Sport Science: Nate Solder

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mayoclinic

mayoclinic

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Remember ESPN's Sport Science looking at Devin McCourty last year, and how McCourty could run backwards at 80% of his forward speed?

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5124040

McCourty showed rare acceleration, backpedal, reactivity and change of direction. I think those things carried over to the field in 2010, when McCourty had 7 interceptions and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

Well, this year Sports Sciences presents ... Nate Solder.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6431232

Very impressive combination of power, explosiveness and mobility. Looks like an OL version of McCourty in terms of raw physical freakishness, which hopefully will have a similar translation to the field.
 
I watched that last night and it made me feel slightly better after seeing the "highlight" clip of Solder getting abused that was posted here by Chevs.

For some reason, he looked much thicker and more muscular on the show that he looks on the field. One definite plus for Solder is how quickly he accelerates out of his stance. He really springs into action and gets moving almost instantly, which is pretty damn unusual for a guy that weighs about 320. There is no doubt that he is a special athlete.

Let's hope what he hits some human defenders in the same way he hit that poor dummy.
 
Yeah, he looked pretty powerful in that clip. Imagine when he gets stronger.
 
mayoclinic said:
Yeah, he looked pretty powerful in that clip. Imagine when he gets stronger.
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Solder's 21 reps aren't awe inspiring but Logan Mankins turned the same 21 reps at his combine. I'm not worried about Solder. He's just starting to fill out and get stronger.

If you really want to be in awe, check out Nick Fairley's Sport Science piece. He hit that same Dummy with almost 1000 lbs more force than Solder did. I'm just as happy not to play the Lions this year, thank you. We were hit by the injury bug hard enough last year.
 
chevss454 said:
Solder's 21 reps aren't awe inspiring but Logan Mankins turned the same 21 reps at his combine. I'm not worried about Solder. He's just starting to fill out and get stronger.
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Solder also has 35" arms, which puts him at a disadvantage in the bench press but gives him an advantage in actual play. Sebastian Vollmer did 32 reps (though with 33 1/4" arms) and Tyron Smith did do 29 reps with 37" arms, but still, overall I'm not worried about Solder's ability to get strong enough.

chevss454 said:
If you really want to be in awe, check out Nick Fairley's Sport Science piece. He hit that same Dummy with almost 1000 lbs more force than Solder did. I'm just as happy not to play the Lions this year, thank you. We were hit by the injury bug hard enough last year.
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Haven't seen the clip on Fairley. Do you have a link?

The Sports Science clips are fun. Here's on on Marcell Dareus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQLKehjxQjo

Of course, the numbers don't necessary mean anything. The fact that Dareus generates more lbs. of force than Ndamukong Suh or can crash through 900 lbs. of dummy weight faster than LaMarr Woodley doesn't mean he'll be remotely as good as either.

But I think the clips on McCourty and Solder were pretty telling. McCourty has rare quickness, reactivity, backpedal and change of direction for a CB, and the numbers are consistent with how he played in 2010. Solder has rare quickness and movement skills for an OT his size, and hopefully it will also translate to the field.
 
mayo already mentioned the long arms limiting the bench press, but it's also amazing that Solder is 6-8 320 with < 7.5% body fat. He has so much room to put more solid weight on too.

I have heard comparisons between Robert Gallery and Nate Solder, can anyone tell me why I shouldn't worry about that comparison?

As for that tackling dummy. I think Nate just ruined any chance that dummy had of getting a training camp invite....

...and why blue? Make it "Rat Green" and I bet he can hit it even harder.
 
The Gr8est said:
I have heard comparisons between Robert Gallery and Nate Solder, can anyone tell me why I shouldn't worry about that comparison?
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I can think of several reasons:

1. Gallery was the #2 pick in 2004 and was hyped as the best OT pick in ages. Solder is considered raw, and doesn't have the same level of pressure / expectations.

2. Motivation / smarts / coachability. Nothing against Gallery, but Solder comes across as particularly coachable.

3. Long arms. 35" vs. 32".

4. Scar. I'm guessing that if the Pats had drafted Gallery he would have been a stud. Scar is the best in the business.
 
Great stuff. The 300lb. swinging bag was interesting. I can't wait to see him make a defender his bitch. I hadn't seen the McC one, so that was pretty cool, too.
 
chevss454 said:
Nick Fairley Sport Science

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBeRIIL10Sw

This link worked last week but the show was removed for some reason. I saw it on ESPN2. Fairley hit the dummy with 300 more lbs of force than Suh did last year.
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It's apparently been removed. The Marcell Dareus clip says that he hit with over 3800 lbs. of force and claimed it was the highest they had measured. They also showed how far Dareus could essentially toss the 160 lb. show host, and compared it favorably to Suh's previous measurements.

While all that is impressive, I'm not sure how much it carries over to actual playing. Great, Dareus can build up a head of steam and hit with a ton of force, but is he actually going to get to the QB more effectively? OTOH, the kind of skills measured for McCourty and Solder - footwork and reaction times - seem a bit more applicable to actual playing skills.
 
The Gr8est said:
I have heard comparisons between Robert Gallery and Nate Solder, can anyone tell me why I shouldn't worry about that comparison?
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Gallery was a converted TE, Solder is a converted TE. Both are tall athletic kids. Both played for major college programs in the middle United States. I don't recall watching Gallery play other than his first NFL game where Ty Warren ate his lunch, but I seriously doubt the people making this comparison went beyond the surface comparison.

Where they differ. Gallery was a RT, Solder is a LT.

Oakland drafted Gallery to make him a LT (why else draft an OT #2 overall? - :blink: oops, sorry, it's Oakland), but they played him at RT for his first two years (where, according to Wikipedia stats on sacks, he did okay), then tried him at LT, where he failed on a consistently failing Raiders team. :doh:

Solder has been drafted by NE as a LT to play LT. He's coming to a stable organization, stable offense, with arguably the best O-line coach in the NFL. :coffee:

What me worry? :patriots!
 
mayoclinic said:
I can think of several reasons:

1. Gallery was the #2 pick in 2004 and was hyped as the best OT pick in ages. Solder is considered raw, and doesn't have the same level of pressure / expectations.

2. Motivation / smarts / coachability. Nothing against Gallery, but Solder comes across as particularly coachable.

3. Long arms. 35" vs. 32".

4. Scar. I'm guessing that if the Pats had drafted Gallery he would have been a stud. Scar is the best in the business.
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Exactly! Gallery was drafted by who again? :D
 
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