Seniors Potentially Returning

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Bob_Loblaw

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Morgan
Mo Ibrahim - already indicated he would return
CAB
JMS
Andries
Ruschmeyer
MSM
Howden
Mafe
Otomewo
Rush


Does anyone know if any of those guys took part in the Senior Day activities? I noticed that most of the seniors who are leaving had away messages on Gopher Football's twitter. This included guys who COULD have come back (Big Dan, Austin Beier. However, none of the guys in the list above had good bye messages.

If all of those guys come back, we'll have a pretty good team. We would have a question mark at corner back, but we'd be bringing back a lot of depth upfront and at our skill positions.
 

Cab participated in senior day.
Morgan did not.
Those are the only 2 I remember right now
 

JMS said "we'll see" on the field after.

I could see CAB coming back due to the relationship with Tanner.
 




Bob_Loblaw said:
Yeah. I think he should leave too. He is an underrated player (I believe he leads Big 10 in hurries?) and a freak athlete who will grade out well. I don't expect to get Mafe back.
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Agree that Mafe should go. As for the rest of the guys on the list it may depend a lot on where they are projected draft wise (if they are projected to get drafted at all). In what is likely to be a crowded draft class I could see things being dicey for the majority of those guys on the list and they might feel they are better off sticking around for one more year of college.

Will be interesting to see in the coming days what guys decide to do. Gotta believe the team will want to know before signing day so that they know what next year's numbers look like.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Morgan - Returning
Mo Ibrahim - Returning
CAB
JMS
Andries
Ruschmeyer - Returning
MSM
Howden
Mafe
Otomewo
Rush
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Faalele - Going Pro


Thought I would bump this thread with the info we have to date. Assume we will get clarification on the other guys in the very near future. Mafe and Big O seem likely to join Faalele but until they say officially one way or the other you never know.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Faalele - Going Pro


Thought I would bump this thread with the info we have to date. Assume we will get clarification on the other guys in the very near future. Mafe and Big O seem likely to join Faalele but until they say officially one way or the other you never know.
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Does playing in the Senior Bowl not preclude guys from coming back? Even if it doesn't....it would seem to me that choosing to play in the Senior Bowl over your college teams bowl game would indicate moving on.
 

stocker08 said:
Does playing in the Senior Bowl not preclude guys from coming back? Even if it doesn't....it would seem to me that choosing to play in the Senior Bowl over your college teams bowl game would indicate moving on.
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Been discussed some already. Pretty sure the senior bowl makes it likely that the player is going pro but they aren't locked into anything. Guys who get senior bowl invites are typically guys the NFL has interest in.
 




You would think the NFL would want to do pro days and testing during the down time now and see where people grade out after a 12 game season rather than after working out with a trainer for 3 months. CrAB hopefully is getting good information on what to do. Simon and Fleck should be able to get him good information. Gotta think a healthy season in Ciarrocca's offense would help him.
 

I would think CrAB would come back in what had to be a somewhat disappointing season as far as his own production. If the often maligned Howden and MSM came back that would be a nice bonus for the defense. Really hoping Otemewo comes back and finally has the production to match his physical gifts, him and Rush would soften the blow of losing Mafe.
 

JMS would be the ideal one to return, if we only get one starter.

Then the two deep on the interior, taking a wild guess:

1's
LG - Axel Rusch
C - JMS
RG - Boe (guessing, based on playing a role as an extra OL)

2's

LG - Cooper?
C - Shaw?
RG - Saia Mapakaitolo?


Probably need to bring a Guard in from the portal, if nothing else to bring in some competition.
 



Howden should go pro, he has nothing left to prove at collegiate level and as a Safety a chance to play a few years in the NFL. I think he gets drafted and will make it in the league. Otemewo has the size and tackling ability to have a shot, he was one I thought would have a shot to make a roster or at least a practice squad.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Howden should go pro, he has nothing left to prove at collegiate level and as a Safety a chance to play a few years in the NFL. I think he gets drafted and will make it in the league. Otemewo has the size and tackling ability to have a shot, he was one I thought would have a shot to make a roster or at least a practice squad.
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Haven't really looked into it but I would be surprised if Howden were to get drafted. Especially this year in what is likely to be a more crowded draft class than usual due to Covid and guys sticking around for an extra year before coming out.
 


MplsGopher said:
JMS would be the ideal one to return, if we only get one starter.

Then the two deep on the interior, taking a wild guess:

1's
LG - Axel Rusch
C - JMS
RG - Boe (guessing, based on playing a role as an extra OL)

2's

LG - Cooper?
C - Shaw?
RG - Saia Mapakaitolo?


Probably need to bring a Guard in from the portal, if nothing else to bring in some competition.
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Have your seen him on the sideline? He's a bean pole. Will be interesting to see how he can develop. At this point I don't think he sees the field for another 2+ years.
 

No I haven't. Roster lists him as 275lbs this year. Maybe that's a stretch.

They need two full lines for spring ball, though. At least

We have a lot of OL bodies ... just a lot of tackle guys. Too tall for interior, in my opinion, but maybe they try to make the move.
 

A lot depends on whether these guys really want to give the NFL a shot. My guess is that after five or six years of getting banged up, they may have had enough (especially if they've gotten their degree or degrees).

I don't know the rules on agents/advisers, but I would think that some of those who may be considering the pros would probably sit down and figure out their chances of being drafted and, if so, in which round.
 

MplsGopher said:
No I haven't. Roster lists him as 275lbs this year. Maybe that's a stretch.

They need two full lines for spring ball, though. At least

We have a lot of OL bodies ... just a lot of tackle guys. Too tall for interior, in my opinion, but maybe they try to make the move.
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I'm not a big O linemen guy, what is the advantage of being 6'5" like a prototypical NFL guard vs 6'7"?
 

btowngopher said:
I'm not a big O linemen guy, what is the advantage of being 6'5" like a prototypical NFL guard vs 6'7"?
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Leverage. Lower center of gravity. Guards don't have to step outside to handle a speed/edge rusher. Put your road graders at IOL.
 

btowngopher said:
I'm not a big O linemen guy, what is the advantage of being 6'5" like a prototypical NFL guard vs 6'7"?
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There are actually a lot of interesting debates on this topic and generally it comes down to style of play.

One thing to consider is that a guy who is 6'7" and 325 lbs is likely to be a better athlete than a guy who is 6'3" and 325 lbs. They are also more rare (there are less humans that are 6'7"). However, they are both 325 lbs. Weight matters, at times, more than strength. We see this with Bradbury on the Vikings. He gets collapsed back consistently. Some of that is strength but it's also just weight. It's harder to run through a guy who is 340 than it is if he is 290.

So I think it is somewhat just that if you're 6'7" 380 lbs, they'd rather have you at tackle than guard because tackle requires long arms and some of the attributes found in taller people.

But the question isn't does being tall HELP at tackle, it is does being tall HURT at guard. There are certainly people that say yes, for the reasons other posters referred (leverage). But there are other teams that disagree. They want their guards to be as athletic as possible without sacrificing weight. They want them to have long arms to reach the second level. I think it was Bill Walsh who always talked about that most of the things you need to know about an offense, you can tell by the guards.

So is Quentin Nelson a great guard because he's not 6'7" or is Quentin Nelson not a tackle because he's not 6'7"? I don't know. Definitely different camps on this subject.
 

Curious as 247 has Martes Lewis and Tyrell Lawrence listed as IOL, both are 6'7" and 325 and 345 pounds.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Yeah. I think he should leave too. He is an underrated player (I believe he leads Big 10 in hurries?) and a freak athlete who will grade out well. I don't expect to get Mafe back.
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Vikings should draft him. He could be the next Hunter.
 


Should Big Dan consider spending an extra year with the Gophers? This upcoming draft will be crowded due to the extra year of eligibility. His draft stock may improve significantly. He never played organized American Football in Australia until he landed at IMG Academy.
 

hungan1 said:
Should Big Dan consider spending an extra year with the Gophers? This upcoming draft will be crowded due to the extra year of eligibility. His draft stock may improve significantly. He never played organized American Football in Australia until he landed at IMG Academy.
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Nah. He's gonna get drafted purely on measurables anyway...so while coming back might help refine his technique, it's probably not improving his stock. There's already people mocking him in the first round. I think round 2 or 3 is more likely, but either way another year of CFB probably doesn't improve that a ton.
 

hungan1 said:
Should Big Dan consider spending an extra year with the Gophers? This upcoming draft will be crowded due to the extra year of eligibility. His draft stock may improve significantly. He never played organized American Football in Australia until he landed at IMG Academy.
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Another year in college would probably be good for his development but he is going to be a high pick based on his size so if he feels he is ready it makes sense to come out now.
 

Leaving or staying is a win-win situation.

Staying an extra year with Ciarrocca possibly coming back can help the Gophers finally conquer the Big Ten West title.

Leaving for the NFL can only help Gopher Recruiting for OLs.
 


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