OL prospects Asamoah, Saffold show promise
Published: March 27th, 2010 | Tags: 2010 NFL Draft, Callahan Bright, Jon Asamoah, Marques Slocum, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Iupati, Rodger Saffold
I love Illinois G Jon Asamoah. He got hurt at the Senior Bowl, but should clear medically before the draft. After Florida C Maurkice Pouncey and Idaho G Mike Iupati, I see Asamoah as the third interior offensive lineman off the board. I like him in the second round and he should start immediately. He’s nasty and finishes.
Indiana tackle/guard prospect Rodger Saffold has really helped himself. He made 41 starts at left tackle in college and had a great week at the East-West Shrine Game. He tested well at the NFL Scouting Combine and should land in the second round. I would draft him as a left tackle and kick him inside if he can’t handle elite speed.
There are two interesting below-the-radar players of note who were huge names coming out of high school:
Callahan Bright is a 6-foot-2, 330-pound nose tackle, who originally committed to Florida State. He ended up getting into trouble and couldn’t qualify academically. He has been training in Florida and there’s some interest in him as a late-draftable/preferred free-agent type.
Marques Slocum was another highly-rated defensive tackle coming out of West Philadelphia Catholic High School back in 2005. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and went to Michigan in 2006 and 2007. He has been playing for the Philadelphia Panthers in a semi-pro league. He worked out at Temple last week and 17 teams were there. He ran a 1.82-second time at the 10-yard marker of the 40-yard dash and did 33 reps at 225 pounds. He pulled up with a slight hamstring injury.
