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Ex-OU linemen might hear bitter truth

 
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist
Published: 2/19/2009  2:27 AM
Last Modified: 2/19/2009  3:50 AM

 February in Indianapolis can be cold, cruel, bitter and brutal. The weather conditions aren't too hot, either.

The second month's third week is the start time for the Indy 300. The NFL Scouting Combine, under way for the 23rd straight year in the city, is an annul rite of winter for more than 300 players who often have their college reputations enhanced or exposed.

Two former Oklahoma standouts could experience the latter if at least one so-called draft expert is correct in his assessment of tackle Phil Loadholt and guard Duke Robinson.

Loadholt and Robinson started on the left side this past season for what was considered one of the best offensive lines in OU history. Both played key roles in protecting Sam Bradford and helping the Sooner quarterback win the 2008 Heisman Trophy.

The NFL coaches, scouts, general managers and other front-office personnel who arrived for Wednesday's start of the combine, don't care how dominating a player was in college. They hope to use the next several days to determine if he has the athletic skills and mental capacity to make the transition to the professional level.

Saturday's All-Americans often turn out to be Sunday's busts.

So they'll poke, prod, weigh, measure, test and interrogate the 332 players invited to the combine. The event runs through Tuesday, with most athletes spending three days going through a battery of physical, medical and psychological tests.

The 6-foot-8, 337-pound Loadholt, and the 6-5, 335-pound Robinson certainly pass the eye and experience tests.

Robinson was a three-year starter, while Loadholt made a seamless transition into the lineup the past two seasons after transferring from Garden City (Kan.) Community College.

They are among a group of eight OU seniors invited to the combine. The others are center Jon Cooper, safety Nic Harris, cornerback Lendy Holmes, wideouts Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson and offensive tackle Brandon Walker.

For the massive Loadholt, the NFL could be a case where size doesn't matter.

His draft stock dropped when he had a mediocre Senior Bowl after struggling all week in practice with pass blocking against swift defensive ends like Texas' Brian Orakpo.

Mike Mayock, a former NFL cornerback who is the draft analyst for the NFL Network, said he witnessed what he expected during Loadholt's Senior Bowl week.

"I had watched a lot of tape on him, so I wasn't disappointed," Mayock said in a telephone interview. "I don't have him rated as highly as a lot of people because I expected him to struggle with speed and he did."

Highly skilled left offensive tackles can make millions in the NFL. With most quarterbacks throwing right-handed, it's up to the left tackle to guard their blind side.

"To me, (Loadholt) has a massive frame and long arms," Mayock said. "But I don't think he's got good feet, and I don't think he's a left tackle.

"He struggles to bend, and he struggles with any kind of elite speed. Orakpo ran by him all day long."

Mayock projects Loadholt's name to still be on the board late in April's two-day, six-round draft.

He predicts the Sooner will go either in the fourth or fifth round to a team that projects him as a right tackle.

"I think he's a right tackle only, and that's not a good thing to be in the NFL," Mayock said. "If you can't play guard, and you're not good enough to be a left tackle, you better be a really good right tackle."

Mayock isn't as down on Robinson, rating him as a possible second-round selection. But he'll go that high only if it's to a team looking for a specific size.

Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, who have big offensive lines with heavy run games, are going to be attracted to Robinson," Mayock said. "He's a massive brawler who's good in a phone booth. When he gets leverage on a guy, he absolutely destroys him.

"But he doesn't have great feet, so when he has to redirect his feet, he struggles. Where he (is drafted) will depend on a team getting comfortable with him as far as his work ethic and character."

Cooper, a three-year starter at center, was another vital part of an O-line that helped the Sooners advance to the national championship game. He received a last-minute invitation to the combine, which doesn't surprise Mayock.

"I don't think he'll get drafted," Mayock said of the 6-3, 290-pound Cooper. "I actually liked him on tape. But I thought that guy playing right tackle was really good."

OU fans should find some hope in that comment. The right tackle Mayock mentioned is Trent Williams, the only O-line starter who will return next season.

And given Mayock's blunt assessment of Loadholt, Robinson and Cooper, perhaps one now understands why coach Bob Stoops has insisted he isn't worried about rebuilding an offensive line that's anchored by Williams.

February's combine can be cold and cruel in Indianapolis.

But March's spring practices can be a time of optimism and opportunity in college towns like Norman.

NFL Scouting Combine

at Indianapolis • Through Tuesday

TV: NFL-252 (Saturday-Tuesday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.)

By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist

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COMMENTS 
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4 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (2/19/2009 11:38:11 AM)
Enjoyed the article. Your insight was educational.
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whodathunkit, (2/19/2009 2:57:38 PM)
"His draft stock dropped when he had a mediocre Senior Bowl after struggling all week in practice with pass blocking against swift defensive ends like Texas' Brian Orakpo."

Orakpo didn't attend the Senior Bowl - was scheduled to and then didn't go.

you can go to seniorbowl website and check the rosters

Might have been good to "research" that point.

But - Loadholt will get drafted 3rd/4th round and be a project
Report Comment
40acres, broken arrow (2/19/2009 6:04:38 PM)
Loadhold won't get drafted, holding's not aloowed in the NFL. He's a slow, fat, stiff.
Report Comment
rufnec, Ventura (2/19/2009 8:47:30 PM)
Hmmm, I think the article is accurate, but another negative Sittler twist when writing about OU.
 

 
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