Who makes the big show?

[Globetrotter]

I have a really tough time judging the front seven on D. Campbell has great size, Ouellet has size and a motor and Swan has nice production.

[Globetrotter]

Love the discussion. My thinking is that Chief, Bayer and Flewellen all get UDFA contracts. Gates will make a team IMO. The NFL is changing and the nickel LB is becoming very important. He can play on all special teams and and the nickel role.

[Redwingtom]

If Tony Scheffler could find a niche in the NFL...Bayer might. Boo Boo's ability as a special teams guy will help him. I think if Gabe Martin recovers fully he has a shot. He's a touch undersized, but he's shown he can drop back and cover and go sideline to sideline.

You must not be remembering the same Tony Scheffler that I remember at WMU. He was the best TE I ever saw play in the MAC. He caught everything near him.

He had 53 catches and 3 TD's as a junior and 57 catches with 9 TD's as a senior.
Bayer had 36-3 and 37-4 in his last two seasons.

Scheffler was drafted in the second round with the 61st pick. Bayer will be lucky to even make the last round!

[Redwingtom]

Love the discussion. My thinking is that Chief, Bayer and Flewellen all get UDFA contracts. Gates will make a team IMO. The NFL is changing and the nickel LB is becoming very important. He can play on all special teams and and the nickel role.

Too small and too slow. Gates will get nowhere near the 53-man oster.

[Flipper]

If Tony Scheffler could find a niche in the NFL...Bayer might. Boo Boo's ability as a special teams guy will help him. I think if Gabe Martin recovers fully he has a shot. He's a touch undersized, but he's shown he can drop back and cover and go sideline to sideline.

You must not be remembering the same Tony Scheffler that I remember at WMU. He was the best TE I ever saw play in the MAC. He caught everything near him.

He had 53 catches and 3 TD's as a junior and 57 catches with 9 TD's as a senior.
Bayer had 36-3 and 37-4 in his last two seasons.

Scheffler was drafted in the second round with the 61st pick. Bayer will be lucky to even make the last round!

He had more catches in college? BFD..he was thrown to more. Bayer has been a third receiving option on a run oriented team....but he's also been the most clutch. So far as his draft status goes...Scheffler flashed WR speed in the combine that was gone after he broke his foot his first or second year. Take away his initial speed edge...and I don't know what Bayer's 40 time is ....and they're similar players

[Siborg]

I don't see anybody getting drafted. Maybe a few UDFA's in Bayer & Schmiedebusch could hang on somewhere. Then maybe Chief, Gates, Foster, Campbell & Ouellet but I doubt any will stick. Flu seems too small being in the 270s. Hope I'm wrong and more guys get on some rosters but I doubt it. You have to be a freak to make it in the NFL.

[hammb]

My problem with Bauer is that he is a sort of tweener to me. He's a pass catching te that is nowhere near the athlete that nfl teams covet for that role. And he's not a good enough blocker to have that be considered an asset to his game.

No nfl team is going to try to develop him into a better blocker when the upside to his pass catching just isn't there. Most nfl tight ends now are either top notch athletes that the team is willing to wait on for blocking, or they're glorified light tackles that they just ask to catch a few passes occasionally.

I don't see Bauer as good enough in any of those skills to find a niche. I'd love to be wrong but I'm not seeing it. I like boo boo a lot but in the end I don't think he's a good enough athlete for the league either.

I don't know why but this team has really struggled to put nfl caliber athletes on the field.

[Globetrotter]

My problem with Bauer is that he is a sort of tweener to me. He's a pass catching te that is nowhere near the athlete that nfl teams covet for that role. And he's not a good enough blocker to have that be considered an asset to his game.

No nfl team is going to try to develop him into a better blocker when the upside to his pass catching just isn't there. Most nfl tight ends now are either top notch athletes that the team is willing to wait on for blocking, or they're glorified light tackles that they just ask to catch a few passes occasionally.

I don't see Bauer as good enough in any of those skills to find a niche. I'd love to be wrong but I'm not seeing it. I like boo boo a lot but in the end I don't think he's a good enough athlete for the league either.

I don't know why but this team has really struggled to put nfl caliber athletes on the field.

It may be that I am just comparing them to guys like Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham, but I think he has Heath Miller, Brandon Meyers like athleticism. For some of those guys it's not about stretching the seem, it's about being surehanded and finding a hole.

[fredthefalcon]

Let's see what the experts say: NFLdraftscouts on CBSsports.com ranks the draft prospects by position and projects the round they will or will not be drafted. The 4 BG players named are Gates, Bayer, Chief, and Truss. Of them Gates is the highest rated by position at #16 SS, Bayer is #24 TE, Chief is #35 Center, and Truss is #98 CB. All are projected as not drafted.

[MarkL]

I think Bayer has the best chance to make a roster given the newfound love for receiving TE in the NFL. He is in the mold of some of the recent highly successful TE. Second best chance I give to BooBoo for his flexibility as a player. I do believe those two plus Chief and Brian will at least sign a contract.

[zete]

Those teams up north are probably a better bet; even thought BG has never sent many that way. MAC players in the CFL:

Final count: 30
CMU 7
Akron 4
UMass 4
EMU 3
Toledo 3
Buffalo 2
Kent State 2
OHIO 2
WMU 2
NIU 1
Ball State/BGSU/Miami: 0

[zete]

Seasons over, seniors are on to real life I always root for them to at least get a chance at the big leagues before they become a part of the more typical workforce. So who do you think has the best chance to make a training camp team, get a tryout, make it all the way to a 53 man roster?

Matt Schilz 6-2 209 Sr® I bet he gets a tryout. His numbers are great and he has a solid arm.

Not Schilz Something was lacking with him. ***recruit but I never understood why. I thought Trent Hurley was a better QB than Schilz.

[hammb]

I think Bayer has the best chance to make a roster given the newfound love for receiving TE in the NFL. He is in the mold of some of the recent highly successful TE. Second best chance I give to BooBoo for his flexibility as a player. I do believe those two plus Chief and Brian will at least sign a contract.

I wish him the best of luck but I just don't see him in that mold at all.

The mold of the modern receiving te is a premium athlete, who oftentimes played college basketball as much as football. Jimmy graham, Julius Thomas, Jordan Cameron, etc.

I like Bayer as a Mac player but I don't see even close to that sort of athlete from him. TE has become a position for athletic freaks. Many of them are the best size/speed combo athletes on their teams. I just don't see Bayer as that guy. And he's not an overly strong blocker either.

If you're running an nfl team and looking to carry a pass catching te that needs work blocking (and most all teams do) you're going to take the best athlete...not a marginal guy like Bayer.

I honestly think te is one of the toughest positions to latch onto if you're not a top tier athlete. Almost all of them are either big fast guys or they're like a third tackle that can really block. Not many jack of all trades, master of none types at that spot.

I always hate these threads because it feels like I end up dumping on the bg guys but there just isn't a lot of nfl talent on this squad. I thought jones could stick last year and after some bouncing around he ended up finding a home and producing in New England. I think boo boo is the best bet if that this year but he's going to need to work on coverage and special teams kick coverage to become a utility db.

[Flipper]

Trent Hurley? He struggled as an FCS QB while Schilz is the third all time leader in passing yards in school history. Bayer can find a place...he's not a top tier TE, but there's room for the guys who can come in as part of a goal line package and catch the ball. Like another former Lion Will Heller.

[San Diego Falcon]

Depends on who decides to try them out.

Those who try out with Cleveland have a great shot. Those who try out for an actual NFL franchise will have a much tougher time.