Topic: GAZETTE: Among the questions hovering over Gator Hoskins as the NFL draft

[biggreenarms]

Among the questions hovering over Gator Hoskins as the NFL draft nears are these:

Is the former Marshall star a tight end or, stunningly enough, a fullback?

Will he be drafted or go the free agent route?

Does he have the size and/or the athletic ability to hang in “The League”?

Most of the same questions can be posed about Garrett Scott, whose position of offensive tackle is clearer. Then again, Scott’s future ultimately lies in being versatile enough to also play at guard — NFL teams don’t make 10 offensive linemen active for games, home or away.

By all accounts, both will be drafted Saturday, if at all. If they are passed over, expect them to be signed as free agents as soon as Saturday.

No dishonor there. The Thundering Herd has a respectable rate of prospects sticking on NFL rosters as undrafted free agents.

And in excelling. Look at the 2013 Super Bowl, in which four Thundering Herd alums either participated or were on the roster but inactive — Albert McClellan and Omar Brown of the Baltimore Ravens, C.J. Spillman and Randy Moss of of the San Francisco 49ers.

All except Moss were undrafted free agents. Spillman, in particular, has stood out for his play on special teams.

There’s Doug Legursky, the Beckley native who started at center for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2011 Super Bowl. And on and on.

So the NFL is hardly out of reach for Hoskins and Scott, even with their flaws. Hoskins, for one, is not that anxious over whether he is drafted.

“A little bit,” he said. “I’m not too much worried about things I can’t control.”

Certainly, Hoskins will be eager to play special teams or even move to fullback, whatever it takes. The latter is an intriguing possibility.

Fullbacks are a rare commodity in college football, but are used quite a bit in the NFL. They can be effective pass-catchers out of the backfield, but they’re used mostly as battering rams, players who can explode off the first two steps and thwart an oncoming defender.

The 49ers, for one team, have a fullback with an interesting background — Bruce Miller, who won a Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honor while playing at Central Florida.

The factor that puts Hoskins in limbo is his size. He was used at Marshall as an often-flexed-out tight end, a sort of second slot receiver in certain sets.

His size is rated at 6 foot, 1 5/8 inches, 253 pounds — again, not beastly size for a tight end. ESPN.com scouts say he has “adequate bulk but short with limited size potential.” Of his blocking: “Doesn’t have frame to develop as an in-line blocker.”

(And that may be why, as CBS Sports hints, he may be developed as a fullback.)

Those are his low points on that scouting report. He is rated above average in durability, intangibles and ball skills, which won’t surprise many Herd fans. Part of his ball skills report: “Can absorb contact and hold on. Body control, leaping ability and enough length to compete for jump balls downfield and in the red zone, despite [lack of] height.”

Scott doesn’t have a scouting report by ESPN, but does by CBS Sports.

Listed at 6-5, 307 pounds, he is given high marks for his size, athleticism, pass protection and “quick, active feet.”

The report suggests he has trouble at pass-blocking: “Lacks great functional strength, as he struggles to drive defensive linemen off the ball. Needs to improve upper-body strength to be a real factor in the run game.”

There’s no doubt Hoskins and Scott worked hard since December to answer questions about their strength. But now, the work is set aside and the waiting is underway, with rounds 2 through 3 today and the rest on Saturday.

Hoskins is celebrating another major milestone, his graduation. After that, he’ll monitor the draft with family and friends in Huntington.

“Nothing much, just watching,” he said of his plans.

http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140508/GZ02/140509267/1144

[goherd24]

Think the size issue is so sklly with tight ends. Vernon davis is only slightly bigger than hoskins, for example. The guy can make plays and its no fluke he was so productive in college. Reminds me of Goddard,  one of the best at his position in college ever, IMO, but he never got a real chance before he left us way too early.

The unfortunate thing is, Cato, will suffer from this old school thought process as well over his size and will be lucky to get drafted at all, even as a heisman finalist IMO.

[Johnnyherd]

It's amazing to me that people try and handcuff a guy's career by saying that being 2 inches too short will limit him in the NFL....

"If" and that's a big IF, Gator can't go up against 5'10 DB's and catch passes over them, then that's only one thing...90% of passes are chest level and below anyway....

What about the other dozen things he can do?  Stupid way to evaluate a player...

It's like saying John Stockton can't dunk on the guy that's guarding him, so he'll struggle to be effective in the NBA...Babe Ruth can't steal bases so he'll be a liability in the line-up....

[luvherd]

I think he gets a shot and if he can block he makes it.