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RE: Steal of the Draft

Stigma — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:09:19 GMT

Here is what NFLDraftScout has to say about Marcus Monk. Note who they compare him to and why.

Positives: Has a tall frame with long limbs, minimal body fat, adequate muscle definition and room to carry more bulk, for a potential shift to H-back, with no loss in quickness...Has large, natural hands and when he sinks his pads, he is capable of running decent routes and using his adequate burst to gain separation from defenders...Uses his long reach well to make sideline catches while keeping his feet in bounds...Has the long stride to get into his routes with good quickness, but when he prefers to glide off the ball, he struggles to rebuild his speed and is slow to break the cushion...More of a long strider who gets most of his production on vertical routes...Has decent stop-and-go agility, but with his long limbs, he has trouble sinking his hips all the time...Perhaps due to his two knee injuries, he showed a better work ethic in 2007 than in previous seasons, putting in extra time in the weight room and improving his pass-catching skills...Knows where the markers are and is mindful of the sideline, making good adjustments to get to throws at the boundary...Adequate separating after the catch, but when he shows desire, he knows he can use his long reach to get to throws over a smaller defender...Needs to define his cuts and set up the defender better, but will pluck the ball at its highest point...Does a good job of tracking the ball on vertical routes and, while he prefers to work on the edge of the defense, he must show a better burst to separate in the open...Takes advantage of his size to make catches when he only has marginal separation, but must make a better effort to escape from the crowd.

Negatives: Needs to play with better urgency, as he does not explode into his routes and while he does a decent job of using his adequate speed to break away from second-level defenders after the catch, he possesses only marginal quickness and elusiveness to make tacklers miss...Struggles to find holes in the zone and must be more crisp in his route progression, as he will drift into coverage...Will take some plays off, especially when not involved in the action and isn't a blocker...Must play with better courage and aggressiveness, as he shies away from contact and hesitates when going up for the ball in a crowd (must be more determined combating for jump balls and use his height and reach to his own advantage)...Not explosive in his initial burst off the snap, as he will take a false step or two when releasing from the line, lacking urgency to get upfield...His tall frame and lack of strength allow defenders to get under his pads, as he does not come off the snap with a low center of gravity...Lacks the initial quickness and agility needed to get defenders off-balance when releasing from the line of scrimmage...Shows the ability to sink his hips coming out of his breaks, but just seems to go through the motions with a rolling start to get into his routes...More of a straight-line runner who is more comfortable running vertical routes, rather than have to battle the crowd to get to the short-to-medium area tosses...Even with his imposing frame, he lacks physicality vs. the press and shows only passive resistance when defensive backs attempt to reroute him...Must be more alert to pocket pressure, as he either lacks vision or desire to work back to the pocket when the quarterback is flushed out...Needs to use his frame better in attempts to shield defenders from the ball and must be more aggressive, as he lets defenders get in front of him to make plays...Better downfield blocker than at the line, as he looks totally disinterested when asked to face up to bigger defenders at the point of attack.

Compares To: MATT JONES-Jacksonville...Jones is much faster than his former teammate, but both have one major issue with the way they play the game -- a lack of urgency in their route running. With their size, you would expect them to consistently win battles for the ball, but Monk is known to shy away from contact, allowing the defender to make plays on the ball. He has the frame to extend and catch outside the frame, but will revert to catching with his body in close quarters, resulting in quite a few balls not getting caught. He does not have blazing speed, but with his high-cut, long-legged frame, you would expect him to shield the ball better over the middle. Right now, he is strictly a vertical route runner, but unless he shows better fire in his belly, he could slide to the end of the draft, especially if you consider that he looked like a shell of his former self, returning to the field after back-to-back knee surgeries in 2007.

RE: Steal of the Draft

The Lord of Orange — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:56:21 GMT

Last year when it was prematurely reported that Monk was entering the NFL draft before his senior season he was one of my favorite pics for Jacksonville.

I sometimes wonder why players who look to make big bucks signing with an NFL team decide to stay and play another season in college knowing a knee injury could sideline them indefinitely. Colleges stay open year round while NFL contracts come and go. For a few million bucks I'd let the university wipe out my academic record and start over.

I also remember a catch Monk had a couple of seasons ago I think also might have been against the Gamecocks when he reached behind his body to make a one handed grab. He definitely was looking like he could be an NFL fixture piece. Hope he finally gets his chance.

RE: Steal of the Draft

Utopia — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:36:41 GMT

I think the Arkansas WR experiments are over, but do you guys have any big, nasty, slobbering, dirt kicking, baby eating, defensive ends that want to play for the Jags? I'm all for that.

I also second the "we need more hogsters on the board" motion.:D A couple of you guys are among my favorites.;)

RE: Steal of the Draft

Razor_Jag — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:07:18 GMT

Matt Jones was a QB in college so the jags took a chance drafting him as a WR. I still believe he is underutilized and will excel if given more looks.

Marcus Monk however IS a WR and a very good one at that. It will be very hard to keep a guy like him on the bench. He is a great possession and red zone guy but also has the speed to go deep.

RE: Steal of the Draft

Jay T money sonny — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:09:44 GMT

i think we should take him as it seems we have lost more than a few Hogsters around here over the past 3 years. can never have enough Hogsters on board!!!:D

RE: Steal of the Draft

The Mad Dog — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:25:50 GMT

nice to see you updated the Tony Stewart crash o meter, jones & 24.

:laugh:

Make it 4 tomorrow in Martinsville.

RE: Steal of the Draft

The Mad Dog — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:23:46 GMT

[quote][b]jj82284 (3/29/2008)[/b][hr][quote][b]jones&24 (3/29/2008)[/b][hr]I'm a homer, so take this how you want. The kid's got great hands and good size. Made some crazy catches for my HOGS over his career. I remember a play against South Carolina where he was double-teamed, both defenders had a hand on the ball, and Marcus took it away for a TD.

Good luck MM.[/quote]

just another reason why we should not have drafted matt jones[/quote]

No, we shouldn't have, not in the first round anyway,....but I'm sure you'll put no blame on our flies-on-poop level GM, James Harris for the pick, will you?

RE: Steal of the Draft

jones&24 — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:25:08 GMT

Good luck MM.[/quote]

just another reason why we should not have drafted matt jones[/quote]Just another reason to not read your posts. Way to stay on topic there, brainiac.:doze:

RE: Steal of the Draft

jj82284 — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:58:49 GMT

[quote][b]jones&24 (3/29/2008)[/b][hr]I'm a homer, so take this how you want. The kid's got great hands and good size. Made some crazy catches for my HOGS over his career. I remember a play against South Carolina where he was double-teamed, both defenders had a hand on the ball, and Marcus took it away for a TD.

Good luck MM.[/quote]

just another reason why we should not have drafted matt jones

RE: Steal of the Draft

jones&24 — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:26:13 GMT

I'm a homer, so take this how you want. The kid's got great hands and good size. Made some crazy catches for my HOGS over his career. I remember a play against South Carolina where he was double-teamed, both defenders had a hand on the ball, and Marcus took it away for a TD.

Good luck MM.

Steal of the Draft

Razor_Jag — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:41:55 GMT

Keep an eye on Marcus Monk from Arkansas. 6'5, 222 lbs, great hands.

He led the Razorbacks in receiving his 1st 3 years and was projected a 2nd round pick after his junior year. he decided to stay for his senior year, then had knee surgery and missed most of the year. His stock dropped significantly....projected 5th or 6th round pick.

At the combines last month he ran a 4.56 and caught 20 of 21 passes. Then just last week at Pro Day he runs a 4.41 in the 40 yd dash, showing that he has fully recovered. He is now projected as a 3rd round prospect.

Marcus Monk is a great receiver. He is not a "project". He is potentially one of the top 5 recivers in the draft. If someone gets him in the 3rd or 4th round they may be getting the steal of the draft.