2004: In just 8 games he amassed 46 solos, 26 assists, 2 sacks, 1 int., and 3 FRs
2003: 65 solos, 41 assists (2nd on team), 5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 4 passes defensed, and 1 FF.
CDS Profile
Channing is a true sophomore who is eligible for the draft (and has declared) as a result of postponing his enrollment in Gainesville until Jan. 2003, while he rehabilitated an injured knee. The head coaching change at Florida probably affected Crowder's decision to declare early, and this certainly will be to the benefit of some team early in the first round of the '05 draft.
Crowder is an incredible talent and has very beasty size for the position. He is (of course) very young and his upside is nearly unlimited. Some have compared him to a young Lawrence Taylor the way he can dominate a game when fully healthy. He hits very hard, is a textbook wrap-up tackler, never takes plays off, and is very smart and coachable. He sheds blockers very well, takes good angles in pursuit and displays terrific game speed--even better than his timed 40.
Channing was a very highly decorated prep athlete at North Springs H.S. in Atlanta, garnering Super-prep All-American honors for his senior year in which he tallied 114 tackles, 7.5 sacks and also rushed for 800 yards as a mammoth fullback. He was the first freshman LB ever to start as many as 9 games for the University of Florida.
The only knock on Crowder as a player is his tendency to sell-out his body a bit too much. He needs to do a better job of protecting his legs in order to avoid nagging injuries. He is very immature as a person though, and has had numerous off-field issues that could push his final grades down on some boards. He has also battled injuries (ACL) and some scouts feel that he is now damaged goods. Crowder's stock has dropped drastically over the past few week's from a surefire top 10 pick to a possible mid-second round status because of these concerns.
Even so, he is sure to be neck-and-neck for the 3-4th LB-drafted along with Burnett, Ruud, Blackstock et al.
2008 Draft Review
