The problem with Mingo is not his athleticism or speed. It is the other way around. The only reason Mingo is such a highly-ranked recruit is because he is such a FREAK athlete. The problem with Mingo, and the reason he isn't ranked higher, is because of his mental abilities -- he has only played football for two years now, meaning he has very little training or experience in being able to mentally make the right decisions required of a good football player. Mingo would suck if it wasn't for his physical attributes. His physical attributes are the main thing scouts are so excited about. I went down to the Superdome and saw this guy in the 5A state championship game. He is a FREAK OF NATURE. Like I wrote earlier, the day after I saw him with my own eyes: After being at the Dome last night, I wasn't impressed with Sentimore as the great 4-star beast he is ranked as, but I was impressed with the other 4-star I saw this weekend, West Monroe's Mingo. Athletically, Mingo looked like something out of a video-game, as big and fast as he was. Granted, Mingo looked like something out of a video-game that was poorly controlled by the video-game player... the guy really is raw. In the plays that went his way, all the other guys seemed to know what to do, and were a part of the play, while Mingo was still standing up confused looking at them while they were all on the ground after tackling the ball-carrier (nobody would say that Mingo "has a nose for the ball"). However, as an athletic specimen, Mingo is a freak. Much of the time, West Monroe lined him up on the outside like he was a DE (usually on the right side from the defensive standpoint), and whenever West Monroe did that... Destrehan called a run to the opposite side of the field for a good gain. However, it was impressive seeing how athletic Mingo was. Remember, the guy never played football until a year or two ago, so of course the game is still confusing to him. I was only focused on about 75% of the game, and I saw Mingo get this huge sack that cost Destrehan some massive yardage. Also, when Destrehan was in scoring-territory for the first time in the entire game, Mingo busted up right through the right-center of the line (from the defensive standpoint), forcing Destrehan's QB to throw it away instead of taking the sack... this play was huge in the game at that time--Destrehan's superstar kicker ended up missing the easy FG. This is what Rivals.com thinks about him: #10 outside LB #4 best closing speed for a LB #5 best athlete for a LB (LINK) Scout.com: #11 strongside LB A quick first step and a good effort level coupled with Mingo's great frame, and it's easy to see a prospect that has yet to scratch the surface of his ability. He will learn to anticipate rather than react, and that will make him more dangerous as a defender, because he can be a step slow to the play if it's not in front of him. Great frame and terrific upside, he'll likely make the full time transition to defensive end in college- Scott Kennedy (LINK) ESPN/Scouts, Inc: #38 outside LB Mingo is a physically impressive looking defensive prospect with a ton of upside when projecting for the next level. He is very tall, long and high-cut. Athletically-built but has the room to pack on an additional 30-40 pounds once he attacks a college weight-training program. At this time we project he will start his career off at outside linebacker but quickly grow into a defensive end with continued physical development. Lacks great thickness and can struggle with leverage at the point of attack but shows some quick-twitched burst allowing him to jolt blockers upright and keep defenders off his body. Very active on his pursuit off-tackle and in space. Covers a lot of ground with his long stride, rangy frame and high motor. Needs some polish with his hands and improved bend but he flashes all the physical tools to develop into a great pass- rusher at the college level. Times the snap up well and displays good initial quicks beating tackles off the edge. Long wingspan to keep blockers off his body and the good acceleration to chase down quarterbacks. Great closing speed for his size but can overrun plays and struggles at times redirecting quickly. Pure vertical attacker and flashed difficulty on film sifting through traffic laterally. Can play high and his ability to mirror quicker Division 1 skill players on the perimeter with his elongated lower-body is a concern. Was allowed to attack freely and his good initial quickness and speed often masked his lack of diagnosing skills; could struggle reading and reacting from true linebacker depth in college. Pass coverage skills will need polish if he remains at OLB. Overall, it is hard not to love this Mingo's raw abilities on film. Potential size and speed combination at the next level is exciting. Better attacking forward than laterally which could precipitate the move to DE. Ideal measurables and skills for a 3-4 OLB. (LINK) Craig Haubert, ESPN/Scouts Inc: Mingo particularly stood out. With a tall, rangy frame he still needs to physically develop and grow into his body. His wingspan and stride were impressive. He is still fairly raw and struggled at times in drills and in the ones-on-ones, but also displayed exciting upside. We feel his future might be at defensive end in college, but whether there or at linebacker, this kid has a bright future. Mingo's ability was obvious to others in attendance as he walked away with the camp's linebacker MVP award. (LINK) And he's not kidding when he says that his "ability was obvious to others in attendance" at the camp. Look at the picture, how everybody is looking at Mingo like "oh my goodness, that guy is a FREAK!!!!" Well, except for Louisiana's #2 LB prospect Lamin Barrow (left), who tries not to be too impressed with Louisiana's #1 LB prospect, Mingo.
Kearse doesn't have the frame to hold weight like Peppers and this kid does. He could easily be 285 and still be effective.
You're right. I looked it up and Jevon is only 6'4". Somehow I thought he was taller. Probably cuz he only weights 255.
Peppers was 6'7 by the time he went to UNC. At UNC, he played basketball and football, and yeah, he wasn't that huge in his younger years. I imagine his basketball experience helped him become a better football player. As for Mingo, he was primarily a basketball player before they talked him into going out for football at the beginning of his junior year in high school. 13 Jan 2001: Julius Peppers #45 of the North Carolina Tar Heels makes a layup as he is guarded by Oluoma Nnamaka #43 of the Marquette Golden Eagles at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated the Golden Eagles 84-54
Michael Johnson had exactly one good year. He was an invisible non-factor for the rest of his college career. In the LSU game, he had one sack when he he was completely untouched, but my wife probably could have made that sack. The rest of the game, Johnson was easily handled by LSU O-linemen and TEs on the plays that Johnson actually made some effort. On the rest of the plays he looked like a poser running around near the ball but not actually trying to make plays for the ball. IMHO, this dude is WAY over rated. Time may prove me wrong, but this looks like just another DE who has great potential but his lack of productivity is much more telling.
