Tag: senior profile

Steve Schilling, #52

2010 Countdown: #12 Steve Schilling

HIGH SCHOOL
Schilling was a 5-star recruit to both Rivals and Scout and the equivalent of a 4-star player (the #106 overall player) to ESPN.  He played offensive tackle in a Wing-T offense at Bellevue High School in the state of Washington, but Rivals ranked him as the #2 offensive guard in the country.  I had just started paying attention to recruiting in the summer of 2006 (which was a few months after National Signing Day), but looking back at his high school film, it seems obvious that Schilling should have been headed for the guard position.

COLLEGE
Schilling had illness (mononucleosis) and injury (shoulder) problems in 2006 and did not play as a freshman.  Most freshman linemen redshirt – although classmate Justin Boren played a little bit – but Schilling missed a lot of time that he could have spent conditioning and lifting.  He was essentially a true freshman in 2007, but started most of the season at right tackle, anyway.  It was a bit of a revolving door on the right side of the line that season, when five players made starts at right guard and two made starts at right tackle.  Schilling himself moved inside to right guard when projected starter Alex Mitchell was injured and/or disappeared.  (It’s rumored that Mitchell actually quit the team, but was talked into rejoining the squad to bolster the offensive line later in the season.)  Schilling was overpowered repeatedly, especially against Ohio State.  He remained at right tackle through the abysmal 2008 season when the entire offensive line struggled to adjust to Rich Rodriguez’s new blocking schemes.  By the time Schilling became a redshirt junior in 2009, the coaching staff had moved him to left guard, where he started all twelve games.  He looked much more comfortable inside and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention.  That led into a 2010 in which a Schilling-led offensive line paved the way for 3,101 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns.  Michigan’s quarterbacks were sacked only 11 times on the year.  Schilling started all 13 games and grew into a very good zone-blocking offensive guard by the end of his career.

STATS
49 career starts (25 at left guard, 22 at right tackle, 2 at right guard)

AWARDS
Team captain in 2010 . . . Three-time Hugh R. Rader, Jr. Award winner (2008, 2009, 2010), which is given to team’s best offensive lineman . . . All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2009 and 2010 . . . Freshman All-America in 2007

SUMMARY
I feel a little bit sorry for Schilling, although I probably shouldn’t feel too sorry for a four-year starter at Michigan who will at least get a shot at an NFL career.  He was pressed into action way too early – at a position that didn’t maximize his talents – and I think his development was stunted because of that.  The kid spent three years (well, more like two) playing tackle because it fit the team’s needs, and that’s admirable.  But it was pretty clear early in his career that he had a better future at guard.  He didn’t have the foot speed and balance to play tackle, and his burly body screams “offensive guard.”  I’m not sure that there was necessarily a better option, because other potential tackles were Mark Ortmann, Perry Dorrestein, and Mark Huyge, all of whom were also quite young in 2007 and 2008.  Coaches Lloyd Carr and Rich Rodriguez were probably doing the best they could with the talent available, but it’s a bit of an indictment of Carr’s recruiting that so few options were available.  Anyway, Schilling moved inside as a redshirt junior, and things improved significantly afterward.  He wasn’t a bone-crushing mauler, but I saw successful runs behind the left guard and, as a senior, I saw Schilling latching onto inside linebackers more frequently.  While not a superstar, Schilling is an overall success story for Lloyd Carr, Rich Rodriguez, and Rodriguez’s offensive line coach Greg Frey.

PROJECTION
Schilling has been projected in various spots for the NFL Draft coming up in late April.  He’s generally considered to be one of the top ten offensive guards for the 2011 draft class.  Despite playing tackle for a few years, he doesn’t seem to have much position flexibility.  At 6’4 1/8″, his arm length is only a reported 32.75″, which is two to four inches shorter than most tackles in the draft.  He will probably need to add some weight to his 308 lb. frame unless he ends up with a zone blocking squad.  But overall, Schilling could have a solid future as an NFL offensive lineman.  He should be drafted in the middle rounds (3rd to 5th), and I could see him having a decade-long career as a solid backup or nondescript starter.

Obi Ezeh, #45

Middle linebacker Obi Ezeh

2010 Countdown: #14 Obi Ezeh

HIGH SCHOOL
Ezeh was offered scholarships by Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Michigan, and Western Michigan, but chose the Wolverines in December 2005.  He signed with Michigan in February 2006.  Contrary to the popular belief held by Michigan fans, he was projected as a linebacker in college, not a fullback.  He did play running back at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, MI) and was the school’s leading rusher, but not many schools are interested in 6’2″, 219 lb. running backs who don’t have blazing speed.

COLLEGE
Ezeh redshirted as a true freshman in 2006, but leaped onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2007.  He started ten games at middle linebacker, was a Freshman All-America, and made the Freshman All-Big Ten squad due to his 10 starts, 68 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble.  He followed that season with perhaps his most productive year – 98 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.  After that his career seemed to progressively deteriorate.  He held onto the starting middle linebacker job for most of his redshirt junior year in 2009, making 69 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery; however, he played sparingly late in the season while losing time to Kevin Leach, a 210 lb. former walk-on.  Those struggles continued into 2010, when Ezeh was displaced by redshirt sophomore Kenny Demens halfway through the season.  Statistically, his fifth-year senior campaign was his worst, as he finished with 58 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 1 fumble recovery.

CAREER STATS
293 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, 3 fumble recoveries.  He is #10 on Michigan’s all-time career tackles list.

AWARDS
Freshman All-American in 2007 . . . Freshman All-Big Ten in 2007 . . . Roger Zatkoff Award (U of M’s best linebacker) in 2008 . . . Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2007

SUMMARY
Ezeh had one of the more curious careers of any Michigan player in the last decade.  Prior to the Rich Rodriguez years, it took a rare talent – or injury problems –  for a freshman to start.  It seemed that Ezeh’s career was off to a fast start in 2007, and many Michigan fans were looking forward to the years to come.  Lots of people thought he would follow in the footsteps of David Harris, another lightly regarded recruit who developed into a very good middle linebacker at Michigan, a player good enough to be starting at inside linebacker for the New York Jets.  I can’t help but feel that Ezeh was one of the casualties of Rich Rodriguez and his staff.  The linebacker play was so atrocious in Rodriguez’s first two seasons on the job that his linebackers coach, Jay Hopson, was the only staffer to get axed after 2009 was completed.  By all accounts Ezeh was a very high quality individual.  He never got into trouble off the field, was well spoken in interviews, and was just a good representative of the university.  I wasn’t in practice every day, but it seems like a kid with his qualities would have nowhere to go but up.  Instead, his play got so bad that he was an afterthought by the end of his career.  He was slow to read plays, let blockers get into his chest, and just seemed to lack aggression.  Those were things that didn’t seem to be issues earlier in his career.  One of the lasting images of his career was in 2010, when after a long run, a shot of Rich Rodriguez seemingly had him tearing into defensive coordinator Greg Robinson for not having inserted Kenny Demens.  And despite the fact that Demens started less than half the games, he finished with 24 more tackles on the year (82 to 58) than Ezeh.

PROJECTION
While I have no reason to believe he lacks intelligence, the general downward spiral of Ezeh’s career makes me think he struggled to adjust to new concepts and defensive schemes.  His solid redshirt freshman season was his second year in defensive coordinator Ron English’s system; there were inklings of trouble under Scott Shafer in 2008; things got worse in Greg Robinson’s 4-3 in 2009; and the switch to the 3-3-5 in 2010 really seemed to befuddle him.  NFL players need to adapt quickly to new schemes, and Ezeh hasn’t shown the ability to do so.  He also doesn’t have great athleticism, which can sometimes make up for a lack of mental adjustments.  Ezeh was not invited to the NFL Combine, and I do not expect to see him playing at the next level.

Mark Moundros, #44

Fullback Mark Moundros

2010 Countdown: #40 Mark Moundros

HIGH SCHOOL
Moundros was an outstanding high school runner at North Farmington High School.  In his 2005 senior season, he ran for 2,113 yards and 19 touchdowns, earning all-state honors.  However, he was largely unrecruited and followed his older brother, former walk-on fullback Kirk, to Ann Arbor.

COLLEGE
Moundros redshirted as a freshman walk-on in 2006, but then beat out a couple scholarship athletes to earn the starting fullback position in 2007.  He never rushed the ball but ended the season with 3 receptions for 11 yards.  He also was a special teams standout, making 11 tackles on kick and punt coverage.  As a redshirt sophomore in 2008, Moundros started three games; rushed 3 times for 14 yards and 1 touchdown; caught 1 pass for 2 yards and 1 touchdown; and made 3 special teams tackles.  Due partially to an early-season injury, Moundros was limited in 2009.  He played sparingly at fullback and made only two special teams tackles.  Prior to spring practice in 2010, Moundros moved to defense in an attempt to solidify the linebacker position.  He was even named permanent captain for the defense, but it was essentially a failed experiment.  Moundros started one game at weakside linebacker and made a total of 17 tackles on defense and special teams.

CAREER STATS
3 carries, 14 yards, 1 touchdown; 4 receptions, 13 yards, 1 touchdown; 33 tackles, 1 forced fumble

AWARDS
2010: Team captain.  Robert P. Ufer Award (most enthusiastic senior).  Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
2008: Michigan’s special teams player of the year.
2007: Academic All-Big Ten

SUMMARY
I was a little suspicious when Moundros beat out more highly touted players for the fullback position in 2007, but I was pleasantly surprised by his play.  He was a thumping lead blocker and seemed to have a good feel for lead blocking in a zone system.  When Rich Rodriguez arrived in 2008, I assumed that Moundros would become Michigan’s poor man’s version of Owen Schmitt, the talented fullback from WVU who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.  However, that role never really materialized with Rodriguez in Ann Arbor, who chose to use tight ends (Kevin Koger) and converted tailbacks (Kevin Grady) instead of true fullbacks.  The I-formation largely disappeared from Michigan’s repertoire by 2010, when the “starting” fullback was John McColgan.  I feel bad for Moundros for not getting on the field much in his senior season, although he reportedly approached the coaches about the move to linebacker.  I was not impressed with McColgan in his limited time, and I’m not sure if the disappearance of the I-formation had to do with Michigan’s offensive line, its philosophy of getting Denard Robinson into open space, the lack of a solid fullback, or some combination of those three factors.  I am confident that Moundros was a better fullback than a linebacker, the latter of which exposed his inexperience and lack of instincts.  But kudos to him for being the consummate team player, trying to help in an area of need, making an impact on special teams, and earning the captaincy despite not being a star player.  Hopefully, he set a good example for the younger players that will trickle down to their work ethic and leadership in the years to come.

PROJECTION
Moundros will likely not play in the NFL.  If he has any future in professional football, it’s at the fullback position.  I would not be surprised to see him play Arena Football or something to that effect, but he also seems to be an intelligent person who has the means to succeed in a life beyond sports.

James Rogers, #18

James Rogers breaks up a pass to Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd.

2010 Countdown: #56 James Rogers

HIGH SCHOOL
Coming out of high school in 2007 from Madison Heights, MI, Rogers was a mid-level recruit.  He was a 3-star player, the #68 athlete, and the #27 player in Michigan, according to Rivals.  Scout said he was a 4-star and the #17 safety in the country.  I guess Rivals made the better evaluation here, since Rogers bounced back and forth between cornerback and wide receiver all four years.  At no point did he play safety.

COLLEGE
Rogers was a pretty dynamic offensive player in high school, so many assumed he would be a receiver.  But he first appeared as a cornerback and special teamer, burning his redshirt for a small slice of playing time as a freshman in 2007.  He ended the season with 6 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 1 fumble recovery.  When Rodriguez showed up and needed an influx of receivers for 2008, Rogers moved to that side of the ball.  He started two games, making 3 receptions for 64 yards in addition to 2 special teams tackles.  Rogers stayed at receiver into 2009, but when attrition took its toll on the cornerback position, he found himself back on defense and special teams, making 7 total tackles.  A shortage of defensive backs continued and injuries mounted, which left Rogers on defense.  So in a somewhat surprising turn of events, the high school running back/wide receiver-turned-cornerback-turned-receiver-turned-cornerback became a 13-game starter as a senior.  He made 40 tackles, 3 interceptions (tied for the team lead), 3 pass breakups, and 2 tackles for loss throughout the year.

CAREER STATS
55 tackles, 4 pass breakups, 3 interceptions, 2 tackles for loss; 3 receptions, 64 yards

AWARDS
None.

SUMMARY
Rogers is a pretty good story.  He’s the type of kid who stuck around for four years and never complained, even when it looked like he would never see the field.  If it weren’t for the injury to Troy Woolfolk in the preseason, Rogers probably wouldn’t have played much this past year, except for spot duty and special teams.  But he persevered and ended up as a 13-game starter.  I always wished Rogers could stay at wide receiver and stop bouncing around, because I thought he had the speed and hands to be a decent wideout.  But obviously he was needed at cornerback this past season, and he made an impact on that side of the ball.

PROJECTION
Rogers was not invited to the NFL Combine but will likely work out at U of M’s upcoming pro day.  He has excellent speed (witness his rundown of a Mississippi State running back in the Gator Bowl), but he’s not very smooth in the hips, he’s somewhat slow at diagnosing routes, and he’s not a great tackler.  I would be very surprised if he plays football at the next level.

Jonas Mouton, #8

Jonas Mouton (#8) makes a tackle at Iowa

2010 Countdown: #10 Jonas Mouton

Linebacker Jonas Mouton played his final game for Michigan on January 1 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

HIGH SCHOOL
Coming out of high school in Venice, CA, Mouton was a very highly touted player.  He was a 5-star recruit and the #6 safety in the country, according to Scout.  Rivals ranked him a 4-star player and the #3 safety.  At 6’2″ and already a solid 210 lbs. or so coming out of high school, it should have been clear that he would bulk up and become a linebacker.  I’m not sure why Scout and Rivals didn’t catch on to that.

COLLEGE
Mouton arrived at Michigan and almost immediately became a linebacker.  He redshirted as a freshman in 2006 to learn the position and add some weight.  After the redshirt year, he backed up Chris Graham at weakside linebacker in Ron English’s 4-3 system.  That year (2007) he made 5 tackles at linebacker and on kick coverage.  Once Graham graduated following the 2007 season, Mouton backed up Marell Evans for one game and then earned the starting WILL job in the second game against Utah.  He finished the season with 76 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.  As the incumbent in 2009, Mouton had a subpar year.  The defense was abysmal, and the inside linebackers – Mouton and Obi Ezeh – constantly looked lost.  Mouton ended the season with 66 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, and 4 pass breakups.  As a fifth year senior in 2010, Mouton led the Big Ten in tackles with 117.  He also had 8.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.

CAREER STATS
264 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 4 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries

AWARDS
2nd team All-Big Ten in 2010 . . . Roger Zatkoff Award (U of M’s best linebacker) in 2010

SUMMARY
Mouton’s 4-star ranking on Rivals was a bit more accurate than Scout’s.  He turned into a solid starter and even earned All-Big Ten 2nd team honors as a fifth year senior.  However, I’m not exactly sure how a player leads the league in tackles, tosses in a couple sacks and interceptions, and doesn’t get 1st team all-conference status.  If Michigan’s defense wasn’t the worst in the school’s history, I have to believe that Mouton would have been 1st team.  In fact, if he played for Ohio State and put up those numbers, he might have been up for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.  So the lack of respect might have to do with Michigan’s overall defensive performance.  It also might have been based on Mouton’s underperformance.  With all the speed and agility Mouton has, he didn’t make many spectacular plays.  Aside from the interception against Notre Dame and his pass rush on the final play against Illinois, he looked like just a guy.

PROJECTION
Mouton ought to play in the NFL.  He has prototypical size (6’2″, 240 lbs.) and decent speed in order to play several positions.  He could be an OLB or ILB in a 3-4, or he could be a weakside linebacker in a 4-3.  The coaching at his linebacker position was subpar throughout most of his career, but Mouton still made mistakes as a senior that he shouldn’t have been making by that point.  Still, I expect him to be a late round draft pick for a team that thinks they can coach him up.