Who are our future pros?
- Thread starter ezluke
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Spriggs has been projected in the second round. I don't know how long he'll last but he will be on an NFL payroll next year
Locks (barring injury): Feeney, Spriggs, Howard, Latham, and Sudfeld will all be drafted
With continued development: Cobbs, Scales, Crawford, Westbrook, Martin, Oliver, and Knight
Boarderline (gonna have to catch lightning in a bottle) at this point: Mangeri, R. Green, and Corsaro
Jury is still out on a lot of the frosh. I think Thornton will eventually be in the watch group with T. Green and Brown and Cook. But too early to know much on some. Knight and Westbrook haven't seen much action but the coaches are raving about them.
Spriggs is already pretty strong. He did the IU version of the NFL Combine this Spring, and Wilson posted that Sprigg's numbers would have been #1 for offensive lineman in the 2014 draft for multiple categories.
Here's the link...scroll down the article to Wilson's tweet on Sprigg's numbers.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...iggs-growing-into-one-of-b1gs-top-left-tackle
What are your qualifications to be grading Olineman? Not snark, an honest question
You do realize that OSU moved Bosa to avoid Spriggs, right?
I'm just a fan who watches the games, so no special qualifications. OSU moved Bosa around but I don't think they were trying to get him away from Spriggs. I've also thought Spriggs had trouble run blocking. He seems to stand up too much and then he loses leverage.
I'm just a fan as well, sounds like neither of us know enough to intelligently discuss line play
Bosa usually moves around but he was almost exclusively on the other side in the second half, that's not normal, nor a coincidence
I don't think Bosa was moved like that, but I can probably find the game on line to see. Don't know how qualified you have to be to see a guy who can't get a push up front, and that's been a problem for Spriggs against good competition.
I just like watching the games and talking football, even with "us" or "you" or whomever. Too bad there's not more of that here.You need to be more qualified than us
I do too, that's why asked. I just watch games, I didn't play football past middle school. So anything besides looking at the results is beyond my expertise. I like when we have posters with real knowledge and not just the "he got beat so he sucks" commentaries. And I'm not saying that's what you did
I agree with you on this. I was responding to your comment that Spriggs needed to gain size and strength. He doesn't need either at this point. He needs better technique in run-blocking and Kris Dielman type intensity. But he will be drafted in the first 50 players, imo, and possibly the first round if he puts up the ridiculous NFL combine numbers that he did earlier this spring.
I disagree. He wasn't great but he was going up against a really, really good player.
I don't think he struggled that badly. He didn't grade as highly as Feeney did, but he still held his own pretty darn well on the island. Spriggs is still learning the position. He's finally healthy. Sure he's started since his frosh year, but he's been hurt a lot. I think he'll be a better pro than college player.
I don't think it's entirely fair to suggest that Spriggs or any of our O-linemen got handled that last two games. PSU loaded the box, brought safeties up, and gave linebackers gap assignments. They took the risk that we couldn't throw the ball vertically against their man coverage and that our running back would not break a tackle and get into an undefended second level. They were right on both counts and it was a great strategy.
If Sudfeld is the qb, they probably play a different cover and leave safeties for help because he can burn press man coverage for big gains. If Howard also plays, they take a huge risk bringing linebackers into gaps where they might miss or fail to bring him down at the LOS. Either they alter that strategy or pay a big price if it fails.
OSU did the same thing to us after Howard and Sudfeld went out. Interestingly enough, we did the same to them, taking the chance that we could cover their receivers one-on-one with Jones throwing the ball. It worked to perfection in the first half. In the second half, our linebackers missed a fit on two occasions and Elliot busted two long ones (the third was a picked-up blitz I think). If Jones had demonstrated a better ability to throw this year, I don't think we would have taken that gamble.
In short, there has been no place for us to run the previous six quarters because we can't soften a defense with the passing game and lack the individual power runner to bust tackles for big gains. We also lack big, strong, fast receivers that can make plays against good single coverage. Cobbs had some success with this against OSU while Nate was in the game, but Sudfeld was just too hobbled to be accurate enough in the second half. It has been more a matter of getting enough "hats-on-hats" than an inability to block up front. My guess is that if Nate's injury was long-term, we would see significant scheme changes to get Diamont on the edge where he could make plays and use his speed. I think we either opted not to institute radical offensive changes for Penn State on the chance that Sudfeld and/or Howard might play or that we didn't want to invest so much in a one-week strategy.
A couple of things are obvious. We are going to have to re-tool our offensive strategy if Diamont is going to play much and our receivers have to get better at beating single coverage or we aren't gong to win.
When I watched him against both OSU and PSU, I thought he really struggled against whomever he faced. He stood up quickly and seemed to go away from his technique, which allowed guys to get leverage on him and turn him. In the run game, he had trouble getting a push pretty consistently. Realize teams came down heavily into the box, but you still need to win your battle on a consistent basis, and he simply didn't. Just my view.
TheSpa can think whatever he wants, but the thread asked "Who are our future pros?" Saying anything other than, "Spriggs is a lock!", makes you look severely uninformed.
Does he need to get a better push sometimes? You bet. Does he need to gain more weight? You bet. Does he need to get stronger? Of course.
Will he be drafted? Absolutely! Will he be drafted early? Most likely. Is he a future pro? Without any semblance of a doubt.
Does he need to get a better push sometimes? You bet. Does he need to gain more weight? You bet. Does he need to get stronger? Of course.
Will he be drafted? Absolutely! Will he be drafted early? Most likely. Is he a future pro? Without any semblance of a doubt.
Feeney is the only other guy that is a lock to get drafted. Martin looks like he could be the next Feeney, but it's too early to anoint him as a future pro.
The really outstanding ones do. Google the last few OT's taken high in the draft. Workout warriors, but having trouble keeping up.
We aren't talking about being a good pro, that is a crap shoot. The question was making the NFL and as a tackle he will be more valued than a guard of equal abilities
I actually was talking about him being a good player rather than just filling a roster spot. I agree that tackles of equal ability are valued more than guards, but Spriggs isn't Feeney's equal, at least in the eyes of IU's coaches.
Spriggs, Feeney, and Howard are near locks. Latham next. Sud, Mangieri 3rd tier. Oliver and Scales possible.
While that's true, just wait until Spriggs runs and does drills at the combine, then no one will be saying that.
See my post regarding workout warriors. Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher are two recent OT top draft picks who are having trouble adapting to the pro game in spite of their impressive combine performances. In the end, it's how you play that matters. Hope it all turns out great for the IU guys.
Who cares? Do you ever stay on topic? The question remains the same, as do the answers. Spriggs and Feeney are the only 2 on the roster that are locks to be in the NFL.
I would love it if the Colts were to draft Feeney. He's a road grader and they suck at guard.
The topic was future IU pros, so I've stayed right on it. Sorry if you didn't read well. And no one is a "lock" for anything.
I disagree with only Feeny and Springs. Sudfeld, Howard, Latham, and I would say Scales all will be on NFL rosters.
Agree, Feeney and Spriggs certainly have the best chances for long careers, but the other guys will get drafted and hang around for a few years.
Sudfeld can hold a clipboard just as well as Curtis Painter and Jim Sorgi
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