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As promised, Winston write-up

VABills

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VABills All Pro

VABills

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Eric Winston

OT | (6'7", 313, 4.9) | MIAMI (FLA.)

 

Scouts Grade: 88

 

Flags: (B: BULK/SIZE) Lacks size/bulk for position

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Strengths: Has a rare combination of size and athleticism. He has a long arms and a wide wingspan. His feet and lateral movement skills are outstanding. He has a quick set in pass pro and almost never gets beat around the corner with pure speed. Is balanced and shows very good body control. A natural knee-bender. Shows the ability to mirror and slide versus the most athletic DE's he's faced. He possesses adequate upper body strength. He has long arms and strong hands to maintain separation. Takes good angles as a run blocker. Has great speed and mobility for his position. Can get downfield quickly as a second-level blocker and shows the consistent ability to hit the moving target. He's a hard worker and a team leader.

 

Weaknesses: Durability is a concern. He did not seem to fully bounce back from his 2004 knee injury. He lacks explosiveness as a blocker. Is not aggressive enough and must play with more of a mean streak. He lacks ideal lower body strength. Needs to improve his base in order to anchor better versus the bull rush. He lacks the leg drive to consistently create a new LOS as a run blocker. He's a little bit too much of a position and wall-off type as a run blocker. He still has some room to improve in his pass-pro technique, most notably with his hand-placement. Still relatively raw at the position; did not move from TE to LOT until 2003 season and he missed the 2004 season with an injury.

 

Overall: Winston is a former tight end who moved to left tackle as a sophomore in 2003. He was in the process of becoming a dominant left tackle towards the end of that season, but suffered a season-ending left knee injury four games into the 2004 season. Winston returned to the starting lineup as a senior in 2005, starting all 11 regular season games at left tackle. Winston is a former tight end who shows impressive athletic ability for his size. He also is a mature player, who will work hard to maximize his physical tools at the next level. Had he not suffered the injury as a junior, Winston likely would have left school early and could have been a high first round pick in 2005. However, Winston was not the same dominating player in 2005 as he was prior to his 2004 season-ending knee injury. He still needs to improve his leg drive when blocking in the running game and he lacks ideal base when anchoring versus the bull rush. He must also become a nastier and more aggressive blocker in order to make it in the pros. Winston still has a chance to work his way back into the first round with a strong showing in post-season all star game and workouts. But as it stands right now, we grade Winston out as an early second-round prospect that may fit better at the right tackle position in the NFL.

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Fixxxer All Pro

Fixxxer

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Eric Winston T Miami FL

Position: OT

Height: 6' 7"

School: Univ. of Miami

Weight: 316 lbs.

 

General Variables: 33 out of 40

Position Variables: 29 out of 40

Size: 9

Run blocking: 8

Strength: 8

Pass blocking: 7

Speed: 8

Footwork/Technique: 7

Athleticism: 8

Attitude: 7

 

Positives

Eric Winston came to Miami as a TE, and you can see that in how he plays. He’s very athletic, and although he’s added upwards of 35 lbs. to his frame, he’s shown no drop off in athletic talent. Last season, he really blossomed as a player, demonstrating a great balance of dominant run blocking and, more importantly, developing into a very good pass protector. Winston isn’t an overpowering player, like Jamaal Brown, but he’s very sound technically, and is able to get his job done with skill and athleticism, rather than raw power. He’s got plenty of room to continue growing, getting stronger, and with only one year at OT, this could be a breakout year. He’s got good speed, possessing an ability to pull and pick up blitzers, as well as any tackle in the country.

 

Negatives:

Winston is still learning how to play offensive tackle. He made a huge jump last spring, stepping into the starting role, but there’s no doubt that he’s got a lot of learning to do. Winston also needs to play much stronger, particularly in his upper body, where he’s a little lanky. From an athletic standpoint, Winston is very good, but physically, and technically, he’s still got a lot of developing to do.

 

Overall:

This kid, along with Jon Scott are my two juniors to really watch this year. Both are poised to make huge progress in their games. I don’t think even the Hurricane fans could have expected Winston to become as good as he has, as quickly as he did. He’s not a finished product by any means, but after only one season, he’s come along very well. This year, Winston will need to continue to improve, especially in terms of his power and strength, to be included in that top tier of offensive tackle prospects. There’s no doubt in my mind he will, and with that, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he declared early. He’s already learned that being an NFL OT will make him more money than a TE.

 

Games that matter:

9/6 Florida State, 11/13 @ Virginia and 12/4 Virginia Tech — No better way for an OT to develop in a hurry, than playing in the ACC. Virginia’s defense against any o-line is fun to watch, and Winston can really make a name for himself by playing well against that band of athletes.

 

Final word:

GROWTH — I hesitated putting Winston into the top 5, because for all I know, last season may have been an anomaly, and he could flop this year. Yeah, right. This kid’s a stud in the making, and after this year, everyone is going to know who he is. Would it shock me if he saw the chance to be a high first round pick, and declare early? Nope, not at all. He’s got to get stronger and play with a little more fire, but this kid deserves to be in the conversation with guys like Brown and Barron.

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Eric Winston, 6-7, 315, Miami

Winston is probably the quickest tackle in the country. He has been clocked at 4.91 in the forty. No surprise for a former tight end. He has a ton of upside considering how good he is at such a young age. As a freshman he was a devastating run-blocking tight end and after he moved to tackle he only got better. In 2003 he was selected to be on the All-Big East second team and chosen by his teammates as the Hurricanes’ offensive lineman of the year. He bulked up in the weight room but didn’t lose any quickness, in fact Winston was so good Miami moved Vernon Carey back to guard. He slides very well in pass protection and he is stout enough to stop any bull rush. He has good initial pop in the running game but like almost all college players could look to get a little stronger. He missed 2004 with a knee injury but if he would have been healthy and entered into the 2005 draft he probably would have been a top ten pick.

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Eric Winston

Height: 6-7

Weight: 312

40-Time: 5.10

 

Strengths:

Has excellent size with long arms and the frame to add some additional weight...Extremely athletic and quick for the position...Has amazing feet...Mobility is outstanding...Can pull and block in space...Competitive and physical...Uses his hands well and has a good initial punch...Very smart and a hard worker with top intangibles...Gets better each game and still has a ton of upside and potential.

 

Weaknesses:

Suffered a major knee injury as a junior in 2004 and didn't appear to be fully recovered yet...Has some trouble with speed rushers...Can he play left tackle or will he have to move to the right side?...Raw and is still mastering the nuances and technique of the position...Needs to get stronger and continue to develop physically...Can he get much bigger without losing his quickness and mobility?

 

Notes:

Came to college as a tight end...Looked like a future elite left tackle prospect prior to the injury...Stock dropped in 2005 but that downturn in play might be attributed to his not yet being 100% healthy...It usually takes two seasons to come back from the type of surgery he had so some team may get a steal if he slips a little on Draft Day and then reverts back to the form he showed in 2003 and 2004.

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Eric Winston

Position: Offensive Tackle

School: Miami (FL)

Status: Senior

Height: 6-7

Weight: 310

40-Yard Dash: 5.10 (EST)

 

Positives:

Eric Winston possesses great size and the intelligence to play the offensive tackle position, either on the left or right side. He is an all around athlete with great agility for his tall stature. Winston has great speed and quick feet to keep up with the intense pressure from defenses at the next level.

 

Negatives:

Winston tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the fourth game last season against Georgia Tech, but should be fully recovered. Lost a year of experience from the injury.

 

Overview:

Winston, who has already graduated, was a recruit at TE, but made the transition to offensive tackle before the 2003 season. He didn’t play offensive tackle in high school or his freshman year, but he has made an amazing transition to the O-line

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K-gunner Practice Squad

K-gunner

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Just say no to OOOOO line ,with first pick <_<

585810[/snapback]

 

 

If D'brick fell to number 8 i would scoop him up in heartbeat...other than him,there isnt another OL worth a first round pick.Maybe the tackle from SoCal but that would be late 1st.

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buffaloboyinATL All Pro

buffaloboyinATL

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This kid, along with Jon Scott are my two juniors to really watch this year.  Both are poised to make huge progress in their games.

585801[/snapback]

 

I saw a little bit of Jonathan Scott in the senior bowl practice and he looked really good. He was playing left tackle in one on one drills againt a fast DE from Florida State and he handled him very well. They showed that same end, not sure who it was, burn by another tackle twice in that same practice. FWIW.

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Shamrock RFA

Shamrock

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Weaknesses: Durability is a concern. He did not seem to fully bounce back from his 2004 knee injury. He lacks explosiveness as a blocker. Is not aggressive enough and must play with more of a mean streak. He lacks ideal lower body strength. Needs to improve his base in order to anchor better versus the bull rush. He lacks the leg drive to consistently create a new LOS as a run blocker. He's a little bit too much of a position and wall-off type as a run blocker. He still has some room to improve in his pass-pro technique, most notably with his hand-placement. Still relatively raw at the position; did not move from TE to LOT until 2003 season and he missed the 2004 season with an injury.

 

...ouch

 

and how many times has this been printed "Has a rare combination of size and athleticism"...i would flag it on that alone :ph34r:

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