| 20 March 2010
Most fans who have been talking about the Chicago Bears' draft plans are pretty high on Vladimir Ducasse as a prospect and rightfully so. Ducasse as we've touched on a bit here on the site is the type of prospect that directly fits into one of the needs the Bears have heading into the 2010 season and he offers that extremely desirable versatile skill set. Ducasse has the skills to likely play the LT spot which might put his value out of the reach of the Bears in the early part of the third round, but beyond that he has the ability to play RT or could wind up playing either guard spot.
Ducasse first generated a buzz during Senior Bowl week in Mobile Alabama and from there the draft gurus have only gone more gaga over the 6-foot-5 332-pound monster. From the University of Massachusetts he played LT throughout his college career earning All-American honors during his senior year. Ducasse's stock has been the subject of much hype, he's been on nothing but an upward projection since the end of the season, at one time considered a possible third round selection his stock had progressed steadily to the point he's talked about amongst the Top-30 overall prospects in this year's by some publications.
With his upcoming Pro Day on March 25th expect Ducasse to only continue to rise up draft boards and earn the respect he has at each fundamental stop from the Senior Bowl to the NFL Combine. I think without question all 32 NFL teams will be there to see Ducasse go through his drills, and even if he goes through positional drills and stands on his numbers from the NFL combine, there's not a lot else he needs to do.
There is not a lot of bad things to say about Ducasse as a prospect he has a lot of the more desirable things you look for in a prospect which means he'll likely be off the board far before the third round. He has great size at 6-foot-5 332-pounds and he moves exceptionally well for that size of a player. He can get out to the second level, pull, trap seal off the edge, get down the line on stretch plays all desirable aspects you look for in a guard. Between him and Mike Iupati they are arguably the two best guard prospects in the draft, but they both have the feet to play OT. The only thing keeping either from the Top half of the first round is that their feet aren't on the same level as most elite LT prospects.
Arguably though Ducasse may have more value in that he can play multiple positions and likely succeed at playing any of them. A curse and a benefit at times though is Ducasse's inexperience, he's only been playing football since high school and is still a very raw prospect who is at times prone to mistakes. The question then becomes do you take a chance on a raw prospect who may not develop, or do you take the chance and have confidence that you can coach him up and get the most out of his high ceiling.
This is the same question, and risk diagnosis that every team in the NFL must consider during each and every draft cycle. The polished product however is what has Ducasse moving quickly up most NFL draft boards. He is a solid pass protector and a good run blocker, unafraid to mix it up in the trenches and drive the defender off the ball. The raw aspect of his game however is the fact that he's not quite a sound technician, and while size speed and athleticism are important a lot of NFL O-Linemen are great because they are so fundamentally sound.
Ducasse a natural bender, with long arms with the ability to lock onto a rusher and steer him away from the QB in the pocket. He's powerful and can throw guys around pretty easily and can get out to the second level on running plays or screens. With most Bears fans having a strong desire for a big road grading type of guard with the size to boot Ducasse could fit into that profile well for the Bears. But not only is he a big body, he has the skills to be a good pass protector a definite need in Martz's pass happy scheme.
The only hope is that either the Bears can move up to grab Ducasse or that manages to slide through to the very early part of the third round where the Bears draft.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
