Notre Dame Combine Invitees: Results & Analysis

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Fair enough, I get what you're saying. When BK came here, most thought the two things he was going to excel at were 1) player development 2) high potent offense.

He hasn't had enough time in the system to say he can't do the above (and my money is that he will), it's just that IMO, I can't name any players that have came out of no where (development wise) nor have we seen a very high-octane offense.

Eifert.

 

[woolybug25]

This will be the year where we know if the guys are being developed or not. Lots of young guys and a lot of new faces.

 

[koonja]

I'd say that stat gives NDinFL the edge in our argument, lol. I was unaware of that. That's a damn good sign! Like gunnerbug25 said, I hope we can see it on the field this year.

 

[ChiRish]

This will be the year where we know if the guys are being developed or not. Lots of young guys and a lot of new faces.

Yeah, exactly. Last year was only his SECOND year! By this time, most of the players in the program will be players who have been in Kelly's system the majority of their careers. His record speaks for itself. We've seen the minor players he developed for the NFL, just imagine the stud players he's been bringing in. I'm excited to see what will happen, especially on the D Line and at LB. Scary good athletes coming through.

And as to what someone else said - it's is obvious the significant increase in athleticism that Kelly's teams have vs. Weis'. The dedication to nutrition and training alone would support that. But on top of that, Kelly gets his players to CARE about weight training and effort. Love his style.

 

[DillonHall]

Yeah, exactly. Last year was only his SECOND year! By this time, most of the players in the program will be players who have been in Kelly's system the majority of their careers. His record speaks for itself. We've seen the minor players he developed for the NFL, just imagine the stud players he's been bringing in. I'm excited to see what will happen, especially on the D Line and at LB. Scary good athletes coming through.

And as to what someone else said - it's is obvious the significant increase in athleticism that Kelly's teams have vs. Weis'. The dedication to nutrition and training alone would support that. But on top of that, Kelly gets his players to CARE about weight training and effort. Love his style.

Interestingly, Kelly was mostly known (at least in his last two coaching jobs) for winning with the previous coach's players. However, we haven't seen Kelly build a long-term program at the FBS level yet. From what we've seen, his own players seem to be better athletes than Weis' but this is new territory for Kelly.

 

[irishpat183]

It sure sounds good. Examples?

I know these weren't his guys, but he had two years with them and Flemming, Harrison, Ethan Johnson, Crist, Gary Gray, Trevor Robinson, Zeke*, all had very disappointing senior season's if you ask me.

Thank you! Our secondary was terrible.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Perhaps, fellas. But it was his RS freshman year. I think Weis' thinking was to get speed/the best athletes on the field that year...and move him back to S after that year. And he essentially played OLB/Dog. There are absolutely some skills and attributes that carry over from a coverage LB into S-- it's not like he played NG for 2 or 3 years, then was switched to QB for a year or two. Then the guy went on to have THREE years playing the safety position. I seriously doubt that one year, four years ago, of playing OLB robbed him of his chance to be a 1st team All-American/Thorpe Award winner/top-10 NFL draft pick or anything like that.

4-3 as opposed to 3-4. LB apples to oranges. Though a 4-3 backer can be smaller, usually, outside backers in a 4-3(Weis) have different duties than a (3-4)

As far as the starter in the forty at the NFL combine, every piece of literature I have ever read stats that the athletes are started, not self starting.

. . . The origin of timing football players for 40 yards comes from the average distance of a punt and the time it takes to reach that distance. Punts average around 40 yards in distance, and the hangtime (time of flight) averages approximately 4.5 seconds. Therefore, if a coach knows that a player runs 40 yards in 4.5 seconds, he will be able to leave the line of scrimmage when a punt is kicked, and reach at the point where the ball comes down just as it arrives.
Timing method and track comparisons
In terms of judging a person's speed, the best method of timing is through lasers which start and stop the times when passed through. A laser start (from a stationary position) is more accurate for measuring pure speed as it does not register a runner's reaction time. However, the method of timing a 40-yard dash can affect the accuracy by as much 0.5 seconds (with the manual stopwatch method). The National Football League (NFL) did not begin using partial electronic timing (started by hand, stopped electronically) at the NFL Scouting Combine until 1990. . . .

As far as Kelly developing talent, maybe he selects better, and in his past positions he has picked better, or at least more economically.

 

[irishpat183]

Dion Caputi ‏ @nfldraftupdate

#NotreDame S Harrison Smith has had a good workout, top to bottom. I don't see a 1st rd value, but thin safety class - you just never know.

Just watch tape of this season and you won't see 1st rd value.....

Thought he was gonna "kill it at the combine" as some put it on here?

Just saying....

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Just watch tape of this season and you won't see 1st rd value.....

Thought he was gonna "kill it at the combine" as some put it on here?

Just saying....

Instead, he did it almost as good as you . . .

Just saying . . .

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Harrison Smith shines on Day 7 of combine

Harrison Smith shines on Day 7 of combine

Espn title for day 7 of the combine.

NFL Draft Blog - ESPN

Basically said that he stood out during drills. Doesn't have elite hip fluidity, but is very smooth and under control. He played the ball very well and has great upside as a play maker. He has big hands (10 1/4) and long arms (32 5/8) for a safety prospect .

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I also forgot to mention that Mayock, i know he is now a ND homer, said he would be starting next year for a team.

 

[Anchorman]

Espn title for day 7 of the combine.

NFL Draft Blog - ESPN

Basically said that he stood out during drills. Doesn't have elite hip fluidity, but is very smooth and under control. He played the ball very well and has great upside as a play maker. He has big hands (10 1/4) and long arms (32 5/8) for a safety prospect .

But ESPN is out to get Notre Dame! Remember?

 

[Sherm Sticky]

But ESPN is out to get Notre Dame! Remember?

ESPN is out to get Notre Dame...Harrison smith is no longer part of Notre Dame, he is part of the NFL now.

 

[woolybug25]

I also forgot to mention that Mayock, i know he is now a ND homer, said he would be starting next year for a team.

People might think that we have had poor secondary play lately, but ironically, we had 3 ND safeties start games in the NFL this year (Zibby, Bruton, Sergio Brown) and two more that saw the field (KmcCarthy & Ndukwe).

So the negative nancy's on here can whine about bad secondary play as much as they want, but its a fact that we have been consistently putting them into the league the last few years.

 

[irishpat183]

Espn title for day 7 of the combine.

NFL Draft Blog - ESPN

Basically said that he stood out during drills. Doesn't have elite hip fluidity, but is very smooth and under control. He played the ball very well and has great upside as a play maker. He has big hands (10 1/4) and long arms (32 5/8) for a safety prospect .

Where was the playmaking thoughout his career at ND...tape doesn't lie. And of course you'll probably give the "Sun bowl" game (Jacory Harris, need I say more) but that is more of the exception, not the rule.

And I'm getting into another Hayseed argument that I told myself I wouldn't get into because it's pointless on these boards....

 

[irishpat183]

People might think that we have had poor secondary play lately, but ironically, we had 3 ND safeties start games in the NFL this year (Zibby, Bruton, Sergio Brown) and two more that saw the field (KmcCarthy & Ndukwe).

So the negative nancy's on here can whine about bad secondary play as much as they want, but its a fact that we have been consistently putting them into the league the last few years.

Did you actually watch Bruton play??

And they started because of injuries. So drop that.

And it's not negative...it's the truth.

 

[irishpat183]

Dammit! I'm doing it again.

I'm done with Harrison Smith arguments!


Back to Floyd....I was thinking Houston at 26...but he's obviously in the top 15 and I personally think he's a better pro prospect than Blackmon because of size, where do you guys think he's going??

 

[woolybug25]

Where was the playmaking thoughout his career at ND...tape doesn't lie. And of course you'll probably give the "Sun bowl" game (Jacory Harris, need I say more) but that is more of the exception, not the rule.

And I'm getting into another Hayseed argument that I told myself I wouldn't get into because it's pointless on these boards....

Then quit starting them. Every time I see a "hayseed debate", you are smack dab in the middle of it. You can not like him if you want to, but NFL scouts feel like he is on the top end of this years safeties class. We'll see how his career in the NFL goes, but he was a leader for our team and gave us some great memories like the interception that sealed the USC win two years ago.

Love him or Leave him... that's your mantra...

 

[woolybug25]

Did you actually watch Bruton play??

And they started because of injuries. So drop that.

And it's not negative...it's the truth.

*****, I live in Denver and have watched Bruton play a bunch. He has played some good football for Denver. Have you ever actually watched him play? I have seen him play in person in the NFL.

Bottom line, you are a hater. Do we have a top 5 secondary player in the NFL? No, but we have a bunch of guys that are contributing to teams around the league, which means they are talented enough.

 

[irishpat183]

Then quit starting them. Every time I see a "hayseed debate", you are smack dab in the middle of it. You can not like him if you want to, but NFL scouts feel like he is on the top end of this years safeties class. We'll see how his career in the NFL goes, but he was a leader for our team and gave us some great memories like the interception that sealed the USC win two years ago.

Love him or Leave him... that's your mantra...

Yeah, I know.

And I'm not saying I didn't like him or that I don't hope he succeeds...simply that I'm not that impressed with his play while at ND.

 

[woolybug25]

I'm sorry that I yelled.

 

[irishpat183]

*****, I live in Denver and have watched Bruton play a bunch. He has played some good football for Denver. Have you ever actually watched him play? I have seen him play in person in the NFL.

Bottom line, you are a hater. Do we have a top 5 secondary player in the NFL? No, but we have a bunch of guys that are contributing to teams around the league, which means they are talented enough.

I'm not a hater. At all.

There are certain aspects of our team that I'm not impressed with. I won't sugar coat stuff by saying "They're contributing to the team" or "He's a team leader" to cover up the absence of any real production.

And Bruton is on his way out as soon as they find a replacement. Like Duke was in Cincy. And as much as I love Zibby, lord knows I have never said a bad thing about him, he's a special teamer.

 

[irishpat183]

I'm sorry that I yelled.

No worries. I deserve it sometimes. LOL


I live for these discussions and the fact that my view isn't the only one out there.

 

[Grahambo]

Reality is somewhere in between the whiners and the over analyzers. Yes, we do have safeties in the NFL, hard to argue that fact since they are in the league. Do they play because they are the better talent or because of injuries? Seems more or less that it's injuries. Nonetheless, they are playing in the NFL.

So, Notre Dame puts safeties in the NFL and they play.

Zibby played for an AFC title team. Sergio played for a Super Bowl team. Bruton plays for a playoff team in Denver. McCarthy is on his 2nd NFL team and Ndukwe has been hurt but has put up some solid numbers (259 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 7 INT) playing for the Bengals and Raiders.

Add Harrison Smith to that group and I also think RJ Blanton will be moved to safety eventually as well.

 

[irishpat183]

Reality is somewhere in between the whiners and the over analyzers. Yes, we do have safeties in the NFL, hard to argue that fact since they are in the league. Do they play because they are the better talent or because of injuries? Seems more or less that it's injuries. Nonetheless, they are playing in the NFL.

So, Notre Dame puts safeties in the NFL and they play.

Zibby played for an AFC title team. Sergio played for a Super Bowl team. Bruton plays for a playoff team in Denver. McCarthy is on his 2nd NFL team and Ndukwe has been hurt but has put up some solid numbers (259 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 7 INT) playing for the Bengals and Raiders.

Add Harrison Smith to that group and I also think RJ Blanton will be moved to safety eventually as well.

I can live with that.

And David Carr has a god d*** super bowl ring....the first year the Texans make the playoffs...LOL

 

[Grahambo]

I'm not a hater. At all.

There are certain aspects of our team that I'm not impressed with. I won't sugar coat stuff by saying "They're contributing to the team" or "He's a team leader" to cover up the absence of any real production.

And Bruton is on his way out as soon as they find a replacement. Like Duke was in Cincy. And as much as I love Zibby, lord knows I have never said a bad thing about him, he's a special teamer.

To be fair, the injury bug has gotten to him. His career stats aren't too shabby.

 

[Grahambo]

I can live with that.

And David Carr has a god d*** super bowl ring....the first year the Texans make the playoffs...LOL

So does the long snapper. lol

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Where was the playmaking thoughout his career at ND...tape doesn't lie. And of course you'll probably give the "Sun bowl" game (Jacory Harris, need I say more) but that is more of the exception, not the rule.

And I'm getting into another Hayseed argument that I told myself I wouldn't get into because it's pointless on these boards....

Why are you fighting with me and other Notre Dame fans?

I'm just summarizing what ESPN said! Take it up on twitter with the ESPN Scout and the other NFL scouts that have come to that conclusion. Clearly they don't watch the tape and don't know what they are talking about.

 

[Grahambo]

This is why I think Blanton will be moved to safety:

Eric Hansen ‏ @hansensouthbend

#NotreDame CB R.J. Blanton checks in with an official 4.7 in the 40 at NFL Combine, one of the four slowest times among CBs.

Eric Hansen ‏ @hansensouthbend

But Blanton's performances in the 3-cone drill (6.71) & 20-yard shuttle (3.97) were among the fastest in his position group.

For safeties, I look at 3-cone drill first and the 20-yard shuttle before I look at the 40.

 

[NDPhilly]

So he's quicker than fast?