'14 JUCO OT Dontavius Blair (UT SIGNEE 12/18/13)

[RockyTop85]

i would have initially thought walls would be the bigger end/smaller dt in this system and jwilliams would be the more rush end but the last depth chart has those 2 at the same position - Austin Peay Week Depth Chart - UTSPORTS.COM - University of Tennessee Athletics

I think Jwilliams might be a bit bigger than when we last saw him b/c he is at the bigger DE spot right now

i think couch not starting has more to do with them likely wanting to make sure he and big dan can both stay really fresh and make sure that particular DT spot is really an attacking position and a disruptive spot than him not performing well

obrien you are right has drawn a bit of not there yet - i just think sometimes kids need to get in some games before they start really developing and showing what they are capable of - if i were a coach and i had a solid, but not great player in Hood - i would make sure that Dobrien got a lot of reps as opposed to giving too many of those to hood - as long as there isnt a huge dropoff this year (which i would think it is reasonable to think there may not be) then it would really, really help you come next year

I think you're right. I think Couch may or may not have been able to start over Hood, but Hood is only like 275 or 285 as is O'Brien. I don't think they can spell McCullers and we don't have any other depth so Couch is there. I would imagine he will play significant time.

 

[ionaVOL]

sure - i think this line would be very capable of running this offense

T - Blair
G - Mjackson
C - Crowder
G - Wiesman
T - Kerby/asanders

and i think there is better chance than most on here that Tiny stays so we could see this - and this would be a very, very good line imo

T - Tiny
G - Mjackson
C - Crowder
G - Weisman
T - Blair

That looks pretty good on paper IMO. What would you have the two deep looking like without Tiny? Interested in seeing your thoughts on that.

 

[sjt18]

i would have initially thought walls would be the bigger end/smaller dt in this system and jwilliams would be the more rush end but the last depth chart has those 2 at the same position - Austin Peay Week Depth Chart - UTSPORTS.COM - University of Tennessee Athletics

I think Jwilliams might be a bit bigger than when we last saw him b/c he is at the bigger DE spot right now

I think Walls sliding over is a "freshmen are not ready statement". When Smith and Vereen get back, IMO Walls moves back to the role you mention which is ideal for him.

 

[SCvol333]

That looks pretty good on paper IMO. What would you have the two deep looking like without Tiny? Interested in seeing your thoughts on that.

Blair or another top juco OL obviously becomes much more critical if we lost Tiny

T - Blair - Pair
G - Mjackson - Posey
C - Crowder - Cthomas
G - Wiesman - Bkendrick
T - Kerby - asanders

at this point thatd be my best guess

it also wouldnt suprise me to see Posey out of the program and one of the newbies slide into that spot either - havent heard a lot positive about him from the new staff

 

[Glitch]

Anyone want to project the o-line next while we're at this?

Why? This is an OT's thread. Why oh why would we want to talk about the line that he will be playing on when he comes to UT. You have to take the opportunity to discuss everything except anything that is pertinent to the thread that you are discussing it in. It's the VN way! :crazy: :yes: :salute:

 

[ionaVOL]

Blair or another top juco OL obviously becomes much more critical if we lost Tiny

T - Blair - Pair
G - Mjackson - Posey
C - Crowder - Cthomas
G - Wiesman - Bkendrick
T - Kerby - asanders

at this point thatd be my best guess

it also wouldnt suprise me to see Posey out of the program and one of the newbies slide into that spot either - havent heard a lot positive about him from the new staff

Thanks, looks a ton better with Tiny staying another year obviously, I'll keep my fingers crossed for that. Looking at that possible two deep really illustrates the need for Blair and/or another solid Juco in this cycle. On top of that we really need to add some great talent in the '15 class to go along with what we have already.

If we can pull Blair, and finish our '15 class on the OL with a couple of the guys high on our board now like Richmond and Edoga among others, I really think our OL will be back in good shape after being neglected two years ago. IMO we can avoid a potential disaster by pulling Blair this year and finishing strong in '15. I don't think a lot of people realize the potentil drop off we could be facing, thankfully the coaching staff seems to tho, it's definitely a point of emphasis for them as it should be.

 

[smokeyhuntsgators]

- Per USCw Rivals

In b4 he named UT first.

 

[smokeyhuntsgators]

May have a better chance at landing Blair than I've previously thought.

I agree. Because I haven't been very confident lately but my confidence level is increasing.

Butch will get it done.:yes:

 

[BigOrangeFanatic]

sure - i think this line would be very capable of running this offense

T - Blair
G - Mjackson
C - Crowder
G - Wiesman
T - Kerby/asanders

and i think there is better chance than most on here that Tiny stays so we could see this - and this would be a very, very good line imo

T - Tiny
G - Mjackson
C - Crowder
G - Weisman
T - Blair

If Tiny has a good year there is no way he stays.

 

[ionaVOL]

Blair or another top juco OL obviously becomes much more critical if we lost Tiny

T - Blair - Pair
G - Mjackson - Posey
C - Crowder - Cthomas
G - Wiesman - Bkendrick
T - Kerby - asanders

at this point thatd be my best guess

it also wouldnt suprise me to see Posey out of the program and one of the newbies slide into that spot either - havent heard a lot positive about him from the new staff

Have to figure Orlando Brown might be able to fit in here somewhere too the way he is looking lately. Definitely almost forgot about him.

 

[SCvol333]

If Tiny has a good year there is no way he stays.

could not disagree more - it is just not that common for OL to go as juniors for one - and he just seems like the type of kid who really enjoys college - he could buy insurance against his draft stock and doesnt play a high injury position so not near the risk it is for a RB or a position like that who only has so many hits in them

orlando could certainly find his way into the mix if he can get onto campus at a good weight

 

[volinexile17]

could not disagree more - it is just not that common for OL to go as juniors for one - and he just seems like the type of kid who really enjoys college - he could buy insurance against his draft stock and doesnt play a high injury position so not near the risk it is for a RB or a position like that who only has so many hits in them

orlando could certainly find his way into the mix if he can get onto campus at a good weight

I disagree with your disagreement. If Tiny is a first round pick, which he will be, he will go. He would be stupid not to. He already bought insurance against injury this offseason, which I think indicates his intent to leave.

Also, lineman tend not to leave because they need time to physically mature. That is not the case with Tiny.

 

[Madkins8]

I disagree with your disagreement. If Tiny is a first round pick, which he will be, he will go. He would be stupid not to. He already bought insurance against injury this offseason, which I think indicates his intent to leave.

Also, lineman tend not to leave because they need time to physically mature. That is not the case with Tiny.

That isn't necessarily true. There are several reasons why tackles tend to stay.

1. Their liklihood of serious injury is the lowest of an position player.
2. Staying an extra year generally has no impact on the longevity of their career.
3. Unlike position players who need to get to their 2nd contract before their body starts to deteriorate, lineman generally aren't even at their peak until their late 20's.

Over 50% of Jr OL projected to go in the first round stay for their senior season.

Also, Tiny still has a lot of room to develop his game. He is not an extremely polished player and his potential to be drafted in the top 10 will go up drastically as a senior.

 

[MockingVol]

That isn't necessarily true. There are several reasons why tackles tend to stay.

1. Their liklihood of serious injury is the lowest of an position player.
2. Staying an extra year generally has no impact on the longevity of their career.
3. Unlike position players who need to get to their 2nd contract before their body starts to deteriorate, lineman generally aren't even at their peak until their late 20's.

Over 50% of Jr OL projected to go in the first round stay for their senior season.

Also, Tiny still has a lot of room to develop his game. He is not an extremely polished player and his potential to be drafted in the top 10 will go up drastically as a senior.

Do you have any reputable statistics to back your claims?

 

[Madkins8]

Do you have any reputable statistics to back your claims?

The injury figure comes from the NFL IR and PUP data.
The >50% coming back for their senior season is based on personal research from 2006-current (modern early entrant era).
The age info comes from average age by position at first probowl appearance and average age of NFL starters.

Most of it is personal research that I have done over the last year or so. I am a very analytical person so I tend to research stuff like this.

 

[BigOrangeFanatic]

could not disagree more - it is just not that common for OL to go as juniors for one - and he just seems like the type of kid who really enjoys college - he could buy insurance against his draft stock and doesnt play a high injury position so not near the risk it is for a RB or a position like that who only has so many hits in them

orlando could certainly find his way into the mix if he can get onto campus at a good weight

If he just takes a step forward from last year he will be a first rounder, no doubt and will be gone, unless he gets hurt midway through the season . No need to think otherwise. He's a special talent.

 

[MockingVol]

The injury figure comes from the NFL IR and PUP data.
The >50% coming back for their senior season is based on personal research from 2006-current (modern early entrant era).
The age info comes from average age by position at first probowl appearance and average age of NFL starters.

Most of it is personal research that I have done over the last year or so. I am a very analytical person so I tend to research stuff like this.

Links please sir, for these claims you are going to need to provide links to these reputable studies.

 

[Voodoomonkey]

Taylor Lewan and Jake Matthews both came back for their senior years, and they were both projected to go top 10.

It's not rare at all for offensive tackles projected to go in the first round to return for their senior seasons.

To say that there's no chance or no reason for Tiny to return is ridiculous.

 

[Madkins8]

Links please sir, for these claims you are going to need to provide links to these reputable studies.

Sorry I don't publish my stat-work. If other people would take the time to publish stuff like this maybe I wouldn't waste so much time.

All of the information I just laid out if readily available. NFL.com will have lists of all players, IR lists, probowlers, starters, and draft choices. Feel free to check out every claim.

Also, a "reputable study" is not needed when you are just amalgamating readily available indisputable data.

 

[Volinnooga]

When I open the Blair thread, I'd prefer reading about Blair's recruitment as opposed o reading to experts pontificating about NFL draft stuff.

 

[SCvol333]

Taylor Lewan and Jake Matthews both came back for their senior years, and they were both projected to go top 10.

It's not rare at all for offensive tackles projected to go in the first round to return for their senior seasons.

To say that there's no chance or no reason for Tiny to return is ridiculous.

thank you and Madkins - this really happens all the time with offensive lineman - Bjones is another that passed up a first round grade to come back

a lot of SEC fans just don't follow the NFL and it really shows with some of the statements you see on this site

 

[OddFuture]

When I open the Blair thread, I'd prefer reading about Blair's recruitment as opposed o reading to experts pontificating about NFL draft stuff.

If you haven't realized that VN doesn't always have info where you want it and less random discussion where you don't want it, then you need some help realizing that and maybe this post will open your eyes.

That or ignore us dunderheads discussion said topic

 

[volinexile17]

That isn't necessarily true. There are several reasons why tackles tend to stay.

1. Their liklihood of serious injury is the lowest of an position player.
2. Staying an extra year generally has no impact on the longevity of their career.
3. Unlike position players who need to get to their 2nd contract before their body starts to deteriorate, lineman generally aren't even at their peak until their late 20's.

Over 50% of Jr OL projected to go in the first round stay for their senior season.

Also, Tiny still has a lot of room to develop his game. He is not an extremely polished player and his potential to be drafted in the top 10 will go up drastically as a senior.

I am too lazy to do the research so I'm going based off my shoddy memory and imperfect impressions. Since you have done some research, how much greater than 50%? And how many of those were tackles?

I'm interested, not just trying to prove a point.

However, I still think he goes. Already took out insurance. These guys have played together as a unit and I think they'd like to be drafted as a unit. And I think it would be dumb to stay. Go get paid.

 

[TMatthews19]

I disagree with your disagreement. If Tiny is a first round pick, which he will be, he will go. He would be stupid not to. He already bought insurance against injury this offseason, which I think indicates his intent to leave.

Also, lineman tend not to leave because they need time to physically mature. That is not the case with Tiny.

No disagreeing with you but who reported he took out insurance?

 

[volinexile17]

Don't have a link. Just read a note on it around combine time. James did too. I am lazy and on mobile so I'm not going to look, but I'm sure it would be easy to google.