Mel Kiper on Sam Bradford

[The VIIIth]

Apologies if already posted...and it is a pay$$ Insider piece.


http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insider/columns/story?columnist=kiper_jr_mel&id=3575889&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf %2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dkiper_j r_mel%26id%3d3575889

[SeattleOUstudent]

Hmmm....i dont pay for Nazi-ESPN fluff.

Can you steal it for me and post here? ktks

[badger]

I've read it and it is very complimentary. Basically, the outlook for OU this season is awesome, in a nutshell.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

LOL

[OUster]

WOW, that is some real Kiper love. You think he will ask Bradford out on a date?

[sooner518]

i know absolutely NOTHING about NFL drafts, but I had no idea Sam was pegged with an NFL arm by the draft gurus. Very nice article on our guys. Lets just hope they dont believe the hype and focus on every week.

I think its funny how these NFL draft guys think. Kiper says that Dez Bryant is 6'1 1/2" and has ideal WR size. If he was one inch shorter, he would be considered short by NFL WR standards. Thats not a comment on Bryant, but more the draft "Experts" who call someone who is 6'1" "tall" and someone 6'0" "short".

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I ll esplain it here baj since it would make one long spek comment...Mel doesn't hang with football coaches or people that actually break down talent...he has a group of agent buddies that help him pretend to be a "draft guru." other than that he is kinda a flavor of the week guy....

Charlie Frye, according to Mel, was god's gift to qbs to the point he avoided every other qb for a while and consistently talked up the Frye boy....And its not so much about being wrong, because everybody is, but he is such an ego maniac that he still blames Frye's problems on Cleveland

[olevetonahill]

I just read the Stuff about our guys I dont Care about the others ;)

[JLEW1818]

I just read the Stuff about our guys I dont Care about the others ;)

ditto :P

[stoopified]

I just read the Stuff about our guys I dont Care about the others ;)Great minds think alike.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I just read the Stuff about our guys I dont Care about the others ;)

I read it all cuz im a junkie....thats why I don't trust his judgemnt on our guys..

Sam is a great college quarterback for sure...

[LSUdeek]

Has Gresham's blocking improved? Sounds like they put plenty of weight on the kid.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

yes...he is a much better blocker for sure..he did really well yesterday against some decent defenders..

[King Crimson]

we shouldn't give up 365 yards to anybody. 246 yards on kickoffs?

granted we kicked off a lot....but let's tackle someone.

[picasso]

but but Peppermint Patsy Jones said Bradford was no Elway or Marino.:rolleyes:

like anybody is.

[LSUdeek]

but but Peppermint Patsy Jones said Bradford was no Elway or Marino.:rolleyes:

like anybody is.

I don't really understand why any comparisons to HOF QBs would be relevant, evar.

[Vaevictis]

we shouldn't give up 365 yards to anybody. 246 yards on kickoffs?

granted we kicked off a lot....but let's tackle someone.

That was on 5 returns. Kicking off a lot had nothing to do with it.

[picasso]

I don't really understand why any comparisons to HOF QBs would be relevant, evar.

agreed Deek. that's why it was even worse when he said our D line had no Reggie Whites in it.

[Lott's Bandana]

I've seen a number of explosive, multidimensional, high-octane offenses in my 30 years of covering college football and the NFL(!!), but there are few, if any, that rival what I've seen so far this year from the Oklahoma Sooners.

Sam Bradford could be on the cusp of a breakout season.
Keep in mind that on Saturday, they completely overwhelmed a Cincinnati Bearcat defense that will produce several NFL players. To hang over half a hundred on that defense speaks volumes about just how skilled the Sooners are when they have possession of the football.
It all starts with their third-year sophomore QB Sam Bradford. Folks, this kid is the real deal. The incredibly poised 6-foot-4, 213-pounder throws a great ball, is as accurate as they come and brings tremendous intelligence to the QB position.

An outstanding student (All A's, except for one B his first two years at OU) and all-around athlete, Bradford excelled in basketball (he has a 34½-inch vertical jump) and golf at the prep level.

He's thrown 43 TD passes in the 15 games he's played in, with just 10 interceptions. On Saturday against Cincinnati, he tossed five touchdown strikes for the third time in his career. Last year, he tossed five TD passes against Miami (Fla.) and Texas A&M.

All the talk going into the 2008 campaign was about Georgia's Matthew Stafford, USC's Mark Sanchez, and Florida's Tim Tebow, but I'm here to tell you that after all is said and done, Bradford might ultimately carry the highest grade of that group moving forward into the NFL.

• Up front on the offensive line at Oklahoma, senior OG Duke Robinson is the key headliner, but I've also been really impressed with the Sooners' OT tandem of senior LT Phil Loadholt and junior RT Trent Williams.

Loadholt did a great job against Cincinnati of keeping blind-side pressure away from Bradford, while the 6-4½, 310-pound Williams brings a defensive mentality to the move-'em-out gang and has performed extremely well in the early going this season.

A key weapon in the passing game for the Sooners is super blue-chip junior TE Jermaine Gresham. Against Cincinnati, the athletically gifted 6-5, 251-pounder hauled in seven receptions for 93 yards and a pair of TD's. He's without question the best pro prospect the Sooners have produced at the TE position since Keith Jackson in the mid- to late-'80s.

• In the loss to Oklahoma, Cincinnati's fourth-year junior wide-out/return man Mardy Gilyard really put on a show. He accounted for 365 all-purpose yards, which shattered the Cincinnati Bearcat record books. Gilyard hauled in seven receptions for 119 yards, while returning five kickoffs for 246 yards, including a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Gilyard, a 6-0, 180-pounder, is out of the prep ranks in Miami, where he also starred in track and field. After beginning his college career in the defensive secondary at a CB spot, Gilyard is now a player to watch at the WR position.

• In Oklahoma State's 56-37 win over Houston in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday night, the Cowboys' supremely talented sophomore wide-out Dez Bryant was basically uncoverable.

The 6-1½, 210-pounder hauled in nine receptions for 236 yards and three TD's, while also returning a punt 71 yards for a touchdown.

Bryant not only has the size to outmuscle smaller CB's for the football in tight quarters, but he's also adept at stretching a defense, evidenced by his whopping average per catch of 20.4 yards on 16 receptions over the first two games of the season. He's also averaging 18.7 yards on seven punt returns. Additionally, he has returned a kickoff for 27 yards.

• Arizona State moved to 2-0 on the season with a 41-17 victory over Stanford in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday night. On the defensive side of the ball, the fear factor player in the front seven is fourth-year junior DE Dexter Davis.

The cat-quick 6-2, 255-pounder recorded a pair of sacks against Stanford, bringing his career total to 20½. A highly skilled all-around athlete, Davis was also a discus, shot put and wrestling champion at the prep level in Phoenix.

• Oklahoma's Jermaine Greshman, Oklahoma State's Brandon Pettigrew, Wisconsin's Travis Beckum, South Carolina's Jared Cook, and Missouri's Chase Coffman are the primary headliners at the TE position in college football. But Saturday afternoon, I saw another impressive TE who deserves to be monitored very closely as we move through the draft process.

The player I'm referring to is Southern Mississippi's fifth-year senior TE Shawn Nelson. Blessed with top-flight skills and a 6-4¼, 240-pound frame, Nelson was arguably the best player on the field in the Golden Eagles' 27-13 loss to Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Nelson hauled in 12 receptions for 118 yards and two TD's, really catching my eye with his athleticism, natural pass receiving skills and overall toughness. If he can deliver performances like this on a regular basis throughout the remainder of the campaign, you can definitely look for Nelson to ascend well up the draft board.

• With three Penn State players suspended and one dismissed from the team last week, it afforded other Nittany Lions players more of an opportunity to showcase their talents versus Oregon State. One player who made the most of the situation was 6-4, 251-pound junior TE Mickey Shuler.

The son of the former New York Jet with the same name, he was a key cog in the offense that rolled up 35 points in the first half versus the Beavers. Along with hauling in three passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, he also made some nice blocks in the running game. I liked the way he got into his routes quickly. He displayed good hands (two of his three grabs were very impressive). And he showed that he could make things happen after the catch.

• There has been no shortage of impressive running back tandems in the early going of the 2008 college football season. On the west coast, one that is drawing a lot of attention these days is California's duo of sophomore Jahvid Best and redshirt freshman Shane Vereen.

The two have combined for 492 rushing yards on just 56 carries, averaging a very impressive 8.8 yards per carry with six touchdowns.

The focus here is on Best. A threat to take it the distance anytime he touches the football (he was the California state champion in the 100 meters as a senior in high school), he bulked up to 193 pounds in the offseason to better withstand the punishment that goes along with being a feature back. Along with his impressive running exploits, he's also become more incorporated into the passing game. I don't necessarily view him as a primary ball carrier at the next level, but I see no reason why he shouldn't be able to make the grade as a very good No. 2 back. His ability to excel on special teams will no doubt make him that much more attractive to NFL scouts when his days as a Golden Bear have come to an end.

• In Florida's 26-3 win over Miami, two youngsters really got my attention.

When the Gators lost TE Cornelius Ingram for the season in early August with a knee injury, it forced 6-3, 255-pound sophomore Aaron Hernandez to take on a bigger role in the offense than was originally anticipated. Regarded as one of the top two tight ends in the country coming out of Connecticut's Bristol Central HS, he displayed future star ability (finished with a team-high five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown) Saturday night.

On the defensive side of the football for the Gators, sophomore DE Carlos Dunlap still has a lot to learn from a technique standpoint and in terms of playing with proper leverage, etc. But the young man possesses unlimited potential. He combines exceptional size with great athleticism and a knack for making big plays that just can't be taught. After dominating the Spring Game (four sacks), he gave opponents a glimpse of what's to come this season with two sacks against the Hurricanes. By the time his career is over in Gainesville, he could very easily carry a higher pro grade than recent former Gators Jarvis Moss and Derrick Harvey -- both of whom went on to become first-round picks.

• Currently ranked No. 2 on my top 25 Senior Draft Board, it's time for Georgia Tech DE Michael Johnson to start making his impact felt on a much more consistent basis. A terrific physical specimen who checks in at 6-7, 260 pounds and possesses sub-4.7 speed, Johnson was supposed to breakout this year. It could still very easily end up being so, but his play to this point has been anything but super impressive. In the team's first two wins of the season, he has been credited with just three tackles and just one has come from behind the line of scrimmage.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

oh my

[KingBarry]

I ll esplain it here baj since it would make one long spek comment...Mel doesn't hang with football coaches or people that actually break down talent...he has a group of agent buddies that help him pretend to be a "draft guru." other than that he is kinda a flavor of the week guy....

Charlie Frye, according to Mel, was god's gift to qbs to the point he avoided every other qb for a while and consistently talked up the Frye boy....And its not so much about being wrong, because everybody is, but he is such an ego maniac that he still blames Frye's problems on Cleveland



That is a great post, one that I would be happy to grant some spek for, but...ummmm.....errrr....well.....

[OU_Sooners75]

Apologies if already posted...and it is a pay$$ Insider piece.


http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insider/columns/story?columnist=kiper_jr_mel&id=3575889&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf %2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dkiper_j r_mel%26id%3d3575889

Why dont you do us a favor and copy and paste the article here. I refuse to pay ESPiN money to view articles. I already have to pay to watch their channel.

[Sooner in Tampa]

This from Rivals


SAM BRADFORD IS A BONA-FIDE HEISMAN CANDIDATE. Bradford, a sophomore quarterback at Oklahoma, passed for a career-high 395 yards and equaled a career-high with five touchdown passes in a 52-26 victory over Big East contender Cincinnati. Last season, Bradford led the nation in passing efficiency. He appears better this season. Bradford completed 76 percent of his attempts against Cincinnati, which has a good secondary. After two games, Bradford has completed 77 percent of his attempts for 578 yards and seven touchdowns.