Pro Day Info

[dressedcheeseside]

The top 40 time at the combine was 4.98 for OL. Shaq's 4.89 would have put him with the fastest 40 time by far at the combine for OL. He would also have een a top performer on all the other tests and one rep short for the bench press . Many of his scores would have been in the top 5. Criminal that he wasn't invited to the combine.

Interesting insight from Cord Howard on making the transition from college option blocking to pros. Shaq has much to prove, but I think he'll get a shot.

 

[Skeptic]

Laskey had a great day. I am not surprised.

If memory serves, his recruitment was greeted with a rousing shouts of "Who cares?" and a lot of people thought he was just a late add-on and not cut off for B back at all. Maybe says a lot about paying attention to football message boards, and more to coaches paid to evaluate talent.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

If memory serves, his recruitment was greeted with a rousing shouts of "Who cares?" and a lot of people thought he was just a late add-on and not cut off for B back at all. Maybe says a lot about paying attention to football message boards, and more to coaches paid to evaluate talent.

His numbers at the combine certainly prove that he is super athletic.

 

[jwsavhGT]

I had to watch ProDay at work so had the volume a little low but what I caught from Howard's interview was that he has a VERY low opinion of the TO.
I got tickled with Laskey when he video-bombed Roddy & Brandon. I believe he would be great as a color announcer during the GT games.

 

[TechPhi97]

The top 40 time at the combine was 4.98 for OL. Shaq's 4.89 would have put him with the fastest 40 time by far at the combine for OL. He would also have een a top performer on all the other tests and one rep short for the bench press . Many of his scores would have been in the top 5. Criminal that he wasn't invited to the combine.

Liking this post doesn't seem like enough. The guy is a max effort football player with a great history of performance. Skill position athletes with limited production get invited to the combine, but not Mason? He performed against some of the best defenders in the country.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I had to watch ProDay at work so had the volume a little low but what I caught from Howard's interview was that he has a VERY low opinion of the TO.

He wasn't recruited for it. I bet all the guys on the current roster have a much higher opinion of it.

That said, I think his points were valid, for the most part. Shaq is gonna have to prove to scouts and coaches he can do a wide variety of things he wasn't asked to do at GT. The fact that Uzzi, the most celebrated OL prior to Shaq, didn't make the NFL doesn't help the perception.

 

[cyptomcat]

The top 40 time at the combine was 4.98 for OL. Shaq's 4.89 would have put him with the fastest 40 time by far at the combine for OL. He would also have een a top performer on all the other tests and one rep short for the bench press . Many of his scores would have been in the top 5. Criminal that he wasn't invited to the combine.

This makes me so sad. They cost the kid a lot of money in initial contract, but at least rookie contracts are smaller than the past these days.

Probably caused by his height more than anything, but teams should look beyond that.

A team is going to get a huge steal with him!

 

[Techster]

I had to watch ProDay at work so had the volume a little low but what I caught from Howard's interview was that he has a VERY low opinion of the TO.
I got tickled with Laskey when he video-bombed Roddy & Brandon. I believe he would be great as a color announcer during the GT games.

Cord's thoughts on CPJ's spread option to prepare for the NFL is pretty known around here. Someone posted on one of the sites their conversation with him about this topic.

I think people need look at it from a scout's and GM's perspective. I think Shaq is a phenomenal player, but if you're drafting a player, you want to draft someone that you can plug into your system and go. Shaq has 2 things working against him: He doesn't have ideal size for the NFL (Ken Seguira did some research and found it VERY rare that OLs under 6'3 get drafted...but if they do, they usually stick around for a bit), and he comes from a system that doesn't approximate to what they do in the NFL. The closest system is Mike Shanahan's zone read blocking system. Even then, they still require the OLs to pass block a lot more than we've shown in the past.

There's no doubt in my mind Shaq can play at the next level, but from the NFL's perspective, there are quite a few OLs available that have played in "pro friendly" system and have the protypical measurable they want. Guys who will get a quicker return on their investment from their perspective. Shaq would be a project for them (that's why he's being asked to snap the ball)...and those are not the type of guys you draft high or at all unless they have freakish physical attributes.

All it takes is for one team to fall in love with him. Getting invited to the combine really isn't that big of a deal...PLENTY of guys have been drafted or made rosters and had good careers without going to the combine.

 

[GlennW]

Cord's thoughts on CPJ's spread option to prepare for the NFL is pretty known around here. Someone posted on one of the sites their conversation with him about this topic.

I think people need look at it from a scout's and GM's perspective. I think Shaq is a phenomenal player, but if you're drafting a player, you want to draft someone that you can plug into your system and go. Shaq has 2 things working against him: He doesn't have ideal size for the NFL (Ken Seguira did some research and found it VERY rare that OLs under 6'3 get drafted...but if they do, they usually stick around for a bit), and he comes from a system that doesn't approximate to what they do in the NFL. The closest system is Mike Shanahan's zone read blocking system. Even then, they still require the OLs to pass block a lot more than we've shown in the past.

There's no doubt in my mind Shaq can play at the next level, but from the NFL's perspective, there are quite a few OLs available that have played in "pro friendly" system and have the protypical measurable they want. Guys who will get a quicker return on their investment from their perspective. Shaq would be a project for them (that's why he's being asked to snap the ball)...and those are not the type of guys you draft high or at all unless they have freakish physical attributes.

All it takes is for one team to fall in love with him. Getting invited to the combine really isn't that big of a deal...PLENTY of guys have been drafted or made rosters and had good careers without going to the combine.

Jeff Saturday, who has starred as a Center in the NFL for years, is only 6'2" and weighs less than 300 lbs.

 

[GaTech4ever]

Did Shawn Green participate? I read somewhere he was going to, but I was pretty sure he wasn't going to pursue football after college.

 

[Techster]

Jeff Saturday, who has starred as a Center in the NFL for years, is only 6'2" and weighs less than 300 lbs.

Jeff Saturday was also a center...good reason why Shaq is being asked to maybe move to center and has trained there. There are exceptions, but it's not the rule as Ken Seguira pointed out in his recent article regarding this.

 

[TechCubed]

Shawn Green wasn't there. Godhigh was there, but just did the passing drills.

 

[Nook Su Kow]

I believe Shaq will make one GM look like a genius.

 

[COJacket]

Cord's thoughts on CPJ's spread option to prepare for the NFL is pretty known around here. Someone posted on one of the sites their conversation with him about this topic.

I think people need look at it from a scout's and GM's perspective. I think Shaq is a phenomenal player, but if you're drafting a player, you want to draft someone that you can plug into your system and go. Shaq has 2 things working against him: He doesn't have ideal size for the NFL (Ken Seguira did some research and found it VERY rare that OLs under 6'3 get drafted...but if they do, they usually stick around for a bit), and he comes from a system that doesn't approximate to what they do in the NFL. The closest system is Mike Shanahan's zone read blocking system. Even then, they still require the OLs to pass block a lot more than we've shown in the past.

There's no doubt in my mind Shaq can play at the next level, but from the NFL's perspective, there are quite a few OLs available that have played in "pro friendly" system and have the protypical measurable they want. Guys who will get a quicker return on their investment from their perspective. Shaq would be a project for them (that's why he's being asked to snap the ball)...and those are not the type of guys you draft high or at all unless they have freakish physical attributes.

All it takes is for one team to fall in love with him. Getting invited to the combine really isn't that big of a deal...PLENTY of guys have been drafted or made rosters and had good careers without going to the combine.

Being out here in the Rockies, I for one want Denver to take Shaq later on in the draft. The are going back to the zone read blocking scheme here, need offensive linemen, and he could be joining Bey Bey and now Vance Walker on the team. I think it would be a match made in heaven

 

[Squints]

That said, I think his points were valid, for the most part. Shaq is gonna have to prove to scouts and coaches he can do a wide variety of things he wasn't asked to do at GT. The fact that Uzzi, the most celebrated OL prior to Shaq, didn't make the NFL doesn't help the perception.

Uzzi had a degenerative knee issue though didn't he?

 

[Ibeeballin]

Uzzi had a degenerative knee issue though didn't he?

Yes. Uzzi couldn't pass a physical

 

[takethepoints]

Laskey had a great day. I am not surprised.

Me either. I hope someone is looking for a back who, you know, never loses yardage. If so, Zach's in.

 

[Skeptic]

I had to watch ProDay at work so had the volume a little low but what I caught from Howard's interview was that he has a VERY low opinion of the TO.
I got tickled with Laskey when he video-bombed Roddy & Brandon. I believe he would be great as a color announcer during the GT games.

It's a lemons-to-lemonade thing, whatever the offense or defense. If a player is successful in it, he likes it. If he isn't, he doesn't. Don't blame them very much, particularly if they were recruited by one head coach and had to play for another. They have squatter's rights to complain, yet on the other hand there is a Sean Bedford who moved from D to O and made all-league in a completely foreign position. The guy is huffing about an offense that got 330ypg on the ground? And rung up 84 points in the ACC title game and Orange Bowl? In the latter had five TD drives of more than 70 yards, including a 97-yard drive in the last three minutes? Exactly what part of that didn't he like?

 

[AE 87]

Fwiw, I don't think Cord was complaining about the offense but saying the difference matters. It asks for different emphases than the pro set.

 

[Eric]

Cord isn't a fan of the offense FWIW.