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By Russ Lande
Sporting News
Quarterback Jake Locker sure does seem to hog the limelight at Washington, overshadowing all other prospects.
One player making his name known in scouting circles is Mason Foster, a senior linebacker. Foster (6-2, 241) is well built with good strength and athleticism, which excites NFL personnel men because he has real versatility.
In nearly every game this season, including last week's win over UCLA, he played weakside linebacker in Washington's base 4-3 scheme, on the open side in the 3-4 alignment and then was a nickel linebacker in passing situations. Foster is an instinctive defender who consistently reads plays correctly and quickly and then shows the speed and closing burst to make plays all over the field.
Foster displays the aggressiveness and physical style vs. the run that NFL coaches covet, and he is able to use his strength and hand usage to shed blockers while working toward the ball. Against UCLA, he also proved he could be effective in short zone coverage, could time run blitzes well and showed an explosive closing burst to the ballcarrier. About the only thing he doesn't do at an elite level is rush the passer.
Do not be surprised if Foster, a bit under the media radar, ultimately is selected in the second round of the '11 draft. Many evaluators compare him to Jets inside linebacker David Harris, a '07 second-round pick out of Michigan.
Castonzo a solid option
Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo has the size, athletic ability, lower-body flexibility, quickness and durability to be a first-round pick. He has below-average arm length but delivers strong and quick hand punches.
Castonzo (6-7, 298) does get caught with his hands outside the frame of the defender at times but quickly works to get them back inside before the referee hits him with a holding call. He consistently gets movement at the point of attack in the running game, controlling the defender. He also is adept at double-teaming defensive linemen initially and then reaching the second level to block a linebacker.
Yes, he often blocks two defenders on a run play.
On Saturday vs. Virginia, Castonzo looked like a smooth and fluid athlete when getting out if his stance, sliding outside quickly in pass protection. He shows exceptional lateral recovery to counter spin moves and stunts. He does all this in pass protection with consistent, strong lower base with balance.
When comparing Castonzo to recent pro prospects, he certainly looks better than ex-Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga ('10 first-round pick of the Packers) and former Central Michigan offensive tackle Joe Staley ('07 first-round pick of the 49ers) but not quite as dominant as ex-Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas ('07 first-round pick of the Browns).
On the outside
UCLA defensive end/outside linebacker Akeem Ayers, a junior, was expected to dominate in '10 and then leave school early for the '11 draft. However, he has failed to live up to expectations. He is tall and has been used as a strongside linebacker in UCLA's base 4-3 scheme, as a boundary end in the 4-3 look and then as a standup rush linebacker in their 3-3-5 alignment.
Ayers has the speed to make plays from sideline-to-sideline and flashes an explosive closing burst when he has a clear path to finish. However, he is an end/linebacker 'tweener who lacks the bulk, explosiveness and pass-rush skills to play defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. He also looks gangly and awkward in coverage and when attempting open-field tackles.
Ayers' best chance of NFL success is as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but he must greatly improve as a pass rusher and add strength to hold up at the point of attack. Ayers has been hyped as a top defender, but the fact is he is no sure-fire NFL starter.
Late-round steal
Every draft class seems to have at least one mid-to-late round running back who becomes highly productive in the NFL, and Maryland's Da'Rel Scott could well be that guy in '11. He lacks breakaway speed but has the burst needed to get through holes before they close. He runs aggressively with a low pad level, initiating contact and breaking arm tackles. He also is a patient runner who waits for blockers to set up defenders and then accelerates to daylight. An ideal NFL destination for Scott would be the Redskins because he could excel in their zone-blocking scheme. Plus, coach Mike Shanahan is notorious for turning late-round backs into NFL stars.
Small school report
We were excited to get a firsthand look at Delaware QB Pat Devlin on Saturday, but he had a Jekyll and Hyde sort of day.
In the first half, he looked nothing like the prospect we had seen on film. He looked out of sorts, indecisive and did not show zip on his passes. In the second half, he showed many of the traits that had us believing he could be the sleeper in the '11 draft. He made much quicker decisions, looked confident going through progressions and consistently made good, accurate throws.
Playing in windy conditions, he showed good arm strength to cut through the wind to make intermediate throws with good zip. His only trouble spot in the second half was downfield passing, missing badly on a deep post route that would have been a TD if on target.
Devlin's lack of effective deep passing and a bad first half raised concerns, but his ability to adjust and play so much better in the second half and deliver clutch throws still leads us to believe he'd be a good value in the middle of the draft with the upside to become an NFL starter in time if able to improve his arm strength.
Sporting News
Quarterback Jake Locker sure does seem to hog the limelight at Washington, overshadowing all other prospects.
One player making his name known in scouting circles is Mason Foster, a senior linebacker. Foster (6-2, 241) is well built with good strength and athleticism, which excites NFL personnel men because he has real versatility.
In nearly every game this season, including last week's win over UCLA, he played weakside linebacker in Washington's base 4-3 scheme, on the open side in the 3-4 alignment and then was a nickel linebacker in passing situations. Foster is an instinctive defender who consistently reads plays correctly and quickly and then shows the speed and closing burst to make plays all over the field.
Foster displays the aggressiveness and physical style vs. the run that NFL coaches covet, and he is able to use his strength and hand usage to shed blockers while working toward the ball. Against UCLA, he also proved he could be effective in short zone coverage, could time run blitzes well and showed an explosive closing burst to the ballcarrier. About the only thing he doesn't do at an elite level is rush the passer.
Do not be surprised if Foster, a bit under the media radar, ultimately is selected in the second round of the '11 draft. Many evaluators compare him to Jets inside linebacker David Harris, a '07 second-round pick out of Michigan.
Castonzo a solid option
Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo has the size, athletic ability, lower-body flexibility, quickness and durability to be a first-round pick. He has below-average arm length but delivers strong and quick hand punches.
Castonzo (6-7, 298) does get caught with his hands outside the frame of the defender at times but quickly works to get them back inside before the referee hits him with a holding call. He consistently gets movement at the point of attack in the running game, controlling the defender. He also is adept at double-teaming defensive linemen initially and then reaching the second level to block a linebacker.
Yes, he often blocks two defenders on a run play.
On Saturday vs. Virginia, Castonzo looked like a smooth and fluid athlete when getting out if his stance, sliding outside quickly in pass protection. He shows exceptional lateral recovery to counter spin moves and stunts. He does all this in pass protection with consistent, strong lower base with balance.
When comparing Castonzo to recent pro prospects, he certainly looks better than ex-Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga ('10 first-round pick of the Packers) and former Central Michigan offensive tackle Joe Staley ('07 first-round pick of the 49ers) but not quite as dominant as ex-Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas ('07 first-round pick of the Browns).
On the outside
UCLA defensive end/outside linebacker Akeem Ayers, a junior, was expected to dominate in '10 and then leave school early for the '11 draft. However, he has failed to live up to expectations. He is tall and has been used as a strongside linebacker in UCLA's base 4-3 scheme, as a boundary end in the 4-3 look and then as a standup rush linebacker in their 3-3-5 alignment.
Ayers has the speed to make plays from sideline-to-sideline and flashes an explosive closing burst when he has a clear path to finish. However, he is an end/linebacker 'tweener who lacks the bulk, explosiveness and pass-rush skills to play defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. He also looks gangly and awkward in coverage and when attempting open-field tackles.
Ayers' best chance of NFL success is as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but he must greatly improve as a pass rusher and add strength to hold up at the point of attack. Ayers has been hyped as a top defender, but the fact is he is no sure-fire NFL starter.
Late-round steal
Every draft class seems to have at least one mid-to-late round running back who becomes highly productive in the NFL, and Maryland's Da'Rel Scott could well be that guy in '11. He lacks breakaway speed but has the burst needed to get through holes before they close. He runs aggressively with a low pad level, initiating contact and breaking arm tackles. He also is a patient runner who waits for blockers to set up defenders and then accelerates to daylight. An ideal NFL destination for Scott would be the Redskins because he could excel in their zone-blocking scheme. Plus, coach Mike Shanahan is notorious for turning late-round backs into NFL stars.
Small school report
We were excited to get a firsthand look at Delaware QB Pat Devlin on Saturday, but he had a Jekyll and Hyde sort of day.
In the first half, he looked nothing like the prospect we had seen on film. He looked out of sorts, indecisive and did not show zip on his passes. In the second half, he showed many of the traits that had us believing he could be the sleeper in the '11 draft. He made much quicker decisions, looked confident going through progressions and consistently made good, accurate throws.
Playing in windy conditions, he showed good arm strength to cut through the wind to make intermediate throws with good zip. His only trouble spot in the second half was downfield passing, missing badly on a deep post route that would have been a TD if on target.
Devlin's lack of effective deep passing and a bad first half raised concerns, but his ability to adjust and play so much better in the second half and deliver clutch throws still leads us to believe he'd be a good value in the middle of the draft with the upside to become an NFL starter in time if able to improve his arm strength.