Here's an update on the TTB Ratings for the 2013 recruits:
S Dymonte Thomas, 92
The combination of Thomas's athleticism with Greg Mattison's defensive system makes me think that Thomas should fill up the stat sheet for Michigan in a couple years.
OT Chris Fox, 90
I really like Fox's attitude as a defensive player, and he's a good athlete, too. I think he could be a dominant right tackle or even play left tackle in college.
QB Shane Morris, 89
Morris would be rated higher if he had some more quality receivers, but right now his receiving corps looks somewhat average.
OG Kyle Bosch, 88
Bosch looks like a left guard to me. He seems like a smart, quality kid and could compete for playing time rather early, depending on which position Kyle Kalis plays in the class ahead of him.
CB Jourdan Lewis, 86
Lewis has similar skills to Terry Richardson, whom I also like. But Lewis is a little bigger, so I'm giving him a slight edge.
TE Jake Butt, 82
Butt isn't the speedy freak of an athlete that seems to be dominating college and NFL football these days, but he's a very good prospect and might look especially good with Morris throwing him the ball.
LB Ben Gedeon, 82
Gedeon could probably play any of the three linebacker positions, but he's an old school player who should be pretty good wherever he plays.
OT Logan Tuley-Tillman, 79
Tuley-Tillman could be great if he adjusts to the college game, or he could struggle to acclimate himself to the finer points of the game.
WR Csont'e York, 79
York is a solid route runner with good size and decent speed. He should be a solid player but maybe not a future superstar.
DE Taco Charlton, 75
I really like Charlton's athleticism, but he doesn't use his hands well, which concerns me because it's a bit of an instinctual thing.
CB Gareon Conley, 75
WR Jaron Dukes, 70
Dukes could be a mover if he turns out to be faster than he's looked so far. The ceiling is a little bit low for big, possession receivers.
TE Khalid Hill, 68
The position Hill will play somewhat limits his upside. He could be a very good role player from the U-back position.
OG David Dawson, 67
With the guards in this class and the one ahead of him, Dawson might get lost in the shuffle for a few years.
RB Wyatt Shallman, 65
Shallman looks like a running back who could put up a lot of scores in short yardage situations. He's a high floor, low ceiling type of player.
RB Deveon Smith, 63
C Patrick Kugler, Inc.
I have yet to see film on Kugler.
Are your rankings designed to predict their success at Michigan, or are they a number that simply represents the players general ability. I guess what I'm asking is if we got Treadwell, Foster, and Quick in this class, would Shane Morris's rating be higher? I also think this would help explain the low ratings for Dawson and Shallman. If Dawson was the only OL committed, would his rating be higher?
ReplyDeleteI try to take into account the depth chart/system at Michigan. Morris's rating would go up if we got Treadwell, Foster, and Quick. Shallman does not seem like a feature back in the Big Ten, so he would have a pretty low rating, regardless.
DeleteThey are going to MICHIGAN fergodsakes. They all rate 100.
ReplyDeleteJohn Wanglers 2 son's transferred from Royal Oak Shrine to Warren De LaSalle winter term 2012. Both are excellent receivers and should help Shane boost his numbers.
ReplyDeleteThunder was talking about the receivers at Michigan, I believe.
DeleteRe: Taco Charlton's hands. Almost every video I see of Mattison coaching the D-line starts with him showing them how to "deliver a blow" and disengage thereafter. However, you say that it's more instincts for a defender to use his hands properly. Could you clarify? I guess I don't see why hand usage isn't something that is coached. The Giants D-line, for example, seem to be trained to jump and pat down passes in an almost synchronized fashion. That, to me, looks like something the coaches emphasized, and the linemen's hands reflect that coaching.
ReplyDeleteFor a lot of players, it's instinctive to "hit them before they hit you." For some other players, they don't have that instinct and let opponents get into their chest. It's not that it CAN'T be taught, but it's harder to teach it than to recruit players who already do it. Quinton Washington is a guy who doesn't have that natural instinct and the coaches have had a hard time teaching him to do it.
DeleteFor another example, look at Tim Tebow. His natural throwing motion is elongated and something everyone wants to change. He CAN change it (it's physically possible with coaching and hard work), but people have been trying to change it for years and he can't speed up his delivery consistently.
I gotcha. Great explanation, especially with the Tebow comparison. It's hard to change old habits.
DeleteThanks again for the insight.
You sure have a specific model as to position requirements and potential. You seem to have a bug up your butt about Shallman. He is not a typical RB and most likely would project to the NFL actually as more of an H-Back even though he'd be a RB for Jackson. Borges has said time and again that he'll be running a predominate two back system post DR. A back like Shallman and a more conventional but still powerful back. Both have to be able to block and catch. I'd say an athlete that agile at 245/50 as a jr. who also has some great measurables has a bit more upside than you give him credit for. Also regarding Jake Butt, he definitely has enough speed to be successful as a TE. Cracks me up that you compare a 16 year old kid's speed deficiency vs. experienced and older NFL stars who have had about 8 - 10 years more strength training and speed work than a high school kid. Put more thought into this stuff Thunder and less searching for girly posts.
ReplyDeleteI've put plenty of thought into my evaluations. You disagree with them, which is your right. But that doesn't mean I haven't thought about them. I obviously don't think that a high school junior should be as fast as an NFL tight end. My ratings, in case you haven't checked, are based somewhat on NFL potential. So if Shallman doesn't project to the NFL as a running back? He's not going to be rated very high. If Butt doesn't square up with what the NFL is really looking for? It's going to knock him down a bit. Butt's rating suggests that he'll be an All-Big Ten caliber player and have a chance to make it to the NFL. If you have a problem with that because I'm not predicting that he'll win the Heisman and be a top-5 pick, well, I don't know what to tell you. It seems like you won't be happy with my evaluations unless I predict that every kid will be a superstar. Oh well.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUKqT1vHE4U
ReplyDeleteKugler highlights from his junior year.
Thanks. I didn't have a chance to post it until today, but I put it up about 20 minutes ago.
DeleteI am just wondering if you could elaborate on your rating for Thomas. Not in great detail, but just why you rate him the best (ie a breakdown of his abilities that have you so excited).
ReplyDeleteFTR I agree that he is going to be great, I would just like to hear from someone who knows football why they think he will, because for me it is more of a just a gut feeling and wishful thinking. Thanks.
I think he's a fast, aggressive, smart, versatile athlete. He likes to hit and prefers to play defense, which is a good quality in a kid who is also a big-time running back prospect. I look at what Mattison has done with Jordan Kovacs and think about what he can do with a kid who's bigger, faster, and stronger than #32. Kovacs has the mental aspect of the game down, so I don't mean to take anything away from him. But if Thomas gets to that point mentally, watch out.
DeleteI love Dawson's film, he looks like an excellent guard. What is it that you're not seeing?
ReplyDeletehttp://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2012/02/david-dawson-wolverine.html
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