The Lex Hilliard Band Wagon

Watch the whole video. Some of the juicier highlights are in the middle and late portion.

(waits for reader to play the whole thing)

Okay, so I know it is a splash tape. I know that Montana does not play against the Patriots or jets defenses. But let me riff for a moment.

When Bill Parcels came to town the professional journalists said that his MO in drafting was a two part affair. 1) Draft the physical profiles you determine in advance. 2) Draft from big schools where the competition is most like the NFL.

Well, they've been right about one thing, the physical makeup part. The second not so much.

Donald Thomas. UCONN.

Kendall Langford. Hampton.

Sean Smith. Utah.

Davone Bess. Hawaii.

I feel it is safe to say that these four have been the most impressive draft picks out of the Parcels-Sparano-Ireland era. Granted the futures of big school prospects like Chad Henne, Patrick Turner, Philip Merling and even the likes of Brian Hartline and Vontae Davis are still up in the air. There is one commonality I see in all four players. In College they looked like men among boys.

Even look at the signing of Jayson Foster last year and the drafting of Pat White this year. Two players who really don't fit in with the classic grind'em and crush'em Parcels philosophy, yet were so ridiculously talented in college that they got a nod from the big man himself.

So it is that I think that Lex Hilliard was drafted last year and that he has shown the ability in camp and the preseason to be a big time player. We need to get a look at him running with the first team against first team defenses first, but after watching that film and the first few preseason games I feel he could one day be a household name.

No, I'm not going Chris Williams on you. I wasn't all that impressed with him even in the Jacksonville game. It's just that Hilliard diisplays in each of those clips some big time abilities.

Vision jumps out as the first thing. For a big man who primarily runs north and south he possesses a tremendous ability to pause, cut and hit seams.

Field awareness is the next. Big backs rarely have a lot of awareness of their whereabouts. Hilliard times the stiff arm and the cut back with great precision.

Hands. The guy catches very well and even was used in the slot position against Carolina last Saturday to positive effect. This is a big plus in the Dolphins playbook.

Agility. The guy is nimble for a 240 pounder and make people miss when laying the boom down is not the best solution. Laying the boom down.

At 5'11" and 240 lbs the guy can run hard and plays very fast. Mass x Velocity and all that...

He won't make it to the practice squad. Some HB starving team will sign him and give him a shot.

A roster spot must be made. Ronnie Brown is in a contract year and Ricky Williams is not getting younger. Vote for Hilliard in 2010.

Hey, why not 2009?

Plus there's the fact that he has a ridiculously cool name.

Come aboard. The Bandwagon will last until the last roster cuts. I kid. I hope...