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Posted on 5/24/16 at 9:39 am to TideSaint
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MILLBROOK, Ala. — When you walk out to Stanhope-Elmore’s football field, a large sign with all of Dee Milliner’s accomplishments greets you.
Milliner, the former Alabama star cornerback, was a two-time national champion and unanimous All-American before he was drafted ninth overall by the New York Jets in 2013.
Stanhope-Elmore coach Jeff Foshee is a national champion, too. He played on Alabama’s 1992 championship team.
Foshee’s current tight end, Zech (pronounced Zach) Byrd, could be headed to Alabama himself when he makes his college decision.
Foshee admits that he’s a fan of Alabama. He makes it to every game he can. But he’s clear that he isn’t pushing Byrd to go to his alma mater, though a smile crosses his face when he thinks about his player putting on that Crimson Tide jersey come 2017.
“It would tickle me to death,” Foshee told SEC Country. “When you go into my office, I have the 1992 national championship jersey hanging in there. Of course, it would mean a lot to me. I want him to do what’s best for him though and be happy.”
Byrd is mainly considering three schools right now: Alabama, Florida and Georgia, even though the Bulldogs have not offered yet.
The nation’s No. 24 tight end got into the recruiting game late. He didn’t get his first offer (Troy) until this past February. Once the Trojans offered him a scholarship, in a span of eight days, Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, Michigan, Kentucky, Toledo and Southern Miss followed suit.
Byrd, a three-star tight end, credits Foshee with getting him into football. The 6-foot-6, 243-pounder was predominantly a basketball player before Foshee laid his eyes on Byrd. He didn’t develop into a key role in Stanhope-Elmore’s offense until his junior season.
“As a ninth grader, he was around 6-foot-4, 190 pounds,” Foshee said. “When you have a guy that young with that length, you have to put him on the field somewhere. I just told him that he needed to come out and play football because he’ll have some big-time folks looking at him.”
Those “big-time folks” have flowed in and out of Foshee’s program this spring. So many coaches have come by that Byrd has lost count of them all.
The Alabama staff has told Byrd that he’s the No. 1 tight end target on the board right now. Every school that’s after him has told him the same.
“That’s pretty impressive to be the No. 1 tight end on the board at the No. 1 school in the country,” Foshee said. “I don’t want him to get complacent with that title though. I tell him the same thing I told Dee when he was here, ‘Don’t let the success get to your head.’ If you keep working like you are now, you’ll be paid to do this one day.”
Foshee expects Byrd to be a major contributor on offense this season. With that, more offers will likely come his way over the next several months.
No matter which school Byrd chooses, Foshee said he is going to be proud of him regardless.
“I played at Alabama. Would I love for him to go to Alabama? Yes, definitely,” Foshee said. “But I would be just as proud of Zech Byrd as if he went to Florida, Georgia or anywhere else. I want him to be successful and happy with his decision.”
LINK
Posted on 5/24/16 at 9:44 am to TideSaint
LINK
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Just four SEC defenders earned a spot in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but the conference promises to send several dynamic pass rushers to the professional ranks in 2017.
Only 10 players in the SEC finished with seven or more sacks in 2015, and every single one of those players is back to terrorize opposing offensive linemen in 2016. While that’s bad news for quarterbacks and offensive linemen, the loaded conference of pass rushers will have talent evaluators drooling as they prep for the 2017 NFL Draft.
Here are the five players who promise to capture the eyes of scouts looking for players to draft in the first round next spring:
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Tim Williams (Alabama)
In a defensive front that featured A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed and Jonathan Allen, among others, it was almost easy to overlook Williams. Even when he finished third in the SEC in sacks with 10.5.
Williams is listed as 6-foot-4, 237 pounds and has 4.75 speed with the ability to squat 545 pounds. But in his first two seasons that athleticism translated to 1.5 sacks for the linebacker.
“Tim has always been a good pass rusher,” Nick Saban told Matt Zenitz of AL.com in October. “The biggest issue is getting him to play with the kind of discipline to do his job the way he needs to do it, and that’s the one thing he’s matured into during this year.”
Williams is as talented a sack artist at the collegiate level as any player in the SEC, but might not be quite as scheme diverse as Garrett or Lawson, and isn’t as freakishly explosive. Still, he has natural edge rushing prowess that will likely warrant a first-round selection for a team with a 3-4 defense.
Unlike other pass rushers like Carl Lawson and Myles Garrett, who both weigh-in at 260 pounds, Williams is almost certainly a player who will play with his hand off the ground, though.
So far during his time with the Crimson Tide, he has mostly played as a third-down pass rusher and has excelled at tearing around the edge, even if he’s often lined up in a traditional lineman stance.
Draft projection: Mid-first round
This post was edited on 5/24/16 at 9:45 am
Posted on 5/24/16 at 9:45 am to TideSaint
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Jonathan Allen (Alabama)
Allen may be the best defensive linemen of this entire group, but he won’t be coveted as an NFL prospect for his ability to tear around the edge.
While he finished with 12 sacks, just 0.5 behind Garrett for the conference lead, most of Allen’s big plays in the backfield came because he won with stunts or sheer strength.
Winning with strength is absolutely not a bad thing at all. Allen is a force in both the run and pass game because of it, and never has to come off the field, shifting to the interior of the defensive line on third downs.
But both A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed fell to the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft because run stuffing isn’t as valued as being able to beat an offensive lineman in a one-on-one pass rushing situation.
Allen may be the most well-balanced defensive end in the 2017 class, and CBS Sports ranks him as the top prospect at the position. But when freakishly athletic edge rushers inevitably forgo remaining eligibility to enter the draft, it will likely push Allen toward the latter half of the first round.
Draft projection: Late first round
Posted on 5/24/16 at 9:47 am to TideSaint
So they have Williams and Allen, who both finished with double digit sacks last season, projected as mid to late first round picks. Check out this shite:
A top 10 pick for a player who has 5 sacks in his career, 4 of which were 3 years ago?
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Carl Lawson (Auburn)
Lawson is easily the least productive player on this list with just five sacks in his collegiate career, but it’s because injuries have robbed him of a chance to show off his big potential.
Four of his five sacks came three years ago, when Lawson was a true freshman at Auburn. But he missed all of the 2014 season with an ACL tear and two months of his redshirt sophomore season with a cracked hip.
Still, in his limited on the field in 2015, he showed off the special skills that some say could make him the top pass rusher in the 2017 draft class. He showed that against Ole Miss when he gave eventual first-round pick Laremy Tunsil fits (something that Myles Garrett wasn’t able to do).
Chad Kelly was able to slip out of Lawson’s grasp twice, but the pass rusher showed his ability to bend around the edge with impressive hand fighting.
The 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive end moves around a little more than Garrett and doesn’t lack athleticism of his own. He has a 36-inch vertical and the ability to bench press 450 pounds and squat 565 pounds.
Staying healthy will be key for Lawson, but if he finally gets another full season at Auburn, he promises to finally get the production he’s plenty capable of.
Draft projection: Top 10
A top 10 pick for a player who has 5 sacks in his career, 4 of which were 3 years ago?
This post was edited on 5/24/16 at 9:48 am
Posted on 5/24/16 at 9:51 am to Chris78
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By the way, help a newby out please! How do you use emoticons(emojis) on here?
Like this..
Posted on 5/24/16 at 9:54 am to TideSaint
Lol yeah! The other thing that got me was that he daid Williams doesn't have the explosiveness of Allen and Lawson. That's the dumbest thing I think I've possibly ever read! He's so explosive he looks like he's offsides half the time.
Posted on 5/24/16 at 12:00 pm to Chris78
I guess it depends on how you define explosive. I don't know what Williams 40 time is, but his initial burst and first 10 yard quickness (which is the most important in playing on the line) is as good as any I've seen.
Posted on 5/24/16 at 12:03 pm to Bama3714
Napier is visiting DT Akial Byers out of Arkansas today.
Posted on 5/24/16 at 12:09 pm to Bama3714
Yep, exactly! His 40 is supposedly 4.76. Like you said, the first 10 yds, or burst off the line is what I call explosiveness for defensive ends or olb's.
Posted on 5/24/16 at 12:26 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 5/24/16 at 1:09 pm to TideSaint
Drew Champlin put in a crystal ball pick for TE Zech Byrd. I wouldn't be surprised to see him commit in the next week or 2.After his senior tape comes out ,look for him to get a ratings bump. Their offense was almost all running last year. In an interview with jis coach, he said they were going to get him more involved in the offense. I think TideSaint linked it. He's got Oj type of skills,maybe not quite as fast. A lot better blocker at this stage though.
Posted on 5/24/16 at 1:11 pm to Chris78
TideSaint, thanks for all the work you put in! I ran a recruiting site on facebook years ago and know how much work it is. Thanks brother!
Posted on 5/24/16 at 2:26 pm to Chris78
What are your thoughts on us watching another 2018 QB throw today?
This post was edited on 5/24/16 at 2:27 pm
Posted on 5/24/16 at 2:44 pm to chattabama
Just doing our due diligence
This post was edited on 5/24/16 at 2:53 pm
Posted on 5/24/16 at 2:46 pm to Chris78
Thanks man.
Posted on 5/24/16 at 2:48 pm to chattabama
We have to cast a wide net these days. Don't want to get Fromm'd or Town'd with Jack West and not have a backup plan. 
Posted on 5/24/16 at 2:53 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 5/24/16 at 2:54 pm to TideSaint
quote:
We have to cast a wide net these days. Don't want to get Fromm'd or Town'd with Jack West and not have a backup plan.
What happened with Allan Walters and us?
Posted on 5/24/16 at 2:56 pm to chattabama
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Ryan Bartow ?@RyanBartow 15m15 minutes ago Fort Lauderdale, FL
#VIP Scoop: Ex- #Alabama lineman Charles Baldwin visited #Temple, #Louisville next.
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