Foley is indeed a raw talent having never played organized football until attending York. Until going there his athletic background was as a decathlete and he had been offered a track and field scholarship to attend Baylor University in Texas. It was that same raw athleticism that earned him a crack with the Baltimore Ravens last year. It was also that relative lack of football experience that likely led to his tenure being brief. I find him to be a very intriguing prospect.OV - 54:40 wrote:Should be a good chance then that a supposed raw talent like Foley with an explosive burst off the line preportedly too and from hardly a football powerhouse like York will get a good chance to earn a rush end spot too. Lots of real competition in TC is always a good thing one would think and of course it can always be assumed that the coaching staff just goes with who they think grade out the "best" players at every position.
I fully expect Foley to get a good look at DE come training camp. What might work against him will be that lack of football experience. He may still need some grooming as a backup to work on things like technique, footwork and understanding the nuances of the position itself at the pro level. Another factor could be where the Lions see his best long-term development interests being. If they project him as being more suited to LB than DE then they might forego the DE position to work with him developing as a LB.
Certainly Buono has proved willing to give other guys the opportunity to learn a new position under fire. Javy Glatt had never played MLB until last season. Not surprisingly Glatt struggled a bit in the first few games but quickly grew into the position.