Hawks At USC Pro Day Too

by: Michael Steffes

In the name of milking every thing I can out of my experience on the USC campus yesterday, I thought I would pass this tidbit along. The Hawks VP of Player Personal, Ruston Webster was there. This is according tho this ProfootballWeekly report. That would probably explain why no one was wearing excessive Hawks gear like some of the other teams scouts.

If you saw in the Answers to Questions posts, I thought I saw someone in a Hawks polo shirt talking to all the linemen. This report probably means I was right. It says that the Hawks were there looking at Sam Baker and the other linemen. However, I am sure they took note of Chauncey Washington and Fred Davis as well.

And for the record, Profootballweekly wasn't very impressed with Davis either saying this....

Trojans TE Fred Davis, who chose not run at the Combine, also did not impress at the pro day, clocking in the mid-4.7s. "He's not very flexible," one evaluator said. "He's not a first-round talent by any stretch of the imagination. I was disappointed with his Combine and pro-day workout. (Rams and ex-USC TE) Dominique Byrd was much more flexible, much more athletic and had much better hands. His problem was that he was not committed to the game. (Davis) is not much different in that regard."

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Answers to Your Pro Day Questions

by: Michael Steffes

Alright, in an effort to sum up my Seahawk Addicts field trip I am going to answer all the leftover pro day specific questions. If there was some nugget of info you were looking for and didn't find, hopefully it is here. Also, I have managed to get my pictures into a slide show which I have included for you as well. To check it out...



The video didn't turn out so great, it was set to Purple Haze, which didn't make it some how, the tags kind of obstruct some of the shots, and they looked a lot better at full size, but take it for what it is worth. And if someone wants to get an a much better camera, I got no complaints! Mom?? Are you reading this....we can only hope!





CTS...Is Fred Davis still my top ranked TE??

I guess he is, but I certainly was not inspired. His production during the season was undeniable. He also defintely takes good care of himself. Still I was disappointed. I would say now, I am much less bullish on this years tight ends and no longer feel comfortable saying we are going to get a long term solution this year.

Shams... Not to me, but oh well, wanted to know what round to take Carlson?

Shams, I have to think the Hawks would use their second rounder to get him. It is possible they could trade up in the third, but my guess is that if he is the one they are targeting, they just grab him at 55 rather than take the chance someone like Green Bay takes him right behind them.

Anon... Commented on the 40 times not being so bad...

I actually agree. That was the first thing I thought. But then a d linemen like Alex Morrow ran a 4.9, so you could say, well that is only .2 above him. For some reason, those tenths make players better pros or else people wouldn't care. That said, when you look at him on tape, Davis gets behind people, so it is possible he can run that with pads on which would make him comparatively faster.

Christopher Mattix... Asked about C. Washington being on our board, and Hawk personal

I would say that Washington is certainly on our board. I included him in the 7th round preview. That would have been great for the Hawks because it is possible they could have gotten through to the practice squad if he didn't make the team. My guess is that he now goes ahead of guys like Mike Hart and Allen Patrick, but who really knows? Either way, he seems like it might be worth the risk to spend a 2nd day pick on him and see if he looks good in pads.

As for personal, I looked long and hard for Hawk guys. Most teams, Hawks included, send scouts to these things. Ruskell probably would be the only one I would recognize, and he was in Fla. Many scouts wore their teams gear. I saw Bears, Broncos, Jags, and many others, but no one really advertising Hawks. I thought maybe one guy was, his polo shirt was the right color, and if it is any clue, he watched the linemen really close and spent time talking to each of them afterwards.
Misfit.... asked about what position Rivers will play? Who records times?

Weakside linebacker is what he is expected to play. Much in the mold of a Lance Briggs. He is so fast an athletic he will do well in both coverage and pass rushing. Too bad he won't be around at 25, or it wouldn't matter what happens with Leroy. Rivers is gonna be a good one!

Everybody records their own times. I am not sure whose they announced. It was funny though, after the running, there was a giant huddle of scouts for about 20-25 minutes where they were all checking out each others times. It was odd to see.

Erik... Good observation on Baker. And maybe we will never know, because he may end up with good guys around him again. I would be happy to be see him next to Locklear for years to come, on either side.
Anonymous... Asked if Booty fits what the Hawks will want to do with the Mora years?

I say a big time yes! If there is one knock on Booty it is his arm strength. Mora will keep a WCO offense which works far better with an accurate QB. Putting the ball on the money allows the receivers to take off after those short routes. Booty is extremely accurate. Plus, IMO, there is something about him that shows in how he handles himself. I get the feeling that people respond to him well. That is always important in the NFL. Also, if you take out the Stanford game, in which he broke his finger and played though it, he has very limited interceptions, which would be great if the team continues to have an outstanding defense.

Anonymous.... This was in one of the threads, but not really related. But hey I am on a role here!

Anon asked about Weaver and Womack. Weaver has until 8 days before the draft to solicit offers, which he can sign, and then the Hawks have option to match or receive a 2nd round pick. It makes no sense for him to sign until that deadline, because someone could offer him a big deal, as unlikely as it is at this point, why not just wait? He will sign soon.

Womack, it doesn't look like is coming back. However, I wouldn't count him out just yet. Two things could happen. After the draft, if a team, Hawks included, couldn't find a linemen they liked, they will grab Chop as a backup. Right now, if the Hawks add a linemen in the draft, that will pretty much fill all the spots. Another thing is that if Chop goes unsigned, my guess is that he would be on the top of the list for an injury replacement if someone gets hurt in camp or during the year. Right now, though, he needs to be patient.

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Professional Perspective

by: Michael Steffes

Here is just a little more on the USC pro day. I found this and thought that it matched mine pretty closely, which is nice. Rob Rang thought Davis did enough.

Also, these pictures are considerably better than mine, so check em out. Read More!

USC Pro Day Write Up: Part 3

by: Michael Steffes

Onwards I trek into part 3. Two things have become apparent to me so far in doing this. 1) Scouts do not get paid nearly enough. Can you imagine going to watch prospects, writing all this stuff down, and driving till you get to the next town....and then do this for 9 months straight. Crazy! I am already worn out from one!

2) You guys have a lot of specific questions. So I will follow this series with a specific answers to your questions post about the pro day. Not much to do till draft day anyway. So keep em' coming and I will take on that task tomorrow.

PART 3....

Dale Thompson, TE... Thompson is a tight end much bigger in stature than Davis. He seemed to have a bigger frame, but he still ran 4.8 and 4.67. He defintely was not a polished route runner, in my opinion. He also dropped a few balls. He could catch on somewhere if he blocks well. He was probably victim in part to the Trojans needing a TE that is in the mold of a WR because they didn't have any stud wideouts. Still, if he had been good enough, he would have seen the field.

Thomas Williams, LB... Thomas Williams was the surprise of the day to me. I didn't know who he was at the beginning of the day, but I do now. He was stuck behind 3 all American type linebackers. Thus he was forced to shine on special teams, so I am told, and he did. Today, after running a 4.7, he really shined in position drills. With only him and Rivers in the drills, there really wasn't that much seperation. Williams was big and well defined. He could turn his hips and run, and he showed good ball skills, catching everything chucked at him. Matt Cassel came out of USC with very little experience and landed a back up job right away. There is no reason Williams can't do the same.

Chilo Rachel, G.... Of all the linemen, it is obvious that Rachel has the highest upside. He didn't participate in any running except the 3 cone, which I thought he did well. No times though. He is more athletic than the others. He is also built like a house. He is so thick up top it is shocking. The one thing I saw was that he didn't seem to have the same balance that the others showed. While very large, the scout had little problem knocking him back when he had his hands behind his back. I think he could get better at this. But the best thing about him is that his athleticism would allow him to fit in most schemes.

Drew Radovich, G... Radovich fits in well with this line. When he and Spanos are next to each other they look like very similar players. Up close, Radovich is in far better shape, physically. Even though he didn't run, it was obvious he was a bit stiff. However, his footwork seemed very good. Little wasted movement. Also, he kept his balance very well. Radovich looks like he will make a pro roster and be a valuable guy to have around to me.

Lawerence Jackson, DE (Lo Jack)... Jackson looked very good to me. I could almost echo what I wrote about Sed Ellis. During the position drills, which was all he did, he was drawing ooohs and ahhs. He looked very quick in the handfighting drills and very explosive in the others. He was equally as powerful as Sed with the tackling dummies. After thinking about it, that is what makes Sed Ellis so amazing. He is almost 40 lbs heavier, and shorter than Lo Jack too, but they look equally as quick and explosive in drills. In the end, I think they will both be every down guys in the league.

Saving the best for last.... actually no..but close

John David Booty, QB... All Booty did was throw, but he threw pretty well. They had to bring in a bunch of underclassmen to run routes, due to no receivers being ready for the first time in a while. Anyway, the thing I like best about Booty is his cool demeanor. Not only does he look the part of a star QB, but he has a confidence that just ooozes from him. My guess is that is why he won a lot of games. Beyond that, he has the arm. He throws the post route on a rope. He was VERY VERY accurate. Even on deep balls. I really only saw him misfire on one ball real bad. It was a deep in route and the ball went way over the receivers head. That was actually something I saw him do a lot last season, just saying. Overall though he put the ball in the perfect spot most of the time. Here is what I saw from Booty that I didn't expect. He is a very mobile guy. He has great footwork, and they showcased him throwing on the run a lot and using the playfake some too. In each case he really moves through the pocket comfortably, and when rolling to his left or right, he moved really well, and was still accurate. I watched a lot of Henne for the last 4 years. I watched a lot of Booty the last two. They people who say Henne and Flaccco are two rounds better than this guy, well, I just don't see it. My guess is that Booty is a quality game managing type pro. Think Hasselbeck 05'. He needs weapons, but he would be a great pick in the 4th, and I wouldn't have said that until this week.

Yeeeeeehaw!!!!!!!!!! Thats the Pro Day for you folks. That is why I make the big bucks! Ha!! Anything else you want to know, ask away, and I will tell you what I can. Read More!

USC Pro Day Write Up: Part 2

by: Michael Steffes

Ok, part deux. In this write up I am going to go player by player and tell you what I saw. Some will have more than other, because some people did more things, or stood out more through out the day. Here we go...

I will start with Sam Baker, G/T. He was the first of the prospects to run. The only announced time was his second, 5.4. Not so hot. First off though, Sam Baker seems to be a cool dude. He has a sweet beard and just looks like a lumberjack. I think that alone makes him a good prospect myself. All kidding aside, I started off not so impressed with Baker. The running drills do not highlight his skills well. He looked very solid in the O-line drills. However, I am just not sold on Baker ever being a left tackle, maybe never being a tackle. I think he will make a better guard. My opinion on Baker is really this. He needs to play with good guys around him. If he was in the middle of an all pro tackle and a veteran center he would look great. However, if he is on an island with a top DE, he may look foolish.

Will Collins, LS.... I will keep this one short and simple. His snapping looked good. He had good velocity and seemed to be very accurate. He was also a lot more nimble than a normal lineman. However, this was also due to the fact that he was a lot smaller than the normal lineman. He did do all the running drills. My guess was that he was trying to showcase that he was a pretty athletic guy. He will be a free agent, I am sure, so who knows, if the Hawks want him, I am sure they will have their choice of free agent long snappers. It may be the best place for a guy to win a job.

Fred Davis, TE..... Freddy my man, I wanted so bad to tell everyone that you are legit. But I can't. Fred just doesn't seem very focused in these situations. He is a gamer I guess. Anyway, I touched on a lot of my thoughts on Davis in the previous work up. When he runs, he has really long strides. He seems to be agile, but got frustrated easily when having problems with the three cone. In position drills, he caught everything thrown his way but one ball, which was partially off target. At the combine, he looked like he was an excellent route runner, but I didn't really see that today. He has some moves, but nothing spectacular. He is in excellent shape, but I am not sure he could get bigger with out giving up some of his speed and mobility.

Hershel Dennis, RB... I thought I would include a note about Dennis because I spent a little while talking with his father. Dennis will probably not be drafted. He has already had several knee surgeries. He reminds me a little of a Leon Washington type player. He has a rock solid build and is kind of a little guy, at least compared to a lot of the guys. He looks fast when he runs, but his times were a bit disappointing at 4.64 & 4.7. Hard not to root for a guy he came back after two knee reconstructions to a team that had a depth chart 7 deep. I hope he catches on somewhere.

Sedrick Ellis, DT.... Sed is a freakin' monster. He walked right up near me to sign a guys football. You will see the picture of him up close. He looked like he has lost some weight since the combine. His midsection looked much tighter. His 40 times were 5.0 and 5.08, but who cares. He killed it during d line drills. It brought huge cheers. At one point, during the drill with the punching bag like dummies, the one representing the QB had a ball on top of it. Sed hit the ball as if he were coming blind side, and the ball went 30 yards. He is extremely athletic for his size. My only complaint was that he seemed to get winded quickly and didn't last very long in the hand fighting drill to measure quickness and endurance.

Alex Morrow, DL... Morrow was a bit overshadowed by Ellis and Jackson in the D Line stuff. You wouldn't pick him as D Linemen if you didn't know it. I am not sure where he expects to be drafted, but it won't be high, if at all. He seemed like a real try hard guy who was just a bit short on the genes. His 40 times were 4.93 and 4.76.

Keith Rivers, LB.... Keith stole the show. From his opening forty of 4.5 all the way through his position drills. He is just a very large and well toned individual who can flat out fly. He had great change of direction. He showed good quickness in the drills. He caught the ball pretty well. Overall, he just impressed. Lots of ooohs and ahhhs when Rivers was working. He will probably be a top 15 pick now for sure.

Matt Spanos, C.... Spanos was a funny guy to watch. He was kind of the sterotypical fat lineman. He had a big gut and was not well toned. He ran 5.35, ouch! At first I was feeling dumb for including him in my draft preview, even if it was round 7, but as the drills started, he looked good. All of the USC linemen were well coached. He had good footwork and was able to really hold his ground. I thought he showed the ability to get good leverage. While the upside is clearly limited, I saw very little difference between him and Radovich, and they seemed as if they are going to be decent pros. They will struggle with speed guys, which is why they play inside.

Tarrell Thomas, CB.... I didn't get to watch Thomas very much. He ran 4.5 and 4.57 which is ok I guess. The few moments I did see him, he doing a drill in which they have their back turned as if they are in coverage and then turn and find the ball. He dropped two. I would say that is why he is a corner, but at this level, you better catch those and take them to the house. Funny, if this was two weeks ago, I would have been watching the corners and not the linebackers.

Chauncey Washington, RB... Chauncey made himself some money today, even if it was only a little. He ran fast with 4.43 and 4.35. He is also built like a brick. He may end up being the late round steal everybody is looking for at running back. Also, he was very good during the throwing drills. He catches the ball very well without losing speed. He is very fluid as a receiver. I believe there are some injury concerns, but I am not positive about what it was. I liked Chauncey a lot after the Senior Bowl. I like him a lot more now. I just wonder how high he may go.


Ok, I am cutting it off here for now. The reason I have glossed over some of the big name guys is that they didn't run the 40, so they come later in my little notebook. So, stay tuned and I will break down guys like Rachel, Radovich, Booty and Jackson. Right now, I am going to work on the pictures for you guys. Read More!

USC Pro Day Write Up: Part 1

by: Michael Steffes

Ok, so I am going to give you guys my thoughts and observations about the actual players at USC Pro Day. Originally, I recored "Path From the Draft", who were filming there, and planned to watch footage before writing. However, I reconsidered. Instead, I have turned on a baseball game, and I am going to write completely from my notes, so that you get MY opinion, uninfluenced by outsiders. It may be similar to what others have said around the web, and maybe not. I think this way it holds more value.

To check it out.....


To begin with, they fan experience at one of these things isn't the main concern. Not that it should be, but sitting in the bleachers, you could only see so much. My pictures are all from far away, but some of them are good, so I am going to have my lady, Photoshop expert that she is, clean them up and I will post them later. None of them of are people running however, because the scouts surround the running lane, which was in the middle of the field. They did announce the times though.

They did all the weight lifting and jumping inside Heritage Hall, which was not open for the people to see. However quickly the word spread through out the family section, where I was sitting, that Keith Rivers had jumped 42' in the vert. Apparently it was the highlight of the morning activities.

The first people to come out to the field were the long snapper and the punter. I won't bore you, but I thought both were quite good. The snappers name is Collins. He has some good velocity and accuracy, but he is a pretty small guy. Could be that all the other USC guys are monsters, but he just seemed kinda small. He ran the 40 though, so if you are interested, he ran 5.31 and then 5.2. The punter boomed several 70 yard punts, but didn't seem very consistent.

The 40 was first. I will mostly include 40 times as I am talking about players, but I will tell you that the first thing that woke everybody up, was Keith Rivers running a 4.5 in the first go round. I know it is a good, not great time, but for a linebacker his size, it was a site to see, and the whole crowd erupted when it was announced. The second big explosion came after Chuancey Washington's second run. He ran a 4.35. The days of hoping he is a 7th round project back are gone. He weighs 220 lbs, I was told, and he still ran a 4.3. He is built very similar to Jonathan Stewart. Washington could be a steal later in the draft.

One of the things I was really looking forward to seeing was the shuttle drills. This tends to highlight athleticism. However, something was going on. All the family members were pissed. Hardly anyone was able to complete the drill without slipping an falling at different times. It would seem they should have this thing figured out by now, but no one could plant and cut well, and thus they were all slipping when they tried to change directions. Fred Davis seemed to get frustrated and I am not sure he ever completed one. Chilo Rachel also had problems.

I got a pretty good look at all the positional drills except for the defensive backs. It was on the opposite side of the field from me, and the linebackers were working out at the same time. The positional drills that drew the most attention were the defensive line drills, which created a lot of good moments, and the linebackers which was an unbelievable atheletic display by both Keith Rivers and Thomas Williams. However, I think the the USC lineman, as a group, are all very solid players. I was impressed by how despite limited athletic talent, they were all very solid, fundamentally sound players. They defintely aren't fits for every teams systems, but they should all be capable of holding their own in the pros. Plus, Sam Baker looks like a lumberjack, he has a awesome beard!

In my opinion, the big winners today Keith Rivers, who almost assured he will be taken in the top half of round 1, and Chauncey Washington who seems to have assured himself of being selected. Probably a few rounds higher than was previously projected. I also really liked Thomas Williams. He is a linebacker who was kind of buried behind Rivers and the two first rounders next year, Maualuga and Cushing. He looked very good in the LB drills. He showed excellent ball skills for a defender He has an excellent build and he ran 4.7. My friend of the program says he will make a team next year just because he will be a special teams ace. That most certainly should grab the Hawks attention.

Unfortunately for him, Fred Davis is probably the big loser of the day. You all know that I like Fred Davis and really wanted him to be the shinning star today, but it just didn't happen for him. It is hard to believe someone who was so good in games just struggles during these work outs, but Davis didn't impress me in any way. He made some nice catches and only had one drop, but his 40's were still average at 4.64 and 4.7. Plus, I am just not sure he has any room to bulk up. His frame is pretty maxed out. Also, he didn't look nearly as impressive running routes to me today as he did on the combine footage. Sorry Fred, but you haven't convinced me. The tight end class, which once looked so promising, is starting to look pretty dreary.

Anyway, I this is already a lot. I will do a player by player write up in a little bit. Possibly post dinner. I still have a ton to cover. Read More!

Preview of USC Pro Day

by: Michael Steffes

As some of you may have seen me state, my plan tomorrow is to attend the USC Pro Day. I am very close to campus and I thought it would be an interesting experience. They are closing it off to the public this year, but I am told I have access via a friend. Anyway, I thought I would provide a write up previewing who will be on display tomorrow and what interest the Hawks may have. This of course will follow with observations afterwards. To continue...


DT, Sedrick Ellis... Well I would expect the Hawks would have a ton of interest, however, there is no way he makes it even to a pick that the Hawks could acquire. Look for Sed. to be a top 10 pick, and because of this he may not even work out much.

LB, Keith Rivers...Generally considered the best weakside linebacker in the draft. He is going to be a good player and will probably be off the board before the Hawks pick. Much like Ellis, he probably doesn't stand to gain much by working out, so his participation may be cursory. If he slides for some reason, and the Hawks expect Hill to be tough to sign, they could pull the trigger on Rivers.

DE, Lawrence Jackson.. His projections are kind of all over the board, but it seems he will be available when the Hawks pick in the first. I don't expect he presents a good value you there. He is a true DE, though, he has played with his hand down for the last four years. He may be trying to improve his stock tomorrow, so my guess is he works out.

TE, Fred Davis... Davis will defintely be working out. He was the clear cut, top TE in the class until an average combine. He will probably run again, along with do some position drills. This the player the Hawks will be watching closely tomorrow. Look for their to be rave reviews of Fred, that vault him back up into consideration for a first round pick.

OT, Sam Baker.... Big Sam is a pretty darn good prospect. As a reader pointed out earlier, he probably would be talked about a lot more favorably in any other year. Not sure how much Baker can improve his stock. His forty time doesn't matter. He may run some of the shuttle drills to highlight his athleticism, which some question.

OG, Chilo Rachel.... Chilo seems to be a possible first day pick, maybe sliding to the beginning part of day two(3rd round). The Hawks are most certainly looking at lineman, however Rachel left school early which often turns Ruskell away. Again, not much he can do to improve his stock at this point, but he may jump in and do some drills anyway. If you ever see him on TV, he has massive traps which are quite impressive. He looks like a sturdy powerful guard.

QB, John David Booty.... JDB is an interesting prospect. I could see the Hawks being interested in him. He reminds me of David Greene, but he has better physical skills. He isn't flashy, but he knows how to win games. I would much favor Booty during the second day than any of the other QBs in the second. Booty will definitely be participating tomorrow, especially in throwing drills.

OG, Drew Radovich... Radovich is likely to be a later pick, but he is a decent player. Doesn't have the upside of a Rachel, but likely will make a roster and be a contributor at some point. He will probably be doing any drills tomorrow that highlight his athleticism as well, as he is know to be kind of slow and stiff. I could see the Hawks taking him in the second day if he is still on the board for a while.

CB, Terrel Thomas... Thomas is a decent corner who could come off the board as early as the third. The Hawks interviewed him at the Senior Bowl, however, their situation has changed a bit since then. Well the team is always looking for good players like Thomas, I am not sure I can see them taking a corner that high. My guess is that are mostly focused on safeties. Either way, Thomas should have his skills on display tomorrow as the middle round corners are all trying to separate themselves from each other.

RB, Chauncey Washington... Chauncey is going to be a 7th rounder at best, or so the experts say. In my opinion, he looked very good at the Senior Bowl. Regardless, he doesn't have the good measurables. He has had some injuries and inconsistencies but could surprise people at the next level. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain, so I expect him to go hard tomorrow.

C, Matt Spanos... I included Spanos in the SA Draft Preveiw 7th round, so you know I believe the Hawks could be looking at him. He will need to show he is more athletic tomorrow and should be participating in drills. Also, he is fairly new to the center position, and can also play guard, so he fits in well with the Hawks are looking for. He is BIG for an interior lineman, but he needs to show better feet and more strength.

Here is a list of some of the other players working out I did not feature:

LS, Will Collins.....LB Thomas Williams....TE Dale Thompson
QB Michael McDonald...G Alanti Malu........DT Chris Barrett
DE Alex Morrow.......RB Herchel Dennis.....RB Desmond Reed

If there is anything specific you want me to take note of, please feel free to leave a comment. I will hopefully have a nice report tomorrow afternoon, and if possible some pictures. We will see, it is the first time I am going to a pro day. Hope you enjoyed! Read More!