Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Jan. 10, 1991, edition 2 / Page 10
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Scout's notebook on black college players ? ? \ - ' ' - t ' -? ? ? ' ? ' '? ? It's well established that black col leges provide an abundance Qf talent for the pro leagues in the U.S. ahd Canada. The following report contains insights from Dave-Te Thomas, NFL Draft expert on the black collegians who will-play in the Ail-American Gassic this year. OFFENSE Shawn Gregory, quarterback - Had an excellent year for Jackson State, but performance tailed off a bit towards the latter part of the seasia Has a Jot of confi dence in his ability to get the ball to his receivers. Is viewed as a late round pick. His biggest plus is his foot speed. For that reason, he may be better off doing what Oilers QB Warren Moon did, play in Canada. Has skills that are better suited for the wider field in the Canadian Football League. His quickness is a very good fit for the run and shoot offense, which while still in its infancy in the NFL, is a well developed offense north of the border. Eddie Britton, wide receiver -- Per haps the fastest wide-out in all of college ball (4.2 in the 40). Has best pair of hands ever seen by this scout. Even though he's small at 160 pounds, has exceptional abili ty as a downfield blocker. David Jones, wide receiver -- Did well to move to wide receiver as a senior after playingjiiost of his college career at tight end. Has good speed (4.5 in the 401 Runs precise pass routes, can go deep and excels at going over the middle to make the tough catches in heavy traffic. Seen as a poor man's Art Monk (Washington Red skins). Could very well be a better pro prospect that the Niners' John Taylor was when he entered the league as a rookie. Walter Dean, running back -- This guy doesn't fit the mold according to what computers say are th^e ideal people who are likely to excel as NFL runners. Considered too small for fullback and not swift enough to' play tailback. However, he can cels out the computer with consistent pro ductivity. Reminds scout of Giants' O.J. Anderson. Powerful drive runner. Give him a crease and he usually makes a huge hole out of it. Amir Rasul, running back -? Pound hacks inaiut=. Photo by Roosevelt Miles hi Pro scouts will get a close look at Texas Southern's Kevin Harris (54 hi white jersey), who has the size and speed to play inside or outside linebacker. college game. Bench presses 425 pounds, runs 4.5 in the 40. Is also an excellent receiver. Could be another game breaker like the Giants' Dave Meggett Eric Williams, tackle -- Three-year starter at Central State was largely respon sible for the Marauders winning the NAIA Has 44 -inch wing span. Physique is rock-solid and musclar. Runs 5.1 in the 40. Had not allowed a quarterback sack in 19 games. First team, Kodak All- American selection. Averaged seven knock-down blocks per game. Highly proficient^ block er, who graded in the low 80s', hfgh 90s' during the season. Lowest gradejof the year was 84 percent. Terry Beauford, guard -- Can play anywhere on the offensive line. But because of his 6-3 height,, may be better suited to the guard slot where his quick ness and pulling power will be a major asset. Additionally, has reputation as an excellent deep snapper on punts, field goals and extra points, which enhances his value in the April draft. 4 DEFENSE Bryan Brewer, end ? Never returned to the top of his game after sitting out a year and transferring to Texas Southern. Prior to that, was an all-league choice at Florida A&M. * At 250 pounds, is considered light for this position, so he'll need to bulk up. Has the skills to become a formidable pro. The re$l question in the scout's mind, however, is whether or not hell be the Brewer who played for the Rattlers or the one who showed rustiness in his final season at TSU. Chris Gale, tackle - Some guys are quicker, but very few are as solid on every play for an entire game. A lunch pale type who comes to play. Thomas built his defensive line around Gale for this particu lar all-star contest Kevin Harris, linebacker ?? Can play ipside or outside and can shift to defensive end. His versatility enables defensive coaches to move him around in various defensive alignments. Has the skills to be like Charles Haley of the 49ers. All-star game will provide him with the opportuni ty to demonstrate how much he can disrupt ~ah offense. T Ail-American Classic Continued from page 6 the scouts know about but who aren't very well known by the fans." Based on last year's performance, Thorrrgf if, confident ihaL-ihe^dLU American Classic will be a certain stop for the scouts as they gear up for the April draft Last year, this all-star game fared very well against its more well known counterparts. In last year's Clas sic, for example, 53 of the 78 players who participated were drafted. Of the 53, there were 31 who were active pi a vers on 1QQ0 NFT rostrrs Thf onfv other all-star game to do better was the Senior Bowl (62 of their 90 players were chosen in the draft, 34 of those earned active roster spots on NFL teams in '90). Thomas has more than just a pass ing interest in this game as player per sonnel boss. Aside from this all-star contest, Thomas is an NFL draft coor dinator nnrl corisidcrrrf t o tv one of fhr foremost authorities on evaluating draft talent each year. Thomas' updated draft asessments can be found in two publi cations that he edits, The Poor Man's Guide To The NFL and The NFL Draft Report. Thomas makes it clear that his desire to include more black college talent in this game is based on how blacK eunc&i&ji?; Kavc.piuUucui ai> pio fessionals. "1 here's so much talent at the black schools," he said. "And all we want to do i$ provide a setting for the scouts to get a very good look at what the players can do." ? Steve Zimmerman
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Jan. 10, 1991, edition 2
10
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