[Mick]

Has any Stanford player gone from being an ogre, or the ogre, to starter on the offensive line (this past decade)?

Also, at the start of the year there were 3 guys named as competitors for the open guard position. Two of them were younger, former tackles, Hamilton and Sarell.

For YEARS the Ogre was essentially next in line for the starting five. Joshua Garnett, Kyle Murphy, Andrus Peat, Brandon Fanaika, and Foster Sarell (last year, and this assumes he'll start next year which I think is a good assumption) all played Ogre. Wilson was an Ogre for a couple years so I pretty much assumed he was a lock to start at some point...

Kaden Smith, I understand.  Not much left to prove, the era of the tight end has arrived.  I get it, and I think it's an excellent recruiting point that he's been coached to this stage.

I'm not so sure about KJ.  QB Rating-wise, he's regressed from last year to this.  He's thrown 11 interceptions, tied for the most in the NCAA's top 38 quarterbacks.  He was better at rushing, scoring and scrambling last year, and has proven to be a slow scrambler.  Here's from the Draft Network:

A sub/spot starter last season who lacks experience and polish. Unsettled in his pass drops; skittish and not ready to throw at all times. Has a poor pocket presence and will adjust to the slightest flash of color, often moving into more pressure–bad sense of space and bodies within the pocket. Will stare down his first read especially when it’s a short/quick throw, which will tip off aggressive DBs making flat-footed reads. Generally underthrows his receivers down the field and must get a better sense for protecting the football via leverage–this will hopefully grow as his harmony with his pass-catchers does.

Urgency and lack of poise in pass sets will lead to unacceptably high degrees of variance in his release point (see over-the-top and sidearm) and herky-jerky weight transfer through his release process; release will become elongated because his feet are out of time with his hands. Accordingly, accuracy can get hog-wild, because the process isn’t normalized. Will allow pressure to greatly truncate his release process and thereby drastically impact his accuracy, putting the ball in dangerous locations. Did become more calm in the pocket throughout the season/starts, so there is an existing developmental track. Is a project player.

https://thedraftnetwork.com/2018/05/05/2...den-smith/


I think of KJ as a fifth or sixth rounder, which is what I'm reading.

Alternatively, if KJ returns and irons out a host of these issues, plays well in a major bowl and shines at the combine, he could be a first rounder.  Even a third round pick would be a major improvement over a sixth round selection.

[Mick]

Has any Stanford player gone from being an ogre, or the ogre, to starter on the offensive line (this past decade)?

Also, at the start of the year there were 3 guys named as competitors for the open guard position. Two of them were younger, former tackles, Hamilton and Sarell.

For YEARS the Ogre was essentially next in line for the starting five. Joshua Garnett, Kyle Murphy, Andrus Peat, Brandon Fanaika, and Foster Sarell (last year, and this assumes he'll start next year which I think is a good assumption) all played Ogre. Wilson was an Ogre for a couple years so I pretty much assumed he was a lock to start at some point...

Kaden Smith, I understand.  Not much left to prove, the era of the tight end has arrived.  I get it, and I think it's an excellent recruiting point that he's been coached to this stage.

I'm not so sure about KJ.  QB Rating-wise, he's regressed from last year to this.  He's thrown 11 interceptions, tied for the most in the NCAA's top 38 quarterbacks.  He was better at rushing, scoring and scrambling last year, and has proven to be a slow scrambler.  Here's from the Draft Network:

A sub/spot starter last season who lacks experience and polish. Unsettled in his pass drops; skittish and not ready to throw at all times. Has a poor pocket presence and will adjust to the slightest flash of color, often moving into more pressure–bad sense of space and bodies within the pocket. Will stare down his first read especially when it’s a short/quick throw, which will tip off aggressive DBs making flat-footed reads. Generally underthrows his receivers down the field and must get a better sense for protecting the football via leverage–this will hopefully grow as his harmony with his pass-catchers does.

Urgency and lack of poise in pass sets will lead to unacceptably high degrees of variance in his release point (see over-the-top and sidearm) and herky-jerky weight transfer through his release process; release will become elongated because his feet are out of time with his hands. Accordingly, accuracy can get hog-wild, because the process isn’t normalized. Will allow pressure to greatly truncate his release process and thereby drastically impact his accuracy, putting the ball in dangerous locations. Did become more calm in the pocket throughout the season/starts, so there is an existing developmental track. Is a project player.

https://thedraftnetwork.com/2018/05/05/2...den-smith/


I think of KJ as a fifth or sixth rounder, which is what I'm reading.

Alternatively, if KJ returns and irons out a host of these issues, plays well in a major bowl and shines at the combine, he could be a first rounder.  Even a third round pick would be a major improvement over a sixth round selection.