Maryland OT Bruce Campbell

Originally posted by PA9erFaithful:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by jta854:
He is one of those guys that is so athletic its hard to believe he is not a good football player.

Yet.

He's probably not a good football player yet, but he's also only 21 and declared as a true junior (not redshirt). Meaning, the team that drafts him has the chance to mold this guy over time into a more polished, fundamentally-sound offensive tackle.

What they can't teach is a 6'6", 315lb chisled frame with 36" arms and amazing agility and athleticism. So the tools are all there for this guy to be great...the question then becomes, how badly does he want it and how soon will the lights turn on?

We shall find out, because he will be in the Bay Area.

Playing for Oakland

Absolutely...he's Al Davis' wet dream!

Mike Mayock says that some team will fall in love with Campbell and pull the trigger in the 1st round. He said if it was him, he wouldn't draft Bruce Campbell until the 2nd round.

Originally posted by PTulini:
Mike Mayock says that some team will fall in love with Campbell and pull the trigger in the 1st round. He said if it was him, he wouldn't draft Bruce Campbell until the 2nd round.

I'd select him with our 17th pick. I believe that this guy can play RT for us for yrs.

Originally posted by SF69ers:

Originally posted by PTulini:
Mike Mayock says that some team will fall in love with Campbell and pull the trigger in the 1st round. He said if it was him, he wouldn't draft Bruce Campbell until the 2nd round.

I'd select him with our 17th pick. I believe that this guy can play RT for us for yrs.

Yes, but could he play at a high level this year, from day 1? That is the question...

Originally posted by PTulini:

Originally posted by SF69ers:

Originally posted by PTulini:
Mike Mayock says that some team will fall in love with Campbell and pull the trigger in the 1st round. He said if it was him, he wouldn't draft Bruce Campbell until the 2nd round.

I'd select him with our 17th pick. I believe that this guy can play RT for us for yrs.

Yes, but could he play at a high level this year, from day 1? That is the question...

I'd go so far as to say he'd be an upgrade over our current RT situation (Adam Snyder, who was statistically one of the worst OTs in the league in terms of giving up sacks last year). Of course that says more about how bad Snyder is, but the point remains.

As it stands right now, Campbell at #17 is NOT great value...however, value has a way of changing over time. Fellow Terp Jared Gaither was a 5th round supplemental pick by Baltimore in 2007 mostly because he was a talented but under-developed true junior coming out of college.

If Gaither would've stayed in school and waited for the 2008 draft, he likely would've been a top-10 pick, and is turning into one of the better/dominating LTs in the game today. To get him with a 5th round supplemental is now the steal of the century.

Though Gaither was more fundamentally sound then Campbell coming out of college, I think they compare favorably in a lot of ways potential-wise, with Campbell being a better pure athlete.

Point being, in time (and with the right coaching/attitude on his part), we could see Campbell turn into the type of player Gaither has turned into, and landing him at #17 might be considered a steal...again, over time.

Originally posted by prometheus:
I think there is a big difference between Kwame and Campbell, first off he is an athlete while Kwame was big and slooow both physically and mentally.

wtf?

KWAME HARRIS WENT TO STANFORD!!!!

You can call him big and slow physically all you want but dude was not slow mentally.

Just a note: He was also 1st team All-Pac10 and wont the award (can't remember what they call it) for the top offensive lineman in the Pac10 his junior season.

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by jta854:
He is one of those guys that is so athletic its hard to believe he is not a good football player.

Yet.

He's probably not a good football player yet, but he's also only 21 and declared as a true junior (not redshirt). Meaning, the team that drafts him has the chance to mold this guy over time into a more polished, fundamentally-sound offensive tackle.

What they can't teach is a 6'6", 315lb chisled frame with 36" arms and amazing agility and athleticism. So the tools are all there for this guy to be great...the question then becomes, how badly does he want it and how soon will the lights turn on?

I never have been a fan of drafting an “athletic yet average” college football player, thinking he will fulfill is potential in the NFL. VD worked out for us, but most of those players don’t work out.
If a football player hasn’t showed that he’s got what it takes by draft day, he probably doesn’t have what it takes.

If McClaughan is serious about improving the offensive line, he won’t take any chances. He’ll trade up for the best offensive tackle available in the draft and not just wait for one to fall. Otherwise, he's taking an awful gamble. Normally, I'm all for taking the BPA, but we're in dire need of a starting offensive tackle and I really don't see anybody else that would be a better option than Okung. If we where to move up and grab him we could move Staley back to the right side and instantly upgrade two positions. We stay and wait, there are only question marks regardless of who the best player available is. Best case scenario, we stay and maybe Bulaga, or Williams is there, then we can breathe easy and take the BPA at 17. But what if the only OTs left are Campbell and/or Brown, McClaughan more than likely passes and goes for a safety, cornerback, defensive end, linebacker, what ever. All those positions, albeit, are needs, but they are not as urgent of a need as an elite offensive tackle and could be found in later rounds or free agency if need be. Trading up would alleviate all those question marks and even though it would take an extra pick out of the equation would still cover two positions. Just my two cents…

Originally posted by vermonator:
If McClaughan is serious about improving the offensive line, he won’t take any chances. He’ll trade up for the best offensive tackle available in the draft and not just wait for one to fall. Otherwise, he's taking an awful gamble. Normally, I'm all for taking the BPA, but we're in dire need of a starting offensive tackle and I really don't see anybody else that would be a better option than Okung. If we where to move up and grab him we could move Staley back to the right side and instantly upgrade two positions. We stay and wait, there are only question marks regardless of who the best player available is. Best case scenario, we stay and maybe Bulaga, or Williams is there, then we can breathe easy and take the BPA at 17. But what if the only OTs left are Campbell and/or Brown, McClaughan more than likely passes and goes for a safety, cornerback, defensive end, linebacker, what ever. All those positions, albeit, are needs, but they are not as urgent of a need as an elite offensive tackle and could be found in later rounds or free agency if need be. Trading up would alleviate all those question marks and even though it would take an extra pick out of the equation would still cover two positions. Just my two cents…

I'd be for trading up to get Okung. Just not the two 1st round picks.

Originally posted by jta854:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by jta854:
He is one of those guys that is so athletic its hard to believe he is not a good football player.

Yet.

He's probably not a good football player yet, but he's also only 21 and declared as a true junior (not redshirt). Meaning, the team that drafts him has the chance to mold this guy over time into a more polished, fundamentally-sound offensive tackle.

What they can't teach is a 6'6", 315lb chisled frame with 36" arms and amazing agility and athleticism. So the tools are all there for this guy to be great...the question then becomes, how badly does he want it and how soon will the lights turn on?

I never have been a fan of drafting an “athletic yet average” college football player, thinking he will fulfill is potential in the NFL. VD worked out for us, but most of those players don’t work out.
If a football player hasn’t showed that he’s got what it takes by draft day, he probably doesn’t have what it takes.

I think of a guy is still "average" after 4 years in college, I would agree with your take. However, for a 21-year old stud offensive lineman with only 3 years of college playing experience but who tests through the roof, exceptions can be made.

Yes, it's a risk....but no more of a risk than a 4 year productive lineman that maxed out in college and has little-to-no upside at the next level. Keep in mind, what's more important is how a guy "projects" to the next level, and not so much what they did in college (which can be very deceiving).

Obviously the sweet spot in the 1st round is a player with good-to-great production AND with the potential to get even better. That's not always going to be the case, though...

Originally posted by Gavintech:

Originally posted by vermonator:
If McClaughan is serious about improving the offensive line, he won’t take any chances. He’ll trade up for the best offensive tackle available in the draft and not just wait for one to fall. Otherwise, he's taking an awful gamble. Normally, I'm all for taking the BPA, but we're in dire need of a starting offensive tackle and I really don't see anybody else that would be a better option than Okung. If we where to move up and grab him we could move Staley back to the right side and instantly upgrade two positions. We stay and wait, there are only question marks regardless of who the best player available is. Best case scenario, we stay and maybe Bulaga, or Williams is there, then we can breathe easy and take the BPA at 17. But what if the only OTs left are Campbell and/or Brown, McClaughan more than likely passes and goes for a safety, cornerback, defensive end, linebacker, what ever. All those positions, albeit, are needs, but they are not as urgent of a need as an elite offensive tackle and could be found in later rounds or free agency if need be. Trading up would alleviate all those question marks and even though it would take an extra pick out of the equation would still cover two positions. Just my two cents…

I'd be for trading up to get Okung. Just not the two 1st round picks.

I agree, but it will depend on how far Okung falls...

If he's still there around the 7th spot, it's possible that we could package our 13th pick along with a second rounder to move up and still take the BPA at 17. However, it's highly unlikely, as recent mock drafts have Okung going as high as the number 2 spot, which would take a bit more to get him.

Winning the NFC West may solely depend on whether or not McClaughan can score a starting tackle in this draft. Unless he's aggressive, I have my doubts...

Originally posted by vermonator:

Originally posted by Gavintech:

Originally posted by vermonator:
If McClaughan is serious about improving the offensive line, he won’t take any chances. He’ll trade up for the best offensive tackle available in the draft and not just wait for one to fall. Otherwise, he's taking an awful gamble. Normally, I'm all for taking the BPA, but we're in dire need of a starting offensive tackle and I really don't see anybody else that would be a better option than Okung. If we where to move up and grab him we could move Staley back to the right side and instantly upgrade two positions. We stay and wait, there are only question marks regardless of who the best player available is. Best case scenario, we stay and maybe Bulaga, or Williams is there, then we can breathe easy and take the BPA at 17. But what if the only OTs left are Campbell and/or Brown, McClaughan more than likely passes and goes for a safety, cornerback, defensive end, linebacker, what ever. All those positions, albeit, are needs, but they are not as urgent of a need as an elite offensive tackle and could be found in later rounds or free agency if need be. Trading up would alleviate all those question marks and even though it would take an extra pick out of the equation would still cover two positions. Just my two cents…

I'd be for trading up to get Okung. Just not the two 1st round picks.

I agree, but it will depend on how far Okung falls...

If he's still there around the 7th spot, it's possible that we could package our 13th pick along with a second rounder to move up and still take the BPA at 17. However, it's highly unlikely, as recent mock drafts have Okung going as high as the number 2 spot, which would take a bit more to get him.

Winning the NFC West may solely depend on whether or not McClaughan can score a starting tackle in this draft. Unless he's aggressive, I have my doubts...

7th spot!! Wow! Price of RT's has gone through the roof.

Originally posted by English:

Originally posted by vermonator:

Originally posted by Gavintech:

Originally posted by vermonator:
If McClaughan is serious about improving the offensive line, he won’t take any chances. He’ll trade up for the best offensive tackle available in the draft and not just wait for one to fall. Otherwise, he's taking an awful gamble. Normally, I'm all for taking the BPA, but we're in dire need of a starting offensive tackle and I really don't see anybody else that would be a better option than Okung. If we where to move up and grab him we could move Staley back to the right side and instantly upgrade two positions. We stay and wait, there are only question marks regardless of who the best player available is. Best case scenario, we stay and maybe Bulaga, or Williams is there, then we can breathe easy and take the BPA at 17. But what if the only OTs left are Campbell and/or Brown, McClaughan more than likely passes and goes for a safety, cornerback, defensive end, linebacker, what ever. All those positions, albeit, are needs, but they are not as urgent of a need as an elite offensive tackle and could be found in later rounds or free agency if need be. Trading up would alleviate all those question marks and even though it would take an extra pick out of the equation would still cover two positions. Just my two cents…

I'd be for trading up to get Okung. Just not the two 1st round picks.

I agree, but it will depend on how far Okung falls...

If he's still there around the 7th spot, it's possible that we could package our 13th pick along with a second rounder to move up and still take the BPA at 17. However, it's highly unlikely, as recent mock drafts have Okung going as high as the number 2 spot, which would take a bit more to get him.

Winning the NFC West may solely depend on whether or not McClaughan can score a starting tackle in this draft. Unless he's aggressive, I have my doubts...

7th spot!! Wow! Price of RT's has gone through the roof.

j/k by the way. Reference to our need.

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by jta854:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by jta854:
He is one of those guys that is so athletic its hard to believe he is not a good football player.

Yet.

He's probably not a good football player yet, but he's also only 21 and declared as a true junior (not redshirt). Meaning, the team that drafts him has the chance to mold this guy over time into a more polished, fundamentally-sound offensive tackle.

What they can't teach is a 6'6", 315lb chisled frame with 36" arms and amazing agility and athleticism. So the tools are all there for this guy to be great...the question then becomes, how badly does he want it and how soon will the lights turn on?

I never have been a fan of drafting an “athletic yet average” college football player, thinking he will fulfill is potential in the NFL. VD worked out for us, but most of those players don’t work out.
If a football player hasn’t showed that he’s got what it takes by draft day, he probably doesn’t have what it takes.

I think of a guy is still "average" after 4 years in college, I would agree with your take. However, for a 21-year old stud offensive lineman with only 3 years of college playing experience but who tests through the roof, exceptions can be made.

Yes, it's a risk....but no more of a risk than a 4 year productive lineman that maxed out in college and has little-to-no upside at the next level. Keep in mind, what's more important is how a guy "projects" to the next level, and not so much what they did in college (which can be very deceiving).

Obviously the sweet spot in the 1st round is a player with good-to-great production AND with the potential to get even better. That's not always going to be the case, though...

Great post & insight! I think with the right amount of coaching & time that Campbell will become very good. I have confidence in Mike Solari & Ray Brown in molding whichever o-lineman we draft.

he is from MD so he probably runs a 4.3 40 and the Raiders will take him