Mountaineers in the Draft: Selvish Capers

The First Mountaineer in the NFL Draft we’re going to profile is Selvish Capers, who played offensive tackle during his time with the Mountaineers.

Capers was originally a tight end (All-Louisiana Tight End, to be exact) but switched to offensive tackle before the 2007 season.

Here are his Combine stats

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 308
Arm length: 34 inches
Hand size: 10 inches

40 yard dash: 5.14 (middle of the pack)

Vertical jump: 30.5 (middle of the pack)

Broad jump: 8’10” (middle of the pack)

20 yard shuffle: 4.68 (near the end of the pack)

Strength

Good height and bulk. Flashes above-average speed and athletic ability. Quick first step allows him to get to defenders in the open field. Uses long arms in pass protection to move rushers past the pocket. Maintains body control and balance with a wide base.

Weaknesses

Does not have the strength to consistently drive defenders off the ball. Fails to attack with a punch and lets defenders engage him. Plays high and struggles to finish blocks. Needs to improve his awareness for blocking angles and assignments.

Analysis

Capers is a converted tight end that made the move prior to his sophomore year and has shown steady improvement each year. While he has the speed and initial quickness to play on the left side, he is probably best suited to play right tackle. Still needs some work on his blocking angles as well as how quickly he picks up blocks on his own but when he knows what he needs to do he can look decisive.

Prediction

Unfortunately, no WVU guy was selected in the first 3 rounds. Today is rounds 4-7. Teams that haven’t filled their OT needs yet are: Arizona, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, NY Giants, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Tampa Bay. I predict he’ll be taken late 5th/early 6th round. By what team? No clue. Mock drafts are not my specialty. Head on over to NFL Mocks.