Monday, February 16, 2009

Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs Boise State

Texas Christian:

Steven Hodge, LB/SS- Hodge is right up there as one of my favorite unheard of players in this draft. Hodge is a bit of a tweener who played a lot of in-the-box SS, but could probably fit as a WLB at the NFL level. To me, I’d leave him at SS. Hodge absolutely owned this game and was all over the field. He has outstanding closing speed and open field tackling ability. He can blitz, and he can cover. I think he can be an immediate starter in the NFL, and I really like his potential.

Jerry Hughes, DE- I was surprised that Hughes did not come out considering the lack of depth at the DE position this year. I felt that Hughes was the most complete DE I saw all year, even though most media outlets peg him as a 3-4 rush OLB. He’s an impact pass rusher that can also stack the line against the run. But Hughes opted to come back for his senior year, which I will rarely ever say is a bad idea. If Hughes can improve his strength and stay near the top of the NCAA leader board in sacks once again, he’s going to be considered in the top half of the first round. I’ll be watching him closely as I think he has great NFL potential.

Aaron Brown, RB- Brown is not getting the respect I feel he deserves. I really like Brown’s running style. He’s a smooth strider that runs with forward lean, hits the hole hard, and has the quickness to make guys miss. He showed that he’s a very solid kick returner as well. He’s going to slip through the cracks, as evidenced by the fact that he was unexplicably not invited to the combine, but he will get drafted late and will make his way into a tandem running back rotation (and return kicks right away).

Daryl Washington, LB- Washington has not played much and is more of an athlete than a polished player, but his athleticism does flash through at times, and I think he will find a nice paying gig as a career special teams player.

Boise State:

Jeron Johnson, SS- Johnson is only a Sophomore, but he’s got great potential. He’s very effective in coverage and fills hard to stop the run. I’m watching him closely as he looks like a very solid NFL product that may come out early next year.

Ian Johnson, RB- The hero of the Orange Bowl from a couple years ago against Oklahoma, Johnson has struggled ever since. Injuries have played a good part in this, as has carrying such a big load throughout his four year career at Boise State. He’s a tough football player that has a lot of heart and determination, but just doesn’t have the natural physical skills to be an elite player. He will get drafted late and will be very hard to cut for some team. He reminds me a lot of the Bears' Adrian Peterson. He’s going to be a hard working special teams player who will contribute in any way he can. He’s the kind of hard worker you want on your team, but he’s not ever going to be a difference maker.

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