"The Leftovers" ... possible emergers?

[ghostOfHomer777]

We've been chatting up all about the guys who have left the program.

However, how about guys who've potentially been buried a bit on the depth chart ... but guys who've stuck around and have been keeping their nose to the grind-stone. Might any of those guys become eventual emergers? Before we assume the answer to be in the negative, it is important to note that the Hawks have had a number of prior guys who fell under the radar for a myriad of reasons (sometimes due to injuries ... sometimes due to understanding of the D ... sometimes due to prior inconsistent execution) ... but ultimately emerged as important contributors for the Hawks. Here are some past examples ...

• Pat Angerer - one of my favorite examples (emerged almost out of nowhere as a JR in '08)
• Anthony Gair - a career back-up, he stuck it out and finally passed Taylor in '16 (and finished the season as a starter)
• Thomas Nardo - a walk-on who emerged as a starter in '11 (as a SR)
• Mo Brown - another favorite ... not unlike Pat, Mo may have been a little on the immature side when he was younger. However, when he emerged as a JR WR in '02 ... boy did he emerge!
• Faith Ekakitie - a big name as a recuit ... it seemingly took him a long time to learn how to execute with consistency as a Hawk. He quickly got passed by Bazata and was relegated as a career back-up. However, credit to me - the quality of snaps he gave the Hawks took an uptick when he was a JR in '15 ... and he played even better as a SR in '16.

And obviously there are many others ....

So who on the current squad are guys who've stuck around ... who seemingly fit some of the above criteria?

• Devonte Young - Surprised but pleased that he stuck around ... he looked good in the '17 spring open practice. Hopefully he can put things together and ultimately end up producing for the Hawks
• Brandon Simon - A year or so ago, Reese Morgan was singing the praises of Golston and Simon as BOTH being guys who had been catching his attention. Iowa's DE situation had been a little "log-jammed" ... so Simon has seemingly fell away into obscurity. However, I still remember Morgan's original praise ... here's to the hope that Simon prepares like he's expecting to start. We're going to be losing a lot of DE talent through the next few seasons ... so we're going to need our younger DEs to be ready to step-up!
• Barrington Wade - Okay, admittedly Wade was garnered some recent attention - being noted as one of the risers during the spring. However, back in '17 he was no higher than the 4th (or 5th) string LEO. Now he's our #2 LEO ... and has generated some internal buzz. Of course, last year he never saw the field ... so it will be interesting to see if he can make a splash for the Hawks sooner rather than later (presumably first through special teams).
• Landan Paulsen - While Levi has seen multiple starts for the Hawks and has been a long-time 2nd stringer for the Hawks ... Landan has seemingly been residing in relative obscurity. Then, back in the spring, he generated a little buzz by being noted by the coaches as seemingly being a bit of a "riser." Will Landan break through and see quality snaps for us?

Others? What do yall think?

 

[mrF6n6]

I think Cole Fisher is also another great example...
if you look at the depth chart from last year before the season began... it was quite different from the depth chart at the beginning of the season...
this happens every year...

we can speculate who will be the starters and who will be the stars...
but at this point... I don't think anybody knows... not even the coaches...

but one thing we do know... is that somebody will emerge as a surprise...
this is what makes the College game greater than the Pro game, imo.

 

[TKingpin]

LTP was another prime example where the light just came one spring, IIRC.

I think Drew Cook could be that guy - he’s just buried behind some really good TEs.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I think Cole Fisher is also another great example...
if you look at the depth chart from last year before the season began... it was quite different from the depth chart at the beginning of the season...
this happens every year...

we can speculate who will be the starters and who will be the stars...
but at this point... I don't think anybody knows... not even the coaches...

but one thing we do know... is that somebody will emerge as a surprise...
this is what makes the College game greater than the Pro game, imo.

Thanks ... Cole definitely popped into my head when I started writing the post ... but then I got distracted (pesky work) ... and I forgot to include him when I finished the post.

As for predicting who might be emergers (beyond the obvious) - you're totally correct. The coaches know what the players might be capable of doing ... but just because somebody is capable of doing something doesn't mean that they'll do it. As Reese Morgan often says ... part of his job is to help guys to achieve what they don't even think that they can do. The point being ... most people put artificial limitations on themselves ... often saying the common phrase ... "I can't do that." However, as an educator, the coaches know that the players ARE capable of achieving such things ... and the task at hand is to get them to a point where they actually do it.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

LTP was another prime example where the light just came one spring, IIRC.

I think Drew Cook could be that guy - he’s just buried behind some really good TEs.

Many folks were lamenting our DT situation in '11 (past Daniels). Then, perhaps partially as an example of trial-by-fire ... LTP was one of the starters as a redshirt SO ... even though he had never had any live DT reps (in games) previously. Then, he proceeded to be a very productive contributor in both '13 and '14 ... a very underrated Hawk!

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

LTP was another prime example where the light just came one spring, IIRC.

I think Drew Cook could be that guy - he’s just buried behind some really good TEs.

Drew Cook really could be that guy too. He's had a great attitude and the coaches clearly appreciate him. I remember Hockenson talking about how Cook embraced throwing himself into the physical aspects of the position ... which was a particular contrast given that QBs rarely deal with contact in practice.

 

[rchawk]

Wasn't DT Carl Davis one of those guys? He had a heckuva senior season.

 

[scotthawk1964]

LTP was another prime example where the light just came one spring, IIRC.

I think Drew Cook could be that guy - he’s just buried behind some really good TEs.

I think Cook could have really benefited had he gone to TE his freshman year. Now he is buried behind some great TE's and he is behind in the learning curve.....If there is one at the TE position.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Wasn't DT Carl Davis one of those guys? He had a heckuva senior season.

He fits the criteria too ... he didn't see his first start until 2013. However, he DID see some quality snaps in 2012. Penn State's John Urschel stated during the 2013 Big 10 media days that the toughest guy to block that he faced in '12 was Carl Davis. Carl flashed moments ... but he didn't really seem to trust his conditioning until the '13 season. From there ... his number of snaps really took off

 

[TKingpin]

From the sounds of it, Chauncey Gholston may be that guy emerging right now, after earning praise from Morgan and both Matt Nelson and Hesse mentioning him, per the Mark Emmert tweet.

 

[bunsen82]

Gholston right now has a chance. Has been receiving notice from both coaches and players. Seems a little on the light side, but we have had a few of those in the past that are extreme technicians and also have great explosiveness and quickness

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I think Cook could have really benefited had he gone to TE his freshman year. Now he is buried behind some great TE's and he is behind in the learning curve.....If there is one at the TE position.

Cook is presumably a pretty bright guy - QBs tend to have the football IQ thing in spades. That's important at the TE spot because Brian likes to line up TEs all over the place and use them in different ways.

Also, given that these days we're all assuming that Fant will be gone after '18 ... that should/could open up some opportunities for Beyer and Cook in '19.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Gholston right now has a chance. Has been receiving notice from both coaches and players. Seems a little on the light side, but we have had a few of those in the past that are extreme technicians and also have great explosiveness and quickness

Golston was initially pegged at DE ... so his weight is probably perfectly good for DE ... however, he IS a little light for DT. However, given that Mitch King was shockingly productive as a redshirt freshman in 2005 ... weighing in at a mere 240ish ... Golston is a giant in comparison! Similarly, Karl Klug was productive for the Hawks for years ... but for a hunk of his college career he was in the 260s (first below that territory ... then above).

 

[Johnsoda123]

We've been chatting up all about the guys who have left the program.

However, how about guys who've potentially been buried a bit on the depth chart ... but guys who've stuck around and have been keeping their nose to the grind-stone. Might any of those guys become eventual emergers? Before we assume the answer to be in the negative, it is important to note that the Hawks have had a number of prior guys who fell under the radar for a myriad of reasons (sometimes due to injuries ... sometimes due to understanding of the D ... sometimes due to prior inconsistent execution) ... but ultimately emerged as important contributors for the Hawks. Here are some past examples ...

• Pat Angerer - one of my favorite examples (emerged almost out of nowhere as a JR in '08)
• Anthony Gair - a career back-up, he stuck it out and finally passed Taylor in '16 (and finished the season as a starter)
• Thomas Nardo - a walk-on who emerged as a starter in '11 (as a SR)
• Mo Brown - another favorite ... not unlike Pat, Mo may have been a little on the immature side when he was younger. However, when he emerged as a JR WR in '02 ... boy did he emerge!
• Faith Ekakitie - a big name as a recuit ... it seemingly took him a long time to learn how to execute with consistency as a Hawk. He quickly got passed by Bazata and was relegated as a career back-up. However, credit to me - the quality of snaps he gave the Hawks took an uptick when he was a JR in '15 ... and he played even better as a SR in '16.

And obviously there are many others ....

So who on the current squad are guys who've stuck around ... who seemingly fit some of the above criteria?

• Devonte Young - Surprised but pleased that he stuck around ... he looked good in the '17 spring open practice. Hopefully he can put things together and ultimately end up producing for the Hawks
• Brandon Simon - A year or so ago, Reese Morgan was singing the praises of Golston and Simon as BOTH being guys who had been catching his attention. Iowa's DE situation had been a little "log-jammed" ... so Simon has seemingly fell away into obscurity. However, I still remember Morgan's original praise ... here's to the hope that Simon prepares like he's expecting to start. We're going to be losing a lot of DE talent through the next few seasons ... so we're going to need our younger DEs to be ready to step-up!
• Barrington Wade - Okay, admittedly Wade was garnered some recent attention - being noted as one of the risers during the spring. However, back in '17 he was no higher than the 4th (or 5th) string LEO. Now he's our #2 LEO ... and has generated some internal buzz. Of course, last year he never saw the field ... so it will be interesting to see if he can make a splash for the Hawks sooner rather than later (presumably first through special teams).
• Landan Paulsen - While Levi has seen multiple starts for the Hawks and has been a long-time 2nd stringer for the Hawks ... Landan has seemingly been residing in relative obscurity. Then, back in the spring, he generated a little buzz by being noted by the coaches as seemingly being a bit of a "riser." Will Landan break through and see quality snaps for us?

Others? What do yall think?

Dominique Daffney played well in the spring game. Kiss of Death right?

 

[HawkOn15]

We've been chatting up all about the guys who have left the program.

However, how about guys who've potentially been buried a bit on the depth chart ... but guys who've stuck around and have been keeping their nose to the grind-stone. Might any of those guys become eventual emergers? Before we assume the answer to be in the negative, it is important to note that the Hawks have had a number of prior guys who fell under the radar for a myriad of reasons (sometimes due to injuries ... sometimes due to understanding of the D ... sometimes due to prior inconsistent execution) ... but ultimately emerged as important contributors for the Hawks. Here are some past examples ...

• Pat Angerer - one of my favorite examples (emerged almost out of nowhere as a JR in '08)
• Anthony Gair - a career back-up, he stuck it out and finally passed Taylor in '16 (and finished the season as a starter)
• Thomas Nardo - a walk-on who emerged as a starter in '11 (as a SR)
• Mo Brown - another favorite ... not unlike Pat, Mo may have been a little on the immature side when he was younger. However, when he emerged as a JR WR in '02 ... boy did he emerge!
• Faith Ekakitie - a big name as a recuit ... it seemingly took him a long time to learn how to execute with consistency as a Hawk. He quickly got passed by Bazata and was relegated as a career back-up. However, credit to me - the quality of snaps he gave the Hawks took an uptick when he was a JR in '15 ... and he played even better as a SR in '16.

And obviously there are many others ....

So who on the current squad are guys who've stuck around ... who seemingly fit some of the above criteria?

• Devonte Young - Surprised but pleased that he stuck around ... he looked good in the '17 spring open practice. Hopefully he can put things together and ultimately end up producing for the Hawks
• Brandon Simon - A year or so ago, Reese Morgan was singing the praises of Golston and Simon as BOTH being guys who had been catching his attention. Iowa's DE situation had been a little "log-jammed" ... so Simon has seemingly fell away into obscurity. However, I still remember Morgan's original praise ... here's to the hope that Simon prepares like he's expecting to start. We're going to be losing a lot of DE talent through the next few seasons ... so we're going to need our younger DEs to be ready to step-up!
• Barrington Wade - Okay, admittedly Wade was garnered some recent attention - being noted as one of the risers during the spring. However, back in '17 he was no higher than the 4th (or 5th) string LEO. Now he's our #2 LEO ... and has generated some internal buzz. Of course, last year he never saw the field ... so it will be interesting to see if he can make a splash for the Hawks sooner rather than later (presumably first through special teams).
• Landan Paulsen - While Levi has seen multiple starts for the Hawks and has been a long-time 2nd stringer for the Hawks ... Landan has seemingly been residing in relative obscurity. Then, back in the spring, he generated a little buzz by being noted by the coaches as seemingly being a bit of a "riser." Will Landan break through and see quality snaps for us?

Others? What do yall think?

Michael Ojemudia and Jack Hockaday

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Dominique Daffney played well in the spring game. Kiss of Death right?

Totally the kiss of death! It almost makes me amazed that he's still on the team .... (I jest)

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Michael Ojemudia and Jack Hockaday

I would think that Ojemudia's story might be more akin to Bradley Fletcher's story. We'll have to wait and see how things play out though ...

 

[Harbinger273]

I think Golston is very intriguing. We have 3 strong DE's so I think him being at DT is a way to get him in the mix. Does he get line stunt calls and stuff of that nature when he goes in to make use of his size and athleticism? I'm curious if he is a package type guy.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I think Golston is very intriguing. We have 3 strong DE's so I think him being at DT is a way to get him in the mix. Does he get line stunt calls and stuff of that nature when he goes in to make use of his size and athleticism? I'm curious if he is a package type guy.

I could see him work his way into our NASCAR package ... from left to right ... A. Nelson, Golston, Hesse, and Epenesa. His height is a neat attribute too in such a scenario ... because if we call a zone-blitz and he drops back ... his long frame and long arms can both block passing lanes AND he could maybe nab a pick. It's worth noting that our DL nabbed 2 picks last year!

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I'd say that the emergence by Reynolds last season supplies an example of an "emerging" left-over too. It was his RS JR season ... and then he started getting quality reps while rotating with Render. He's mentioned by a number of his peers as being one of our more athletic O-linemen. Interesting stuff for sure ...

 

[millhawk]

I could see him work his way into our NASCAR package ... from left to right ... A. Nelson, Golston, Hesse, and Epenesa. His height is a neat attribute too in such a scenario ... because if we call a zone-blitz and he drops back ... his long frame and long arms can both block passing lanes AND he could maybe nab a pick. It's worth noting that our DL nabbed 2 picks last year!

Love that lineup in passing situations. They have to find reps for Golston. Maybe the coaches believe A Nelson isn't going pro after this year. So they are prepping Golston at dt for '19.

 

[Hawkeyeinsoutherncalifornia]

Hell of a write up ghost, some great stuff

We've been chatting up all about the guys who have left the program.

However, how about guys who've potentially been buried a bit on the depth chart ... but guys who've stuck around and have been keeping their nose to the grind-stone. Might any of those guys become eventual emergers? Before we assume the answer to be in the negative, it is important to note that the Hawks have had a number of prior guys who fell under the radar for a myriad of reasons (sometimes due to injuries ... sometimes due to understanding of the D ... sometimes due to prior inconsistent execution) ... but ultimately emerged as important contributors for the Hawks. Here are some past examples ...

• Pat Angerer - one of my favorite examples (emerged almost out of nowhere as a JR in '08)
• Anthony Gair - a career back-up, he stuck it out and finally passed Taylor in '16 (and finished the season as a starter)
• Thomas Nardo - a walk-on who emerged as a starter in '11 (as a SR)
• Mo Brown - another favorite ... not unlike Pat, Mo may have been a little on the immature side when he was younger. However, when he emerged as a JR WR in '02 ... boy did he emerge!
• Faith Ekakitie - a big name as a recuit ... it seemingly took him a long time to learn how to execute with consistency as a Hawk. He quickly got passed by Bazata and was relegated as a career back-up. However, credit to me - the quality of snaps he gave the Hawks took an uptick when he was a JR in '15 ... and he played even better as a SR in '16.

And obviously there are many others ....

So who on the current squad are guys who've stuck around ... who seemingly fit some of the above criteria?

• Devonte Young - Surprised but pleased that he stuck around ... he looked good in the '17 spring open practice. Hopefully he can put things together and ultimately end up producing for the Hawks
• Brandon Simon - A year or so ago, Reese Morgan was singing the praises of Golston and Simon as BOTH being guys who had been catching his attention. Iowa's DE situation had been a little "log-jammed" ... so Simon has seemingly fell away into obscurity. However, I still remember Morgan's original praise ... here's to the hope that Simon prepares like he's expecting to start. We're going to be losing a lot of DE talent through the next few seasons ... so we're going to need our younger DEs to be ready to step-up!
• Barrington Wade - Okay, admittedly Wade was garnered some recent attention - being noted as one of the risers during the spring. However, back in '17 he was no higher than the 4th (or 5th) string LEO. Now he's our #2 LEO ... and has generated some internal buzz. Of course, last year he never saw the field ... so it will be interesting to see if he can make a splash for the Hawks sooner rather than later (presumably first through special teams).
• Landan Paulsen - While Levi has seen multiple starts for the Hawks and has been a long-time 2nd stringer for the Hawks ... Landan has seemingly been residing in relative obscurity. Then, back in the spring, he generated a little buzz by being noted by the coaches as seemingly being a bit of a "riser." Will Landan break through and see quality snaps for us?

Others? What do yall think?

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Love that lineup in passing situations. They have to find reps for Golston. Maybe the coaches believe A Nelson isn't going pro after this year. So they are prepping Golston at dt for '19.

Anthony has been improved quite a bit from '16 to '17. Furthermore, I think that we're going to see some continued improvement from '17 to '18. However, I'm willing to bet that both Anthony and the coaches believe that he'll be capable of even more of a leap going from '18 to '19 ... and that will make it more than worth his while to stick around for his SR year.

In contrast, Matt Nelson graduates after the '18 season ... and Golston might have as good of a chance as any to win the vacated starting spot. Should that occur, he'd have a chance to still be a 2-year starter (in '19 and '20). Regardless, I'll be intrigued to see what ends up transpiring.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Hell of a write up ghost, some great stuff

Thanks ... I'm just trying to stimulate some good discourse. I'm kind of tired of all the threads on rivals teams (that I could care less about).

 

[iowa surfer]

We've been chatting up all about the guys who have left the program.

However, how about guys who've potentially been buried a bit on the depth chart ... but guys who've stuck around and have been keeping their nose to the grind-stone. Might any of those guys become eventual emergers? Before we assume the answer to be in the negative, it is important to note that the Hawks have had a number of prior guys who fell under the radar for a myriad of reasons (sometimes due to injuries ... sometimes due to understanding of the D ... sometimes due to prior inconsistent execution) ... but ultimately emerged as important contributors for the Hawks. Here are some past examples ...

• Pat Angerer - one of my favorite examples (emerged almost out of nowhere as a JR in '08)
• Anthony Gair - a career back-up, he stuck it out and finally passed Taylor in '16 (and finished the season as a starter)
• Thomas Nardo - a walk-on who emerged as a starter in '11 (as a SR)
• Mo Brown - another favorite ... not unlike Pat, Mo may have been a little on the immature side when he was younger. However, when he emerged as a JR WR in '02 ... boy did he emerge!
• Faith Ekakitie - a big name as a recuit ... it seemingly took him a long time to learn how to execute with consistency as a Hawk. He quickly got passed by Bazata and was relegated as a career back-up. However, credit to me - the quality of snaps he gave the Hawks took an uptick when he was a JR in '15 ... and he played even better as a SR in '16.

And obviously there are many others ....

So who on the current squad are guys who've stuck around ... who seemingly fit some of the above criteria?

• Devonte Young - Surprised but pleased that he stuck around ... he looked good in the '17 spring open practice. Hopefully he can put things together and ultimately end up producing for the Hawks
• Brandon Simon - A year or so ago, Reese Morgan was singing the praises of Golston and Simon as BOTH being guys who had been catching his attention. Iowa's DE situation had been a little "log-jammed" ... so Simon has seemingly fell away into obscurity. However, I still remember Morgan's original praise ... here's to the hope that Simon prepares like he's expecting to start. We're going to be losing a lot of DE talent through the next few seasons ... so we're going to need our younger DEs to be ready to step-up!
• Barrington Wade - Okay, admittedly Wade was garnered some recent attention - being noted as one of the risers during the spring. However, back in '17 he was no higher than the 4th (or 5th) string LEO. Now he's our #2 LEO ... and has generated some internal buzz. Of course, last year he never saw the field ... so it will be interesting to see if he can make a splash for the Hawks sooner rather than later (presumably first through special teams).
• Landan Paulsen - While Levi has seen multiple starts for the Hawks and has been a long-time 2nd stringer for the Hawks ... Landan has seemingly been residing in relative obscurity. Then, back in the spring, he generated a little buzz by being noted by the coaches as seemingly being a bit of a "riser." Will Landan break through and see quality snaps for us?

Others? What do yall think?

Gair great huh? PatA. Waay cool....

 

[Johnsoda123]

Anthony has been improved quite a bit from '16 to '17. Furthermore, I think that we're going to see some continued improvement from '17 to '18. However, I'm willing to bet that both Anthony and the coaches believe that he'll be capable of even more of a leap going from '18 to '19 ... and that will make it more than worth his while to stick around for his SR year.

In contrast, Matt Nelson graduates after the '18 season ... and Golston might have as good of a chance as any to win the vacated starting spot. Should that occur, he'd have a chance to still be a 2-year starter (in '19 and '20). Regardless, I'll be intrigued to see what ends up transpiring.

What's just as exciting will be watching Nixon, Golston and Shannon compete for snaps in 19. Maybe Linderbaum too. Need to sign Fox.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

What's just as exciting will be watching Nixon, Golston and Shannon compete for snaps in 19. Maybe Linderbaum too. Need to sign Fox.

The more I break down Iowa's C situation ... the more I come to the conclusion that Linderbaum most likely will spend his initial few seasons at DT. After Render graduates - I see it being a competition between Banwart and Duwa. After that, I'm betting that Britt earns the nod.

However, at DT, over the next 2 seasons, we'll be graduating M. Nelson, Reiff, and Lattimore ... thus, we're going to need "new guys" to emerge and be productive for us at DT in both '19 and '20. So I wholeheartedly agree - it will be very exciting to see the newer DTs compete for snaps over the next few years.

I'm excited about both Hunt and Fox ... so I definitely hope that Fox commits too ... and that both ultimately sign with us (come December).

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

What's just as exciting will be watching Nixon, Golston and Shannon compete for snaps in 19. Maybe Linderbaum too. Need to sign Fox.

Also, I suppose I was buying into Nixon's hype a bit too much ... I was implicitly assume that Nixon would probably jump in 2019 and have a good shot to earn a starting spot (which would be impressive considering he'd just be a RS SO). As I ponder the situation more critically, while I do believe that Nixon will be part of a very active DT rotation ... I not longer believe that it is a "gimme" that he'll be a starter right away. Thus, it's making increasingly more sense that, as a "riser," Golston will be making a significant push for a starting spot in '19.

However, it is interesting considering some of the contrasts between body-types between the guys who we'll have at DT in '19. Reiff is a quick, high motor guy (more like a Mitch King or a Karl Klug). Lattimore is perhaps more like a Derreck Robinson or a Jared Clauss (a taller guy, but also with some heft to him). Nixon is maybe a bit more like Jaleel Johnson ... but with more speed. Shannon might be a little more like a Colin Cole (at least if we're lucky). At DT, Golston currently probably reminds me the most of Neubauer ... and he was an awfully productive guy. If he would have liked "school" more, I anticipate that he probably would have been a starter for us at DT in 2004.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Gair great huh? PatA. Waay cool....

I'm simply giving credit where credit is due. During some of his back-up action, earlier in his career, Gair's contributions were very forgettable. Thus, it's a great credit to him that he stuck with it and really improved his game ... and really prepared well (like a starter). When his chance emerged when Taylor was injured ... he took advantage of the opportunity and played the best ball of his career. The point of a guy being an emerger isn't necessarily that the guy was "great" ... but that the guy ended up being an important contributor.

While a lot of folks like to remember Rugamba's big plays in the Michigan game in '16 ... Gair's contributions in that game were crucial too. If we don't have his solid play in that game ... we likely lose! It's about 11 guys playing together well, doing their respective jobs, and putting it all out there!

 

[TKingpin]

Cook is presumably a pretty bright guy - QBs tend to have the football IQ thing in spades. That's important at the TE spot because Brian likes to line up TEs all over the place and use them in different ways.

Also, given that these days we're all assuming that Fant will be gone after '18 ... that should/could open up some opportunities for Beyer and Cook in '19.

Did anyone else see that trick play by the Eagles in the Super Bowl where the TE came on a reverse and threw the TD to the QB and think: “we can do that exact same play with Drew Cook and Nate!”?

It would be a Hayden Fry “exotic” but I would love to pull it out for Wisconsin!

 

[thecarls]

I love our guys. Fox would be an excellent addition. Imo Hunt has Babs written all over him. (I’m aware I just changed his position... just projecting)

I personally think Linderbaum will be the guy out of that Nixon, Shannon, and Baum class. Dude just seems mean as hell on the field. Either way it shakes out that was a hell of a class for the DL.

 

[thecarls]

I thought Jordan Bernstine was a great example. Dude didn’t even start a full year and still got drafted and played 1 or 2 years for the Skins. I thought he finished really strong.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I thought Jordan Bernstine was a great example. Dude didn’t even start a full year and still got drafted and played 1 or 2 years for the Skins. I thought he finished really strong.

I was on the fence when considering Jordan. Because of his speed and toughness, Phil had Jordan at CB for a long time. However, untimely injuries kept on undercutting his opportunities. He was arguably slated to be our starting CB in '08 ... only injuries derailed that opportunity ... and Spievey took his opportunity and ran with it. Similarly, entering '09, Bernstine was likely going to be the starter opposite Spievey ... but again injuries undercut that ... and Prater went on to start. By the time '10 came around ... Hyde was already ready to jump into the pool ... so Bernstine was more our nickel back. He played when healthy ... but yeah, he definitely made his biggest splash in '11 when he earned the starting gig at safety.

 

[ICTrojans99]

Gholston probably gets more snaps at End in 19/20. Id like to see LE-Nelson/Gholston, RE-Eppy/Simon, DT-Rieff/Nixon/L-Bomb and NT-Latt/Shannon/Jacobus. We're losing at least 2 of our 4 DEs after this year so it makes more sense to shift him back outside. If A/Nelson would happen to go to the league early he would probably start at LE.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Gholston probably gets more snaps at End in 19/20. Id like to see LE-Nelson/Gholston, RE-Eppy/Simon, DT-Rieff/Nixon/L-Bomb and NT-Latt/Shannon/Jacobus. We're losing at least 2 of our 4 DEs after this year so it makes more sense to shift him back outside. If A/Nelson would happen to go to the league early he would probably start at LE.

I agree to a degree. However, in '19 ... our group of DEs will still feature Anthony Nelson and AJ Epenesa ... both of whom will receive the lion's share of the snaps (and justifiably so). Of course, by losing both Hesse and Brincks, that will open up a lot of opportunity for DE reps in our DE rotation.

However, if you consider the DT situation, with Hesse gone ... that will open up 3rd down DT reps. Furthermore, with Matt Nelson graduating ... that will open up a whole starting spot. In contrast to the DE spot - I'm not certain that there is an obvious heir-apparent for the vacated DT starting spot. Is Reiff a shoe-in to win the spot? He might currently have the lead ... but I wouldn't be surprised if a surging Golston were to catch him. Of course, will Lattimore, Golston, and Reiff be able to hold off Nixon? Or will Nixon win one of the starting DT spots?

Anyhow, I could definitely see Golston win a starting DT gig ... but still receive the occasional DE rep too. Regardless, it will be fascinating to see how things play out. By the time the '20 season rolls around ... BOTH the DE and DT spots will need guys to step in a supply us with quality reps.

 

[ICTrojans99]

I agree to a degree. However, in '19 ... our group of DEs will still feature Anthony Nelson and AJ Epenesa ... both of whom will receive the lion's share of the snaps (and justifiably so). Of course, by losing both Hesse and Brincks, that will open up a lot of opportunity for DE reps in our DE rotation.

However, if you consider the DT situation, with Hesse gone ... that will open up 3rd down DT reps. Furthermore, with Matt Nelson graduating ... that will open up a whole starting spot. In contrast to the DE spot - I'm not certain that there is an obvious heir-apparent for the vacated DT starting spot. Is Reiff a shoe-in to win the spot? He might currently have the lead ... but I wouldn't be surprised if a surging Golston were to catch him. Of course, will Lattimore, Golston, and Reiff be able to hold off Nixon? Or will Nixon win one of the starting DT spots?

Anyhow, I could definitely see Golston win a starting DT gig ... but still receive the occasional DE rep too. Regardless, it will be fascinating to see how things play out. By the time the '20 season rolls around ... BOTH the DE and DT spots will need guys to step in a supply us with quality reps.

Christian Ballard = Chauncey Gholston ? I could see Gholston playing inside and out on the left side just like Ballard. By next year Gholston will probably have a very similar build to Ballard. Gholston probably quicker, Ballard more powerful. Both 3-4 DE type of players. Maybe a 7 man rotation next year for the most part ? Nelson,Latt,Rieff,Eppy,Gholston,Nixon,Simon would be pretty badass. A guy like Chester Graves or Malcolm Lee would give us the deepest DL we've ever had.

 

[Roy-munson]

Christian Ballard = Chauncey Gholston ? I could see Gholston playing inside and out on the left side just like Ballard. By next year Gholston will probably have a very similar build to Ballard. Gholston probably quicker, Ballard more powerful. Both 3-4 DE type of players. Maybe a 7 man rotation next year for the most part ? Nelson,Latt,Rieff,Eppy,Gholston,Nixon,Simon would be pretty badass.

Size wise Ballard only weighed about 280-290 playing dt/de for Iowa he was a real solid piece for Iowa.. that d-line unfortunately was only 5deep where as this line could be 8 deep, just not sure how talented Iowa is inside.. 3-very good de’s.. dt Nelson is emerging, and I expect Lattimore to make that jump..

 

[rchawk]

Size wise Ballard only weighed about 280-290 playing dt/de for Iowa he was a real solid piece for Iowa.. that d-line unfortunately was only 5deep where as this line could be 8 deep, just not sure how talented Iowa is inside.. 3-very good de’s.. dt Nelson is emerging, and I expect Lattimore to make that jump..

I've posted it before, but I think Matt Nelson is going to have a heckuva senior season at DT.