Bill B
03-18-2009, 10:20 PM
Thought I would post this article up on Andre Smith so you all can read about his history a little. Maybe this former top 5 draft pick falls to us. One interesting thing about this I know some are worried he is not a workout warrior - but there have been countless number of guys who were can't miss due to impressive workouts (Tony Mandarich or Mike Mammula comes to my mind) that never were great players - but they all had amazing workouts. Put Andre Smith under Bugel and I think he can do wonders.
Also as far as the bench press and Smith not getting as many as others had hoped with 19 reps - the long arms may have something to do with that (see qoute below). Also I think if Smith comes here having a fellow alum Chrsi Samuels from Alabama playing on the offensive line can make the transition easier as well.
NFL Draft 2009: Alabama tackle Andre Smith hopes to erase the stigma of his combine departure - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft09/news/story?id=3974920)
When he goes topless during the 40-yard dash, bloggers gasp. His times aren't embarrassing, but they don't rank among the Top 10 prospects according to NFL.com. Smith also gets low marks in the 225-pound bench press, managing just 19 reps.
But one item that wasn't widely mentioned, former Cowboys exec Gil Brandt says, is that Smith has unusually long arms, making it harder to have big numbers on the bench press.
"Long arms are a prerequisite for being a good offensive lineman," says Brandt, an NFL.com analyst. "His arms are probably as long as anybody's in this draft.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that he works out better than his numbers indicate. Sometimes you go to a restaurant and the restaurant doesn't look very attractive, but once you get in there the food is pretty darn good. In this case, I think the body is not very attractive, but once you see him move around and do things, he's a lot better than what you're led to believe." [QUOTE]
Also as far as the bench press and Smith not getting as many as others had hoped with 19 reps - the long arms may have something to do with that (see qoute below). Also I think if Smith comes here having a fellow alum Chrsi Samuels from Alabama playing on the offensive line can make the transition easier as well.
NFL Draft 2009: Alabama tackle Andre Smith hopes to erase the stigma of his combine departure - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft09/news/story?id=3974920)
When he goes topless during the 40-yard dash, bloggers gasp. His times aren't embarrassing, but they don't rank among the Top 10 prospects according to NFL.com. Smith also gets low marks in the 225-pound bench press, managing just 19 reps.
But one item that wasn't widely mentioned, former Cowboys exec Gil Brandt says, is that Smith has unusually long arms, making it harder to have big numbers on the bench press.
"Long arms are a prerequisite for being a good offensive lineman," says Brandt, an NFL.com analyst. "His arms are probably as long as anybody's in this draft.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that he works out better than his numbers indicate. Sometimes you go to a restaurant and the restaurant doesn't look very attractive, but once you get in there the food is pretty darn good. In this case, I think the body is not very attractive, but once you see him move around and do things, he's a lot better than what you're led to believe." [QUOTE]