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WR Santonio Holmes (Super Bowl XLIII MVP)

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/news/story?id=2392860

WR Holmes' workout carries weight with Dolphins
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes, regarded by many teams as the top prospect at his position in the 2006 draft, has addressed a weighty matter that had troubled some scouts.

During a private workout on Friday for Miami Dolphins coaches and personnel officials, Holmes weighed in at 187 pounds, just one pound shy of his normal playing weight. Why was that so important? Because at a phase of the draft evaluation process in which scouts are examining every perceived wart, teams had been concerned about Holmes' weight loss earlier this month.

At his "pro day" workout March 9 on the Ohio State campus, Holmes had weighed just 179 pounds. Two weeks before that, at the NFL combine sessions in Indianapolis, his official weight was 188 pounds.

"I think what scouts didn't realize at the 'pro day' was that I had been fighting the flu for about a week," a relieved Holmes said after the session Friday with a group of Miami officials that included head coach Nick Saban. "I was on antibiotics, to try to fight the flu off, and they made me nauseated, and I couldn't eat. But even with all that, I thought I had a good enough workout that [my weight] shouldn't have been an issue."

In that workout, Holmes, who did not run the 40-yard sprint at the combine, was clocked between 4.32 and 4.36 seconds by most scouts. That's the kind of blistering 40 time most had anticipated from Holmes, one of the top big-play threats in the draft pool, and a guy who averaged 15.5 yards every time he touched the ball for the Buckeyes as a receiver, runner and return man.

Some scouts, though, already had a few questions about Holmes' durability, even though the 5-feet-10 5/8 wide receiver never missed a college game because of injury. They closely scrutinized the weight loss, and privately fretted about Holmes' stamina.

"I understand they worry about all that stuff but, if they just go back and check, they'll see that I've played my entire career here in the 188[-pound] range, took a lot of hits, and got up," Holmes said. "I never had a major injury, and I played in a big-time conference. But I guess [the weight] was important to them, and so I made sure, after I shook the flu, to eat three meals every day and to get back to where I'm supposed to be. Unless I get sick again, and that was a fluke, believe me, I'll be 187-188 when teams come to see me. It's not like I've ever had a problem keeping weight on."

With general manager Randy Mueller throwing to him on Friday, Holmes reportedly caught the ball well.

By the time Holmes enters his first NFL training camp, he figures his weight can in the 192-pound range, because he hopes to add a bit more bulk to help him deal with the rigors of the next level. Anything more than that, Holmes said, and he probably wouldn't be comfortable.

In his three college seasons, Holmes caught 140 passes for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns. Although his receptions fell off slightly in 2005 from the previous season, his average per catch improved by 4½ yards and he scored 11 times. Holmes also returned 38 punts for a 10.1-yard average and one touchdown during his OSU career, and averaged 22.4 yards on 19 kickoff returns.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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Hey everyone. I'm the new Santonio fan on this board. I love this kid so much and I want the Pats to select him at #21. He is the perfect fit for the Pats as we have a huge need at WR. Holmes is the best overall WR in this draft and reminds me a lot of Hines Ward/ a poor man's Marvin Harrison.
 
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HolmestoPats#21 said:
Hey everyone. I'm the new Santonio fan on this board. I love this kid so much and I want the Pats to select him at #21. He is the perfect fit for the Pats as we have a huge need at WR. Holmes is the best overall WR in this draft and reminds me a lot of Hines Ward/ a poor man's Marvin Harrison.
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Welcome, HolmestoPats. The Pats would be lucky and in great fortune to gat Holmes at 21, but trust me, Holmes is not a poor man's anything. He is a bigger Steve Smith, and comparable to Santana Moss. I believe he will be a very good WR in the league.
 
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Welcome HolmestoPats! I've seen multiple mock drafts with the Pats picking up one of two of our beloved Buckeyes here during the draft (Santonio Holmes & Bobby Carpenter). If you'd like to see some free video of either guy, check out Mili's Video Clips. I think it's safe to say that either one of those guys should add a lot to your ball club, even as a rookie. In our minds, Carp has the potential to be the next Vrabel and Holmes has the potential to be a Harrison or a Steve Smith.

But yeah- welcome to the BuckeyePlanet! We're all about adding fans from other ball clubs for more rounded discussions, and you're no exception!
 
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BCSBust said:
Didn't he reportedly run a 4.3 40 at tOSU Pro Day Combine? I'd say that's got to be equivalent, if not better than Smith or Moss.
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Of course, Holmes has speed, but as of now Smith and Moss have the greater game speed. Holmes doesn't dominate defenders with his blistering speed like a Steve Smith would, but with his mechanics, toughness, combined with the above-average speed that he already does posses.
 
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BuckeyeKid789 said:
I'm now getting very pissed about Chad being taken ahead of Santonio. Mel Kiper is on C.J.'s jock. Thankfully scouts actually know how to evaluate prospects for the most part.
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The draft hasn't happened for 3 weeks. Everybody got high on Aaron Rogers last year leading up to it, but when the time came to pick, he fell like a rock, back to where he belonged in the first place. Holmes will be the #1 WR taken.
 
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bucknut11 said:
The draft hasn't happened for 3 weeks. Everybody got high on Aaron Rogers last year leading up to it, but when the time came to pick, he fell like a rock, back to where he belonged in the first place. Holmes will be the #1 WR taken.
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That's why I threw in that part about the scouts doing a better job. I think he'll be the first WR taken in the Draft but Chad Jackson is getting some undeserved pub.
 
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