From former collegiate stars like Chad Lavalais, Daryl Richard, and Glenn Dorsey
to future stars like Chris Davenport, Joshua Downs and Darrington Sentimore, the
state of Louisiana has quietly produced some of the top defensive tackle
prospects year in and year out. After getting a look at the talent in New Orleans on Sunday at the Scout Combine, it was clear that there will be more big
men on the way from the area.
The talent pool at the defensive tackle position was so deep that it was
difficult to choose which player had the best day. Carlton Martin of Madison
Central in Mississippi was the most explosive off the line at 6-1 and 262 pounds
with a 5.04 forty time. More impressively, Martin went through his day in tennis
shoes. The lack of traction hurt him on his lateral tests, the shuttle and the
l-cone, as well as gaining traction during the one on ones. But Martin showed
enough from a physical standpoint, coupled with video we had already seen, to
warrant a boost in the rankings.
Risean Broussard (6-2/278/5.12) of LaGrange was equally impressive in during the
testing phase, and he dominated the one on ones against the offensive linemen.
He is a powerful defensive tackle that gets a great punch with his hands to
knock his opponent off balance. He also showed good technique in his pass rush
moves and the quickness to speed rush an offensive lineman as well.
Calvin Ursin (5-10/253/5.02) could not be blocked, plain and simple. With his
height and size, he likely won't be as heavily recruited as some of the other
players that stood out on Sunday, but if I were playing a game tomorrow, Ursin
would probably be my first pick to suit up. He's the type of player that the BCS
School pass on, then ends up a two time all-american at a smaller school.
Incredibly quick off the line, and powerful.
Speaking of powerful, Mickey Johnson (6-0/297/5/13) of Saint Pauls was coming
off of a second place finish in weight lifting in the state meet. "I lost
by five pounds," Johnson told me with a hint of disgust in his words. When
I mentioned that he still had another year claim the top spot, Johnson said
"Actually, two years, I'm a sophomore." Born in San Diego, Calif.,
Johnson is a prototype nose guard that can occupy two blockers on any given
play, but if an attempt is made to handle him with a single blocker, Johnson can
take his man with speed or power.
Anthony Johnson (6-2/296/5/14) of O. Perry Walker is also a member of the Class
of 2011 who looks like a grown man getting ready for his fourth year of college,
rather than his third year of high school. Johnson tested extremely well, and
like many of his counterparts on the defensive line, was exceptionally powerful.
Johnson would consistently use a powerful right hand to push his opponent off
balance then swim by him.
Elliot Porter (6-4/276) of Archbiship had a solid day as well. I first noticed
him during the ladder drills, because he had exceptional feet moving through the
agility test. Porter is a player that could move to the other side of the ball
and be a dominant offensive lineman as well with his reach as he continues to
grow. He plays with a solid base, and as mentioned, his footwork is very good.
With all of the talk of the jumbo defensive tackles, Houston Bates (6-2/218/4/8)
of Saint Pauls gave the offensive linemen fits from his defensive end spot; that
is, when they could even get a hand on him. Bates has an explosive first step,
and is tenacious once the play begins. His quickness was unparalled on Sunday,
and despite being among the lightest of the defensive linemen, he was still
among the strongest when engaging with the offensive linemen.
There was little doubt the offensive linemen had their hands full in pass
rushing drills that heavily favor the defensive line. In one on ones, it's
always 3rd and long with no threat of the run, giving a big advantage to the
defense. Take that advantage and couple it with the talent on the defensive side
of the ball, and the offensive linemen had their work cut out for them on
Sunday, and several rose to the challenge.
The first time Charles Barkins (6-1/299/5.25) of O. Perry Walker engaged with a
defensive lineman, it was quickly apparent that he had exceptional feet. He kept
on his toes while chopping his feet like a sewing machine and kept used his
massive frame to control the encounter. Barkins would continue to show his
ability through the day.
Andre Huval (6-1/303/5.5) of St. Thomas More also won his share of battles
through the day. He did a great job of using his hands to dictate first contact,
and one he had engaged an opponent, he moved his feet, kept a square base, and
was rarely beaten.
Josh Cunningham (6-2/308/5.66) of Parklane Academy was singled out by the
coaches as one of the top offensive linemen in attendance. He's an interior
lineman by trade, and would relish the opportunity include some run blocking in
these drills.
The prospect I felt has the most upside of the offensive linemen was La'el Collins (6-4/276/5.44) of Redemptorist. Collins was the most athletic of the
offensive linemen in attendance. As a member of the Class of 2011, Collins
sometimes struggled with his technique. He would instintively want to drive an
opponent rather than pass-protect, causing him to lose his balance. Collins
jumped up consistently to take rep after rep after rep, as did all of the
offensive linemen mentioned.
While the defensive line and offensive line group possessed the deepest talent
pool, there was plenty of talent on display across the entire field on Sunday.
Scout's Chad Simmons paid special attention to the wide receiver and
defensive backs, and the quarterbacks delivering the ball.
Quarterbacks
The top player at quarterback was clearly Munchie Legaux of Edna Karr. There were some
questions about him coming into this combine about his ability to stick at
quarterback on the college level, but he answered everyone of them.
Legaux made all the throws – from the three step drop to the seven step drop to the quick slant to the fly route. He showed touch, arm strength, nice footwork, and he threw a nice spiral. He is thin and will need to add weight to compete on the next level, but he showed on Sunday that his future position is going to be under center. He was outstanding all afternoon when he knew a lot of eyes were on him.
Other quarterbacks that had their moments were Dylan Favre, Preston Messer, and Renaldo Thomas. Favre threw the ball with very good accuracy, Messer displayed, great arm strength, and Thomas was a 6-foot-4, 187 pound 2011 QB that showed a lot of potential.
Wide Receiver
Trovon Reed was the biggest name there, but the best receiver during the one on ones was Jarvis Landry.
This class of 2011 wideout ran the best routes, he displayed very good hands, he got great separation, and he showed very good body control. He has large hands and he plays bigger than his 5-foot-11, 186 pound body would lead many to expect. He gets off the ball well and really sinks his hips when getting in and out of his breaks. Landry is not blazing with speed, but he plays fast and he can make plays. He was the top receiver on Sunday.
Reed was not bad either, but just Landry made the most plays. Reed is quick, he has long arms, and he catches the ball well away from his body, but he did not display the kind of explosiveness expected. Corners stayed with him pretty well and he had a hard time creating space between him and the defender. Reed is quick, he has good overall speed, and he is still the top player in Louisiana.
Glen Coleman, Robert Johnson, Antonio Hebert, Brandon Williams, and Renaldo Young were other receivers that stood out on Sunday.
Defensive Backs
In the secondary, James McKnight had the best day overall. From the testing to the positional drills to the one on ones, he had a good. He showed good recovery speed, he made nice breaks on the ball during the one on ones and he was a little quicker than expected.
Urell Johnson, Tyrann Mathieu, and Raven Floyd (2011) were other defensive backs that made plays.
Scout's Steve Robertson was keeping an eye on the running backs and
linebackers and saw several players stand out.
Linebackers
There was a very nice group of linebackers. They group was a bit out numbered
by the running backs and tight ends, so there were plenty of reps to go around.
Tarquin Kenner of Destrehan High School (LA) really had a nice day in both the
drills and the one-on-ones. He looked very good in his drops and his change of
direction was near the top of the grouping.
Chris Bermond of Hancock High School (MS) has grown about an inch and put on
about ten pounds of good weight, since we scouted him last season. Bermond
turned in a 4.63 in the laser timed 40. His progress over the last few months
was evident during the day's events. He drew rave reviews from both his combine
coaches and peers.
Chris Marshall of Franklin High (LA) is as athletic as they come. His pass
coverage skills were very good and he really stood out in the one-on-ones. Chris
showed a nice burst once the ball was in the air and he was physical enough to
knock would be pass catchers off their routes.
Running Backs
Robert Bush of Leesville, Louisiana helped his own cause with a strong showing
on Sunday. He has a real compact running style with very little wasted motion.
In the one-on-ones he did a very nice job catching the ball away from his body
and he did not let defenders disrupt him on his routes.
One of the main attractions was rising junior Kenny Hillard of Patterson,
Louisana. The reigning 3A offensive player of the year, stands out among the
crowd phyically. Hilliard was near the middle of the pack in testing, but in
individual drills he flourished. He has the chance to be a special player if he
continues to work hard.
Acadiana High School running back Blair Broussard showed some flashes during the
day. As strong summer and senior season should produced some college options.
Overall, it was what we have come to expect from our New Orleans Combine over
the course of the last five years: talent at every position and hard working
players and coaches. As if that weren't enough to bring us back every year, the
Jumbalaya would be. Scout will have continued coverage of the Scout Combine
through the week including MVPs, testing results, Top 5s, player interviews and
more.