Neal vs Cross

[Mr. Scot]

12 minutes ago, Prowler2k18 said:

I’m with you on this one. Penning is a menace. He’d bring serious attitude and be a tone setter on the OL. He’d have to work on technique and harness the aggression but it would be worth it.

I think if you're one of the people who cheers for the bad guys in pro wrestling, you'd probably love Trevor Penning

[janderson20vt]

Whichever one can play QB.

[Mr. Scot]

Relevant to the discussion...

 

[Prowler2k18]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

I think if you're one of the people who cheers for the bad guys in pro wrestling, you'd probably love Trevor Penning

Lolthat’s rather interesting when you consider our new OL coach dabbled in pro wrestling in his younger days. 
 

 

[Mr. Scot]

33 minutes ago, Prowler2k18 said:

Lolthat’s rather interesting when you consider our new OL coach dabbled in pro wrestling in his younger days. 
 

 

The line could cut some promos

Edited March 25, 2022 by Mr. Scot

[Prowler2k18]

6 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

The line could cut some promos

I hope so. Would be a refreshing change.

[AU-panther]

18 hours ago, mrcompletely11 said:

How often do top 10 LT bust?  Not often from what I can tell.

OTs of the past 10 years from 

2021 NFL Draft Listing | Pro-Football-Reference.com

2012:  Matt Kahil

2013:  Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel, Lane Johnson

2014:  Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews

2015:  Ereck Flowers

2016:  Ronnie Stanley, Jack Conklin

2017:  

2018:  Mike McGlinchey

2019:

2020: Andrew Thomas, Jedrick Wills JR

2021:  Penei Sewell

Alot of these guys moved to RT but coming out of college a lot of teams were hoping for LT, just like one or more of the top guys this year might end up moving.  As you can see by the list, there are no guarantees of a finding a quality LT even drafting in the top 10.

 

 

 

 

 

[MechaZain]

Same as last year if OT1 falls into their lap they’ll have no choice but Cross is my guy too. I think he’d actually be better fit for McCaffrey.  

[pantherj]

Oh Goodness Evan Neal is better than Cross. Evan Neal is so good that if he falls to 6th my heart will be racing.

What is so good about Neal? He is 6'7" 350 pounds and has terrific technique and all the skills tackles take a long time to master. This guy is the baddest mf I have seen in a while.

At 6'7" he run blocks well because he isn't lazy. He goes down low and gets under shorter opponents and drives them back. That is exhausting and he does it anyway, and blows people up with great technique.

At 6'7 350 you'd think he'd be naturally great against a bull rush from tall DE's, but he isn't. He uses technique to defeat bull rushes from bigger DE's, so he uses his hands/arms to chop their arms at the elbows so their arms bend inward into their own bodies, and that is how Neal stops them. Technique while he keeps his balance and gives some ground without backing into the QB.

Neal is really smart, and he keeps his eyes active on what is happening around him while he's already engaged with someone else. He never looks away or gets lost when a stunt is coming, he knows what might be coming and he watches LB or whomever.

Neal breaks off his double team and gets to the second level like a pro. He times it just right, and he tracks down the quick LB like a heat seeking missile and blows him up.

I have, on several occasions, seen Neal punch a defender and send them flying backwards. I am not exaggerating. 

In general he is a damn load to try and deal with for an entire game, and he's smart as hell. I see Neal as a future Pro Bowl LT.

 

[pantherj]

Imo Neal will be gone before we pick. There is no reason he should be there at 6. That's crazy unless QBs start to go.

The mock drafts may have Neal falling to 6, but remember that you have to keep changing your mock draft to keep people coming back to read it. Everyone gets moved up and down, and sometimes it's just to keep things interesting.

Edited March 26, 2022 by pantherj

[unicar15]

On 3/24/2022 at 10:43 PM, Mr. Scot said:

Like I said, he's all over the place.

It'd be good to know why.

He’s going to be the top OT. Ikem shot up bc he didn’t have national attention the entire year and Kiper going on and on about how violent Ikem is. But Neal is a freak…..and I’m a huge NCSU fan. Neal will be off the board by the time CAR picks. We could get Ikem or Cross though with all the D talent rising to the top. 

[pantherj]

I decided to go back and look at Evan again and I just love this guy. His hands are super quick and precise for such a Bigfoot sized human. What a monster, but quick with those hands, quick into his stance, shoots those hands out at just the right time, and has so much power. Great kick step and balance. A dancing bear with his footwork and his super fast hands.

He has the same problem popping up each time I watch him. He is a little vulnerable to a bull rush from big DE. He counters that with great technique, but even then he's going to get pushed back sometimes near the QB. His great technique prevents sacks, but the QB will be hurried/pressured sometimes. He doesn't anchor as well against a big bull rushing DE, so he needs a pro weight room lifting regiment. Get that core stronger.

 

[pantherj]

I had another look at Cross and I don't like him as much as Neal. Cross looks undersized out there, and in the NFL everything is bigger. Big DEs are going to give Cross trouble imo. Also I see him holding sometimes because he got lazy. I prefer a bigger LT than Cross. We need to rough people up with McAdoo here, and I don't see him wanting Cross.

 

[thefuzz]

9 hours ago, AU-panther said:

OTs of the past 10 years from 

2021 NFL Draft Listing | Pro-Football-Reference.com

2012:  Matt Kahil

2013:  Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel, Lane Johnson

2014:  Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews

2015:  Ereck Flowers

2016:  Ronnie Stanley, Jack Conklin

2017:  

2018:  Mike McGlinchey

2019:

2020: Andrew Thomas, Jedrick Wills JR

2021:  Penei Sewell

Alot of these guys moved to RT but coming out of college a lot of teams were hoping for LT, just like one or more of the top guys this year might end up moving.  As you can see by the list, there are no guarantees of a finding a quality LT even drafting in the top 10.

 

 

 

 

 

Yea...I was coming to post that.

Real high LT's, especially top 10 guys haven't fared all that well lately.  20+ years ago that was one of the safest picks you could make...now, it's risky as all get out.

The biggest freaks want to rush the passer vs. play T...I get it, but the talent needs to creep back into the O side of the line at some point.