Brewer and Doss Off the Board

The wait is finally over for both James Brewer and Tandon Doss as they were selected by the Giants and Ravens respectively, in the fourth round. I am a bit surprised that Tandon fell that far but players who came into the draft with any questions marks in terms of there health definitely saw a drop (ask Mr. Bowers). Let’s take a look at the situation that each player will be entering in next season.

James Brewer- 117th overall to the Giants:

I think Brewer and the Giants will be a good fit. The Giants offensive line is aging a bit but they still have a few years left in the tank. Assuming the Giants keep him at right tackle (although GM Reese said they might look to play him at LT) he will have some time to learn from 31 year old Kareem McKenzie who has been a solid pass and run blocker for the Giants (most of their running plays are directed to his side). If he does get moved to left tackle he will be competing with 2009 second-round pick Will Beatty as someone to eventually take over David Diehl’s spot.

Brewer is a bit more of a project type draft pick because he hasn’t played football as long as most of the other players in the draft. However, he has the size and measurables that you want in an offensive lineman and I think his size and stature is something that fits well with a New York Giants style of offense. Brewer has made great strides each year in college and can be a guy that if he gets coached up will make an impact.

Here are some comments from the Giants GM:

"“There are some guys who are not even really great athletes but can still play on the left side,” Reese said. “Guys just know how to make their set and know who their opponents are, and you can get away without a great athlete on the left side. You’d like for the guy to be a dynamic athlete on the left, but that’s not always the case. You see some very good players out there playing left tackle that are not dynamic athletes. But this guy’s a dynamic athlete.”Brewer has also shown a willingness to be physical enough for Reese’s liking despite scouting reports that indicate otherwise.“The thing about these guys who we call late bloomers, if they’re not competitive you tend to shy away from them a little bit,” Reese said. “But this guy is very competitive; he really wants to do it. We did all the interview stuff with him – ‘Do you want to play football?’ He convinced us that he did.”"

Here are some video highlights from what he did at the combine.

Tandon Doss- 123rd overall by the Ravens:

I was very surprised to see Tandon fall as much as he did but like I said in my morning post, but I believe it was attributable to the fact that he hasn’t been 100% healthy yet and teams are probably looking at him more slot oriented role early in his career. The fact that he can return kicks is a plus and I thought he offered a lot of value at that point in the draft. I think it will be very interesting to see how he fits in with the Ravens. Doss is known to be fragile and the Ravens operate in a very physical AFC division (Browns, Steelers, Bengals). Tandon will have to work a little bit more on his blocking and would benefit from putting on a little bit of muscle. He can come in and help out as a return man as he tries to work his way into the rotation for the Ravens.

"“He was their go-to guy, he was a guy they got the ball to him any way they could,” head coach John Harbaugh said during an informal talk with reporters after the Doss pick. “He wasn’t really a downfield guy, and I think it had more to do with their quarterback. He got the ball on screens, crossing routes, stop routes. Whenever they needed a play, it went to him. He lined up as a running back. He’s great after the catch. He’s a catch-and-get-upfield guy.”"

It was also nice to see the picture below featured on ESPN.com for a while.