GBMWolverine: Coach’s Corner — Michigan Football — Breaking down the Michigan Players/NFL Draft

Posted at 4:00pm — 4/28/2008

GBMWolverine: Coach’s Corner — Michigan Football — Breaking down the Michigan Players/NFL Draft

Adrian Arringtion:
Adrian picked in the seventh round with the two hundred thirty-seventh pick for the New Orleans Saints. Sometimes when you are drafted late, you are better off not drafted at all. This way you can pick the team that gives you the best opportunity. That being said the New Orleans Saints give Adrian at least a shot at making the roster. They have some experience at wide receiver, but not so much that Arrington has any chance at all. Good thing about going to Saints is chance to learn from Coach Peyton. He is as good of an offense coach as you will find. His specialty is the passing game so even if he does not make the roster, the experience at New Orleans should be positive.

Adrian needs to get his head on straight and get in the mood of wanting to learn and do whatever it takes to make the team. He has an opportunity now to make a NFL roster. He is starting all over and a clean slate for a different program. We believe his past caught up to him in regards to the draft so that is why he fell so far. Well this is his chance to prove all those people wrong and show how hard he is willing to work to get things done.

Mike Hart:
Mike picked in the sixth round with the two hundred sixth pick to the Indianapolis Colts. In my personal preference for Mike Hart has always been Denver Broncos. If he could not go there, Colts and Patriots were second and third choice. All three teams run version of zone schemes. This system best fits his skill set. Colts run three different zone looks, stretch, inside zone, and a called cutback with zone action. Mike Hart should be very good at all three. In addition, Mike’s ability to pass block out of multiple wide receiver sets should be big plus to his making Colts roster.

Mike Hart can go into camp with a chip on his shoulder and have the mentality of proving everybody wrong. So many of the scouts are saying he is not fast enough, big enough and cannot be a every down back, but those are the same things that all the experts were saying when he came to Michigan and by the third game of his freshman year he was proving all the doubters wrong. He is a guy that can hang on to the ball and he just seems to make the first guy miss when trying to tackling him.

Mario Manningham:
Mario picked in third round with the ninety-fifth pick to the New York Giants. This is a good fit. The Giants offense is a power running attack, with play action and deep passing game mixed in. This is the strength of Manningham’s game with him running the deep and go routes of his famed double moves. He would not have fit anywhere near as well in a West Coast, or other short passing game. Mario has not shown the ability to play in space or create big plays out of short routes to excel in this type of offense. In addition, as with Crable, Mario will have time to learn his craft and break in slowly behind some very good vets and with very good Quarterback.

Mario needs to get everything together along with getting dedicated to the off-season and prepare himself for the NFL. He has some very good wide receivers so he will not have to come in and be a impact guy. He needs to learn the system and be prepared to step in when needed and a year or so down the line be ready to get a bigger role in this offense.

Shawn Crable:
Shawn picked in the third round with the seventy-eight pick to the New England Patriots. Crable to New England is a great situation for both Patriots and Shawn. He is better suited to play outside linebacker/rush defensive end in 3-4 defenses than Will linebacker or Sam linebacker in 4-3 scheme. Shawn’s strength is as blitzing off edge from linebacker position. He does cover or play in space well enough o be perfect fit for 4-3 outside linebacker. In addition, as member of Patriots some god vets will tutor him so that the Patriots can bring along slowly and use him as situational edge rusher.

Crable just like Pierre Woods is in a place where they are not counting on them to make a big impact. The linebacker crew of the Patriots has some older linebackers so in a year or so they will be in place to take over. Right now is a good time to learn as much as they can from these players and adopt their work ethic and the soak in their knowledge of the game. Crable might be a guy that will really grow as a pro and be a outstanding player on a great team. He does not need to be the best player on the team, but just a guy that will fill a roll on the team.

Chad Henne:
Chad picked in the second round with the fifty-seventh pick to the Miami Dolphins. Henne going to Miami Dolphins is the perfect match. Chad could not have found a better situation.

The Dolphins have two experienced Quarterbacks available, but neither has been the answer the Dolphins are looking for. John Beck last years second round pick was very disappointing last season. Josh Mc Gown, formerly of the Raiders, Lions, and Cardinals has been a back up at best.

The opportunity to see meaningful snaps exists for Henne. Second thing is new Head Coach Tony Sparno and Offensive Coach Dan Henning is not West Coast offense people. They are of the strong running game, play action, throw the ball deep philosophy. Chad’s big arm should be a huge asset for him and the Dolphins.

One of the biggest things for Chad Henne might be actually getting into camp and learning the system quickly. Being drafted in the second round should not make him a holdout like sometimes happens with quarterbacks in the NFL. The opportunity is there for him to either take over this year or learn the system and be the guy later this year or next season. A lot depends on how soon he learns the system and how the other quarterbacks do at the beginning of the year. The Dolphins have a lot more problems than just quarterback does and they need to fill many holes in this draft or in free agency.

Jake Long:

Jake picked in the first round with the first pick to the Miami Dolphins. Big Jake is excellent fit for Miami, and the great thing is he can play either side very well. Remember Coach Parcells was the coach who ignored “the experts” and saw Jumbo Elliot as Left Tackle when nobody else did. Reason for Jumbos success and my confidence with Big Jake is any team with coach Parcells involved is going to have a strong power running game component.

This will limit some of the effectiveness of those nasty edge rushers. When the Defensive End/Outside Linebacker has to be worried about the Offensive Tackle putting a hand on the ground, coming off the ball, and burying their ASS it will naturally his pass rush down.

Jake can be a guy that they can put at a position and not have to worry about him for ten to twelve years. The biggest question is can he play the left tackle against the speedy defense. He will be a solid tackle no matter which side, but the Dolphins are banking on him at left tackle.

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Written by GBMWolverine Staff

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