Wonderlic scores!!!

There has been some reporting on Wonderlic scores over at the blog Potencial, where he posted some interesting Wonderlic results.

Of note:

The highest score listed was our very own John Carlson, who sported an impressive 40. Second was Frank Okam, DL fom Texas, with a 39. Third was another Notre Dame grad, John Sullivan, who scored a 35. King Dunlap, OT from Auburn was next with a 32. To round out the top 5 test takers is our very own Trevor Laws (tied with Mike Humpal, LB from Iowa) with a 30. Zibby's score isn't out yet.

No Notre Dame player on the list scored below a 30. The average score on the test (for NFL personnel and the general public) is a 21 - roughly equivalent to an average IQ score of 100.

The lowest score belongs to Skunkbear Mario Manningham, with a 6. He was the only player to score in single digits. To put this into perspective, take this quote, which I pulled off of ESPN.com's "Page 2" section:

[F]ormer Bengals punter and Harvard grad Pat McInally scored a perfect 50 -- the only NFL player known to do so -- while at least one player, it is rumored, scored a 1. Charlie Wonderlic Jr., president of Wonderlic Inc., says, "A score of 10 is literacy, that's about all we can say."

If these posted scores are true, Manningham - a "student athlete" at the supposedly quality academic institution in Ann Arbor - is functionally illiterate according to the president of Wonderlic, as he scored only a 6.

And lest I give our other rivals a pass, the Condoms didn't fare much better:

Other low scores include Southern Cal's John David Booty, who scored a paltry 14, well below average. And he's a quarterback.

Oh, and Sedrick Ellis of Southern Cal - the DT who is shorter, slower and less productive than Trevor Laws - scored a measly 15. But he is still rated as a higher draft pick. Seriously, can anyone point out to me any way in which Sedrick Ellis is measurably better than Laws? Anything at all? Besides team record (Laws didn't run the ball or catch passes, although that might have helped things last year if he had), there is NO reason for this guy's draft stock to be higher than Trevor's right now.

All this information does is confirm what I already knew - Notre Dame IS different, and their commitment to academics is unparalleled in Division I-A. Argue all you want about whose academic institution is more prestigious, but only Notre Dame applies that academic rigor to their athletes the same as the rest of the student body.

*****

UPDATE:

It's been reported that Tom Zbikowski just missed the 30 cutoff, scoring a 29 on his Wonderlic. This is still way above average, and would have him tied for 6th among the numbers reported by Potencial.

Spring Recap - Bringing the "Wood"

Under Willingham, the commitment of 5-star running back Cierre Wood would have been THE highlight of the Blue-Gold weekend. Hack, Tyler Stockton's commitment would have been front page news, and as a 4-star D-lineman, he's taking second chair to Cierre's lead this weekend.

Under Weis, it's just another recruiting win for Notre Dame. Consider that there are only 4 teams during Weis' tenure that have had top 10 recruiting classes in each of his full recruiting cycles - Florida, USC, Georgia, and Notre Dame. That places us in elite company, and positions us well to turn the corner this year. Also, Cierre's commitment underscores that this staff nows how to represent Notre Dame to high school students - and it will continue to keep us at the top of recruiting rankings.

If we've managed to recruit this well with our record last year, what are we going to do when we win a championship or major bowl game? Talk about waking a sleeping giant.

*****

Jimmy is healthy, and appears to be the answer at QB. I like the way Subway Domer put it:

Jimmy Clausen can sling the motherfucking football. Anyone else that says otherwise is a dick and deserves to rot in hell with a flaming goalpost stuck up their ass

I still hear grumblings around the campus that he's not all he's cracked up to be, but the evidence in front of my eyes points to a successful future for the true sophomore. That said, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. I want to see wins, not just a laser-rocket arm.

*****

I like the intensity the defense played with during the Spring game. Lambert planted Armando Allen in the first half with as much force as you'd expect in a game against SC. Mo Richardson was quietly all over the place, and Harrison Smith showed us all why the coaches are looking for ways to get him on the field.

*****

The receivers struggled a bit with separation and drops, but I think that's more of a testament to our coverage unit than to the receiver's skills. I did like the patience of Clausen, who appeared to be getting enough time to find the open receiver. Also, if you take out the two-hand touch "sacks," Clausen actually did much better than his stat line - he had a couple called back on sacks.

Also, keep in mind that we played the whole game without Robby Parris. He is a lot like Samardzija in that he draws safeties to him, freeing up the likes of Kamara and Tate. The safeties don't have the same kind of respect for Grimes, who is an amazing possssion receiver, but lacks the height or speed to draw safeties to himself. Most teams will put their best corner on him mano-a-mano and take their chances. With Parris out, the safeties could key on Kamara, who looked like a sophomore when they were able to do so. What I like about this receiving corps is that Tate can make the safeties pay if they bite too hard on Kamara or Parris with his speed. If Tate can develop the vision and skills to run the wide receiver screens, he could become extremely dangerous. Right now, though, West is our best screening receiver.

Add to that mix incoming freshman Michael Floyd and the pressure from D.J. Hord and Richard Jackson, and this receiving corps should develop nicely through the summer and be one of the deepest receiving corps in the country this year.

*****

The offensive line.

That sieve that was the source of so much angst and agony last year appears at first glance to be much better. However, our D-line is an unknown quantity going into the season, so we can't take too much from the game. I did like the commitment to the run during the game, which allowed the line to tee off and take the fight to the defense, rather than letting the fight come to them. Last year, we couldn't find a running game to save our lives until we were playing the likes of Duke and Air Force. ("We're not Duke bad...." - Thanks, Hoss)
This year, our success in turning this ship around is going to depend on our ability to move the ball on the ground. Expect to see heavy doses off running off the right side this year, as Sam Young and Chris Stewart grade the road for Robert Hughes early in games. As the games wear on and the passing game opens up, expect to see more of Aldridge and Allen mixed in as a 1-2 punch once Hughes has softened the defense up.
The sheer size on that size should create matchup problems for opposing defenses - look for more on this in the pre-season previews.

*****

Team chemistry is the most important single factor in a football team's success, and Notre Dame lacked any chemistry last year, as there was infighting and dissension throughout the ranks, and Coach Weis didn't help matters, according to some of my sources.

Weis has taken accountability for his actions going into this season, both inside and outside the program. He was told to be more accommodating of the alumni, and the recent ruling by the NCAA has allowed him to do as he was told, without losing face publicly. He was at least partially, if not wholly, responsible for much of the turmoil and tension in the locker room last year, and he is attempting to improve his relationship with his players. One of the biggest improvements, in my mind, is his commitment to speak individually with each player this spring to let them know exactly where they stand. Miscommunication, noncommunication, and malcommunication with his players has hurt the team, and better communication should improve team morale.

Weis has also encouraged more emotion from his players, something that EVERYONE around the program complained about the past couple of years. Many, like myself, blamed it on his NFL background and he business-like atmosphere of the program. Whatever the cause, he seems to hav found the cure. The fights in practice and during the spring game come from playing with unbridled emotion. As Weis said in his presser, the team also needs to play with composure. However, with this team I would rather be spending energy reining them in than searching for ways to manufacture emotion.

If we are a competitive teamat the end of the year, I would love to see a pre-game scuffle at USC this year, ala Miami 1988. SC has been a thorn in our side under the Poodle, and that's gotta stop. At this point, I'd take 1-11 if it meant we kicked the shit out of USC.

*****

Tenuta is the X-factor on this team that gives me the most hope as we head through summer and into the season. Our defense struggled at times against the run and deep pass, but they played disciplined. Tenuta wasn't overly involved in the defense during the Blue-Gold game, and the rules didn't permit the pressure-oriented defense that he's been cooking up with Corwin. Give this defense a summer to simmer, and they could be something special going into the season.

*****

Post-Spring prediction for the Irish in 2008:

Regular season: 9-3, Cotton Bowl win for final record of 10-3

San Diego State: Should be an easy win in what amounts to a warm up game for the Irish. Irish win.

Michigan: The Wolverines are expected to take a step back without a QB to run Rodriguez' offense, and the Irish are starting to turn things around. Coin flip game.

at Michigan State: Tough game on the road against a team with a winning record last year and lots of returning starters, including their QB. Winnable, but I'll place it in the loss column for now.

Purdue: Tiller is on his way out, and this is a team just looking for bodies to fill out a roster. Notre Dame should win going away.

Stanford: It's hard to get too confident playing against a team that has beaten USC recently, and the Cardinal have a lot of experience and should have found their starting QB by now. I still think we win this game.

at North Carolina: An experienced team loaded with upperclassmen who are returning starters. Our young team should be in mid-season form, playing with more poise. I'll call this one a coin flip as well, as the Tarheels were 4-8 last year, only a game ahead of us in the win column.

at Washington: A program in turmoil, with Willingham likely on his way out the door. Unless Locker has a career game, we win this one.

Pittsburgh: Wannestedt has a good team loaded with experience, but he revamped his whole coaching staff. Things should be settling down by this time, but I think the Irish squeak one out here, being at home.

at Boston College: New QB, new RB, new LT. A lot of leadership and talent are missing from this team, and an underperforming Notre Dame team gave them a fight last year. I expect another coin flip game.

at Navy: Things return to normal in the series, as we begin a 49-year winning streak with this game. Notre Dame wins.

Syracuse: Syracuse actually won fewer games than us last season. Notre Dame wins easily on senior day.

at USC: The most obvious loss of the season, USC is just better than us right now. Count this as a loss unless we recapture some magic in this year's team.

The first 11 games of the season are all winnable, with Michigan State our biggest threat, followed by Michigan and Boston College. Two coin flips, a loss, and a squeaker win. A couple of good games against the state of Michigan and we could be headed into USC with as little as 1 loss (even I'm not that optimistic, but it's not impossible...)

And if we are that good at the end of the season, who knows what could happen?

Most likely we'll see a year similar to 2005, where a battered Notre Dame team far exceeds the expert predictions before stumbling late. It will be nice to see the Irish back in the Cotton Bowl, though. Mark your calendars now.

Ranking College Coaches

Sporting News 2008 rankings:

1. Pete Carroll, USC.
2. Jim Tressel, Ohio State.
3. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan.
4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma.
5. Jim Grobe, Wake Forest.
6. Mark Richt, Georgia.
7. Mack Brown, Texas.
8. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech.
9. Mark Mangino, Kansas.
10. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State.
11. Mike Leach, Texas Tech.
12. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina.
13. Randy Edsall, UConn.
14. Urban Meyer, Florida.
15. Mike Bellotti, Oregon.
16. Greg Schiano, Rutgers.
17. Nick Saban, Alabama.
18. Joe Tiller, Purdue.
19. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati.
20. Les Miles, LSU.
21. Mike Riley, Oregon State.
22. Tommy Tuberville, Auburn.
23. Jeff Tedford, Cal.
24. Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville.
25. Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee.
26. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa.
27. Jim Leavitt, South Florida.
28. Bobby Bowden, Florida State.
29. Dan Hawkins, Colorado.
30. Houston Nutt, Ole Miss.
31. Tom O'Brien, N.C. State.
32. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt.
33. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech.
34. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas.
35. Gary Pinkel, Missouri.
36. Rich Brooks, Kentucky.
37. Al Groh, Virginia.
38. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA.
39. Art Briles, Baylor.
40. Bret Bielema, Wisconsin.
41. Tommy Bowden, Clemson.
42. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford.
43. Ron Zook, Illinois.
44. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State.
45. Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State.
46. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M.
47. Tyrone Willingham, Washington.
48. Joe Paterno, Penn State.
49. Butch Davis, North Carolina.
50. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State.
51. David Cutcliffe, Duke.
52. Dave Wannstedt, Pitt.
53. Ralph Friedgen, Maryland.
54. Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College.
55. Paul Wulff, Washington State.
56. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame.
57. Bo Pelini, Nebraska.
58. Greg Robinson, Syracuse.
59. Gene Chizik, Iowa State.
60. Ron Prince, Kansas State.
61. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern.
62. Tim Brewster, Minnesota.
63. Mike Stoops, Arizona.
64. Bill Stewart, West Virginia.
65. Bill Lynch, Indiana.
66. Randy Shannon, Miami.

I wanted to take a closer look at these rankings, as they seemed fairly arbitrary and subjective. They are more of an approval rating than an analysis of the respective coach's ability.

Consider these tidbits I pulled from the rankings:

Ty Willingham moved up 7 spots in the rankings from last year, despite his fourth straight losing season, and losing two more games this year than last.

Comparably, despite back-to-back BCS appearances in his first two seasons, Weis was ranked only 42nd last year. His tumble to 56th is understandable considering the 3-9 record last year, but it was his first losing season. Willingham was ranked nearly 8 spots ahead, despite the string of losing. Weis' biggest black mark? He led the nation in the % change in winning percentage from last year to this year, a drop of 51.9%. That's almost identical to Ron Zook's 52.6% increase in win %.

Zook's impressive turnaround bought him only a 6 spot increase from last year (49th to 43rd). Comparatively, a decent (9-4) season in the Big East launched Randy Edsall up the rankings, with a staggering 42-spot jump from 55th to 13th.

And that Missouri-Kansas matchup? Missouri's coach, who led them to an impressive 12-2 record, jumped 8 spots. Kansas' coach jumped 26 for their 12-1 record.

Some other head scratchers include:
Butch Davis' similar 30 spot drop, despite improving his record from last year.
Tom O'Brien dropping 18 spots, despite improving his record by two games from last year.
Al Groh dropped from last year (5-7) to this year (9-4). So he goes from no bowl game to the Gator Bowl, and that makes him a worse coach.
On the other side of the coin, Greg Robinson managed to make Syracuse even worse this year, dropping them from 4-8 to 2-10. His reward was a 7-spot jump UP in the rankings.
Also rewarded for a backslide was Greg Schiano, who despite a 23% drop in winning percentage moved up an astounding 17 spots in the rankings. Steve Kragthorpe's dismantling of the once impressive Louisville program (dropped 42.3% in winning percentage) earned him a nice 3 spot jump up.
And as much as I love what Terry Hoeppner built at Indiana, I think it is unfair to Bill Lynch to rank him 19 spots below his predecessor, when he led the team to it
s first bowl berth since 1993.

From the "They are too old to coach" file: Joe Paterno slpped 30 spots, and Bobby Bowden slipped 14. Their records from last year to this year? No change. Oh, and the #1 and #2 guys in all time wins don't even crack the top 25 among current coaches, apparently.

Another note from these rankings? According to them, Bill Stewart was a horible choice for the West Virginia Mountaineers - he ranks a staggering 61 spots behind his predecessor. The best hire? Houston Nutt over at Ole Miss - ranking 33 spots ahead of Ed Orgeron last year.

So take these rankings with a grain of salt, as they are extremely subjective.

But I would take this from the rankings: Coach Weis' seat is starting to warm up a bt.

TAH-NOO-TAH!!!

This video clip is a thing of beauty.

Football coaching at its finest - Tenuta being Tenuta. Uncensored. Uncut. All real.

Beware, this video may be unsuitable for young children and not safe for work.

It may also result in you headbutting your dog.

You want nasty? This man brings the nasty. If this doesn't bing Charlie's oft-quoted nasty to the defense, I don't know what will.

Favorite quote:
"I want you to punch him right in the face."

Crean & Crimson

The following post is my first in a long while on my Hoosiers blog. I had stopped blogging about the team in shame over there recent scandals, but have now resumed writing. Just thought I'd let y'all know.

*****

Just as I started this blog, and began to get excited again about IU basketball, the coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, Kelvin Sampson, was discovered to have betrayed the trust that Hoosier Nation placed in him. Never in my life as a fan of sports have been more ashamed and disappointed in an individual in sports. As a fan, I have always taken pride in the integrity of the programs that I love.

Notre Dame is, in my mind, the pinnacle of collegiate athletics. Their viewpoint on collegiate athletics was summed up in the following quote from former President Theodore Hesburgh:

There is no academic virtue in playing mediocre football and no academic vice in winning a game that by all odds one should lose. ... There has been a surrender at Notre Dame, but it is a surrender to excellence on all fronts, and in this we hope to rise above ourselves with the help of God.

This commitment to excellence has been the cornerstone of the cleanest and winningest program in the history of college football.

As an alumnus and fan of Indiana University, I also took pride in their commitment to this same kind of excellence. Say what you will about Bobby Knight, but he always ran a clean program at Indiana. And when his behavior violated the standards that Indiana had set for him, they had the courage to fire a hall-of-fame coach who was revered in the state.

But the hiring of Kelvin Sampson was a disgrace to the University. Hiring a coach who had already violated NCAA rules, with only a promise that he would never do it again. I was upset at the hiring, but I tried to give Sampson the benefit of the doubt. When he violated NCAA guidelines again, he robbed the Hoosier Nation of their best chance in decades to contend for a national championship.

I stopped blogging about Indiana basketball as a protest of sorts (weak as it was, as I had probably one reader at the time - thanks, Mom). But I couldn't in good faith promote a program that had cheated.

With today's press conference announcing the hiring of Coach Crean, formerly of Marquette, I am willing now to forgive the program and the athletic director that hired Sampson in the first place. But I, much like the rest of the country, will never forget. This hire, worthy as it was, was the hire they should have made a couple years ago.

Coach Crean is as forthright and ethical a coach as there is in the game, and he's no slouch when it comes to coaching them up on the hardwood as well. He is a Big Ten product, having coached under Tom Izzo (and had been widely believed to be waiting in the wings as Izzo's eventual replacement). He has a respect and understanding for the tradition and history of Indiana basketball.

And, for the first time in a long while, I am proud to say on this day that I am a proud supporter of the Indiana basketball program.

Welcome to the Hoosier State, Coach Crean.

Let's go drafting!

With the NFL draft less than a month away, I thought I'd get moving on a mock draft of the first round, and projections of the futures of ND prospects. Here goes.

1. Miami
Jake Long, OT, Michigan
They've cleaned house at their tackle position, paving the way for drafting this Long, although the other Long is a better prospect, and fills a need.

2. St. Louis
Chris Long, DE, Virginia
The Rams will be ecstatic to pick up Chris Long here, as he fills a big need for them, and is the best player in the draft.

3. Atlanta
Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
They need a quarteback like the desert needs the rain, but does anybody really want any of the QB's in this year's draft? Matt Ryan is the best prospect, but he doesn't blow you away. Dorsey's hype machine will get him ovedrafted here, sending Atlanta on a continued downhill spiral.

4. Oakland
Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
The only person more impressive than Trevor Laws at the combine was Vernon Gholston. Although the smart money here is on McFadden, who many feel is a rare breed of athlete, the need on the D-line of Oakland is too great.

5. Kansas City
Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
I'm thinking that Kansas City will trade the privilege of drafting Darren McFadden away for some extra picks in the early rounds to rebuild their offensive line. But, I don't see Darren McFadden slipping past the 5th pick, even if they don't really need him. Call it a "best player available" pick.

6. New York Jets
Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
A need pick, McKelvin is the best corner in the draft, and the Jets need to stop the bleeding.

7. New England (from San Francisco)
Keith Rivers, LB, USC
Not many needs on this team right now, but they are aging a bit on the liinebacking corps.

8. Baltimore
Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
Baltimore is searching for an answer at quarterback, and at the bottom of the top 10, Ryan is a solid pick.

9. Cincinnati
Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
Another team with needs on the defensive line, Ellis is the popular pick here, although I'm not that impressed. n fact, I have yet to see a single measurable in which Sedrick Ellis beats Trevor Laws. Not one. He's a 1/4" shorter, had fewer reps on the bench, ran a slower 40, had fewer tackles and there is only 5 pounds difference between their weight. If I were a GM, I'd draft Laws ahead of Ellis 10 times out of
10. But, Ellis played on a top 10 USC squad, while Laws' team went 3-9. So the pundits have him ranked much higher.

10. New Orleans
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee St.
Drafting Laws here is too risky if you believe all of the media, although he fills their biggest need. Accepting begrudgingly that the best Laws can hope for is end of the 1st, a corner is the pick here.

11. Buffalo
Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
Buffalo's receiving corps could use an upgrade, and Sweed is the popular pick. This is the first team that I could see considering John Carlson, although I think uncertainty over his combine numbers keep him from shooting this high.

12. Denver
Kenny Phillips, S, Miami(FL)
Another team in need of a defensive tackle, Laws is still going to wait this one out, as they take the top safety in the draft. Trust me, as a Redskins fan I can tell you a great safety out of Miami is never a bad pick.

13. Carolina
Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St.
A solid lineman is Carolina's best bet, as they need someone to play opposite Jordan Gross.

14. Chicago
Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh
Chicago fans will let out a collective groan as Matt Ryan is selected by the Ravens, as they desperately need a new signal caller. It's too early to take Brohm here, so they'll shore up their offensive line with a lineman with a very high ceiling.

15. Detroit
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
Despite a deep running back class, Detoit will take Jonathan Stewart here rather than take their chances in a later round.

16. Arizona
Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
Arizona needs an elite pass rusher, and this guy has a lot of potential. They could also take a flyer on running back by drafting Rashard Mendenhall, but it seems unlikely.

17. Minnesota
Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
With the run on linemen thus far in the draft, and ALL of the Vikes needs being on the line of scrimmage, Minnesota is in a tough place. They'll probably take the best available pass rusher here.

18. Houston
Dan Connor, OLB, Penn State
With all of their first round offensive tackle prospects gone, the Texans will fill a need in their OTHER gaping hole - the linebackng corps.

19. Philadelphia
DeSean Jackson, WR, California
The Eagles haven't had a decent receiver since TO left town, and their rivals the 'Skins are looking at receiver in this draft as well - only two picks behind them. They'll snatch up Jackson here.

20. Tampa Bay
Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida
This is an interesting pick. Tampa needs interior defensive linemen, but the much-hyped prospects have been taken. There are too many questions about Malcolm Kelly. I think they go with a solid corner - you can never have too many of those.

21. Washington
Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
The first-round defensive end prospects are gone. It's too early to take James Hardy, the tall, rangy receiver they really need. The safety prospect from the U is gone. Mendenhall is the best player on the board, but running back is a strength. By process of elimination, a good corner prospect is the pick here, but don't be surprised if we see a trade down in hopes of getting more picks and eventually snagging Hardy.

22. Dallas (from Cleveland)
Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
They need another runnng back, but Mendenhall is not the right fit with Marion Barber. Without a good corner or receiver prospect available, Jones grabs the running back and then hopes for the best. Look for the possibility of Jones grabbing Felix Jones here though, him being a Razorback and all. Or maybe trading up to grab McFadden.

23. Pittsburgh
Branden Albert, OG, Virginia
Pittsburgh has always been a disciplined, team-need driven drafter, and their chance to take the year's best offensive guard fits right into their needs. No hesitation here.

24. Tennessee
Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma
Tennessee needs a target for Vince Young, and Kelly is the best available at this point in the draft. Carlson has an outside shot at this spot as well.

25. Seattle
John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame
Seattle is in need of a tight end, and they are picking late in the first round, where I was projecting him to go. I think this would be a great fit for him. Most mock drafts have Carlson going sometime in the 2nd, but I think that NFL GMs are higher on Carlson than the media pundits.

26. Jacksonville
Reggie Smith, S, Oklahoma
Jacksonville is looking for a safety in this draft, and Reggie Smith is the best one out there not from Miami.

27. San Diego
Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
With Reggie Smith off the board, San Diego is going to play it safe with a quality offensive tackle.

28. Dallas
Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State
With a running back in the fold, and the top corners off the board, Dalls will take a receiver with their second pick, trying to add some weapons to an already potent offense.

29. San Francisco (from Indianapolis)
Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
A deep offensive line class in this draft continues to show up in the first round, as the 49ers look to add depth to their offensive line.

30. Green Bay
Sam Baker, OT, USC
The cheeseheads continue the trend of drafting offensive linemen in the first round. Also look for the possibility of them picking up Patrick Lee, the corner out of Auburn.

* New England (pick forfeited)

31. New York Giants
Patrick Lee, CB, Auburn
Finishing out the first round is a corner, someone to shadow R.W. McQuarters and Sam Madison as they near the end of their careers.

ROUND TWO
1. (32) Miami - Quentin Groves, DE, Auburn
2. (33) St. Louis - Carl Nicks, OT, Nebraska
3. (34) Atlanta (from Oakland) - Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
4. (35) Kansas City - Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona
5. (36) New York Jets - James Hardy, WR, Indiana

6. (37) Atlanta
Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame
Trevor did slip into the second round, but I wouldn't be completely shocked to see him go earlier. Atlanta is the highest team in the second round with a need for a DT, and I think he goes ahead of Balmer and Sims.

I'm not going to go any further, as I don't have all of the time in the world. However, I would like to postulate on the teams to watch for each of Notre Dame's draft prospects:

John Carlson, TE
Seattle
Buffalo
Cincinnati

Trevor Laws, DT
Atlanta
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Denver
Jacksonville
Minnesota
Oakland
San Diego
Tampa Bay
Tennessee
Washington

Tom Zbikowski, S
Carolina
Denver
Green Bay
Houston
Jacksonville
New York (Jets and Giants)
San Diego
Washington

John Sullivan, C
New Orleans
Pittsburgh

J.J. Jansen should find a place on someone's roster with his long-snapping abilities, and Travis Thomas' work ethic, athleticism, and unselfishness should get him into somebody's camp after going undrafted.

Spring Practice: First Report

While many of you, my loyal readers, have watched the too-brief spring praactice video on und.com, here's what little I could garner from my first taste of Notre Dame football in far too long:

David Bruton is an All-American. I know, it's a bit premature to say such things after watching a couple of agility drills on a grainy practice video. But between the coaches talking about him, what I saw from him last season, the reports on his offseason conditioning, and my own two eyes, there is much to get excited about. Remember, even a 3-9 season produced the man-beast that is Trevor Laws. All signs point to Bruton having the biggest breakout season next year. His fluidity and speed in the agility drills was impressive.

Darrin Walls is fast. Okay, so we already knew that, but it's another thing entirely to see him smoking the other talented and speedy players in the defensive secondary drills. Gary Gray looks to be a close second in terms of pure speed. Both were also very fluid in their footwork.

James Aldridge looks like the James Aldridge we all expected him to be. He is ripped, and actually looks to have picked up some speed in the offseason. On the drills, he looked to have similar acceleration (not speed - acceleration...) as Armando Allen.

Jimmy Clausen is starting to look like a QB. Last year, Clausen had great mechanics, but always looked like the scrawny kid trying to play with his big brothers on the field. Now, he looks to be stronger and (hopefully) more durable.

All of the linemen have bulked up. Last year, when I watched the O-line practices, Sam Young and Chris Stewart stood out like sore thumbs because of their sheer size. I had to look at numbers to place everyone on the line in this video. And that's impressive for the other guys on the line, considering that Sam put on nearly 40 pounds.
Consider these differences in weights since last year's Blue-Gold game:

Name	2007 Blue Gold Weight	2008 Pre-Spring Weight	Gain
Dan Wenger	282 lbs.	300 lbs.	+ 18 lbs.
Thoma Bemenderfer	285 lbs.	300 lbs.	+ 15 lbs.
Paul Duncan	291 lbs.	308 lbs.	+ 17 lbs.
Sam Young	315 lbs.	330 lbs.	+ 15 lbs.

Only Eric Olsen and Mike Turkovich had minimal weight gains (3 and 2 pounds, respectively).

The wide receivers have good hands. That's about all I could get from the drill they were running in the video. Hopefully there is something more substantial to look at in the future.

That's all for Practice 1.