NFL COMBINE STANDOUT: WILL BEATTY

I was watching some of the combine today, keeping an eye out for the guys I knew or had played against. All of a sudden the big uglie is on the screen. Mr,. Goofy himself Will Beatty. The immediate reactions from those around me were: “Holy shit, he’s huge.” Not that I want to sound “above it all” (I’m not) but to me Beatty isn’t that big. I mean sure he’s 6’8 and 300+lbs, but I’ve known the kid for 5 years. To me he’s not “huge” he’s just Will. Well, actually I lied, he’s not exactly “just Will.” I’ve known him better as “you big son of a bitch stop holding.” Thats right, like most O-linemen William Beatty (the son of two preachers) is a known cheater. Don’t take that the wrong way, I love the kid, but he will hold, spit, and generally cheat to protect his quarterback. I guess its better than if he didn’t care. But I know he has been the victim of several tongue lashings by defenseive ends, not to mention yellow flags on Saturday afternoons. Watch the video of Will at the combine. Commentary/analysis below.

“His lack of punch“–I can see why this would be a concern for coaches and scouts. Will has never been “weight-room strong” but his athleticism far surpasses even most of the top talent in this years draft, especially at the offensive tackle position. You can put strength on that athleticism, but you can’t put athleticism on strength (Thats why you don’t see a lot of World’s Strongest Man competitors in the NFL). Teams may be looking for someone in the mold of Jake Long who can be plugged into a system and start in his first year. But it would not be a waste of first or second round money to invest into someone like Beatty. Even if he couldn’t step in and play right now, there aren’t alot of defensive ends that will be able to beat him around the edge in a straight speed-rush. Something becoming more common in the NFL, with the onslaught of OLB/DE hybrids. (see Demarcus Ware) Some people have questioned his motivation, or his future motivation once he gets that first NFL sized pay check.
The kid has done more 6 am punishments, recieved more verbal assaults from Edsall than anyone in the entire history of UConn Football. Trust me, if he didn’t quit then he won’t quit now.