Sophomore QB Tyrod Taylor thoroughly outplayed UC's Tony Pike who threw 4 interceptions, and freshman RB Darren Evans had a very nice game again as the Hokies beat the Bearcats, champs of the Big East, quite handily. The Tech defense came up huge all afternoon led by FS Kam Chancellor who showed stellar coverage skills to go with his big hitting ability. Chancellor is moving up draft boards after his 2 int (1 called back on a penalty) 3 PD performance confirmed he has the whole package. OG Sergio Render led an offensive line that manhandled a decent UC defensive front. DT Terrill Byrd was the defensive star for UC.

SCOUTING SUMMARY:

College: Cincinnati Conference: Big East Columnist: Erik Sandelin
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes

Terrill Byrd 95 6' 0.4" 290 4.86 DT 2009: Continues to show great quickness off the snap. Always pushing the OG backwards. Plays like a Timex and an Eveready bunny. Smallish--but that may be his only negative. Strong for his size and quick down the line. Will be a solid rotational 4-3 DT for years at the next level. Effort, high motor guy who tackles like a linebacker, and gets pressure on the QB when not doubled. In on 10 tackles with 4 TFLs. GRADE: Very Positive

Mike Mickens 21 5' 11.2" 170 4.45 CB 2009: I love this kid's heart. Came back off a three-week injury layoff and got burned a couple times early, but got back up to speed the rest of the way. Has a heart the size of a lion, but a body the size of a pussycat. One of the few guys I wish WOULDN'T play quite so hard. If he attempts to be a hitter at the next level instead of just a pure cover corner he will never make it. If he were 20 pounds heavier he'd be the first CB off the boards. GRADE: Neutral

Trevor Canfield 76 6' 4.3" 295 5.25 OG 2009: So technically sound and really stays after it in the run game. The nice thing about Trevor now is that Brian Kelly's shifting emphasis to the passing game and the no huddle has given Canfield a full year playing the opposite style where he has plenty of reps now in pass blocking. He has shown he can do it all. Solid in all phases, but not really dominating in any. Will be a solid value pick from the 4th round on, and I wouldn't be shocked to see someone reach up an snag him in the 3rd. GRADE: Positive

Dominick Goodman 16 6' 1.0" 218 4.53 WR 2009: I love this guys' game. Lacks elite hands and deep speed, but he has most everything else. A very strong receiver who will battle for yards and break tackles after the catch. Is he elusive enough to get open all the time at the next level? Probably not, but he'd be a killer #3. Comes back to the ball and helps out his QB. GRADE: Positive

DeAngelo Smith 6 6' 1.0" 191 4.49 CB 2009: No his best game. Muffed a punt and dropped a pick and just didn't get all that much done. Did break up two passes. I like him better than Mickens because he can take the beating and has enough speed and coverage ability to stay around in the NFL. May never be a #1 corner, but has the skills to be a solid #2 for a long time. GRADE: Neutral

Kevin Huber 47 6' 1.0" 220 5.00 P 2009: Best punter in the country. Excellent placement skills and can boom it. Had a 45 yard average in this one. Dropped one at the 1. A real weapon. 4th rounder at worst. GRADE: Positive

Corey Smith 42 6' 0.0" 225 4.70 LB 2009: Flies around an makes plays. Annoying gnat who gets into the run lanes quickly and tackles pretty well. Lacks any oustanding physical traits. Just a football player, but I'm not sure where he fits at the next level. GRADE: Neutral

Connor Barwin 5 6' 3.5" 255 4.80 DE 2009: Amazing first step. Learning the position. Still has a ways to go (read: upside) and has the size/speed combo to be developed. Stays locked up too long on occassion. Needs to separate and fly to the tackle. Can he play in space as a pass-rushing OLB? I think he should be looked at there, and this is where his real intrigue lies. Didn't do all that much statistically in this one except a couple tackles and a couple QBHs, but you can see why people are intrigued by this former TE. GRADE: Slightly negative

Ryan Manalac 45 5' 11.5" 235 4.80 LB 2009: UC always has a rugged, productive, stiff MLB who smacks people right at him and really supports the d-line. Manalac is in that tradition. Does not have lateral quicks. Can be deaked and misses tackles. Would be a liability in coverage. Will never be a MLB at the next level, and probably not even a 3-4 ILB, but he deserves a camp look because of his aggressiveness, desire and leadership abilities. GRADE: Slightly negative

Mardy Gilyard 1 6' 0.0" 180 4.45 WR 2010: Electric kick return abilites increase his value. And, he has turned into a pretty capable receiver this year. Still lacks steady hands for the easier stuff, but will make the big play and toe touch with the best of them. NFL speed and separation quickness. Has some stuff you can't teach, and can be taught the rest. Should go back to school and refine himself. Very productive ballgame in this one, and UC's unquestioned offensive star. GRADE: Positive

Dustin Grutza 4 6' 1.6" 215 4.90 QB 2009: DNP

Brandon Underwood 8 6' 0.9" 197 4.48 S 2009: In on four tackles with a pick. Athleticism oozes from him, but he is not the smartest player around and is not always where he should be. Gave up a TD pass early because he was late helping out Mickens on a pass over the middle. GRADE: Neutral

College: Virginia Tech Conference: Atlantic Coast Columnist: Steve Martin
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes

Sergio Render 70 6' 2.9" 316 0.00 OG 2010: Beasty, thick lineman with plenty or raw talent. Still needs to work on footwork a bit and could finish run blocks even better. Don't see him doing as much on the second level as he could. Needs a year of maturity, but he has second round talent right now, and may declare. GRADE: Positive

Victor Harris 1 5' 11.5" 203 4.50 CB 2009: Relatively quiet game for Victor by his standards. I saw him in on 4 tackles and he had a couple PDs but wasn't as involved as usual--no big plays, no impressive returns. Muffed a kick. Doesn't hurt him much because he is already a late first rounder in most books and didn't hurt himself in this one in any way. GRADE: Slightly negative

Sean Glennon 7 6' 3.4" 224 4.85 QB 2009: Warmed up once in the first quarter when Tyrod got dinged up, but DNP.

Orion Martin 90 6' 1.5" 255 4.85 DE 2009: Big play guy who is the type who will disappear for long stretches and then will pick off a pass (he had the poick of the day in this one at the 10-yard line to seal the win) or recover a fumble for a TD (like he did in the ACC championship game). If you don't pay attention to him, he will find a way to hurt you. If you take care of business with him, he stays taken care of. Not sure how that balances out from a scouting perspective or what (if anything) his package translates to. Sort of that walk-ontatement starter" imho. GRADE Neutral

Kam Chancellor 17 6' 3.1" 223 4.55 S 2010: Absolute stud who could wind up in the first round of he does more of what he did today in the E-W Shrine Game and at the Combine. Proved he can cover as well as he can nail people. Could play either FS or SS at the next level. Really climbs the ladder. Showed hands for the pick today, as well as find coverage skills. Only knocks are his rawness, excitability and tendency to go for the knockout blow too often, rather than focusing on getting the guy to the turf. GRADE: Very positive

Cory Holt 12 6' 3.5" 215 4.80 WR 2009: Where was he?

Brett Warren 33 6' 0.4" 237 4.75 LB 2009: DNP

Purnell Sturdivant 45 5' 9.9" 225 4.60 LB 2009: Tough and productive. May surprise in a camp and be a BPTCP (better pro than college player). Concerns about his size and the way he was used may dog him. Great character and effort. Good diagnosing ability. Don't count him out if he gets into a camp...GRADE: Neutral

Ryan Shuman 58 6' 2.8" 293 5.30 C 2009: Phone booth guy only. Can't hit moving targets on the second level. Painful watching him try. Mechanical. Lacks real pop even close in. Good ballhandler and drive blocker when he is able to lock on though. Decent PP setup and production. UDFA at best, who has some work to do. GRADE: Slightly negative

Nick Marshman 67 6' 4.2" 339 5.09 OG 2009: DNP

Greg Boone 8 6' 2.9" 291 4.85 TE 2010: See my last VA Tech writeup and ditto it. Boone is so much fun to watch because he does lots of things well. Really rumbles as a ballcarrier out of the "turkey" set. Catches it well and pinballs people after the catch. Adequate blocker with the size of an OG. Needs time to prove himself, but everything else is there. Looks like a 2010 3rd rounder. GRADE: Positive

Cordarrow Thompson 95 6' 1.5" 323 5.05 DT 2010: Not as impressive as he has been at other times. Manhandled by Canfield a copule of times and didn't get angry enough about it. Has some skills and really can plug a hole when he's on top of his game. Wasn't today. Needs a year and better take it. GRADE: Neutral

OTHER NOTES:

Va Tech's freshman RB Darren Evans looks like a future early pick, but so much can happen between now and eligibility. Has speed and moves enough. Hits the edge HARD.

UC's DT Adam Hoppel will probably get a camp look, and deserves to be in the database, IMO Erik, but that's up to you. He is a rugged cuss, and plays hard.

yeah evans really saved their season he reminds me of jaquizz rodgers from oregon state.haven't much about macho harris this season. is he somebody that should have came out last year. does taylor look like nfl qb potential or a position switch

Macho has been doing fine, and is a late first-early second guy, IMHO.

Too early to tell on Tyrod. He threw the ball much better than anyone thought he would in this game though...

Tyrod is very similar to Aaron Brooks at a similar point in his development, all the tools are there, he'll need time and to work hard in both the film and weight rooms. Evans is much more like Terrell Davis than he is like Rodgers. He is tough and strong, 20 reps at 225 while a 207 pounder at a HS combine, but at the same event he was timed at 4.71, not very Jaquizz Rodgers like. Sproles, Rodgers and Ball State's Miquale Lewis are all, quick low center of gravity runners who are all in the mid-4.4 to low 4.5 range. I believe Evans will and has run better than 4.71 and by the time he's at a combine he should be in the 4.59-4.53 range, however his powerful cut-back style hardly resembles those of the aforementioned 'waterbugs.'

A Punter? In the 4th? At least now if I'm struggling with a late 3rd round mock pick, I can just throw this guy out there and hope nobody notices

That's surprising. I honestly think there is a punter out there who could go as early as the late third, but it isn't Huber... it's Louie Sakoda. He averaged 42 yards a punt as a senior (after 44 each of the last two years), but he was also the best placekicker in the nation as a senior.

LOL...Ok, boys...I consider myself sufficeintly noodle whipped over Huber. Going to scout Sakoda now...

Huber is basically a position holder in the Top 100 for the moment until I see which stud junior declares that we haven't thought about.

I don't dislike Huber, but I just think Sakoda is a better prospect. I know it hasn't happened yet, but I think a team would be interested in having one player (and one salary) occupying two positions on a team, and Sakoda is gifted enough to do both effectively.

I like him as a K more than punter. He has the tools to do both though.

Didn't the Falcons give Michael Koenen a go at that a year or 2 ago? From what I remember it didn't really work as he couldn't spend enough practice time on one or the other, just a little on both.

YA Koenen did do both.. And your right wasn't too good at either when he did both