Penn St And Temple

[Jason_]

Penn State:

Devon Still, #71, DT 6'5" 310 lbs: Right now I think he's a 3rd round prospect but I have some problems with this guy so far. The thing is, when he goes full force he typically makes a big play. The problem is, he doesn't go full force on every play. There were plays where he seemed to be running half speed from the start of the play. You would think this might happen towards the end of the first half and the end of the game but on the contrary this seemed to happen the most in the first and third quarters. Maybe he's just a guy that starts slow but he does seem to improve in the 2nd and 4th quarters.

When he goes full speed he's constantly getting penetration. He also showed good play recognition and recognized a screen very early on so he only took about one step past the offensive line instead of closing in on the QB. This disrupted the play because he was right next to the RB so the QB couldn't get the ball where he wanted to go and I believe he wound up throwing the ball away.

One thing I noticed a lot is when the play goes around him he pretty much stops. He doesn't keep following the play and if he does its at a casual jog. He doesn't seem show any desire to try to run down a play.

I couldn't quite tell whether he was the primary UT or NT because he and the other DT for Penn St. took turns at each spot. I was actually more impressed with their other DT, #47 Jordan Hill who is 6'1" and 297 lbs. They also have a great LB in #42 Michael Mauti at 6'2" and 242 lbs. I could be wrong but I don't think either of these guys are eligible until the 2013 draft but Mauti is definitely someone to keep an eye on. He had his name called A LOT.

Derek Moye, #6 WR 6'4" 210 lbs: He is currently projected as a 7th rounder and to me (and Jason Wyrick) that is a crime. He's big, fast (maybe not elite speed but I believe his average is a 4.54 in the 40), has at the very least above-average to good hands if not better and he seems to run crisp routes. He blocked well (not to the level of Hines Ward but still) on screens and running plays. In the first half he was targeted 6 times for 4 completions. One of the incompletions would have been a very difficult catch but it was still catchable. The other pass was in his hands but as he was falling back the CB got his hand right on the ball and knocked it free. If anything he could probably put on about 5-10 lbs to improve strength. Over all though this guy is an absolute steal if he lands in the 7th round. He's not going to be a Calvin Johnson (then again not many are) but I think he could be a better version of a Joe Jurevicious.

Jack Crawford, #81, DE 6'5" 273 lbs: (no not the FBI agent from Hannibal Lector series ) I was more impressed overall with Crawford than I was with Stills. Stills I think had a better ability to make big plays but Crawford was a more consistent player. He did try to, and sometimes did, chase down plays from behind. He was able to get good penetration on both runs and passes and appeared to give 100% every down. Based on his overall ranking of 162 he may wind up somewhere in rounds 4-6.

I'd say at this point he has the potential to be a solid every down starter. I don't know that he does anything at an exceptional level but from what I've seen so far I think I could say he does do most things at a good level.

D'Anton Lynn, #8, CB 6'1" 208 lbs: CB's can be difficult to watch and evaluate from a fan perspective because they usually don't show up in the play unless the play was in their direction. The plays that did seem to go in his direction typically went his way. I'll try to watch more for him in future games but this game I was paying more attention to the DL when Penn St was on defense

Temple

Adrian Robinson, #43, DE 6'1" 250 lbs: According to one of the draft sites I have been using he was listed as an OLB but in watching the game he was used primarily at DE. He's undersized at only 6'1" and only 250 lbs. However, most 250 lb DE's are much taller so being shorter, he does have a stronger more compact frame than you'd expect from a 250 lb DE. I desperately want us to continue getting bigger and stronger on defense but a case could definitely be made for this guy. He was all over the place making plays. I started out not really paying much attention to him since he is a DE and not OLB like I first thought but he kept showing up and making plays so I couldn't NOT pay attention to him. I don't know if he cuts it at DE in the NFL and I can't say for sure that Temple ever uses him at OLB. If he does have experience at LB though that's probably his better position in the NFL. But...who knows.

Evan Rodriguez, #88, hybrid FB/TE, 6'2" 250 lbs: He was listed early on as one of their impact players and early on I did see him make a few nice catches as a receiver. I didn't see him on the field though after that so either he was always out of the play or he might have gotten injured and I missed it. The plays I did see him on he lined up as a TE and not a FB.