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Bench Warmer
By Vic Carucci
National Editor, NFL.com
(March 20, 2007) -- One man's ranking of the top five centers in the NFL draft:
1. Josh Beekman, Boston College
Positives: Strength and athleticism. … Ability to get out of his stance quickly and gain favorable position against speedy pass rushers. … Powerful enough to hold his own against bull rushers. … Plays aggressively and with consistently good leverage. … Toughness. … Superb mobility allows him to get to linebackers on running plays.
Negatives: Not many. … Length of his arms isn't quite ideal, but he makes up for it by having the strength to lock onto a defender and control him.
2. Ryan Kalil, USC
Positives: Tremendous quickness and athleticism. … As sound a technician as any collegiate lineman to come along in many years. … Consistently plays with good leverage and gets favorable position when blocking for the run. … Outstanding mobility allows him to get in front of quicker pass rushers. … Competitiveness.
Negatives: Size (6-foot-2-plus, 299 pounds) and strength, although he does compensate with his leverage and overall technique. … Won't match up well against larger and more powerful nose tackles, but could be highly effective in a zone-blocking scheme that puts greater emphasis on quickness and movement.
3. Samson Satele, Hawaii
Positives: Quickness and athleticism. … Does a nice job of pulling to block for outside runs. … Makes good adjustments when facing moving defenders in the open field. … Gets necessary leverage to maintain his ground against bull rushers and is able to quickly move outside to block a free blitzer.
Negatives: Needs to add strength. … Must become more aggressive when coming off the line on run blocking. … Needs to improve his overall technique.
4. Lyle Sendlein, Texas
Positives: Quickness and athleticism. … Plays with good leverage. … Versatility; also did a solid job at guard in college. … Toughness and competitiveness.
Negatives: Doesn't show a great deal of explosiveness. … Could stand to add more bulk to his 6-3, 299-pound frame.
5. Enoka Lucas, Oregon
Positives: Tremendous athleticism. … Versatility; able to play guard as well as center. … Sound techniques, especially in pass protection. … Strong leadership skills. … Makes good line calls.
Negatives: Needs to add some bulk to help him cope with larger defensive tackles. … Could stand to work at becoming more disciplined, especially when it comes to drawing penalties.
National Editor, NFL.com
(March 20, 2007) -- One man's ranking of the top five centers in the NFL draft:
1. Josh Beekman, Boston College
Positives: Strength and athleticism. … Ability to get out of his stance quickly and gain favorable position against speedy pass rushers. … Powerful enough to hold his own against bull rushers. … Plays aggressively and with consistently good leverage. … Toughness. … Superb mobility allows him to get to linebackers on running plays.
Negatives: Not many. … Length of his arms isn't quite ideal, but he makes up for it by having the strength to lock onto a defender and control him.
2. Ryan Kalil, USC
Positives: Tremendous quickness and athleticism. … As sound a technician as any collegiate lineman to come along in many years. … Consistently plays with good leverage and gets favorable position when blocking for the run. … Outstanding mobility allows him to get in front of quicker pass rushers. … Competitiveness.
Negatives: Size (6-foot-2-plus, 299 pounds) and strength, although he does compensate with his leverage and overall technique. … Won't match up well against larger and more powerful nose tackles, but could be highly effective in a zone-blocking scheme that puts greater emphasis on quickness and movement.
3. Samson Satele, Hawaii
Positives: Quickness and athleticism. … Does a nice job of pulling to block for outside runs. … Makes good adjustments when facing moving defenders in the open field. … Gets necessary leverage to maintain his ground against bull rushers and is able to quickly move outside to block a free blitzer.
Negatives: Needs to add strength. … Must become more aggressive when coming off the line on run blocking. … Needs to improve his overall technique.
4. Lyle Sendlein, Texas
Positives: Quickness and athleticism. … Plays with good leverage. … Versatility; also did a solid job at guard in college. … Toughness and competitiveness.
Negatives: Doesn't show a great deal of explosiveness. … Could stand to add more bulk to his 6-3, 299-pound frame.
5. Enoka Lucas, Oregon
Positives: Tremendous athleticism. … Versatility; able to play guard as well as center. … Sound techniques, especially in pass protection. … Strong leadership skills. … Makes good line calls.
Negatives: Needs to add some bulk to help him cope with larger defensive tackles. … Could stand to work at becoming more disciplined, especially when it comes to drawing penalties.
