PFW - Rey Maualuga Article

[bruin4life]

For as fearlessly as Maualuga may run through contact and as violently as he may deliver some big hits, he too often struggles to break down in the open field and gets caught out of position by taking false steps. His instincts still leave a lot to be desired. Scouts that revisit the Trojans’ loss to Oregon State have come away even more unimpressed, as Maualuga’s shoddy tackling was identified as a major reason for the 27-21 loss to the Beavers.

Often times you'll find articles about Bruschii that put him out of place far too often but he still makes the plays...some defenses are good and actually are built for players like this while others are not and do not want to rely on players like this.

In,any affect it's much easier to teach someone to make proper steps and avoid that false step than it is to get them to be more intense and deliver a blow. I do agree that because of the above he probably won't be the first LB taken but he'll be taken fairly high.

[49ersRus]

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDraft/Draft+Extras/2009/wwhi040109a.htm

This is a bit harsh, and I'm not sure I agree with it, but its Trojan day, so now's the time to explore..
"He has a high bust factor," said one NFL executive responsible for stacking his team's draft board. "There is a lot there that scares me. There is a right price for everyone, but I would not feel comfortable taking him in the first round where we are picking. The money is too great. You cannot afford to make mistakes and expect to recover from them."

Also, and there is some truth to this...
For as fearlessly as Maualuga may run through contact and as violently as he may deliver some big hits, he too often struggles to break down in the open field and gets caught out of position by taking false steps. His instincts still leave a lot to be desired. Scouts that revisit the Trojans’ loss to Oregon State have come away even more unimpressed, as Maualuga’s shoddy tackling was identified as a major reason for the 27-21 loss to the Beavers.

[OsBoogie]

while I'm not a fan of Rey at 10 he will be a good starter in this league... maybe only 2 downs early on... but even if he misses some plays he makes some others won't... so it balances out

[majesstik1]

For as fearlessly as Maualuga may run through contact and as violently as he may deliver some big hits, he too often struggles to break down in the open field and gets caught out of position by taking false steps. His instincts still leave a lot to be desired.

Same things I've been saying. Russellmania got his panties in a bunch over it.

[SB49er4life]

Of course Maualuga has flaws- EVERY college prospect does.

It also wasn't that long ago when our very own MB draft guru's were saying that Patrick Willis would struggle in the NFL because of his "flaws", which included coverage and taking on blocks. There were A LOT of personal opinions and sources that felt that Willis shouldn't come off the board until the late 1st round.

The point is that some "flaws" can be corrected, and some can't. Taking false steps and sloppy technique are areas that can be corrected with hard work and good coaching.

The biggest area of concern with Maualuga, IMO, is where his head is gonna be at.

[Max_Power]

Rey sucks. What's new?

[Max_Power]

Willis as a prospect is much better than Maualuga.

With such an eye-opening observation, I thought you were TheWiz for a moment.

[The OLD Cookie Monster]

Of course Maualuga has flaws- EVERY college prospect does.

It also wasn't that long ago when our very own MB draft guru's were saying that Patrick Willis would struggle in the NFL because of his "flaws", which included coverage and taking on blocks. There were A LOT of personal opinions and sources that felt that Willis shouldn't come off the board until the late 1st round.

The point is that some "flaws" can be corrected, and some can't. Taking false steps and sloppy technique are areas that can be corrected with hard work and good coaching.

The biggest area of concern with Maualuga, IMO, is where his head is gonna be at.

Let's be fair here though. I like Maualuga because he's a local guy but there is still a lot of concern. Patrick Willis was more fundamentally sound and a much better character coming into this league. Willis is one of the few players I have ever seen that can (I emphasize can because I've seen him do it but he still needs work on it) deliver a huge hit AND wrap the player up at the same time.


Willis as a prospect is much better than Maualuga.

[Twolf75]

i personally don't want rey we don't need him esp. at ten

[SB49er4life]

Let's be fair here though. I like Maualuga because he's a local guy but there is still a lot of concern. Patrick Willis was more fundamentally sound and a much better character coming into this league. Willis is one of the few players I have ever seen that can (I emphasize can because I've seen him do it but he still needs work on it) deliver a huge hit AND wrap the player up at the same time.


Willis as a prospect is much better than Maualuga.

I agree that Willis was a better prospect than Maualuga... but the point I was making is that Willis also had what some considered "major flaws" in him which made many feel he wasn't worth more than a late 1st round pick.

Willis was a more RELIABLE tackler coming out of college, but both he and Rey shared the same criticisms when it came to taking on blockers and coverage.

The biggest concern with Rey, IMO, is his character. There is some question as to whether he is stable enough to handle being a professional, and reasonably slow.

[SB49er4life]

Maualuga -- The drama around Maualuga's workout built throughout the afternoon. He didn't run the 40-yard dash early on with his teammates in order to make sure the hamstring he injured at the combine would hold up throughout position drills. Maualuga had a good-but-not great showing in drills, looking a bit stiff in his coverage drops, but that is to be expected form a middle linebacker his size. He did weigh in under 250 pounds, though, and eased concerns that he might have gained weight while nursing the injury.

It was his 40 that was the most anticipated part of the workout, however, after Maualuga clocked in at 4.91 seconds on his lone attempt at the combine. Maualuga finally ran by himself at the very end of the workout with everyone gathered around and he did not disappoint. His times ranged from 4.59 to 4.71 according to the scouts we talked to, re-affirming his straight-line speed and burst and answering any lingering questions.

The day ended with USC coach Pete Carroll jogging to scouts to get the times, conferring with Maualuga and then turning to the assembled throng and saying, "That's it, guys," as if to tell everyone they had gotten what they came for.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft09/news/story?id=4034272