South Carolina State's DeShawn Baker went over the 1000 yard mark for the thiid straight year in this one. "Baker, Baker the TD Maker" carried 13 times for 164 yards and a TD. He may be the best running back in IAA football now, IMHO. Howard always plays pretty solid defense, but they are missing 4 of their best receivers due to injuries and their offense has just not been able to get it done this year. As you might expect, all of their PPs are on defense.

SCOUTING SUMMARY:

College: South Carolina State Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Columnist: staff
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes

Clyde Reed 70 6' 5.5" 305 5.30 OT 2007: Best offensive lineman in the MEAC, and looks as good as that advertisement. Slams people like a guard in the running game. They run behind him an awful lot. Runs pretty well. Even pulls OK. Has the size you want, but probably not the footwork to be tried on the money side. GRADE: Positive

DeShawn Baker 21 6' 1.0" 225 0.00 HB 2007: Accelerates like a rocket, and he is BIG. Shifty, but doesn't dance too much. Hits the right hole and hits it NOW. Runs north-south with power. Can take it wide too, and has good speed. Didn't see him thrown to and doesn't look like he is asked to block much. GRADE: Positive

Eric Turner 97 6' 4.0" 260 4.80 DT 2008: Some question about whether there is eligibility left. He can play in time. Playing DT now, and lacks speed to be considered in a 4-3, but may be able to bulk up and be a rotational 3-4 DE. Swims well. Gets his arms up on passing plays. Motor is very good. If the NFL still took 260-pound DTs on a regular basis I would say Turner would be drafted...GRADE: Positive

College: Howard Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Columnist: staff
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes

Timothy Lockett 52 5' 11.0" 239 4.77 MLB 2007: There are some really good LBs in the MEAC, and Lockett is the 3rd best. He is much faster than he looks on a speed track. Shows very good parallel chase. Has the bulk to come up and smack OGs and slide to the tackle. Big hitter who wraps. Will be a liability in pass D. Sometimes gets out of position. Lots of upside potential in his game. GRADE: Slightly positive

Edward Piner 93 6' 3.0" 300 5.23 DT 2007: A plugger who fills his gap and not much more. Wears down late. Gives good effort throughout though. Will never get sacks in an NFL defense. GRADE: Neutral

Geoffrey Pope 2 5' 11.4" 185 4.53 CB 2007: Big time speed. Looks fluid in coverage. A real CB sleeper in this draft. Had a PD and a pick and flashed great recovery speed. They say he can run sub 4.4. Good size. Not as tough as you might like, and won't be much of a sticker in run support, but he has a shot to be a pure cover corner. GRADE: VERY POSITIVE

Other Notes: SC State's Patrick Reed is a pretty good MIKE too. Howard's Antoine Rutherford flashes talent as an RB but is inconsistent.