My bold prediction is that Darrion Owens starts at Sam. Doubt it happens, though.
No shot unless there are a ton of injuries.
I wouldn't say he has no shot. I have my doubts too, but what's to say that a true freshman can't start at Sam? It's not as mentally challenging as Mike or Will. Not even close.
If Figs was healthy last year he might have started almost every game as a true freshman. Was Figs an EE? My memory says no, but I might be wrong. From all accounts, Owens impressed this spring. I'm concerned that Owens' body is not as developed as Figs' was at the same stage.
Owens was my favorite defensive signee. Maybe I'm biased. Lol.
It's not the true freshmans thing that concerns me with Owens. It's his football instinct. He reminds me a little bit of a guy like Ramon Buchanon. Great athlete but not a great football player yet. He's going to take a while to develop.
I'm not seeing what you're seeing. How much have you seen of him? Watch his highlight tape again (
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1368104/highlights/61259379). A few things scream that he's a football player. He plays extremely diverse positions, including special teams. Most of the time he's playing an OLB/SS role to the field and he does many things well within that role. He's an excellent pass rusher, as he possesses that natural lean that is very hard to coach. See :38 of the tape. At :05 and :24, he does a great job at knifing in on a tight isolation run to his side. At 1:15, he shows that he's able to read the blocking in front of him and spill the lead blocker coming to him on an off-tackle play.
At times he's playing from a deep safety alignment! At 1:05 and 2:39 he makes a flat foot run read, presses, and fills as needed--just as a safety playing quarters coverage should. Look at him use his hands at 1:18! Many times he's playing from a stacked linebacker alignment, much like our Will. He makes a ton of ridic plays on special teams too.
It's hard for me to believe that a player with concerning football instincts can succeed in very diverse roles. In my experience, we needed to limit those kids that were not quite football players yet. The needed to play a very simple role, or their mind would be blown. We had a kid that had all the gifts to play inside linebacker, but he needed to play end. We taught him his 5 tech, and just let him play. He would blow assignments or look lost if he had to do anything different. Special teams was out of the question!
One of the most telling signs of great football instincts is if the kid can succeed at multiple positions, including special teams. Owens has clearly shown that. Also, he has **** good technique. Either he has had the best coaches in america, or this kid is a baller at heart.
