Can Ronde play free safety?

[cryptfiend]

For those that are interested, this is Tanard Jackson's combine statistics compared with cornerback Janoris Jenkins this year:

Tanard Jackson
40 Yard Dash: 4.52 Sec
3 Cone : 6.89 Sec
Vertical : 32 1/2"
Blunt Roll : 3.8 Sec
Broad Jump : 10'01"
Blunt Size : 4.6 inch
20 Yard Shuttle : 4.28

Janoris Jenkins
40 Yard Dash: 4.46 Sec
3 Cone : 6.95
Vertical : 33 1/2"
Blunt Roll : 4.9 Sec.
Broad Jump:  10'01"
Blunt Size : 3.5 inch
20 Yard Shuttle : 4.13

Meh...  Tanard's a pros pro.  Much like Brady, he has "his own guy" that he brings in to coach him up:

I don't get it.  Talib coaches Jackson?

[mtnman]

Mo shizzle.

Coach Schiano don't play that.

[Booker Reese]

Good thing we took Myron Lewis instead of Jordon Shipley, Navarro Bowman, or Jimmy Graham....

I remember when we made that pick. At first I thought we had taken Myron Rolle. I was enraged. Then I realized it was some scrub I'd never heard of. I watched his highlights, read his scouting reports....and continued to yell explicit things at my TV. What a dumb pick that was.

So we were going to take Benn, Shipley, and Mike Williams, all in a row? I love that you are hip to every obscure player in the draft, but didn't recognize a second team All-SEC corner.

Listen - I'm just as irritated as anyone else about how turned out thus far.  I also thought - at the time, not in retrospect - that he was drafted a bit early, but not egregiously so.

I also had the benefit of actually watching many of his games - not the background clips that NFL Network or ESPN showed on the screen when he was picked, nor the SINGLE highlight on Youtube (pick against BC in the Music City Bowl).  The kid was smart, instinctive, and made plays in big moments.  As I said at the time, he may not have been the athlete that DJ Moore was in college, but he often looked like a better prospect than Moore. He typically handled the bigger guys like Brandon LaFell (7 catches for just 38 yards mostly going against Lewis in 2009).  His weakness - like a lot of bigger corners - was his makeup speed.

He was also rarely injured - he started 36 straight games for the 'Dores. His lone injury was in the Tennessee game as a senior (he also hurt his shoulder in spring practices, but he didn't miss anything because of it).

He's got a small slivver of a chance to prove he's not a bust. That would make the pick "dumb" in retrospect. But to say it was a "dumb" pick the moment it was made because you happened to sleep on a corner with 36 SEC starts and saw his "clip."  Give me a break.

[JDouble]

Google "2010 NFL Cornerback prospects" and look at the first ten sites. Lewis was ranked between 18th and 20th best CB on every board. Sorry I wasn't familiar with the 20th best CB of the draft. Anyway, drafting the 20th best CB with the 67th pick seems pretty stupid to me. Seemed stupid then, and it seems stupid now.

[bradentonian]

From Russ Lande (GM Jr):

STRENGTHS
Lewis has an excellent combination of size and speed. On film he showed very good all around athleticism with loose/
fluid hips and very good flexibility. When he stays focused he shows a quick and compact backpedal, can transition
out of pedal very quickly and flashes an explosive closing burst to receiver to make a play on the ball. He is excellent
in press coverage – Is strong and physical to slow receiver’s release off the LOS, can turn and run with receiver and
does an excellent job staying on WR’s hip and can easily adjust to WR’s movement down the field. He is an instinctive
defender who understands his assignment/responsibility. He can sink hips to get in and out of cuts with receiver very
easily. He has good ball awareness and can find the ball quickly when he gets turned around and has to get back into
coverage position. He has the long arms and ball skills to reach in front of receiver to consistently break up passes.

WEAKNESSES
Despite seeming to enjoy playing physical in M/M coverage, he is not interested in tackling and
often seems like more of a get in the way tackler than a wrap-up tackler or hitter. He will coast
at times and plays to the level/speed of the receiver – Almost seems to be trying to bait QB into
throwing his way. When the play is on the other side of the field he tends to coast and takes the
play off. For a player who looked so athletic on film, his bad performance at his Pro Day (Where
he looked stiff throughout workout according to a number of scouts who were at the workout) has
really led to doubts about his true athleticism and has caused him to slide down draft boards.

SUMMARY
Lewis’ on field play was that of a good cornerback prospect and was expected to compete to be one of the top cornerbacks drafted in the
2010, but concerns about his all around athleticism (Especially questions about stiff hips and overall flexibility) were out there and then after
not shining in the spring there are some real concerns about whether he has the true athleticism to make it in the NFL. He has excellent size
and straight line speed for a cornerback and on film showed very good athleticism. Overall, Lewis is one of the most difficult players to get
a good feel for in this year’s draft because if you gave him a grade for just his play on film he would be a 2nd round prospect, but a grade
for his spring after a bad pro day would be a 4th / 5th rounder. I cannot give him a 2nd round grade strictly for his play on film based on the
struggles he has had in the spring, but as I am a big believer that you must base most of your evaluation on a player’s on field performance I
gave him a 3rd round grade because if he can play like he did at Vanderbilt in the NFL then he will be a good, productive starting cornerback.