Congrats to Derek Akunne and Cyril Lemon

[BillySee58]

Congrats to my bros @Akunnematata on going to the Atlanta Falcons and Cyril Lemon going to the New Orleans Saints proud of yall!! #GMG #MGF

— Zach Orr (@ZO35)

May 2, 2015

Falcons for Akunne and Saints for Lemon. UDFA

[BillySee58]

He was one of @NTCoachMac first recruits, now he's an @AtlantaFalcons . @Akunnematata heads to the next level and signs with the Falcons.

— MeanGreenFootball (@MeanGreenFB)

May 2, 2015

[BillySee58]

Cyril Lemon joins his teammate @Akunnematata in the NFL. He signs with the @Saints . #overlooked. #MeanGreen

— MeanGreenFootball (@MeanGreenFB)

May 2, 2015

[techdawg88]

Lemon has a good shot at sticking since the LG spot on the Saints is lacking

[greenminer]

Lemon has a good shot at sticking since the LG spot on the Saints is lacking

Are you big on the Saints?

Years ago they had a DL named Brian Young from UTEP. He was incredible and hung around the NFL for a little while. As a DE, I think he played a part in their nickel package. I think he was drafted in 1998 or 1999.

When he was in El Paso, I watched him take down the then-QB for Oregon for a safety on the very first play of the game. The play was negated due to penalty, and he managed to get the safety (again) anyways on the very next snap. Great college player. Quick off the snap and very strong upper body.

[UNTLifer]

The Saints also used to have a pretty good DT by the name of Tony Elliot from NT.

[techdawg88]

Are you big on the Saints?

Years ago they had a DL named Brian Young from UTEP. He was incredible and hung around the NFL for a little while. As a DE, I think he played a part in their nickel package. I think he was drafted in 1998 or 1999.

When he was in El Paso, I watched him take down the then-QB for Oregon for a safety on the very first play of the game. The play was negated due to penalty, and he managed to get the safety (again) anyways on the very next snap. Great college player. Quick off the snap and very strong upper body.

being from Louisiana, I am a Saints fan and Brian Young is now a coach for the Saints

http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/coaches/Brian-Young/2f330975-4c0c-44f0-9ad6-058f22155382

[oldguystudent]

being from Louisiana, I am a Saints fan and Brian Young is now a coach for the Saints

http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/coaches/Brian-Young/2f330975-4c0c-44f0-9ad6-058f22155382

Would you say most people in Northern Louisiana are Saints fans? About 100 years ago, I had a girlfriend from Shreveport. Knowing nothing of Louisiana at the time, I assumed she would be a Saints fan. She told me that most people in Shreveport were cowboys fans because Dallas was a lot closer.

[techdawg88]

Would you say most people in Northern Louisiana are Saints fans? About 100 years ago, I had a girlfriend from Shreveport. Knowing nothing of Louisiana at the time, I assumed she would be a Saints fan. She told me that most people in Shreveport were cowboys fans because Dallas was a lot closer.

Shreveport area is more Cowboys

[Danish43]

What about Yarbo, do you believe he will have a chance as a Free Agent? Heard lots of positives at one time.

[Dr. Seuss]

What about Yarbo, do you believe he will have a chance as a Free Agent? Heard lots of positives at one time.

I don't think he was training for the draft/NFL. Hes been going on job interviews, I believe he's trying to lose weight.

[Marty]

I think Blake Dunham may get a shot somewhere.

[Cerebus]

Would you say most people in Northern Louisiana are Saints fans? About 100 years ago, I had a girlfriend from Shreveport. Knowing nothing of Louisiana at the time, I assumed she would be a Saints fan. She told me that most people in Shreveport were cowboys fans because Dallas was a lot closer.

North and South Louisiana are very different and the people from each region have a strong rivalry with the other. Think of it like frugal and industrious Germans vs good living and not so frugal Italians.

[All About UNT]

"Near the end of the NFL draft Saturday, former North Texas linebacker Derek Akunne began receiving text messages from Atlanta Falcons linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich.

The 5-foot-11, 234-pound Akunne anticipated going undrafted, but he wasn't exactly sure which team would be interested in him as a free agent. Ulbrich brought clarity to the situation."

http://espn.go.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/post/_/id/13153

[Cooley]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/draft/2015/05/04/lael-collins-lsu-murder-questioning-baton-rouge-brittney-mills/26888565/

[jdennis82]

Enjoyed reading the Pro Football Focus assessments below of Akunne & Lemon (no review from PFF of Johnson or Dunham)

Derek Akunne, LB, North Texas: Had positive grades in every area of the game at North Texas, finishing with their defense’s highest grade. Turned 44 pass rushes into 11 quarterback disruptions.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/05/01/2015-draft-in-review-atlanta-falcons/

Cyril Lemon, OG, North Texas: Had just one negative overall grade for the season. Only nine tackles in this class graded higher overall (seventh-ranked ranked RT).

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/05/01/2015-draft-in-review-new-orleans-saints/

[Ben Gooding]

9 tackles graded higher, but yet he wasn't invited to the combine. Stuff like this really makes one wonder if we get snubbed due to simply having North Texas on our jersey.

[Cerebus]

9 tackles graded higher, but yet he wasn't invited to the combine. Stuff like this really makes one wonder if we get snubbed due to simply having North Texas on our jersey.

He was graded as a RT. RTs never get drafted, college LTs that aren't quite NFL LTs get moved to NFL RT.

His chance to make the NFL is at guard.

[Ben Gooding]

His shot at the NFL is at guard, I agree. I just find it weird that we didn't even get a combine invite.

[jdennis82]

9 tackles graded higher, but yet he wasn't invited to the combine. Stuff like this really makes one wonder if we get snubbed due to simply having North Texas on our jersey.

These, of course, are PFF (who are now spawning College Football Focus) grades which they describe as follows:

Performance-Based Scouting

We offer a different type of scouting, strictly based on performance and not technique or upside. Obviously after watching thousands of plays per week we have a feel for what good technique looks like, but we’re looking for how well a player did his job. We are looking for the result of that poor technique, not the poor technique itself. If poor technique results in a positive play, that is graded at the same level as good technique yielding a positive play. Did the lineman make the block he attempted, by whatever means? We realize that, over time, poor technique will lead to more negative plays, but our emphasis is on each individual play, and sometimes poor technique gets the job done.

Traditional scouting may describe a player’s explosiveness off the edge, but we can tell you how often a rusher actually got pressure to the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. Other scouting reports will often describe a cornerback’s hip swivel, but we’ll look at how well he actually plays in coverage. A player’s athleticism is irrelevant in our system, unless it leads to productive on-field performance.

Essentially, we’ve created a new type of scouting that strictly looks at performance, not necessarily the process that gets there. In our dealings with NFL clients, we’ve referred to this as supplying the “what” as they supply the “why.” We can tell a team that an offensive tackle gives up an inordinate amount of bullrush pressure and they can determine if it’s a lack of technique, functional strength, or perhaps a combination of the two.

Quantifying what we see on film allows us to funnel out the “highlights” that our brain tries to create when evaluating players.

I can't help but question if there isn't an opportunity to improve the relationship/reputation scouts have in visiting NT. The NFL Network series "Finding Giants" last year was a fascinating look into the lives of regional scouts for the NY Giants and showed how dedicated they are to leaving no stone unturned. They frequently reference long drives and other travel concerns as their greatest difficulty with the job - a concern that shouldn't exist here. The scouts will cite press box candy and other small reasons they prefer visiting a certain school (Elon University offers the best candy, apparently).

While the PFF grades don't account for technique or upside, the performance evaluation alone suggest these guys should've been playing in the Senior Bowl and other All-Star games of higher esteem than the College Gridiron Showcase. Whatever needs to be done by the athletic department to increase the exposure of these guys to the scouts, it's time to turn over all stones internally to make it happen. The professional players are in the program, let's make it easy for them to be found.