Sports Page Atlanta

This weekend, while most Atlanta eyes will be closely watching the Falcons, plenty of other local fans will be watching to see where their favorite college players wind up going. Here’s your guide to Georgia Tech players for this weekend.

• Darrell Robertson, Defensive End / Linebacker - Robertson is an athletic end who could be a great fit for a 3-4 scheme as a rush linebacker and could be a real steal in this draft. What will probably push him to Sunday is his lack of ideal size, but he found his way around it in college, giving up only 1 first down on running plays toward him last year. In 2007, he picked up 16 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks as a very important part of Tech’s strong defensive unit. He’s not seen as a true down lineman, probably because he gets pushed around by big tackles, but as a 3-4 linebacker, he can utilize his speed as a rusher or when covering the TE. There’s always the chance he could become an every down lineman much in the mold of other thin players like Jason Taylor, but the 3-4 OLB is most likely his immediate destination. Expect him to hear his name called early on Sunday. Just for fun prediction: Round 4 - 3rd pick (102nd overall) - New York Jets, who could use some explosiveness from the outside and some DE/OLB depth in their 3-4.
• Durant Brooks, Punter - The winner of the Ray Guy Award is easily the best punter available in this draft. While he doesn’t have the ideal size or accuracy, his booming leg forced 21 fair catches last year alone, and his hang time would already possibly be the best in the NFL. There are no questions about his leg strength; Brooks set an NCAA record with 57 50+ yard kicks over the last two years of his career. As great of a pro prospect as he is, punters simply don’t get chosen early in the draft, so Brooks will assuredly have to wait until Sunday to hear his name. Still, the 3rd or 4th round isn’t out of the question, and he should definitely be gone by the end of the 5th. As a punter who can kick for distance in any type of weather, he’ll be attractive to plenty of teams.
  Just for fun prediciton: Round 4 - 17th pick (116th overall) - Arizona Cardinals, who had the worst punt game in the NFL last year.
• Tashard Choice, Running Back - Choice gets high marks for his leadership qualities and work ethic, as he will improve any locker room he sets foot into. He has great vision when it comes to seeing holes opening up. However, Choice doesn’t have top-back speed, and he can’t break tackles easily. He runs like a power back but lacks the power to really pull it off at the NFL level. This, along with his injury issues, will cause him to slip a bit. Still, his production was solid in college, racking up 1473 yards and 12 TDs as a Junior and 1379 yards and 10 TDs as a Senior. Expect to hear Choice’s name called early on Sunday.
  Just for fun prediction: Round 4 - 21st pick (120th overall) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are looking for some depth and love short-gain, between the tackles runners.
• Philip Wheeler, Outside Linebacker - With a nose for the ball and good play recognition, Wheeler will go somewhere near the rest of his Jacket teammates, most likely early on Sunday. He’s known as a great blitzer, and he can play well against the run. What limits him are the following: he isn’t ready to play any zone defense, has a tendency to take some plays off when the play isn’t directly involving him, isn’t very fast, and plays recklessly at times, trusting too much in his ability, which probably isn’t as good as he thinks it is. He’s best used as a run-stopping OLB and occasional blitzer, and while he’s versatile enough to play inside, he is too easily blocked to be effective.
  Just for fun prediction: Round 4 - 24th pick (123rd overall) - Pittsburgh Steelers, who appreciate guys who can play run D and bring in the occasional blitz.
• Gary Guyton, Outside Linebacker - An explosive athlete, Guyton is a solid character guy who will improve the team both on and off the field. That isn’t to say he doesn’t have flaws. Guyton takes a little too long to recognize plays and rarely puts big hits on ballcarriers. Still, he’s quick and smart, and in a system which utilizes him mainly as a run defender, he could be helpful. He shouldn’t be playing 3rd downs, but could be fantastic as a special teamer and backup two-down linebacker. It’s hard for him not to remind you of another former Tech LB who was a better athlete than football player - Keyaron Fox.
  Just for fun prediction: Round 7 - 10th pick (217th overall) - St. Louis Rams, who need some help in kick coverage immediately.
• Mike Cox, Fullback - Cox will never be a key receiver out of the backfield or a change-of-pace ball carrier, but he isn’t a bad blocker at all. A big wide guy who can clear a lane for a back or block for kick and punt returners, Cox has very good awareness on the field. There are some injury issues and an arrest that could drop him out of this draft, but he will certainly go to camp with someone, and might even get selected this weekend. As a blocking fullback and special teams player, he’s worth a look.
  Just for fun prediction: Undrafted free agent - Signed by Seattle Seahawks, who are one of the few teams that still utilize pure blocking FBs.
• Adamm Oliver, Defensive End - I’ll be surprised if Oliver is drafted, if only because injury has prevented him from working out for scouts. He’s a high-effort, hard hitting DE, but he will struggle to shed blockers and lacks the speed you look for in a starter. Oliver is probably destined for the depth chart doldrums, but he might be helpful on special teams.
  Just for fun prediction: Undrafted free agent - Signed by Jacksonville Jaguars, who tend to value the slower DEs of the world sometimes.
• Jamal Lewis, Strong Safety - Lewis projects as a future special teams player, as he has great athleticism but poor on-field recognition and awareness. He might be useful in dime packages, since there won’t be much guesswork involved in those situations. As it stands, however, Lewis can’t recognize plays well enough to be ready to contribute right now. He’s a project for the long run.
  Just for fun prediction: Undrafted free agent - Signed by Carolina Panthers, who could use some help in kick coverage and might give him a chance to help out.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.