LB Lamar Myles

[HoosierCat]

Interesting story from "Big C" @ DDN.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/o...igcbengals.html

Bengals with inside track to stud LB Myles

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes

Staff Writer

Sunday, February 17, 2008

There is no question that the Cincinnati Bengals will be looking to add some depth at the linebacker position during the NFL draft and could have the inside track to an incredible talent in Louisville LB Lamar Myles.

Myles is a player who has received little attention from teams as of late. However, the Bengals are one team with the 411 and could have their sights set on the hidden gem.

The 6-foot-0 220-pound junior linebacker declared himself eligible for the draft after receiving a fifth-round grade from the NFL advisory board and decided to jump ship. Myles thought the grade would be good enough to earn him an invite to the combine and under normal circumstances it would, but for whatever reason he was left off the list.

Myles' entry into the draft caught some people by surprise including his trainer Clif Marshall, who operates Ignition Athletes Performance Group in Mason Ohio.

"I knew Lamar had a great year, but I wasn't expecting him to come out," Marshall said. "The decision caught me off guard but we're glad to have him in the program. I know when he came out he thought hard and prayed about it. Lamar is a phenomenal athlete and will open some eyes at the school's pro day."

Marshall has a history with the linebacker that dates back to his days as assistant strength coach on the Cardinals' coaching staff when Myles was a freshman.

Marshall said he saw something in Myles back then and believes he has what it takes to be successful at the next level.

"I've been around the game long enough to know that Lamar will be on an active roster," Marshall said. "He will be productive on special-teams in his first year and he will make a great linebacker some day in the NFL."

Marshall has worked with the Bengals the past three off-seasons and was with the team full-time during the '05 and '06 season as their strength and conditioning coach. Marshall currently has 16 NFL prospects who are training at Ignition for the Combine and Pro Day workouts.

While NFL teams scramble to watch film on Myles, the Bengals are getting firsthand information from some of the team's players. Bengals LB David Pollack, who is acting as an assistant to Marshall and mentoring the prospects, and teammate LB Landon Johnson have put Myles through some rigorous linebacking drills during workouts. Word is that he has been impressive.

Freak-a-zoid

When it comes to getting his freak on in the weight room, Myles is no joke. He broke nearly every lifting record at Louisville. He's described as a genetic freak in the weight room. By no means is he just a workout warrior, but possesses some serious football skills. In other words he's got game.

Myles lead the Cardinals in tackles this season with 128 stops. The player who finished second on the list, Bobby Buchanan, had 54 tackles which is quite a disparity. Myles had an insane 22 tackles in the game against instate rival Kentucky.

For the time being, Myles is flying under the radar but you can expect for his name to be heard a lot in Bengals camp now that the word is out.

Big C's Scouting Report:

Myles is a very instinctive, aggressive, linebacker with excellent sideline-to-sideline speed. He's a ferocious hitter and sure-tackler. He played middle linebacker in college but will likely be moved to the outside position in the pros. Myles has a chiseled frame and plays the game like it's meant to be played. He has great change-of-direction and does a nice job dropping back into coverage. He is a quick study and goes about his business quietly. Myles has all the physical tools to play at the pro level, but NFL scouts are more interested in gauging his straight-line speed.

[junglelove85]

It's too bad that louisville is losing him to the draft (we could use all the help we can get on defense) but if he has to go I would love to see him end up in a bengals uniform. I had the chance to meet myles my freshman year at U of L working at the dorms. He is a freak (physically) and a descent guy kindof soft spoken though.

[Pidge]

I haven't seen him play at all. Reckon he can become a starter eventually junglelove85? Sounds like a high character guy and if he can be had in the 5th, or even 4th maybe then suits me. Even if just for depth. We're short at LB all of a sudden. Need Dhani to re-signed too.

[HoosierCat]

Another "local" guy the Bengals are eyeing: Kevin Hoyng. From Ludwigs blog @ the DDN...

Former University of Dayton football star Kevin Hoyng is burning with a desire to play in the NFL.

He’s also yearning to fulfill another goal, a goal that involves Mike Kelly, who recently retired as head coach of the Flyers.

“I want to give Coach Kelly a present,” Hoyng said. “I want him to see me play in an NFL game.”

Hoyng’s next big step comes March 11 at 7:30 a.m. when he participates in Bowling Green’s Pro Day workout in front of NFL scouts.

The University of Dayton asked Miami University if Hoyng could participate in Miami’s Pro Day on March 13 in Oxford, but the request was denied.

Among the teams that have expressed an interest in Hoyng — during and after the NFL Scouting Combine — are the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Bucs, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

The 6-foot, 192-pounder blossomed as a quarterback at Dayton, where he holds school records for passing yardage (7,862), completions (530), attempts (1,013) and total offense (9,565). But he’s training as an NFL free safety because he runs a sub-4.5 40-yard dash.

QUOTES ABOUT KEVIN HOYNG

— From UD defensive backs coach James Stanley: “Kevin has that swagger. He’s consistently getting better every day because his learning curve is phenomenal.”

— From former UD head coach Mike Kelly: “In my 27 years as head football coach at the University of Dayton, Kevin’s in my top four or five players.”

— From Hoyng’s agent Ron Todd: “If Kevin does what I know he can do, he will make it in the NFL. That’s honest. That’s a fact. He’s a football player first, who happens to be a great athlete, too.”

— From Kevin Hoyng, who learned the game at the knee of his father, Tim, the former head coach and current defensive coordinator at Coldwater High School: “I was always at practice with my dad. I was the manager since first grade. Football is something that’s been very important in my life and something I love.”

[Kazkal]

Lamar sounds like a good pickup day 2 but abit undersized.

[DesperateDerelict]

10 other quality players that weren't invited to the combine - per SportsDay's Rick Gosselin

Jonal Saint-Dic, DE, Michigan State : A junior-college transfer who started one season at Michigan State, Saint-Dic finished second in the Big Ten in sacks with 10. He tied a school record with sacks in four consecutive games.

Tony Temple, HB, Missouri : The Tigers have only managed 10 1,000-yard rushing seasons in school history, and Temple has two of them. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry in 2007 and 5.4 yards in his career.

Keilen Dykes, DT, West Virginia : Dykes started 44 career games – 28 at defensive tackle, 13 at nose tackle and three at defensive end. He anchored a Top 20 run defense in his final two seasons.

Jabari Arthur, WR, Akron : Arthur set school records with 184 receptions in his career and 15 in a 2007 game against Western Michigan for 223 yards. He caught nine passes for 180 yards against Memphis in the Motor City Bowl.

Ricky Santos, QB, New Hampshire : Santos won the Payton Award as the best player in Division I-AA in 2006. Romo won the same award in 2002. A player must dominate this level of competition to get the NFL's attention. Santos threw for 13,212 yards and 123 touchdowns in his career.

Fernando Velasco, G, Georgia : Velasco started two seasons for the Bulldogs, at guard in 2006 and center in 2007. He earned second team All-SEC for his play last season on one of college football's top teams.

Eric Scott, C, Kentucky : The Wildcats didn't settle on a position for Scott until his final season. He started games at tight end, defensive end and guard before becoming Kentucky's center in 2007.

Jed Collins, FB, Washington State : Collins played linebacker, tight end and fullback in his college career. He set a school record for tight ends with 52 catches last season and chipped in 10 tackles on special teams. The NFL projects him as a fullback.

Brandon Coutu, K, Georgia : Coutu set a school record by converting 80.3 percent of his 66 career field goal tries. He kicked a 58-yard field goal against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2005, the third longest in NCAA history but longest without use of a tee.

Jamario Thomas, HB, North Texas : Injuries slowed Thomas as he moved deeper into his career. But what a start – he led the NCAA in rushing as a freshman in 2004 with 1,801 yards. That included six 200-yard games.

[Spor_tees]

I can see Tony Temple and Jamario Thomas being the kind of guys that Cincy would pick in the later rounds of the draft...In the games I watched of Missouri I didn't think Temple did that bad...and I can remember hearing nothing but praise about Thomas during his Freshman and sophomore years. His problem probably comes down to conditioning and having a less than terrific medical staff at the small school of North Texas. If he was at Ohio State or a big school like that, he would get better medical care which would have helped his body to hold up better.