Ryland Widener, 2010, D-Tackle

[smupony]

Noticed this guy had interest in us but no offers yet. Big Defensive Tackle. Watched his Youtube video that I included below. Nice push off the line, but is he just too slow to get offers from us or anybody else?

DT is a big need for us. Do we have anyone else we are following?

He sure has some nice stats:

Ht:6'2"verified
Wt:331 lbs verified
40:5.2 secs
Bench Max:350
Squat Max:625
Shuttle:5.28
Vertical:20 inches
GPA:3.25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKXp7p6zEos

http://rivals.yahoo.com/smu/football/re ... ener-85651

[sbsmith]

Looks like an ideal 3-4 NT, not sure why Jones hasn't jumped all over this guy yet.

[smupony]

Looks like an ideal 3-4 NT, not sure why Jones hasn't jumped all over this guy yet.

Watch the video. I'm no expert and really don't watch NT's during a game. Does he have the speed?

[Stallion]

we've discussed this guy a lot on the pay sites. He lost about 35-40 pounds before his Senior year-I think those are Junior videos. No I don't think he could be successful at 340-but I bet some teams are tracking him this year after the weight loss.

[smupony]

we've discussed this guy a lot on the pay sites. He lost about 35-40 pounds before his Senior year-I think those are Junior videos. No I don't think he could be successful at 340-but I bet some teams are tracking him this year after the weight loss.

That was my thought on his weight. Give this guy a goal weight of 295-305 and then we have something.

Any ideas on why this guy still doesn't have an offer?

If he has lost the weight, we should be all over this guy.

[mrydel]

So we are holding off for Ryan Notquitesowidener?

[sbsmith]

Looks like an ideal 3-4 NT, not sure why Jones hasn't jumped all over this guy yet.

Watch the video. I'm no expert and really don't watch NT's during a game. Does he have the speed?

Kid looks quick enough, saw his chase after the play several times and make tackles. Technique needs a little improvement but he has the size to be a NT, if has truly lost weight then he should be that much more effective.

[Ponymon]

It was my understanding that he lost the weight on Coach Hill's recommendation when he visited SMU in late summer. I would assume that we are still keeping track of him but would be interested in his current status with the SMU coaches.

[SMUfiji43]

You don't need much speed as a nose guard. Your job is to occupy as many blockers as you can so the other defensive players can penetrate and get to the ball. Aubrayo Franklin of the 49ers is having an All-Pro season(SI mid-season All-Pro list if you don't believe me) at the NG spot because occupies the o line and doesn't give up any ground. We don't need speed, just a big, strong fat guy who can plug the middle/take up space. This guy looks like a great prospect for our system

[Stallion]

Total [deleted]. You need mobility to play NG. In those Junior Highlites he can't run more than a few steps w/o giving up on a play. And to prove my point that "he is not such a great prospect" note that he doesn't have an offer despite being very busy during the recruiting season. So obviously, Coaches disagree-he plays in a very prominent program with multiple BCS commitments. He was a very marginal prospect because he was way way to heavy at about 340-they may see things differently if he can maintain a weight about 300.

[smupony]

Total [deleted]. You need mobility to play NG. In those Junior Highlites he can't run more than a few steps w/o giving up on a play. And to prove my point that "he is not such a great prospect" note that he doesn't have an offer despite being very busy during the recruiting season. So obviously, Coaches disagree-he plays in a very prominent program with multiple BCS commitments. He was a very marginal prospect because he was way way to heavy at about 340-they may see things differently if he can maintain a weight about 300.

That was my thought watching the video. He quit way too early in the play and looked slow. Hopefully the weight loss has solved that problem. No doubt he had nice strength and push off the line.

[Wuba]

You don't need much speed as a nose guard. Your job is to occupy as many blockers as you can so the other defensive players can penetrate and get to the ball. Aubrayo Franklin of the 49ers is having an All-Pro season(SI mid-season All-Pro list if you don't believe me) at the NG spot because occupies the o line and doesn't give up any ground. We don't need speed, just a big, strong fat guy who can plug the middle/take up space. This guy looks like a great prospect for our system

An NFL NG can be slow compared to other NFL players, but that does not mean he was slow compared to other college players.

Likewise, a college NG might be slow compared to other college players, but he better not have been slow compared to other hs players.

[Alaric]

You don't need much speed as a nose guard. Your job is to occupy as many blockers as you can so the other defensive players can penetrate and get to the ball. Aubrayo Franklin of the 49ers is having an All-Pro season(SI mid-season All-Pro list if you don't believe me) at the NG spot because occupies the o line and doesn't give up any ground. We don't need speed, just a big, strong fat guy who can plug the middle/take up space. This guy looks like a great prospect for our system

An NFL NG can be slow compared to other NFL players, but that does not mean he was slow compared to other college players.

Likewise, a college NG might be slow compared to other college players, but he better not have been slow compared to other hs players.

You don't need "speed" as popularly defined at the NG position but what's critical is good lateral quickness, explosiveness and a great first step, kind of like Emmitt Smith. He had great quickness and was at top speed in 2-3 steps. However, he hardly had decent speed - probably ran a 4.8 forty.

[BUS]

You need to be quick strong and have great balance.
I would like 4.8 to 5.0 for my NG.
But more important is shuttle.

At 340 he would have to beat a GREAT athlete to be quick.
Get him to 300 and then let the weight room re-model his body.

[SMU 86]

You need to be quick strong and have great balance.
I would like 4.8 to 5.0 for my NG.
But more important is shuttle.

At 340 he would have to beat a GREAT athlete to be quick.
Get him to 300 and then let the weight room re-model his body.

I think we could work with him.