After seeing the Hawks practice at the clinic, DM scrimmage, and the Spring game, here is my breakdown of what to expect this fall.
DE 6. Meier /Ott -Yes Nate Meier! High motor guy. 6'1" 250 is undersized, but his quickness will give tackles fits. Meier will put all his haters to rest this season. Ott- most would say how can you put him on your surprise list. After watching him this spring I'm 100% convinced he is a strong candidate for Defensive MVP of the West Division. He will be a beast in 2015 and has a long future in the NFL. Ott is the one guy on defense that had to stay healthy. He is the leader of the defense. Reminds me of Kyle Vanden Bosch. Matt Nelson will be great as well. He will be a guy that will get a ton of snaps. He'll flip to both sides and give them breaks. His future is as bright as any Hawkeye. We'll need Ott and Meier to be able to finish games and not break down like last season. Parker Hesse will be the 4th end. Probably needs another year to catch up to his weight he has put on. Came in a year ago at 205 and weighing 240.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Matt Nelson
BRIGHT FUTURE: Anthony Nelson/Parker Hesse
DT Jaleel Johnson has All B1G talent. Strong, big, and explosive off the ball. He just needs opportunity and consistency! Will he play hard every down? Will he get fatigued? That will determine how good he can be and how good the Hawks can be up front. He needs to be doubled and our ends and lb's will be free to make plays. Nate Bazata is a poor man's Trinca. High motor, undersized, and but will be very consistent. He will be targeted in opponents running game. Coach Morgan will have him shooting gaps and encouraging double teams. Ekakitie and Terlouw will be called upon for depth and to spell starting Dt's. Both are very unknown, but like what I saw effort wise this spring.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Darian Cooper
BRIGHT FUTURE: Michael Slater
LB's Josey will be much better in the middle. Hard working and hard nosed is a great combination. Lakes a little size and experience. Be patient w/ him. Niemann is going to be very good on the outside. He's quick enough to handle a slot receiver and physical and tall enough to handle a TE. His biggest asset may be that he is the son of a coach. His football IQ will enable him to make up for his lack of experience. Bo Bower had a great first half, but struggled down the stretch. Was really exposed in the Minnesota and Tennessee games. Some was his lack of speed and experience, but some may be put on the scheme in those two games. He's in the box where he belongs. Senior LB's Seniors Perry and Fisher are no slouches. They will both be leaders on the special teams, but also may see some defensive snaps at LB. Fisher had a couple nice int's this spring and Perry is always where he is suppose to be.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Aaron Mends
BRIGHT FUTURE: Jack Hockaday
SAFETIES: Lomax is not your prototypical free safety at 5'9" 205. His move from corner to safety was not without some bumps. His leadership, smarts, and toughness will be critical to the success of the Hawkeyes. Opposite of Lomax will begin with Taylor. He's a clone of Lomax. A little smallish, smart, quick and packs a punch. Lines up well with slot and small quick receivers. My concern with him is biting on play action and being a hitter and not a tackler. He needs to be more fundamental in his tackling. Snyder will be a much better matchup against the taller WR's and TE's. His instincts, speed, strength, and leadership reminds me of a another #37 in Sean Considine. Parker will find a way to get him on the field and he will be a special teams star. Gair lacks the speed and quickness to be an every-down safety. He has great size and is also a big hitter. Adds great depth to a shallow position.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Brandon Snyder
BRIGHT FUTURE: Miles Taylor
CB Dez is a shutdown corner. He has a canny ability to get it done without great speed. Great open field tackler which makes him a complete corner. Mabin struggled mightily down the stretch. He lost confidence and then became very sloppy with his technique. He may have the best top end speed of any Hawkeye on either side of the ball. We forget he played WR a little over a year ago. Mo Flemming- This kid when healthy is a player! Don't be surprised if you see him on the field in nickel with Dez moving to the slot. He's a physical specimen and tough as nails. Draper is a solid backup and gives us plenty of depth at the corner.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Mo Flemming
BRIGHT FUTURE: Greg Mabin
DE 6. Meier /Ott -Yes Nate Meier! High motor guy. 6'1" 250 is undersized, but his quickness will give tackles fits. Meier will put all his haters to rest this season. Ott- most would say how can you put him on your surprise list. After watching him this spring I'm 100% convinced he is a strong candidate for Defensive MVP of the West Division. He will be a beast in 2015 and has a long future in the NFL. Ott is the one guy on defense that had to stay healthy. He is the leader of the defense. Reminds me of Kyle Vanden Bosch. Matt Nelson will be great as well. He will be a guy that will get a ton of snaps. He'll flip to both sides and give them breaks. His future is as bright as any Hawkeye. We'll need Ott and Meier to be able to finish games and not break down like last season. Parker Hesse will be the 4th end. Probably needs another year to catch up to his weight he has put on. Came in a year ago at 205 and weighing 240.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Matt Nelson
BRIGHT FUTURE: Anthony Nelson/Parker Hesse
DT Jaleel Johnson has All B1G talent. Strong, big, and explosive off the ball. He just needs opportunity and consistency! Will he play hard every down? Will he get fatigued? That will determine how good he can be and how good the Hawks can be up front. He needs to be doubled and our ends and lb's will be free to make plays. Nate Bazata is a poor man's Trinca. High motor, undersized, and but will be very consistent. He will be targeted in opponents running game. Coach Morgan will have him shooting gaps and encouraging double teams. Ekakitie and Terlouw will be called upon for depth and to spell starting Dt's. Both are very unknown, but like what I saw effort wise this spring.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Darian Cooper
BRIGHT FUTURE: Michael Slater
LB's Josey will be much better in the middle. Hard working and hard nosed is a great combination. Lakes a little size and experience. Be patient w/ him. Niemann is going to be very good on the outside. He's quick enough to handle a slot receiver and physical and tall enough to handle a TE. His biggest asset may be that he is the son of a coach. His football IQ will enable him to make up for his lack of experience. Bo Bower had a great first half, but struggled down the stretch. Was really exposed in the Minnesota and Tennessee games. Some was his lack of speed and experience, but some may be put on the scheme in those two games. He's in the box where he belongs. Senior LB's Seniors Perry and Fisher are no slouches. They will both be leaders on the special teams, but also may see some defensive snaps at LB. Fisher had a couple nice int's this spring and Perry is always where he is suppose to be.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Aaron Mends
BRIGHT FUTURE: Jack Hockaday
SAFETIES: Lomax is not your prototypical free safety at 5'9" 205. His move from corner to safety was not without some bumps. His leadership, smarts, and toughness will be critical to the success of the Hawkeyes. Opposite of Lomax will begin with Taylor. He's a clone of Lomax. A little smallish, smart, quick and packs a punch. Lines up well with slot and small quick receivers. My concern with him is biting on play action and being a hitter and not a tackler. He needs to be more fundamental in his tackling. Snyder will be a much better matchup against the taller WR's and TE's. His instincts, speed, strength, and leadership reminds me of a another #37 in Sean Considine. Parker will find a way to get him on the field and he will be a special teams star. Gair lacks the speed and quickness to be an every-down safety. He has great size and is also a big hitter. Adds great depth to a shallow position.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Brandon Snyder
BRIGHT FUTURE: Miles Taylor
CB Dez is a shutdown corner. He has a canny ability to get it done without great speed. Great open field tackler which makes him a complete corner. Mabin struggled mightily down the stretch. He lost confidence and then became very sloppy with his technique. He may have the best top end speed of any Hawkeye on either side of the ball. We forget he played WR a little over a year ago. Mo Flemming- This kid when healthy is a player! Don't be surprised if you see him on the field in nickel with Dez moving to the slot. He's a physical specimen and tough as nails. Draper is a solid backup and gives us plenty of depth at the corner.
PLAYER THAT COULD SURPRISE: Mo Flemming
BRIGHT FUTURE: Greg Mabin
