UFA's Can Make Noise

UFA is a shortened form of the NFL lingo called Undrafted Free Agent. These are the guys that do not come up on the 3 draft days but many, I mean, many have a great opportunity to not only make NFL rosters but be a productive member of a team. One UFA that has an excellent later half of the past 2009 season was RB Fred Jackson from Coe College. Where is Coe College. It is a D-3 program in Iowa and Fred Jackson has been with the Buffalo Bills for Four seasons. Another UFA is a local guy (Chartiers Valley HS)from Villanova SS Ray Ventrone who has become a Special Teams guru at first for New England and now the Cleveland Browns. With only a 7 round draft, many players can get over-looked. But really now is the draft 7 rounds. It is not. The draft is really 8 rounds in disguise. 7 rounds times 32 teams equals 224 draft picks. There were in the 2010 draft 255 choices made. 8 times 32 equates to 256 picks which there would have been but the Redskins relinquished a choice by making a selection in the Supplemental Draft in July 2009. These extra picks are called compensatory picks based on who a team lost in free agency. So really draftniks, there are basically 8 unofficial rounds. Let us look at some UFA's and my projection of some of these guys being productive players in the NFL. I am walking the tightrope but let's give it a try. RB LeGarrette Blount(Oregon) with the Tennessee Titans, a legit RB, should have been drafted but problems threw up a red flag. Bowling Green WR Freddie Barnes with the Chicago Bears has legit hands but lacks enough speed according to NFL scouts. Stillman College DE Junior Galette(Temple transfer) can explode off the edge and be a dangerous pass rusher, a New Orleans signing. Rangy WR from Louisville Scott Long had outstanding measurables at the combine but slid to a Priority Free Agent. Wayne State(Mich) RB Joique Bell played in the Senior Bowl and has the necessary talent to make the Buffalo Bills roster. Another RB that can really play is U of Memphis Curtis Steele who may shock the Ravens' faithful. Local CB Terrence Johnson from California, PA was touted by New England and should have been drafted by the Ravens. What makes the NFL Draft an inexact science like meteorology. An undrafted free agent has capabilities of making the Pro Bowl and the probability of a beautiful sunny day gone over-cast with unexpected rain, gives people something to talk about.

The Big Ten

I still cannot figure out how the Big 10 is called the Big Ten when it has Eleven teams in the league. I still cannot figure out how you call the Fall event "Octoberfest" when it starts in September. I still cannot figure out how V-P Joe Biden said he was driving North on I-95 South. What is going on with the expansion of the Big 10. This may be far fetched but listen to my idea. The Big 10 should merge with the Big East Football which would bring the total to 19 teams then make a concerted effort to convince Notre Dame to join the Big 10. That would be a Super Conference with 20 teams. Divide the 20 teams into 2 divisions, the Big 10 East and the Big 10 West, then have an annual championship game in, let's say, the new indoor facility in Indianapolis between the winner of the Big 10 East and the winner of the Big 10 West. If the Irish of Notre Dame does not want to join this so-called Super Conference, then make an attempt to persuade U of Maryland to join or convince 1AA power Villanova to move up to 1A. Look at the Southeast Conference(SEC) and what a super power they are. There championship game at season's end is a great event. Move forward Big 10. With this format now you have the Big 10 back, the Big 10 East and the Big 10 West. In a later blog, I would like to promote the NCAA allowing 1A programs to play 13 games in a playoff system is not installed.

More Big Ben

Was Big Ben headed to the Buffalo Bills for their # 1 choice in the 2010 draft(# 9 overall)? Was Big Ben headed to the Oakland Raiders for All-Pro Shut Down Corner Nnamdi Ashumonga plus other future considerations? These RUMORS were flying around draft War Rooms all over the country and amongst the Steeler Nation faithful. Today, April 27, Big Ben is still getting more press 6 1/2 weeks after his event occurred in Milledgeville, GA. He is getting more INK that the Pittsburgh Penguins in the midst of skating towards another Stanley Cup. He is getting more coverage than the Pittsburgh Pirates who's run margin is off the MLB charts. He is getting more coverage in papers across the country and on the internet than John Daly is on the Golf Channel. Instead of suspending Big Ben for 6 games, commish Roger Goodell should have placed Big Ben on "Double Secret Probation." That's right, "Double Secret Probation." Commish Roger Goodell could be this generation's Dean Vernon Wormer. What is "Double Secret Probation"? We should have asked the late/great John Belushi who played Blutarsky in Animal House and wore maybe the greatest sweatshirt of all time that just had "College" on it. Nobody knows what "Double Secret Probation" is and does anybody really care. We are getting over-saturated with Big Ben information. Let's put the Big Ben thing to rest. Allow Ben Roethlisberger to move forward in hopefully an orderly fashion and let's focus on other things in life. Ben got his punishment from the league. Move forward everyone!

Is football Year Around

Guess what started today football fans! No, not the Indoor Football League. No, the NFL did not bring back NFL Europe. No, Mel Kiper did not tell us how old he was. No, Jerry Rice did not get another exemption to play on the Nationwide Tour. No, Roger Goodell did not go back to Washington & Jefferson University to start working on his Master's Degree. Yes, today was the start of Spring recruiting for College Football Coaches. Division 1 are allowed to go on the road recruiting until the completion of the month of May but just choosing only 4 weeks in this 5 1/2 week period. Recruiting has changed in the last 2 years since Division 1A schools cannot go to football camps or combines or group workouts during this period like they were prior to the end of 2007. Division 1's are permitted to only visits high schools for evaluation purposes. Fortunately for this region of the country, many D-1 schools visit Pennsylvania especially the Western PA. region. But this rising senior class, that is the graduating class of 2011 in Western PA., is not as strong as it used to be. Conversely, the class of 2011 is very strong in the Eastern part of Pennsylvania. As the old saying goes, everything goes in cycles. The class of 2012(players that will be Juniors during the 2010 season)will be very strong in the Western part of Pennsylvania. It may be close to the class that had Terrelle Pryor and Jonathan Baldwin in it just a few years ago. I will go over Pryor's class in a blog later on and see how some of those players have performed at the collegiate ranks.

From Mock Drafts to Alan Faneca

One of the biggest mysteries of all times is how these draft gurus can have a Mock Draft immediately after a draft just completed. The mystery is real simple, you will not know the draft order for the 2011 draft until the Super Bowl is over so how can these gurus put a label on a guy going to a certain team. On the flip side, it must be working because draftniks are reading these preliminary Mock Drafts. Another big question, are the Pittsburgh Steelers going to pick up on waivers OG Alan Faneca? Does Faneca still have juice in the tank. The Jets released him immediately after they drafted Haiti native Vladimir Ducasse, an OT/OG, from the U. of Massachusetts. Ducasse has great upside and the Jets scouting department feels he can step in right away at the Left Guard slot He has the body at 6'4.5"/330 and is fairly athletic. I think Faneca would be a nice addition to the Steelers roster. He may be able to supply 2 years as a back-up to Chris K. and Max Starks. Getting back to the 2010 season and 2011 NFL draft, 3 players/prospects, after evaluating many underclassmen, really come to the fore-front. These 3 guys may go 1-2-3 in the draft next April. QB Jake Locker from U of Washington, QB Ryan Mallett from U of Arkansas, and DT Cameron Heyward from Ohio State. Few Western PA natives know this but Cameron Heyward was born and raised for a while in Pittsburgh, PA. He played on an AAU Basketball Team based in Pittsburgh. Listen to whom some of his teammates were on this AAU basketball team. This is an unreal array of football talent on a basketball team. Pitt WR Jonathan Baldwin, Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State DT Cameron Heyward, Pitt WR Michael Shanahan, and the only college guy that went on to play basketball professionally Pitt PowerForward DeJuan Blair who is now with San Antonio. And people say the talent level in Pittsburgh has been down. WRONG! What a talented AAU Basketball Team. If DeJuan Blair did not play basketball, I think he would have been an outstanding OT at 6'6"/330 with a huge arm span, great natural strength, and excellent footwork.

Steals of the 2010 NFL Draft

Going by the Rounds, these players I classify as "steals" in the draft based on their talent level and when they got chosen. Getting drafted should be recognized as an honor. When there are 9000 competitive seniors that play football in college every season and then some top underclassmen enter the draft to test the NFL waters, then getting your named called at the New York City draft center by Roger Goddell and friends is an absolute great honor. WR Dez Bryant(Oklahoma State) taken by Dallas at pick 24 is a super steal. He should have been a top 10 selection. In round 4, New Orleans got a bargain in DT Al Woods out of LSU. What a quick twitched power player he is. In the 5th round Cleveland went with Larry Asante SS from Nebraska who has some speed, coverage skills, and will pound a receiver coming across the middle. Also in the 5th round, Jacksonville stole DE Austen Lane from the Racers of Murray State. At 6'6"/265 Lane can run, get bigger, rush the passer, and play the run. The NY Giants pulled a rabbit out of their hat getting OG Mitch Petrus from Arkansas. In the 6th round, the Steelers blind-sided the draft by taking RB Jonathan Dwyer from Georgia Tech. What a player he could be. Another theft came from Buffalo by getting the James Harrison clone in DE/OLB Arthur Moats from James Madison. Maybe the biggest heist of the draft was Carolina getting DE Greg Hardy from Ole Miss. Hardy was rated a first round pick prior to the season but had a knee injury early into the 2009 football season. DT Sean Lissemore from William & Mary was stolen by the Dallas Cowboys in the 7th round. He plays like Steelers Aaron Smith. Detroit got an athletic steal in the 7th round in DE Willie Young from North Carolina State. Young can be a nice pass rusher for the Lions. Last be not least, the St Louis Rams stole one from Penn State in inside linebacker Josh Hull, a walk-on at Penn State and one of 3 Penn State linebackers that got drafted. Hull went in the 7th round and who said Penn State was not Linebacker U. under the tutelage of Defensive Co-ordinator Mr Tom Bradley.

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Hard to Believe

With the completion of Rounds 1, 2, and 3, I am scratching my head in dis-belief. The following powerhouse programs had no one drafted in the first round. They are Southern California(USC), Louisiana State(LSU), Ohio State, Georgia, and Notre Dame. In the 2009 NFL draft, USC had 11 players drafted which was the most in college football and had multiple #1 picks as did Ohio State. I would not classify this as a changing of the guard but I would qualify this statement by saying out of the 5 schools mentioned, numerous underclassmen entered the 2009 draft. Ohio State perennially had at least 1 and possibly multiple #1 choices. With a series of underclassmen entering the draft every year, it can deplete your talent levels. Now of other interest to local fans, in the 2nd round, Pittsburgh Steelers chose DE/OLB Jason Worilds from Virginia Tech. Worilds was a 4th year Junior that came out early. He is an explosive up the field pass rusher coming off the edge and utilizes his quickness combined with an athletic counter move to be a dangerous one-on-one pass rusher. Can he transfer his talented to Outside Linebacker. The potential is there but he can create havoc as a pass rusher in the 4-3 defense.

The 3rd round selection out of Southern Methodist is 5'11"/185 Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders can be a slot receiver, has quickness out of his break, and shows the ability to stretch the defense with his deep patterns. He hands are good and he has bounce in his legs and the proper timing to high point the ball. His is somewhat slight in his body but has toughness to go across the middle of the field and not shy away from the vicious contact generated by Safeties. Onward to the latter rounds which are valuable choices.

Out on the Limb

I am going to go out on the limb a little here. I have this feeling that the Pittsburgh Steelers are taking a serious look at drafting one of the following 3 players in the subsequent rounds tonight and through early tomorrow. They are solid OT/OG prospect Vladimir Ducasse from UMass who should go in the second round, a sleeper in my eyes QB named Levi Brown from Troy State who is a totally un-heralded player, and last but not least DE/OLB James Harrison clone named Arthur Moats from James Madison. I mentioned these players in earlier stories but I feel now that with their remaining choices, the Steelers are in line to take one of these three. Word was out there that Big Ben was on the trading block but obviously no takers. Check an earlier blog called Steelers:24/7 and see what I said may happen in the Early Fall Steelers season. This is a very exciting time for football even though no games are being played.

Now Comes 2nd and 3rd Rounds

Now comes the all important 2nd and 3rd rounds of the NFL Draft. In past Draft history approximately 40% of the first round choices do not pan out like they should. Teams are throwing away good money after bad based on a player's potential. This is why the draft in any sport is unique especially the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles got a great pick at #13 in DE Brandon Graham from U. of Michigan. The Pittsburgh Steelers choice of offensive lineman who I call a swing man(can play either center or guard)Maurkice Pouncey is a sound choice. In this league you throw the ball to score, you run the ball to win. Guys that play in the pitts are in my estimation, the backbone of the team. If you can strategically move the football down the field in an orderly fashion with runs and safe passes, you can freeze the other teams offense and demoralize it's defense. Now comes the all important 2nd and 3rd rounds. This is where you can find your pro bowl guys, your 8 to 10 year starters, and players that can win a team football games. Let's enjoy the NFL draft because as of 2010 it has become a Prime Time event.

Steelers:24/7

The Steelers trade for Byron Leftwich has me starting to think about a few things. The NFL draft is less than 24 hours away and Pittsburgh gives up only a Seventh Round pick for a former first rounder in Byron Leftwich. As of 7:30 PM April 21, 2010, the Steelers have 4 veteran quarterbacks. One who has won 2 Super Bowls, another who is a crafty veteran but unfortunately as of late, has gone through a series of injuries, another who is a young athletic style quarterback with a lot of upside and can run with the football, and another who has gone from Jacksonville to Pittsburgh to Tampa Bay and now back to Pittsburgh. Could the trade rumors be for real now? With the return of Byron Leftwich, who is a very capable QB with a ton of experience against all sorts of defensive schemes, it looks like a trade is possible for a high draft choice. But this trade may not take place on Thursday April 22 which many people feel will occur but it cannot be ruled out. This trade may occur during the early part of the upcoming football season for a number 1 draft pick for the 2011 draft plus maybe other draft incentives. Nothing surprises me in the Wonderful World of Sports Entertainment. Maybe the Steelers are going Back to the Future. Antwan Randle-El is back, Larry Foote is back, Byron Leftwich is back, Carey Davis was signed back last year, and maybe just maybe when our former Left Guard Alan Faneca becomes a free agent again, maybe the Steelers will bring him back. Many wish Faneca would have never left Pittsburgh. A lot of this is speculation but this keeps the fans talking about the Steelers 24/7.

Some "Rip Van Winkle's" of the NFL Draft

Rip Van Winkle is an over-used term for a sleeper but if someone out there in this vast world of ours can come up with another cliche for sleeper, please let me know. Here is a question that I will answer at the bottom of this article? In the movies or TV, who got to sleep faster than anyone you have even seen(answer at bottom). Here are your"Rip Van Winkle's" for this April 22-24 NFL draft: WR Marcus Easley from UConn, former walk-on had a terrific season year, is big, has good hands, and runs well. MLB Danny Batten from South Dakota State, converted DE can play MLB and is physical, DE/OLB Albert McClellan from Marshall, is a big strong powerful edge player that will hit you. DT Sean Lissemore from William and Mary, fast twitched 3 technique guy who is very disruptive in both the running and passing game. WR Blair White from Michigan State, has special hands, runs well, and is a big target. FS Quinton Scott from Northern Iowa, a 1AA athlete who is a big rangy free safety and can make plays. Rb Curtis Steele from Memphis, tad under-sized for some but a jet quick elusive tailback that looks like a mini Chris Johnson. DE Alex Carrington from Arkansas State is a big 5 technique that plays the run very well and may move in DT(3 technique). These guys are not household names but may make noise in years to come in the NFL. The Three Stooges get to sleep faster than anyone I have ever seen on any production. Curly Howard is snoring before his head hits the pillow.

Bad Bad Levi Brown

This guy may be the premier Stealth Bomber of the 2010 NFL Draft. Someone says what do you mean by Stealth Bomber. The design of the Stealth Bomber was to fly under the radar. That is exactly what Levi Brown is doing until recently was flying under the NFL Radar. Who is Levi Brown. He is 6'3"/218 QB from Troy U. He made a rare but effective upward transfer from a 1AA power U. of Richmond to a solid 1A program in Troy. Many of the other QB's get tremendous publicity(Bradford, Claussen,McCoy,Tebow,etc.)but Levi Brown can play and is on the RISE. Brown has a very quick release and reads defenses very well. When he gets on a roll, he can complete a bunch of passes in orderly passion. His arm strength is really good across the hash mark and he can deliver the ball into the depths of the secondary. At the end of the season he was a guy to evaluate, he displayed his skills in the Texas vs Nation All-Star Game, and did extremely well at the NFL Scouting Combine. His pro days and individual work-outs went beyond scouts expectations and now he has blossomed into a legit QB prospect. Keep an eye on him in the draft early Saturday(rounds 4 through 7)but a guy that down the NFL road could become a starter.Some poster in an earlier blog asked John Steigerwald about Pitt TE Dorin Dickerson future as an NFL Wide-out. I like Dickerson's versatility as a TE/HB/Special Teams player/wide receiver/ athlete . He is a real big strong thick guy that could even develop into a Strong Safety which in my scouting opinion is where his future could be because of his instincts, strength, closing speed and ability to defend a TE . Far fetched but I like to go out on the limb once and a while.

Woodland Hills HS vs DeMatha Catholic

No, this is not a football game coming up the Labor Day weekend. A battle is brewing on what high school has the most former players in the NFL. Ironically both of these high school coaches from Woodland Hills HS and DeMatha Catholic are Pittsburgh guys. Woodland Hills, under the tutelage of Coach George Novak, has presently 5 players in the NFL which is in a second place tie which a few other high school across the USA. DeMatha, under the direction of Coach Bill McGregor, leads the NFL with 7 active players. George Novak is from Munhall and has been head coach at Woody High for more tha 25 years whereas Bill McGregor, the head coach of DeMatha, is from the Dormont section of Pittsburgh, and has been head coach also more than 25 years. Actually, Bill McGregor was National High School Coach of the Year a few years back and was honored at the Super Bowl. Bill McGregor and myself have known each other since 4th grade and played together at the famous grade school St. Bernard of Mt. Lebanon. We then went on and played at South Hills Catholic(which is now Seton LaSalle). Bill went on to have a great career at Cleveland, OH John Carroll University as a Middle Linebacker. Actually Bill is close friends with John Steigerwald, former KDKA sportscaster and now has the Blog JustWatchTheGame and a book coming out with the same title which will be a very interesting ,entertaining, and insightful book to read. With the 7 players in the NFL, barring no one gets released, DeMatha has the National lead. One player OT Jacob Bender, who is on the Giants practice squad. He has strong possibilities of making the Giants active roster. This would give DeMatha 8 NFL players. DeMatha is somewhat thin in the 2010 draft. Whereas, Woody High has 5 players active in the league with a possibility of adding more in this 2010 draft. They

are Potential first rounder Rob Gronkowski, TE from Arizona, CB Terrence Johnson, a potential later round pick from California U. PA, and WR/TE Wes Lyons from West Virginia, a possible later round choice. The battle is brewing to take over the Number 1 position. Here are DeMatha NFL players: RB Brian Westbrook-Eagles-Villanova, CB Byron Westbrook-Redskins-out of D-3 school Salisbury State, OT Quinn Ojinnaka-Falcons-Syracuse, TE John Owens-Seahawks-Notre Dame, CB Josh Wilson-Seahawks-Maryland, OC Edwin Williams-Redskins-Maryland, DE/OLB Derek Wake-Dolphins-Penn State. Here are Woody High's NFL players: WR Steve Breaston-Cardinals-Michigan, FB Lousaka Polite-Dolphis-Pitt, DE Jason Taylor-Jets-Akron, FS Ryan Mundy-Steelers-West Virginia, and Shawntae Spencer-49ers-Pitt. By the way, it is time for Coach George Novak, who has done a phenomenal coaching job at Woodland Hills and before Woodland Hills, Steel Valley HS, to get recognized before he retires as National Coach of the Year just like Bill McGregor

The Steelers Are Smart

Eleven picks in the 2010 draft. This draft is one of the deepest of all times. Why? Because of the number of under-classmen that entered the NFL draft. Many were concerned about the possible strike that may occur during the 2011 season. The Steelers have 11 choices, 4 picks in the 5th round and 2 in the 7th round. A team can do a lot of maneuvering when you have Four 5th round selections. It would not surprise me if they picked up more draft picks with another trade prior to the draft. Kevin Colbert and company are very smart. I would like to see them consider drafting a young man out of the U. of Massachusetts in the early rounds named Vladimir Ducasse. Ducasse is a 6'5"/330 OT who can play OG. He came over from Haiti and played his high school football in Stamford, Connecticut. He just keeps getting better and better and will get better in the NFL. He is a true football player and I hear a great young man. Always referring back to the "Legend" Chuck Noll, who continually said, maintain and build your team through the draft. This could be the year with right now 11 selections. Believe me when I tell you this, the draft War Rooms will be buzzing to grab those Undrafted Free Agents, especially in such a strong year.

One Week From Tonight

How far the NFL Draft has come in the past 50 years is phenominal! When the Steelers Coach Bill Austin looked at All-American Teams to today a total evaluation of the player in terms of athletic ability & skills, personality, medical concerns, and background. The draft used to have 20 rounds and now it has 7. In the 2009 draft, 256 players were chosen of which 234 were selected from Division 1A schools, 19 from Division 1AA schools, and a mere 3 from Division 2 schools with Division 3 and NAIA getting shut out. Out of the 3 from D-2 schools, two players were from Abilene Christian in Texas named WR Johnny Knox taken by the Bears and he had a
solid rookie season and Bernard Scott. Out of the remaining 149 Division 2 schools, only 1 player

was chosen. But if you go over NFL rosters, there are many Division 2 players that contribute to numerous teams. One of the best and very consistent players on the Steelers is D-2 DT Aaron Smith from Northern Colorado and another Northern Colorado guy is is real good is WR Vincent Jackson from the Chargers. One of the most under-rated O-Linemen in the entire league is Left Guard Todd Herremans of the Eagles from D-2 Saginaw Valley State. Let me tell one thing that the gurus DO NOT look at. They are the undrafted free agents that teams sign. This is where you find your Willie Parker's and James Harrison's and Kurt Warner's. Hey draftniks who study the draft need to also look at the Undrafted Free Agents.

How far has the draft come. On prime time Thursday April 22 at 7:30 PM to battle Grey's Anatomy which posts at 9 PM. What would you rather watch, a doctor talk to a nurse about their dating potential or who the Steelers will chose in the 1st Round

Draft Arthur Moats

Who is Arthur Moats? He has arrived last season from obscurity. The Steelers right now have Four picks in the 5th round. This is awesome considering the draft is heavy with talent. The 3rd through the 7th rounds is where you get your meat and potato guys(you thought I was going to spell potato "POTATOE"like Dan Quayle did). Remember the 2008 Steelers Offensive Line that carried them to the 2009 Super Bowl. Left Tackle-3rd round, Left Guard-6th Round, Center-5th Round, Right Guard-Undrafted FA, Right Tackle-4th Round. Hey draftniks, this tells you that the later rounds are LARGE. Arthur Moats, by the way, is a clone to James Harrison. He hails from Harrisonburg, VA James Madison University, a 1AA solid program. I know some people from the Steelers like him. Use one of the four 5th rounders on him unless they use the 5th rounders to trade up in the draft. Since we brought up Dan Quayle, a political question for someone to answer. Who is the last Option Quarterback to become a Congressman?

I like Moats so much, I talked about him below.

Top Local Players That Could get Drafted

Before we get started, the Pittsburgh Steelers now have 11 choices in this April's draft with the trade of Santonio Holmes to the Jets for a 5th rounder. Some may say only a 5th rounder but this draft is loaded with players. The Steelers have 4 5th round selections this year. If available, I would like to envision the Steelers selecting DE/OLB Arthur Moats from James Madison with one of the 5th round choices. Moats has numerous similarities to James Harrison and I know they like Moats. But he may not be available in the 5th round. A 5th round choice this year would be similar to a late 3rd-early 4th rounder in past years.

By the way, if I leave someone out of the following list, please advise me and I will take a look at the omission. Onward for the guys with Local ties to this years draft.

TE Rob Gronkowski Arizona Woodland Hills HS(from Buffalo, played at Woodland Hills only for his Senior season)could go in the late First or Early Second Round, out as a Junior but possible injury issue. Soft sure hands, has speed, blocks, and big.

LB Sean Lee Penn State Upper St. Clair HS shame he suffered knee injury in Spring 2009 but this instinctive athletic Will linebacker can play. Quote Tom Bradley"he is the smartest player I ever coached." Has 1st round written all over him but in a strong draft probable 2nd or 3rd round.

HB/TE Dorin Dickerson Pitt West Allegheny HS super athletic powerful pass catcher who has nice hands, runs good routes, and is willing to block. Might be a tad short for a TE but put him in motion, get him in space, and get him the football. Dorin had phenominal measureables at the combine, 4.41/40, 43.5" vertical, on and on. Could go fairly high in draft. Tough to gauge right now but someone might take him in 2nd round, maybe the 3rd, probably the 4th depending on teams needs and how much they like Dorin. It is hard not to like him.

SS Barry Church Toledo Penn Hills HS had an excellent career at Toledo. Nice sized safety that plays the run like a linebacker. Has quicks to the ball and shows real good instincts. Ran 40 at pro day better than Combine. He has real good game speed. Later middle rounds but could be a steal in the draft because of his abilities.

TE Nate Byham Pitt Franklin Area included because the WPIAL has expanded into Northwest PA. Excellent in-line blocking TE, big strong guy is like an extra Tackle. Even though some think he is strictly a blocker, Nate can really catch the ball. He could go in the Later Middle Rounds and even higher because of his blocking abilities and great attitude.

CB Terrence Johnson California U. PA Woodland Hills another Woodland Hills guy, why is he at Cal. U, well he was 5'9"/156 out of high school. At 5'10"/191 even Mel Kiper is talking about him as a shut down aggressive corner. Cal. U has not had a player drafted since the 1950's(Mr.Elmo Natalie). The NFL covets shut down corners that can run and defend.

DT Mick Williams Pitt Monessen a quick twitched guy who is just a tad undersized but can really be a disriptive 1 gap player in a 4-3 defense. Can he make the switch to a DE in a 4-3, possibly because he is quick and has explosion. Late round guy who could be a steal.

QB Bill Stull Pitt Seton LaSalle displayed his talents with an outstanding Senior campaign in 2009. Has good ball placement, can throw deep and across the middle with a very nice release and spin on the ball. With only 12 QB's drafted in 2009, 13 drafted in 2008, and 10 drafted in 2007, QB seems not to be a high draft priority for the NFL. More corners were drafted in the 2009 draft (38 total)than quarterbakcs were taken in the past 3 drafts(35 total). Stull has a shot of going late in the draft because of his skill level.

LB Adam Gunn Pitt Kiski Area got 6th year in 2009, a very productive linebacker that plays smart and has a shot of getting drafted late.

TE Wes Lyons West Virginia Woodland Hills, Woody High pumps them out, great sized guy with tremendous upside 6'8"/245, played wide out, blocks well and could get drafted as TE.

SS Brad Phillips Northwestern Franklin Regional HS, had great career at NU, solid secondary prospect who plays like an extra linebacker. Could go in late rounds.

OG John Malecki Pitt Franklin Regional HS, moved from D-Line to OG, maybe a tad undersized for OG but an excellent blocker with balance. I like as OC. Late round possible.

OG Matt McCracken Richmond Mt. Lebanon HS, had stellar career for the Spiders, solid interior lineman with good body control and surge. Possible later pick.

OLB Brandon McLaughlin Maine Schenley HS when to Maine as a safety and developed into a solid OLB, a sure tackler off the edge and can defend the pass. Looked by NFL late rounds.

SS Ashton Cobb Kentucky Center HS has really good career for the Wildcats in the secondary, forte is defending the pass and supporting the run, looked as a possible late rounder.

FS Ross Ventrone Villanova Chartiers Valley, similarities to Cleve.Browns brother Raymond Ventrone. Tough aggressive speedy style can take him a long way. Possible late rounder.

RB Dan Brown Youngstown State Clairton Iowa transfer to YSU, has nice senior campaign as a solid gutty interior runner and shows he has the speed to turn corner. Late round possible.

Remember Sports Fans, these are players with local ties. If I left someone out, it was not on purpose, please just let me know.

9000 Seniors in College Football

Every year there are about 9000 Seniors that are viable candidates to be evaluated by NFL scouts every football season across the USA from the 699 colleges that play competitive football. With only 256 getting drafted in this 2010 NFL Draft which includes the underclassmen who entered the draft, you are in a very unique group if you are one of the 256 who's names are called by the NFL commissioner and assistant commissioner on the now 3 day draft. Let's go even further. In the 2009 NFL draft, out the of 256 players selected, 234 were chosed from NCAA Division 1A Schools, 19 from NCAA Division 1AA schools, and only a mere 3 from NCAA Division 2 schools. The U. of Southern California had 11 players selected which was the highest of any school. There were 57 Defensive Backs chosen and only 12 Quarterbacks. Michigan State QB Brian Hoyer was not selected, signed with New England as an undrafted free agent, and presently is Tom Brady's back-up. New England released their other QB's and kept Hoyer as a back-up to Brady. What this tells all interested parties, that undrafted free agents(UFA's)can become very valuable candidates in the overall scheme of the draft process. Ask Steeler's James Harrison(UFA)and see what happened to his meteoric rise after bouncing from the Ravens to the Steelers. Ask Shippensburg U. of PA Corner Brent Grimes(UFA)who starts at Corner for the Atlanta Falcons. The NFL draft is an inexact scientific process similar to meterology(remember February 5 & 6, 2010 when 5 to 8 inches were predicted and this region got 2 feet). As an NFL prospect, keep moving forward, and hope for the best.

Blount Force

This is the guy got suspended by Coach Chip Kelly for a few games during the 2009 football season. This is the guy that punched a Boise State player after the first game of the season on national television. This guy is the RB from U. of Oregon that was rated a first round pick last Spring by NFL scouts. This is LeGarrette Blount, a 6'0"/247 pound tailback that can play. He runs downhill, catches the ball well, and is willing to block in pass protection. Where does LeGarrette Blount fit in. Possibly the late rounds because he lacks great speed but he is a bull to tackle and he is a powerful runner and he has speed with his football equipment on. He fits into a scheme of a power running team like the Steelers and he can carry the ball a multitude of times each and every game. He is not a sleeper because football fans know him from coast to coast but he is a guy that could make an impact with his abilities.

Background of Joe Butler

As a young college student at California U. of PA, Joe Butler always discussed being a football scout. Injuries curtailed his career but his enjoyment of the game was not compromised by not playing football. Joe used to go to the California State College practices(called Cal State back in the 1970's)and walk around, watch practices, and absorb the analytical aspects of football. After coaching and teaching at a top Catholic Grade School for education and football prowess named St. Bernard of Mt. Lebanon, Joe started a scouting service named Metro Index for both football and basketball in the Western PA. region. After working 14 hour days to get Metro Index off the ground, the scouting business starting looking up. A basketball camp and a football camp soon started around 1980 and 1981 and with fortitude, hard work, and assistance from other qualified coaches and teaching professionals, the camp and scouting business began to blossom. With 33 years in the scouting business and 18 years in the basketball camp business and 29 years in the football camp business, Joe Butler feels qualified to discuss all that is involved in the scouting, evaluation, and the dissemination of the information involved surrounding the wonderful world of athletics and all its components not only at the high school and collegiate levels but also inclusive of the professional level.