Been scouring the internetz for some late round prospects, namely a back up FS for Thomas. Name i've come across a few times is John Boyett. Seems like he could have been a mid round prospect but has had surgery on both his knees.

Depending on how them knee's play out...He a guy that would fit behind ET? He's obvisouly not a crazy fast ball-hawk like Thomas (few are) however in what limited footage you can see of him from cut up clips seems to cover the field pretty well.

I've watched almost every game Boyett played at Oregon and the best description of him would be that he is the same type of player as Earl. A bit undersized but plays bigger than his size, always around the ball, never makes a bad read, can come up and make plays in the run game and plays with a ton of heart and desire. He was a bigger loss to Oregon than just his stats because he seemed to make the big play when it was needed and was a real leader.

Agree withwhat cheese said as far as his leadership and play making skills. But he's not the athlete that Earl is and doesnt have that kind of speed. I do think he's going to be a really good NFL player if his knee is healthy. He's a football junky, or the football version of a gym rat, as well.

Assuming he's healthy he'd be very good value from the 5th round on.

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Nice find, thanks OP, cheese and J.

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Joe Vellano, DT, 6'1", 300lbs, 61 tkls 14 TFL, 6 sacks" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc_yzeVi-eU, Mike Catapano 6'4" 271
QB Jordan Rodgers 6'1" 212# 2539 Yards, 60% completion 15td/5int

My comparison to Earl was more about intangibles, not measurables. I think he'd be a great backup and attitude wise would fit right in. And you're right, he's said to be a total football junkie which can only rub off on teammates in a good way.

some info I found at ESPN:

"Oregon free safety John Boyett will have surgery on both knees ...

Boyett returned to his hometown of Napa, Calif., on Sunday and will have surgery to repair partial tears of both patellar tendons Wednesday in Los Angeles, the newspaper reported. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Los Angeles Dodgers' team physician, will perform the surgery.

Boyett did not say how the injuries happened, but he said he'd been in pain for a year...

Boyett, a member of ESPN.com's preseason All-Pac-12 team, intercepted a pass in Oregon's season opener against Arkansas State but did not dress Saturday against Fresno State.

Last season, Boyett was Oregon's leading tackler with 108, including 3½ for a loss and a sack. He also had an interception, seven pass defenses and two blocked kicks."

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... one-season

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Joe Vellano, DT, 6'1", 300lbs, 61 tkls 14 TFL, 6 sacks" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc_yzeVi-eU, Mike Catapano 6'4" 271
QB Jordan Rodgers 6'1" 212# 2539 Yards, 60% completion 15td/5int

boyett played a lot last year with his knees bothering him, he was still pretty good but nowhere near the player he was before. He's a very smart kid, played a LOT as a true freshman and can hit with the best of him. If his knees are alright I'd definitely be willing to take a chance on him.

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Boyett only played 1-2 games last year before having to shut it down. He took bad advise, and should have had surgery in the offseason but was convinced his knees would heal with rest. He had partial tears in both MCL, nothing he can't recover from with little to no loss of speed.

The player JB has reminded me of is Eric Weddle. Both about the same size, Weddle 5'11 200 and Boyett is 5'10 202. Boyett will be a late round steal for whoever takes him, he is a lot like Wilson always watching film or in the weight room. Just a football junky who will be a coach someday.

When I said "last year" I was referring to 2011.. Not the season that ended a month ago.

"2011 — All-Pac-12 second team according to the Pac-12 coaches and first team by Phil Steele … Honorable mention All-America from Pro Football Weekly … Team’s leading tackler for the second time in three seasons with 108 total stops (67 solo) … Career-high and game-high 17 tackles, including 13 solo stops and 0.5 sacks for a three yard loss in win vs. Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl … Had a game-high 12 tackles in win over UCLA in Pac-12 Championship Game … Six tackles, including five solo in win vs. Oregon State … Recorded eight tackles, one for a loss of five yards, and returned an interception for 10 yards in loss vs. USC … Team-high (tie) 11 tackles and a pass breakup in victory vs. Stanford … Six tackles in win at Washington and four stops, including three solo, in win vs. Washington State … Recorded seven tackles in win at Colorado … Game-high eight tackles, including six solo and one pass breakup in win vs. Arizona State … Had a blocked kick, one pass breakup and led the team with seven tackles, one for a loss in victory vs. California … Had a career-high three pass breakups to go with seven tackles in win at Arizona … First career blocked kick in win vs. Nevada … Recorded a career-high 14 total tackles, including one for a loss in game against LSU … Was on the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy … Led all defensive backs with a 3.91 shuttle and a 6.84 “L” Run while finishing second in the power clean (314 pounds) and squat (415 pounds) during winter conditioning."

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