Letroy Guion Conference CallSunday Press Conference
Overview After starting just 14 games during his three years with the Seminoles, it was a great surprise to FSU coaches when Guion announced after the Motor City Bowl that he would bypass his senior season and declare for the 2008 NFL Draft. He was part of the school's academic cheating scandal that saw 36 football players ruled ineligible for postseason action. With just 66 tackles to his credit over 32 games, his resume does not give professional teams much to base their evaluation on. Considering his pedestrian performance at the NFL Combine, Guion might have been better served returning to school in 2008. If he had returned to the team, he was expected to fill the leadership void on the defensive front seven caused by the graduation of fellow defensive tackle Andre Fluellen. Guion attended Bradford High School, lettering four times in football, as he helped lead his team to the state semifinals in each of his last three years. He was named the Gainesville Sun Player of the Year as a senior, adding All-State first-team and All-Area honors following his junior and senior seasons. Guion participated in the Cali-Florida Bowl with several members of Florida State's 2005 signing class. He was the Class 2A Mr. Football runner-up as a senior, when he totaled 131 tackles, 21 stops for minus yardage, 12 sacks and forced 11 fumbles. The defensive tackle chose Florida State over scholarship offers from Georgia, Tennessee, Iowa and Florida. He appeared in eight games on defense and two more on special teams as a true freshman in 2005, earning his first career start vs. The Citadel at left defensive tackle. He went on to post 10 tackles (3 solos) with a pair of stops for losses. Guion appeared in 12 games in 2006, seeing limited action early in the season before taking over left defensive tackle chores for the Seminoles' final five games. He posted 25 tackles (10 solos) and assisted on a sack while producing four stops for losses and a forced fumble. As a junior, Guion earned eight midseason starting assignments at left tackle, replacing an injured Fluellen in the lineup. He finished ninth on the team with 31 tackles (17 solos), including a sack and 6.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also broke up one pass and recovered two fumbles. Career Notes A late signee by Florida State in 2005, Guion would go on to start 14 of 32 games he appeared in, recording 66 tackles (30 solos) with 1.5 sacks for minus-5 yards and 12.5 stops for losses of 35 yards...Registered two quarterback pressures with a pair of fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and a pass deflection. High School Attended Bradford (Fla.) High School, lettering four times in football, as he helped lead his team to the state semifinals in each of his last three years...Named the Gainesville Sun Player of the Year as a senior, adding All-State first-team and All-Area honors following his junior and senior seasons...Participated in the Cali-Florida Bowl with several members of Florida State's 2005 signing class...Was the Class 2A Mr. Football runner-up as a senior, when he totaled 131 tackles, 21 stops for minus yardage, 12 sacks and forced 11 fumbles. Analysis Positives: Has a thick lower body with very long arms to neutralize reach blocks (fails to use it to protect his body, though)...Hard worker in the training room, earning the team's 2007 Big Otis Award (given to the player most committed to physical development)...Has very good power numbers, but has yet to translate them to the football field on a steady basis...Shows that he can come off the ball with quickness to shoot the gaps, but must do it more consistently...Has enough strength to hold his ground vs. one-on-one blocks, but when he short arms, he gets washed out by double team activity...Shows the long reach and quick hands to get them on blockers, but does not do this often enough...When he keeps his pads down, he is effective at slipping past blockers or getting an edge on the lineman...Has enough hand strength to lock on and drag the ballcarrier down, but would be more effective as a wrap-up tackler, if he gets good position to make the hit (tends to lunge or take a side)...When he stays up and plays the game on his feet, he can move through traffic with ease (tends to get too tall and narrow in his base, though)...Has the quick first step to get into the inside gap to engage the lead blocker in attempts to clog the rush lane...Decent bull rusher when he plants his foot in the ground and fires off the snap with hands active...His best asset is his strength, but it is only effective when he uses his hands and flips his hips to counter the blocker's moves...Gets good pocket pressure when he fires low off the snap, as he has the short-area burst and acceleration to close. Negatives: Has a smaller than ideal frame that could use additional bulk, but when adding weight in the past he affected his overall quickness...Has enough short-area explosion off the ball, but too often doesn't use it...Can play with leverage, but gets lazy with his hand placement, leaving his chest exposed to body blocks...Because he short-arms often, he struggles to shed vs. double teams...Will close on the ball when he locates it, but is very inconsistent reading keys...Must demonstrate better consistency using his hands to jolt the offensive linemen coming off the snap...Marginal pass rusher with poor hand placement technique, a lack of moves and an inability to sink his pad level (plays too tall and has a narrow base)...Needs to do a better job of squaring up to make the tackle (will duck his head or take a side rather than face up)...Lacks a feel for blocking schemes, getting cut often by angle blocks, as he fails to use his hands to protect his feet...Has a decent spin move, but for a player with his girth, you would hope that he would engage blockers with better aggression rather than try to execute a speed move to elude (does not have the quickness to surprise a blocker)...Bites on pump fakes and misdirection too much to impact the pocket and will generally be late to recognize screens and sweeps...Best when playing in run containment, as he shows marginal balance when having to chase down the ball...Gets too reckless in attempts to penetrate, often over-pursuing the ball or failing to locate it...Has some character issues (involved in the academic cheating scandal and was not enrolled in school after the Music City Bowl)...Takes long stretches off on the field and seems to lack urgency in his play (feels his athletic skills are enough to get the job done). Compares To: TANK TYLER-Kansas City...Potential is nice, but Guion has failed to show even glimpses that he will develop any consistency in his game. He was not as fast or as strong as touted, exposed at the NFL Combine and his Pro Day for being an athlete with a lot of holes in his game. He needs to gain more confidence in using his hands to stave off blockers. Yes, he does have a decent initial burst off the line, but you expect your interior lineman to dominate vs. the run and opponents averaged 5.68 yards per carry in plays directed at him last year. Selecting him anywhere before the end of the draft could prove to be a wasted pick. Injury Report 2008: A right quadriceps muscle strain prevented him from completing agility tests at the NFL Combine. Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.