Draft Talk

[pdub]

good stuff.

anybody got the scoop on the 2 O-lineman we took 4 & 5?

[DUKE]

good stuff.

anybody got the scoop on the 2 O-lineman we took 4 & 5?

Here's the center we took in the 4th. Seems like a project. I also heard we picked up FA C Wilkerson, who would've been one of the best centers in the draft without injury concerns.

OVERVIEW

Ghiaciuc is an unheralded athlete whose athletic ability, size and mobility forced pro scouts to take notice of him during his senior year. The three-year letter-winner started the final 35 games of his career. The industrial education major provided stellar blocking for a 1,000-yard rusher all three years as a starter with the Chippewas.

Ghiaciuc redshirted in 2000 at Central Michigan. He saw limited action in 2002 then took over the center duties in 2002. He went on to start the next 37 games for the Chippewas, with the offense generating 105 touchdowns during his three years in the lineup.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has broad shoulders, thick arms, good upper-body muscle development, good chest thickness, wide hips, thick thighs and calves with a frame that can carry additional bulk … Easily handles the mental part of the game and makes all the right line calls … Has good playing speed and developing athletic ability for the position … Uses quickness rather than power to come off the ball, but has the ability to drive defenders … Makes good reads and shows awareness to adjust to stunts and blitzes … Has the ability to get to the second level and make good adjustments on the move … Shows the ability to come off double teams and get to his blocks and sustain … Will deliver adequate pop and explosion coming off the snap … Shows decent lateral movement and kick slide in his pass set … Uses his long arms effectively to wall off and sustain … Has the acceleration to get out and locate linebackers in the second level, showing good awareness to adjust to the moving target.

Negatives: Gets a good burst coming off the snap to get into his man, but needs to add more bulk and lower-body strength … Shows good hand placement and some hand punch, but does more catching than punching in pass protection … Even with his acceleration, he's more of a waist-bender and looks a bit tight in the hips … Will get out quickly on screens and pulls, but his knees will buckle, causing him to lose proper sustaining position and lose explosion … For all of his speed, he struggles to stay on his feet when asked to pull. His in-line quickness allows him to block down, scope and reach block, but he needs to deliver his hand punch with more force … Struggles with a good anchor on contact from stunts … Can sustain blocks on the move, but needs more strength to be effective doing this at the next level … Will revert to bending at the waist rather than his hips. He has a good pass set and quick hands to get on the defenders with proper hand placement, but will catch rather than punch most of the time. He does display good slide ability and recovery ability … Will come off stunts and help the guards, but also needs help himself vs. the more powerful bull rushers (can be walked back) … Needs to add more lower-body strength to combine with his great quickness … Even though he knows his assignments, he can easily be drawn offside and his balance problems resulted in a high amount of false-start penalties in 2004 (see Kent State and Buffalo games).

[DUKE]

I don't know much about him, but found this on our 5th round pick Adam Kieft

Veteran offensive lineman who finished spring drills with a flurry ... coaches feel he has a chance to be one of the premier tackles in the country ... has become more aggresive ... four-year starter at tackle ... second team All-MAC in 2003 ... started all 12 games in 2002 and '03 at left tackle after starting eight games at right tackle in 2001 ... missed freshman season with a foot injury ... earned three letters in track and two in football at Rockford High ... first team all-state in football ... all-conference and conference champion in track ... ranked 24th by the Detroit Free Press and 35th by the Detroit News ... Grand Rapids Press Dream Team ... USA Today player to watch ... majoring in history ... had a 3.40 GPA in the spring to raise his cumulative to 3.23 ... most memorable moment in athletics was dunking on close friend and NBA player Chris Kaman ... hobbies include eating and sleeping ... lifetime goal is to have fun ... parents are Charles Kieft and Mary Bouwense ... born 8/21/82

[pdub]

Seems like a project.

he looks kinda small doesn't he?

i think i read that bio on him already, do you happen to know how he was ranked among centers going into the draft?

i'm glad we made another signing. high 5 on the heads up DUKE.

[pdub]

... hobbies include eating and sleeping ...

heh.

[DUKE]

Seems like a project.

he looks kinda small doesn't he?

i think i read that bio on him already, do you happen to know how he was ranked among centers going into the draft?

i'm glad we made another signing. high 5 on the heads up DUKE.

Yeah, he does seem small. After the pick Kiper praised it for what that's worth. I've seen him ranked differently a few places. He was ranked 5th best center at one place (huddles report I think) I also saw him in another publication ranked very low at the very bottom of the center prospects. I guess we shall see.

ESPN Insider's grade for this draft: A-. Here's what they say:

Defensive end David Pollack and linebacker Odell Thurman were teammates at Georgia and are immediate upgrades for the front seven on Marvin Lewis' defense. The Bengals helped the offensive line with another pair of teammates, center Eric Ghiaciuc and tackle Adam Kieft from Central Michigan, and thanks to his great physical attributes receiver Chris Henry is a good gamble in the third round despite some character questions. Fellow wideout Tab Perry was a sensible pick in the sixth.