| 23 February 2010
Jon Asamoah is arguably the second best offensive guard prospect in the NFL draft behind Mike Iupati. Iupati is on another level with Asamoah at a level that could justify the Bears snapping him up in the third round of the NFL Draft. He is a big strong player with great athleticism and quickness and the ability to hit the moving target in space.
Asamoah is also very technically sound as a prospect and because guard isn't considered a position of high value he just very well may be available to the Bears in the early part of the third round.
His only downfall however may be that he is limited to offensive guard only and may not have the versatility that is preferred by Jerry Angelo to potentially kick outside to offensive tackle if need be. Most teams in the NFL do prefer that certain level of versatility in their offensive linemen given how limited they are with the 53-man roster restrictions and only 48 active players available on game days.
The reason Asamoah is limited strictly to his guard spot is because of his short arms that are considered to be below the minimal standards NFL scouts like. This is yet another aspect of Asamoah that may cause him to slip to the early part of the third round of the draft where the Bears may be able to snatch him up.
Unquestionably Bears fans would love to see an Illini alum land in Chicago with the Bears. The idea of bringing in a home town prospect always sits well with the Grabowskis and there is a lot to like about a player like Asamoah.
Asamoah's quickness as an offensive guard cannot be understated as he proved time and time again on film that he can be a force pulling and getting to the second level. Asamoah also has solid size to go with that speed at 6-foot-5 315-pounds he is as quick as guards that settle into the 6-foot-1 to 6-4 range and usually rely on speed and quickness to succeed in the NFL.
This is where his value is and what will be our focus for him during the combine. I'm interested to see how well he performs in the agility drills and where he stacks up against the offensive tackle competition who typically grade out as better athletes. Also intriguing to see where he runs the 40-yard dash, although not a great measure of guard prospects, his 40-time could be amongst the best at the draft for guards. Asamoah will compete against some solid athletes and it will be intriguing to see how he stacks up with Mike Iupati.
Asamoah is a typical guard prospect a solid one and his skills stack up well to Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin from the 2009 class. He does all the things well to justify being amongst the top-5 guard prospects.
Having watched a lot of film on Asamoah there is a lot to like about him as a player. He is a strong run blocker and quick enough to set himself and anchor in pass protection. How well he performs in the combine may help to determine his availability in the third round or late part of the second round.
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