Beckum and Mehlhaff Honored Again
December 17, 2007 | Football
Wisconsin tight end Travis Beckum and kicker Taylor Mehlhaff were named to Todd McShay's All-Film Team. McShay writes for ESPN.com and has been selecting his All-Film Team for three years.
'The Heisman Trophy and All-America teams are too politically driven. NFL draft boards get skewed by team needs and exclude true freshmen and sophomores,' said McShay. 'The only way to truly evaluate a player's impact is to study the film -- and I've done that throughout the 2007 season in order to compile my third annual All-Film Team. Granted, there are no checks and balances on a one-man committee. But at least my selection process is free of agenda and class limitations.'
Beckum, a Walter Camp First-Team All-American and John Mackey Award Finalist was chosen by McShay based on his rare athleticism, his keen route-running and exceptional ball skills.
McShay looked at Beckum's 26-yard catch against Michigan after QB Tyler Donovan had escaped defenders as Beckum's key play of the season.
'Tight ends shouldn't make the amount of acrobatic receptions I found while watching Beckum,' said McShay.
The always reliable Mehlhaff was chosen by McShay due to his versatility in the kickoff game and his accuracy kicking field goals. Mehlhaff, a Lou Groza semifinalist and First-Team All-American, will graduate as one of Wisconsin's all-time greatest kickers.
'Mehlhaff has great experience, especially when it comes to poor weather conditions,' said McShay. 'He is arguably the nation's premier kickoff specialist, which is even more valuable with the change to kicking from the 30-yard line this season.'
Mehlhaff, Beckum and the rest of the Badgers continue their Outback Bowl preparation this week before leaving for Tampa on Christmas Day.
