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McLaughlin and Metu named to all Pac-12 team

From USC:

McLaughlin and Metu Named to all Pac-12 Team - Both Also Honored For Their Defensive Skills -

LOS ANGELES – USC men’s basketball players Jordan McLaughlin and Chimezie Metu have been named to the 2017-18 All-Pac-12 First Team, it was announced by the conference today (March 5). McLaughlin was also named to the All-Defensive First Team and Metu was named honorable mention for the All-Defensive Team.

McLaughlin, a three-year team captain, averaged 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists, while starting all 31 games for the Trojans. The senior’s 232 assists lead all Pac-12 players and rank third nationally. He also has 58 steals which ranks second among conference players and now has 199 career steals, fifth on USC’s all-time list. McLaughlin is one of six conference players all-time to have registered 600 or more assists and scored 1,500 or more points. McLaughlin currently has 689 career assists and 1,575 career points scored.

Metu, who was named All-Pac-12 second team last year, leads USC in scoring at 15.9 points per game and rebounding at 7.4 per game. The junior has eight games where he scored at least 20 points and posted 10 double-doubles in points and rebounds. Metu is tied for fourth in the conference with 54 blocks and now has 163 career blocks which ranks third on USC’s all-time blocks list.

Orlando Brown (Oklahoma OT) @ NFL Combine...oh my!

Do the numbers really matter when it comes to Linemen?
  • It's not that his 40-yard dash time of 5.85 was much of a surprise;
  • They care that he ran a two-second 10-yard split—frequently the yardage used when judging the explosiveness of offensive and defensive linemen—when you want something in the 1.75 range.
  • Per NFL.com's Chase Goodbread, Brown finished dead last among offensive linemen in the 225-pound bench press (14 reps), the vertical jump (19.5 inches) and the broad jump (6'10").
Then on the other hand....
  • "So, you can watch last year's tape and see that he had zero sacks [allowed]. I'd say that's pretty important for a left tackle."
  • Per Pro Football Focus, Brown also didn't allow a single bull-rush pressure all season.
  • And then...there's these numbers: weighing in at nearly 6'8" and 345 pounds!
So we are left with the schism between a player's bad combine performance and the quality of his tape. And when you watch Brown play, there are impressive stretches, but also serious concerns that may or may not have been mitigated in the eyes of the NFL with a better combine.

Brown is absolutely a mauler. When he gets his hands on your numbers and starts driving you back, you're going to have to be incredibly strong to overcome it. At times, you'll see him just throw outside pass-rushers aside, and if he's accurate to his targets in space and at the second level, he can be equally formidable.

Linemen - so damn hard to evaluate.
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