Faalele, Otomewo & Mafe playing in senior bowl

Love the guy but Big Dan struggled to pass to protect and in the NFL the run to pass ratio he saw here will be roughly flipped. I think teams will be forced to move him inside. Probably a mid to lower round pick.
Well your take on his draft prospects is very different then what the experts are putting out there. Guess we will see who was right in a few months.
 

He's ranked #57 at CBS sports, which would roughly mean late 2nd. Of course, these internet rankings aren't done by professional scouts, so it's all guesswork. He obviously has the size, so the agility workouts will be key. I imagine scouts will be watching his bench reps as well to see if the size/strength ratio is there.

Bottom line: Good for him and although I will miss him greatly, it puts the program in a good light as well.

Faalele has ridiculous size and athleticism for a guy who's as big as he is. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him put ridiculous combine numbers and go in the first round.
 

He will pay big bucks (relatively) for personal trainers and personal technique coaches, and do his best to prepare for these opportunities like the Senior Bowl and the combine.

Might be a project like Wyatt Davis for the Vikings, who hasn't seen the field this year, but obviously they drafted him 3rd round so they have plans for him.
And he wasn't 6'8" and nearly 400 lbs. Some NFL team is going to draft Faalele early, because guys his size just don't come around all that often.
 

Well your take on his draft prospects is very different then what the experts are putting out there. Guess we will see who was right in a few months.

Are they? I haven't seem anyone predict him as a first rounder and maybe 1 as a 2nd rounder.

I am a fan of his too, but it doesn't mean we can't be realistic.
 

Are they? I haven't seem anyone predict him as a first rounder and maybe 1 as a 2nd rounder.

I am a fan of his too, but it doesn't mean we can't be realistic.
Dane Brugler, the draft analyst for The Athletic, has Faalele taken at #31 (to the Ravens). Lots of ground to cover between now and the draft, both in terms of assessing the prospects an determining the final draft order.
 


Are they? I haven't seem anyone predict him as a first rounder and maybe 1 as a 2nd rounder.

I am a fan of his too, but it doesn't mean we can't be realistic.
Dane Brugler from the Athletic, today:


31. Baltimore Ravens — Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota

Would Baltimore draft a Gopher in back-to-back first rounds? It’s possible if the Ravens target an offensive tackle late — for a humongous human, as Faalele is a verified 6-foot-8 and 379 pounds with 35-inch arms and 11-inch hands. He is relatively new to football and is still learning how to get the most out of his unique skills, but he moves surprisingly well for his size and his anvil hands thump defenders into tomorrow.
 

Mafe is not surprising. He'll grade as a freak athlete and get drafted in the middle rounds -- maybe as high as 3rd. Otomewo is somewhat surprising. I actually thought there was an outside chance he'd return, but it seems his draft stock has skyrocketed the latter part of the season. Good for him!
When is the last time we had three players in the senior bowl on one year?
or is this yet another first for the program?
recruits digging this type of showing 😍
 

Maybe Otomewo is using the senior bowl as a way to really evaluate his draft stock. Pretty sure he could still come back as long as he doesn't sign with an agent.
Sr. bowl invites are limited and for players the NFL scouts like/feel will get drafted - much different than the Portsmouth invite for CBB

that’s why the OL from St. John’s got one a few years back IIRC
 

Dane Brugler from the Athletic, today:


31. Baltimore Ravens — Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota

Would Baltimore draft a Gopher in back-to-back first rounds? It’s possible if the Ravens target an offensive tackle late — for a humongous human, as Faalele is a verified 6-foot-8 and 379 pounds with 35-inch arms and 11-inch hands. He is relatively new to football and is still learning how to get the most out of his unique skills, but he moves surprisingly well for his size and his anvil hands thump defenders into tomorrow.

I stand corrected. And to be clear, I hope he gets drafted high as possible. But I would wager I have seen Faalele play more than Dane Brugler. Probably everyone on this site has.
 



I want more Gophers to leave and be successful and get drafted into the NFL. Not only is it great for the guys we cheer for, but other coaches have to use our (relatively) abysmal draft record against us in recruiting.

If you sit down and really look at it, Minnesota has done vastly worse in the NFL Draft than its record over the last 20-40 years. As of about 7-8 years ago Minnesota was the absolute worst P5 team in sending guys to the NFL, and it hadn't improved much up until 2019. We need some dudes killing it in the pros.
 

He will pay big bucks (relatively) for personal trainers and personal technique coaches, and do his best to prepare for these opportunities like the Senior Bowl and the combine.

Might be a project like Wyatt Davis for the Vikings, who hasn't seen the field this year, but obviously they drafted him 3rd round so they have plans for him.
I wouldn’t consider Wyatt Davis a “project.” He was projected as a first round pick in several mock drafts before his final season. Injuries affected his draft status and have possibly hampered his development or ability to get into the field this year.
 


Thanks Dan. Still wish we could have lined you up in the backfield one time and let you ram it in from the one yard line.
 



Otomewo has great measurable. Mike Zimmer loves those tall DE’s. I’m not surprised that he got an invite.
He could be an interesting target for a team, but is he your standard 4-3 DE or could he play in a 3-4? So many different defensive sets and strategies these days that it's often hard to see a plug-and-play between levels.
 

Thanks Dan. Still wish we could have lined you up in the backfield one time and let you ram it in from the one yard line.
I was hoping this was going to happen in the Wisconsin game. I get why it didn't happen though.
 

Faalele, Otomewo, and Mafe all have measurables and athleticism that will put them near the top of their positions, which is exactly what the NFL loves.
 

Dane Brugler from the Athletic, today:


31. Baltimore Ravens — Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota

Would Baltimore draft a Gopher in back-to-back first rounds? It’s possible if the Ravens target an offensive tackle late — for a humongous human, as Faalele is a verified 6-foot-8 and 379 pounds with 35-inch arms and 11-inch hands. He is relatively new to football and is still learning how to get the most out of his unique skills, but he moves surprisingly well for his size and his anvil hands thump defenders into tomorrow.
Baltimore Ravens is Gopher Country.
 

I wouldn’t consider Wyatt Davis a “project.” He was projected as a first round pick in several mock drafts before his final season. Injuries affected his draft status and have possibly hampered his development or ability to get into the field this year.
Ah, did not know that. Thanks
 

Since 2000 we have had 35 players get drafted and only 2 in the 1st round.

Since 2019 we have had 7 drafted and 1 in the 1st round with a probable 3 - 5 this year getting drafted.

So since 2019 we will have 1/3rd of the players drafted in the NFL come from the last 3 years. If you want to know why people are optimistic about Fleck and see him as different than previous coaches this is the reason. You can have a few good to average years, but consistent winning means getting kids to the NFL. This transforms recruiting and gives each a chance to reach a higher ceiling.
 


I stand corrected. And to be clear, I hope he gets drafted high as possible. But I would wager I have seen Faalele play more than Dane Brugler. Probably everyone on this site has.
You probably have, but Brugler has also probably talked to more nfl execs than you have and has a better gauge on their thoughts on Faalele. This is a prediction of what NFL teams think of him, not how good Brugler actually thinks he is.
 

To lazy to read. Does this mean that none of the players listed will be ineligible to play in the bowl game. If so, pretty selfish on their part.
 

To lazy to read. Does this mean that none of the players listed will be ineligible to play in the bowl game. If so, pretty selfish on their part.
Let's hope so.
 

To lazy to read. Does this mean that none of the players listed will be ineligible to play in the bowl game. If so, pretty selfish on their part.
They remain eligible to play in the bowl game, but could still decide not to do so. There have been an increasing number of players who see themselves being drafted choosing not to play in their team's bowl game. Part of the time it's fear of injury and part of the time they have begun working with a physical trainer to prepare for the draft combine/pro workout day.
 

They remain eligible to play in the bowl game, but could still decide not to do so. There have been an increasing number of players who see themselves being drafted choosing not to play in their team's bowl game. Part of the time it's fear of injury and part of the time they have begun working with a physical trainer to prepare for the draft combine/pro workout day.
Yeah, I'd be shocked if they played. They shouldn't. They would do more for the program improving their draft stock as much as possible.

Unless you're playing for a national championship, bowl games are more about showcasing the team for next year.
 

You probably have, but Brugler has also probably talked to more nfl execs than you have and has a better gauge on their thoughts on Faalele. This is a prediction of what NFL teams think of him, not how good Brugler actually thinks he is.

You are probably right. But I think that mock drafts are mostly just guessing and looking at team fits, IMO.
 

To lazy to read. Does this mean that none of the players listed will be ineligible to play in the bowl game. If so, pretty selfish on their part.

That's not really fair. For the most part.....these players are not getting paid to play in college. The combine is a legitimate place to showcase skills that could elevate their draft position.....and what they get paid to play in the NFL. Sucks for us fans.....but I completely understand why a player would choose to train.
 







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