Danno

Saints | Green had Pre-draft Visit - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 18 Apr 2005 10:42:24 -0700

NFL Draft prospect CB Eric Green (Virginia Tech) has had a pre-draft visit with the New Orleans Saints.

Eric Green
Position: Cornerback
College: Virginia Tech
Height: 5-11
Weight: 197
Hometown: Clewiston, Fla.

OVERVIEW

An outstanding kick blocker on special teams, Green also took on a positive leadership role while starting every game at cornerback as a senior. Won the President's Award for leadership in 2004. Green is the type of player who combines excellent athletic ability with speed and experience. He has come back strong to help solidify the secondary since missing the entire 2002 season with a knee injury.

He returned to action in 2003, starting seven contests. Green recorded a career-high 58 tackles (41 solos) with two stops behind the line of scrimmage. He had 166 yards on three interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, and also deflected six passes while blocking the fourth kick of his career. Green started every game as a senior, making 36 tackles (20 solos) with an interception and five pass breakups.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a long, lean build with adequate muscle definition, but does have room for additional growth … Has very good short-area quickness with an explosive break on the ball … Has no problems retaining plays and is rarely caught out of position due to his ability to quickly make reads and keys … Has above-average change-of-direction agility, balance and body control, doing a nice job of keeping plays in front of him … Gets a sharp break on the ball and has more than enough range to recover when beaten, but is rarely caught out of position … Stays tight on the hip of receivers on deep routes and cannot be beaten by double moves … His drive to the ball and feel for the pass allow him to get an early jump on the ball … Will not hesitate to come up and plug holes in run support … Has the hand strength to handle his assignments in press coverage, but his speed is also good for man and Cover 2 assignments … Does a very good job of shadowing and trailing in press coverage, and has the ability to plant and drive back to the ball … Effective in turning and flipping his hips when coming out of breaks and showed marked improvement in 2004 to run with the receivers on deep routes … Attacks the ball and shows good timing and proper hand extension competing for the pigskin in tight quarters.

Negatives: Has added strength to his frame, but still lacks ideal size … Has the strength, but needs to get more physical in coverage, as he sometimes gets pushed around by the bigger receivers when trying to dictate route progression … Will get turned around some in man coverage when he peeks into the backfield too long … Quick out of his backpedal, but could be even faster if he would not get so high in his stance … Adequate to read the quarterback in zone coverage, but has good ball skills … Has good hands, but likes to catch the ball with his body … Because of size issues, he is slow to get off blocks and is not physical in his run support, but will tackle … He sometimes takes bad angles and will miss in space, especially when he goes low and tries to trip the runner up.

INJURY REPORT

2001 -- Missed the Pittsburgh game due to tonsillitis.

2002 -- Missed the entire season after he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while working out in July … Underwent reconstructive surgery.

AGILITY

4.38 in the 40-yard dash … 300-pound bench press … 450-pound squat … 275-pound power clean … 40-inch vertical jump … 32 ¼-inch arm length … 9 1/8-inch hands.

saintswhodi

So he\'s very fast when he

4th, 5th rounder maybe?

Danno

Yup, looks like the same negatives all the 2005 CB\'s have.

SOMETIMES meaning not all the time. Seems like his shortcomings are quite coachable to me. 3rd/4th rounder seems likely. I\'d definitely bite in the 4th.

But while we\'re on the ole NEGATIVITY spin, lets look at the top CB\'s in the draft, shall we
#1 Antrell Rolle-Can be fooled by play action and is not as quick to react to the ball when playing outside the box, taking too many chances and will get caught peeking into the backfield...Better when playing in the short area, as he does not have the sustained speed playing off the receivers in man coverage...When the quicker receivers defeat his press, he is a little too stiff in his hips to immediately recover and give chase...Needs to use his hands better to prevent the receiver from using double moves to gain separation.

#2 Adam Jones-will sometimes peek into the backfield too long, taking him out of position... Susceptible to play action and fakes... Makes plays in front of him, but is still learning to adjust and pattern read when working in zone coverage.

#3 Carlos Rogers-struggle in off coverage and give up too much cushion on the ball. ...shuffles his feet too much through routes and lacks ideal hip snap to turn and run in transition...gets up on his heels too much...Not a fan of run support, as he gets tied up by combo blocks and gets soft when he has to face up to the offensive linemen...Lunges and leaves his feet too much when making open field tackles...has only adequate field awareness, shows stiffness in his turns, still allows too much separation and needs several reps to retain plays...His Wonderlic score and spending a season at Hargrave Academy is evidence that he is still a work in progress as far as field intelligence goes

#4 Justin Miller - lacks proper wrap-up technique...will get a little over aggressive and this causes him to out-run the play...lacks the strength and bulk to face up to blockers at the point of attack... lacks the \"sand in his pants\" to take on the offensive linemen...When he goes low to make the tackle, he will usually miss...lunges at the opponent rather than get position before making the hit

#5 Fabian Washington-Needs to get more physical and aggressive in his play... Marginal tackler who will uncoil, but does a poor job of wrapping up... Does not use his hands with force to press and jam at the line and this lets receivers dictate the route process... Will step up to lend support vs. the run, but unless he gets a clear lane, he is quickly washed out of the play due to poor strength to take on the bigger blockers

#6 Corey Webster - he is not field fast (timed speed) and may have problems covering the faster receivers at the next level...Will bite on the opponent\'s double moves... can be fooled by activity in the backfield and lacks the strength to come up hard to plug the rush lanes...Lacks the explosion needed to recover when beaten...Looks awkward in his backpedal , preferring to slide...Not comfortable working in zone coverage...Does not play with aggression in run support, lacking a killer instinct, ...Not an effective wrap-up tackler, falling off a lot of his hits as he tends to lunge and grab.

#7 Marlin Jackson - Negatives...looks a little awkward moving in reverse...Can be fooled by play action, ...gambles too much in man coverage and that causes him to be caught away from the play...seems to lack cover sense when his back is to the ball... is too inconsistent to maintain cushion....Struggles to keep his feet in transition and will bite on double moves by the receiver because he does not have the agility to recover...Tends to take poor angles in run support and does not seem to avoid blocks well when working near the line of scrimmage...does not have the hand usage to disengage and shed vs. the larger blockers...more of a drag-down and angle tackler, as he fails to use his hands effectively to wrap and secure...does not look comfortable working in space...character issues that could concern a few teams,

#8 Stanley Wilson - Negatives... Track man with a sprinter\'s body... Looks very mechanical when having to change direction... Lacks aggression...gets pushed around by the bigger receivers... can be beaten by good double moves... Does not plant and redirect smoothly when in coverage... is not the type that can stop on the dime... struggles to shed because of a lack of strength and poor hand placement... wasted motion in his backpedal, ...Takes poor angles to the ball in pursuit and will prefer to side or arm tackle...ducks his head before applying the hit, causing him to fall off tackles... will sit back and wait before committing to the play.


Yep, Green looks like a natural born Bust huh?
sometimes takes bad angles and will miss in space, especially when he goes low and tries to trip the runner up.

LOL

yasoon

Anyone know why a late pick would visit an NFL city pre draft? ie, who knows whats gonna be happening later in the draft so why even think about where you\'re going? I always thought the pre draft visits were for early picks where there was a pretty good idea that a team could get you. By the 3rd round, you could almost end up in any city. Why scout one out?

Rsanders24

I really believe that Justin Miller would be an great pick for us if we take care of our LB/SS needs in the first round. He is very fast an outstanding KR/PR and the game that I saw him play he did a great job considering how horrible their defense looked most of the season. How many CB can take on OL or take on RB with a full head of steam on a toss play? But that only if the top 3 are gone.

FireVenturi

I liked this guy in reading bout him and watchin some games, but the ACL injury scares me!!!!

BRSaintsFan

Many people have Green as one of the top 10 CBs in the draft. Ive even seen some having him ranked as high as 6th. With as many as five carrying first round grades, Green might go alot higher than expected.

BRSaintsFan

From NFL Draft Showcase: Ranked as 6th best CB
Eric Green is another player I\'m high on. He might not go as high as I\'ve graded him, but he should be a pleasant surprise for some team in the 2nd Round area.

An athletic corner with good size and quickness. Green shows good ability in coverage. He recovers very quickly and closes well on the ball. He does a nice job of playing the ball in the air and is capable of making the big interception. He\'s a physical player who can come up and lay the hits in run support, but in coverage, he tends to like to back off and shadow the receiver rather than come up and play them physically. He doesn\'t always recognize routes quick enough and can be beaten initially, and while he has shown the ability to recover, that is one area of his game where he will need to improve.
Green has a lot of physical tools. He has the athleticism to be a starting corner in the NFL. He could sneak into the late 1st, but should be gone by the mid 2nd.

From NFLDraftCountdown:

Rated 10th best CB...Value board has him going in the 2nd round

From GBNreport.com:

Rated 7th best CB

All in all, it may take a 2nd rounder or early 3rd to get him.

Danno

Hmmm, a top 5,6,7 corner? I like this kid.
If we nab him in the 3rd I wouldn\'t complain. In fact if he\'s the 6th best CB in the draft he may be gone before round 3 starts.
Oh, here\'s another lil gem...
Arm length also can be an issue for cornerbacks. At 5-11, Virginia Tech\'s Eric Green isn\'t considered a big corner. But perhaps he should be. At the Combine, his 32 3⁄8-inch arms were the second longest at his position to those of 6-3 1⁄2 Brandon Browner of Oregon State, whose arms measured 32 3⁄4.

[Edited on 19/4/2005 by Danno]