dbair1967
Administrator
- Messages
- 62,127
- Reaction score
- 12,076
Draft Focus: Baylor's Blake A Mature Center
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Blake had an individual workout with Cowboys O-line coach Bill Callahan this spring.
Name: Philip Blake
Position: Center
College: Baylor
Height/Weight: 6-2/311
Age: 26 (born Nov. 27, 1985)
Strengths: A physically mature player who will not need a year or two in the weight room to succeed in the trenches, Blake has a lot of experience, having started 12 games at right tackle in 2009 before moving inside to become an all-conference center for the Bears the last two years. He has had a ton of practice with shotgun snaps and rarely misfires, and has the power and build to anchor against the pass rush. He is also able to pull and get to the second level.
Weaknesses: Blake needs to work hard this offseason to change some extra fat into muscle, and conditioning coaches may need to stay on him about his weight. While his age and experience should allow him to see the field very early, he may already be near his ceiling, and isn't necessarily a long-term fix beyond his rookie contract.
Sound Bites: On why he chose to stay in school rather than return to his native Canada after he was selected in the CFL Draft last year: "Basically, it was my coaches telling me I have a great opportunity to play at the next level, the NFL, and we'd like you to come back and play another year. So I talked to my mom, talked to my family and stayed back another year and played in college."
Where He's Headed: Though counted among the top two or three centers in the class, Blake's age makes him a less-than-elite prospect, which could scare off teams in the first couple of rounds. A third-round pick would be a possibility, if not the fourth. Blake would seem to make more sense for a team looking to win right away rather than one in rebuilding mode.
How He Helps the Cowboys: For the Cowboys, who had line coach Bill Callahan work out Blake individually, the Baylor center could give two-year veteran Phil Costa a serious challenge to start in 2012. The Cowboys liked the way Costa grew with 16 games of starting experience last year, but his ultimate upside may be no better than Blake is already. Though he only performed 22 reps of the 225-pound bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine, Blake would be seen as a strength upgrade over Costa because of his longer arms. He did a nice job of controlling a mammoth senior nose tackle – Washington's Alameda Ta'amu, a likely Day 2 draft pick – in the Alamo Bowl, when the Bears rushed for 482 yards.
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Blake had an individual workout with Cowboys O-line coach Bill Callahan this spring.
Name: Philip Blake
Position: Center
College: Baylor
Height/Weight: 6-2/311
Age: 26 (born Nov. 27, 1985)
Strengths: A physically mature player who will not need a year or two in the weight room to succeed in the trenches, Blake has a lot of experience, having started 12 games at right tackle in 2009 before moving inside to become an all-conference center for the Bears the last two years. He has had a ton of practice with shotgun snaps and rarely misfires, and has the power and build to anchor against the pass rush. He is also able to pull and get to the second level.
Weaknesses: Blake needs to work hard this offseason to change some extra fat into muscle, and conditioning coaches may need to stay on him about his weight. While his age and experience should allow him to see the field very early, he may already be near his ceiling, and isn't necessarily a long-term fix beyond his rookie contract.
Sound Bites: On why he chose to stay in school rather than return to his native Canada after he was selected in the CFL Draft last year: "Basically, it was my coaches telling me I have a great opportunity to play at the next level, the NFL, and we'd like you to come back and play another year. So I talked to my mom, talked to my family and stayed back another year and played in college."
Where He's Headed: Though counted among the top two or three centers in the class, Blake's age makes him a less-than-elite prospect, which could scare off teams in the first couple of rounds. A third-round pick would be a possibility, if not the fourth. Blake would seem to make more sense for a team looking to win right away rather than one in rebuilding mode.
How He Helps the Cowboys: For the Cowboys, who had line coach Bill Callahan work out Blake individually, the Baylor center could give two-year veteran Phil Costa a serious challenge to start in 2012. The Cowboys liked the way Costa grew with 16 games of starting experience last year, but his ultimate upside may be no better than Blake is already. Though he only performed 22 reps of the 225-pound bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine, Blake would be seen as a strength upgrade over Costa because of his longer arms. He did a nice job of controlling a mammoth senior nose tackle – Washington's Alameda Ta'amu, a likely Day 2 draft pick – in the Alamo Bowl, when the Bears rushed for 482 yards.