Brad Durham returns for the '10 season to play the ORT position (presumably). Over his career, Brad has filled in on the OLine and performed well. During the '09 season, he probably played at least 50% of the time while filling in for Justin Jeffries.
Presumably, Brad would be drafted for the ORT position or an interior line position (possibly in Round 5 or 6). In addition to being a backup, Durham has also started at various times throughout his career. His greatest assets are his motor and leadership. He should be very proud of his career as a Wildcat.
Brad's career has been very interesting to follow. At Rockcastle County HS he was all-state and a very hot prospect. He impressed several D-1 coaching staffs at summer camps. Tennessee's staff was taking a long look at him. Then he made the huge mistake of committing to UL and Bobby Petrino, who subsequently hosed him. Not only did Petrino pull Brad's scholarship offer; he also let it be publicly known that he had changed his mind about Brad's D-1 performance ceiling after watching more film. At the time, Petrino was a credible voice, so a lot of observers downgraded Brad's performance ceiling. Subsequently Brad went to UK more or less with his tail between his legs, but managed to play well enough in August camp to have his redshirt taken off. He was a capable back-up for several seasons, then started some games at RT in 2009. Barring an offseason injury, he will begin the 2010 season as UK's starting RT.
ReplyDeleteAnd here is where a major irony comes into play. When Bobby Petrino pulled Brad's scholarship offer in 2007, Petrino's OL coach at UL was Mike Summers. And as everyone here knows, Summers is now UK's OL coach. Did Summers have a voice in Petrino's decision on Durham, or was this just vintage Petrino?
Brad played pretty well in 2009, and became a factor in UK's resurrected running game. I have no doubt that Brad is strong enough to play in the NFL. The question involves his footwork and quickness. I see Brad as a potential NFL RG. I don't think he can play RT on Sundays, and I doubt he will be drafted. But he might make it as an undrafted RG. Brad is a good football player, and we will see how much finishing work Coach Summers can do here.
In the meantime, I foresee Brad playing next to Larry Warford on the right side of UK's OL, and I see another good year coming for UK's RBs.