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OregonBuckeye
Semper Fi Buckeyes
A.J. is an f'in animal on the field! What team wouldn't want that kind of intensity?
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SI
4/28
Hawk soars
LB considered by many to be best player in '06 draft
Posted: Friday April 28, 2006 2:19PM; Updated: Friday April 28, 2006 4:33PM
At some point, the NFL draft morphed into an all-out debate, a cacophony of voices and opinions. This year the topics that dominated the discussion were Reggie Bush versus Matt Leinart, and later Mario Williams, in the battle for the No. 1 pick; Leinart versus Vince Young in a clash of quarterbacking styles; and the NFL viability of Jay Cutler,given his meager win-loss record as a collegiate starter.
All of those topics made for fascinating dissection, but as the league's two-day rookie job-fair extravaganza prepares to kick off in New York City on Saturday, have we overlooked the most obvious question of all? Who's the best pure football player with the highest probability of being a great professional?
In interviewing league personnel men, coaches and executives for the past two months, I've heard one name mentioned more than others, and it might surprise you. It's not Bush, as gifted a game-breaking talent as he is. It's not Williams, Leinart, Young or Cutler, all of whom have at least one or two significant question marks attached to their scouting reports.
It's Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, who has inspired nary a negative word in the months-long predraft screening process. Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage, one of the more respected personnel evaluators in the league, labeled Hawk "the safest pick in the draft.'' New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis, whose Saints have strongly considered taking Hawk with the No. 2 pick, said his personnel men believe Hawk is the best linebacker prospect since Junior Seau was the No. 5 pick in 1990 by San Diego.
And a handful of team officials have told me that Hawk is the one player in this year's draft who's guaranteed to start, and make an impact, immediately. I don't know about you, but I haven't heard that level of certainty about any other prospect in this year's draft, including Bush, who is considered a once-in-a-generation talent at running back.
People have questioned whether Bush can make enough of an impact with 15 to 20 touches a game. Williams, for most of his college career, wasn't even the best defensive end at N.C. State, and he has yet to show consistent production over an entire season. Some personnel men theorize that Leinart benefited greatly from the talented USC offensive system and that he's already as good as he's ever going to be. And Cutler has some mechanical issues and bad habits that even his staunchest supporters acknowledge will have to be worked out early in his pro career.
But Hawk, who most agree will be taken at No. 5 by Green Bay, is talked about within league circles as the obvious Defensive Rookie of the Year-in-waiting, a can't-miss talent in a first-round pool that always carries as much risk as reward.
"He is the real thing,'' Browns head coach and former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said of Hawk. "He's a playmaker. He runs all over the place, and he runs to the ball. He's got some size, some speed, some production. I like all those things.''
The Packers are desperate for playmakers and leadership on defense, and that's why Hawk figures to be a no-brainer if he's available at No. 5. Green Bay's belief is that Hawk will walk in the door and instantly help change the mentality on defense.
"I'd like to come in and see what I can do in the NFL and try to make an impact,'' Hawk said. "[Linebacker] is a position where a lot of times they say they don't want to draft people too high because they think, How much impact can a linebacker have? But guys like Shawne Merriman and Lofa Tatupu had huge years [as rookies last year].
"The linebacker position ... with all the defenses they're playing, and with the offenses you have to face -- one week you're facing a spread offense and the next week a team is trying to pound the ball on you. You have to be able to do a little bit of everything.''
Hawk does a little bit of everything and he does it all well. He can play any linebacker position in a 3-4 or 4-3 alignment. Some scouts see him as the ideal inside linebacker in a 3-4, while others suggest he would be best used as the weakside linebacker in a 4-3, chasing the ball from sideline to sideline.
At 6-foot-1, 248 pounds, Hawk has the size to shed NFL blockers and get heavily involved in run defense and jamming a hole at the line of scrimmage. But he's also quick enough (he ran a 4.45 in the 40 at Ohio State's pro day) to drop into coverage and blanket a potential receiver or chase down a quarterback on the blitz. You won't see Hawk coming off the field in certain situations, and that only adds to his value in the eyes of league personnel evaluators.
San Diego's Merriman and Seattle's Tatupu were impact rookies at linebacker last season, with Merriman becoming the fifth player at that position in the past six years to earn the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Merriman went 11th overall to the Chargers and Tatupu was taken by the Seahawks in the second round. Linebackers may not be selected as high these days as they once were, but Hawk will be an exception. The last top-five linebacker was LaVar Arrington in 2000, who went No. 2 to Washington out of Penn State.
"It's understandable,'' Hawk said. "Obviously we're not big defensive ends, who are going to get 15 to 18 sacks a year. We're not going to be a running back, who's going to rush for 1,500 yards. [Linebacker] is a spot where there's three or four of them on the field. I guess you can justify not taking [linebackers] too high. But all I want is a chance, regardless of where I'm taken.''
Hawk is going to get his chance. And though he won't have a No. 1 next to his name on Saturday, that doesn't mean he's not the guy many NFL scouts seem to think of first when it comes to a sure bet.
4/28
Hawk soars
LB considered by many to be best player in '06 draft
Posted: Friday April 28, 2006 2:19PM; Updated: Friday April 28, 2006 4:33PM
At some point, the NFL draft morphed into an all-out debate, a cacophony of voices and opinions. This year the topics that dominated the discussion were Reggie Bush versus Matt Leinart, and later Mario Williams, in the battle for the No. 1 pick; Leinart versus Vince Young in a clash of quarterbacking styles; and the NFL viability of Jay Cutler,given his meager win-loss record as a collegiate starter.
All of those topics made for fascinating dissection, but as the league's two-day rookie job-fair extravaganza prepares to kick off in New York City on Saturday, have we overlooked the most obvious question of all? Who's the best pure football player with the highest probability of being a great professional?
In interviewing league personnel men, coaches and executives for the past two months, I've heard one name mentioned more than others, and it might surprise you. It's not Bush, as gifted a game-breaking talent as he is. It's not Williams, Leinart, Young or Cutler, all of whom have at least one or two significant question marks attached to their scouting reports.
It's Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, who has inspired nary a negative word in the months-long predraft screening process. Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage, one of the more respected personnel evaluators in the league, labeled Hawk "the safest pick in the draft.'' New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis, whose Saints have strongly considered taking Hawk with the No. 2 pick, said his personnel men believe Hawk is the best linebacker prospect since Junior Seau was the No. 5 pick in 1990 by San Diego.
And a handful of team officials have told me that Hawk is the one player in this year's draft who's guaranteed to start, and make an impact, immediately. I don't know about you, but I haven't heard that level of certainty about any other prospect in this year's draft, including Bush, who is considered a once-in-a-generation talent at running back.
People have questioned whether Bush can make enough of an impact with 15 to 20 touches a game. Williams, for most of his college career, wasn't even the best defensive end at N.C. State, and he has yet to show consistent production over an entire season. Some personnel men theorize that Leinart benefited greatly from the talented USC offensive system and that he's already as good as he's ever going to be. And Cutler has some mechanical issues and bad habits that even his staunchest supporters acknowledge will have to be worked out early in his pro career.
But Hawk, who most agree will be taken at No. 5 by Green Bay, is talked about within league circles as the obvious Defensive Rookie of the Year-in-waiting, a can't-miss talent in a first-round pool that always carries as much risk as reward.
"He is the real thing,'' Browns head coach and former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said of Hawk. "He's a playmaker. He runs all over the place, and he runs to the ball. He's got some size, some speed, some production. I like all those things.''
The Packers are desperate for playmakers and leadership on defense, and that's why Hawk figures to be a no-brainer if he's available at No. 5. Green Bay's belief is that Hawk will walk in the door and instantly help change the mentality on defense.
"I'd like to come in and see what I can do in the NFL and try to make an impact,'' Hawk said. "[Linebacker] is a position where a lot of times they say they don't want to draft people too high because they think, How much impact can a linebacker have? But guys like Shawne Merriman and Lofa Tatupu had huge years [as rookies last year].
"The linebacker position ... with all the defenses they're playing, and with the offenses you have to face -- one week you're facing a spread offense and the next week a team is trying to pound the ball on you. You have to be able to do a little bit of everything.''
Hawk does a little bit of everything and he does it all well. He can play any linebacker position in a 3-4 or 4-3 alignment. Some scouts see him as the ideal inside linebacker in a 3-4, while others suggest he would be best used as the weakside linebacker in a 4-3, chasing the ball from sideline to sideline.
At 6-foot-1, 248 pounds, Hawk has the size to shed NFL blockers and get heavily involved in run defense and jamming a hole at the line of scrimmage. But he's also quick enough (he ran a 4.45 in the 40 at Ohio State's pro day) to drop into coverage and blanket a potential receiver or chase down a quarterback on the blitz. You won't see Hawk coming off the field in certain situations, and that only adds to his value in the eyes of league personnel evaluators.
San Diego's Merriman and Seattle's Tatupu were impact rookies at linebacker last season, with Merriman becoming the fifth player at that position in the past six years to earn the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Merriman went 11th overall to the Chargers and Tatupu was taken by the Seahawks in the second round. Linebackers may not be selected as high these days as they once were, but Hawk will be an exception. The last top-five linebacker was LaVar Arrington in 2000, who went No. 2 to Washington out of Penn State.
"It's understandable,'' Hawk said. "Obviously we're not big defensive ends, who are going to get 15 to 18 sacks a year. We're not going to be a running back, who's going to rush for 1,500 yards. [Linebacker] is a spot where there's three or four of them on the field. I guess you can justify not taking [linebackers] too high. But all I want is a chance, regardless of where I'm taken.''
Hawk is going to get his chance. And though he won't have a No. 1 next to his name on Saturday, that doesn't mean he's not the guy many NFL scouts seem to think of first when it comes to a sure bet.
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0
Scout
4/28
A.J's RULES
It is an understatement to say that Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk is unbending in his dedication not to be seen as better than anyone else. His family, his friends, and his teammates and coaches have experienced that Hawk "I'm-the-same-as-everybody" philosophy many a time.
Five of A.J.'s rules:
Instructed his parents not to cheer for him in high school (Centerville, Ohio), although they could clap for team touchdowns.
Never wore his high school varsity jackets. Did not want to seem "big time."
Refused to let Buckeyes photographers take a new media guide head-and-shoulders of him after his freshman year because he did not want to give up precious rest time between two-a-day August practices. Photos don't matter!
Requested that an inch be taken off his Ohio State roster height (from 6-2 to 6-1). "I don't ever want to meet somebody and they go, 'You're not as tall as I thought you'd be,' " he told his father Keith.
On Senior Day, he was the only Buckeye to greet his parents with his helmet on. That was the rule in high school -- helmets stay on!
"He doesn't like anything false," his father says. "Nothing false. He wants it all to be better. He wants to give something better than anyone expects."
4/28
A.J's RULES
It is an understatement to say that Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk is unbending in his dedication not to be seen as better than anyone else. His family, his friends, and his teammates and coaches have experienced that Hawk "I'm-the-same-as-everybody" philosophy many a time.
Five of A.J.'s rules:
Instructed his parents not to cheer for him in high school (Centerville, Ohio), although they could clap for team touchdowns.
Never wore his high school varsity jackets. Did not want to seem "big time."
Refused to let Buckeyes photographers take a new media guide head-and-shoulders of him after his freshman year because he did not want to give up precious rest time between two-a-day August practices. Photos don't matter!
Requested that an inch be taken off his Ohio State roster height (from 6-2 to 6-1). "I don't ever want to meet somebody and they go, 'You're not as tall as I thought you'd be,' " he told his father Keith.
On Senior Day, he was the only Buckeye to greet his parents with his helmet on. That was the rule in high school -- helmets stay on!
"He doesn't like anything false," his father says. "Nothing false. He wants it all to be better. He wants to give something better than anyone expects."
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0
OregonBuckeye
Semper Fi Buckeyes
The Green Bay fans on espn.com's boards want Vernon Davis and have little respect for A.J. I was surprised even if that forum is filled with trolls.
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ScarletBlood31
Buckeye in Blacksburg
I would be worried if I were a Green Bay fan right now. After the Texans took Williams with the 1st pick, Green Bay is reported to be one of the teams seeking to trade up to the #2 spot, which would all but eliminate the chance of them getting Hawk.
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OregonBuckeye
Semper Fi Buckeyes
To get who? The Saints are seriously considering Hawk by the way.
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scarletngrey11
All right, all right, all right.
They wouldnt take him at #2.
It sounds like they are more interested in Ferguson.
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0
OregonBuckeye
Semper Fi Buckeyes
That may be the case but they also said they're considering Hawk.
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0
ScarletBlood31
Buckeye in Blacksburg
No, they aren't trading up to #2 to get Hawk, they are to get Bush or maybe Ferguson. And I know the Saints would like to get Hawk, because he would be around if they traded down to #5.
I'm just saying for the many Green Bay fans on this board, that there is a chance that they might not get Hawk in the draft, who right now is looking like the best pick of the entire draft no matter where he is taken.
I'm just saying for the many Green Bay fans on this board, that there is a chance that they might not get Hawk in the draft, who right now is looking like the best pick of the entire draft no matter where he is taken.
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0
DDN
4/29
You'll likely hear Hawk's name early
Ohio State star could be taken in Top 5 today, may be bound for Green Bay.
By Doug Harris
Staff Writer
COLUMBUS | A.J. Hawk has been examined by NFL personnel for four months like a prized thoroughbred at an auction, but he'll be in just as much suspense as anyone else when he hunkers down with his family at their Centerville home for the NFL draft today.
One of the intriguing facets of the event is that teams give few hints about their plans, meaning the Ohio State linebacker will learn where he's going only minutes before it's made public on ESPN.
"I'm ready," he said. "I've been working for this a long time, and it will be great to figure out where I'm going, get there and establish myself."
Hawk shouldn't have much of a wait. He's considered one of the few sure things in the draft and is expected to be the highest linebacker taken since LaVar Arrington went No. 2 in 2000.
Green Bay (fifth choice) and San Francisco (sixth) need defensive help, but New Orleans (second) and the New York Jets (fourth) might still be possibilities since they flew Hawk in for interviews last week.
"I'm excited those two teams brought him in late," said Mike McCartney, Hawk's agent. "You know the impression he leaves is, 'We want this guy.' "
Jets kicker Mike Nugent is hoping to be reunited with Hawk after having played with him in college, high school and for one year in middle school.
"Even though he's a year younger than me, I've always looked up to A.J. because he sets the bar for everybody, mainly with just how hard he works," Nugent said.
"People who don't know him say, 'OK, what do you think about this A.J. kid?' I say, 'I don't mean to be biased because I've known him for a long time, but I've never been more impressed with anyone in my life.' "
4/29
You'll likely hear Hawk's name early
Ohio State star could be taken in Top 5 today, may be bound for Green Bay.
By Doug Harris
Staff Writer
COLUMBUS | A.J. Hawk has been examined by NFL personnel for four months like a prized thoroughbred at an auction, but he'll be in just as much suspense as anyone else when he hunkers down with his family at their Centerville home for the NFL draft today.
One of the intriguing facets of the event is that teams give few hints about their plans, meaning the Ohio State linebacker will learn where he's going only minutes before it's made public on ESPN.
"I'm ready," he said. "I've been working for this a long time, and it will be great to figure out where I'm going, get there and establish myself."
Hawk shouldn't have much of a wait. He's considered one of the few sure things in the draft and is expected to be the highest linebacker taken since LaVar Arrington went No. 2 in 2000.
Green Bay (fifth choice) and San Francisco (sixth) need defensive help, but New Orleans (second) and the New York Jets (fourth) might still be possibilities since they flew Hawk in for interviews last week.
"I'm excited those two teams brought him in late," said Mike McCartney, Hawk's agent. "You know the impression he leaves is, 'We want this guy.' "
Jets kicker Mike Nugent is hoping to be reunited with Hawk after having played with him in college, high school and for one year in middle school.
"Even though he's a year younger than me, I've always looked up to A.J. because he sets the bar for everybody, mainly with just how hard he works," Nugent said.
"People who don't know him say, 'OK, what do you think about this A.J. kid?' I say, 'I don't mean to be biased because I've known him for a long time, but I've never been more impressed with anyone in my life.' "
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0
scarletngrey11
All right, all right, all right.
Man I just saw AJ's under armor commercial.
Its pretty sweet, except what the hell is Jeremy Bloom doing there???
Its pretty sweet, except what the hell is Jeremy Bloom doing there???
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