Connor Barwin

[OsBoogie]

Let's talk about this guy...

one monster year at DE... was a good TE before this year... seems to be a high motor guy... I'm thinking he could also be an OLB...

so he's raw... but it seems like pass rush is his thing...

anyone else big on him?

[belgium49er]

yep i am, if we could grab him in the 2nd or 3th :-)

[OsBoogie]

I was thinking he wouldn't be around in the 3rd... but our pick in the second is pretty high

[Max_Power]

Let's talk about this guy...

one monster year at DE... was a good TE before this year... seems to be a high motor guy... I'm thinking he could also be an OLB...

so he's raw... but it seems like pass rush is his thing...

anyone else big on him?

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/61/616729.jpg

Hahaha...

[OsBoogie]

looks like he might be worth it as an OLB in the 2nd

[koryb55]

Conner has probably just made himself a early to mid second round pick. his forty time was like 4.56 or something like that. Furthermore, I think you are all on the right track about waiting till the second round for an OLB. Not only is there a lot of prospects for this position, but it seems every year they fall in the draft.

[49ersforlife5x]

I like him. Will be a great value pick.

[beasley for pres]

lol Max Power.

[BAKNAFEK88]

I ike him. His time was actually a 4.6. He would be a nice OLB. A lot of people compare him to Mike Vrabel. I like the comparison. Similar skill sets

[Max_Power]

I ike him. His time was actually a 4.6. He would be a nice OLB. A lot of people compare him to Mike Vrabel. I like the comparison. Similar skill sets

And they both have "high motors"...:whistling:

[xcfan]

if you draft him as a OLB 1st or 2nd, you're blind gambling(guessing) on success. with no OLB film, you better have great scouting instincts.

it's a tale of two mikes--vrabel or mamula?

that being said, i have a good feeling about the guy, but i don't know about it in rounds 1 or 2. i'd pull the trigger in round 3.

[Leeding49er]

Barwin will be gone my the early 2nd, based on the buzz that's beginning to surround him.

[xcfan]

in 2-3 years, is barwin going to be a better 3-4 olb than brown, orakpo, & maybin? in addition to nearly comparable talent, he seems to have the character traits of those who tend to excel--competitive, versatile, adaptable. is he a second round reach or not?

[ManCans]

in 2-3 years, is barwin going to be a better 3-4 olb than brown, orakpo, & maybin? in addition to nearly comparable talent, he seems to have the character traits of those who tend to excel--competitive, versatile, adaptable. is he a second round reach or not?No, its not a reach at all. Barwin finished first in five out of seven measured drills at the combine, and finished second in the forty yard dash. That means he's more athletic than Everette Brown, Aaron Maybin, and Michael Johnson. His athleticism also translates to the football field. He is very quick off the line, and you can tell by watching him that he's a very intelligent player.

In my latest mock, I'm selecting him in the second round. I'd take him over Brown and Johnson

[Nevyn]

Let's talk about this guy...

one monster year at DE... was a good TE before this year... seems to be a high motor guy... I'm thinking he could also be an OLB...

so he's raw... but it seems like pass rush is his thing...

anyone else big on him?

I like him as a second round prospect. But Im wondering if he gets that far after the combine.

[OsBoogie]

I like him as a second round prospect. But Im wondering if he gets that far after the combine.

yeah... I watched him a lot in the Big East... thought he'd be a steal in 3rd but now that he's blowing up I'm thinking definitely the 2nd... I might be more comfortable with him in the 2nd than any other PR in the 1st...

Raji/Barwin FTW!!!

[dhimiter]

Love this kid. He is athletic and just a spark plug in the locker room. Not to mention his versatility on all sides of the field including special teams. Third down or goallline TE and He is well worth our 2nd round pick and he may not make it that far. He is going to be a great player regardless.

[Gof the Gij]

I thought he was going to NE anyways with their 1st rd pick...now with Vrabel being traded and NE getting the Cheifs 2nd rd I believe its a lock for him going there...

Not necessarily, if Clint Sintim is still there they'd definitely take him first...RT or CB are also distinct possibilities for them.

[xcfan]

Let's talk about this guy...

one monster year at DE... was a good TE before this year... seems to be a high motor guy... I'm thinking he could also be an OLB...

so he's raw... but it seems like pass rush is his thing...

anyone else big on him?

the only thing that concerns me is barwin's relatively small and narrow hips.
they give him track speed, but he's going to need strength and torque to hold his pass rush line while engadged with a left tackle, and a lack of hip torque will greatly downgrade functional football strength. this will also hurt him as an OLB when he has to face opponents head-on. he'll be great as a chase guy, but i fear he has much less functional strength than his combine numbers might indicate.
as an example, two guys with great hip torque/strength are elvis dumervile and dwight freeney.
two guys with poor hip torque are andre carter and manny lawson.

fast guys with small butts are like small block, high rev ferraris--great wide open on a fast track, but they suck when they meet resistance.
what you need in football is a big block pushrod V8 butt--they can do it all: fast and strong.

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/12/01/gallery.crosshairs/Louisville.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i2/ksp113/FOX%20Sports%20Blog%20Images/freeney-dwight.jpg

[G4LIFE]

I love Barwin in the 2nd for us as it shows in my sig. I don't think there much separation from top 6-8 rush OLB's in the draft.

[OsBoogie]

the only thing that concerns me is barwin's relatively small and narrow hips.
they give him track speed, but he's going to need strength and torque to hold his pass rush line while engadged with a left tackle, and a lack of hip torque will greatly downgrade functional football strength. this will also hurt him as an OLB when he has to face opponents head-on. he'll be great as a chase guy, but i fear he has much less functional strength than his combine numbers might indicate.
as an example, two guys with great hip torque/strength are elvis dumervile and dwight freeney.
two guys with poor hip torque are andre carter and manny lawson.

fast guys with small butts are like small block, high rev ferraris--great wide open on a fast track, but they suck when they meet resistance.
what you need in football is a big block pushrod V8 butt--they can do it all: fast and strong.



have you seen him play or are you just talking from what you've read/heard?

the guy is smooth and has great movement... his timed speed was a surprise actually... his agility is not in question

[keehner87]

If Orakpo doesn't fall to 10, which I don't think he will, I'm now kinda hoping we get Raji or an OT not named A Smith in the first and then get this guy in the 2nd. As a 2nd round pick there's less pressure to put up huge numbers his first year.

[spencer49er]

the only thing that concerns me is barwin's relatively small and narrow hips.
they give him track speed, but he's going to need strength and torque to hold his pass rush line while engadged with a left tackle, and a lack of hip torque will greatly downgrade functional football strength. this will also hurt him as an OLB when he has to face opponents head-on. he'll be great as a chase guy, but i fear he has much less functional strength than his combine numbers might indicate.
as an example, two guys with great hip torque/strength are elvis dumervile and dwight freeney.
two guys with poor hip torque are andre carter and manny lawson.

fast guys with small butts are like small block, high rev ferraris--great wide open on a fast track, but they suck when they meet resistance.
what you need in football is a big block pushrod V8 butt--they can do it all: fast and strong.


Take a LOOK at him on UTUBE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u79CJdrxZbo).
Are you talking about a DE or a "SAM 3-4 OLB" when you mention hip torque?
Elvis Dumervile plays DE in a 4-3 for Denver. They are switching to Nolan's 3-4 (????) and Elvis has yet to prove he can cover.
Dwight Freeney also plays DE in a 4-3.
Remember a "SAM 3-4 OLB" has to cover also or become a liability to be exploited.
.

[roryslosh]

Im expecting him to go late 1st.

[coyote94]

I'm really starting to like him as our 2nd rounder. Anyone who can switch positions for one year and excel as much as he did says alot about the kind of player he is. Blue-Collar guy who pays attention to all the details. High motor with some raw pass rush skills will make him a good pass rusher eventually in this league. With our current situation at linebacker, he will have some time to get use to the new position. Haralson is on his way to having a 10 sack season and Lawson should continue to develop into a more complete backer, and remember most players don't regain there legs until 2 years after a torn acl.

[spencer49er]

Im really want to see this guy with our second rd pick...he could come in and immediately push manny lawson for playing time and prolly be the outside pass rusher opposite harelson on 3rd downs...and the added bonus of helping on special teams and te...hes my dream 2nd rd pick

Barwin, who played tight end for three seasons at Cincinnati before switching to defensive end during his senior year, led the Big East Conference with 12 sacks and displayed impressive pass-rush skills, considering his experience. With an extensive basketball background (he played for the Bearcats' hoops squad for two seasons as a walk-on), Barwin has the athleticism to excel in coverage as a zone-dropper. That combination of athleticism and pass-rush skill makes Barwin an ideal hybrid player in zone-blitz schemes and a potential star in the right situation.
NFL site quote (http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d80fb9f60&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true)

[dbro0880]

Im really want to see this guy with our second rd pick...he could come in and immediately push manny lawson for playing time and prolly be the outside pass rusher opposite harelson on 3rd downs...and the added bonus of helping on special teams and te...hes my dream 2nd rd pick