Swazi

May 17th, 2013 at 2:50 PM ^

So much for those crystal ball predicitions on 247.  Oh well, long recruiting season ahead still.  Anything can happen.

Commie_High96

May 17th, 2013 at 8:53 PM ^

YES! You are a 1000% correct.  Everything that I read about this kid seemed to point to him going his own path.  I never saw anything from Sam, Spath, TVH saying this kid had more than a passing interest in us. I don't know why so many people thought he was solid.   I am not really worried about OL with 10 kids in 12 & 13.  We have 2 already.  We have other needs.

WolvinLA2

May 17th, 2013 at 6:37 PM ^

I know the excitement dropped a lot on LTT because of his weight or how raw he is, but there's a reason every major program in the country offered him (Alabama, FSU, OSU, ND, USC to name a few).  He has the frame to get there.  He needs to put in a lot of work, but his attitude and the fact that he was able to drop so much weight before coming to campus, and the fact that he enrolled early suggests he could get there.  

That said, no one should sleep on Magnuson either.  Between those two, I think we should be at least solid at LT for a while (and we'll be much better than that at every other OL spot).  

Magnus

May 18th, 2013 at 4:54 AM ^

I think Logan Tuley-Tillman has a lot of potential.  I also think Erik Magnuson has the feet to do well as a pass blocker; he's supposedly pretty ineffective in the running game.  His body needs to improve, though; he's young and I just don't think he has the physical strength to do the job right now.

FreddieMercuryHayes

May 17th, 2013 at 3:16 PM ^

Isn't Jones 6'4"?  He measured that at the most recent camp he was at.  That just screams gaurd to me, and we have plenty of interior OL.  We need a prototypical tackle.  I like Johnson and his frame, but I really have no idea where we stand with him.  If we can't get someone like that, then I would also be OK waiting until they find someone they like with a 6'6" or 6'7" from and long arms.  Even if it's a rawer prospect, we need tackles on the roster.

umalum16

May 17th, 2013 at 4:11 PM ^

I actually totally agree with you that we need more OTs, but I think people are way too quick to slap "guard" on any guy that isn't 6'6 or bigger.

Here are some actual heights from the NFL combine:

6'4 5/8

6'4 1/2

6'5 1/8

6'4 3/4

6'5 3/8

Those are the heights of every OT drafted this year in the top 3 rounds that wasn't a top ten pick. Not what you would expect if you follow recruiting, where every 6'5 and under guy is a presumed guard...

FragglePac

May 17th, 2013 at 4:22 PM ^

That is their combine measurement. At the combine they measure everyone in exactly the same way and obvioulsy they don't round much.  You can add 1 or 2 inches to most of those to get their listed high school and college heights.  Which leads us back to the 6'5" or over mantra for a tackle.  

XM - Mt 1822

May 17th, 2013 at 10:57 PM ^

to be so tall?  if you have a 6' 3" guy that is quick and strong, and assuming his arms aren't short, what is the magic of the LT being 6' 7"?   i played with guys of both sizes, and have to tell you my favorite LT linemate, who played for the cowboys before coming to us, was a shade under 6' 5" and a stud. 

Magnus

May 18th, 2013 at 5:02 AM ^

At Michigan the majority of tackles over the last decade have been 6'6" or taller (according to Michigan's rosters).  Lewan, Schofield, Ortmann, Dorrestein, Huyge, Kolodziej, etc.  I think the last 6'5" guy to play tackle was Steve Schilling, who...moved to guard.  The guys in the OT pipeline are 6'6" and 6'7" players like Tuley-Tillman, Braden, and Magnuson.  It's clearly a trend with Michigan's coaches, not just recruitniks.

Magnus

May 18th, 2013 at 9:00 AM ^

I think it's just not very likely that shorter guys have the wingspan/length necessary for the job.   Wingspan approximates height, so guys who are 6'3" are less likely to have the reach necessary; they also lose a couple inches worth of weight, so then you have to worry about their strength at the point of attack, too.

WolvinLA2

May 18th, 2013 at 1:09 PM ^

Yes, they've all been 6'6" or above according to M's roster, but as you've pointed out yourself, those are usually exaggerated by an inch or more (as evidenced by the heights our guys are measured at for the draft and so on).

So Jamarco Jones being measured at a legit 6'4" at a camp probably means he's actually as tall as the guys listed at 6'5" or 6'6" on our roster.

That said, although wingspan is usually correlated to height, it can vary a ton. It's very realistic that one guy could be two inches shorter than another, but have a wingspan that is two inches longer, or more.

WolvinLA2

May 18th, 2013 at 1:28 PM ^

OK, that's another thing altogether, and certainly more important.  

 

My point wasn't necessarily about Jones specifically, just the overall point.  It seems like OL height for recruits (and college players) is similar 40 times for other guys.  It seems that every OT at a major college is 6'6" or above, yet so many of the NFL guys are below that.  And it's not that the NFL wants shorter guys, it's just that a lot of those guys who are 6'6" as recruits and college players are actually 6'4.5" or so, and are listed as such on their NFL rosters.  

So just how we shouldn't get upset when one of our CB recruits doesn't run a 4.5 when he's timed electronically, we should react similarly when an OL recruit comes up an inch or so shorter when measured at a camp.

woomba

May 17th, 2013 at 2:56 PM ^

had him going to Michigan.  

I remember reading a few articles about him the past few weeks and they noted that his family has strong ties to ND and he's the only(?) of the brothers to get an ND offer...didn't realize all the predictions were him to Michigan, to be honest.

DISCUSS Man

May 17th, 2013 at 3:01 PM ^

All ND commits get a complementary gift card to the local Chicken Shack.

Good luck to him when they aren't playing Michigan.