Max Henson lists our top pick in the latest mocks ('6.0'): NFL.com vs CBSSports.com

[WOW!!]

If the team doctors clear him and Rivera and Gettelmen are convinced about his attitude. Then I have no problem with picking him.

[csx]

Oh well good then. I just hope he isn't Jeff Otah 2.0

 

Wouldn't that mean he is a better version of Otah? 

[jarhead]

actually his speed, excellent athletic ability, very quick and light feet, excellent lateral agility, etc are what make him so elite. It is his technique that needs more coaching. As National Football Post writes:

"Kouanjio has better physical traits then Mathews (Texas A&M) and Lewan (Michigan), but at this time, he is not as good with his technique. The question teams will have to answer on draft day is, do they go with upside or what the player is now?"

 

 

He seems to be one of the least understood players in the draft and rightfully so. Like you say his quickness, size, and lateral agility are great while his 40 speed is slow.I think we could put him at RT for a year and let him work on his technique. His body fat is less than 16%.and is not the slob people think he is. The guy is around 6ft 8 and should to continue to grow into that massive frame

 

I do not know if we will draft him but he is at the very least an interesting prospect.

[Woodie]

 

Kouandjio is a first round talent, you know.  Not a sexy pick, but a good pick nonetheless. That arthritic knee though.

 

NFL evaluators surprisingly were complimentary of Alabama T Cyrus Kouandjio in an NJ.com article.

"We like him," an NFC scout said. "We have him rated pretty high." An AFC executive called Kouandjio "raw" but said he had "a lot of upside." Kouandjio has been criticized so often throughout the process that you almost forget that his physical gifts and on-field production both scream first-round pick. His medicals and combine performance raise red flags, but apparently the NFL is keeping those concerns in perspective. "He had a bad combine, so that’s going to throw some people off him," an NFC personnel man said. "But he looked good on tape. He’s big, long, and he competes. I like that." Apr 6 - 9:03 PM

Source: NJ.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The thing is that there has been nothing official saying that there was anything at all wrong with his knee.  It was only rumors at the combine that he had an arthritic knee and failed several physicals.  And since then, even the analysts that told us about it use terms like "if, the knee is bad...," so even they are not sure...which makes me question where they got their info from in the first place.  So basically, they were only rumors without any corroboration. 

 

Then Dr. Andrews sent a letter to every team disputing any knee issue, and we still never heard anything more legitimate than those initial reports.  And when the list of medical re-checks from the combine came out, Kouansjio's name was not on it.  To me, if a player actually does have a question about his knees, It seems logical that there would have been some sort of re-check.

 

So, I don't know anything for certain, but from everything I have seen and heard, there doesn't seem to be anything to the reports of his knee issue.  And if the Panthers takes him in the first, then I'm confident that the team doesn't feel like there is any problem. 

[332nd]

Wouldn't that mean he is a better version of Otah? 

 

Not necessarily, just newer.

[PantherWake]

Wouldn't that mean he is a better version of Otah? 

 

Not in my context.

[Creepster]

You and me both.  One thing about it though, we have some pretty good doctors, so if they give him the thumbs up then we're probably good.

 

 

Didnt the same doctors sign off on Otah?

[tiger7_88]

"Kouanjio has better physical traits then Mathews (Texas A&M) and Lewan (Michigan), 

 

 

WTF?  :lol:

 

Lewan just fricking BLEW AWAY the NFL combine (along with Robinson) with his "physical traits" while Kouanjio was taking a half hour to finish a 40-yd dash.

[top dawg]

Didnt the same doctors sign off on Otah?

 

I wasn't aware that Jeff Otah had any health problems before he came to the NFL...

 

You are comparing apples to lemons.

[Woodie]

Didnt the same doctors sign off on Otah?

 

Otah was fine when we drafted him.  It wasn't until his third year or so that his knee issue showed up. 

[Woodie]

I wasn't aware that Jeff Otah had any health problems before he came to the NFL...

 

You are comparing apples to lemons.

 

Otah played with a high ankle sprain much of his last year at Pitt, but had no problems with the knee.

[top dawg]

Otah played with a high ankle sprain much of his last year at Pitt, but had no problems with the knee.

 

Oh, I didn't know that. But you get what I'm saying.

[gettlemanjack]

WTF? :lol:

Lewan just fricking BLEW AWAY the NFL combine (along with Robinson) with his "physical traits" while Kouanjio was taking a half hour to finish a 40-yd dash.

yep, Kouandjio did poor at combine, likely because of poor preparation. This is what Todd McShay said about Lewan:

"I know he’s not the most athletic guy, but there are some guys who know the angles, have the effort and have the toughness that know the technique and do all the little things to execute their assignments. Let's put it this way: Cyrus Kouandjio from Alabama is a lot more physically gifted, but Taylor Lewan’s tape is a lot better this year."

and here is the opinion on Lewan and Kouandjio from a scout for a NFC team, an executive in personnel from an AFC team and a scouting director from a NFC team who have all been a part of Super Bowl winners:

Taylor Lewan, Michigan, 6-7, 309

“There are question marks there,” the personnel man said. “He’s one of those love/hate guys. He worked out well, but he’s not that tough.”

“I’m not sure about him,” the scout said. “He’s not as physical as you would like.”

“Real inconsistent,” the executive said. “You see some games, and you think he’s another Jake Long. Then, you watch him struggle. He’ll go first round; I’m just not sure where.”

Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama, 6-7, 322

“He had a bad combine, so that’s going to throw some people off him,” the personnel man said. “But he looked good on tape. He’s big, long, and he competes. I like that.”

“He’s a better pass blocker right now than he is a run blocker,” the executive said. “He’s still raw, but there’s a lot of upside.”

“We like him,” the scout said. “We have him rated pretty high.”

[Woodie]

Oh, I didn't know that. But you get what I'm saying.

 

I was actually agreeing with you that it is comparing apples to lemons (I like the lemon twist, by the way).  While Otah had the ankle injury, it wasn't anything expected to linger, and there were no questions about his knees at the time we drafted him.