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Monmouth U's Wideout Chris Hogan Impresses At Workouts
Photo - WR Chris Hogan - Monmouth U
‘Trust Your Eyes’
The third day of the NFL Draft 2011 begins at noon today and has always been a day I call ‘Scouts Day.’ This is the pro prospect group that falls beyond the Top 100 players that teams have to do extensive work on to evaluate for the NFL game. There have been countless gems among the 4th through the 7th rounds. The endless Pro Days finally terminated at some point this week. They have taken on a nature all their own over recent years. Web site has the Top Small College Prospects - ‘The Dirty Dozen posted on Friday. Three prospects OL Ben Ijalana (2nd) and OL Will Rackley and NT Kendric Ellis (3rd) were selected on the 2nd day of the NFL Draft 2011. Annually, about 25-30 prospects from the lower level get selected in the NFL Draft.
Over 90% of the results of Pro Days only confirm what you should have known months earlier. Granted, the medical and injury situations are vital to update for final rankings. Many lesser known prospects benefit from the exposure, though the final rankings should not be changed to any big degree. The old athletic and scouting slogan “Trust your Eyes” applies here more than anywhere. This is not the Olympics, its evaluating football players for a specific skill set for the NFL game. One of the final Pro Day was at Monmouth University (N.J.) on Monday April 25th. The Philadelphia Eagles worked out wideout Chris Hogan in a fog similar to the Fog playoff game years ago. Hogan is a Miles Austin clone (former Monmouth player) that the Eagles wanted to get a final look at the raw developing athlete. Hogan played only one season at Monmouth after a Lacrosse career at Penn St. He is a fine athlete and actually blew the competition away at the Fordham Pro Day a month ago. The Eagles have three #7 picks, so I expect them to use one of them on Hogan as an athlete who can help on coverage units while he develops as a receiver. Though he is similar to the Cowboy’s Miles Austin in athleticism, size and smarts, he is not as developed as a receiver and needs strong coaching on the basics of route running, reading defenses and make adjustments during the play. I actually pounded the table for Miles Austin in 2006 with no takers He has developed into a top tier NFL starter over recent seasons. Hogan has that type of ability, though he will have to earn his stripes on coverage units, and at 220 lbs. and a legitimate sub 4.50 time, he has the athleticism and toughness to win a role on the coverage teams. With time to develop, he could be a major sleeper from the lower level that shocks NFL scouts. Clubs like the Browns, 49ers, Texans and Giants have him on their short list for the late rounds. The final day of the NFL Draft 2011 (rounds 4 thru 7) will probably once again present some future pro stars for the savvy front offices who have done their homework on the hidden gems from college football.