 led the MEAC. He also had 10 QB hurries and 2 forced fumbles.

In addition to his production, Hardie also passes the "not a jerk-off" test:

Regarding weaknesses, they are the same weakness we always hear about Cover 2-style DEs. Hardie is too short (6'1) and played at a Division 1-A school. I never understand how being 6'1 is a weakness at DE. Dwight Freeney is 6'2 and Robert Mathis 6'1. Last I checked, they were pretty good. Antoine Bethea played at Howard, and I recall seeing him holding the Lombardy two years ago. Hardie's real weaknesses are many in his technique and his instincts. Technique can be taught, but instincts are something different.

Despite these weakness, there is a reason Hardie keeps popping up on people's sleeper draft pick lists: He has the tools to become a very good pass rusher, and team looking for DE depth could find a gem in Hardie. Look for a Cover-2 style team, such as the Colts, Vikes, or Bucs, to draft Hardie.

Notre Dame TE John Carlson would fit right in to the Colt's offense.

I'm crashing BBS's Who the hell will they draft 2008 party with an analysis of my former classmate, Notre Dame TE John Carlson.  In the latest Mock Draft, BBS has Carlson as the first player chosen by the Colts in the second round.  He would definitely fit right in with the Colts.

The Colts TE situation got a little thinner recently with the Bengals signing Ben Utecht.  Before this happened, I don't think the Colts were a player in the TE market.  With a semi-reliable 2nd option gone to another team, that only leaves Clark and Fletcher left at the position.  Tight End has now become a definite need in the draft, and Bill Polian has not hesitated in the past to use his first pick on an offensive hole, even when conventional wisdom said to go defense first.

Carlson is 6'5", 256 pounds, which is pretty good size for a TE.  As a comparison, Clark is 6'3", 252, so they are roughly the same size.  Some stats on Carlson:

YEAR	TEAM	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	FD	FUM	LOST
2004	ND	6	31	5.2	12	0	0	0	0
2005	ND	7	56	8.0	22	1	0	0	0
2006	ND	47	634	13.5	62	4	0	0	0
2007	ND	40	372	9.3	41	3	0	0	0

Do NOT be fooled by his reduction in stats from 2006 to 2007.  This had absolutely nothing to do with him.  In 2006, he had Brady Quinn throwing to him, 2 other NFL caliber Wide Receivers, and an offensive line that could block without his help.  In 2007 he had an awful OL to play with, and a freshman QB throwing to him.  He led the team in receptions in 2007, even though he was constantly doubled.  He also was a Mackey Award Finalist each of the past 2 seasons.  The other thing to take notice of in his stats: ZERO fumbles.  We all know how much Coach Dungy hates fumbling.  It looks like he can hold on to the ball.

At the combine, Carlson was a top performer in the Vertical Jump, 20-yard Shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle.  Carlson's overview from NFL.com says:

This is a pretty good summary of Carlson, and actually hits both a positive and a negative of him that I have as well.  With an extremely young OL last year at ND, he was forced to stay in and help block a good majority of the time, so he has lots of practice blocking.  His best attribute, however, is his ability to catch the ball down the seam.  This is only good when you have a quarterback that can actually throw a seam pass, and Peyton obviously is one of the best at it.  In the video below, check out the catches at the 1:23 mark:  Up the seam, in between 3 defenders.  You'll also notice that almost all of his catches are over the middle, which is a very good thing.  The video looks like it is exclusively from 2006, when he had teammates like he'll see in the NFL, and ran an offense like an NFL team. (I apologize for the Intro...the actual highlights start at 0:44, for those of you who don't want to see the beautiful images of Notre Dame).

The one negative, which the NFL.com overview also said, is he had a tendency to drop a pass or two when thrown to him.  This seemed to be more of an issue in '07 rather than in '06.  I really don't see this as a problem going forward.  It also says he isn't athletic enough, which I don't buy.  He played on the ND basketball team as a freshman, which, in my opinion, makes him pretty versatile and athletic.  I think it helped him gain some strength, as well as agility, which he used later in his career.

Carlson recently had his Pro Day workout, and made a great impression on those in attendance.  This is a good news / bad news situation.  The good news is he is getting the attention he deserves.  The bad news is his draft stock is rising, meaning he probably won't be there in the third round.  The Colts cannot rely solely on Bryan Fletcher to play in the second TE slot.  John Carlson would be perfect fit into the Colts offense.  He is a two-time Academic All-America, and has a great "Football IQ".  New Era Scouting says about his "Football IQ":

All of these things are exactly what the Colts look for in a player.  I'd love for him to wear the Colts blue, and I think everyone else here would too.