Keep up the spin, aggy.
The average 247 composite rating of Strong's players from Louisville who were drafted was 0.8770. For the five Texas players drafted, it was 0.9445. Two 5-stars, two 4-stars and one 3-star at Texas, while
all but three of the Louisville guys were 3-stars. 3-star Charlie indeed.
Strong-influenced Draft
May 4, 2015 by
By Eric Nahlin
Charlie Strong. (Will Gallagher/IT)
The evaluation of college programs’ ability to identify and develop talent is in, and yet again, Charlie Strong proved himself to be one of the most capable instructors in the country. Ten players from his previous stop were selected over the 3-day NFL draft, and five players were drafted from Texas. He doesn’t get full credit for the Texas players, obviously, but he certainly helped more than he hindered.
Credit must also go to some other familiar names who followed Strong from Louisville; Vance Bedford, Shawn Watson, Brian Jean-Mary.
Let’s take a closer look at those who were drafted with a slant towards recruiting. We’ll start in Louisville first. Basically last weekend’s draft put an exclamation point on a statement we already knew; Charlie Strong is great at developing talent.
1.WR
Devante Parker (Louisville, KY)
Class of 2011
. Committed: 1/21/11
Recruiting
: 3-star, #77 wide receiver in the nation
Drafted: Round 1, Pick 14, Miami Dolphins
Comments: A jump of 74 slots in the minds of NFL draft-think is extremely impressive. Certainly Rivals goofed this evaluation some, but Parker was properly developed and maximized while in college. It should be noted Parker held a 1st round grade entering the season but Bobby Petrino extracted more production on a per game basis than Strong/Watson ever did. Still, this isn’t about scheme but development of talent. Take note of how late Strong gained Parker’s commitment.
Reminds me of: Dorian Leonard. Outside receiver with size and solid athleticism who was a bit underrated coming out of high school (#58 wide receiver in the nation).
2.OG
Jamon Brown (Louisville, KY)
Class of 2011. Committed: 12/16/09
Recruiting:
: 3-star, #58 defensive tackle in the nation
Drafted: Round 3, Pick 72, St. Louis Rams
Comments: The rare early commitment for Strong. Notice anything interest? Brown was a defensive tackle who was moved to offensive tackle. He’ll play inside because he lacks length. Strong has a vision for each player and a plan to develop and utilize them.
Reminds me of:
Marcus Hutchins. Defensive tackle who moved to offensive tackle. Hutchins would be a guard in the NFL if he had that type of upside (I don’t think he does).
3.OG
John Miller (Miami, FL)
Class of 2011. Committed: 12/10/10
Recruiting:
: 3-star, not nationally rated
Drafted: Round 3, pick 81, Buffalo Bills
Comments: A late cycle take whose best offer was Kansas State. Miller’s an athletic, undersized guard who hails from Strong’s recruiting stomping grounds.
Reminds me of: Sedrick Flowers.
4.DE
Lorenzo Mauldin (Atlanta, GA)
Class of 2011. Committed: 5/17/11
Recruiting:
: 3-star, not nationally rated
Drafted: Round 3, pick 82, New York Jets
Comments: Mauldin will play OLB in the NFL but was a defensive end in college. He was projected as a 1st rounder entering the year but slid to the 3rd. Notice when he signed, way after NSD. Charlie Strong is the ultimate late cycle recruiter.
Reminds me of:
Shiro Davis. I’m hoping Shiro has a big year and then sheds weight immediately following the season to work as an OLB at his pro day.
5.S
James Sample (Sacramento, CA) – TRANSFER
Class of 2011. Signed with Washington out of high school.
Recruiting: 4-star, #9 safety in the nation
Drafted: Round 4, pick 104, Jacksonville Jaguars
Comments: After playing two seasons at U-Dub, Sample went Juco for a year before landing at UL in April of 2014. This is a Petrino player, not a Strong player.
6. DE
Deiontrez Mount (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
Class of 2011. Committed: 1/14/11
Recruiting:
: 3-star, #34 weakside defensive end in the nation
Drafted: Round 3, pick 177, Tennessee Titans
Comments: Exited high school at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. Enters the NFL at 6-foot-4 3/8 and 250 pounds. A late cycle commitment, Mount looks like an outside linebacker in the NFL.
Reminds me of:
Naashon Hughes from a size and athleticism standpoint. Hughes must become more physical.
7.CB
Charles Gaines (Miami, FL)
Class of 2011: 12/10/10
Recruiting:
: 3-star, #43 wide receiver in the nation
Drafted: Round 6, pick 189, Cleveland Browns
Comments: Another position switch (and late cycle commitment), Gaines was physical enough to make the transition from receiver to undersized cornerback. If he sticks, he’ll play in sub packages and on special teams.
Reminds me of:
Duke Thomas, a former high school quarterback.
8.DE
B.J. Dubose (Oakland Park, FL)
Class of 2011. Committed: 2/2/11
Recruiting:
: 3-star, #24 strongside defensive end
Drafted: Round 6, pick 193, Minnesota Vikings
Comments: Dubose picked UL over Miami late. Came in as a big defensive end and leaves as a swing player who can play inside and out.
Reminds me of: No current Longhorns.
9.S
Gerod Holliman (Miami, FL)
Class of 2011. Committed: 10/8/10
Recruiting: 4-star, #4 safety in the nation
Drafted: Round 7, pick 239, Pittsburgh Steelers
Comments: Holliman’s draft position doesn’t jibe with his high school reputation or the fact he won the Thorpe award in 2014 after recording 14 interceptions on the season. I’d have to believe Holliman would have been drafted higher had Strong stuck around. The NFL is about translatable talent more than production. Holliman didn’t always give max effort and missed far too many tackles. There’s no denying his instincts, however.
Reminds me of: No current Longhorns.
10. TE
Gerald Christian (West Palm Beach, FL) – TRANSFER
Class of 2010. Signed with Florida out of high school.
Recruiting: 4-star, #2 tight end in the nation
Drafted: Round 7, pick 256 (Mr. Irrelevant), Arizona Cardinals
Comments: Had 28 receptions for 426 yards in Strong’s final season meaning they were scheming that guy open. 15.2 yards per reception is good for a wide receiver let alone a tight end.
Reminds me of:
Andrew Beck
Some other interesting points:
– Between the NFL draft class of 2014 and 2015, 10 players Strong recruited from the class of 2011 were drafted. That class held just 21 players!
– That Louisville class was ranked #29. Texas was #3. What would retroactive recruiting grades do to those rankings? I have an idea. Texas experienced more attrition whether through injury or transfer than the impressive number Strong had drafted from the class of 2011.
– Just a defensive coach? Of those 10 players, four were on offense.
– One player who projected to offense ended up on defense and vice versa.
– I’ve lamented time and time again how Strong likes to finish recruiting classes aggressively. Remember this stat next time you’re worried about a position grouping. In 2011, Louisville took three defensive ends, all of which were drafted in 2015. The earliest one committed was 1/14/11.
– Often times Louisville was a player’s best offer, or at least one of them. This underlines Strong’s ability to not only identify player’s who are nowhere near their ceiling, but also his understanding of how they fit his scheme.
– Charlie Strong has never landed a class with anywhere near the amount of talent as 2015. No wonder he was so happy on National Signing Day. NFL evaluators and Texas fans will come to know that class as the Key Strong Pipeline.
