Dwight Lowery was arguably the best corner on the west coast besides Antoine Cason. He was the best defensive player in the WAC in 2006, and teams stayed away from him in 2007 and he still made a ton of big plays. He broke his jaw in summer practice in 2007 and played through it...it effected his game, but not much. How many career picks did your boy Tyvon Branch have? 3. How many did Dwight Lowery have? He had 13 in 2 seasons at SJSU, and 13 more his previous 2 seasons while he was at a junior college...that's 26. 26 to 3 is a pretty big difference. We all know Branch is a good return man, but he's not as good as Lowery in the special teams department either. Branch retured 2 kickoffs for scores as a senior...and that's not bad, but it doesn't compare to Lowery. Lowery scored on a blocked punt, a blocked field goal, a punt return, and a kickoff return in his career. 5 career TDs for Lowery to Branch's 2. Lowery was named to the All-American team in 2006 after leading the nation in interceptions. Branch didn't even come close. Also, Lowery has never been arrested unlike Branch. I'll let you guys decide: Who did we "want" in the 4th round?
I watched alot of Tyvon Branch his senior year as I am a big Uconn fan....and I've watched a decent amount of film on Lowry. I'll break things down by given category of what really matters for a DB on the next level. I won't include the returning aspect of things and will focus primarily on pure defensive back work. Truthfully Branch is likely best fit at Safety just like Lowery. Speed: Branch by a long shot. He was a track guy in college and there were times when he just blew right by the competition. Lowery is not a burner. Edge: Branch Size: Branch has better natural size...but Lowery has longer arms and likely uses his size better. Branch wasn't the greatest when it came to ball skills....and that is one of Lowery's strengths. Edge: Lowery Hips: This is one of the more important aspects of being a corner in the NFL. You have to have natural hip flex in order to change direction and maintain tight coverage. W/ all of Branch's size and speed...he didnt have great hips at all. Very stiff in fact. Lowery's hips are one of the things that allow him to make so many plays on the ball. He may not have great recovery speed or initial burst, but if you can snap your hips like he can...you can make alot of plays on balls in the air. Edge: Lowery Technique: Branch had the benefit of playing for a former nfl db coach in Randy Edsall. He was always very technically sound and did a great job playing within the cover 2 system.He was also a very good tackler. Lowery on the other hand appears to take poor angles, and can have "Happy feet". He does however to be a solid tackler. Edge: Branch Surrounding Cast: This makes a HUGE difference when projecting D's at the next level. Pass rush, scheme, and the rest of the secondary play a huge part in how good you truly are. Branch played for a big east co-champion defense that included 2 freshman all americans and an extremely fast front 4. His team was also routinely playing w/ the lead, which again makes a difference. Lowery on the other hand, played for a below average lower level division 1 defense and was likely the only NFL quality prospect. Edge: Lowery- played w/ less yet made more plays. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for..or in this case what the jets were looking for. If they wanted another physical speciman similar to Revis, Rhodes and Miller...Branch was likely their target. However..if they were looking for someone alittle less athletic but has a great head for the game and can make alot of plays on the ball...Lowery was their target. Than again this is just one man's opinion.
Great post. I agree with everything...Branch is the more athletic player, but Lowery is no slouch. I truly believe the Jets' staff wanted Lowery at that spot.
Living in Connecticut, I watched every UConn game and I really really liked Branch and was mad we didn't get him at first... But now I feel that it was the better decision and the more I hear about Lowery the better he sounds...and the more I here about Branch the worse he sounds....I hope his Strength & Conditiong coach "J-Dogg (or something like that) ends up posting here because he has tons of outside info
First Off neither Lowery or Branch are going to play CB, but safety on the NFl Level. There is more to special teams than just be a returner. T Branch as a Gunner, has way more speed and is the way better tackler. D Lowery with his 4.61 speed is not beating out J Miller(only thing he does well) and Leon washington for retuners job. Probably one of the few positions Jets have depth(returners) NOw as a safety, look how many picks stuart SChweigert had in his college career. You not going to last long at safety, if you can't tackle consistantly. Jets were targeting T Branch, Raider beat them to the punch again(Mcfadden) and had to settle for lowery. Try to spin it any way you want.
again Joe, you have no idea who we were targeting so don't go saying you beat us to the punch with both Mcfadden and Lowery.... Personally when Branch made it to round 4 i was begging for him to fall 3 spots to us... then you traded up and snatched him i was not exactly happy, he was the guy I pegged as a big time sleeper in the draft. And I will also be the first to admit when Lowery's name scrolled across the screen I was like "who the hell is that?" i had never heard of him and neither had half of the board. after research I am happy we got Lowery, he is a big time ballhawk, and if he moves to safety as you expect joe, his lack of elite speed doesn't hurt him and his incredible ballhawking skills give him untappable potential at that spot. Where as Branch becomes a track star at the safety spot who has stiff hips and not an ounce of ballhawking ability. as a safety I take lowery. as a straight up CB i wouldn't be upset with either, but I would take branch. Overall I think i am glad we got Lowery, because he has a chance to succeed right away on specials (as a gunner you claim he can't be) and in the starting spot as a safety/corner so he has ample oppurtunity to get in some PT early on and speed up development over the unlucky Branch who is stuck in a terrible situation in a crowded defensive backfield...
dude, ur such a friggin' homer, its honestly pathetic, i agree that branch will be a better special teams player, overall, on punts, punt blocks as a sniper, a gunner as you said but BUT your also being very nieve because maybe branch will play saftey but i am pretty sure Lowery will be our Number two cornerback....i like branch, im a Uconn fan but Branch has stiff i mean STIFF ASS HIPS....this is where lowery is better in coverage....he can stay with the reciever and make plays.... and i wouldnt be that harsh on J Miller, i mean, the raiders did just DRAFT HIS CLONE in Branch
Again Just because Lowery was a ball hawking player in college, means its going to translate to the progame. Again see Stuart Schweigert. Branch tackilng is much better than Lowery , so I don't know where you coming from saying he would make the better safety. When your safety the last defender between a ball carrier and the endzone. You better believe you rather have Branch. T Branch is going to make his mark on special teams whether its as a gunner or a returner. very nice insurance if something happens with Gibril wilson. You already admitted you wanted Branch, now that you had to settle for Lowery. Lowery is the perfect player for your team. Smells like BS.
Yep! You're right! It's panic time at Hofstra! The raiders stole our draft board 10 minutes before the draft! They took every single player we were targetting. The sky is falling! :breakdance:
since they both are better in certain aspects than the other edge to Lowery, probably because if he plays saftey he is more likely to suceed
I dont know why you think branch is so much better than lowery. Branch is just a good athlete. But so is everyone else in the nfl. You cant teach instincts or being a ballhawk that is a natural ability. So what if lowery ran a 4.61, means jack shit when do u ever run in a straight line on a football field.
I think part of this debate, and yes I know it doesn't apply to all people, but since a good portion of Jets fans are from the tri state area and Branch went to UConn it seems only fitting that people would want someone from a local college to play for there team. But obviously there are other factors
Yea tell that to NFL scouts and why Lowery dropped like a rock in the draft. Again still waiting for someone to answer this. Just because a guy was a ballhawking Db in college, means its going to translate to the progame/ Again see Stuart Schweigert, who broke alot of Rod Woodson records at Purdue. There is a good chance Lowery and his 4.61 speed dosen't even make Jets roster. See the Boar hunter.
ok well the same argument can be made about Branch, if he is going to be a superstar at the next level why did he fall to round 4? what did they go 12 picks apart? I wouldnt exactly say lowery "fell" any farther than Branch. in round 1-2 a 12 spot drop is big and costs tons of money (to the athlete) but once the middle of round 3 hits, a low double digit drop can come simply because the one team looking at your position likes the other guy better, but the next team looking at your position (who might be 10-15 spots later) might like you more... how about the fact he played low level d-1 competition? thats a knock, so is his speed, but then again you have pointed that out in every one of your posts so far.... I wonder what you would be saying about Lowery if the Raiders traded up and took him, and Branch fell to us a few picks back.... and what the hell does "the boar hunter" whose name is Anthony Schlegal by the way, has to do with Lowery? different positions, from different schools, with completely different skill sets. And if schlegal could have run a 4.61 forty at the combine, i bet you anything he would have been projected in at worst the area we took him at during round 3. So all in all I don't see the connection, especially since schlegal made the team his rookie season... and so will Lowery.
People answer you, but you refuse to accept their opinions and reasoning because your fake and retarded.
How bout i answer your question with a question, its true that ballhawking in college does not always translate to the pro game, but its also true that people that dont have ballhawking skills dont magically get them, and there also is a chance that he will have those same skills. You could make that argument about any player, Well just cuz he was a good qb in college wont make him one in the pros etc.. The draft is a crapshoot, but you pick the guy that did it in college cuz he has the best chance of doing it in the pros.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! I've said it once, and I'll say it again: If Miller plays like how he did in the preseason and week 1 last year, then his project is a success. With that knowledge in hand, Mangini would know how to do the same with Branch and because of that, I believe that Mangini wanted Branch. He is exactly like Justin Miller - Fast as hell, goes for the big hit, poor hip swivel, etc and Mangini could have worked Branch into NFL shape in no time. I'm in the belief that you draft natural football players who don't quite have the measurables in the later rounds (slower/weaker players who still find ways to get results) over athletes with no football skills, so Lowery was still a good choice in my book. P.S. Branch would never play safety in the NFL, either.
