Kiper on Godfrey … spring ball on the way
Looks like former Iowa cornerback Charles Godfrey is moving up in the world. I hadn’t heard a lot about his NFL draft chances from the talking heads on television, but I just heard ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. say Godfrey is a solid second-round prospect. That’s good news for Godfrey and his agent, Sean Howard, who told me a few weeks ago he expects Godfrey to go anywhere from the late first round to early in the third. At the time, I thought that was a little high, I’ll be honest. But hearing Kiper call Godfrey a “solid second-round pick” makes me a believer. No one knows the draft like him. Godfrey, of course, will have a chance to impress scouts again at Iowa’s pro day March 24 in Iowa City. I’m going to try to get over there for that and check in with all of Iowa’s draft prospects.
Pro day will be especially crucial for the Hawkeyes who weren’t able to go to the combine — Albert Young and Damian Sims. I talked to Albert last week, and he said his workouts are going well and that he’s really looking forward to the opportunity to show the scouts what he can do. He’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder after being left out of the senior all-star games, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he carries that chip all the way onto an NFL roster next fall.
If you didn’t get a chance to read the feature I wrote on Godfrey a few weeks back, click here. He’s overcome a lot, but it sounds like he’s got a great family behind him.
As for the Hawkeyes … spring practice starts March 26. That’s two weeks from today, and Kirk Ferentz has a news conference scheduled for that afternoon. It will be interesting to see how much of the presser is dominated by questions about Arvell Nelson and James Cleveland, who were arrested Feb. 22 on drug charges and have since been kicked off the team. I’m sure it will be a zoo.
I’m really not too interested in that conversation. There are only so many ways Ferentz can say he’s going to be more aggressive in educating his players about how to stay out of trouble. At the end of the day, these players are 18-22 years old and they have to be held accountable for their own actions. That’s not to take Ferentz totally off the hook for bringing in guys with checkered pasts, but he can’t control these guys 24 hours a day. And some people just never have any respect for authority.
I’ll be more interested to hear how the coaching staff is approaching the spring in terms of the loss of Cleveland and Nelson — and Dominique Douglas, Cedric Everson and Abe Satterfield — and whether or not receiver Anthony Bowman will return to the team (There is talk he is no longer in good standing, but he’s still listed in the student directory). The loss of Cleveland could really, really hurt this offense. As a redshirt freshman last fall, Cleveland was second on the team in receptions and receiving yards, but his value to the offense was really in his downfield blocking. If you go back and look at any long run the Hawkeyes busted, you’ll see Cleveland sealing the outside 10-15 yards downfield. It’s hard to find receivers disciplined enough and physical enough to do that, and he was doing it as a freshman. And he was only going to get better. I don’t know if Iowa has someone to replace him right now, and the Hawkeyes will be breaking in a young running back who will need all the downfield help he can get.
What about you? What do you want to hear from Coach Ferentz on the 26th? What questions do you want asked?
