Maryland came in ranked #23, and a legitimate threat to be in the ACC title game, and went out limping and licking its wounds as first-year HB Darren Evans broke free for a monster game including a TD and runs of 50 and 45 yards to give the Hokies the win. QB Sean Glennon, resurrected from the discard pile played quite well, and showed that--regardless of what has happened to him in college (and the same can be said for Drew Weatherford and Todd Boeckmann) he is a legitimate pro prospect who deserves a look. The Hokies defense played perhaps their best game of the year and Napoleon Dynamite lookalike QB Chris Turner of the Terps showed he really isn't ready for the bright lights quite yet. Junior TE Greg Boone of Va Tech was a revelation, playing TE, FB, QB in this game and doing a little of everything, and doing it pretty well. Junior FS Kam Chancellor continued his rise up draft boards with a very solid effort. For Maryland, the LB corps continues to impress, but the brightest star on their defense is the one LB who is not yet in the database, Soph. Alex Wujciak (#33, 6'3", 255) who looked a future first-day candidate.

SCOUTIN SUMMARY:

College: Virginia Tech Conference: Atlantic Coast Columnist: Steve Martin

Game Notes
Sergio Render 70 6' 2.9" 316 0.00 OG 2010: Looked much better in this game, but he's a junior who isn't likely to declare. Had a great block on Darren Evan's 50-yard run, but still needs to sustain his run blocks longer. Pulls OK and delivers a pop upon arrival. GRADE: Neutral

Victor Harris 1 5' 11.5" 203 4.50 CB 2009: Really flashed his versatility in this one, playing WR, taking a reverse and running for decent yardage on offense and playing well as a WR decoy and blocker, as well as (like always) playing well at his normal spot on defense as a CB. Also returning punts, and had a nice one. I love this guys aggressive style. He is one of those rare CB prospects who has the size and nastiness to be a real hitter in the run game, but yet has good enough coverage skills, aggression and talent to not hurt you as a pass defender either. He may not possess elite coverage skills, but they are good enough to be a nickel back for almost any club year one, and that versatility allows him to make your roster, contribute in other ways, and work on honing his coverage technique. Just a solid all around guy with much better upside than Brandon Flowers. GRADE: Positive

Sean Glennon 7 6' 3.4" 224 4.85 QB 2009: Came back a couple weeks ago due to an injury to the starter, and hurt his ankle pretty badly the prior week. Still gimpy this week, but showed some toughness playing on it and through it. A tall QB in his passing style. High release point and stands tall in the pocket. Shows touch and a decent arm. Really stepped into his throws today. Showed good timing and coordination with his receivers. Still has a ways to go in terms of recognition and check downs, and does not appear to have top-drawer rush awareness or escape ability (even when not hurt) but there is enough pro stuff in this kid's game to bring him in as a UDFA, and I will not be among the surprised if he makes 3rd-string for somebody. GRADE: Slightly positive

Orion Martin 90 6' 1.5" 255 4.85 DE 2009: Self made guy, who is still an overachiever no matter how you slice it. Chases from behind for tackles, rushes the QB pretty well at this level. Has a nice club-grap-and propel from that grab, move. Lacks pro explosion and size. Camp guy, who is a warrior but my guess is he doesn't have enough size to be anything special. GRADE: Neutral

Kam Chancellor 17 6' 3.1" 223 4.55 S 2010: This kid has what you want at FS. Hits pretty well. Disruptive and physical. Still looks thin, even at 223, and has a frame to go 235 without losing much speed or agility. This former QB is smart, nasty, and BIG. Benches 375. Tackles and is around the ball a lot. Doesn't have classic wrap-up tackling technique and wasn't challenged enough in the passing department in this one, but he has the fluidity, COD, and instincts to be a fine coverage guy too. The complete package, who is a year away in terms of refinement and technique, but who will still go high if he comes out early. GRADE: Positive

Cory Holt 12 6' 3.5" 215 4.80 WR 2009: DNP

Brett Warren 33 6' 0.4" 237 4.75 LB 2009: practically invisible in this one at times, but he did have a big stick on DH-B late in the 3rd quarter that really took his effectiveness away for the day after that. Overall just didn't show up much, but didn't show up negatively either, and when your entire D plays as well as it did today, that doesn't get you a bad grade. Takes care of lane responsibilities. GRADE: Neutral

Purnell Sturdivant 45 5' 9.9" 225 4.70 LB 2009: Busy little fireplug MLB who just isn't going to make it due to lack of size and speed issues. Not a very good blitzer, though he is still sent. Solid tackler and diagnoser. Productive at this level and is the team's top tackler, but he just doesn't give you that "wow" factor in anything he does. A poor man's Buster Davis. GRADE: Slightly negative

Ryan Shuman 58 6' 2.8" 293 5.30 C 2009: Sturdy in pass pro, and will fight you in the running game. Better at the LOS than down field. Handles the ball chores OK, and relishes the fight. Hesitates before connecting on the second level, and may struggle with moving targets. If you use him right, he can play. Must not go to a system where he is asked to pull a lot. GRADE: Neutral

Nick Marshman 67 6' 4.2" 339 5.09 OG 2009: Massive straight-ahead run blocker, who doesn't sustain his blocks, and needs to learn how to hold inauspiciously. A phone booth to try to run through in PP. Doesn't strike me as 5.09 guy. Doesn't look all that athletic too me. However, if he can be teched up and continue to work in the weight room, you might have a run-blocking OG here he would be a valuable bench warmer. GRADE: Neutral

Greg Boone 8 6' 2.9" 291 4.85 TE 2010: Interesting guy because of his unusual TE measurables, his QB background, and his position versatility. Was a threat in this game to do just about anything. Handled about 7-8 snaps at QB, caught a few passes, including a TD where he showed me he can stretch that thick frame up after the high ball. Ran the ball 4 for 16 out of the QB set. Needs more upper-body development. They say he can throw the ball 70 yards, but he never threw today. Has the ideal frame for a run-blocking TE, and shows the willingness, though he still has work to do in blocking tech. Glad he has another year. Take it young man. GRADE: Neutral

Cordarrow Thompson 95 6' 1.5" 323 5.05 DT 2010: Big guy who moves around a little and makes some plays. Needs that extra year to get bigger and stronger. Looks like he could development into a solid 3-4 NT candidate with another year in the weightroom. Not a slug on the field. Shows some moves. I had him for 3 tackles, a TFL and a FR in this one. Definitely made his presence felt. GRADE: Didn't focus enough on him to grade, but saw enough to get him into the database.


College: Maryland Conference: Atlantic Coast Columnist: Steve Martin

Scott Burley 77 6' 4.5" 339 5.30 OT 2009: Massive mauler when he connects. Playing ROT this year, which is a testament to his versatility. Locks well at times and really drives people in the running game. Looks like an ideal guy to bring in and try inside. Did not stay at LOT this season, and that is because he is not an elite pass blocker. Heavy-legged thumper who misses too many blocks in both PP and RB. Easily beaten deep by speed. Beaten by hard inside counter moves as well, and by average spin moves. Must be looked at as a guard. Does not have enough PP ability to even be considered as a ROT candidate in the pros, let alone LOT where he played last season. Injury issues must be all checked out. Has never lived up to the hype because of all the injuries. GRADE: Negative

Darrius Heyward-Bey 8 6' 2.0" 200 4.28 WR 2010: I think it's all been said before. Elite athleticism, measurables, upside and potential. Average current pass receiving skills and production. Speed/Size may get him over-drafted in the mid first round, but he is a second-round WR right now. If he goes to a team that can afford to develop him for a year or two--look out. Should go back to school. Showed that speed and ability, as he always does, and showed toughness coming back after getting lit up. GRADE: Neutral

Dan Gronkowski 13 6' 5.7" 257 4.75 TE 2009: Tough and getting tougher. Reliable. Good enough hands. Has the size and decent speed. Can stretch the seam a little and has decent hands. Sells the "block & release" well and gets off quickly. Fights for the ball. Willing to work as a blocker. Has been in a school known for TE play, and has had good models to follow. Has some athleticism and some upside. Still very young to the position. Has never really put it all together despite 5 years in the Maryland program. May struggle to ever become an elite blocker. Has never been very productive, despite the opportunity. Worked hard at blocking in this one, and showed me he has the ethic needed to improve and to be brought in. GRADE: Neutral

Jaimie Thomas 76 6' 3.3" 330 5.25 OG 2009: Seasoned and steady. Understands the position and his responsibilities. Coachable and fairly motivated. Handled Orion Martin easily when matched up one-on-one. If (and when) he locks on, it is all over. Hits OK when pulling. Despite his size and gifts he is more of a shover and a leaner in run blocking than a driver who keeps his feet churning. Gives decent effort but must learn to sustain his blocks better in PP. Something missing in his game, that's hard to exactly pinpoint. GRADE: Neutral

Trey Covington 55 6' 2.1" 240 4.70 LB 2009: Frustrating guy to watch because he has a bunch of skills, but just doesn't seem to get enough done. Not sure what it is, and can only attribute it to the fact he is splitting the tackles with 3 other LBs. Doesn't show me any real passion or "take-charge" attotude. He only got a few hits in, and did nothing to inspire me to think he is worth a draft pick, despite his size and skill set. GRADE: Negative

Moise Fokou 48 6' 1.5" 225 4.60 LB 2009: Moise is the rush OLB, and Trey and David are the tacklers. Moise had his best game I've seen today. Had two sacks rushing the QB, and a couple hurries. Also showed me he will chase and that he has some coverage skills. Just wish he had Covington's size, and that Covington has Fokou's motor. GRADE: Sightly positive

Dave Philistin 34 6' 1.6" 231 4.65 LB 2009: Played with a shoulder injury which seemed to limit his aggressiveness somewhat. Played LILB, and showed (even with the injury) that he is solid at the POA. In on seven tackles, but I hate scouting guys when they are not 100%, because the impressions you get can be way off base. GRADE: Incomplete

Jeff Allen 29 6' 0.6" 190 4.60 S 2009: DNS, and I hardly saw him. Had one tackle I saw in limited action. GRADE: Incomplete

Jeremy Navarre 40 6' 3.0" 280 5.24 DT 2009: Better athlete than I had been thinking he was . Playing DE today, and made me think he MIGHT be a 4-3 DE candidate for somebody. Tough guy. Chases downfield very well. Tackles like a LB. If he isn't matched up with a mauler who locks on to him, he can be tough around the LOS too. GRADE: positive

Jordan Steffy 17 6' 0.4" 209 4.65 QB 2009: DNP


OTHER NOTES:

Maryland: Sophomore RB Da'Rel Scott has been solid previous to this game, but came in banged up and never really got anything going today.

QB Chris Turner has some skills, but has some funky head issues going on.

The star of the game for Maryland--and he outshined all the other 3 database LBs, was big sophomore Alex Wujciak. He is a take no prisoners guy who is in the same mold as BC's Herzlich. If he keeps progressing, he could be a future first rounder. He certainly has the size pro scouts drool over.


Virginia Tech:

Yes, RS FR RB Darren Evans had a very nice game, but part of that could be "beginner's luck" enabled by the Maryland D not really taking him all that seriously?

Boone was a pretty good HS QB at 259 and was timed at that weight in the mid 4.7s, where do you see him at the next level? FB, O-Line, DE, he was a very good DE in HS also. Where does Glennor rank with the Boekman, Longshore, Drew Weatherford- "penny stock" QBs? I think he could be a solid #2. What did you think of Cordarrow Thompson? He might be the 2nd best pro prospect on the field IMHO. Man if a team could get Mays in this draft and Chancellor in the next, they'd have a safety duo about like what Washington would have had if Sean Taylor was still with us.

Alex Wujciak looked like Cushing without al the 'bells and whistles' do you think he could get up to 270+ and play with his hand on the ground or is he a 3-4 OLB? Was he the best propect on the Maryland squad?

Boone is going to be a TE, based on what I saw today. He has the potential to be used on gimic plays too, but I like his dual threat, block/catch pure TE potential. The other stuff is just icing to me. I haven't seen him tried at DE though. I wonder if Va Tech has tried him there in practice.

Glennon would rank behind Longshore and Boeckmann, but slightly ahead of Weatherford among that group, IMHO...

Thompson flashed. No doubt about it. Made me want to keep watching...and I will...

Oh man, Mays and Chancellor would have the potential of being THE best safety combo in the history of the NFL if they landed together, but that won't happen. Somebody with a high position would have to draft safeties with their first two picks...

Wujciak is a LINEBACKER. And he could become an ELITE linebacker if he improves. I wouldn't personally dream of moving him, Bill.