Is Broyles a 'real risk' or a 'major value?'
Published: 4/30/2012 8:03 AM
Last Modified: 4/30/2012 10:31 AM
It wasn't a high-profile NFL draft for Oklahoma, but it still high volume. The Sooners tied Georgia with seven players selected. The only program to fare better was Alabama with eight.
Reaction to the OU draftees was plentiful and wide-ranging. Here's a sample...
Ryan Broyles (to Detroit in the second round)
Mel Kiper on ESPN.com: "I was a little surprised they went for Ryan Broyles in round two – they certainly don't have problems throwing the ball – but if he hadn't been hurt I think he goes late in round one. Could turn into a major value."
Pete Prisco on CBSSports.com: "Taking Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles in the second round is a real risk. He is coming off a torn ACL and wasn't a burner before that… This wasn't a great draft, but it could be if Broyles returns to his pre-injury form."
TW blog: Broyles will, in fact, return to pre-injury form and be a productive slot receiver. His first problem might not be his left knee, but Titus Young, the second-year player from Boise State who the Lions used a second-round pick on last year. He caught 48 passess for 607 yards as a rookie alongside Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson.
Basically, Young has a one-season head start in gaining Matthew Stafford's trust.
Donald Stephenson (to Kansas City in the third round)
Kiper: "I think Donald Stephenson has the upside of a starter at tackle."
John Czarnecki on FoxSports.com: "Stephenson has failed drug tests, been arrested and was also suspended for the entire 2009 season. No offensive tackle jumped higher or longer than Stephenson at the scouting combine, though."
TW blog: The counter to the character risk issue is that Stephenson is now playing for his beloved hometown team. Surely he won't do anything to embarrass the Chiefs. He walks a straight line, it might just lead him into the starting lineup by the end of the 2012 season.
Jamell Fleming (to Arizona in the third round)
Czarnecki: "Oklahoma cornerback Jamell Fleming was a steal as the 80th overall pick and ideally fits the Cardinals' zone-blitz approach to defense."
Ira Kaufman for the Tampa Tribune: "The Cards may have reached a bit for CB Jamell Fleming, an indifferent tackler."
TW blog: Ninety percent of college cover corners are indifferent tacklers. Assuming he cares enough to adapt to the pros' physical demands, and I'm thinking he will, Fleming will be around a long time.
Frank Alexander (to Carolina in the fourth round)
Czarnecki: "They surrendered next year's third-round pick and a sixth-round pick in order to take pass-rushing end Frank Alexander out of Oklahoma. He better get 6 to 8 sacks this year to be worth that."
TW blog: Alexander might get closer to 6 than 8. That might be enough to impress the Panthers, considering starting end Greg Hardy got 4 a year ago.
Ronnell Lewis (to Detroit in the fourth round)
Kiper: "Ronnell Lewis is an interesting pick. I thought he could be a good Leo linebacker for someone. I could see Detroit using him as a situational pass-rusher."
Prisco: "Ronnell Lewis was a nice player at Oklahoma. He has some pass-rush skills, but will have to transition to a 4-3 outside linebacker."
TW blog: Kiper had better be right. Right now, there is one thing Lewis has down pat, and that is a straight-ahead steam-engine rush at the quarterback. He stuggled as a 4-3 outside 'backer at OU. I can't imagine the NFL process being any easier.
Hopefully Jim Schwartz makes him a special teams devil and asks him to get after the pocket in 2012. Then everyone can take it from there.
James Hanna (to Dallas in the sixth round)
Todd McShay on ESPN: "James Hanna is an interesting player. You didn't see a whole lot of production out of him at Oklahoma, but they didn't feature the tight end a lot. When you look back at the last two years, 35 catches in 25 starts. Not a whole lot to go off of.
"But when they flexed him out, you could see the athleticism and the ability to stretch the ield. Then he shows up at the combine and you're thinking, 'Well, maybe a free agent.' He ran the fastest time of any of the tight ends there with a 4.49. Had the fastest three-cone drill of any of the tight ends. The fastest short shuttle. Best vertical jump of all the tight ends. You get the point.
"This guy's fast and he's explosive, so it's a great time to take a chance on one of these workout warriors and see if you can develop him, get a guy that can learn some things from Jason Witten."
TW blog: What McShay said.
Travis Lewis (to Detroit in the seventh round)
Kiper: "I'm interested to see if Travis Lewis can stick. He's another Oklahoma prospect that at one time I assumed would go much higher."
Someone on SI.com: "Oklahoma linebacker Travis Lewis might be one of the steals of the draft."
Czarnecki: "The Lions took two players from Oklahoma. One of them was Ronnell Lewis… The other Sooner was receiver Ryan Broyles."
TW blog: Lewis, who figures to show up for minicamp with a bag of chips on his shoulder, can pin Czarnecki's slight to his locker. Then he'll have to hope his prospects are better than typical seventh-rounders.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
