Roderick Byers

[Boom]

You also have to take into account that it will probably be 3-4yrs before he's required to make a significant contribution to our team.

[glazeduck]

The question was what all the hype was about. people were acting like he was this huge get. Since all I had seen was his ESPN video which wasn't impressive at all I was curious if there was something else available to see that might make me understand the hype. It's a message board and if you don't like people having discussions questioning the judgement of coaches then move along to the next thread.

You also have to take into account that it will probably be 3-4yrs before he's required to make a significant contribution to our team.

Plenty (myself included) said the same thing about Eric Dungy last year around this time.

If you trust Rob Moseley, he thinks Dungy will be one of a few freshman to make an impact next season.

I think JTinKC, you're mistaking hype with excitement. This kid is athletic and big, and oh by the way, he's a DL, from the south, who wants to play for Oregon! As we've seen, those aren't exactly growing on trees around here...

People are so excited about Koa-Kai, yet Rivals has Byers and Koa with the same score...

[maxduck]

With him setting his announcement almost immediately after his visit out here & not taking a visit to SC, you gotta think he's a Duck. This would be an awesome pickup too. We don't need immediate help at DT next year, we need it for 2 years down the road. Getting a couple guys like Byers that can RS & develop is exactly what we need. Fairly was only a 3*, guys sometimes need a little time to develop. Byers has the frame to be a monster in the middle & everyone in SC seems really high on him, regardless of his rating.

True enough, but look at Fairley's evaluation out of high school...
One of the most impressive players at a Scout.com Combine in Tuscaloosa last summer, Fairley measured 6-3.5, 256 pounds, ran a 4.81 second 40-yard dash on a slow track, recorded a vertical leap of 30.5 inches and a standing broad jump of eight feet, 10 inches. He earned MVP of the combine for his performance.

Fairley also excels on basketball court averaging just over 17 points and 10 rebounds per contest.

Shows offers from Auburn, LSU, 'Bama, etc.

I understand what you are saying, but Fairley didn't 'develop' into an athletic freak, he came by it naturally.

What exactly is the point of questioning the recruitment of Byers? If he comes, he comes, and it's clear that the coaches want him. If he doesn't it's moot.

We need Defensive Ends and Defensive Tackles, so regardless of what he progresses into he'll definitely be of use in the coming years. Only 22 starters on both sides of the ball. 25 scholarships per year. NOT EVERY RECRUIT IS GOING TO BE A SUPERSTAR. Even if Byers provides good depth, inside or out, he'll be a good get.

Where in the **** did I question Byers recruitment??? The post used Fairley as an example of a player who needed time to develop, I pointed out that NF was a pretty impressive athlete in high school.

[jimmy12]

Woah-- pump there brakes there Max. Don't get upset.

[AugustDuck]

The question was what all the hype was about. people were acting like he was this huge get. Since all I had seen was his ESPN video which wasn't impressive at all I was curious if there was something else available to see that might make me understand the hype. It's a message board and if you don't like people having discussions questioning the judgement of coaches then move along to the next thread.

You also have to take into account that it will probably be 3-4yrs before he's required to make a significant contribution to our team.

Plenty (myself included) said the same thing about Eric Dungy last year around this time.

If you trust Rob Moseley, he thinks Dungy will be one of a few freshman to make an impact next season.

I think JTinKC, you're mistaking hype with excitement. This kid is athletic and big, and oh by the way, he's a DL, from the south, who wants to play for Oregon! As we've seen, those aren't exactly growing on trees around here...

People are so excited about Koa-Kai, yet Rivals has Byers and Koa with the same score...

I am pleased to have Koa-Kai and would be happy to get Byers as well. The way some Polynesian kids grow, they could both end up being DT. Remember that Matt Toeina came in as a FB and quickly outgrew that position.

[Phalanx]

Byers is Polynesian?

I don't think it's bad to ask why a certain recruit is attractive - but I personally trust the coaches more than my own sensibilities. I see his height and weight (6-3, 262 per Scout)- I think any highlight tape can be manipulated, but he seems to have decent size, and at least one SEC and Big 12 offer - nothing to sneeze at. When you have no high school commits at his position and only one last year, now is not the time to get ultra picky like we might with, say, a wide receiver or running back.

[Phenom]

Just because he's not an excellent pass rusher doesn't mean he's not a good DE or DT. He's a great run stuffer and that's equally as important. I do agree that his speed isn't the best, but I could see him develop into a great contributor at DT. He is strong and has a good build.

[JTinKC]

The hype really wasn't as big on this board but I did start seeing some huge and big pick ups. I just wanted someone to point to something that showed it. I personally would like to see how the guy developes.

[dthomas=ddixon]

With him setting his announcement almost immediately after his visit out here & not taking a visit to SC, you gotta think he's a Duck. This would be an awesome pickup too. We don't need immediate help at DT next year, we need it for 2 years down the road. Getting a couple guys like Byers that can RS & develop is exactly what we need. Fairly was only a 3*, guys sometimes need a little time to develop. Byers has the frame to be a monster in the middle & everyone in SC seems really high on him, regardless of his rating.

True enough, but look at Fairley's evaluation out of high school...
One of the most impressive players at a Scout.com Combine in Tuscaloosa last summer, Fairley measured 6-3.5, 256 pounds, ran a 4.81 second 40-yard dash on a slow track, recorded a vertical leap of 30.5 inches and a standing broad jump of eight feet, 10 inches. He earned MVP of the combine for his performance.

Fairley also excels on basketball court averaging just over 17 points and 10 rebounds per contest.

Shows offers from Auburn, LSU, 'Bama, etc.

I understand what you are saying, but Fairley didn't 'develop' into an athletic freak, he came by it naturally.

Yeah Fairly probably wasn't the greatest example, I don't expect Byers to be the #1 overall pick in 3-4 years. All I'm saying is there may not be outrageous game film of him demolishing entire OLines or reports from camps of him testing off the charts but there's no reason he can't be a 2 year starter down the road & a important contributer. Which is exactly what we need.

A better example might be our own Wade Keliikipi. We picked him up last second because we missed out on all our other DT targets. He was a 2* & his only offer was from Hawaii. Fast forward one year & he's a big time contributer as a RS frosh & looking like a 3 year starter from here on out. No one was excited about him, all he had going for him was his size. Same type of thing with Byers, only he looks to be a bit more physically gifted & talented.

It just seems like everyone wants every DT we get to be the next Haloti. I don't know how many times I've said this but it's not going to happen. We want solid guys, with good size that we can develop & have a steady rotation for years to come. We've had to rebuild that thanks to all the non-qualifiers. We were set back years by those guys but now we're getting caught up. Thats whats exciting to me. We're not going to have these giant gaps where we're desperate for guys to step up & thrusting in guys who aren't ready. From the looks of if we'll have guys waiting in the wings who have had time to be developed & that are ready to take over (IE: Hart, Heimuli & Keliikipi).

[wlduck]

South Carolina fans think that they are going to get him. They are speculating that S. Carolina wasn't going to keep a spot open much longer for him (even though they are already overbooked). We'll see on Wednesday. He'd be a really nice pickup for Oregon.

not all of them:
http://www.cockytalk.com/showthread.php?t=97822&page=31

Have to say by and large I was impressed at how reasonable those SCe fans are on that board. Most wished him well if he went to Oregon. I thought there be more vitriol in the SEC.

[Tray Dub]

South Carolina fans think that they are going to get him. They are speculating that S. Carolina wasn't going to keep a spot open much longer for him (even though they are already overbooked). We'll see on Wednesday. He'd be a really nice pickup for Oregon.

not all of them:
http://www.cockytalk.com/showthread.php?t=97822&page=31

Have to say by and large I was impressed at how reasonable those SCe fans are on that board. Most wished him well if he went to Oregon. I thought there be more vitriol in the SEC.

Definitely. Even on this board, a lot of posters usually criticize a kid's decision to go elsewhere if it means we miss out on a major target. Definitely impressed that not a single poster over there had anything negative to say about missing a kid they obviously do care about landing.

[TheMaehlMan]

South Carolina fans think that they are going to get him. They are speculating that S. Carolina wasn't going to keep a spot open much longer for him (even though they are already overbooked). We'll see on Wednesday. He'd be a really nice pickup for Oregon.

not all of them:
http://www.cockytalk.com/showthread.php?t=97822&page=31

Have to say by and large I was impressed at how reasonable those SCe fans are on that board. Most wished him well if he went to Oregon. I thought there be more vitriol in the SEC.

Definitely. Even on this board, a lot of posters usually criticize a kid's decision to go elsewhere if it means we miss out on a major target. Definitely impressed that not a single poster over there had anything negative to say about missing a kid they obviously do care about landing.

Let's see what happens if Jadevon Clowney doesn't commit there, I'm sure they wouldn't be quite so reasonable about that.

[Bigducker]

South Carolina fans think that they are going to get him. They are speculating that S. Carolina wasn't going to keep a spot open much longer for him (even though they are already overbooked). We'll see on Wednesday. He'd be a really nice pickup for Oregon.

not all of them:
http://www.cockytalk.com/showthread.php?t=97822&page=31

Have to say by and large I was impressed at how reasonable those SCe fans are on that board. Most wished him well if he went to Oregon. I thought there be more vitriol in the SEC.

Definitely. Even on this board, a lot of posters usually criticize a kid's decision to go elsewhere if it means we miss out on a major target. Definitely impressed that not a single poster over there had anything negative to say about missing a kid they obviously do care about landing.

Let's see what happens if Jadevon Clowney doesn't commit there, I'm sure they wouldn't be quite so reasonable about that.

If it was Clowney that decided to go to Oregon there'd be a riot !

[glazeduck]

7 minutes from youtube that should shake things up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD1IyoOZ2-k

Lots of good pursuit, pressure on the QB, and batted balls.

Cleaned up video posted on youtube by 247 Sports.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaaWXV9WZLA&NR=1

Felt the hilite vid was worth bumping for this post...

After watching his highlite, I see 3 things that I really, really, REEEEALLY like about this kid.

1. He plays under control. Doesn't look like the most explosive football player I've ever seen, but doesn't look like he's out of position often.

2. He plays with his head up. Some DL that just put their head down and run through/by people give me the impression that they're only about hitting the QB for that highlite sack. I got a sense that Roddy understands football well for his age and was always looking to be around the ball.

3. Most importantly, this kid uses his hands and arm length (arms look long from the vid) to disengage blockers. This is a skill that some DLmen NEVER learn (go read Senior Bowl scouting reports, I'd bet 1/5 of the DLmen have "needs to learn how to use his hands better" on their report). Sacking the QB, stuffing the run, and blowing things up in the backfield isn't always JUST about being bigger/faster/stronger than the guy accross from you. Sure, it helps, but winning the trench battle is just as much about leverage and intelligence, and from this small sample size, it looks like Byers might be rich in these assets!

With these skills (hopefuly they're consistent play-in-and-play-out, not JUST on his highlite vid), and his size (after a year w/ Coach Rad), I think he'll be a great fit inside after a RS year! Very excited for this young man to join the pond!

[wlduck]

South Carolina fans think that they are going to get him. They are speculating that S. Carolina wasn't going to keep a spot open much longer for him (even though they are already overbooked). We'll see on Wednesday. He'd be a really nice pickup for Oregon.

not all of them:
http://www.cockytalk.com/showthread.php?t=97822&page=31

Have to say by and large I was impressed at how reasonable those SCe fans are on that board. Most wished him well if he went to Oregon. I thought there be more vitriol in the SEC.

Definitely. Even on this board, a lot of posters usually criticize a kid's decision to go elsewhere if it means we miss out on a major target. Definitely impressed that not a single poster over there had anything negative to say about missing a kid they obviously do care about landing.

Let's see what happens if Jadevon Clowney doesn't commit there, I'm sure they wouldn't be quite so reasonable about that.

If it was Clowney that decided to go to Oregon there'd be a riot !

So I can report you are saying Clowney to Oregon? JK