Monday, February 16, 2009

St. Petersburg Bowl: South Florida vs Memphis

South Florida:

Matt Grothe, QB- I don’t care what anyone else says about Grothe, he will never be an NFL QB. Not even a third stringer. He’s too short, he doesn’t have enough of an arm, and he’s not that accurate. He helps his team win games, but that’s just not enough. He may end up being a very fine college QB, but that’s where the line ends.

George Selvie, DE- I’m very glad Selvie decided to come back for his Senior season. Selvie was hurt for a portion of the year, and did not make the impact he has over the past two years. I also didn’t see enough improvement from him based on last year’s footage as well. He’s still a bit of a one trick pony where he relies strictly on speed around the edge instead of using his hands and being a complete two-way player. He’s got good length, and great speed, but he’s too small to hold the POA (point of attack) against the run. So to me, his future is at 3-4 OLB due to his speed and pass rush ability. His potential is what will get him drafted in the first round, but I’m not sold on his value being that high. Right now, he’s a pass rush specialist in my book, and you don’t spend first round picks on guys who are just pass rush specialists. Selvie does have another year to prove me wrong though, and with a little bulk, he might be able to stay out as a 4-3 DE in a Cover-2 style defense. He needs to show some improvement and he will face a lot of double teams next year, so if he still shows the flashes on tape, then I’d be satisfied saying he deserves a first round grade.

Tyrone McKenzie, OLB- Todd McShay really likes McKenzie and I don’t. He has all of the physical attributes you want to see, but he tends to just get lost in the shuffle. On tape, he disappears in the trash over the middle. He does have fairly good coverage skills though, so he needs to go to a team that will cover him up and allow him to use his speed and agility to make plays on the outside. I still don’t draft him any higher than the late third round, but if he performs well at the combine, some team will over draft him in the early third to potentially the late second round.

Memphis:

Clinton McDonald, DT- SLEEPER ALERT! Every year I find a couple offensive or defensive lineman that I really seem to fall in love with. McDonald is my guy this year on the DL. He’s not a big guy, and is probably best fit as an undertackle on a team that runs a one gap penetrating style of defense (like the Colts, Bucs, or Bears). But if the right team drafts him, I think he’s going to be a very good pro. He suffered from not having as much talent around him on this Memphis team so he faced a lot of double teams. My only knock on him is that he’s not a big space eating run blocker. He will make his money with his quickness and pass rush ability. He can get washed by the double team, but that’s not what you are drafting him to do. He’s a great athlete for his size, and I have no doubts his stock will rise after personal workouts; as he’s the kind of guy who will test very well (Note: McDonald was one of the few guys who got snubbed for an invite to the combine, which I think is an absolute shame. So that is why I refer to him blowing up his personal workouts and not the combine). He could potentially move to a 3-4 DE, but I think this would not be using him to the best of his abilities. I’m guessing that he will slip until the late third or early fourth, which is a great time to take a player like McDonald. Don’t sleep on him yet, and remember where you heard it first.

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