Knowing that there is a football void, of the fantasy nature, I thought I would fill that space in your heart with some draft analysis.
Watching the Gophers square off against the Syracuse Orangemen, I paid particular attention to Ra'Shede Hageman. Many experts have touted Hageman as a first rounder, but Whitebread and Titwarmer have casted doubt on this assessment. I believe the most common thing I'd heard from these two, were that Hageman doesn't make plays... and disappears at times.
Here are my observations of Hageman from the bowl game:
- The Gopher defense rotates their defensive linemen way too often. Sure it keeps the linemen fresh and healthy, but this limits statistical output. My guess is that this is a contributing factor to Marcus' and Ned's comments, as the guy isn't on the field for half of the defensive snaps. Which is pretty lame for your supposed best defender.
- Hageman is a man amongst boys. At 6'6"/311 lbs, great arm length, athletic nimble feet, and a nasty demeanor... there is no wonder why NFL evaluators are drooling over this guy.
- To his advantage, he keeps linemen away from his body with those crazy long arms. This ability keeps him in almost every play, or at the very least a positively contributing defender eating up blockers.
- The Gophers line him up in a number of positions (NT, 3-Technique, DE/5-Technique), which adds to Hageman's resume as a scheme diverse down lineman.
- Purely guess-work, but what I saw was that Hageman was asked to do a ton of read-and-react assignments... as opposed to going after the quarterback. But when he did go after the QB, his speed/strength and good mix of pass rush moves were flat out unstoppable.
- The blemishes in Hageman's games were: [1] Tendencies to not anchor well, and play high when playing inside. [2] That same poor leverage would cause him to loose ground and allow him to be pushed back.
Overall, I see Ra'Shede Hageman as an near elite 5-Technique DE (in a 3-4 Defense) who could easily be drafted in the middle of the first round. With the abundance of teams utilizing the 3-4, this possibility is very high. Also, if Hageman participates at the NFL combine, yes he seems good enough to opt out, he will likely cause a frenzy as a combine freak. That said, if a 4-3 team drafts him to play inside... he won't be all that special. His splash plays will be few and far between, and will just be another guy... so lets hope that a 3-4 team drafts him.
Off subject: I just heard that Brett Smith (QB from Wyoming) surprisingly declared for the draft. Seeing this guy play in two games, with zero intention of following this guy or Wyoming football, but his ability jumps out. With this news, and Mettenberger's unfortunate ACL/MCL injury, Smith rises up.
Top QBs:
- Derek Carr - Fresno State
- Johnny Manziel - Texas A&M
- Brett Smith - Wyoming
- Teddy Bridgewater - Louisville
- (Tie) Black Bortles - UCF ... and ... Zach Mettenberger - LSU
Those comments must have been from Ned. I think he is legit and will be a better NFL player than college. His athleticism is excellent and will wow the scouts. His technique is improving but still needs work. As mentioned, he has a tendency to play high.
ReplyDeleteI do like Hageman but I'm not impressed with him all the time. He has flashes of brilliance against a double team and then gets mauled by a guard in one-on-one. He's a better player on paper than the one who showed up this year. I am still shocked that he doesn't even play every 3rd down. I think it's more than just rotating the D when he isn't on the field for 3rd downs. Maybe it's his conditioning, maybe it's an injury we don't know about. All I know, even during the bowl game, is that I've asked "why the hell isn't Hageman on the field?" way too many times this season. Coaches put their best players on the field when it matters most and he was mysteriously absent from a lot of important plays. I hope he gets drafted high and turns out to be an all pro. I just think there's something we're missing here.
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