Thread: Lovie smith at UNC pro day

Tar Heels DT Austin worth a gamble

Posted by Bob LeGere on Thu, 03/31/2011 - 22:00
North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin certainly cannot be called a sleeper, even after missing the 2010 season because he, like teammates Robert Quinn and Greg Little, accepted improper benefits from an agent while still in school.

And he’s certainly not a secret to the Bears, especially after Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli attended North Carolina’s Pro Day on Thursday. Marinelli actually ran the drills in which Austin and Quinn both looked superb.
But character concerns may cause all three players to be downgraded by some teams. Quinn is still expected to be a top-20 pick. He’s a 6-foot-4, 265-pound edge rusher, maybe the most gifted in the entire draft, and he runs the 40 in under 4.6.

Austin isn’t quite the prospect that Quinn is, but he could wind up being the better pro player, and he will probably not be a first-round pick. Because of his shady background – he was dismissed by the school even before the NCAA sanctions came down – the 6-foot-1 ½-inch, 309-pound Austin is being projected as a second- or third-round pick.

If the Bears can get him at the end of Round 2, even if they have to trade up to do so, he’s well worth the gamble. He’s got a lot of the same qualities that made Tommie Harris the Bears’ first-round pick in 2004, and he could be the replacement the Bears need since Harris was cut.

According to Pro Football Weekly’s draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki, Austin is a “naturally gifted interior presence with dominant athletic ability to play either tackle position in a 4-3 but is a high-risk, high-reward prospect.”

My guess is that he's next in line of the Bears DT prospects after Liuget. I think for the Bears purposes he's crawled past Paea a little and following Paea comes Nevis. Even if we don't land Liuget I think we can still come out very well with one of the others and we may even pick up an extra pick since we could probably trade back into the early second for one.

1. I would be okay with Austin at 29. The guy has all the physical ability in the world and some if his game tape is absolutely silly. especially against Boston College in 2009.

The guy has the most physical ability of any DT in the draft and if our coaches, who I trust, think his character works out then he very well could be the pick.

2. Greg Little is someone that the Bears should take a serous look at. He has a ton of physical upside and looks like a beast when he gets the ball in his hands. He has Anquan Boldin type physicalness, which is something that we need.

Originally Posted by dabears54

liuget lately been falling on alot of boards to late 20's.. which as we all know you can take with a alrge grain of salt.. but IF he does fall i hope angelo can't run up there quick enough to call him...agree austin's talent is huge, but like Soulman, really concerned with just the 'ok" production at UNC.. not sure would be comfortable with him if the OT's and top DT's gone at 29...if the draft breaks bad and no "no brainers" at 29.. could be a tough one, i'd say they will try and trade down first, but doubt find any takers( teams more likely to trde with NE for 25),,, so it may happen.. going to be a very interesting night at the draft.. it will keep me awake. : 0

Again, these "boards" mean little to nothing to me. When I hear all of the experts on ESPN and NFLN talk about how much scouts are loving him combined with the tape I saw, it makes little sense to me that he would drop past the 10 teams from mid 1 who could use him and are looking strongly at DL help. After Watt and Jordan are off the board, it's basically him and Wilkerson at the top of 3 and 5 tech boards. There some "system" wildcards like Houston and Taylor that could push a guy like him down, but I just don't see it.

Originally Posted by WindyCity

1. I would be okay with Austin at 29. The guy has all the physical ability in the world and some if his game tape is absolutely silly. especially against Boston College in 2009.

The guy has the most physical ability of any DT in the draft and if our coaches, who I trust, think his character works out then he very well could be the pick.

2. Greg Little is someone that the Bears should take a serous look at. He has a ton of physical upside and looks like a beast when he gets the ball in his hands. He has Anquan Boldin type physicalness, which is something that we need.

Looks like we better wait until the second if we take Austin. According to this he's a pretty tough negotiator. He may want twice whatever Quinn signs for if we take him in the first.

The NCAA said Quinn, a junior defensive end, accepted two black diamond watches, a pair of matching earrings and travel accommodations to Miami for benefits worth $5,642. Little, a senior, accepted diamond earrings, as well as travel accommodations for the Bahamas, Washington, D.C., and a pair of trips to Miami for benefits worth $4,952. The NCAA said both players also lied to investigators during interviews.

Meanwhile, the school dismissed Austin, a star defensive tackle, after the NCAA provided preliminary information the senior had received double the benefits furnished to Quinn and Little.

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

Again, these "boards" mean little to nothing to me. When I hear all of the experts on ESPN and NFLN talk about how much scouts are loving him combined with the tape I saw, it makes little sense to me that he would drop past the 10 teams from mid 1 who could use him and are looking strongly at DL help. After Watt and Jordan are off the board, it's basically him and Wilkerson at the top of 3 and 5 tech boards. There some "system" wildcards like Houston and Taylor that could push a guy like him down, but I just don't see it.

and that is always the "roll of the dice" of the draft- lot's of wild guesses and never ends up near what the draftnicks think.. i'm just saying austn does have some warts that "may" push teams away from him, guess we find on drat day how far..

breaking down wilkerson and taylor

Taking a look at a pair of intriguing defensive linemen. Greg Gabriel

As we have stated many times in the past few weeks, the strength of the first round in this year’s draft is the defensive line. Insiders have told me that as many as 12 linemen could go in the first round, though I think ten is the better number. We have talked about most of these players but two big inside guys we still need to talk about are Muhammad Wilkerson of Temple and Phil Taylor of Baylor. Both of these players had strong seasons in 2010 and look to have a lot of upside. Like many of the other defensive linemen we have talked about, both of these players also have the versatility to play in more than one scheme.

Muhammad Wilkerson
Wilkerson is a third-year junior who entered the draft as an underclassman. He’s four years out of high school because he went to a prep school for a year. In high school, he was not considered a top prospect. In fact, he may have been a better basketball player, thus the year in prep school. After a year at Hargrove Military Academy he became a 3-star recruit.

As a freshman at Temple he played in 11 games with no starts and has been a starter the last two seasons. Last season was a breakout year for him with 70 total tackles, 9.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Wilkerson has excellent size at 6-4 and 315 pounds with 35 ¼ inch arms. He has good athletic ability with speed (4.98). His change of direction is good for a big man and he has very good balance. Wilkerson is not your typical MAC defensive lineman, having more size and NFL traits than you’re used to seeing in the MAC.
Wilkerson played as a 5-technique defensive end in Temple’s 3-4 scheme. Looking at tape, I don’t feel the scheme utilized his traits that well. He played in a read and contain type defense and they did little attacking. He shows excellent strength and power at the point of attack and never gives ground. He has very good two-gap skills and handles the double team well. Because of his power and explosiveness, he is best at attacking; when he comes hard he can be very difficult to block or contain. He does get penetration and is disruptive. He plays with a good motor and does a good job in pursuit.

As a pass rusher, he is very raw; he gets his production on natural talent. He lacks good hand use and isn’t good at putting moves together but I feel with NFL coaching he will only get better. One thing that was obvious on tape was when Temple needed a play to be made, Wilkerson made it!

Overall, this is a very interesting prospect. As I said above he is very raw but that’s what makes him so interesting. He is going to need time and coaching but once he gets it down this player will be a defensive force in the NFL. The sky is the limit with this player and I’m not sure he even knows how good he can be. Most of his improvement needs to come with technique work. I have no problem with his on the field competitiveness. I see him best as a defensive end in a 3-4 but I also feel he could be a defensive tackle in a 4-man front.

Phil Taylor

Taylor has been a two-year starter at Baylor. He started out at Penn State in 2006 and played there for two years, logging significant playing time in 2007. He was involved in an off-field altercation and was kicked off the Penn State football team and transferred to Baylor, sitting out the 2008 season and starting the last two years. He had a big 2010 and followed that up with a strong week at the Senior Bowl flashing some dominating ability.

Taylor is a huge man (6-3 and 334 pounds) with long arms (34) and adequate speed for a big guy (5.14). He is more quick than fast and is able to get off the ball very quickly. While he has good instincts and is quick to find the ball, he is more of a disruptor than a playmaker. Still he totaled 62 tackles on the season. What Taylor is excellent at is occupying blocks. He can consistently take on a double team and hold the point. Because of his power he often gets penetration disrupting plays and forcing backs to change direction. He has quick hands and good hand use and the power to just push off blockers.

He does not give you a lot of production as a pass rusher as far as sacks, but he does get a push and collapse the pocket. He is always on his feet and does a good job getting his hands up when a pass is about to be thrown.
Overall, I feel Taylor is going to be a very good pro. In my mind he is a bit of a poor man’s Vince Wilfork. He is not quite as athletic as Wilfork but has the same type of body and power. I doubt he will ever be a top pass rusher but he is going to be an excellent run down player and do an excellent job clogging up the middle. I see him best as a 3-4 nose tackle, but I feel that he can play in the four-man fronts that line up a tackle on the nose.

Interesting couple of guys with some good talent but IMO they're not the exact fit we need in a DT. To me both are better fits in 3-4 defenses. Wilkerson at DE and Taylor at NT. I would be shocked if either of these guys ended up a Bear.