PatsPropaganda

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Among Buckeyes with NFL Draft dreams, Nate Ebner’s is rather special | cleveland.com

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Among Buckeyes with NFL Draft dreams, Nate Ebner’s is rather special | cleveland.com

Ebner wasn’t a recruit at all. But if there’s anyone who helped their NFL prospects with the 2011 Buckeyes, it may be Ebner. For a guy who didn’t play high school football, now contemplating making a living at the game is a bit surreal. Except Ebner, who competed at an elite level in rugby, couldn’t help but believe he’d have a shot. “

Did I think I’d be in a position to get drafted?” Ebner said. “No way. But to possibly play on a pro team? I’d like to say that was always maybe the goal, but I didn’t know how realistic it was until this past year.” Ebner was timed as fast as a 4.48 in the 40 at the pro day, showed his agility with a fast time in the three-cone drill and did well in the broad and vertical jumps. He figured he might do well at the tests, and what he proved is that at about 215 pounds, he could be a raw athlete with a lot of room for growth. That should make him worth a look as an across-the-board special teams player, either in the draft or in free agency. He has continued to talk with NFL teams since pro day. “I’m not getting overly excited about the draft,” Ebner said. “I just want a chance with a team. At the end of the day, you have to show up when it comes time to play.”

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More on Dennard from Belichick: “He’s strong. He’s a physical player. Obviously he played at a high level of competition, particularly in the 2010 season where they played so much in the passing conference – a lot of spread out offenses, a lot of nickel, dime coverage and that type of thing. Then this year, when Nebraska went to the Big Ten, they saw really a whole different schedule, a whole different style of offensive football from those teams that they played so it was interesting to watch all that. I think you can really see him play against – or anybody from Nebraska for that matter, whether it was Lavonte David or Alfonzo, whoever it is – see them play against – two different years, really two different style of offense. He’s gone up against a lot of good players and competed well.”

Belichick highlights Dennard as value pick – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

https://www.patspropaganda.com/more-on-dennard-from-belichick-hes-strong-hes/

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When it comes to versatility, the phrase around Gillette Stadium is, “The more you can do, the more you can do for us.” To that end, while the Patriots have spent the first two days of the 2012 draft aggressively going after defense, they’ve also placed a premium on the acquisition of versatile players.

New England has always managed to wring the most out of a player, and early indications are that the draft class of 2012 is in the same mold – all four players the Patriots have taken in the first three rounds (all of whom are defensive players) all showed positional flexibility as collegians.

patriots – Flexible flyers: Patriots stress versatility through first two days of draft – WEEI | Christopher Price

https://www.patspropaganda.com/when-it-comes-to-versatility-the-phrase-around/

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“I played special teams in college. I’m going to play special teams with the Patriots. It’s something that I love to do, and something that I’m going to do,” Wilson said, noting that he played on the punt team, kickoff team, kickoff return team, and field goal block unit at Illinois.

Tavon Wilson

New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

https://www.patspropaganda.com/i-played-special-teams-in-college-im-going-to/

ProFootballWeekly.com – Draft Prospect – Jeremy Ebert

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ProFootballWeekly.com – Draft Prospect – Jeremy Ebert

Positives: Solidly built and durable. Good two-year production. Nifty route runner. Gets his head around and works back to the quarterback. Has slot experience and will work the middle. Catches the ones he should. Good field awareness. Has special-teams experience. Solid character.

Negatives: Short arms. Needs to get stronger. Tight through his core. Average slot quickness. Gears down to cut. Struggles to separate vs. man coverage. Outmuscled in traffic — does not consistently haul in contested catches. Does not threaten vertically and struggles tracking over his shoulder. Production is inflated by short throws and bubble screens. Average burst and agility after the catch.

Summary: Productive, competitive, relatively monotone slot receiver lacking exceptional athletic traits. Needs room to operate and will have to stand out on special teams to stick.