Oklahoma Pro Day

Per NFL Prospect analyst Gil Brandt:

Prospects worked out indoors on FieldTurf in front of 50 scouts at the Oklahoma Pro Day. Vikings coach Brad Childress, Vikings Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman, Detroit offensive line coach Pat Morris, Buffalo offensive line coach Sean Kugler and Miami offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo were among those in attendance.

Before I get into the notable players, I would like to commend Oklahoma Director of Sports Enhancement Jerry Schmidt (known as coach Smitty) for his excellent job in organizing this highly efficient pro day. He has this thing planned like a fine-tooth comb. Scouts love to come here because the whole coaching staff is there, the facilities are great and coach Smitty runs stuff off like clock work. In fact, he timed things so well, that the J&R’s barbecue that was ordered for scouts came 30 minutes after the workout was done.

Still, there’s no doubt that every scout left five pounds heavier.

On to the prospects:

OL Duke Robinson measured in at 6-foot-5 1/4, 330 pounds. He stood on his 40 times from combine. He posted a 31 1/2-inch vertical, a 8-foot, 3-inch broad jump, a 5.0-second short shuttle and 20 bench press reps. He also did positional drills.

WR Joaquin Iglesias checked in at 6-0 7/8, 203 pounds. He stood on all of his combine numbers, but looked very good catching the ball in the positional drills.

OL Phil Loadholt came in at 6-7 7/8, 332 pounds. He ran 5.45 in the 40-yard dash twice, had a 28 1/2-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot, 9-inch broad jump, a 4.77 short shuttle, an 8.14 three-cone drill and put up 26 bench press reps. He looked very good in the drills and his lifts have to be treated relatively since it is harder for a taller guy with longer arms to throw the bar up.

C Jon Cooper measured in at 6-2 1/8, 290 pounds. He ran a 5.0 flat and 5.03 in the 40, had a 31 1/2-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot, 9-inch broad jump, a 4.50 short shuttle, a 7.43 three-cone drill and had 32 bench press lifts. Despite his slender frame (for a center), he is a very good player.

DB/LB Nick Harris checked in at 6-2 7/8, 232 pounds. He ran 4.83 twice in the 40, had a 4.23 short shuttle and a 7.0 three-cone drill. Some people think he might be a linebacker, but he worked out as a safety. He’s an amazing guy as his backpedal is as fast as his 40.

OL Brandon Walker came in at 6-2 7/8, 306 pounds. He had a 34 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 2-inch broad jump and ran a 5.18 40. He also had a 4.88 short shuttle, an 8.20 three-cone dril and stood on his bench press reps from the combine.

Matty's Big Board Prospect Countdown: 15!

Hey folks, the Super Bowl is behind us and it's time to focus on the next big event and that is the all powerful and mighty draft, which has the ability to take a team from the bottom of the barrel and turn them into a playoff caliber team (ex. Dolphins and Falcons). What I plan on doing is twice a week until draft weekend, I'll be counting down my top 25 prospects, discuss their strengths, weaknesses, overall impact in the NFL and potential landing spot. So, without further delay, I bring you the player who ranked number 15...

15. Duke Robinson, OG Oklahoma Sooners

2008 Season Stats:
1st team All American

Career Stats:
07 1st team All American

Personal Stats:
6'5" 329 lbs. SR

Strengths:

The aptly named Duke is a large, statuesque individual with long arms, a big frame and all the upsides you want from an interior offensive lineman. He has outstanding strength, he is tough, he is physical, he knows how to finish his blocks and drive defenders into the turf. He is stout against bigger bodied defensive tackles, he uses his hands well to get good placement and control them and he anchors very well in the pass game and shows good awareness when looking for the blitzer or helping out backside. He is a natural knee bender and uses that to his advantage as he out leverages bigger and less fundamentally sound defensive tackles. He's also versatile and he has been a stalwart and consistent starter for Oklahoma and has played against top level competition in the Big-12.

Weaknesses:

Like all big offensive linemen, he lacks the quick feet and 'dance' ability that makes tackles so sought out. He has very heavy legs which leads to poor balance and the occasional over extension and face plant combo. Despite his good awareness he does have mental lapses at times and will not see a blitzer come free or will bury his head in a block and miss the looping defensive lineman coming through his gap. He has trouble with quick defensive linemen and will get caught reaching and holding in order to keep them at bay. He is a tad immature and likes to coast on his natural abilities, he is also not going to be a fit in a zone blocking scheme.

Overall:

Duke is without a doubt the top interior offensive lineman in this draft by leaps and bounds and it would not surprise me if he went in the top 15. But with the need for guards at a low and the fact he has some character issues I believe he slips a bit and ends up with the World Champion Steelers where his abilities and skills will be utilized to the utmost as Pittsburgh employs a power running game that would suit Duke's skill set and he would be in a solid environment that would force him to work and get better and I believe he can be an unstoppable force at guard if he learns to harness his gifts the right way and I think at the next level he will be able to do that and will have a great career ahead of him.



Projected NFL Destination:

With the 32nd selection in the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select...









There you have it folks, be sure to tune in later this week for Prospect #14!