A few weeks ago, I gave you a breakdown of Stanford left tackle, Jonathan Martin and some information regarding his Pro Day workouts. In that article, I also used some quotes and thoughts from The Sports Headquarters owner and NFL draft guru, Seth Cox. Seth was then kind enough to come and answer some of your questions in the comments section.
From that, many were clamoring for a member of our writing staff to set up a question and answer post with Seth to get his take on different areas and players in the 2012 Draft. So, I got into contact with him and not only did he answer the 6 questions I asked him, but he did so in a lengthy fashion.
After the jump, I will post the first two questions of Seth's response. Read the question, see Seth's answer and then feel free to react to the question yourself in the comments section.
1. The Cardinals may be looking to upgrade their offensive line with their first round draft selection in 2012. Offensive tackles such as Riley Reiff, Jonathan Martin, Cordy Glenn, and Mike Adams have been listed as potential draftees. Which of these players do you feel could come in and not only play left tackle for the Cardinals, but also be able to have short-term and long-term success?
I've seen a lot of mock drafts and every single one of these guys going to the Cardinals at some point, so let's take a look at all of them so the fans can have an idea of what they are looking at:
Riley Reiff, OT Iowa- 6-5 5/8 312lbs 32 5/8 arms 80 ¼ wingspan 5.21 40 yard dash 26 bench press
Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford- 6-5 3/8 307lbs 34 1/8 arms 81 ¾ wingspan 5.35 40 yard dash 20 bench press
Cordy Glenn, OT Georgia- 6-5 ¾ 345lbs 35 ¾ arms 84 7/8 wingspan 5.09 40 yard dash 31 bench press
Mike Adams, OT Ohio St- 6-7 ¼ 323lbs 34 arms 82 7/8 wingspan 5.33 40 yard dash 21 bench press
All of these guys seem to have the size and frame you are looking for as a left tackle, but you really have to look at the numbers to see which one is actually going to be the best prospect.
Speed/Quickness:
Glenn happens to be the guy with the best 40 time, but his short area quickness leaves something to be desired, which raises questions about his ability to protect the blindside.
Adams meanwhile was a tick slow on his 40 time, but shows great quickness out of his stance, in short area, and has a strong leg kick to get into his pass pro.
Martin has solid short area speed as well, but isn't elite in that regard.
Reiff was the quickest and has a slightly above average quickness to his game that would be more than enough to be a solid starter on the left side at the next level.
Advantage: Reiff
Strength:
This one isn't really even a contest. The biggest knock on Adams and Martin and what has them both plummeting out of the top 20 in the first round is their lack of strength.
While how much you can bench isn't the be all end all of your strength evaluation, it does show stamina strength, and how long you can maintain that strength.
This one isn't even close, and the only discussion is really between Reiff and Glenn.
While Reiff shows good upper body strength, he needs to gain strength in his lower half to anchor down into his blocks against elite level defensive ends who combine great strength with their world class quickness.
Glenn, on the other hand, has dominant type strength from shoulders to feet, and can't be overpowered at the point of attack. When I compare him to Leonard Davis I am not doing so as an insult, and Cardinals fan hopefully remember the All-Pro Davis in Dallas and not the frustrating quasi bust in Arizona.
Glenn can engulf his opponent in the run game and punish them down the field, or he can keep the opposing player off him with a strong punch and long arms in the passing game.
Advantage: Glenn
Intangibles:
Here is where the separation can really come in. If you read any scouting report on Adams, Glenn and Martin you will see the same thing said about all three:
Questionable motor.
For Reiff, there won't be any question about his work ethic or getting him motivated to play on a week to week basis.
Advantage: Reiff
Overall:
Here is the kicker on all four of these guys: NONE of them are left tackles in the NFL.
Reiff lacks the arm length and lower body strength to man the LT position.
Martin and Adams lack the base strength throughout to be a left tackle, and Glenn isn't quick enough in and out of his stance to be a LT.
So to answer your question, none of them are going to come in and be every down left tackles in their first year, but gun to my head I will surprise you: Mike Adams.
Adams has the build, the length and quickness and may just have that chip on his shoulder to come in and make an impact at left tackle in the league. Think of him as a possible Matt Light type, who would function much better in a quick throw, shotgun system as opposed to a more balanced and pro style game.
2. Outside of Andrew Luck and RGIII, which quarterback do you feel can have the biggest impact in the NFL?
This is a weird QB class because of how top heavy it is with Luck and RG3, but if any of you have followed me on Twitter @sethcoxtshq, you would know I have had Ryan Tannehill as a first round pick since October, when Matt Barkley and Landry Jones were still top 12-15 selections.
Tannehill has a great arm, good feet in the pocket, and is extremely athletic. He needs a couple of seasons to develop, as he only started one full year at Texas A&M, and the critiques of him come from blowing 4 double digit second half leads.
My question is can you blame a guy who was basically a sophomore QB? He needed another year at least in college to learn to play the position. He tried to fit too many balls into tight windows, didn't protect the ball as well as he should have, and generally made dumb, inexperienced plays. Any team that drafts him won't be doing so, hopefully, to start this season.
While a guy like Brandon Weeden may come in and play this season, and play well, he won't have the career of Tannehill, who has the higher ceiling and I really think can be a top tier QB, top 12, in this league.
What do you think of Seth's answers? Is Mike Adams the best possible left tackle prospect outside of Matt Kalil in this year's draft? What about Ryan Tannehill? Is he going to be a big time quarterback in the NFL?
Tell us what you think in the comments section. To check out more of Seth's draft expertise, check out his website, The Sports Headquarters.
We invite you to follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and like us on Facebook. Also, follow me on Twitter at @TylerNickelASU.