Last August, I wrote an article on Allen Bailey, detailing my concerns about certain weaknesses in his game. For one, the big physical freak was very slow off the snap, routinely being the last guy on the line to get out of his stance.

Also, Bailey struggled to threaten the edge as a pass rusher, so he was forced to rely heavily on his bull rush. With his physical strength, Bailey managed to walk back offensive linemen, but he lacked the quick hands to disengage in time to get to the quarterback. As a result, he was nothing more than an average pass rusher.

You can see some of Bailey’s issues in this ’09 clip of him against Wake Forest. While impressive when he had an open lane to crush the QB, Bailey’s poor hand play also led to many lost opportunities.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQvcXWLQKyk

Those struggles were Keep Reading…

Like previous Tale of the Tape subject Titus Young, Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor boosted his stock with an impressive Senior Bowl week. The mammoth 6’3″, 337-pound prospect exhibited plenty of strength and a surprising amount of athleticism. Some even have speculated that those impressive physical tools could push Taylor all the way up to the first round.

Taylor’s recent stock surge is quite an accomplishment for a player who once appeared to be on the way to wrecking his football career. He started his college career at Penn State, but off the field issues led to his dismissal from the team. Taylor transferred to Baylor but had an underwhelming ’09 season, appearing out of shape and displaying inconsistent technique.

However, Taylor recommitted himself to developing his game last summer, dropping close to twenty pounds of excess weight. Also, he became a better overall football player, showing Keep Reading…

For die-hard draftniks, most of the scouting legwork occurs during the fall. And for understandable reasons: watching the games is more exciting when the outcome of live action is yet to be determined. Also, even the most expensive DVR has data storage limitations: by mid-season, the device is bursting at the seams with college matchups.

However, that doesn’t mean that the official January-through-April draft season has to be bereft of film-watching. There are multiple websites that provide excellent opportunities to see more of the top draft prospects and figure out who’s worthy of your team’s top pick.

Perhaps the best resource for watching games online is ESPN3.com. The site features many of the games ESPN broadcasted in the fall, including some games that were on ESPNU, which isn’t included on some cable packages. Unfortunately, video quality can vary significantly based on Internet connection speed, but the action’s usually Keep Reading…

Last week, the draft community was agog over Boise receiver Titus Young. The 5’11 1/4″, 174-pound wideout showed off his special explosiveness, gaining separation against many of the cornerbacks assembled in Mobile.

Young’s standout play at the Senior Bowl practices has him moving up draft boards: there’s now talk that he’s established himself as the top-rated senior receiver on team’s boards.

However, Young’s Senior Bowl week wasn’t perfect. Whether dropping a couple passes in practice or failing to bring in an inaccurate Jake Locker throw in the game, Young displayed less than exceptional hands. His college tape indicates that his hands aren’t an extremely disconcerting problem, but they may be enough of an issue to keep him out of the first round.

Both Young’s explosiveness and somewhat inconsistent hands were on display in the game against Nevada. He ran the top off of the Wolfpack defense, juked Keep Reading…

Risers

Marvin Austin DT North Carolina

Like Greg Hardy last year, Austin’s a high-touted prospect who appeared to be a strong candidate to receive a Senior Bowl invite. However, the UNC defensive tackle ended up being passed over by the folks in Mobile, possibly because his college coaching staff didn’t give him a strong recommendation.

Austin, who was suspended by the coaching staff before the NCAA declare him ineligible, has a reputation for being inconsistent on the field and not a hard worker off of it. The Shrine Game was a big test for him; fortunately, he managed to impress scouts, showing up in shape and dominating during practice. While Austin still needs to improve his technique, he beat interior lineman with both speed and strength, displaying an impressive skill set that will appeal to many NFL teams.

David Carter DT UCLA

Carter’s another Keep Reading…