For Those Who Celebrate It’s McGinn Season

[JustInTime]

3. SHEMAR STEWART, Texas A&M (6-5, 270, 4.58, 1): Third-year junior, one-year starter. “He’s the classic example of a guy who has no idea how to play football,” one scout said. “Doesn’t know how to take on blocks, doesn’t know how to find the ball, doesn’t know how to work off things. I was shocked he was 281 (at the Senior Bowl). He plays like he’s 240. He crushed it at the combine but in the games he is just a nonfactor. Just can’t figure it out. He’s damn near defensive-tackle size and they’re playing him standing up, too. He should be a hand-down, go-at-it guy.”

Was 270 at pro day after being 267 at the combine, where he was clocked in 4.58 despite tweaking his hamstring, posted a 40-inch vertical jump and a position-best 10-11 broad jump. “He looks incredible but he’s got like five sacks in his career,” said a second scout. “It’s a little bit all over the map, but the way he tested and the way he looked and ran he’s going in the first round.” Arms were 34 1/8, hands were 9 5/8. “Height-weight-speed physical freak show,” a third scout said. “He’s almost as good as Abdul Carter. Different guy completely. Good effort player. Plays hard in pursuit and in-line. Why isn’t this guy more productive? Wow edge speed. You really see it coming out of the turn. He’s explosive down the middle of a blocker. He’s really stout at the point. Plays with physicality. He lacked instincts and awareness. Mental delays when he’s stunting inside. Mental has to be looked into. Maybe it’s what they’re asking him to do. I don’t know. Maybe we could do something different with him and it would look different. Physically, this guy’s everything you want. He could play either defensive end or 3-technique.” Finished with 65 tackles, 4 ½ sacks and four passes defensed in 37 games, including 19 starts. Five-star recruit from Miami.

@Kentis check your inbox

[MaroonBells]

Name this prospect. 

Nevertheless, for all of his feats and honors, **** the pro prospect encountered his share of doubters across the NFL. No matter how much they admired his blazing fast 40-yard dash and exceptional production at ****, some scouts and coaches didn’t think his sawed-off dimensions would stand the litmus test against pro offensive linemen.

“His speed is rare … and I hate him,” a college scouting director for an NFC team said about **** before the 2014 draft. “I can’t stand him. A 6-foot, 280-pound DT … who’s he going to beat in our league? I think the media has created this guy.

“Listen. He makes some plays, there’s no question. But put a game film on and when he’s double-teamed and down-blocked … he’s small. “Our game is not built for him. He’s a great player, don’t get me wrong. I like him as a college player. But I don’t see him on our team making a difference.”

Executives in personnel for four other teams also categorized **** as a second-round draft choice. “He doesn’t fit what we do but some teams still use those little guys,” said another executive high up in his NFC organization. “Penetrator kind of guy. We need guys that hunker down in there and two-gap. He’ll get his ass kicked for 10 straight plays and then he’ll make a sack. It’s the damndest thing. He’s just so damn productive every game but, down in and down out, playing the run, it’s going to be hard. Everybody has us picking him but we wouldn’t take him in the first or second round.”

[JustInTime]

Name this prospect. 

Nevertheless, for all of his feats and honors, **** the pro prospect encountered his share of doubters across the NFL. No matter how much they admired his blazing fast 40-yard dash and exceptional production at ****, some scouts and coaches didn’t think his sawed-off dimensions would stand the litmus test against pro offensive linemen.

“His speed is rare … and I hate him,” a college scouting director for an NFC team said about **** before the 2014 draft. “I can’t stand him. A 6-foot, 280-pound DT … who’s he going to beat in our league? I think the media has created this guy.

“Listen. He makes some plays, there’s no question. But put a game film on and when he’s double-teamed and down-blocked … he’s small. “Our game is not built for him. He’s a great player, don’t get me wrong. I like him as a college player. But I don’t see him on our team making a difference.”

Executives in personnel for four other teams also categorized **** as a second-round draft choice. “He doesn’t fit what we do but some teams still use those little guys,” said another executive high up in his NFC organization. “Penetrator kind of guy. We need guys that hunker down in there and two-gap. He’ll get his ass kicked for 10 straight plays and then he’ll make a sack. It’s the damndest thing. He’s just so damn productive every game but, down in and down out, playing the run, it’s going to be hard. Everybody has us picking him but we wouldn’t take him in the first or second round.”

Did he leap out of a pool? Were you the only guy I recall pounding the table for him?

[MaroonBells]

Did he leap out of a pool? Were you the only guy I recall pounding the table for him?

I wasn't the only one who loved him, but I think I was the only one saying he was best player in the draft and that I'd take him with the #1 overall pick. And you have to remember this was the year JD Clowney was the consensus 1st overall pick for at least a year. Funny thing is I read all these scouts comments and still thought he was the best player. I learned two things: trust your instincts and scouts are wrong. A lot.

[JustInTime]

I wasn't the only one who loved him, but I think I was the only one saying he was best player in the draft and that I'd take him with the #1 overall pick. And you have to remember this was the year JD Clowney was the consensus 1st overall pick for at least a year. Funny thing is I read all these scouts comments and still thought he was the best player. I learned two things: trust your instincts and scouts are wrong. A lot.

I liked him but I didn’t love him. I liked Clowney way more. Maybe I have a SoCar bias. There’s positions I get way too tied up on the triangle numbers.

[supafreak84]

Name this prospect. 

Nevertheless, for all of his feats and honors, **** the pro prospect encountered his share of doubters across the NFL. No matter how much they admired his blazing fast 40-yard dash and exceptional production at ****, some scouts and coaches didn’t think his sawed-off dimensions would stand the litmus test against pro offensive linemen.

“His speed is rare … and I hate him,” a college scouting director for an NFC team said about **** before the 2014 draft. “I can’t stand him. A 6-foot, 280-pound DT … who’s he going to beat in our league? I think the media has created this guy.

“Listen. He makes some plays, there’s no question. But put a game film on and when he’s double-teamed and down-blocked … he’s small. “Our game is not built for him. He’s a great player, don’t get me wrong. I like him as a college player. But I don’t see him on our team making a difference.”

Executives in personnel for four other teams also categorized **** as a second-round draft choice. “He doesn’t fit what we do but some teams still use those little guys,” said another executive high up in his NFC organization. “Penetrator kind of guy. We need guys that hunker down in there and two-gap. He’ll get his ass kicked for 10 straight plays and then he’ll make a sack. It’s the damndest thing. He’s just so damn productive every game but, down in and down out, playing the run, it’s going to be hard. Everybody has us picking him but we wouldn’t take him in the first or second round.”

I was pretty happy the way that draft went down that year and taking Anthony Barr, but yeah, lot of mixed opinions on Donald that year and a lot of people missed including me. His size scared me and I watched him play Notre Dame a couple times and he didn't do dick. Thought he'd get washed out against the run and be a one trick pony and a poor man's John Randle...instead he became a rich man's Aaron Donald. Good guy and happy for his success. 

Speaking of Barr, could you imagine him playing the Van Ginkle role in this style of defense? He was damn good as a standup LB but as an edge pass rusher in a 3-4...he might have been unstoppable.

---

I liked him but I didn’t love him. I liked Clowney way more. Maybe I have a SoCar bias. There’s positions I get way too tied up on the triangle numbers.

I remember somebody loving a small school pass rusher from Buffalo that year only for the Raiders to burst your bubble. That guy is still playing pretty well

[JustInTime]

I was pretty happy the way that draft went down that year and taking Anthony Barr, but yeah, lot of mixed opinions on Donald that year and a lot of people missed including me. His size scared me and I watched him play Notre Dame a couple times and he didn't do dick. Thought he'd get washed out against the run and be a one trick pony and a poor man's John Randle...instead he became a rich man's Aaron Donald. Good guy and happy for his success. 

Speaking of Barr, could you imagine him playing the Van Ginkle role in this style of defense? He was damn good as a standup LB but as an edge pass rusher in a 3-4...he might have been unstoppable.

---

I remember somebody loving a small school pass rusher from Buffalo that year only for the Raiders to burst your bubble. That guy is still playing pretty well

Daily. I think of this daily. 

Barr was my fallback when it became apparent Mack wasn’t sliding. 

What could have been.

There isn’t a guy I watched more than Barr at UCLA. 5 full games live and parts of others.

[MaroonBells]

I was pretty happy the way that draft went down that year and taking Anthony Barr, but yeah, lot of mixed opinions on Donald that year and a lot of people missed including me. His size scared me and I watched him play Notre Dame a couple times and he didn't do dick. Thought he'd get washed out against the run and be a one trick pony and a poor man's John Randle...instead he became a rich man's Aaron Donald. Good guy and happy for his success. 

Speaking of Barr, could you imagine him playing the Van Ginkle role in this style of defense? He was damn good as a standup LB but as an edge pass rusher in a 3-4...he might have been unstoppable.

I was good with the Barr pick. And I understood why some were opposed to Donald since we'd taken a 3T just a year before. But I think the biggest thing people missed about Donald was his character, his work ethic. I remember reading coaches talk about him and the stories were the stuff of legend. Up at 4:30 to workout every morning since he was 12. To this day, even after 3 DPOYs, that's one of the things that stands out most about him. 

Size and production flags don't move the needle much for me, but character flags do. And I'm not talking about the stupid Warren Sapp weed issue or even a reputation for partying. I'm talking more about players who have a lazy or entitled gene. IMO, Johnny Manziel didn't fail as much because he was a drinker. Kramer was a drinker. Favre was a drinker. Manziel failed mostly because he came from wealth and had everything handed to him. And speaking of work ethic, we've all heard the stories about JaMarcus Russell and the blank DVD. What a putz that guy was.

[JustInTime]

Went and looked up Mack’s game vs Ohio State, 2.5 sacks, pick six, 3 tackles for loss, 9 total tackles. I think it took all of two more weeks to figure out we’d have to pick probably top 3-5 to have a shot.

Lol, the other thing I remember was some poor asshole telling me Buffalo was a D3 school and why would we even look at him. Rented mules were ridden more gently. 

That’s when I really focused on Barr. I think in the right scheme he’s an absolute star. I thought maybe he’d pack on 15-20 and be another Doleman.

[supafreak84]

Went and looked up Mack’s game vs Ohio State, 2.5 sacks, pick six, 3 tackles for loss, 9 total tackles. I think it took all of two more weeks to figure out we’d have to pick probably top 3-5 to have a shot.

Lol, the other thing I remember was some poor asshole telling me Buffalo was a D3 school and why would we even look at him. Rented mules were ridden more gently. 

That’s when I really focused on Barr. I think in the right scheme he’s an absolute star. I thought maybe he’d pack on 15-20 and be another Doleman.

That Ohio State tape was about as impressive as it gets and he showed the full arsenal against a top college program. I remember by draft day, some guys like Mayock had even moved Mack ahead of Clowney. 

Funny note on Anthony Barr, as a big Notre Dame fan I use to salivate watching high school tape of him as a running back. He was a legacy commitment to the program who flipped his commitment after he started dating a girl who went to UCLA. I was beyond pissed when he flipped his commitment so when the Vikings drafted him I chuckled a bit as it had all come full circle.