CanLoomis

In speaking with a staff member, the Saints have Alex Barron and Richie Incognito as their top two offensive linemen available in the draft. That third lineman is Marcus Johnson who many on the staff seem to want because of his versatility and size. They think he can play RG or RT at a very high level and he is a serious option for them at the 16th pick. Also, Jason Campbell is carrying a VERY high grade for the Saints right now. Don't be shocked if he is that 40th pick. Many personnel people inside seem to think a QB is the way to go early in this draft. WHAT ABOUT LB?!?!?!?! Just telling what I do know and what was told to me. Johnson is the 16th player OVERALL on their draft board.

LKelley67

adding a little info before discussion-

Projected Selection:
Round2


MEASUREMENTS
HEIGHT
WEIGHT
40 TIME
6\'5\"
330
4.90

ATTRIBUTE SCORE
SIZE
SPEED
STRENGTH
ATHLETICISM
XFACTOR
8
7
6
8
8
out of 10
out of 10
out of 10
out of 10
out of 10

EXCHANGE VALUE
70.5

Pros: Good in pass protection, great size, technically sound. Some project him to tackle, I think he\'ll be a much better guard.
Cons: Needs to hit the gym and get stronger.
Draft Exchange Analysis:
Returning starter at right guard ... Selected by his teammates as one of five permanent team captains for 2004 season along with Doug Buckles, Kerry Johnson, Eric Oliver, and Rob Robertson ... Received the J. Richard Price Courage and Compassion Award, which is presented annually to the rising senior lineman who, in the opinion of his coaches, has demonstrated extraordinary courage and unusual compassion in their dedication to the team and Ole Miss ... The 2004 season is his fourth year to start in the offensive line ... Big, smart, athletic player who does the best he can on every snap ... Has also worked some at tackle to give the unit some flexibility ... Has already had an outstanding career, but should be in for a great senior season ... Named third team preseason All-SEC by Phil Steele\'s College Football Review.

2003: Started at right guard in all 13 games ... Earned his third letter ... Helped Ole Miss rank first in the SEC in scoring (34.0 ppg), passing (286.0 ypg), and total offense (433.2 ypg) ... Ole Miss averaged 147.2 ypg rushing, an improvement of 52.9 yards per game from 2002 ... The Rebels set school season offensive record for points scored (442), TD passes (31), passing yards (3,718), passing yards per game (286.0), first downs (295), offensive plays (940), total offense (5,631) and total offense per game (433.2) ... It was the first time Ole Miss scored over 400 points in a season and the fourth straight year the Rebels have topped the 300-point mark ... vs. Louisiana-Monroe (9/13): Helped Ole Miss total 225 yards rushing and 612 yards of total offense ... The 612 yards of offense was the second-highest single-game total in school history ... Helped the offense not allow a sack ... Named Quarterback Club Trench Player of the Week ... vs. Texas Tech (9/27): The Rebels generated 578 yards of total offense ... at Florida (10/4): Ole Miss recorded 485 yards of offense in the 20-17 win over the No. 24 Gators ... Helped the Rebels generate 223 yards rushing, including 107 by Ronald McClendon to give Ole Miss its first 100-yard rusher in 16 games ... vs. Arkansas State (10/11): Helped the offense post the eighth-highest single-game output in school history with 582 yards of total offense in the 55-0 win ... vs. Alabama (10/18): Ole Miss scored over 40 points for the fourth time this season to tie a school record in the 43-28 victory ... The Rebels recorded 216 yards rushing to post its third game this season with over 200 yards on the ground ... vs. South Carolina (11/1): Helped the Rebels total 538 yards of total offense in the 43-40 win, marking the fourth time this season Ole Miss has recorded over 500 yards of offense in a game ... The 43 points was also the Rebels\' fifth game of 40 or more points to set a school single-season record for 40-point games ... vs. LSU (11/22): Named the Quarterback Club\'s Trench Player of the Week ... Cotton Bowl (1/2): Helped the offensive line not allow a sack in the 31-28 win over Oklahoma State in the 2004 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic ... Selected to the 2003 preseason All-SEC second team by The Birmingham News.

2002: Started all 13 games at right guard ... Has made 24 straight games at right guard ... Started next to his older brother, senior Belton Johnson ... Earned his second letter ... Key player on an offensive line that was second in the SEC in the fewest sacks allowed with 14 ... Ole Miss generated over 350 yards of total offense in 8-of-13 games, including at least 450 yards in four contests ... With 351 points scored by Ole Miss, helped the Rebels top the 300-point mark three straight seasons for the first time in school history ... vs. UL-Monroe (8/31)-Memphis (9/7): Helped pave the way for RB Robert Williams to open the season with back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts ... Ole Miss gained 180 yards rushing in the season-opening 31-3 win over the Indians and 214 yards on the ground in the 38-16 win over the Tigers ... vs. Arkansas State (10/12): The Rebels rolled up a season-high 508 yards of total offense, including 320 yards passing, in a 52-17 win.

2001: Named a fourth team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News ... Selected to the All-SEC Freshman team by the Knoxville News-Sentinel ... Earned his first letter ... Started all 11 games at right guard, along side his older brother, Belton, who started all 11 games at right tackle ... As a team, Ole Miss allowed the fewest sacks in the SEC with 10 ... Battled Matt Koon for the starting nod before ending No. 2 at right guard.

2000: Did not see action during true freshman season ... Redshirted.

HIGH SCHOOL: First team Clarion-Ledger All-State pick and member of newspaper\'s Top 40 list ... Also earned All-Division, All-District, and All-Area honors ... Chosen to SuperPrep All-Dixie Team ... Quick lineman who has explosive power ... Three-year starter who played offensive tackle and defensive end as a junior, while seeing playing time at both guard and tackle on offense and end and nose tackle on defense during senior season ... On defense as a senior, was credited with 60 tackles, including four QB sacks ... Coached in high school by Perry Liles ... Earned three letters in football.

PERSONAL: Son of Glenda Smith ... Full name is Marcus Allen Johnson ... Born: December 1, 1981 ... Older brother, Belton, was an offensive lineman at Ole Miss from 1999-2002 ... Majoring in Criminal Justice ... Named to the U.M.A.A. Honor Roll in Spring of 2002.

cajuncannon3

This is what ESPN INSIDER has on him.....

Strengths: Has terrific size and the frame to continue to get bigger. Shows good initial quickness for his size. Plays with leverage and fires off the ball low for such a tall offensive lineman. He has the size to engulf most DL if he gets in position. He lays with good toughness and is a feisty blocker that will work to finish. He is an experienced and durable player with very good savvy and awareness. He has adequate quickness in his pass pro set. Is extremely difficult to get around in the short area because of his size and wingspan. He plays with good balance and body control in pass pro. He has long arms and shows good hand placement. If his upper body strength improves he can really become dominant after he locks on.

Weaknesses: Has very minimal experience at OT position. Has improved his strength but it\'s still not ideal. Must especially improve his lower body strength. He can engulf defenders but doesn\'t show enough explosive initial pop or power. He has adequate quickness in the short area, but he\'s not a great athlete. Will struggle at times in space as a reach blocker. Will he be able to hold up on an island against NFL pass rushers if he moves outside to ROT at the next level?

Overview: Johnson redshirted in 2000 and played in a rotation at right guard as a redshirt freshman in \'01 before taking over as a fulltime starting right guard in his \'02 sophomore season. Johnson finished his career at Ole Miss as a four-year fulltime starter with 48-consecutive starts to his credit. He spent some time at OT because of injuries in 2004 but he spent the majority of his collegiate career at right guard. Johnson has impressive feet and power for his size. He is coming off his most complete season and really improved his draft value as a senior. The big question now is whether or not Johnson can make the transition to tackle in the NFL, which would help to improve his stock even more. At the very least, Johnson is a solid late-second or third round guard prospect. However, if he proves capable of moving to ROT during post-season workouts and/or an all-star game (much like Vernon Carey (Dolphins) did last year, Johnson could solidify a spot even earlier in the second round.

Why the hell would we select this guy with the 16th pick and why do we have him rated so high? If we make this pick it will be worse than reaching on John Stintcomb. It makes no sense!!!!

saintswhodi

Agreed with you cajuncannon. This would be dumb at #16. But Jason Campbell at 40? Hhhhmmmmmm............

LKelley67

didn\'t we just trade for a guard to play tackle? maybe they have a plan, 3 guards- 1 ot and 3 de- 1 dt. i betcha he is a helluva an athlete tho. sounds like they may be outsmarting everybody again.

surveying boards he is the #3 guard on most. overall player rank from 53 to not in the top 100.

GumboBC

Thanks for the info, CanLoomis.

I really don\'t agree with either pick, but I\'m certainly not opposed to upgrading our offensive line.

I really feel that our offensive line has been very weak at pass blocking the past 2 years. Most fans just started talking about the poor pass blocking in 2004, but, IMO, it was very bad in 2003.

I just don\'t think a lot of fans understand how important the offensive line is. You never notice it unless they screw up. I\'ve noticed ours for a while now.

saintswhodi

What does the offensive line being bad have to do with reaching for a 3rd round player in the first round? So since we need a baclup RB, maybe we can take JJ Arrington with out first pick or Anthony Davis. Just cause you have a need doesn;t mean you reach two rounds high for a guy. With that logic we needed a CB last year maybe we should have taken Derrick Strait(3rd round) in the first at 18 and not gotten Will Smith. :casstet:

LKelley67

so, the rest of the world must be wrong about jammal brown, huh?
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some incognito info:

College: Ex-Nebraska Height: 6-31/4
Position: Center Weight: 305
Class: Junior 40-Yard: 4.91
SCOUTING REPORT
Strengths: Tremendous strength...Versatile and could project to OT, OG or C...Good athletic ability...Tough as nails...Productive college player...Great measurables in terms of size and speed.
Weaknesses: Has some major character concerns...Kicked off two teams in a very short period of time...Has a history of losing his temper both on and off the field...A major risk for any team that drafts him.
Notes: Future is very much up in the air...Has the tools and ability of a first day pick...Character will be heavily scrutinized and that will ultimately determine his pro future.
---------------

lessee, make that a 3 guard- 2 center OL

baronm

no jason cambell...esp. not in the second...ya\'ll complaining about reaching for linebackers--at least the linebackers are smart..jason cambell is not.

as for the OT..he\'ll be there in the second round.

LKelley67

appreciate the info canman but i think i might have to go barf. no, drink then barf. no, barf, drink, then barf again.

#16 overall??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

tell me it is early and are just starin a board.