Friday, February 17, 2012 @ 7:26pm

McShay: Alameda Ta'amu could still go in 2nd round

An underwhelming senior season at Washington might not hurt Alameda Ta'amu's draft stock as significantly as some assume.

That was the word from ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, whose conversation this week with "The Kevin Calabro Show" included the topic of where the former Husky defensive tackle projects to be taken in April's draft.

"It won't surprise me if he is still a second-round pick," McShay said. "It's so hard to find guys that are, what, 341 pounds that can move a little bit and can be very disruptive in the middle. So I think when it's all said and done, even though his stock quote, unquote 'dropped' a little bit, I still think he winds up in the second-round range."

McShay said that "maybe is a little bit lower than we expected going into the year but it's not a huge drop."

Ta'amu capped off a strong finish to his junior season with a dominant performance in the Huskies' Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska. That, combined with his 6-foot-3, 337-pound frame, led to the notion that Ta'amu could be a first-round pick following his senior season at Washington.

He was never the dominant force he was expected to be, though, posting 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks. At one point in the season, defensive coordinator Nick Holt said a hand injury was likely affecting Ta'amu's play.

"He didn't play as well this past year as he did in years past," McShay said. "I can't figure out why it is other than the obvious of maybe players don't want to get injured or maybe they're thinking too much about their pro careers or maybe it's the fact that teams are preparing for them, but I've seen a lot of defensive linemen this year -- (Quinton) Coples, Brandon Thompson from Clemson, a defensive tackle -- a lot of these guys did not play as well in 2011 as they did earlier in their careers. And I think with Ta'amu that's the same case."

Ta'amu drew mixed reviews during the Senior Bowl, some noting his physical tools but questioning his leverage. McShay said he liked what he saw.

"He played really well during the week of practice and I thought he was the most dominant interior defensive lineman in the game," he said. "So he still has the skills there."

McShay added that he pegs former Husky Senio Kelemete as a fourth-round pick, possibly the sixth or seventh guard to be taken. Kelemete played left tackle at Washington.

Follow Brady Henderson on Twitter @BradyHenderson

You might also like ...
Alameda Ta'amu is a reminder of Nick Holt's failures

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 @ 7:58pm

ESPN's Todd McShay isn't sold on Chris Polk's speed

Chris Polk put an exclamation point on his career at Washington, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown in the Huskies' Alamo Bowl loss to Baylor.

When he announced he was entering the NFL, it seemed like a realistic possibility that Polk would hear his name called in the late-first or early-second round of April's draft. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay told "The Kevin Calabro Show" Wednesday that since then, Polk's stock has fallen.

"I think, certainly, he loves the game," McShay said. "The passion is there, but I just don't know how explosive he's going to be and that's kind of the big question. So I think he has a chance to come off the board probably in the, at best, late second (round), but probably third-round rage."

Polk finished his career at Washington second on the school's all-time rushing list, just 57 yards shy of Napoleon Kaufman's career record of 4,106.

Polk's performance at the Senior Bowl, both in practice and the game, raised questions about his overall explosiveness. He rushed for 15 yards on six carries in the game.

"I don't think he was quite as quick as you see on tape," McShay said of Polk at the Senior Bowl. "And I guess I was just a little bit caught off guard because it didn't seem like he was the same exact player that I saw, but I went back and watched more tape from this year and that's the one part of his game that I'm not convinced of, is that initial burst and the lateral quickness."

But there is some upside in Polk, according to McShay. He mentioned vision, patience, strength and pass-catching ability as some of Polk's attributes that could translate to success in the NFL. That success is relative, though, McShay said.

"I think at best he's probably going to be a decent starter that shares a lot of reps," McShay said. "But more likely probably a back-up that is a contributor in all facets of the game."

You might also like ...
Brock Huard: Scouting combine will be key for Chris Polk
Chris Polk says he's as good as any other RB in draft

Monday, February 13, 2012 @ 3:28pm

After beating OSU, Huskies still have work to do

A 75-72 win over Oregon State on Sunday helped Washington move on from an embarassing loss to Oregon a few days earlier.

It didn't necessarily punch the Huskies' ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Jim Moore and Steve Sandmeyer discuss Washington's chances of reaching the tournament with five games remaining.

Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 3:29pm

Where Washington stands after blowout loss to Ducks

The Huskies headed to Eugene riding a five-game winning streak and sitting alone atop the Pac-12 standings.

They left with an 82-57 loss that invites questions about whether they're good enough to be an NCAA Tournament team.

Bob Stelton and Steve Sandmeyer share their thoughts in the video below.

You can download Friday's podcast here.

You might also like ...
After slow start, Shawn Kemp Jr. producing for Huskies
Is Washington's Tony Wroten ready for the NBA?

Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 1:07pm

Scouting combine will be key for Chris Polk

NFL teams evaluating Chris Polk won't have many questions about the former Washington running back's production.

Polk finished his career second on Washington's all-time rushing list and owns school records for most carries, average per game and 100-yard games. As if that isn't impressive enough, he essentially did it all in three seasons.

Other questions will remain, though. In Friday's Wrap Up video, Brock Huard says Polk can -- and must -- answer them at the NFL scouting combine later this month.

You can download Friday's podcast here.

You might also like ...
Chris Polk says he's as good as any other RB in draft
Washington's new coaches finally settling in
Brock and Salk: Alameda Ta'amu is a reminder of Nick Holt's failures

Thursday, February 9, 2012 @ 3:21pm

Previewing Washington's matchup with Oregon

You can always count on Jim Moore to know the betting line for any relevant sporting event.

In Thursday's Warmup video, he also provided an interesting stat while previewing Washington's matchup with Oregon in Eugene.

You might also like ...
After slow start, Shawn Kemp Jr. producing for Huskies

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 6:05pm

After slow start, Shawn Kemp Jr. emerging for Huskies

Shawn Kemp Jr. began this season playing catch-up, still needing to get in shape and shake off any rust that he might have accumulated from not playing organized basketball in nearly two years.

After playing sparingly earlier in the season, Kemp Jr. scored a combined 10 points in 24 minutes in Washington's recent wins over UCLA and USC.

Sounds like he's finally getting caught up.

"When things wasn't going that well with junior this year, I just told him, 'You've got to work harder than you ever did before, and that's what you do when things aren't the way that you want,'" his dad, Shawn Kemp Sr., said during his latest visit with "Bob and Groz" on Wednesday.

"You just work your butt off, you go to practice a little early, you stay after practice a little later, you work on your post game. You have to prove why you should be out there on the court if you're not playing, and I think that he's done it through hustle and I think he's done it through of few of them slam dunks that he's been getting here recently."

Bob and Groz share their thoughts on Kemp Jr. in the video below.

You can download Wednesday's podcast here.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 3:32pm

Audio: Lorenzo Romar on Huskies' winning streak

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar joined "Brock and Salk" and discussed how the Huskies have put together their five-game winning streak, Abdul Gaddy's role on offense, Tony Wroten's potential as a defender, and more.

You can listen to that conversation here.