Dissenting Opinions Emerge On Orakpo Workout

Earlier in the day, NFL.com’s Gil Brandt offered up a glowing review of Brian Orakpo’s Pro Day workout. But not everyone feels that way. Per one league source, some scouts viewed the linebacker/defensive end’s workout as “brutal.” According to the source, Orakpo is regarded by some as having “great athletic abilities but bad football skills.” It’s prompting some to question whether Orakpo merits even a first-round pick. If this sounds familiar, it should. There’s a chance that Orakpo could be the latest in a line of “looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane” players, including past first-rounders like Vernon Gholston and Mike Mamula. (Then there’s Alabama’s Andre Smith, who as one reader pointed out after Smith’s recent shirtless sprint “plays like Tarzan, looks like Jane.”) Even Gil Brandt, who is regarded by many as having a bias in favor of Texas football, acknowledges that Orakpo is “one of those guys that appears to play hard 90 percent of the time, but takes a vacation the other 10 percent.” It’s the kind of attitude that could put a coach or a G.M. on vacation 100 percent of the time if they pick Orakpo, and if he doesn’t deliver.