Jeff Otah apparently is getting a lot of interest.

ESPN.com’s Todd McShay has left tackles Sam Baker (Southern Cal) and Jeff Otah (Pitt) going 20th and 23rd, respectively, in his mock draft, but Mayock said either might be available when the Dolphins pick first in Round 2.

Now I don’t know who actually watched the East-West game — aside from NFL scouts — but Joe Clermond apparently had a good showing.

Three front-office men independently mentioned Pittsburgh’s Joe Clermond as a player who helped himself. Clermond played as a down end for Dave Wannstedt, but several NFL teams wanted to see if he could play outside linebacker in a 3-4. The early results were encouraging.

Plenty of time for them to rise and fall on mock drafts.

Sundays are part of the weekend, but it never feels like it. The thought that Monday is around the corner sticks in the back of my mind all day. Ah.

A large number of football recruits visited this weekend for the hoops game against Seton Hall. The list includes verbals like Nix, Burns, and Sunseri plus some hopefuls (most notably AJ Alexander). They were able to pick up their 17th verbal from TE Justin Virbitsky.

Jim Snyder of Pantherlair.com is reporting that TE Justin Virbitsky gave the Panthers a verbal commitment today. Virbitsky is the Panthers 17th verbal commitment. Virbitsky is from Lakeland, Fla. and is being recruited as a “blocking” tight end. Virbitsky was a 3-year starter at Lakeland H.S. and was named to the 1st team Class AA as a defensive end. [PSI]

The “blocking” tight end style is more similar to John Pelusi’s game rather than Nate Byham. Byham is a great blocker but an even better pass-catcher.
Speaking of tight ends (there’s a dirty joke in there somewhere), Darrell Strong played in the Hula Bowl last night. The other Pitt player was Kennard Cox. Two other all-star games will feature former Panthers.

Two-time All-Big East defensive end Joe Clermond will play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 19 in Houston, Texas. The game will be a 7 p.m. (ET) telecast on ESPN. Pitt’s defensive captain, Clermond (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain) finished the season as the Panthers’ leader in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (13). His 53 total tackles tied for fourth. An outstanding pass rusher, Clermond’s .88 sacks per game ranked 11^th nationally (tied) and third in the Big East.

Pitt’s starting offensive tackles, Jeff Otah and Mike McGlynn, will play in the Jan. 26 Senior Bowl, held in Mobile, Ala. The game will kickoff at 3 p.m. (ET) and be televised by the NFL Network.

All-star games have never really excited me; now really planning to watch these unless I find myself really in need of something to do. NFL Draft Countdown has Otah going near the middle of the first round and says this about him:

Otah is still very raw and only has two years of division I experience but he has mind-boggling size (6-6, 340) and great athleticism with almost unlimited potential. In college he played left tackle and did a fantastic job but he might have to the right side at the next level and a good way to think of him would be as a poor man’s Jake Long with more longterm upside.

Teams and Detroit and Philly would be two teams drafting in the middle of the round that could use him on their o-line.

The All-Pitt team discussion with Paul Zeise continues with the topic of coaching staff.

In his Big East notes column (Insider subs.), Joe Starkey writes of Pitt’s need to work on improving the pass offense in the bye week to help open things up for LeSean McCoy. Then turns to the defense.

Redshirt freshman defensive end Greg Romeus has begun to make a large impact. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Romeus killed Syracuse’s final drive with a sack Saturday, a week after making several big plays against Louisville. … Middle linebacker Scott McKillop leads the Big East and is fourth nationally averaging 12 tackles per game. … Pitt’s defense has improved from 87th in the country last season (363 yards per game) to 17th (313.1).

Cynical response. Don’t worry, there’s still time.

Don’t worry, though, Pitt apparently did another outstanding job of preserving redshirts.

Pittsburgh had an opportunity to redshirt 17 freshmen this fall, while Pat Bostick, LeSean McCoy, JaBbaal Sheard, Dom DeCicco and Maurice Williams all had playing time as first-year players. Wideout Aaron Smith, cornerback Buddy Jackson, fullback Henry Hynoski, cornerback Sherrod Murdock, linebacker Brandon Lindsey, running back Greg Williams, running back Shariff Harris, linebacker Max Gruder, offensive lineman Greg Gaskins, defensive lineman Wayne Jones, offensive lineman Jordan Gibbs, offensive lineman John Fieger, wideout Aundre Wright, defensive end Tony Tucker, defensive tackle Myles Caragein and defensive end Justin Hargrove.

…

Two other freshmen, offensive linemen Dan Matha and Chris (Lumpy) Jacobson, had season-ending injuries in training camp and were redshirted. Sophomore tailback Kevin Collier (broken wrist), sophomore offensive tackle Jason Pinkston (shoulder), senior wideout Derek Kinder (knee), junior defensive tackle Gus Mustakas (knee) and junior quarterback Bill Stull (thumb) needed surgery and were fortunate to have redshirts available. Elijah Fields played sparingly as a freshman in 2006 and was redshirted this season while under suspension for disciplinary reasons.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt believed there were a handful of freshmen that he wanted to get some playing experience this season, but in the end he decided to hold them out for a redshirt.

Anyhow. I think it is taken as almost a given that Pitt doesn’t just have to, but will recruit at least one JUCO offensive lineman. Jeff Otah has worked out well and gets a nice puff piece from his home state Delaware paper.

“Coming from a small state like Delaware, you’re never sure how you’re going to match up against guys from the biggest schools and bigger states,” he said. “And with my background and inexperience, I really didn’t know what to expect.”

Now, he does. Otah is a starting left tackle at the University of Pittsburgh, and the 6-foot-6, 340-pounder is a legitimate NFL prospect who’s certain to be drafted next April.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t even play football as a junior at William Penn and then, because of a broken hand, played in just three games as a senior on defense

This article actually ranks him as the #2 OT for the 2008 draft.

2. Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh: Big, athletic and explosive. Is a bit on the raw side because he played only one year in high school and then went to a junior college. Might have more long-term potential than Long, but isn’t as NFL ready.

Mel Kiper, Jr. has him as 14th among senior OTs.

On the recruiting front, there’s this.

But Norwin’s Mike Shanahan and Central Catholic’s Tino Sunseri also have college recruiting on their minds a lot these days.

The college situations for Shanahan and Sunseri have changed drastically in recent weeks. Shanahan, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound senior receiver/defensive back, decided this summer he wanted to play basketball in college, turning down football scholarship offers from West Virginia, Stanford, Georgia Tech and a few others.

But Shanahan has changed his mind and now thinks he might want to play football in college. Pitt offered him a scholarship a few weeks ago. West Virginia also is recruiting him again for football.

Meanwhile, Sunseri, a 6-1, 200-pound quarterback, made a verbal commitment in the spring to the University of Louisville. But he also had a change of heart in the past few weeks and reopened his recruiting. Pitt and Boston College recently offered scholarships to Sunseri, and he plans to make an official visit to Boston College.

We’ll see.

The comments on posts sometime take things to different places. So here’s some thoughts on a couple of them.

I’m going to wait for part two of the Paul Rhoads story before writing about it. Honestly, the first part didn’t surprise me. If you expected a hatchet job on Rhoads, well, then you just haven’t been paying attention to the treatment given him by the local media for the past 8 years.

A little bit of interest in what Pitt players are doing in the NFL is always interesting. More interesting, what is thought of Pitt players heading to the NFL. The 49ers have a scout who blogs, and was in Pennsylvania.

I drove over to Pitt and caught their afternoon practice. This was also my second visit at Pitt, and I was mostly interested in seeing more of their left tackle Jeff Otah. I watched additional film on Friday and also talked to some coaches, and Otah is developing into one of the top left tackles in college football this year and he’ll come off the board relatively early this April.

I hung around Pittsburgh for their game on Saturday against Syracuse. It was a competitive game that Pitt pulled out, and Otah played exactly as I thought he would and as he should.

Another player who stood out in the game for Pitt was defensive end Joe Clermond. He was very productive in the game, got a couple of quarterback sacks and pressures and he showed quickness, speed and was very instinctive in finding the football.

About what you would expect on Pitt’s team for NFL draftable players for the 2008 Draft.

Mainly because it amuses me at this point.

The day after the introductory press conference for the new Bulls players they headed out to that other Reinsdorf property — the Chicago White Sox.

Bulls 2007 draft picks Joakim Noah, JamesOn Curry and Aaron Gray were honored before Tuesday’s game, with Gray throwing the ceremonial first pitch. Noah wore a jersey that read “Booozynski,” in reference to Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, a rabid University of Florida supporter.

I’m guessing that Noah wasn’t able to throw out the pitch because of his rotator cuff. Since there was no mention of it and nothing I noticed on SportsCenter, I assume Gray got it over the plate.
Gray was also thrown into the local gossip/sightings page.

The Bulls’ GM John Paxon entertained new draft picks Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray and JamesOn Curry at Morton’s the Steakhouse in Northbrook.

Finally just to note that article on Aaron Gray and Darren Morningstar. The only thing that had “parallels” with them beyond being centers at Pitt was their place in the NBA draft. Hardly parallel careers to this point.

The Chicago Bulls introductory press conference won’t be until Monday — apparently Noah didn’t make it to Chicago on Friday.

By most accounts, Gray’s drafting by the Bulls means there will be no effort to retain 7′ Center Martynas Andriuskevicius and Michael Sweetney — he will be cheaper and at a minimum no different than the two but only occupying one roster spot. There also isn’t much in the free agent market to entice the Bulls for centers — Chris Mihm, Vitaly Potapenko (he’s still in the NBA?), Dale Davis or Melvin Ely. Hell, just looking at the names of big slow centers still playing in the NBA further suggests that Aaron Gray may not be a big name in the league, but he will be able to earn a paycheck for quite some time.

That’s why the Bulls continued to go big with the first of their two second-round picks by grabbing Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh, a solid defender and rebounder with excellent size (7-feet, 270 pounds).”Here’s the thing about Aaron Gray: He is a big, thick 7-footer,” Paxson said. ”He played at a great program at Pittsburgh. He’s not going to knock you out with athleticism or anything like that, but the kid knows how to play.”

This is why Hawes was smart to come out this year and Patrick O’Bryant (15th pick) last year. Hibbert may have made a mistake coming back to be picked apart, and Josh McRoberts of Duke definitely stayed too long. Big men, are either potential or maxed out.

What happens now, is that Aaron Gray will be hopping an early flight from Philly to Chicago. The day after the draft are the post-draft press conferences in the franchises respective cities with the draftees being present.

The Chicago media naturally was much more focused on the Bulls pick of Joakim Noah at #9. As for the second round picks, well JamesOn Curry has more of a story since he had issues back in high school. Gray is just there.

“Aaron Gray is another big body,” general manager John Paxson said. “Obviously not the athlete that other players are, but he can be very solid for us.”

Gray was steady, but rarely dominating, as an upperclassman for the Panthers. He averaged 13.9 points and 9.5 rebounds last season, but concerns arose about his lack of speed and athleticism.

Those issues dropped him from a borderline first-round prospect early in the predraft process to a late second-round selection.

“He’s got a soft touch,” coach Scott Skiles said. “He moves around the floor pretty well. We look at him as a guy that, if he can make it, can body up some of the bigger players in the league for a few minutes.”

Gray, must have read some of the snippets after he was drafted about “making it,” judging by his comments.

”I still have a lot of work to do, but my foot is in the door,” Gray said. ”I just have to go out there and do my best.”

One of the major knocks on Gray was that he wasn’t athletic or quick enough, but he’s in better shape than he was in March when his college career ended, and he believes that he will be in even better condition after playing summer league with the Bulls.

Gray’s bags are already packed for his trip to Chicago.

”People right now, I’m sure are doubting me,” Gray said. ”It’s just the same thing at a different time of my life, people not thinking I’m going to make it. I just have to go out and prove them wrong.”

Well, at least he has something to help motivate him. The Bulls may look to find some more low-post help in free agency, but being so thin there and a couple restricted free agents (like Nocioni) will make Gray a low cost option to provide depth at the Center spot.
The lateness of where Gray was picked and the hour meant there wasn’t much in the newspapers yet. A little bit about other Centers taken before Gray. If Gray makes it with the Bulls, he stands to get a three-year deal worth nearly $2 million. The summer league will be vital.

With Aaron Gray being picked 49th by the Bulls, Chad Ford at ESPN (Insider subs.) was offering comments on all draft picks.

He’s big. He put up good stats in college. But how does he keep up with the speed of the NBA? I’ll give him this, though — he may be the most polished low-post scorer on the Bulls roster, if he makes the team.

It was the “if he makes the team.” that surprised me.  Yes, he’s a late second rounder and he could be released with a non-guaranteed contract. Here’s the thing. This is the Bulls Roster of centers:

Ben Wallace, Center, 4 years on his contract.

That’s it. The other centers and forward-centers on their roster: P.J. Brown, Michael Sweetney and Martynas Andriuskevicius. They are all free agents. Maybe they resign one of them.

That puts Gray in great shape to stay with the team.

And all the stories today reflect that. This article concludes that it’s best that he goes in the second round, since he’ll be a back-up player for his career. That way no one can call him a bust.

Part of it is simply that the style in the NBA has changed in the last few years. I keep mentioning this, but Chris Mihm (who Gray reminds me a lot of for the NBA) was the #7 pick. Now, it’s about being able to penetrate the lane and showing much more athleticism.

Gray’s agent is rightly stressing that getting drafted by the right team will help his career a lot more than being drafted in the first round.

”He’s a big center, who can score with his back to the basket, and in today’s NBA that’s not something that all NBA teams use or reserve roster spots for,” Zanik said.”It’s not about being on a roster. It’s about him being able to contribute, so we’ve targeted some teams where that would make sense.”

…

”It really has to do with the fit of the team,” Zanik said. ”That’s what we’ve been concentrating on in the draft process, regardless of the number, because he can step in and help a team right away.

”Whether it’s a team at No. 25 or 45, his ability is going to allow him to get guaranteed years and an opportunity. I have teams where Aaron is going to play.”

On Phoenix’s roster, Gray would have no chance, and would be released or traded quickly. A team like San Antonio, Indiana, Miami or Washington would fit him much better.

Still, there’s a big difference in Gray’s shape and his game from his freshman year to now.

For Gray, this is a time to reflect and celebrate how far he has come. ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas described Gray as a “non-prospect” coming out of Emmaus High in 2003. Four years later, he is on the verge of being drafted by an NBA team.

“It’s ridiculous to think about,” Gray said. “If you saw me as a freshman in high school, people wouldn’t even believe it was me. The NBA was just a dream.

“Things have worked out really well for me. I was surrounded by great people at Pitt. The coaches gave me an opportunity. I wouldn’t change a thing that’s happened to me over the last four years.”

This was the from the first time I noticed Gray playing. It was the February 2004 game against UConn.

Okay, who the hell is the big slow white guy for Pitt that just scored on the nice pass from Brown? Looking at the box score, it’s a 7′ freshman named Aaron Gray from outside of Allentown. This was the 13th game he’s made an appearance in, but the first one I’ve seen.

I believe Gray recounted that story at times this past year about his poor physical conditioning and how he huffed and puffed too late to stop an Okafor score.

For the record, I’ll be liveblogging the NBA Draft tomorrow, as I did last year.

A couple days ago the P-G had an article about how Aaron Gray could be the first 1st round draft pick of the Howland-Dixon era. That was after Gray had already dropped to the second in most mock drafts. So, now they get around to revising and noting he will likely go in the second round.

That’s what NBA draft experts are saying about Pitt’s All-American and his immediate future on the eve of the draft. No matter what Gray did in those big games on the national stage, he would be in the same position today — a borderline late first- or second-round pick.

“He has established a body of work as a player over time,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said. “That’s what the NBA people will look at. They’ll look at what he did over his four years.”

Gray will be staying home with his folks to watch the draft. He’s actually enjoyed traveling all over the place to do workouts for teams.

”It’s been exciting,” Gray said. ”I was in San Antonio, and they just won the championship. The city was crazy. We [other draft candidates] were walking around, and people were thinking that were were part of the team.

”And I was like, ‘Nah, nah, I’m not part of ya’ll yet.”

Yeah, I can see how a bunch of really tall young athletic men would be assumed to be members of the Spurs.