Elliott Mealer, #57

Tag: senior profile


5Mar 2013
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Elliott Mealer, #57

Elliott Mealer

HIGH SCHOOL
Mealer attended Wauseon (OH) Wauseon as a member of the class of 2008.  He was a 4-star, the #24 OT, and the #213 overall player to Rivals.  To Scout he was a 4-star and the #28 OT.  He committed to Lloyd Carr and Michigan on April 23, 2007, over offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Purdue.  In December 2007, just over a month before he would sign with Michigan, he was in a car accident that killed his father and girlfriend and paralyzed his brother Brock.

COLLEGE
Elliott injured his shoulder in the car accident, which helped cement his redshirt for the 2008 season.  As a redshirt freshman in 2009, he played in eleven games on special teams and subbing in at left guard on offense occasionally.  During his redshirt sophomore season in 2010, he continued standing on the sideline for the most part, his left guard spot blocked by Stephen Schilling; however, Mealer did play on special teams in every game.  He played more offense in 2011 when Brady Hoke arrived, playing both offensive guard and offensive tackle as a backup.  On the eve of the 2012 season, Mealer earned the starting offensive center job over Ricky Barnum (who would proceed to start at left guard, Mealer’s projected position) because Mealer was a more consistent snapper.  He started every game as a senior.

CAREER STATS
Played in 50 total games with 13 starts

SUMMARY
The story with Mealer – which is unfortunate in numerous ways – begins with the devastating car accident during his senior year of high school.  To the credit of Rich Rodriguez, his staff, and the Michigan community, Michigan honored Mealer’s scholarship offer and helped Brock Mealer on the path to recovery from his paralysis.  On the football side of things, Mealer’s career probably didn’t go the way he planned.  He mostly played tight end in high school, and his projected position of offensive tackle never quite fit his skills; he was a little short and lacked the foot speed to block defensive ends regularly.  Physically, his best position probably would have been offensive guard in a pro-style system, so his years under Rich Rodriguez were kind of a mismatch between system and player.  When Mealer earned the starting center job in 2012, it was largely because he was one of the five best linemen overall and the coaches liked his snapping ability – which was perhaps a good call, because there were no errant snaps all year.  Mealer had been practicing some at center for his entire college career, but he never played the position in a game until his final season.  Unfortunately, Mealer looked a little lost attempting to carry out some other center duties – mainly blocking – which caused Michigan’s running game to suffer.

I WILL REMEMBER HIM FOR . . .
. . . staying strong and showing a positive attitude despite the tragedies he suffered.

PROJECTION
Mealer’s solid snapping might get him a look from some NFL teams, but as I mentioned above, I believe his best position is offensive guard.  However, his lack of production and starting experience at Michigan makes him a bit of a longshot to succeed at the next level.  I do not expect him to get drafted, and I would be surprised if he hangs on in the NFL longer any longer than maybe a rookie mini-camp or training camp invitation.  But the entire Michigan community will be rooting for him.

3Mar 2013
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Ricky Barnum, #52

Ricky Barnum

HIGH SCHOOL
Barnum attended Lakeland (FL) Lake Gibson and graduated in 2008.  He committed to Florida in early January 2008, but Rich Rodriguez – who was hired from West Virginia in December 2007 – continued to recruit Barnum, who held offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, South Florida, and West Virginia.  He eventually made the flip from the Gators to the Wolverines on National Signing Day in February.  He was a 4-star and the #5 center to Rivals, and he was a 3-star and the #17 offensive guard to Scout.

COLLEGE
Barnum redshirted as a freshman in 2008.  Michigan’s coaching staff at the time really liked his mobility, and they started to work him in at various positions on the offensive line, including offensive tackle – despite the fact that Barnum stands just 6’3″.  As a redshirt freshman in 2009, he played left guard against Eastern Michigan and left tackle against Delaware State.  In his redshirt sophomore season, he played left guard against Bowling Green, left tackle against Ohio State, and right guard in the bowl game against Mississippi State.  Barnum finally earned a starting job as a redshirt junior in 2011, earning three starts before injury his ankle pretty badly and giving way to Michael Schofield.  As part of his versatile training, Barnum had been snapping in practice throughout his career, and he was expected to be the starting center going into 2012; however, the surprise of opening day 2012 was that Barnum was back at left guard (Schofield had moved to right tackle) and fellow fifth year senior Elliott Mealer was inserted at center.  Barnum struggled with ankle, knee, and forearm injuries throughout the first four years of his career, but he started all 13 games as a senior.

CAREER STATISTICS
22 games played, 16 starts

AWARDS
None.

SUMMARY
I was never sold on Barnum as a viable offensive lineman at Michigan, even when Rich Rodriguez seemed to be trying to get him on the field early in his career.  There was a time when “insiders” were suggesting that he could be Michigan’s next starting offensive tackle, and that always bugged me because he clearly lacks the size to do so.  His best position was always going to be guard or center.  When Schofield took over for him in 2011, it was an improvement; the backup was better at pulling and drive blocking.  Going into his senior season, I thought – as most people did – that Barnum would be the starting center.  I even went so far as to place Barnum at #2 in the 2012 Season Countdown because it was so vital that he have a good season at center.  Aside from him getting bumped over to left guard, the entire interior offensive line struggled, ncluding Barnum. Supposedly, Mealer was the superior snapper despite struggling as a blocker, too.  It was a subpar season for Michigan’s offensive line.

I WILL REMEMBER HIM FOR . . . 
. . . being quite average.

PROJECTION
Barnum runs well in a straight line, but Michigan’s coaching staff didn’t take particular advantage of his pulling skills.  Perhaps they didn’t trust him as a pulling guard.  Despite his mobility, he doesn’t stand out as an open-field blocker and he really struggles with drive blocking.  At just 6’3″ and 296 lbs. or so, he lacks the bulk to be effective at guard on the next level.  Just like in college, I think his best position would be center, but his reported issues with snapping the ball consistently might be a problem there, too.  I just don’t see a future for Barnum in the NFL.

24Feb 2013
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Kenny Demens, #25

Kenny Demens

HIGH SCHOOL
Demens was a part of Michigan’s class of 2008, committing in September 2007 before Lloyd Carr retired.  He picked Michigan over offers from Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, among others.  He attended Detroit (MI) Country Day with backfield mate Jonas Gray, who ended up at Notre Dame; Demens doubled as a fullback and linebacker for Country Day, and I had the experience of watching both of them play. Not knowing who they were, I said, “Wow, these guys are going to be playing Division I ball next year.”  They turned out to be sophomores at the time.  Demens closed the 2008 recruiting cycle as a Rivals 4-star, the #23 outside linebacker, and the #8 player in the state.  Scout pegged him as a 4-star and the #23 weakside linebacker.

COLLEGE
Demens redshirted as a freshman in 2008.  As a redshirt freshman in 2009, he played sparingly and notched just 7 tackles.  He was a backup middle linebacker in 2010 until Rich Rodriguez got fed up with the lack of development from starter Obi Ezeh, and Demens was forcefully inserted into the lineup, earning his first start against Iowa.  As a backup prior to that and a starter for the rest of the year, Demens outplayed Ezeh to tally 82 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 pass breakup in just seven starts.  With the arrival of new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison in 2011, Demens started every game and led the team with 94 tackles, adding 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 pass breakups.  He once again started all thirteen games in 2012, but he lost some playing time to freshman Joe Bolden due to early-season underperformance; Demens still finished with 82 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 1 interception.

CAREER STATISTICS
266 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble

AWARDS
All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, Zatkoff Award winner (team’s best linebacker) in 2011

SUMMARY
I initially thought Demens was not a Michigan-caliber starter at middle linebacker.  I thought he was too slow and not instinctive enough.  But he was clearly a step up from Obi Ezeh.  He had a solid redshirt junior season in 2011, and I thought maybe, just maybe, he had met up with the right coaching staff to maximize his talents.  And maybe he did maximize those talents, but his senior season was just so-so.  While you can’t expect a college linebacker to play every single meaningful down, he lost some playing time in key moments to freshman Joe Bolden, particularly against Air Force early in 2012.  Demens seemed to be on the rise, but instead he plateaued or even took a step backward.  He occasionally made a big hit and he was decent in pass coverage, but people probably won’t be longing for the days of Kenny Demens in 10 or 15 years.  I applaud the work he put in for Michigan, though.  He was a steady force in the middle of a defense that improved significantly throughout his career.

I WILL REMEMBER HIM FOR . . . 
. . . not being Obi Ezeh.  I can’t think of a signature play for Demens.

PROJECTION
I think Demens will sign somewhere as an undrafted free agent, but I don’t think he has much of a future in the NFL.  While he is very thick and strong, he’s not particularly fast, instinctive, or athletic, which limits his value even as a special teams player.  Since he lacks the speed to be a true 4-3 middle linebacker, I think the best situation for him might be if he gets signed by a 3-4 team as an inside ‘backer.

19Feb 2013
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Roy Roundtree, #21

Roy Roundtree

HIGH SCHOOL
Roundtree attended Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison and graduated high school with running back Michael Shaw and tight end Brandon Moore, both of whom would also select Michigan.  As a junior in high school, he had 48 catches for 851 yards and 7 touchdowns.  Roundtree was a 4-star to Rivals, the #44 wide receiver, and the #17 player in the state of Ohio.  To Scout he was a 3-star and the #89 wide receiver.  He had been committed to Purdue, but flipped to Michigan on National Signing Day of 2008, angering then Purdue coach Joe Tiller.

COLLEGE
Roundtree redshirted as a freshman in 2008.  He played sparingly in the first eight games of 2009, but he exploded onto the scene during the final four games, each of which he started.  He finished the season with 32 receptions for 434 yards and 3 touchdowns, of which 30 catches, 390 yards, and all 3 touchdowns came  during those four starts.  His biggest catch of the year was the game-tying touchdown reception from Tate Forcier against Michigan State (a game Michigan would eventually lose).  He also had a 76-yard catch-and-run against Illinois on which he was tackled at the 1-yard line (and Michigan failed to score), so he received some flak for getting chased down from behind.  He was named All-Big Ten Second Team in 2010 when he caught 72 passes for 935 yards and 7 touchdowns, including a Michigan record 246 yards against Illinois on 9 catches with 2 touchdowns.  However, he was about to suffer a serious drop-off in production with the arrival of Brady Hoke, who moved Roundtree from slot to outside receiver, which limited him to 19 catches for 355 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2011.  The highlight of his redshirt junior season was the game-winning touchdown catch against Notre Dame.  As a fifth year senior in 2012, Roundtree snagged 31 passes for 580 yards and 3 touchdowns, earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

CAREER STATISTICS
154 receptions, 2,304 yards, 15 touchdowns; 1 kickoff return for 19 yards; 2 tackles

SUMMARY
Prior to the 2011 season, I was in support of giving Roundtree the #1 jersey, not just for his performance in 2010 but because of his leadership, his blocking, and his knack for big plays.  Despite being scrawny at 6’0″ and under 180 lbs. for most of his career, Roundtree was willing to battle in the air for jump balls and throw his body around to set up running backs and his fellow receivers.  Even when his production dropped from 72 receptions to 19, he said all the right things.  He came up in big moments, with big catches against MSU in 2009, Notre Dame in 2011, Northwestern in 2012, and numerous others.  And this is a guy who had five  70+ yard receptions.  To give some perspective, Braylon Edwards never even had one.  And nobody else in Michigan history has had more than one.  That’s not to say that Roundtree was better than Edwards, David Terrell, Mario Manningham, etc., but this guy was a legitimate big play wide receiver.

PROJECTION
It’s going to be tough for Roundtree to make an impact at the next level.  He was not invited to the NFL Combine, likely due to a lack of great production over the past couple seasons.  He has a very slight build, he has had problems with drops in the past, and he’s not an absolute blazer.  Although I do not expect him to get drafted in April, I would expect him to be signed as a free agent, and I could see him latching onto a team as a practice squad player.  I could see him being one of those types of players who pops up late in the NFL seasons after one guy gets suspended for drinking and driving and another guy tears an ACL.

17Feb 2013
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Denard Robinson, #16

Denard Robinson’s first snap – and first touchdown – of his career

2012 Season Countdown: #1 Denard Robinson

HIGH SCHOOL
Robinson came from Deerfield Beach (FL) Deerfield Beach, which also produced Adrian Witty in that graduating class; Witty signed with Michigan but did not qualify academically.  Robinson, meanwhile, picked the Wolverines over offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kansas State, Miami, Ohio State, and West Virginia; most schools wanted him as a cornerback except Florida, Kansas State, and Michigan.  He visited in early January and, despite the cold weather, committed to the Wolverines on National Signing Day.  Robinson was Rivals’ #14 athlete and the #188 player in the country.

COLLEGE
Robinson electrified Michigan Stadium on his first career snap, a play against Western Michigan in which he fumbled the shotgun snap, picked it up, sprinted around right end, split two defenders, and outraced everyone to the endzone for a 43-yard touchdown.  He finished the season 14/31 passing for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions as fellow freshman Tate Forcier’s backup.  He beat out Forcier by opening day 2010, earning the start against UConn and setting school records (soon to be shattered by himself) of 383 total yards and 197 rushing yards (most by a quarterback).  Including an exciting 87-yard touchdown, he rushed for 258 yards and passed for 244 yards in a win against Notre Dame, setting the school record of 502 total yards.  Robinson finished the season 182/291 passing for 2,570 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions; he also ran 256 times for 1,702 yards and 14 touchdowns.  As a junior in 2011 under new coach Brady Hoke, Robinson completed 142/258 passes for 2,170 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions; and he ran 221 times for 1,176 yards and 16 touchdowns.  His numbers declined once again as a senior, when Robinson completed just 89/167 of his passes for 9 touchdowns and 9 interceptions; he ran 177 times for 1,266 yards and 7 touchdowns; and he caught 3 passes for 31 yards.  The decline as a senior was especially apparent during a 4-interception, 1-fumble performance in a 13-6 loss to Notre Dame.  An elbow injury knocked him out of the eighth game of the season (Nebraska), causing him to miss the next two games and preventing him from throwing the ball for the rest of the season, except for 1 weak incompletion against South Carolina in the bowl game.  As a result, he played some quarterback but also spent time at running back and wide receiver.

CAREER STATISTICS
427/747 passing (57.2%) for 6,250 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions; 723 carries for 4,495 yards (6.2 yards/carry) and 42 touchdowns; 3 receptions for 31 yards (10.3 yards/catch)

AWARDS
All-American RB, Big Ten MVP, Bo Schembechler Team MVP, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team in 2010; All-Big Ten Second Team, Bo Schembechler Team MVP in 2011; All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2012; first player to pass for 2,500 yards and rush for 1,500 yards in a single season in 2010; set NCAA record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (4,495)

SUMMARY
No player during the Rich Rodriguez era gave Michigan hope like Denard Robinson did.  The 2010 season was ridiculously exciting from an offensive point of view, because no one in football history had put up the numbers he did.  Fortunately for the program – and unfortunately for Robinson – Rodriguez was fired after that season, and Michigan hired Brady Hoke.  Robinson’s numbers took a precipitous drop under Hoke, but the team went from 7-6 in Robinson’s first year as a starter to 19-7 over his final two seasons.  I was never a fan of Robinson’s quarterbacking skills, although it was impossible to dislike him as a runner.  He turned over the ball too much (5.2% of his passes ended up in the opponent’s hands; fumbles were a problem) and, aside from a simplified passing attack in 2010, he completed too few of his passes (245/456 or 53.7%).  But the 43-yard run against Western Michigan, the two 80-plus yarders against Notre Dame in 2010, the 79-yarder against Air Force, the powerful 67-yard run against Ohio State in 2012 . . . all those and more were a joy to watch.  And he did it all with a smile on his face.  Despite being a flawed quarterback, he was perhaps the most exciting football player in Michigan history.

PROJECTION
Robinson’s chances of playing quarterback in the NFL are extremely slim, not just because of his flaws as a thrower, but because of his lack of size (he measured in at about 5’11” during Senior Bowl week).  He will have to play wide receiver or running back at the next level, and he has very little experience at either position.  As exciting as he was during his quarterback days at Michigan, his athleticism won’t be quite as much of a mismatch at those positions.  Furthermore, his potential as a kickoff/punt returner might be limited by the fact that he has little experience there and could be a liability.  He will get drafted, but it would be a mistake to pick him higher than the third or fourth round, in my opinion.  If I were an NFL general manager, I would pick him as a running back, teach him how to pass block, and use him like the New Orleans Saints used Reggie Bush early in his career – as an outside runner and a receiver split out wide.  If he can add some bulk and become a reliable pass blocker, he might be able to develop into a full-time running back.