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Doug’s Mock -- And in the fifth round...

When I came home from this year's Combine, I started putting together my list of players to interview. From Curry and Sanchez to a certain quarterback you'll hear more about very soon, I got just about everyone I wanted. The guy I wanted to talk to as much as anyone, based on his Combine press conference, was a fifth-round prospect who looks like a linebacker backup/special teams hybrid. Why?

A few fast facts about Cal linebacker Zack Follett:

His hero is Terry Tate, Office Linebacker. "I get real pumped up for games. This is something I love to do, and to do it in front of 70,000 fans, plus people watching at home on an ESPN game, that gets me even more juiced. To go out and have a chance to be on ESPN like that, I think they had me miked up for the game and I was talking about the Pain Train. And growing up, Terry Tate, No. 56, the Office Linebacker, he was my hero watching those commercials. I tried to emulate him when I was out there."

He makes life-size wood carvings of himself and teammates, and hopes to market them as 3-D FatHeads. "My dad taught me when I was little. He made Christmas cutouts of Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse and stuff like that. When I was a senior, I took it to the next level. I started making wood cutouts. I did one of myself, kind of experimenting. My other linebacker partner painted it. It was a life-size replica. It's like a FatHead in an artistic style way. It came out pretty sweet. Hopefully, from an investment standpoint I'm going to open a little woodshop wherever I move and I'll make them of teammates because I know they have a lot of money to waste."

He's worked out with (and made a wood Fathead of) Ravens fullback Lorenzo Neal. "The first time I met him was my sophomore year and we had the same trainer in Fresno, and I was doing one-on-ones. He was the fullback out of the backfield, and I'd go to check him up and I'd bounce off his body. I never met somebody like that who was a human muscle, pretty much. He's an animated guy as well. He just told me to hit it at full speed. He's seen me play, and he said I wouldn't have a problem. He said hopefully we'll meet up in the hole one of these days."

Star-divide

So, he's a character. I finally got to talk to him late last week, and will hope to talk to him again after he's drafted, since time constraints have prevented me from writing the feature (plus, I'm still waiting for the pictures of the wood FatHeads, dude!)

He's also an extreme hitter, projected as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 (though he's played 4-3 and 3-4 in college, and the Bengals coaching staff moved him inside at the Senior Bowl), and he will overreach tackles on occasion. See, the strategy is to draft Louis Delmas and Zack Follett, and give Tim Ruskell enough kamikaze tackling that he won't notice when we sell B-Russ to the Broncos for a bag of Twizzlers.

Follett is a no-fear motorhead with phasers set to "stun". Watching him play beings to mind Randy Cross' famous quite about Ronnie Lott: "He doesn't care about his own body, so why should he care about yours?" There's a little pass rush there, some power in run support, and a guy who will look for people to hit on special teams. And fans will fall in love with him in the same way they did with Owen Schmitt last year.

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Awesome.

Stop making your mock so great Doug. I’m going to be disappointed when Ruskell doesn’t draft these guys.

by LantermanC on Apr 24, 2009 4:59 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Curry no!

Follett yes.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Apr 24, 2009 5:04 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Agreed. I've loved everything but the 1st pick, really.....

"Why is it every time I need to get somewhere, we get waylaid by jackassery?" - Dr. Venture

by Eegah on Apr 24, 2009 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

are you still crying about Curry?

Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.

by iverson2169 on Apr 24, 2009 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions   1 recs

Yes.

I will be horrified if we draft him.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Apr 24, 2009 10:00 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Frog... seriously man.

Horrified?

Tyson Jackson at #4 is horrifying.
Curry is the best defensive player in this draft.

I’ll qualify what I am posting by adding that I do believe there are better choices for us at #4, but if we walk away with the drafts best defensive player (some say best overall player) I won’t be crying.

Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.

by iverson2169 on Apr 24, 2009 10:08 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

"Curry is the best defensive player in this draft."

I disagree. ILBs aren’t ever worth a top 5 pick unless you are getting Ray Lewis, and Curry is far more AJ Hawk than Ray Lewis.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Apr 24, 2009 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Curry is far more than an ILB... (at 4.5 speed with coverage skills).

and while your at it….

What are this weeks winning power-ball numbers?

Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.

by iverson2169 on Apr 24, 2009 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

But would you say he's the next Ray Lewis?

“What are this weeks winning power-ball numbers?”

Michael Crabtree, Eugene Monroe, Matt Stafford, Brian Robiskie, Alex Mack, Juaquin Iglesias, Hakeem Nicks.

I’ll also tell you what they aren’t: Jeremy Maclin, Darrius Heyward Bey, Andre Smith, BJ Raji, and Brian Orakpo.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Apr 24, 2009 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Also... where the heck did this AJ Hawk comparison come from?

I’ve seen it tossed around a few times as GOSPEL…

Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.

by iverson2169 on Apr 24, 2009 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Both are good, not great, at everything, solid starters, have shown almost no playmaking ability, not

cornerstones of their franchises.

Green Bay can win the Super Bowl next season and you sure as hell won’t hear AJ Hawk’s name being mentioned as a key contributor.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Apr 24, 2009 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Good Lord...

A. Curry has shown almost no playmaking ability? Huh?

B. How in the world can Curry be a cornerstone of a franchise when he isn’t even drafted yet?

C. What does Green Bay Winning a Superbowl, or AJ Hawks role in such an event have ANYTHING at all to do with Aaron Curry?

Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.

by iverson2169 on Apr 25, 2009 1:08 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Coverage skills?

I take it that it’s not as important for the LB’s to pocess good coverage skills in a tampa 2 defense? I’m not real up on it but with a shallow zone they release to the safety (or atleast have help over top) on deeper crosses and the focus is more at the line is that correct?

by hawkfanjp on Apr 24, 2009 5:07 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Actually, I thought Tampa 2 defense LBs needed to be better in coverage than usual.

And less blitzing. Which is why I’m not really enthusiastic if we are moving towards one because Hill’s role is lessened.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Apr 24, 2009 5:13 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Annnnnd I could have sworn I hit reply.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Apr 24, 2009 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

My bad..

…in one of my previous posts John had mentioned a short zone and a deep zone. I thought he was talking about different defenses rather than run and pass downs in the tampa 2. Another post mentioned the possiblity or platooning LB’s based on run or pass downs as has been mentioned at the line with Redding. So maybe he’ll play partime and Hill will blitz more often on the passing downs.

by hawkfanjp on Apr 24, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

suggestion Doug and John...

Can you guys post your “draft to date” at the end of each post? Makes it easier to see the big picture.

Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.

by iverson2169 on Apr 24, 2009 7:11 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

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