Issues with top prospects that could help the Steelers

[D Rock]

Round 1 prospects:

Damontre Moore, OLB - previously seen as a top 5 pick, showed a serious lack of both strength and speed at the combine

Star Lotulelei, NT - Previously seen as a top 5 pick, has health concerns (heart problems) that need further review

Jarvis Jones, OLB - Previously seen as a top 5 pick (I'm seeing a trend here now), has health concerns (spinal stenosis) that didn't slow him down at Georgia but did lead to him leaving USC and could scare off NFL teams. Also said to not be a guy who is very much into working out.

DeMarcus Milliner, CB - Previously seen as a top 10 pick, will need to have shoulder surgery (torn labrum) after the combine


Round 2 prospects:

Kevin Minter, ILB - not a great showing at the combine

Manti Te'o, ILB - poor combine performances and the well known fake girlfriend thing

Sam Montgomery, OLB - known not to put in any extra effort, both in practice AND games, and it showed with a terrible combine performance

[hawaiiansteel]

Judgements: Jarvis Jones just one among group of boom-or-bust prospects

By Clark Judge | Senior NFL Columnist
Feb. 23, 2013



Despite his immense talent, teams might stear clear of Jarvis Jones because of his spinal stenosis. (USATSI)

INDIANAPOLIS -- He didn't draw a Manti Te'o crowd, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be interested in what happens to Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones because there are a lot of teams that are.

And for good reason: He could be the best player in this draft.

But he's not, and he's not because of spinal stenosis -- a narrowing of the spinal canal -- that should make Jones and NFL clubs nervous. It caused USC to fail him on a physical, and it had doctors examining him for so many hours Saturday he didn't appear for an interview until after 5 p.m. -- or hours after the Te'o crush dispersed.

"Most of the doctors checked me out and feel that I'm fine," said Jones. "I feel that I'm healthy. The doctors feel like I'm healthy. So I'm excited."

That's great, except it's what tests reveal that matter. Jones admitted there was "no final word" from physicians and that he hopes to receive it by the end of this weekend or sometime next week. In the meantime, however, color his future uncertain.


"There's real concern," one scout said. "It's serious. I doubt that he's going to pass many teams' physicals."

That's too bad because the guy has so much talent that the same scout said he might make him his top draft pick ("certainly in my top five"), but that medical concerns worry him. And he won't be the only one.

"If doctors told me I couldn't play today, I think I've had a great run and I would just take it for what it's worth," said Jones. "It would hurt me [not to play]. I love this game. I'm passionate about this game. But I'd rather walk and enjoy myself and my family than not be able to walk away from this game."

2. Jones isn't the only Georgia linebacker under the microscope. Alec Ogletree is another. There are plenty of teams out there that can use someone of his ability, but it's not his ability that's an issue. It's his maturity.

"The guy's an immature idiot," said one player personnel director.

That's one way of putting it. Another is that he's a character concern, with last week's DUI arrest the latest blip on the radar. It wasn't his only arrest; only his most recent, and combine that with a four-game suspension for a positive drug test, and you have a risk some people may not be willing to take.

"I'm a good person," Ogletree told reporters. "Everybody makes mistakes. I feel bad about the situation, but I'm learning from it and I'm moving forward."

He may not be moving forward in the draft. Ogletree is a potential first-round pick who is explosive, strong, quick, and instinctive, and he could be a high first-round choice. But his recent arrest will back off potential suitors, with one scout telling me it could cause his team to pass on the guy.

"I don't know what it's going to do (to my draft status)," said Ogletree. "I feel bad about it. I'm really sorry about it, but I just have to move forward and take whatever I get."

[URL]http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/21755464/combine-judgements-georgias-jones-just-one-among-group-of-boomorbust-prospects[/URL]

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

So, Moore, Jones, Ogletree, and Minter available at 17 and nobody else you like, or you can move down for less than you feel the pick is worth........what do you do?

[Dee Dub]

Round 1 prospects:

Damontre Moore, OLB - previously seen as a top 5 pick, showed a serious lack of both strength and speed at the combine

Star Lotulelei, NT - Previously seen as a top 5 pick, has health concerns (heart problems) that need further review

Jarvis Jones, OLB - Previously seen as a top 5 pick (I'm seeing a trend here now), has health concerns (spinal stenosis) that didn't slow him down at Georgia but did lead to him leaving USC and could scare off NFL teams. Also said to not be a guy who is very much into working out.

DeMarcus Milliner, CB - Previously seen as a top 10 pick, will need to have shoulder surgery (torn labrum) after the combine


Round 2 prospects:

Kevin Minter, ILB - not a great showing at the combine

Manti Te'o, ILB - poor combine performances and the well known fake girlfriend thing

Sam Montgomery, OLB - known not to put in any extra effort, both in practice AND games, and it showed with a terrible combine performance

Manti T'eo did well in his 20 yard shuttle, 3 cone drill, his 60 yard shuttle, and showed well dropping into coverage, planting, coming forward, and catching the ball. How his performance is deemed poor is beyond me. Oh I get it...because of his 40 time?...nice.

Dee Milliner's surgery is not seen as a serious surgery. He ran a great 40 time today. He's a lock for top 10 if not top 5. And there is nothing wrong with Jarvis Jones. He will not make it past Cleveland at #6.

[D Rock]

poor performances, Dee Dub, not an overall poor performance. As in, poor performances in the 40 and not showing explosiveness in the jumping tests. Sure he may have done decent in the ones you mentioned, but when everyone is watching you, even one or two bad performances are magnified.

Add to that not being able to lift due to an injury, and things are not looking good for Te'o. I think it is completely feasible that he falls near the Steelers 2nd round pick.

[Dee Dub]

poor performances, Dee Dub, not an overall poor performance. As in, poor performances in the 40 and not showing explosiveness in the jumping tests. Sure he may have done decent in the ones you mentioned, but when everyone is watching you, even one or two bad performances are magnified.

Add to that not being able to lift due to an injury, and things are not looking good for Te'o. I think it is completely feasible that he falls near the Steelers 2nd round pick.

Disagree. Everything except for the 40 are average or above average for his position. Read this...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Across the board, the performance of Notre Dame ILB [URL="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/29240/manti-teo"]Manti Te'o[/URL] (Scouts Inc. grade: 91) on Monday at the NFL combine was slightly below-average for the position, and for his size (6-foot-1¼, 241 pounds).
What concerned me most was his 40-yard dash, which clocked in officially at 4.82 seconds. The rest of the times and numbers are fine: 7.13 seconds in the three-cone drill, 9-foot-5 in the broad jump and a 33-inch vertical jump. Some have called him undersized, but he hits the average height and weight numbers for a middle linebacker on the dot.
But the 40 time leads to one question: can Te'o be an every-down linebacker who is not a liability in coverage?
While the 4.82 doesn't tell us anything definitive, it does raise concerns about him being able to match up one-on-one in coverage. We had those concerns about him coming into the 2012 season, but he took off some weight, improved his quickness and came up with seven interceptions, and that helped ease some of those concerns.
Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY SportsManti Te'o's subpar 40 time could hurt his stock, but there is time to recover.


The interceptions don't necessarily mean he was faster or more fluid, but he did show the instincts and athleticism to make those plays.
But you don't draft a middle linebacker if you're concerned about keeping him on the field at all times. So, he needs to trim that 40 time down. Teams will take the fastest recorded 40 when evaluating a prospect, so if he can get it down to 4.7 before the draft it will really help his cause.
And remember, Te'o played his final game of the season on Jan. 8, when many of the other players invited to the combine had already been training for the combine for two or three weeks.
It's also hard to imagine a bigger distraction than the girlfriend hoax Te'o dealt with over the past few weeks, which is rumored to have cost him a day of training. All that has to affect him to a certain degree.
And it's reasonable to expect Te'o could make an improvement in the next four weeks before his pro day on March 26 in South Bend, Ind.
We had Te'o ranked as the 20th overall prospect coming into the combine, based solely on what we think of him as a football player. It has nothing to do with anything off the field. If these numbers stand and he doesn't improve them, then I could see him falling a little more.
I was asked all day Monday whether I think he could fall out of the first round, and while there is a chance, I highly doubt it.
Te'o has enough good tape to stand on, a good enough body of work that shows his ability to make plays. He's much like former Florida and current [URL="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/ne/new-england-patriots"]New England Patriots[/URL] LB [URL="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13298/brandon-spikes"]Brandon Spikes[/URL], who I personally timed at 4.91 during his pro day. Both play quicker than fast, and because of Te'o's instincts he plays faster than his 40 time could ever indicate.
In the end, my guess is that we'll see an improvement in his times at the Notre Dame pro day, and Te'o will end up being a first-rounder when all is said and done.

[URL]http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2013/notebook?page=combinebuzz0225[/URL]

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Would LB Michael Mauti be on the Minter, T'eo, Alonso level if he did not suffer his knee issues? If so, or close to it, I would DEFINITELY take him with a 6th or 7th if still there. The RB that almost broke every rushing record this year had his knee shredded not long ago, and LB's don't play much their first year or two in our system, giving Mauti plenty of time to get strong.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Round 1 prospects:

Damontre Moore, OLB - previously seen as a top 5 pick, showed a serious lack of both strength and speed at the combine

Star Lotulelei, NT - Previously seen as a top 5 pick, has health concerns (heart problems) that need further review

Jarvis Jones, OLB - Previously seen as a top 5 pick (I'm seeing a trend here now), has health concerns (spinal stenosis) that didn't slow him down at Georgia but did lead to him leaving USC and could scare off NFL teams. Also said to not be a guy who is very much into working out.

DeMarcus Milliner, CB - Previously seen as a top 10 pick, will need to have shoulder surgery (torn labrum) after the combine

If any of those 4 guys fell to #17, the team should hand its card to Goodell faster than a Marquis Goodwin 40 time.