2023 Player Profile Archive

2023 Player Profile Archives

Quarterbacks

Bryce Young QB Alabama

When you watch Bryce Young, you can't help but think of Drew Brees because of the number he wears and the skill he has throwing the ball, while some of his mannerisms, ability to escape the pocket, and ability to throw on the move are almost a spitting image of Deshaun Watson. Bryce Young understands the mental side of the game. His time to throw has increased slightly this season, which is understandable given that he has lost some significant offensive talent. I still believe he has an elite capacity for moving through his progressions with a quick throwing motion that allows for good throw timing. He is also extremely accurate, doing an excellent job of aligning his head, body, and feet for precise ball placement. He demonstrates NFL arm strength when both set and on the run. The inconsistencies in velocity are the source of the majority of my concerns. I believe the problem is fixable and is caused by an inconsistent back foot. He plays on his tiptoes at times, and because of his quick strike, he does not always get his full cleats in the ground, limiting his ability to drive the ball. But if everything goes as planned, I see no problem, top-tier player based on the tape. He makes the difficult look easy and the easy look routine; you can't really ask for more than that.

Positives

+Calmness to his game, regularly unfazed in the pocket, no matter the situation whether he is blitzed, pressured, or clean
+High level of football intelligence, takes great care of the football
+Quick throwing motion
+Extraordinary accuracy to all levels
+Good arm strength; able to hit all NFL throws with consistency
+Potential to have consistently good velocity
+Body alignment
+Throwing on the run accurately and with power
+Vision, absolutely dominate in the middle of the field
+Avoids pressure at a high rate

Areas of Improvement

-Inconsistent ability to drive likely due to inconsistencies in planting his back cleats. The issue should be fixable to certain extent, his size could ultimately be biggest limiting factor of arm

-Time to throw increased this year

-Potential durability issues at size

Red Flag: Multiple AC joint sprains of throwing shoulder

Comp: Drew Brees/Deshaun Watson

Grade: (95.825) - 1st Round Grade

CJ Stroud QB Ohio State

At the end of his first season as the Ohio State Buckeyes' quarterback, Stroud showed tremendous growth. Early in the season, he displayed erratic accuracy, placement, and decision making. Extra hitches, double clutches, and heel clicking appeared to be the cause of the errant passes and poor timing. The jump from where he is now to where he was to begin the 2021 season is impressive and should be a good indicator of how he'll progress in the league. The Ohio State offense is complex, and he runs it well. He was given the ability to make pre-snap adjustments early on, which is always something to look for when projecting to the next level. He does an excellent job of positioning himself to make an aligned throw. He demonstrates a strong ability to escape pressure and throw on the run. He has good arm strength and velocity, as well as an excellent understanding of when to pull back or ramp up on throws. He struggled throwing over the middle of the field in the second level this season, which could have been attributed to the absence of Smith-Njigba. Diving deeper into play action, the bumps quarterbacks typically see from those plays were absent, and he was actually less careful with the football. He'll go through some growing pains, as he struggled mightily against pressure last season, but where he can go is certainly special.

Positives

+Good base, resets his feet and delivers
+Ability to smoothly move through progressions
+Improved anticipation
+His ball placement is plus and is one of his strengths
+Arm strength
+Velocity
+Demonstrates high level touch on passes to all levels; know when and how to throttle his throws
+Ability and confidence to make pre-snap adjustments
+Drastic increase in reading coverages

Areas of Improvement

-Struggled against pressure his final season

-Had some struggles in the middle of the field, possible processing struggles

-Play action did not result in a normal uptick in effectiveness; he actually became more reckless

-Must reduce time to throw

Grade: (91.8) - 1st Round Grade

Anthony Richardson QB Florida

I think we can all agree that Anthony Richardson is a special talent, so special that he's probably the one person you can overdraft significantly. The combination of arm strength and athletic ability outperforms everyone in this class. He needs work; his base is a little off, he's not too heel clicky, but I think if he widens his base just a little, he'll find better consistency. He can also be a little too much on his toes at times, and better use of his lower half will help him as well. In addition, he needs to improve his body alignment with the throw. Improving all of these will result in significant improvements in his ability to deliver accurate balls. Richardson's ability to read defenses and throw with more anticipation will also need to improve. Richardson excels at trying to manipulate defenses; he has excellent pocket awareness; and he is fearless, standing in there and making hard throws with large impacts imminent. Prior to watching his film, I expected him to be much more reckless, and I was pleasantly surprised. As a passer, he will throw the ball away when the danger is too great; as a runner, he must learn to slide and understand that not every play must be classified as big. On that same mentality, you'll see him attempt plays akin to Mahomes or Rodgers, which I believe is one of his biggest issues. If he can keep these highlight reel moves to a minimum and focus on turning his massive talent into skill before applying what he's learned to the altered platform and arm angled throws, the sky's the limit for him.

Positives

+Possesses elite NFL arm talent, can hit throw to any level of the field with incredible zip to them

+Dynamic athlete with great speed and near instant burst

+Good pocket awareness, will regularly climb to make throws

+When pocket collapses he will maintain eyes downfield, will run because he's great at it, but is nice to see it's not his first thought every play

+Willingness to stand in pocket and face pressure

+Nearly impossible to sack (Part exaggeration, part not really exaggerating)

+Quick release

+Able to maintain velocity and arm strength in different arm slots

Areas of Improvement

-Accuracy is suspect in every situation

-Struggles to read defenses consistently and efficiently

-Lacks anticipation

-Must do better to reset body to make aligned throws to improve accuracy

-Base and footwork need minor tweaks in attempt to improve accuracy consistency

-Must learn how to slide

Grade: (90.225) - 1st Round Grade

Jake Haener QB Fresno State

Jake Haener, in my opinion, has the potential to be a mid-tier NFL starter. Haener has a strong foundation and does a good job of aligning himself on throws, which contributes to his accuracy as a quarterback. He has above-average velocity and arm strength to hit deeper throws and has nice velocity on short and intermediate throws. He executes his progressions brilliantly and makes sound decisions with the occasional 50/50 ball; he is also unafraid to check it down when nothing is available. Haener was a fine college athlete at quarterback, which allowed him to avoid sacks, rollout, and even tuck and run; however, I do not see his athleticism translating well to the NFL, and these moments will be limited. The issue with Haener is his lack of high-end traits as well as his age. The NFL has more mid-tier quarterbacks than we like to admit, but even these mid-tier quarterbacks win games and championships, and I believe Haener can do the same with a strong supporting cast.

Positives

+Competitiveness; returned from a projected 10 week ankle injury in just 5 weeks this past season

+Ability to layer throws

+Enough velocity to hit NFL throws

+High level decision maker, ability to go through progressions making the right decision and doing it quickly, will utilize checkdown to create positive play when

+Elite level accuracy to every level of the field

Areas of Improvement

-Age

-Below average athlete at NFL level

-Size and arm slot concerns I have may will lead to batted balls

-Lacks the high-end arm that is desired

Grade: (87.125) - 2nd Round Grade

Will Levis QB Kentucky

Will Levis has traits that will bring real NFL interest. He has a nice ability to drive the ball with velocity and does a real nice job throwing on the move. He displays good accuracy but inconsistent placement. This issue is likely a result of his arm action. He has a quick motion and while in theory it allows him throw with velocity it also causes its fair share of struggles with the ability to adjust the throttle and the ability to manipulate the arc of footballs. Levis does well to get all his cleats in the ground and has a smooth follow through; I would describe him as an easier thrower which is what you are looking for. I do struggle mostly with Levis development on the mental side of things. Vison over the middle of the field and decision making are some of his bigger issues. Against stiffer competition, Levis wasn't trusted to run a normal offensive game plan and he became overwhelmed as well. He needs more time, but because of his age, I don't see how a team takes the gamble with a high pick when Levis is really at his worst when he's operating a clean pocket.

Positives

+Quick thrower
+Tries to throw with anticipation
+Able to drive the ball hash to opposite sideline and deep with no problem
+Good footwork in and outside the pocket
+Ability to throw on the run with accuracy and velocity
+Will dump it when facing pressure

Areas of Improvement

-Will be 24 come his first year in the NFL
-Vision; must improve post snap recognition and decision making
-Decision making; he is at his worst when operating in a clean pocket
-Consistent placement
-Ability to throttle up and down, issues with layering throws
-Issues avoid pressure, turn to sacks far too often
-Play action heavily responsible for his best plays

Grade: (84.125) - 2nd Round Grade

Jaren Hall QB BYU

A dynamic dual-threat quarterback with a strong arm. Hall possesses the velocity, arm strength, and accuracy to make any throw at the next level, as well as the athleticism and speed to compete with the best. The question mark is his age, with Hall being 25 when drafted. Getting into his game, Hall has shown tremendous growth this year, and many of my second thoughts have faded away. He has a quick release but still struggles with double clutching. His decision-making abilities have rapidly improved. Hall was outstanding in a clean pocket; when things became messy, we saw problems, which is natural. Last year, I thought Hall needed to focus more on operating inside the pocket to find more consistency, and after reviewing this year's tape, Hall did just that. He was excellent in the pocket and in non-play action plays. When it comes to running play action, Hall is the polar opposite of most; he escapes pressure less frequently and takes more risks. This is something to keep an eye on as he grows, but it's also a fluid area. What cannot be denied about Hall is his development, his ability to make better decisions than a year ago, his ability to flow through his progressions, his arm talent, and, of course, his knack for hitting back shoulder throws. One of my favorites this draft cycle who I'll likely end up higher than most on.

Positives

+Arm strength and velocity to hit every throw

+Dynamic dual-threat quarterback

+Displays good accuracy when in rhythm and throws catchable balls

+Ability to throw off platform with accuracy

+Adept at hitting back shoulder throws

+Quick release

+Has made significant strides in his development this season. Mechanics, decision making, consistency have all been improved

+Made a significant reduction in amount of deep ball attempts, which has improved his game

Areas of Improvement

-In 2021 the significant amount of deep throws makes things hard to move the ball consistently

-Inability to pick up blitz pre-snap

-Significant uptick in turnover worthy plays when facing pressure

-Was much worse operating out of play action, while strides have been made in reading defenses and decision making would need to limit he turning his back to defense

Grade: (82.65) - 3rd Round Grade

Hendon Hooker QB Tennessee

Hooker is such a frustrating watch. He has really good mechanics. Solid footwork, good ability to keep all his cleats in the ground and sound weight transfer to really drive the ball without throwing off body alignment, all of which allows him to be highly accurate. He is able to fit balls in tight windows, get the ball deep and do it with velocity. The frustrating part is all that talent goes to waste as he's limited in the mental side of being a quarterback. At Tennessee he is running a single read offense for the most part and he constantly stares down his target. When he leaves the pocket the decision making seems to get worse and as a runner he is very chaotic, reminds me of a more athletic Wentz in that regard. Coming into the league at 25 years old will already keep him low on boards but doing so underdeveloped on the mental side of the game will do him no favors especially with how we saw last year's class fall.

Positives

+Really solid footwork, good ability to keep all his cleats in the ground and sound weight transfer to really drive the ball without throwing off body alignment.
+Velocity to have success at all levels of field
+Arm strength
+Accuracy
+Snappy full body resets

Areas of Improvement

-Will be 25 when he enters NFL
-Single read quarterback, not given much in terms of decision making
-Will stare down targeted receiver
-Chaotic runner, would be surprised if he's not prone to injuries at next level if he starts
-Decision making outside the pocket
-Arm dip in throwing motion still needs some tightening up but its solid

Red Flag: ACL Tear

Grade: (79.675) - 3rd Round Grade

Clayton Tune QB Houston

Clayton Tune has spent the past five years with Houston. In that time he has developed into a quarterback with both good and bad traits. Tune has a enough of a lively arm to hit tight window throws and hit receivers deep. He has the ability to layer throws and change trajectories. His biggest accomplishment is he is able to do all of this with top tier accuracy. Tune's issues start and finish with his mind. As it sits now Tune has issues moving off his first read and reading defenses beyond his first read. Tune has the physical tools to be an NFL quarterback, but if he cannot operate an NFL offense he will likely stay at career backup at the very most.

Positives

+Sound mechanics from base to throwing motion

+Has NFL arm talent, enough velocity to all levels of field, arm strength to hit deeps balls, ability to layer throws, ability to adjust deep ball trajectories based on catch situation, and highly accurate to all levels of the field

Areas of Improvement

-Turnover worth plays increase when operating out of play action

-Issues with getting off first read

-Will stare down first read

-Holds onto the ball far too long

-Issues avoiding pressure

-Issues reading what the defense is doing and making his counter move

Grade: (78.875) - 4th Round Grade

Dorian Thompson-Robinson QB UCLA

Two things that have impressed me are his eye manipulation, doing a terrific job working on moving the safeties to free up throwing lanes and just his growth as you can see improvement year after year. DTR shows very good playmaking ability; he is a great runner, and shows he has the ability to get the ball out quick with decent velocity. The problem is he is far from complete. The overall arm talent just isn't there. His accuracy needs improving and he doesn't have the ability to throttle his throws. DTR's footwork leaves something to be desired as a lot of his dropbacks included shuffles that throw off his timing and leaves him unset. His mechanics and velocity could use some more consistency as well. He tends to drop the ball a little too much in his delivery on longer throws but you do see the improvement in this area. I like the improvement I just feel like there's much more needed.

Positives

+Eye manipulation

+Playmaker

+Running ability

+Throw on the run ability

+Quick throwing motion; inconsistent on longer throws

Areas of Improvement

-Shuffles feet; inability to set

-Inability to throttle his throws correctly

-Accuracy issues

-Mechanics consistency

Grade: (76.45) - 4th Round Grade

Tanner McKee QB Stanford

McKee operates soundly in the pocket. He has a quick arm motion, solid base, and does well to align himself for each throw. However, outside of those positives I just do not see it with him. Lacks velocity and accuracy once you get to the intermediate areas and beyond, will regularly have throws sail past his target. His decision making would be fine if he wasn't late on most of his throws. He has a noticeable lack of athletic ability for the next level.

Positives

+Operates soundly in the pocket. He has a quick arm motion, solid base, and does well to align himself for each throw

+Desired size by old school NFL evaluators

Areas of Improvement

-Suspect decision making as he is late on a lot of his throws

-Lacks NFL athletic ability

-Lacks velocity on throws to the intermediate and deep areas of the field

-Throws regularly sail on him

Grade: (73.275) - 5th Round Grade

Max Duggan QB TCU

Duggan has been a nice college story, unfortunately that is likely where the story ends. He can throw with nice touch and throws a catchable ball, but it's this way because of the lack of velocity and arm strength. The lack of high end arm talent, the inconsistent decision making are unlikely to translate to the NFL. I just do not see Duggan making it to the next level.

Positives

+Heisman finalist

+Has beaten life-threatening obstacles to play football

+Seven comeback victories

+Catchable ball

+Relied on athletic ability to bail him out and found success

Areas of Improvement

-Lacks even mid-tier velocity and arm strength

-Erratic base where he struggles to consistently repeat form

-Had difficult time avoiding sacks

-Ball placement

Red Flag: Had heart surgery to fix genetic disorder

Grade: (70.625) - 6th Round Grade

Aidan O'Connell QB Purdue

O'Connell makes extremely quick decisions when going through his reads. While it can be good to read a play quickly it must coincide with it being the right decision and that is where O'Connell's evaluation gets murky. It's a product of a quick game offense, but O'Connell will need growth in the mental part of being a quarterback if he wants to compete at the next level. O'Connell has the velocity to fit in some NFL throws in the short and intermediate game; however, there is certainly some over confidence there that he will have to learn at the next level. He shows off good deep arm strength but the lack of velocity keeps these throws to a minimum and highly ineffective. He has solid mechanics, doing a good job to keep his feet in the ground and has a quick arm action. He has the ability to maneuver well in a phone booth but outside of that he struggles avoiding pressure leading to higher sack rates.

Positives

+Has enough velocity to hit short and intermediate throws at an NFL level
+Has the arm strength to throw 40+ yards
+Keeps two hands on the football
+Poised in the pocket, when in rhythm he will face pressure and throw well
+Will utilize checkdown

Areas of Improvement

-Makes overly quick decisions
-Not the best at avoid pressure resulting in high sack rates
-Lacks the velocity to hit throws deep and outside the numbers
-Touch throws tend to float and be overthrown
-Accuracy just isn't there consistently

Grade: (70.225) - 6th Round Grade

Tanner Morgan QB Minnesota

Tanner Morgan was a welcome surprise in 2019 exploding onto the scene, strictly looking at statistics he only trailed Burrow making him the second best QB that year. Morgan really commanded the Minnesota offense. In 2019, Morgan was a very balanced, smart QB who to me mirrored a lot of the same things we saw in Joe Burrow. Strong in the pocket with great footwork, two hands always on the ball, and the ability to extend plays. Now, where this quarterback went, I have no idea as he has shown nearly none of the same qualities from 2019. While the accuracy remains what coincides with it is weak arm strength, issues reading defenses, worse play out of play action, and issues operating effectively under pressure. I really cannot believe what we saw from Morgan since 2019. He really played his way down draft boards.

Positives

+Keeps two hands on the football in pocket
+Good pocket maneuverability
+Accurate is good pocket situations
+Highly effective in 2019

Areas of Improvement

-Paranoid in pocket
-Effectiveness significant diminished while facing pressure
-Lack of arm strength and velocity to hit NFL throws
-His best play seems to be behind him

Grade: (70.1) - 6th Round Grade

Running Backs

Bijan Robinson RB Texas

Mainly running in a zone scheme Bijan has been able to execute at a high level with his skills on full display when he identifies a cut back lane. His vision and patience are top tier, and he is one of the most explosive backs I have ever seen. He is an easy accelerator to his top speed which is fine but he isn't going to give you much in terms of breakaway potential. He has developed more as a receiver and a blocker. He has shown a fine ability at catching the ball and run routes out of the backfield, in the slot, and out wide. I believe the talent is there to really develop an ability to play out of the slot and he has put out really interesting reps there. As a blocker he does well to identify and support, and he always looks to punish his man. Robinson is as much of a complete back if I have ever seen one. He has the vision, patience, explosiveness, ability to avoid and break tackles with ease, and is much stronger than you believe. What Robinson needs to do a better job of is being okay with a good gain. There are moments where he'll try to get too crafty, and is overly confident with his abilities and leaves yards on the table. If this develops he'll be tremendously hard to stop.

Positives

+Experience in both run schemes

+Contact Balance

+Easy accelerator; explosive

+Forced missed tackles; 98th percentile in 2021 and 99th percentile in 2022 for forced missed tackles per attempt on runs

+Elite vision; cutback king

+Plus potential as route runner

+Plus potential as pass and run blocker

Negatives

-Long Speed; breakaway potential isn't non-existent but you'd wish it was higher

-Can be overly greedy; overly confident in his abilities and will miss out on yardage because of this

Grade: (88.325) - 2nd Round Grade

Kendre Miller RB TCU

Kendre Miller may be the most under the radar back in the NFL draft. There is so much to like about his game. The man glides on air, his cuts are sharp and swift, and he eats contact with grace. He has enough speed and burst to pull away from defenders as well. His best trait is his patience and vision in following his blockers and finding the correct running lanes. The lack of hype surrounding Miller is perplexing at best, I see a high impact back come Sunday's.

Positives

+Graceful athlete; swift cutting ability

+Never seen someone take and avoid hits with such finesse

+Enough speed to pull away from defenders

+Terrific balance

+High level vision and patience as a runner

+Size

Negatives

-Lacks production and usage in passing game

Red Flag: Significant MCL tear

Grade: (84.675) - 2nd Round Grade

Jahmyr Gibbs RB Alabama

Gibbs has the potential to impact three facets of the game as a runner, receiver, and returner. As a runner, Jahmyr Gibbs needed more development as he was all gas and no brakes during his time at Georgia Tech; Alabama has certainly initiated and sped up that development as there has been significant improvement. He has top level speed and acceleration and does a tremendous job to maintain it through his quick cuts which are lethal to the opposition. He maintains good balance through all his explosiveness, but I wouldn't classify him as tackle breaker. As of right now Gibbs value will come from a high breakaway potential, the receiving game out of the backfield and the slot, and in the return game. The future is bright for Jahmyr Gibbs.

Positives

+Impact three facets of the game as a runner, receiver, and returner
+Top tier speed and acceleration
+Lethal speed cuts where he loses near zero momentum
+Receiving ability
+Good contact balance

Negatives

-Size concerns bring questions of whether he could operate as a three down back

-Size also brings concerns regarding pass blocking

-Don't see a high level tackle breaker

Grade: (84.55) - 2nd Round Grade

Roschon Johnson RB Texas

Roschon Johnson is first and foremost an ultimate teammate that does what is asked of him for the betterment of the team and he does it at a high level. The amount of effort he puts in to execute his job each play while in he could be the premier back in any program outside of Texas should be applauded. A position change from quarterback and the fact he was Bijan Robinson's backup should not give people pause to see what is right in front of them; a well-rounded potential "bell-cow" back in the NFL. If I am choosing to pound the so-called table for one guy this draft cycle it is Roschon Johnson. High-end athletic traits that produce satisfactory speed, plus acceleration, and the ability to hurdle over defenders. He has good hip flex ability to get low and power through defenders with that same force leading to an impactful stiff arm. To round out his game he has great vision to find cutback lanes and the patience to allow blocks to set. Being the backup has also allowed him to develop as a receiver and blocker. I believe that sky is the limit for Roschon Johnson.

Positives

+Plus pass and run blocker

+He is the type of player that every coach dreams of having on their team. The ultimate teammate that made a position change became skilled and productive and then did what was asked of him at a high level when he was not the starter. The amount of effort he puts in to execute his job each play while in he could be the premier back in any program outside of Texas should be applauded.

+Satisfactory speed with plus acceleration

+Good cutting ability to make men miss

+Power and strength, will get low enough consistently to truck people; he has a nice stiff arm too

+Vision and patience are well developed on limited reps

+Former QB

+Plus pass and run blocking, has lined up all over field as receiver

+Size

Negatives

-Lacks experience

-Lack of high end quickness compared to similarly graded backs

-The unknown, if he becomes your number one does the toll of full season carries have an effect on his abilities

Grade: (81.75) - 3rd Round Grade

Zach Evans RB Ole Miss

Zach Evans is one of my favorite players in this draft and has the potential to be a complete back based on his talent. Evans has two trademark traits in my opinion and that is his speed and his vision. He is a highly intelligent runner with vision at elite levels as he quickly identifies his openings or cut backs and accelerates through them; he shows a complete trust in the scheme and offensive line. He will need work to become a true three down back as he isn't there as a pass catcher yet or as a pass blocker, but he is too talented in space and with the right coaching and work ethic he could become an impact player in that area. His speed and acceleration are at the level where tackle and pursuit angles are eliminated, and that speed converts to power well allowing him to break arm tackles and power through defenders to gain an extra yard or two even though he is more average in size. Evan's looks to be a punisher welcoming contact to utilize his momentum to cause his opponents pain. All that punishment comes as a cost though as some of the injuries this season piled up and you could see he had some pretty significant issues cutting when he got to higher speeds throughout the season. With a growing injury history on limited carries in does cause one to ask, can he be a feature back and are the injuries just bad luck, all I can say it's something to sift through.

Positives

+Potential to be three down back at next level

+Highly intelligent runner with vision at elite levels as he quickly identifies his openings or cut backs and accelerates through them; he shows a complete trust in the scheme and offensive line

+Speed and acceleration are at the level where tackle and pursuit angles are eliminated

+Willing to attack defenders as his speed converts to power well allowing him to break arm tackles and power through defenders to gain an extra yard or two

+Impact player with ball in his hands

Negatives

-Limited career reps

-2021 Toe injury, played only six games, injuries throughout 2022 season limited playmaking abilities in space

-Still developing as a receiver and as a pass blocker

-Ball security

Grade: (81.375) - 3rd Round Grade

Devon Achane RB Texas A&M

Achane finally got his chance to shine in the Texas A&M offense. Achane is a true speedster coming from a track and field background. What sets Achane apart from normal speedsters is his elite level vision. Achane does a terrific job of identifying running lanes and making adjustments with some creativity when lanes close. Achane is able to operate as close to a defender as one can get without being touched with his agility and acceleration creating run angles for himself many others cannot match. Achane is also a natural pass catcher out of the backfield; he does well to track the ball in the air, and certainly has potential to operate out of the slot. He also brings special teams value as a return man. What Achane lacks is the potential to be a workhorse back. He lacks size and power, weak tackles are able to bring him down. While he can be a terrific receiver out of the backfield I struggle to see him become a reliable blocker which could limit his complete reliance as a third down back. The tools are there for him to be an effective runner, receiver, returner triple threat.

Positives

+The tools are there for him to be a high impact runner and receiver

+Elite speed

+Elite level vision. Achane does a terrific job of identifying running lanes and making adjustments with some creativity when lanes close.

+Able to operate as close to a defender as one can get without being touched with his agility and acceleration creating run angles for himself many others cannot match

+Natural pass catcher out of the backfield, does well to track the ball in the air, and certainly has potential to operate out of the slot

+Return man

Negatives

-Lacks is the potential to be a workhorse back

-Lacks size and power, weak tackles are able to bring him down

-Struggle to see him become a reliable blocker which could limit his complete reliance as a third down back

Grade: (80.5) - 3rd round Grade

Zach Charbonnet RB UCLA

No matter how bad it looks in the backfield you feel Charbonnet always has a chance for a neutral to positive gain in the chaos; he is a hardworking, high effort guy. Great sized back with good proportional speed and acceleration, but the long speed just isn't there. What Charbonnet does have is highly effective cut moves with tremendous body control, lower half flexibility, and a strong body that allows him to power through defenders. The vision is developing, but is highly encouraging, and his patience behind his line has been good. Charbonnet certainly has a chance to be a full 3-down back at the next level.

Positives

+High effort player

+Can trip himself up a bit but does well to regain his footing

+Highly effective cuts moves with tremendous body control and lower half flexibility

+The vision is developing, but is highly encouraging

+Displays good patience behind the line

+Size

+Good pass blocker

+Not a liability catching passes out of the backfield

+Low career mileage

Negatives

-Questionable long speed and consistency with accelerating; can look like he's stuck in the mud before he gets going

Grade: (79.725) - 3rd round Grade

Eric Gray RB Oklahoma

Positives

+I see him as a much better pro player than college player

+Fluid hips allow him to pivot and make violent changes in direction

+Quick trigger through the hole
+Smart back with good vision and patience; will press the crease to set up blocks and holes to bounce out to
+Active in the passing game; easy to see further role and development

Negatives

-Significant lack of 2nd gear

-Power and contact balance is average but I see a path to greater development

Grade: (76.65) - 4th round Grade

Cartavious "Tank" Bigsby RB Auburn

I really want to roll with Tank here, but I feel like he's just got too far to go...pun intended (Don't hate me.) Tank Bigsby has those highlight reel moments where he's carrying people with him, trucking someone, or even making a man or two miss. One of Bigsby's standout traits is his efficiency in flipping his hips to attack a new angle. His ability to plant and hard cut as quick as he does is impressive. I feel this ability masks some of the athletic limitations Bigsby has. He has top tier contact balance when he is operating at his top level, but he expends so much energy and is his own worst enemy as a runner that the natural talents cannot be put on display regularly. What I am referring to is Bigsby's vision and patience. He must learn to press the crease more to cause the defenders to loose discipline and make the first choice in attempt to develop better run angles for himself. Bigsby has seen a high amount a reps in both run styles and has tools that translate to the next level. I hope he can put it all together as he could be an incredibly fun watch on Sundays.

Positives

+Incredible power and contact balance; 2021 left me wanting more consistency in these traits; he delivered in 2022

+Efficiency in flipping his hips to attack a new angle. I feel this masks some of the athletic limitations

+Some redeeming qualities as a receiver out of the backfield

Negatives

-Long Speed

-Vision and patience. Bigsby must learn to press the crease more to cause the defenders to loose discipline and make the first choice in attempt to develop better run angles for himself.

-Technique as a pass blocker will need to improve

-Auburn was not playing great football in 2021 which set back some development time

-He has top tier power and contact balance when he is operating at his top level, but he expends so much energy and is his own worst enemy as a runner that the natural talents cannot be put on display regularly.

Grade: (76.45) - 4th Round Grade

Chase Brown RB Illinois

Positives

+Checks a lot of boxes as an above average running back

+Speed that enables him to eliminate angles and pull away

+Impressive accelerator

+Fine vision; able to identify and hit cutback lanes

+Willing to initiate and absorb contact with the ability to power through

+Effective receiver out of the backfield; see potential to be utilized more at next level

+Solid pass protector; physical and willingness to engage

Negatives

-I wouldn't say traits are always overwhelming; not sure his potential is equal to some of the higher graded backs in the class

-Large workload this season

-Lacks high-end elusiveness that would be desired

Grade: (76.35) - 4th round Grade

Sean Tucker RB Syracuse

Positives

+Elite level speed

+One of the quickest accelerations you will find in the draft class

+Good quickness; mostly operates as a one cut back but will deploy small shifty moves to keep defenders on their toes

+High level creative; vision is top notch; presses the crease well and is able to identify and fly through cut back lanes with ease.

+Potential to be productive on screens and swing passes

+Ball security

Negatives

-Took a significant step back in 2022. All the positives listed above were brought into question. I would have significant concerns going from his 2021 tape to his 2022.

-The development of these traits will determine just how good of NFL talent he will become and now, sitting in the minds of NFL evaluators, the questions of was he playing hurt or is regression setting in as the toll of carries catches up.

-What remained true season to season and may have been exacerbated for this season is Tucker's lack of fully developed power and contact balance. With his speed he is still able to break through arm tackles but weak contact is still able to bring him down more often than I'd like for someone of this level of talent.

-Won't be significant impact in pass game

Grade: (75.9) - 4th Round Grade

Tyjae Spears RB Tulane

Positives

+Quick and confident decision maker

+Speed that can pull away and maintain distance in the second level

+Highly effective receiver out of backfield; good route runner with soft hands

+Runs hard giving himself some ability to break tackles

Negatives

-Size

-Liability as a pass blocker; hurts his potential to be full time third down back

-It isn't an impossibility but see him needing to be partnered with one or more backs

Red Flag: 2020 ACL Tear

Grade: (74.425) - 5th Round Grade

Kenny McIntosh RB Georgia

Positives

+The talent is there to craft a skilled running back

+Instant impact as receiving threat for any team he joins out of the backfield and slot

+Soft hands, makes catching the football look easy

+Lower body control to remain on his feet rivals the best of them in the class

+Limited reps as a blocker as he was usually running a route but the building blocks are there to be effective

Negatives

-Delay in development as a runner because inability to get on field due to Georgia's talent level. Mainly acted a receiving threat

-Vision and patience as runner need to be refined due to lack of experience

-Long speed

Grade: (72.7) - 5th Round Grade

Israel Abanikanda RB Pittsburgh

Positives

+Gave Pitt an identity this season

+Highly productive season

+Nice acceleration

+Good patience

+Above average vision

+Willing pass blocker

+Ball security

Negatives

-Lacks fully developed high end traits

-Lacks that next level moves to avoid or break tackles

-Refinement as pass blocker is needed

Grade: (71.15) - 6th Round Grade

Jordan Mims RB Fresno State

Positives

+Above average speed

+Runs with good patience will allow his blocks to set him up for success

+Vision is above average, will find and hit cutback lanes at good rate

+Has above average quickness to make men miss

+Solid in pass protection

+Ball Security, will switch hands to get ball away from nearest defender

Negatives

-Production is down on some of his advanced statistics

-Usage stands to be expanded in passing game

-Power is average at best

Grade: (71) - 6th Round Grade

Chris Rodriguez Jr RB Kentucky

Positives

+Rodriguez is a good size back that is a striking force of power
+Speed
+He displays good vision and better patience to follow his blocks

+He has shown year over year improvements to his blocking ability and I am very confident in where it is at currently

+He is the ideal power back with some burst to break off a few bigger runs, a rotational two down back with blocking duties on some 3rd down's are in his future.

+Good burst allows him to hit his top speed at above average rate

Negatives

-Ball security

-Unproductive and unlikely to be used in passing game at next level

-Cutting ability is below average; he is unlikely to make men miss in the open field

-Questionable long speed; will be even more exposed at the next level

Red Flag: Missed the first four games of 2022 as he was held out by the NCAA. We can only assume it was for the DUI arrest.

Grade: (70.85) - 6th Round Grade

Deuce Vaughn RB Kansas State

Positives

+High level speed

+Elite stop/start ability

+Solid catching technique while the ball is thrown within he relaxed reach zone.

+Low center of gravity

+Quickness with good deception moves

Negatives

-Highly talented back that has very little chance to control the reins of an NFL backfield

-Inconsistent vision in my opinion. Games where he can be highly decisive and make good decisions and then there are others where he bails far too quickly, too many east/west movements and doesn't press the crease enough.

-His negative value as a pass blocker puts his potential as a pass catching back in jeopardy

Grade: (70.625) - 6th Round Grade

Tavion Thomas RB Utah

Positives

+Displays high level patience for blocks to execute

+Nice cutting ability, able to escape while in the backfield, excels in maneuvering in "phone booth" scenarios

+Massive

Negatives

-Production decreased from '21 to '22

-Zero impact receiver and below average pass blocker limits snap potential

-Lacks long speed

Grade: (68.575) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Comp: James Conner

Mohamed Ibrahim RB Minnesota

Positives

+Flexibility
+Hard back to bring down due to build and power

+Patience and vision

+Ball security

+Good pass blocker

Negatives

-Below average speed and acceleration

-Will not be involved in passing game at next level

-Achilles injury in 2021

-Age

-Severe size concerns

Red Flag: 2021 Achilles Injury

Grade: (68.45) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Evan Hull RB Northwestern

Positives

+Shows some average to above average level of patience

+Shows some cutting ability

+Shows some ability to absorb and power through contact

Negatives

-I just do not see the potential in him, I wouldn't even characterize as priority free agent

-Severe lack of speed and acceleration

-Stamina issues, burns out quickly on runs

Grade: (67.475) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

DeWayne McBride RB UAB

Positives

+Nice balance, hard to bring down

+Production

Negatives

-Limited athletic profile; issues with burst and long speed

-Lack the expected power; he will stay on his feet but not a guaranteed to power through defenders

-Late to identify lanes and make decisions, athletic limitations do not help issue

Grade: (63.3) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Camerun Peoples RB Appalachian State

Positives

+Size

+Has the balance and power to keep his feet moving and break tackles

+Captain

Negatives

-Underdeveloped vision and patience

-Lacks speed

-Lacks above average burst

-Doesn't get low enough in his hips to consistently find himself trucking people, but he certainly has the power and size to do it

-Lack of production and potential as

Grade: (62.4) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Wide Receivers

Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR Ohio State

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a smooth technician. Smith-Njigba operates largely from the slot, avoiding press coverage and allowing him to work and create more in space. He is a skilled route runner who can create separation, vary his tempo, possess outstanding hip sink, and operate in defensive backs' blind spots. Following the catch, the same athleticism, ability, and ingenuity seen in his routes is on display, while he is making people miss. He can also be really physical and pick up a few more yards. Smith-Njigba also possesses exceptionally reliable hands, especially in tight windows. He will play the slot primarily at the next level, he will not dominate 50/50 balls, and he does not appear to have the speed to take the top off the defense. He will be known for his well crafted routes and will operate in the middle of the field.

Positives

+Active at the point of contact against press man
+Active route runner with good hand fighting
+Advanced route runner who knows how to create separation, varies his tempo, has good hip sink, and operates in defensive backs blind spots
+Quickness
+Reliable hands, solid catching in traffic
+Ability to accelerate and decelerate at will

Areas of Improvement

-Unlikely to win 50/50 balls at an acceptable rate
-Likely to operate near exclusively out of slot at next level
-Straight line long speed; struggles to threaten deep consistently

Grade: (88.575) - 2nd Round Grade

Quentin Johnston WR TCU

Johnston is a lanky wide receiver with excellent speed and a strong center of gravity. This season, Johnston's drop percentage increased significantly, and while I wouldn't consider him the contested catch artist his size and leaping ability suggests; he has the potential to become one. He ran a restricted route tree at TCU, but his athleticism and hip sink at his stature, as well as his stop-start abilities, lead me to believe he can execute a significant number of routes well. Johnston's stature also benefits him after the catch, as he can fight past weak tacklers for extra yardage. Johnston's release at the line is a feature of his game; he has active hands, alters his motions, and his timing. His true speed is good, although it appears to be erratic from game to game. Johnston has deservedly ascended through the ranks this season and will have an immediate impact on any NFL offense on day one. The question will be if he fully develops into what his draft position would require of him.

Positives

+Size

+Elite after the catch receiver with great stop-start ability

+Has the ability to attack vertically, just needs to put it all together

+Speed

+Ability to fight through weak tacklers for extra yardage at a significant rate

+He has active hands, varies his movements and his timing in his release

+In-breaking routes are crisp and he gains great separation

+Potential to develop full and effective route tree

+Team captain

Areas of Improvement

-Limited and predictable route tree at TCU

-Will need to put in the work in to fulfill the potential many see in him

-Plagued by drop issues this past season; must work on technique

Grade: (88.45) - 2nd Round Grade

Josh Downs WR North Carolina

Josh Downs is so smooth that I couldn't believe it when I was watching him. I've never seen someone get off the line faster than him. I'm no fool though, it helps he was unimpeded most of the time. People may feel that his most dangerous characteristics are his speed and acceleration, but I believe it is his intelligence. The release he gets off the line is a combination of athletic ability and knowledge of the play and the quarterback's tendencies. He is skilled in the zone, reading defenses and finding open areas. In man, he excels in baiting and shaking defenders. Following the catch, he does well in identifying the easiest route; of course, his speed and acceleration make him nearly superhuman as he eliminates a multitude of pursuit angles. Also, don't be fooled by his height; Downs has the ability to get up and get the football, doing it with strength and outstanding timing to secure a high-point catch. Downs is a fun player to watch and someone you want on your team.

Positives

+Good speed

+Great acceleration

+Intelligent route runner in both zone and man coverage

+Foot quickness and sharp cuts with routes

+Willingness to put body on the line to make a catch

+Leaping ability

+High level yards after catch receiver; athletic ability eliminates most pursuit angles for defenders

Areas of Improvement

-Large amount of reps are out of the slot and getting free releases

-Size

Comp: Tyler Lockett/DeVonta Smith

Grade: (87.7) - 2nd Round Grade

Jordan Addison WR USC

There really isn't much you can't say about Addison. He is just a high level competitor who just seems to play harder and faster than the rest of those on the field. He hides a lot of physicality in that smaller frame. He has near instant acceleration into elite level speed. Within the route, he is able to utilize that speed, acceleration, and twitch to gain large amounts of separation. He has good hip sink in routes that require sharp changes in direction such as hitches, curls, and digs and as I stated before, the man refuses to be bullied. It's not always going to be perfect and he'll have a hard time winning some of the more 50/50 type balls because of his size, but you can be sure he will fight through anyone in his way. Lastly, he has good technique at the catch point. Line him up out wide, in the slot and put him in motion, no matter what you do with him just make sure you get him the ball because good things will happen.

Positives

+Instant accelerator
+Fine speed
+Deep ball tracking
+High level competitor who just seems to play harder than the rest of those on the field
+Within the route, he is able to utilize that quick twitch to gain large amounts of separation
+Understands how to work blind spots and create space with speed variance
+Hip sink
+Physicality for size is impressive
+Catching technique
+Punt returner

Areas of Improvement

-Frame
-Size is limiting factor
-While he displays some physicality he cannot be relied on to be a 50/50 ball type player

Grade: (86.725) - 2nd Round Grade

Zay Flowers WR Boston College

Flowers will most likely begin his NFL career in the slot as a deep threat to avoid press coverage because his frame is concerning. It's easy to envision him having the potential to be an outstanding playmaker in terms of yards after catch, therefore a team will look to create touches for him. Getting vertical, Flowers does an excellent job of dissecting a defensive back by working leverage, momentum, and blind spots. Flowers' hands haven't been the most consistent, and his intermediate and outside routes don't always have the same crispness as his deep and short ones. The ability is cool, however the drops need to be cleaned up.

Positives

+Great Speed

+It's easy to envision him having the potential to be an outstanding playmaker in terms of yards after catch
+Getting vertical, Flowers does an excellent job of dissecting a defensive back by working leverage, momentum, and blind spots
+Crisp deep and short routes

+Ball tracking is an asset

Areas of Improvement

+Good contact balance and the strength to out muscle opponents to break tackles

+Potential for scheme and alignment versatility

+Intelligent zone route runner, has knack for finding soft spots

+Quick feet

+Excels at catching balls throw behind him, never seen someone as good as him

Positives

+Prior to 2022 he showed he could easily achieve his top speed

+Prior to 2022 he was an intelligent route runner; had the ability to make hard cuts, and varied his route timing

+Skilled while playing the boundary with high level feet and body control

+Plus blocker

+Prior to 2022 he has a strong base, high end flexibility and quickness, ability to break tackles, projects well to be an impact YAC receiver.

Areas of Improvement

-Horrendous 2022 season

-Horrific combine; however I think he did a horrible job preparing

-Combination of 2022 season and combine have brought out serious questions

-Lacks the ability to go up and attack the ball

-Underdeveloped release against press man; can get bullied

-Needs to utilize his strength more within the route, can be pushed off his line

-Must find consistent play strength
-Tape and statistics back many short routes, wasn't able to add up yards after the catch like you might expect from a player of this type.

-Hasn't yet put it all together; has the tools, but refinement is needed

Grade: (77.575) - 4th Round Grade

Bryce Ford-Wheaton WR West Virginia

Positives

+Lethal combination of size and athleticism

+Strong

+Good feet and body control

+Extends his hands and attack's the ball to make the catch

+Teams main target

+Feel like he was limited by offense and what was surrounding him

Areas of Improvement

-Lots of growth needed for him in his ability to separate, lacks technique in his routes and release of the line of scrimmage

-Concentration drops

-Lacks production after the catch

Grade: (77.4) - 4th Round Grade

Puka Nacua WR BYU

Positives

+Size
+Good route runner who utilizes his strength while hand fighting
+After the catch Nacua is abitlty to break and avoid tackles
+Good hands
+Leaping ability
+Body control

Areas of Improvement

-High slot usage
-Lacks a marquee trait

-Significant accelerations issues

Grade: (76.9) - 4th Round Grade

Dontayvion Wicks WR Virginia

Positives

+Vertical threat; good speed and ability to go vertical and high point ball

+Able to out-muscle his defender
+Size and athletic ability combination
+Release shows the ability to break down his man at the line with suddenness and strength to begin to gain separation
+Ability to make men miss

Areas of Improvement

+Significant straight-line speed; elite with no regard to size

+Has some wiggle to him, hard to bring down after the catch if you grab from waist or above

+Nice leaping ability

Areas of Improvement

-Hands are an issue, especially in traffic

-Limited route tree
-Route running technique needs improvement
-Ball control issues, feels like he plays a little too loose with it when he has it

Grade: (74.1) - 5th Round Grade

Rakim Jarrett WR Maryland

Positives

+Some have concerns about athletic ability, specifically speed and acceleration, I do not share these concerns, I believe he is more tactful in how he plays then a lot of other people and see him as a cool and calculated receiver and athlete
+Body and feet control
+Run after the catch and the ability to break tackles

Areas of Improvement

-Limited route tree
-Route running technique needs improvement
-Has some issue in contested catch situations
-Tends to opt for body catches; has significant drop issues

Grade: (74.1) - 5th Round Grade

Dontay Demus Jr. WR Mayland

Positives

+Big body wide receiver with plus body control
+Enough speed to break free
+Play strength after the catch to break through arm tackles and absorb hits and keep moving
+Nice deep ball tracking

Areas of Improvement

-Limited route tree
-Working back from injury this season took a significant toll on production
-You must hope he continues to improve to pre-injury form and capture who he once was

Red Flag: Significant knee injury

Grade: (73) - 5th Round Grade

Michael Wilson WR Stanford

Positives

+Nice athlete
+Good size
+Interesting route runner who displays high level of positional intelligence
+Does well to manipulate defender with release and route tempo changes
+I believe he has a chance to be a much better pro player than college

Areas of Improvement

-Injuries hampered development
-Drop issues
-Issues separating in man coverage
-Lack of production for perceived talent

Grade: (69.975) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Ronnie Bell WR Michigan

Positives

+Speed
+Willingness to block
+Strength and ability after the catch

Areas of Improvement

-Lot of his reps came from free releases out of slot
-Issues keeping his speed through his breaks
-Significant issues with catching through contact

Grade: (69.625) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Tight Ends

Michael Mayer (In-Line/Vertical Threat) TE Notre Dame

Positives

+Good positional speed

+Strong route runner; does well to setup his opposition

+Flashes elite level hands and excels through traffic

+Great eye discipline in tracking the football

+Has some after the catch ability due to tackle breaking ability

+Fantastic blocker; found greater success in gap runs

+Experience in all three tight end alignments, projects as an in-line designation but could easily operate as vertical threat.

Areas of Improvement

-Below average size a bit of a concerns as he likely projects as in-line tight end at next level due to limited explosiveness

Grade: (91.425) - 1st Round Grade

Dalton Kincaid (Move) TE Utah

Positives

+Move tight end who'll operate mostly as a "big slot" to gain the strongest advantage against slower linebackers and smaller defensive backs

+Hall of fame level hands, great catch in traffic abilities with stellar ball tracking

+Good explosiveness of the line, quick too accelerate

+Able to power through weak tackles and gain extra yards

+Deceptive and fluid route runner

Areas of Improvement

-Poor blocker, would be considered liability if given task, growth is needed

-Strength must improve

Grade: (88.725) - 2nd Round Grade

Luke Musgrave (Move) TE Oregon State

Positives

+Great size; it will allow him to lineup in any alignment

+Early success will come as move tight end due to athleticism and receiving abilities

+Great speed and high end athleticism

+Explosive, nice flexibility; and sharp cuts

Areas of Improvement

-Lack of career snaps

-Play strength and contact avoidance seem to be a bit of an issue

-Wish he played stronger during route and after the catch

-Development needed as a run blocker

Comp: Mike Gesicki

Grade: (86.375) - 2nd Round Grade

Darnell Washington (In-Line) TE Georgia

Positives

+Monstrous size with freakish athleticism

+Good hands

+Ability to drive defenders is unrivaled in class

+Matchup nightmare as he is bigger than everyone else and equally athletic for most part

Areas of Improvement

-Behind even better tight end limited usage and production, will need time to completely develop technique

-Change of direction at size can be lumbering at time

-Over-extending blocker at this moment; edge rushers who are smart will set him up to take advantage

Comp: Frankenstein's Monster

Grade: (86.3) - 2nd Round Grade

Luke Schoonmaker (Move/In-line) TE Michigan

Positives

+I believe will offer NFL way more positional flexibility, underutilized at Michigan

+Great size

+High level athlete with fantastic acceleration

+Skilled route runner with great flexibility, understands setting up defenders leverage and momentum and how he can gain advantages

+Greater run block success in gap scheme

Areas of Improvement

-Lacks aggressiveness in all facets

-Plays poorly through contact, wish he was stronger after the catch at a more consistent level

-Body catcher, improving catching with his hands will lead to better production in contested situations

Grade: (84.275) - 2nd Round Grade

Sam Laporta (Seam Threat) TE Iowa

Positives

+Creative route runner with use of head fakes, stutters, and route timing adjustments
+Smooth footwork off of release and with routes
+Large hands with the hope of fixing technique
+Great speed
+High level change of direction ability

Areas of Improvement

-Under sized

-Poor hands, struggles to haul in contested balls

-With his size and strength deficiencies the return is just not there as an in-line tight end

Grade: (81.1) - 3rd Round Grade

Tucker Kraft (Vertical Threat) TE South Dakota State

Positives

+Good hands; strong in contested situation

+Nice strength level to combat tacklers and defenders during run plays

+Solid athlete with good speed and athleticism

+Passable blocker with solid projections to get to a above average level at the minimum

+Good size

Areas of Improvement

-Routes need to be tighter, can be lumbering at times and will drift on hitches

-Still developing as a blocker

-Missed games this past season due to high ankle sprain

Grade: (80.75) - 3rd Round Grade

Zach Kuntz (Move) TE Old Dominion

Positives

+Near incomparable size and athleticism combination

+Low drop rate

+Interesting route runner who shows promise

Areas of Improvement

-A lot of chunkiness to his game at the moment; catching technique must improve

-Must work to release off the snap with speed and strength

-Lacks strength within his routes and at catch point

-Must add muscle

-Raw feels like understatement at this point

Red Flag: Undisclosed right knee injury that required season ending surgery

Grade: (78.825) - 4th Round Grade

Will Mallory (Move) TE Miami

Positives

+Elite athlete with speed that catches defenders off guard and good leaping ability

+Oily hips allow him to contort body and activate sharp and sudden cuts at the top of his routes

+Strong hands

Areas of Improvement

-Played out of position at Miami

-Absolute liability as a blocker

-Needs to add strength

-Limited scheme and roles available for his type of player

Grade: (78.375) - 4th Round Grade

Brenton Strange (Seam Threat) TE Penn State

Positives

+Great hands

+Good speed

+Snappiness to his game, quick off the snap and limits any wasted motion at the top of his routes

+Willing blocker with potential for development there

Areas of Improvement

-Undersized

-Limited change of direction abilities

Grade: (77.9) - 4th Round Grade

Davis Allen (In-line) TE Clemson

Positives

+Flashes near perfect hands

+Fantastic leaping ability

+Aggressive catcher with excellent body control to make tough catches and high point the ball

+Plus size

+Good blocker, intelligent

Areas of Improvement

-Snaps happened more frequently off of the line of scrimmage, so the NFL will be a transition

-Lacks speed and agility, will struggle to separate at the next level

-Liability as a pass blocker

Grade: (76.025) - 4th Round Grade

Payne Durham (In-line) TE Purdue

Positives

+Excellent hands

+Strong in contested situations

+Football IQ

Areas of Improvement

-Limited athlete, low upside

-Run blocking must improve

Grade: (71.2) - 6th Round Grade

Offensive Tackles

Peter Skoronski OT/OG Northwestern

Positives

+Explosive kick out of stance, gets to mark quickly

+Elite pass blocker, nice hand placement and counters to neutralize defenders

+Fluid mover with great athleticism

+Nastiness to his game

+Excels at snuffing inside moves, feels almost useless to attempt it he's that good

+Nice spatial awareness; does good job of passing off and receiving defenders

Areas of Improvement

-Lack of length is a serious issue with him that plagues his tape

-Defenders can get into his body quite frequently and issues anchoring when that happen

-Lack of length can lead to over extending and head down run blocking

-Size says guard, skill set says tackle

Grade: (91.225) - 1st Round Grade

Paris Johnson Jr OT/OG Ohio State

Positives

+Great size with supreme length for the position

+Nice athlete with good explosiveness to him

+Operated with no called penalties last season

+Solid pass blocker; he operates mostly with short sets protecting his inside lane as he has the athletic ability and footwork to mirror edge defender around corner

+Successful blocker in both Gap and Zone schemes

+He is a finisher, will go find work when he has none

+Nice awareness

Areas of Improvement

-Power consistency is an issue

-Slow hands and poor placement, especially his outside hand

-Average anchor that gets him backed up

-Defaults to leaning and weight usage once his hands fail

Grade: (89.175) - 2nd Round Grade

Darnell Wright OT Tennessee

Positives

+Finds success in things you'd never teach

+Excellent pass blocker, fantastic footwork, operates calmly, great hand placement

+Great length and holds weight really well

+Fantastic athlete even more impressive when you factor in size even compared to his position mates

+Plus anchor

+Good natural strength

Areas of Improvement

-Questionable run defender, tends to lead head first leading to an unbalanced approach

-Limited power punch

Grade: (88.1) - 2nd Round Grade

Anton Harrison OT Oklahoma

Positives

+I love guys who are self aware of their strengths and weaknesses and constantly get themselves in position to succeed

+Strong hands, able to clamp down defenders

+Unbelievable anchor

+He may lack power but he has some fire in him

Areas of Improvement

-Tested well enough but visibly limited on field; lacks explosives

-Highly penalized in pass protection, likely to only climb at next level due to athletic limitations

-Lacks power, effort and continuous drive help but the lack of pop on contact and natural power are noticeable

Grade: (85.65) - 2nd Round Grade

Cody Mauch OT/OG North Dakota State

Positives

+Has the nastiness to his game

+Fantastic athleticism

+Solid run blocker who is best on the move

+Positional flexibility at guard and tackle

Areas of Improvement

-Limited size

-Hand placement is highly erratic and inconsistent, looks like his arms are windmills out there

-Inconsistent anchor from the tackle position

-Move to guard may be in best interest

Grade: (80.35) - 3rd Round Grade

Blake Freeland OT BYU

Positives

+Mountain of a man with room for growth
+Great testing athleticism
+Active hands

Areas of Improvement

-Tends to overset
-Struggles to recover inside; athleticism struggles to stop his top heavy momentum
-Anchoring ability is subpar
-Leaves you wishing for more in all areas of play

Grade: (78.7) - 3rd Round Grade

Braeden Daniels OT/OG Utah

Positives

+Excellent athlete
+Potential as blocker out in space
+Successful pass blocker
+Surprisingly fine anchor for size
+Quick and continuous counter moves

Areas of Improvement

-Significantly undersized, sub-300lb
-Plays with some reckless abandonment
-His high energy still tends to become overly frantic quickly

Grade: (78.7) - 4th Round Grade

Asim Richards OT North Carolina

Positives

+Good length
+Nice anchoring ability; good lower half balance
+Does well to seal the edge
+Good power levels

Areas of Improvement

-Limited lateral mobility
-Hands tend to come in wide
-Can rise of out his stance too much falls to gain leverage and drive

Grade: (75.275) - 4th Round Grade

Carter Warren OT Pitt

Positives

+Fantastic length
+Throws independent hands with some power
+Fine anchor in pass protection

Areas of Improvement

-Limited athlete
-Rises too far out of his stance in run blocking, limits his leverage ability
-Cumulative ability suggest low potential

Grade: (75.275) - 4th Round Grade

Nick Saldiveri OT/OG Old Dominion

Positives

+Great size that allows him some positional flexibility

+Fantastic athlete for the position

+Has above average understanding of pass protection

+Shows potential in recovery ability

Areas of Improvement

-Late and wide hands that lack punch

+Fantastic athlete
+Potential as move blocker

Areas of Improvement

-Liability on the field at the moment
-Horrendous pass blocker; throws slow and weak hands and struggles to sustain any level of his anchor
-Fails to capitalize on athletic gifts as a run blocker; he struggles to gain leverage; blind blocks; and will shoot and whiff with both hands
-A bit undersized

Grade: (62.2) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Interior Offensive Lineman

O'Cyrus Torrence OG Florida

Positives

+Exceptional size for the guard position

+Absolutely monstrous hands

+Strong pass protector who throws independent heavy hands

+Strong run defender, shows great strength levels, is an expert at walling off defenders

+Finisher who will go find work

+Great anchor and recovery ability

Areas of Improvement

-Poor athlete

-Can struggle when he finds himself in the second level just a bit

-Can struggle to protect B-gap against elite athletes

Grade: (88) - 2nd Round Grade

Ricky Stromberg OC Arkansas

Positives

+Fine size for center position

+Fantastic athlete

+Has great core strength; shows the ability to move and wall off defenders

+Establishes leverage with ease, incredible drive block ability

+Great balance and anchor

Areas of Improvement

-Hands must improve, they lack pop too

-Must continue to work for better position and counter defenders moves

-On occasion can find himself stretching himself to far or needing to throw his body at the defender with no technique due to early loss

Grade: (87.4) - 2nd Round Grade

Steve Avila OG/C TCU

Positives

+Very good size; great frame

+Fine athlete, has the ability to move swiftly at the point of attack

+High level play strength

+Fantastic balance and anchor; does a great job of fighting off length from defense

Areas of Improvement

-Athletic liability on the field

-Needs to work on continuously adjusting and bettering positioning, you'll often see him try to sustain off his first contact. With how much of a jump in talent and athleticism there will be at NFL level doing this must change for continued success

Grade: (75.85) - 4th Round Grade

-Desire to be a finisher is sporadic at best

Grade: (71.875) - 6th Round Grade

Olusegun Oluwatimi C Michigan

Positives

+Good attacking IQ, moves from one block to the next seamlessly

+Has the explosiveness to operate effectively in "phone booth" setting

+Shows fine power; establishes leverage and nice drive ability

+Good size for center role

Areas of Improvement

-Operating outside the A gaps shows his athletic limitations

-Small hands hurt his ability to generate power and sustain blocks

-No real standout trait to push him over the edge as a prospect

-Lapses in pass protection leave me scratching my head

Grade: (70.5) - 6th Round Grade

Juice Scruggs C Penn State

Positives

+Good size

+Displays nice vision to support teammates to generate double teams

+Shown fine strength levels

Areas of Improvement

-Struggles to drive block

-Limited athlete

-Consistent ability in pass protection is a large question mark

Grade: (69.8) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Anthony Bradford OG LSU

Positives

+Great size, wide body

+Nice tested athlete

+Demonstrates great power

+Shows the ability to recover and anchor, it just needs to happen too often

Areas of Improvement

-Throws inconsistent hands

-Functional game athleticism is no where near where he tested, shows real limitations

-Leverage and balance issues plague his tape

Grade: (69.075) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Jon Gaines II OG UCLA

Positives

+Great size for the position

+Elite athlete has the potential to thrive as a move blocker at next level

Areas of Improvement

-Very raw

-Poor posture, heavy learn in pass protection and in run blocking

-Struggles to sink hips in pass protection and in run blocking, stays to high failing to gain good leverage and anchor

-Feet must connect with mind and hands more, struggles to maintain B-gap

-Lacks the ability to sustain blocks, his hand placement must improve and his grip as well

Grade: (67.3) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

McClendon Curtis OG Tennessee-Chattanooga

Positives

+Prototypical tackle size, hope for the eventual versatility

+Hands can and do operate independently

Areas of Improvement

-Rawest offensive lineman in class that I've seen

-Slow reaction time and slow hands

-Lack proper technique

-Footwork is inconsistent in both run and pass

-Feels like he doesn't know where to be sometimes

-Lack of athleticism is apparent

Grade: (61.225) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Edge Rushers

Will Anderson Jr Edge Alabama

The power Will Anderson Jr. displays night in and night out is absolutely thrilling; he seems to be an unstoppable force. The only thing greater than Anderson's power is his burst and when your athleticism and strength just overwhelm your opponents by this much you naturally rely on these traits over technique because you can. While others may have some small concerns over Anderson's current pass rush move development I do not share those concerns. When he needed to deploy moves they were quick, powerful, and most importantly highly effective. I believe his hand placement and usage is better than some make it out to be and his potential makes him a scary player too go against. What I really admire most about Will Anderson is his ability against the run where you can see his intelligence on the field and how he really plays within the scheme to do his job first and then make a play after that job is successful. His power and stout lower half give him tremendous balance and make him virtually immovable. Additionally, his effort to break down double teams is outstanding. The concerns you come away with from watching Anderson is his size, people will question his ability to line up full time at 4-3 end. Lastly, Anderson's ability to bend, specifically in his hips is a bit of a concern. The ability to corner is highly important at the next level and the better tackles in the league will seek the weak point.

Positives

+Unrivaled power; he truly seems to outmatch everyone's strength level

+Elite level get off; reported 10.7mph on GPS when tracked going 0-5 yards

+Highly intelligent against both the pass and the run

+Plays within the scheme and does well to do his job for the betterment of the defense and then focus' on making the play

+When he needed to deploy pass rush moves they were quick, powerful, and effective

+Good hand usage, attacks the wrist, high level lift move

+Dominate rip move

+Powerful and stout lower half give him great balance; he is an immovable object

+Effort while attacking double teams

Negatives

-Size to play 4-3 end full time

-Hip flexibility; his hip stiffness does him no favors when attempting to corner

-Myth was greater than who he really is

Grade: (94.25) - 1st Round Grade

Nolan Smith Edge Georgia

Nolan Smith is a bit of a surprise because at his size he is a stout run defender. He has great natural strength that he uses to set a strong edge. He is a good tackler and has the power to lay some jarring hits. His go to move seems to be attack towards the inside which is advantageous towards stopping the run. Where Smith needs to find consistency and develop more is against the pass. He is an athletic pass rusher with great burst and bend when it's utilized, it rarely is, its just what he was asked to do sadly. He has a high motor and active hands, but lacks moves and consistent placement. Smith's development as a pass rusher will dictate how good of a pick he will be, but I know there will certainly be coaches out there who would love to tap into his raw potential.

Positives

+Athleticism

+Natural strength and power, giving ability to set strong edge in run defense and dish out hard hits upon making tackle

+Improvement as pass rusher from 2021 to 2022

+Burst and bend are both at a high level when utilized

+Motor

+Active hands

+Ability to drop into coverage and make plays

+Ability to quickly shed blocks

+Tackling

Negatives

-Consistency as a pass rusher

-Hand placement, pass rush moves, and counters have lacked in development due to lack of reps
-Correct and consistent use of his athletic ability

-Needs better pass rush plan, must utilize his bend more often (project this will come in better situation at next level)

-Size/Frame is concerning

Grade: (93.65) - 1st Round Grade

Felix Anudike-Uzomah Edge Kansas State

Felix Anudike-Uzomah plays hard and I believe he'll be even better at the next level. Anudike-Uzomah played well in a 3-4 scheme but given his size and attributes he looks to be most effective as a classic edge rusher. He is a high level athlete with top tier bend and when he times it right, he plays like he's been shot out of a cannon. I say when he times it right because I believe that snap timing is his biggest issue and what holds him back, but this is a trait that can be improved with coaching, reps, and film. As a pass rusher he displays good refinement and utilizes vast amounts of pass rush tools to beat his opponent. In the run game he display good tackling and speed to power conversion that jostles opposition leading him to make plays. However, sometimes his energy and lack of patience can backfire on him leading to a poor play. Anudike-Uzomah has serious potential to be a full time edge player at the next level and I see him making that impact quickly.

Positives

+Highly athletic

+Bend

+Refined pass rush moves with full tool chest

+High energy guy; will constantly make plays in second level

+Good tackler

+Speed to power conversation

+Experience and success at 3-4 edge while being more suited for 4-3 edge work

Negatives

-Must find consistency at snap of football; far too many instances where he is last man off the line; has the athletic ability to be better

-Energy and lack of patience in run game effects his ability to do his jobs to make sure the team can make a play

Grade: (90.675) - 1st Round Grade

BJ Ojulari Edge LSU

BJ Ojulari brings violence to nearly every play; he is easily someone I want on my team. Ojulari is a creative pass rusher who uses speed rushes, chops, spins, rips, and more whether they are orthodox or unorthodox, to beat his blocker. To describe him as creative feels like I am underselling it a bit. He is also strong, with elite hand and grip strength that gives him a good rip move along with allowing him to bring down runners. He is a good athlete with good flexibility and bend when trying to turn the corner. As a run defender his size hurts him but the traits are there and he is such a great tackler I foresee him seeing some time on all three downs. I am a lot higher on Ojulari because when you combine the polish to the pure violent energy he brings each play I don't see how you can't love and project big things for this type of football player.

Positives

+Flexibility and bend to corner at a high level
+Violent edge rusher that deploys a number of moves at a high level and deploys counters at a high level (speed rushes, chops, spins, rips, and more)

+Creative pass rusher to set up blocker

+Violent tackler

+Strong, powerful hands

+Patient run defender

+Can drop into spot coverage

Negatives

-Size is more limiting

-Maintaining his gap integrity in run game

Grade: (90.6) - 1st Round Grade

Keion White Edge Georgia Tech

At edge rusher you're always looking for that one guy who shows the sparks and has even more untapped potential, the answer in this years class may very well be Keion White. He is large but his compact shoulders limit his surface area for offensive lineman to attack, and he has high level intelligence that even allows him to drop into coverage. His ability to get off the line is outstanding regardless of size and he displays a relentless nature when his sole focus is to attack. He comes prepared ever rush where his technique and speed to power conversion can overwhelm. Double teams do not discourage him in the slightest either. All this from a guy who started playing the position in 2019 is stunning, sky is the limit.

Positives

+Highly skilled for someone so new to the position, has untapped potential on top of this

+Great size but his compact shoulders limit his surface area for offensive lineman to attack

+Highly intelligent against the pass and run, will break off into coverage if he senses something and doesn't look out of his depth

+Ability to get off the line is outstanding regardless of size

+Relentless when asked to attack

+Fearless; will combat and defeat double teams

+Well crafted pass rusher

+Speed to power conversion

Negatives

-High level win rate without being able to finish the play

-Can loose the leverage game

-Still learning, the next level will be another challenge entirely for him

Grade: (89.275) - 2nd Round Grade

Tyree Wilson Edge Texas Tech

Tyree Wilson brings the holy trinity of edge rusher make-up; size, power, and high end athleticism. Wilson isn't just big he is long and he utilizes the trait well to establish himself in the trenches. He displays powerful hands when he punches along with a strong grip. Wilson's athletic ability is also notable as he displays nice bend for his size and he accelerates quickly; however, he must learn to time the snap better on his pass rushes as he is late far too often. His overwhelming power, size, effort, and athleticism are going to draw teams in. His need for serious refinement as a pass rusher, inconsistent pad level, high tackling issues, and a new broken bone in his foot may end up tipping the scales in another closely rated prospects direction for some teams. My grading formula and scale is not kind to him and I have him much lower than others. I hope to see him outperform where I have him.

Positives

+Athleticism

+Size; scheme versatility

+Length

+Power hands and strong grip

+High motor

+Flexibility

+Acceleration

Negatives

-Significant refinement needed as pass rusher (Pass rush plan, move development, hand placement, timing the snap)

-Inconsistent pad level due to size; can zap power due to loss in leverage

-High tackler leading to missed and inefficient takedowns

Red Flags: Broken bone in his foot. Attempted to play through, but on advice from doctors the situation needed surgery

Grade: (88.525) - 2nd Round Grade

Myles Murphy Edge Clemson

At Myles Murphy's size it is quite a sight to see his get off at the line of scrimmage, at the snap of the ball it's a near guarantee he's the first defensive player to react. Murphy also brings with him the ability to steamroll offensive lineman with his powerful bull rush. Murphey keeps his eyes on the football at all times as he's constantly attacking it trying to make a play. I really want to fall in love with him as a prospect, but there is just something in the back of my head causing me to pause. It could be the hip tightness but he just needs to find that next level of consistency, finish at a higher level and his tackling must improve.

Positives

+Size and athletic ability allow for scheme versatility
+Powerful lower half
+Heavy hands

+Active pass rush moves; will deploy counters
+Elite burst of the line; virtual guarantee he's the first defensive player moving off the snap
+Effective bull rusher
+Effective in the run game
+Attacks the football to cause turnover

Negatives

-Needs higher level of consistency

-Some hip tightness

-Tackling improvement needed

Grade: (87.675) - 2nd Round Grade

Derick Hall Edge Auburn

Derick Hall has a good frame and great length. He has a quick first step and the compact frame combined with his athleticism he has a nice speed to power conversation. Hall does have issues as he has an attack mentality. There are moments where he may blindly put his head down and just attack and if he doesn't get a good start or land his move his power can be zapped. I think Hall has a future as a pass rusher whose athletic ability allows you to get creative lining him up all over the formation giving him some schemed up pressure.

Positives

+Quick first step

+Better flexibility then others believe; I believe build, posture, and gait lead give people misconceptions on this ability

+Speed to power conversation

+Compact frame

+High level production

Negatives

-Underdeveloped pass rusher whose athletic abilities have gotten him this far

-Technique issues leading to leverage problems prevent him from being his best self versus the run

-Attacks without a plan

-Tackling

Grade: (87.125) - 2nd Round Grade

Lukas Van Ness Edge Iowa

Lukas Van Ness is an interesting case. Not a starter but considered by some the best lineman on team, certainly the most productive. He is a power rusher whose size allows him to play up and down the defensive line. Van Ness desperately needs to find consistency in my opinion. I tend to disagree with most here, but as a pass rusher and run stopper his power can come and go, but when it's there it's a sight to behold. Against the run he does a nice job of stacking blocks and doing his job. This is game to game however as some games you'll see him consistently loose gap integrity either of his own accord or an offensive lineman escorting him out of the way. He must also improve his ability to shed blocks. Reps and coaching has a chance to get Van Ness where others expect him to get to, I just don't think he's the guy to go all in for at the top of the draft.

Positives

+Versatility; he has the ability and the experience playing positions all across the defensive line, and he has the size to play a variety of positions

+Power rusher

+Ability to stack blockers is high level

+Athletic ability is above average for his size and build

+When he is on he brings a do not quit attitude allows him to make plays others would never

+All the negatives listed can be improved with increase in reps; something he lacked in college

Negatives

-Must continue to find consistent hand placement

-Lacks counter moves when he begins to stall

-Loses gap integrity in run game either of his own accord or an offensive lineman escorting him out of the way.

-Must improve block shedding

Grade: (86.975) - 2nd Round Grade

Nick Herbig Edge Wisconsin

Herbig is certainly one of my favorite players in this draft. How others see him depends on their analysis of his skill versus his size and whether they project he can play at edge in the NFL; I believe that he can and at a high level. Herbig is a tremendous athlete with great speed, burst, and bend, these are the hallmarks of his pass rush skill. He is a strong tackler, plays the run well and has legit speed to power conversion at can cause offensive lineman twice his size to stumble. His size will be the ultimate factor in how you play him and where you play him. He has the attitude and skill to play all three downs, special teams and even possibly as a full time linebacker. As an edge he had high level production, I see him as a highly effective undersized edge at the next level and hope others agree.

Positives

+High level speed and burst off the line

+High level bend

+Elite level speed to power conversion

+Strong tackler

+Smart run defender

+Athletic enough and has the projectable traits to transition to linebacker if needed

+Effort

+Would be ill-advised to block him with a tight end or running back even at his size

Negatives

-Size will affect draft status and whether people believe he can be a starting level pass rusher

-Doesn't have natural strength that comes with added weight so he can be overpowered

Comp: Haason Reddick

Grade: (86.9) - 2nd Round Grade

Will McDonald IV Edge Iowa State

Will McDonald was played out of position a good bit at Iowa State. It's really unfortunate because he is a talented pass rusher but he provides almost no value as a run defender. He is highly ineffective, abysmal really. He is a thinner framed pass rusher with a longer wingspan than one would project. He lacks natural power and even with the longer wingspan struggles to gain a drop of leverage. He has the potential to be so much more, I hope he can realize it.

Positives

+Highly athletic; great bend and flexibility at the hips and ankles

+Good cornering ability, but brings good ability to decelerate when a cut back lane appears

+Wicked spin move that is his go to

+Will deploy counter moves

+Large wingspan

Negatives

-Thinner frame

-Abysmal run defender; lacks raw strength

-Length advantage is virtually nonexistent; easily moved off line of scrimmage; has no leveraging abilities

-Tackling issues

-Future will be situational pass rusher only if he cannot start utilizing his advantages

Grade: (86.55) - 2nd Round Grade

Mike Morris Edge Michigan

Morris brings great size and high efficiency pass rusher. Morris has the size and the talent to play every position along the defensive line. He has great burst for his size and the speed to power conversion is pretty evident as he pushes his opposition back and out of the way with relative ease. While he doesn't have much bend to his hips; he is still able to corner because of the great jump he gets off the line and because of his balance and core strength, it is incredibly difficult to knock him off his line. Morris will need to become more consistent as a run defender to play on all three downs and short yardage but he physically has the tools.

Positives

+Elite combination of size and athletic ability

+High level burst off the line regardless of size

+Speed to power conversion is deadly

+Incredible balance and core strength; he is hard to more from his path to the quarterback

+Versatility to lineup along defensive line

+His weighted true pass rush pressure rating, a statistic I developed to track players pressure rates with an attempt to remove outside effect, is the highest by a wide margin this year at 35.68% for those with similar or higher snap counts. He was able to turn those pressures to sacks at a high rate as well.

Negatives

-Hip flexibility is questionable

-Will have no business dropping into coverage

-Must work towards become a consistent run defender

Grade: (86.325) - 2nd Round Grade

Zach Harrison Edge Ohio State

I understand that my words carry little weight at this point in time as I continue to grow and learn as an evaluator, but someone has to explain to me how everyone has seemingly just stopped caring about Zach Harrison. I mean he is an athletic freak for his size and after a year of watching Walker go with the first overall pick you'll find me a little shocked to see someone with this combination of athleticism and size not higher on people's boards. I have to admit, Harrison is far from refined in really all aspects of the game, but he is really an interesting prospect and if you truly trust your team to develop players it be hard for me to pass up on a guy like this.

Positives

+Elite level length; ability to create great separation

+High level speed to power conversation

+Burst off the line of scrimmage

+Power

+Ability to corner for size

+Tackling

+Pursuit

+Versatility to lineup along defensive line

+Reps and coaching can get him to where he can have high end impact every down

Negatives

-Ankles more flexible than hips

-Will get too far up field

-Must rush with better plan and deploy counters, if first attempt fails he is basically done within the normal structure of play

Grade: (85.6) - 2nd Round Grade

Isaiah McGuire Edge Missouri

If McGuire doesn't already have a nickname then I nominate we start calling him "The Craftsman," because whatever tool you need he certainly has it. Highly creative edge that uses every part of his body to manipulating his opposing lineman to find an opening. He is a technically refined pass rusher with a large amount of moves he can choose from with a high degree of skill. He is a fine attacking athlete with good burst and even better bend; however does struggle with change of direction and pursuit into the second level. I love McGuire's game and see big things in his future.

Positives

+Refined pass rusher with good production via advanced statistics

+Nice bend when cornering

+Length and ability to successfully stack and shed blockers

+Produces effective power rush move

+Technically refined pass rusher; will deploy counters

+Team Captain

Negatives

-Consistent effort, not an edge player you'll see making tackles in the second level

-Change of direction issues

-Inconsistent power and leverage, can lose gap integrity in the run game by being moved off his spot or his over aggressiveness.

Grade: (85.225) - 2nd Round Grade

Isaiah Foskey Edge Notre Dame

Isaiah Foskey is a versatile and smart defender and edge rusher. His plan for pass rushing revolves around the simple concept of effect the quarterback and do not allow him in front of him. This concept has allowed Foskey to find success and convert many of his attempts into pressures and those pressures into sacks. He has active hands as a pass rusher and I would say has a knack for chops and a high level stab move that works against the run as well allowing him to control the offensive player. He has good athletic ability, but I fall back on his intelligence being his greatest trait. I do believe he needs to speed things up. I know he has it in him but it is frustrating to see someone so gifted not play at near his top potential, I believe he can be overly methodical so it slows down his results.

Positives

+Size; scheme versatility, ability to drop into coverage

+Powerful stab move that allows him to stun and control blockers

+Effective speed and power chops

+Highly intelligent pass rusher and run stopper

+Maintains planned pass rush lane to effect QB as much as possible without being driven outside the possible QB dropback path

+Patience in run game

Negatives

-He needs to speed things up. I know he has it in him, I believe he can be overly methodical so it slows down his results.

-Must improve as a tackler

Grade: (83.65) - 3rd Round Grade

Byron Young Edge Tennessee

As it stands currently Bryon Young's forte is as a pure speed rusher. His burst and bend belong in the upper tiers of this class. He also displays great intelligence and communication as he regular is communicating across the line making adjustments and calling out what he sees. He projects well as a 3-4 edge. He is far from developed; he'll need to develop pass rush moves and utilize counters to be successful at the next level. As far as a run defender, he is a strong tackler but lacks natural power and at this time has leverage issues. I do not foresee a strong impact during his first few years in the NFL. Young also needs to improve he readiness pre-snap, too many times he loses the advantage of his burst because of him not being set or a false step off the snap. With coaching and reps he will rush the passer at a high level.

Positives

+High effort

+Acceleration

+Bend

+Ability to drop into coverage

+Intelligent; highly communicative with teammates pre-snap

+Strong tackler

Negatives

-Needs to improve he readiness pre-snap, too many times he loses the advantage of his burst because of him not being set or a false step off the snap

-Underdeveloped pass rusher whose athletic abilities have gotten this far

-Lacks raw strength and technique issues leading to leverage problems currently make him a liability against the run

Grade: (83.45) - 3rd Round Grade

Andre Carter II Edge Army

Andre Carter is a twitched up edge rusher that loves to corner. The issue with Carter is that athleticism seems to be the only way he knows how to win right now. Do not get me wrong, Carter is a good athlete with great bend and a nice get off at the line. But the lack of strength to maintain his spot and drive back blockers gives me concern along with a lack of refinement in his pass rush plan and moves. The traits are there to develop an effective pass rusher. Carter also gives you some value in his ability to drop in coverage, but as of now he not someone I'd trust out there completely. He's a work in progress that has good college production and high end athletic ability; he's exactly what you look for in a late day two pick.

Positives

+High end athletic ability that allows him to drop into coverage

+Bend

+Burst off the line of scrimmage

+Production

+Untapped potential

Negatives

-Lacks refinement; pass rush plan is underdeveloped

-Tries to win with athleticism; must develop pass rush moves and counters to be successful at next level

-Lacks the strength to drive blockers back

-Lacks the strength to maintain gap and shed blocks

-Needs to add strength in both lower and top half

-Tackling

Grade: (83.3) - 3rd Round Grade

Tuli Tuipulotu Edge USC

Tuli Tuipulotu effort and energy levels each play make him a fun watch. His attack mindset can be seen in his burst and activity level. His speed to power conversion allow him to drive blocker and the active hands allow him to keep fighting if and when stalled. His length and natural power allow him to stack blocks and shed well enough to be effective in the run gain. There is stiffness to him, he's not someone who'll win often by going around the bend but his other traits still make him a successful pass rusher.

Positives

+High motor; he is active in all phases

+Good burst off the line

+Good speed to power conversion

+Does well utilizing his length and stacking blocks

Negatives

-Stiff; he is not someone who'll win by bending around the edge

-Needs to play with more discipline and control his energy can get him lost

Grade: (82.775) - 3rd Round Grade

Nick Hampton Edge Appalachian State

Appalachian State team captain Nick Hampton is a highly athletic a prospect with good production. He is partly without a true position because of his size, but what Hampton does bring is athleticism, high energy, and a never quit attitude as you'll always see him trying to finish plays in the second level. He has some hip stiffness and needs to find more consistency in his burst and bend but the tools are there to work with. He provides value outside of being a pass rusher as he has the ability to cover all positions. He needs to refine himself as a pass rusher to keep up the success at the next level and he needs to add muscle, I do have faith though.

Positives

+Highly productive, good advanced statistics

+Team Captain

+High level athlete; stunning burst

+Bend

+Energy, never out of the play, chases down in the second level

+Promising tackler

Negatives

-Due to size, may not have a true NFL position

-Some hip tightness

-General inconsistency in his burst and bend

-Lack pass rush refinement

-Bites frequently on play action; always in attack mode

Grade: (82.575) - 3rd Round Grade

Brenton Cox Jr. Edge Florida

Brenton Cox Jr. has had quite a time in college football as he has been dismissed by two programs now. On the field, Cox has tons of upside to his game. He displays good burst, strength and power both in passing and in the run game. He also looks to play the passing lanes as well when his pass rush has been stalled or anticipates it will be. He is far from complete though. Needs refinement as a pass rusher and his bend can be suspect at times. Finding consistency will be key for his development.

Positives

+Violent tackler

+Good burst

+Power pass rusher

+Power and strength to be effective in run game

+Plays passing lanes

Negatives

-Inconsistent bend

-Needs refinement as a pass rusher to be more than rotational piece at next level

-Missed tackles

Grade: (80.425) - 3rd Round Grade

Thomas Incoom Edge Central Michigan

Positives

+Above average bend

+Solid burst off the line

+Best trait is his ability to establish leverage. He stays low out of his stance and has good hand placement

+Speed to power conversion

+Ability to stack blocks

Negatives

-Needs a better rush plan

-Must improve as a tackler

Grade: (79.75) - 3rd Round Grade

DJ Johnson Edge Oregon

Positives

+Elite Athlete

+High end burst off the line of scrimmage

+Nice bend

+High effort guy

+Versatility to plan linebacker, may even excel more there due to his fluidity in coverage

+Powerful for size; nice job gaining leverage

Negatives

-While he doesn't lack power, size is certainly a factor when stack up against offensive tackles

-Age; will be serious factor when discussing his potential and production

-Flipped to offensive side of ball for one year before switching back

-Needs refinement as a pass rusher

-Tackling

Red Flag: The situation lacks full context; however Johnson did punch a fan this past season

Grade: (79.4) - 3rd Round Grade

K.J. Henry Edge Clemson

Positives

+Powerful punch when he lands his hands

+Has the power to stack blocks and drive opponents

+High level intelligence on and off the field

+Plays the passing lanes to disrupt in any way he can

Negatives

-Slightly below average length

-If he were to play 4-3 end he'd need to add weight

-Lacks a pass rush plan

-Lacks athletic ability to corner effectively

-Lacks burst off the line of scrimmage

-The lack of athletic ability is concerning for his potential

Grade: (76.475) - 4th Round Grade

Karl Brooks Edge Bowling Green

Positives

+Allows for scheme versatility; good size

+Nice burst off snap, especially for size

+Fine run stopper who displays good intelligence against the run

+Good production

Negatives

-Significant change of direction issues; anything outside of a straight line zaps his athletic ability

-Cannot corner effectively, zero bend to his game

Grade: (73.875) - 5th Round Grade

Jose Ramirez Edge Eastern Michigan

Positives

+Burst of the line of scrimmage

+Does well to shed blocks

+Strong tackler

+Good pass rush production

Negatives

-Size

-Lacks true pass rush plan

-Highly penalized

-Bend is rarely attempted

-Lacks pop in his hands

Grade: (72.05) - 5th Round Grade

Ali Gaye Edge LSU

Positives

+Size and length

+Stays square in run defense, puts himself in position to make stops

+Above average athlete that may have good straight-line speed

Negatives

-Hip and ankle flexibility issues; struggles to corner and has issues flipping hips in change of direction while getting after quarterback

-Poor snap timing which negates any burst he has off the line

-Will pop out into high pad level causing power and leverage issues

-Inability to counter consistently; unlikely to overpower blocker

Grade: (70.375) - 6th Round Grade

Colby Wooden Edge Auburn

Positives

+Has the power to drive lineman back when attacking 1 on 1

+High level tackler

+Athletic enough to be disruptive shoot gaps

Negatives

-Severe length issues

-Smaller

-Lacks a pass rush plan

-Too often and too easily his energy gets zapped

-Not going to dominate around the edge

-I just do not see what everyone else is

Grade: (69.2) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Tyler Lacy Edge Oklahoma State

Positives

+Strong tackler

+Versatility as 3-4 edge and 4-3 defensive tackle

+Has above average power

Negatives

-Lacks pass rush production

-As a pass rusher he lacks the desired qualities both athletically and in his technique

-Concerns with effort and ball carrier pursuit

Grade: (66.6) 7th Round UDFA Grade

Interior Defensive Lineman

Jalen Carter IDL Georgia

Jalen Carter is a physically dominant player who deserves to be considered for the first overall pick. One on one, he is an unstoppable force. He has great power and leverage, and he can easily drive linemen into the quarterback. Athletically, he is just unfair because he pops out of his stance with some serious juice and his elite hip flexibility allows him to contort and bend at unreal angles for defensive tackles. He has excellent instincts and vision for locating the ballcarrier and attacking. Combining those traits with his power and leverage abilities and you get a run defender who can line up in any position regardless of his size. Carter can lack a plan of attack at times. He can struggle against double teams when facing them heads up. He has better success when he carries the double with him when he is tasked with attacking more towards the edge. Out of everything Carter does, he does so well to set up his teammates and the play for success by doing his job, which is something you love to see from someone of this caliber.

Positives

+Pops out of his stance with serious juice

+Has a motor that does not stop, impressive sideline to sideline ability

+Displays nice power and leverage; he has the ability to drive lineman into the quarterback with relative ease

+Hilariously effective club move; it is just devastating

+Excellent hip flexibility

+Strong run defender with instincts and vision to locate ball carrier and attack

Areas of Improvement

-Large human; not a large defensive tackle

-Can attack without a plan because he is so physically gifted

Red Flag: Unfortunate mistakes by young individuals resulting in loss of life. Wasn't fully truthful with police originally

Grade: (98.875) - Blue Chip Prospect

Adetomiwa Adebawore IDL/Edge Northwestern

Adetomiwa Adebawore is a fun watch purely because he plays like he shot out of a cannon. He's at his best when he's told to attack and specifically attacking the B-gap, this is where he'll find early success at the next level as a situational player. His power can get zapped if he doesn't get a good jump but he is a fairly well rounded player. He is a bit of a tweener, has experience all over the line but doesn't necessarily fit anywhere. I see similarities in potential usage to Milton Williams of the Eagles. Adebawore does his best work later in games when others have taxed energy his remain high and the effort he plays with doesn't go unnoticed. He'll be a tough rotational piece to continuously counter in the beginning with hope of developing into a full time chess piece.

Positives

+Great athlete; high level burst with crazy highlights blowing up the B-Gap

+Inside out versatility

+Speed to power conversion

+Does well to stay horizontal to line of scrimmage in run defense

Negatives

-Bit of a tweener; doesn't really have defined position on line; he will be more of a scheme fit and rotational piece

-Most of what he does relies on his get off, if it isn't there he loses his effectiveness

Grade: (89.4) - 2nd Round Grade

Calijah Kancey IDL Pitt

Calijah Kancey is lightning quick off the snap, and if the timing is perfect, you can end the play there because he is going to end it with a sack. As a pass rusher, Kancey's most effective move is his club, but if he is able to hit everything with perfection he can pull off a pretty devastating bull rush due to his speed to power conversion. Excellent positional intelligence with nose for snuffing out screens. The questions surrounding Kancey center on his size, or lack thereof. Will he be able to hold his own as a three-down interior lineman in the NFL? Can he effectively defeat double teams in order to stay on the field as a run stopper? Kancey is also a highly penalized player; he is a physical player, but with how the league has been calling defensive penalties, this is something to keep an eye on and monitor in his development. With what I have seen as a run defender; he gets by a lot on his athletic ability; against NFL offensive lineman he is going to need more.

Positives

+Significant speed off the snap of the ball

+Feet are always moving

+Speed to power conversion can be devastating for a blocker if Kancey can hit every mark perfectly

+Superiors change of direction at the defensive tackle position

+Intelligent; play run well and snuffs out screens

+Highly effective club move

Areas of Improvement

-Serious size concerns

-Penalties

-Questionable ability to defeat double teams at next level

Grade: (88.95) - 2nd Round Grade

Gervon Dexter Sr. IDL Florida

Gervon Dexter has a lot to offer a team, and I'm looking forward to seeing what NFL coaching can do for him. Dexter has great size for the position, which gives you some versatility. He two gaps very well, thanks to his length and solid center of gravity, which allows him to stay grounded and establish good leverage. Dexter is athletic enough to get from the hash to the sideline, but his acceleration is a problem. Both in run defense and as a pass rusher, there is a significant lack of burst. Combine that with a lack of anticipation in terms of snap timing, and you have a very late defender. As a result, he is an ineffective pass rusher and a late-establishing run defender, forcing him to fight extra hard. Finding more energy and timing will be easier than finding more burst, but both tasks will be difficult for his next coach.

Positives

+Patient and violent tackler

+Solid center of gravity

+Intelligent defender, two gaps very well

+Good range

+Does a great job retracing back to his gaps if he is moved off the ball

Areas of Improvement

-His snap timing and explosiveness are poor at best, must react quicker

Grade: (87) - 2nd Round Grade

Brian Bresee IDL Clemson

Bresee and his family's story hits close to home and I have nothing but hope for his NFL success. As for his evaluation I can't help but believe the hype isn't as warranted as it has been. Bresee has the size for the position and is a real good mover. Good burst and short area quickness and excels moving laterally. He has great balance and power; his strong lower half and his ability to deliver power through his shoulder allow him to drive blocks lateral as well as hold his positioning when needed. Bresee is also a plus pass rusher due to his athletic ability and active hand usage. He does need to work on his plan and refining his moves. I have concerns for Bresee in the run game though. He has issues stacking and shedding head to head and his tackling this past season has been abysmal at best. There are also durability questions due to the injuries he has faced over the years. I certainly think a consistent player is in there, but it needs to be at the right value to bet on his abilities.

Positives

+Good burst and short area quickness

+Nice lateral mover

+Plus shoulder power and balanced lower half to keep blockers at bay while moving to the ballcarrier

+Positive pass rusher, has good active hands

+Knack for getting into the passing lane

Areas of Improvement

-Issues with stacking and shedding blocks

-Abysmal tackling technique

-Durability questions

Red Flags: Injuries have pilled up over the seasons

Grade: (85.825) - 2nd Round Grade

Mazi Smith IDL Michigan

Mazi Smith comes to the table with good size, a wide body, and solid athletic ability, giving you some alignment versatility. Smith is a run defender who is frequently in good position to make a play, and his low stance and excellent balance allow him to gain some stellar leverage. However, he struggles to fully disengage from blocks, and while he is a fantastic tackler, he wraps up from behind the ballcarrier on many of his tackles. Smith can struggle with the bull rush and just driving players in general as a pass rusher; however, what has evolved from that appears to be one of the best push pull maneuvers you'll ever see. I believe Smith still has work to do, but I believe he has the potential to be a very fun player, and one who'll out perform my grade.

Positives

+Good size, wide body, can give you diverse alignment

+Low stance provides him instant leverage

+Plus lateral movement at his size, will chase ballcarriers

+Great tackler

+Executes push pull move to perfection

+Team captain

Areas of Improvement

-Inconsistent burst of the snap

-Struggles to disengage fully from blocks, lots of from behind tackles

-Has high level pass rush wins but due to his burst and re-accelerating after win, he is unable to finish

Grade: (85.45) - 2nd Round Grade

Keeanu Benton IDL Wisconsin

Keeanu Benton is a big, energetic defensive tackle. A plus pass rusher with exceptional skill in crossing the face of interior offensive linemen to penetrate gaps with quick burst and a strong club move. Benton has demonstrated the ability to defeat double teams, but it must be more consistent, which appears to be a theme with him; nothing appears to be consistent. Benton possesses the skills and talent to command double and even triple teams on a regular basis; he can and should be a true threat every play. Benton, on the other hand, frequently struggles to stay low with his pads and gain leverage in the run game. He is intelligent and attempts to position himself to make a play, but without leverage, he can be boxed out or bullied. If you can solve that, you'll have a true force on your hands.

Positives

+Big and energetic; stunning amount of effort

+A plus pass rusher with exceptional skill in crossing the face of interior offensive linemen to penetrate gaps with quick burst and a strong club move

+Demonstrated the ability to defeat double teams

+Has the ability and strike enough fear in offensive game planning to command double teams and sometimes triple teams

+Intelligent, finds his way towards the correct gap to play the run routinely

Areas of Improvement

-Lack of consistency

-Pad level and leverage issues take away so much from his abilities; without them, he can be boxed out or bullied in the run game and it is all throughout his tape

Grade: (83.775) - 3rd Round Grade

Zacch Pickens IDL South Carolina

I like what Zacch Pickens brings to the table and see him as a good three-down player. He has good athleticism and strong hands off the snap. He stacks blocks extremely well by utilizing his strong core and length. Pickens' ability to consistently shed blocks can be improved, as can his play recognition. Pickens may also be lacking in a second effort. The candle burns brightly, but it burns quickly. If Pickens can put it all together, he'll be a dangerous defensive lineman.

Positives

+Potential to be effective three down player

+Good athlete

+Strong punch

+Able to stack blocks really well because of strength, core, and length

Areas of Improvement

-Inconsistent ability to get off blocks

-Play recognition must improve

-Finding a consistent second effort will be key for his development

Grade: (83.325) -3rd Round Grade

Byron Young IDL Alabama

Positives

+Solid length to stack blocks; good anchor

+Uses length effectively to separate from blocker and coordinates his pass rush moves off of that

Areas of Improvement

-Lack of athleticism; range is questionable

-Struggles to drive blocks into the pocket

-Smaller stature

Grade: (81.725) - 3rd Round Grade

Jerrod Clark IDL Coastal Carolina

Positives

+Nose tackle with some pass rush upside

+Gets better as game goes along

+Potential menace on the line, has the size and power to disrupt any play

+Does his job of opening space and keeping linebackers clean very well

Areas of Improvement

-Lack of athleticism

-Lacks technique; still learning the position to full extent. Entered college as a tight end

Grade: (78.3) - 4th Round Grade

Cameron Young IDL Mississippi State

Positives

+Powerful interior lineman with effective length, awesome stab move

+Potential to be effective nose tackle

+Occupies space well, can take blockers for a ride and create space for linebackers to make plays

+Tremendous balance

Areas of Improvement

-Needs to add and maintain weigh in season

-Lack of pass rush production

-Limited athleticism

Grade: (77.2) - 4th Round Grade

Moro Ojomo IDL Texas

Positives

+Excellent length

+Nice balance

+He is a disruptor; good first step, solid hand power, and surprising length for size to catch blocker off guard

+Very young for a 5th year senior

+Doesn't fear going against double teams

Areas of Improvement

-Doesn't exactly have a designated position

-Lack of refined skill even though he has great production in advanced position statistics

-Pad level can get high

-Can be manipulated out of position

-Penalties

Grade: (76.4) - 4th Round Grade

DJ Dale IDL Alabama

Positives

+Good first step off the snap

+Plus lateral mobility on tape

+Has slightly above average power

+Willing to battle double teams and remains balanced in doing so

Areas of Improvement

-Poor tackling

-Limited length

-Motor and athleticism goes further in college than the pros, must develop and adapt

Grade: (73.4) - 5th Round Grade

Jaquelin Roy IDL LSU

Positives

+Good size

+Punch that can stun

+Good burst and nice lateral mobility for a defender of his size

Areas of Improvement

-Limited length, issues establishing leverage and making tackles

-Ineffective run defender, lack of anticipation, reacts to what the line does

-Issues shedding blocks

Grade: (72.475) - 5th Round Grade

Siaki "Apu" Ika IDL Baylor

Positives

+Great wide body nose tackle

+Powerful punch to stun opponents

+Plus first step at his size

+Movement relative to weight is a bit impressive

+Potential to be solid pass rusher

Areas of Improvement

-Do not see him as a high level two gapping nose tackle

-Poor length causes him to reach to stack blockers and establish leverage and the result of this is poor balance at point of attack

-Over aggressive once cleared of blockers, limited mobility gets him caught in poor positioning

-Dropping weight could see a significant improvement to his game

-Tackling issues

Grade: (71.15) - 6th Round Grade

Dante Stills IDL West Virginia

Positives

+Great first step

+High level athletic ability, nice lateral mover

+High effort player type

+Potential to be nice rotational penetrator

Areas of Improvement

-Severe lack of power, is not built to bull rush or sustain leverage

-Size concerns

-Talking issues

Grade: (69.8) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Keondre Coburn IDL Texas

Positives

+Good hand placement with active hands throughout entire rush

+Good effort

+Quick first step more often than not

Areas of Improvement

-Lack of balance

-Power isn't high level

-Unorthodox size with limited length

-Will try to win by just throwing his body at the play due to the lack of length

-Penalties

Grade: (69.7) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Linebackers

Drew Sanders SLB/Edge Arkansas

Sanders is an ideal NFL sam linebacker. He is quite tall and athletic. He has incredible attacking skills. He is a movable chess piece for whichever club chooses him; he possesses outstanding short-area quickness and flexibility, allowing him to line up at edge as well as linebacker. He has powerful and active hands, as well as good placement and bend to corner the tackle. He has the ability to attack any gap. He can lock down tight ends in man coverage due to his athletic abilities and stature. As a tackler, he still has a lot to work on because he allows people flow freely from his hands, yet he can be a violent tackler. Sanders' troubles appear to be related to the mental side of being a linebacker. The instincts are simply not developed, and it is possible to argue that this is due to a lack of reps. He is more of a read-and-attack player against the run; he lacks the anticipation required to command the middle, and gets lost in zone. He's a fun player, and defensive coaches will have a blast bringing him on in their defense.

Positives

+Ideal sam linebacker with some passing down versatility

+Good size

+He is a movable chess piece for whichever club chooses him; he possesses outstanding short-area quickness and flexibility, allowing him to line up at edge as well as linebacker

+He has powerful and active hands, as well as good placement and bend to corner the tackle

+Matches up well against tight ends and running backs in man coverage

Areas of Improvement

-Struggles to consistently tackle

-The instincts are simply not developed, and it is possible to argue that this is due to a lack of reps.

-He is more of a read-and-attack player against the run; he lacks the anticipation required to command the middle, and gets lost in zone.

Grade: (86.2) - 2nd Round Grade

Jack Campbell MLB Iowa

Jack Campbell is a vintage middle linebacker with modern athletic abilities. He is quite large, yet his arm length is slightly shorter than typical. He plays with outstanding leverage and balance, allowing him to move fluidly and rocket downhill. Campbell has a great football IQ and instincts for the position. Fills the necessary gap and makes plays exceptionally well. Campbell plays with amazing control; unfortunately, some of his restraint comes back to haunt him. He needs to learn to trust his instincts a little more in order to minimize the lag and unleash his full athletic potential. This can be a problem for him in coverage, especially in man, as well as against the run, so working on it will help his overall game.

Positives

+vintage middle linebacker with modern athletic abilities

+He plays with outstanding leverage and balance

+Campbell has a great football IQ and instincts for the position. Fills the necessary gap and makes plays exceptionally well

+Fantastic tackler

Areas of Improvement

-Arm length is slightly shorter than typical

-His restraint comes back to haunt him. He needs to learn to trust his instincts a little more in order to minimize the lag and unleash his full athletic potential

Grade: (86.2) - 2nd Round Grade

Calvin Pace Jr. MLB/WLB Cincinnati

Look, call me crazy, but there isn't another player in this draft that plays with as much heart as Calvin Pace Jr. It's incredible. He is an undeniably superb run defender; he has a fantastic trigger and excellent intuition. At the next level, his lack of size may be a bigger concern at the line of scrimmage, but he plays with tremendous balance and leverage, has an advanced toolbox, and is such a fluid mover and bender that he can weave his way through the trenches. If all else fails, the man has more power in that frame than mac trucks. I don't understand how some people dismiss the talent due to his size.

Positives

+Unmatched heart, never seen someone play as hard as him each and every play since I started doing this

+Great instincts against the run

+Solid tackler

+Great athletic ability, great burst, speed, and agility

+Plays with great balance and leverage, has an advanced tool box, and is such a fluid mover and bender that he is able to weave his way through the trenches

+If all else fails, the man has more power in that frame than mac trucks

Areas of Improvement

-Significant size disadvantage

-May lack NFL position

-Highly penalized

-In zone coverage he is more reactionary than instinctual with his athleticism and fight making up for a lot of deficiencies

Grade: (82.275) - 3rd Round Grade

DeMarvion Overshown SLB/MLB Texas

DeMarvion Overshown has finally entered the draft, and I feel like he is the Perry Ellis of college football with how long I perceived he has played. Overshown may be underweight, but he sure packs a punch. He is a strong and vicious hitter. These inclinations are not without consequences, since he is also a highly penalized player, something I do not expect to change at the next level. He possesses terrific straight-line speed and burst for the position, but it is when he operates at angles that he is limited, and this is why he can create incredible pressure but struggles to finish from the linebacker position.. His instincts have improved year after year, and I can now say that I'm impressed, particularly with his ability to read the quarterback in zone. I believe I will rank him far higher than the majority, which surprises even me.

Positives

+He is a strong and vicious hitter.

+He possesses terrific straight-line speed and burst for the position

+His instincts have improved year after year, and I can now say that I'm impressed, particularly with his ability to read the quarterback in zone

Areas of Improvement

-Highly penalized player due to his nature

-Under weight to play middle linebacker

-Limited change of direction limits his abilities in man coverage, pass rush, and go sideline to sideline

Grade: (79.5) - 3rd Round Grade

Trenton Simpson WLB/SS Clemson

Trenton Simpson has good size with extraordinary athletic abilities. He has exceptional speed and eye-catching fluidity for the linebacker position. If the weak-side linebacker position does not pan out, a move to safety is not out of the question. Simpson is at his finest when it comes to coverage. In zone, he was able to capitalize on his athleticism and ability to read the quarterback to make plays on the ball. Simpson is a subpar tackler who struggles to generate power against blockers. His instincts against the run are poor, and he frequently moves himself out of position. Providing Simpson primarily covering responsibilities in his first year will result in strong results and improved productivity as the rest of his skills grow.

Positives

+Good size

+He has outstanding speed and eye-catching fluidity for the linebacker position

+Versatility; a move to safety is not out of the question if weak-side linebacker doesn't work out as expected

+In zone, he was able to capitalize on his athleticism and ability to read the quarterback to make plays on the ball.

Areas of Improvement

-Subpar tackler

-Struggles to generate power and utilize strength against blockers; he feels outmatched

-His instincts against the run are poor, and he frequently moves himself out of position.

Grade: (77.7) - 4th Round Grade

Dorian Williams WLB Tulane

When you're a member of a team no gloves, there are certain laws that must be followed, and Williams seems to have those laws etched into his bones since he brings effort and causes suffering each and every play. When you bring this level of intensity to the field, I don't mind if you're undersized. Superb tackler who can convert speed to power like no other. Rapid acceleration with high speed. He has above-average run defense. His size is an issue in the trenches, which is apparent. He has a lot of length; all he needs to do is learn how to use it. All of Williams' athletic ability applies to coverage, and this is where he really thrives. His length, knowledge, and ball skills in addition to his burst allow him to make plays and be a disruptor. Love what he brings to the table.

Positives

+Team no gloves

+Brings effort and intensity, lays booming hits

+Superb tackler who can convert speed to power like no other

+Rapid acceleration with high speed

+All of Williams' athletic ability applies to coverage, and this is where he really thrives. His length, knowledge, and ball skills in addition to his burst allow him to make plays and be a disruptor

Areas of Improvement

-Lacks desired height and weight of linebacker

-Can struggle a bit in the trenches, must learn how to use his length to dominate point of attack

Grade: (77.375) - 4th Round Grade

SirVocea Dennis MLB/WLB Pitt

Positives

+Highly intelligent linebacker whose success branches off from that

+Intelligence has allowed him to be an incredibly effective run defender. When he is attacking Dennis' processor allows him to beat blockers and gain advantages in the trenches

+As a pass rusher, his intelligence and patience allow him to identify openings and attack giving him an unimpeded lane to the quarterback

+Zone intelligence

Areas of Improvement

-His size, especially his thin lower half, is an issue. In college, when the blocks came out to the second level Dennis was outmatched plan and simple

-Dennis was highly effective in coverage last season but athleticism issues could prove to much to find NFL consistency

-The intelligence is always going to be there and it has the potential to produce high level play. To survive in the NFL he is going to need to add strength and balance to his lower half

Grade: (77.15) - 4th Round Grade

Owen Pappoe WLB Auburn

Owen Pappoe is one of my candidates who will outperform his collegiate performance at the next level. He'll switch to weak-side linebacker, where he'll be more comfortable and able to maximize his talents while reducing his flaws. He is a top-tier mover with exceptional speed and explosiveness. He can employ this in ball carrier pursuit, coverage, and as a tackler by effortlessly transferring speed to power and laying tremendous hits. His physical ability and coverage knowledge translate to excellent productivity, and I see this as his primary path to playing time at the next level. What distinguishes Pappoe, in my opinion, is his grasp of his flaws and his ability to play within the confines of his talents. Pappoe is aware that he is not large enough to emerge unscathed from the muck of the trenches, so he operates habitually above, exhibiting discipline, strong leverage, and focus while remaining horizonal to the line. I believe Pappoe's play has a higher ceiling than most know, especially when smarter people than me learn how to leverage who he is.

Positives

+One of my candidates who will outperform his collegiate performance at the next level

+He is a top-tier mover with exceptional speed and explosiveness

+Deploys elite athletic ability in ball carrier pursuit, coverage, and as a tackler by effortlessly transferring speed to power and laying tremendous hits

+His physical ability and coverage knowledge translate to excellent productivity, and I see this as his primary path to playing time at the next level

+His grasp of his flaws and his ability to play within the confines of his talents distinguishes him form others

+In run defense, he exhibites discipline, strong leverage, and focus while remaining horizonal to the line

+I believe Pappoe's play has a higher ceiling than most know, especially when smarter people than me learn how to leverage who he is

Areas of Improvement

-Undersized and out matched in his ability to battle in the trenches

-Underdeveloped pass rusher

Grade: (76.85) - 4th Round Grade

Daiyan Henley WLB Washington

Henley is projected to be a weak-side linebacker at the next level, with coverage and blitzing responsibilities. Henley lacks size, particularly height and weight, but he has above-average length, which allows him to be a great tackler. He has excellent burst and can sprint at the drop of a dime. His athleticism enables him to apply pressure and mirror in man coverage. Henley is lost in zone, and his body may lock up on him to the point of not reacting. He will also not be as effective as an attacker as he was in college. Henley is outmatched because he lacks the strength and force to fight blockers and shed successfully. His impact must be schemed to fully tap into his athleticism, so heavy stunts and delayed blitzes are in his future.

Positives

+Nice length

+Excellent tackler

+He has excellent burst and goes into sprint at the drop of a dime

+His athletic ability allows him to create pressure and mirror in man coverage

+Able to use his length to disrupt the ball at catch point

Areas of Improvement

-Lacks the feel for the game, play is riff with in decision, must focus on being a valuable special teams player with the goal being to develop into a teams fourth linebacker

Grade: (66.825) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Anfernee Orji MLB Vanderbilt

Positives

+Plays high energy football

+Explosiveness

+Good speed

+Has had good success in run defense

Areas of Improvement

-Slightly undersized

-Poor tackler

-Instincts still developing, will overflow and lose positioning

-Poor pass rusher

-Poor in coverage, heavy grabber deep into route as he lacks feel for where receiver could potentially could be going

Grade: (66) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Dee Winters WLB TCU

Positives

+Good straight line burst and speed

Areas of Improvement

-Positionless, have no where to put him on defense

-Poor athletic traits outside of linear speed

-Significant lack of size and power disadvantages make him ineffective in the trenches

-Lack of football IQ as he struggles to pickup run flow and lacks feel for zone coverage

-Lack of route anticipation and athletic limitations results in man coverage struggles, inability to stay in phase

Grade: (65.925) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Mohamoud Diabate WLB Utah

Positives

+Height and length

+Nice speed, and plus explosiveness

+Clean player, not many penalties

Areas of Improvement

-Significantly under weight

-Likely to be more of a 3-4 OLB then 4-3 WLB

-Won the edge off of athletic ability alone, lacks technique

-Lacks instincts

-Poor in coverage, has zero feel for zone coverage and identify keys

-Poor tackler

Grade: (64.4) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Cornerbacks

Devon Witherspoon CB Illinois

Devon Witherspoon plays with a fire that makes it hard to find his comparison in today's NFL. He is not a big corner, but the way he plays however makes up for any concerns a scout would have about it. Pure effort and physicality are the names to his game; he explodes downhill. A strong thumping tackler; Witherspoon does an extraordinary job of missing blocks as well when coming downhill. He is a elite man coverage corner who mirrors his receiver well and glues himself to their hip pocket in short and intermediate routes. These abilities allow him to be highly effective at playing the ball and he does so at a high rate. In zone, Witherspoon takes that same intelligence, vision, and playmaking ability and transfers it to reading the quarterback. I seem to have just a smidge more concerns then others regarding Witherspoon with my biggest being his questionable long speed. NFL caliber speed receivers have the opportunity to beat Witherspoon deep. He can get stuck on his heels in his backpedal and can be late to flip his hips. I see Witherspoon at his best in an off coverage scheme where he'll have a head start covering the deep ball and in a scheme that will allow him to take advantage of his elite processor and downhill abilities.

Positives

+Elite read and react cornerback who make instantaneous and decisive decisions; he explodes downhill

+Good speed turns

+Elite man coverage corner

+Able to mirror with great success

+Find the receivers hip pocket and becomes glued

+Elite eyes; great route recognition

+High level zone corner in limited reps; has a feel for quarterbacks eyes and his trigger allows him to make plays for ball
+Great ball skills; has knack for forcing incompletions
+Against both the pass and run he sets the tone in that DB room with energetic and physical play
+Incredible run defender; high level physicality

Areas of Improvement

-Long speed is questionable; he will be at his best in a scheme that will have him in off-coverage so he can have a head start deep while he is also able to use his elite processor and attack downhill

-Burners can get on him quicker than he expects; can get on his heels a bit and flip his hips late

-Can get a bit grabby downfield

-Size

Grade: (94.275) - 1st Round Grade

Christian Gonzalez CB Oregon

Wearing number zero brings with it some expectations in my opinion and Christian Gonzalez certainly meets them. Gonzalez shows nice ability in both man and zone coverage. In man, when aligned heads up he has a low methodical stance in press, he also shows that he doesn't need to get hands on to be effective. He has a great ability to carry routes, flipping his hips and chasing will not be an issue for him. On the flip side; he shows a nice ability to trigger downhill and get there quickly. He has what I describe as easy speed, when he runs it doesn't look difficult for him or high effort. In zone, he shows good intelligence and feels like he is a step ahead more times than not, especially in deep coverage. He uses boundary as extra defender and has the physicality to squeeze receiver’s route towards the sideline. Gonzalez also shows good ball skills; he tracks it well, displays aggressiveness and shows ability to high-point balls and play with strength in contested situations. His tape vs his stats don't line up which leads to concerns but as always I am going to trust the tape here. He doesn't shy away from physicality, but he does lack some natural strength and can be bullied in run support. He must add muscle to compete with some of the bigger and stronger receivers in the league.

Positives

+Wore number zero, so you know he has some swagger to him
+Shows good ability to transition from his backpedal to triggering downhill

+Clean speed turns

+Great ability to carry routes, flipping his hips and chasing will not be an issues at next level

+Easy speed and acceleration

+Low methodical stance in press; good press bail technique; able to mirror and match at high level; doesn't need to get hands on to be effective
+He uses boundary as extra defender, has the physicality to squeeze receiver’s route towards the sideline.
+Shows good ball skills; he tracks it well, displays aggressiveness and shows ability to high-point balls and play with strength in contested situations

+His demeanor is always confident and calm

+Doesn't shy away from physicality; shows to be good tackler; hits well

+Does well in zone coverage; seems like he's a step ahead especially in deep coverage

Areas of Improvement

-He lacks the natural strength to deal with bigger guys in run support; can be bullied

-Advanced statistics lean towards an above average player than the one I project from the tape

Grade: (92.45) - 1st Round Grade

Deonte Banks CB Maryland

Deonte Banks is still trying to catch up from missing a full season of development essentially, but what is there is already special. Banks' combination of size, physicality, and athletic ability is highly sought after. In zone coverage, one could classify him as feared. In a data set of corners with a minimum of 115 coverage snaps, Banks ranked in the 95th percentile in zone yards per snap, and the 91st percentile for zone snaps per reception. Which means most completions happened in front of him and they did not come often. Banks' length and athleticism played a factor as well as he does a nice job effecting the catch point in both man and zone coverage. He must find better focus on attempting to catch the balls to secure more interceptions. In man coverage, he displays good footwork and patience, he is step for step with the receiver and that allows him to cause issues with timing and forces the receiver to re-route right off his release. At Banks' size it is nice to see just how fluid his hips are, his backpedal technique needs more consistency, but the athleticism is there for him to improve.

Positives

+Banks' combination of size, physicality, and athletic ability is special and highly sought after

+Feared in zone coverage in my opinion, in a data set of corners with a minimum of 115 coverage snaps, Banks ranked in the 95th percentile in zone yards per snap, and the 91st percentile for zone snaps per reception

+Banks' length and athleticism played a factor as well as he does a nice job effecting the catch point in both man and zone coverage

+In man coverage, he displays good footwork and patience, he is step for step with the receiver and that allows him to causes issues with timing and forces the receiver to re-route right off his release

Areas of Improvement

-Missed nearly full season in 2021 due to shoulder injury, set back his development

-He must find better focus on attempting to catch the balls however to secure more interceptions

-Needs to find more consistency in his backpedal, some stiffness; however has the athletic ability to make improvements

Red Flag: Shoulder injury ended 2021 season after just three games, returned after a full calendar year

Grade: (91.05) - 1st round Grade

Joey Porter Jr CB Penn State

Joey Porter Jr is at his best in man coverage. He is very good at mirroring his opponent off press. He has that desired stickiness you want to see from a press-man corner. He has the speed to stay with guys deep and does an excellent job in trail positions with tracking the football, watching for cues from the receiver and then being able to make a play. He does a terrific job of forcing incompletions and breaking up passes. Porter's backpedal isn't the smoothest in my opinion; he stays a bit too high. In zone coverage Porter can get caught flat footed reading the quarterback. He still has high level click and close ability and a nose for the football. That same trigger translates to tackling and run support where he hits hard and is sound technically. He does lack a bit of natural strength, so defeating blocks with power won't be his forte.

Positives

+High level man cover corner

+Nice press man ability; has the quickness to operate at high level and ability to stay in receiver's hip pocket

+Enough speed to stay in trail position on deeper routes

+High level ball production with INT, forced incompletions, and PBU's

+Nice downhill trigger, solid moving tackler where he convert speed to power

+Size

Areas of Improvement

-Plays too tall in backpedal causes delay in transitions

-Out of his comfort zone in zone coverage. His spatial awareness fails him and he fails to locate receiver. Can be flatfooted reading quarterback

-Lacks some natural strength

-False steps in his press technique; if coaching can clean up the habit he'll be even scarier

Grade: (89.5) - 2nd Round Grade

Julius Brents CB Kansas State

Brents has all of the inherent qualities you'll ever need at corner. He has outstanding size and elite length, exceptional leaping ability to attack the ball at its highest point, and is a fluid mover despite his stature. Brents lacks established technique in man coverage, which puts him in awkward situations. Remaining in phase over the middle can be difficult due to his technique, limited long speed, as well as his lack of balance, which causes some change of direction challenges. Any coach would undoubtedly jump at the chance to develop natural ability into a full-fledged skill.

Positives

+His length was absolutely feared; wingspan
+Ball production was outstanding
+Projects best in cover three system with some press man intertwined
+Has enough speed to carry deeper routes
+Good tackler, will bring nice impact to run defense, significant speed to power conversion on contact

+Fluidity is stellar

Areas of Improvement

-Staying in phase over the middle can become huge issue due to man technique issues and limited long speed
-Tends to heavily grab when he anticipates the route break
-Lacks balance, complicates his change of direction

Grade: (88.25) - 2nd Round Grade

Cam Smith CB South Carolina

Cam Smith has that dawg mentality. Smith is physical, sometimes overly physical, but if you are looking for a corner who excels in run support you likely found your man. In coverage, Smith has good speed and great fluidity in his hips, he is able to turn and run with the best of them. Cam Smith sits well above solid for his overall game and the way he moves gives me hope some of the issues he has can be tweaked and coached away. His footwork is erratic which causes issues in his backpedal, side step, and in press. I believe Smith will play his best when in cloud or off-man coverage as his press technique needs more consistency. His overly physical nature will have him two hand jamming and with the footwork issues he's prone to misses. His flat-footedness causing delays in him flipping to where he must now go into chase mode early. I think he can clean this up, but it's something to monitor when looking at other options.

Positives

+Nice fluidity; 180 degree turns are easy for him
+Has the ability to use his length and strength to re-route receivers

+Solid work in man coverage when in cloud or off-man alignments

+Potential is there to succeed in press-man

+Plus downhill trigger

+High level run support corner, good tackler

+Good speed; able to stay with receivers with relative ease when all else goes right

+Good size and length

+Intense competitor

Areas of Improvement

-His patience can ever so slightly turn into flat footedness

-Can get too physical deep into routes, pulls receiver too often

-His footwork is erratic which causes issues in his backpedal, side step, and in press

-Must work on defending inside releases better

Grade: (87.025) - 2nd Round Grade

Cory Trice CB Purdue

Cory Trice has been a late riser who I'll likely end up higher on than most in this draft. Folks have been talking about it for a while now, and you'll notice others high up on my board, such as Trice. These extraordinarily lengthy intelligent zone corners with the will to combat in run support have value; the value may be scheme particular, but it is there. Trice is a highly intelligent zone corner who excels at tracking the quarterback's eyes. In these situations, his athleticism and length allow him to attack the catch point and make plays on the ball. He has limited experience in man coverage and has demonstrated a difficulty to stick with his receiver due to his low long speed. He has good strength and length, which allows him to be effective in press while re-routing receivers. It will take time for him to gain complete faith, but he has the talent to be a well-rounded cornerback.

Positives

+Positive run supporter with secure tackling

+Fantastic size and length

+Nice athlete

+Super intelligent zone corner who is fantastic at reading the quarterbacks eyes

+Trust himself to take risk. Athleticism and length allow him to dominate at the catch point and make plays for the ball

+Has the length and strength to re-route receivers in press

Areas of Improvement

-Lacks long speed, have some concerns to carry receivers in man coverage. He tested much better than I thought he would

-Limited man coverage reps so still a little raw in coverage but has the things that are desired for the coverage.

Grade: (85.5) - 2nd Round Grade

JuanDrago "DJ" Turner CB Michigan

Athletic ability is and always will be king in determining a prospect's future, and DJ Turner possesses some exceptional athletic talent. Turner has supposedly achieved just over 23mph on GPS and ran a 4.28 forty-yard dash, according to Bruce Feldman's freak list. Turner can run with the finest; he can decelerate and reaccelerate easily, and his leaping ability is also exceptional. His press approach in man coverage is unpolished. While he has some fight in him, he lacks natural physicality inside his frame, which affects his ability to jam and re-route receivers without proper technique, as well as his run game and tackle capabilities. His athletic abilities can compensate for some of his lack of technique, but not all, and he will be more exposed at the next level. Expectations should be moderated because he will almost certainly be over drafted due to his anticipated potential. I hope his new coach can bring out the best in him.

Positives

+On Bruce Feldman's freak's list, Turner has apparently hit just over 23mph on GPS and has run a 4.28 yard dash

+Turner can flip his hips and run with the best, he his able to decelerate and reaccelerate well and his leaping ability is also outstanding

+Significant potential because of his athleticism and size

+Disciplined eyes, complete focus on target whether that is mirroring the receiver in man or making decisions based on the quarterbacks eyes in zone

Areas of Improvement

-Inability to jam and re-route in press with proper technique

-Outmatched in run support, lacks commitment and the strength; tackling issues as well
-Technique in man coverage is still a work in progress

-Way too grabby downfield, will get called at next level

Grade: (85.025) - 2nd Round Grade

Darius Rush CB South Carolina

Darius Rush switched to cornerback in college, and his rawness is still present in his game. His most pressing area for development is route anticipation in both man and zone coverage. In the early years of the league, he will most likely be a feast or famine type of player. What Rush does have is a fantastic combination of height, length, and speed that must have position coaches excited at the prospect of molding this dude. Because of these characteristics and his exceptional mobility, I believe he flourishes more in man coverage. Rush, a former wide receiver, also adds exceptional ball skills; he does well to use receiver keys to get his head around and make plays on the ball. He has a lot of enthusiasm and can be your spark plug on the field. I also respect his willingness to work on special teams; these players would always have a place on my team.

Positives

+Tremendous combination of height, length, and speed for the position

+Thrives in man coverage because of length and athleticism

+Plays ball fantastically utilizes receiver keys to get head around

+Brings energy

+Gunner experience

+Extremely fluid

Areas of Improvement

-Plays passively in zone; lack of anticipation; protects himself

-Tackling issues at his size is cause for concern

Grade: (84.975) - 2nd Round Grade

Tyrique Stevenson CB Miami

Transferred from Georgia to Miami to be closer with family, Stevenson plays with a calmness to his game, very confident, focused, and methodical. He has great ability in press-man, he keeps his feet in motion but remains patient to allow the receiver to declare first. He is fluid enough to flip his hips and run and is agile enough to mirror the receiver's routes. In zone, he is smart and has enough burst and speed to close space but some issues when transitioning out of backpedal. He has good size, length, and strength which allows him to disrupt plays at the catch point; however, he must improve on playing the ball not just the receiver. Stevenson also bring with him versatility as those same physical attributes allow him to cover receivers and tight ends. He has the potential to be highly effective in the run game; he first must improve his tackling form to become more consistent, but he can sure lay down some thumping hits. He'll also bring some experience as a punt returner, I just do not know if he has the consistent speed to be one in the NFL and if you project him like me, your starting corner shouldn't be returning punts.

Positives

+Plays with a calmness to his game, very confident, focused, and methodical

+He has good size, length, and strength which allows him to disrupt plays at the catch point

+Able to use that same physicality and length to re-route receivers

+Versatility; he will again use those same physical attributes to cover tight ends

+He has great ability in press-man, he keeps his feet in motion but remains patient to allow the receiver to declare first

+He is fluid enough to flip his hips and run and is agile enough to mirror the receiver's routes

+In zone, he is smart and has enough burst and speed to close space

+Has made year over year improvements to areas he was deficient in, exactly what you want to see

+Has experience at outside corner, slot, and in the box

+He has the potential to be highly effective in the run game; he first must improve his tackling form to become more consistent, but he can sure lay down some thumping hits

+Some experience as a punt returner

Areas of Improvement

-Has varying levels of tightness; has made great strides to improve his fluidity

-Some plant and drive issues when transitioning out of backpedal

-Must continue to improve on playing the ball not just the receiver

-Tackling form must improve to find more consistency

Grade: (84.475) - 2nd Round Grade

Tre Tomlinson CB TCU

Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is the smallest defense back prospect since 2017 and is the third shortest since 1999. Turning on the tape Hodges-Tomlinson playstyle and demeanor are reminiscent of high level shorter running backs who get lauded for there contact balance, strong center of gravity, and their fight at all cost play style; he is just bringing that to the other side of the ball. Hodges-Tomlinson plays with great balance and has a nice smooth backpedal he transitions out of with ease. He has the footwork to mirror and match in man coverage, and the burst to successfully play in the trail position to get himself in position to undercut the receiver and play the ball. In zone, he passes off routes well, shows good awareness and has the burst to close space quickly. What will scare off teams is his size and it truly is a concern. Teams will need to decide can he even play part-time on the outside at his height and limited length or is the slot where he will find himself for the duration of his NFL career and is he valuable enough to pick over someone of similar talent.

Positives

+Turning on the tape his playstyle and demeanor are reminiscent of high level shorter running backs who get lauded for there contact balance, strong center of gravity, and there fight at all cost play style; he's just bringing that to the other side of the ball

+Plays with great balance and a smooth backpedal; he transitions out with ease

+Speed turns are good, could be tighter

+Does well in trail position, has the burst to undercut routes to play the ball

+Does a nice job of getting chest to chest with receiver when ball is in air on deep sideline routes

+Displays good awareness and passes off routes well in zone coverage

Areas of Improvement

-Smallest defense back prospect since 2017 and is the third shortest since 1999

-Concerns will be there regarding if he could ever be effective at outside corner

-Concerns due to size on effectiveness in run support, potential liability

-Concerns regarding length and ability to makes plays on the ball

Grade: (83.75) - 3rd Round Grade

Emmanuel Forbes CB Mississippi

Emmanuel Forbes holds the record for most pick sixes in SEC and FBS history and he does this because of great ball skills and an ultra-aggressive playstyle. It is that ultra-aggressive playstyle that has me so down on him. It's clear that Forbes possesses high level positional intelligence; his decisiveness and ability to react off it is fantastic in zone coverage. In man coverage that over aggressive nature and the feeling he always needs to make a play gets him beat and in my opinion, Forbes lacks the fluidity to adequately recover. When diving into the interceptions this year some of those were pure luck and taking them away his advanced statistics start telling a tale that fits into my tape evaluation. I will disagree with some here and I believe Forbes needs to enter the league in off-man zone coverage scheme that will allow Forbes to play what is in front of him and read the quarterback and allow him to take those chances while his coaches refine his talent into carefully crafted skill.

Positives

+Reportedly holds the record for most pick sixes in SEC and FBS history and he does this because of great ball skills and an ultra-aggressive playstyle

+Good height

+Good speed

+It's clear that Forbes possesses high level positional intelligence; his decisiveness and ability to react off it is fantastic in zone coverage

+Willing defender in run support

Areas of Improvement

-In man coverage, his over aggressive nature and the feeling he always needs to make a play gets him beat and in my opinion; he lacks the athletic ability to adequately recover

-Fluidity issues; inability to change directions efficiently

-Can get grabby at the top of the route, will not get away with it at the next level

-A bit of his interceptions this past season required significant amount of luck not skill

-Weight issues

Grade: (83.6) - 3rd round Grade

Kelee Ringo CB Georgia

Ringo has major speed, you will not see many beat him if at all and his recovery abilities are near unrivaled at his size. What Ringo lacks is the ability to decelerate efficiently so route technicians and ones who can threaten vertically can put him into a tailspin. In press, he does a great job of staying square with the receiver and forcing him to make the first move. However, Ringo tends to favor outside leverage and receivers take advantage; he gives up a far too many easy releases on the inside and receivers gain a significant amount of separation on him because of it. Ringo also has very controlled and clean footwork and I believe he does a very nice job of mirroring when he doesn't have to throttle down from his top gear. While others praise Ringo's physicality I do see some issues in the tape that I watched. Too often I saw Ringo lose on first contact where he didn't necessarily lose his balance or get dropped, but he was launched about two yards away. He needs to set himself with a stronger base to find consistency.

Positives

+Elite size and track speed combination

+Stays square with receiver and does well to mirror

+Good controlled footwork; always keeps his feet moving

+Has the potential to be plus run defender and have high impact ball skills

Areas of Improvement

-Inability to decelerate and drive down, route technicians and ones who can threaten vertically can put him into a tailspin

-Ringo tends to favor outside leverage and receivers take advantage; he gives up a far too many easy releases on the inside and receivers gain a significant amount of separation on him because of it

-Too often I saw Ringo loose on first contact where he didn't necessarily lose his balance or gets dropped, but he was launched about two yards away. He needs to set himself with a stronger base to find consistency.

-Struggles with decision making in zone coverage; can be caught with fakes and playing in-between two receivers

-Vertical

Grade: (83.375) - 3rd Round Grade

Jaylon Jones CB Texas A&M

With Jaylon Jones, I am not really sure there is much to complain about in his game, it baffles me how he isn't rated hire by others in the community. He is such a solid player. He brings length and strength, and he is able to utilize that in press and in run support. Jones is absolutely fantastic at the catch point, he successfully plays the ball and the receiver at a high level, so if he's unable to get hands on the ball you know that hit will be well timed and hard. Jones has some hip tightness, but has nice fluidity for his size. He has enough speed to stay in phase and his backpedal and crossover run do not see a significant drop in speed. In zone, he has great eyes and awareness; he does a great job communicating and passing off receivers and taking ones either passed to him or when he sees coverages blown. He'll on occasion tackle high, but that can be fixed with coaching.

Positives

+In both man and zone coverage he was avoided heavily by the quarterback; thrown away from seems to be an understatement

+Some hip tightness, standard at his size, he is able to flip his hips well enough

+Good backpedal and crossover run, able to maintain speed

+Strength and length to re-route from press

+Eyes and feel for zone coverage is fantastic

+Plays the ball and the receiver at high level; forces knockouts at high level

Areas of Improvement

-Tendency to tackle too high, can be coached away though

-Some hip tightness that could limit him to heavy zone scheme

-His athletic limitations keep him from reaching any higher in my grading

-Ever so slightly below the length threshold

Grade: (82.95) - 3rd Round Grade

Cameron Brown CB Ohio State

Cam Brown's severe injury history will keep him off many clubs' radars, as they will defer to what the medical staff thinks and whether or not he will have a long career. My rating scale does not consider injury history because I will never have medical records and am not a doctor, therefore I grade where the talent is, and Cam Brown obviously has talent. He flips his hips nicely, stays in phase, and clings to the receiver. Has good size and the needed length, which translates nicely as he demonstrates the capacity to alter receiver timing in press-man. He has excellent route anticipation in both man and zone, and the manner he plays suggests that he does a lot of prep work during the week. He displays eagerness to attack as a run defender, but his inability to defeat blocks and poor tackling will restrict his effectiveness if he does not improve.

Positives

+Able to flip his hips well

+Sticky man corner for someone dealing with knee issue

+Shows the ability to alter the receiver's route timing in press

+Really great route anticipation in both man and zone, seems like he did great prep work before the game even started

+Willingness to attack in run support

Areas of Improvement

-Graded out poorly last season

-Dealt with knee injury that forced him to miss 5 games

-Some difficulties transitioning downhill

-Lacked ability to defeat blocks, issues with tackling, think the ability to be average to slightly above average in run support is in there somewhere

-Have to ask and trust doctors on whether they believe his athleticism will hold up and if it won't how quickly do they project him to go downhill

Red Flag: 2022 knee injury, 2020 Achilles injury, and 2018 season ending leg injury

Grade: (82.875) - 3rd Round Grade

Mekhi Blackmon CB USC

What brings down Mekhi Blackmon grade for me is his lack of size. His frame and the lack of length is a concern at the next level. I hope his skill and style of play can make up for it because he has it in him to start in today's NFL. Seen mostly likely as a slot corner, Blackmon has the desired physicality for the position. He has the mentality to attack in run support and at the catch point. In man, Blackmon lacks the length to press at the line, it's just not how he wins. What he does have is a good understanding of routes, speed, fluidity, and his physical nature. His length does not lend itself to playing the ball effectively either, but those same instincts, his decisiveness, and physical nature allow him to play the receiver well resulting in forced incompletions. With Blackmon you are getting a smart, physical, and fluid corner. It is hard to ask for more than that.

Positives

+Intelligent corner who has ability to play in both coverage schemes

+Has the desired demeanor to play slot in the NFL if his size demands it

+Great mentality for run support and at catch point

+Good understanding of routes, able to anticipate

+Plus speed and fluidity

+Makes up for lack of length with his instincts, decisiveness, and physical nature allowing him to play the receiver well resulting in forced incompletions

Areas of Improvement

-Durability concerns

-Lacks size, some maybe concerned if he'll be able to be effective on the outside as well as in press-man

-Length is an issue for trying to break up the pass

-Can get grabby downfield

Red Flag: Past shoulder and soft tissues injuries throughout career, something to watch out for with play style and frame

Grade: (82.05) - 3rd Round Grade

Clark Phillips III CB Utah

Phillips has that fire in him that is desired at any position. He is the type of guy everyone dreams that could have on their team. That fire cannot make up for everything though. He is a solid man coverage corner who has elite level fluidity and change of direction to excel mirroring and matching receiver's routes. In off-coverage, Phillips quick decision making and downhill acceleration allow him to be highly effective at undercutting receivers and making plays on the ball. He provides positional flexibility and scheme flexibility which teams have really started to appreciate. In press man, there can be some flatfooted moments but his speed and fluidity allows him to recover quickly. His size and length will bring question marks from teams and how much of an impact he can make on the outside. Phillips also has a tendency to establish his coverage type and show it in his stance this could be a scheme thing, but it's certainly coachable.

Positives

+Strong competitive demeanor; certainly plays bigger than he is

+Solid man coverage corner

+Elite level fluidity and change of direction to excel mirroring and matching receiver's routes

+His quick decision making and downhill acceleration allow him to be highly effective at undercutting receivers and making plays on the ball

+Positional flexibility

Areas of Improvement

-Size and length concerns regarding ball production and the ability to be effective in run game and against bigger receivers

-Tackling form

-Moderate level of flat footedness in press man

-Tends to show coverage type in stance, that is certainly fixable and could've just been a scheme issue

Grade: (81.4) - 3rd Round Grade

Eli Ricks CB Alabama

There is a lot to like and a lot to question about Ricks' game as he transitions to the next level. In terms of technique, Ricks is stunning. In press, he stays low and is able to initially mirror the receiver. If the receiver immediately breaks up field Ricks can smoothly transition into phase and has the speed to stay on him. He also has great strength and reach to jam at the line. If there is a significant enough difference in Ricks' size and the receivers I find it hard to see the receiver winning any battles. In zone, Ricks has good awareness and is highly successful at attacking the ball. What Ricks lacks is change of direction and it is a significant lack of it. Ricks can be ever so slightly overaggressive and that is enough for wide receivers to taken advantage of his lack of fluidity. There has certainly been growth in the area since his freshman year, but this issue combined with his lack of snaps this season when the talent is certainly there will give teams some pause and bring lots of questions.

Positives

+High level competitive spirit

+Good run defender, willing and able

+Height, length, and strength

+In press, he stays low and is able to initially mirror the receiver; he also has great strength and reach to jam at the line. If there is a significant enough difference in Ricks' size and the receivers I find it hard to see the receiver winning any battles

+He is a lock down corner in both man and zone; great ball production (INT, PBU, FI)

+Fluidity has improve year to year

Areas of Improvement

-Ricks lacks is change of direction and it is a significant lack of it

-Ricks can be ever so slightly overaggressive and that is enough for wide receivers to taken advantage of his lack of fluidity

-Red flags bring questions that will need answering for teams to regain some confidence in him being their potential pick

Red Flag: Tore Labrum in 2021 at LSU, did not start off well in Tuscaloosa as he was arrested, had a back injury to start the season, and apparently won no favors in practice each week

Grade: (80.975) - 3rd Round Grade

Jartavius Martin NB/S Illinois

Positives

+Scheme versatility; played slot corner in nickel situations, outside of that he maned center field for the Fighting Illini

+Good tackling ability

+Nice ball skills

+Solid ability in both man and zone coverage

+Significant leaping ability

Areas of Improvement

-Some hip tightness

-Feast or famine playstyle gets him in trouble

Grade: (80) - 3rd Round Grade

Riley Moss CB Iowa

Positives

+Excels as a zone corner, does well working off the quarterback

+Passes off and receives routes really well, smooth transition

+Has good speed, will trigger downhill well and is able to recover at a high rate

+Good height

Areas of Improvement

-Significant length issue at his size

-He has not caught up mentality or physically to man coverage. He lacks route anticipation, the length issues set him back in press, and while he is fluid enough he only hits towards the above average category

-Lacks the length and power to provide run support at consistent rate

Grade: (79.775) - 3rd Round Grade

Rejzohn Wright CB Oregon State

Positives

+Has great size and length, was able to attack the ball in man coverage utilizing his length, teams were scared to throw towards him

+I believe he has enough speed to carry deep routes at his size

+Shows promising instincts in zone, must become more consistent

+Leaping ability is a high plus

Areas of Improvement

-Can still get caught in-between covering to receivers while being indecisive on who to carry and switch, issue could be more a scheme flaw

-Lacks fluidity to mirror and match well in man, likely a best fit for zone coverage

-Same indecisiveness can plague his ability to trigger downhill

Grade: (79.625) - 3rd Round Grade

Kyu Blu Kelly CB Stanford

Positives

+Good size and frame

+Highly experienced man coverage corner

+Good hand fighter; has the strength to alter routes

+Confident press-man cornerback

+Press footwork is above average

Areas of Improvement

-Lacks zone awareness, vision can be easily manipulated, can be pulled from his coverage responsibilities

-Tackles too high

-Will occasionally jam with wrong arm locking hips

-Struggles with flipping hips at times

-Has speed issues; struggles if he can't get hands on

-Struggles with change of direction; doesn't have the burst to drive on receivers

-Can get grabby over middle of field when he feels like receiver is separating

Grade: (79.5) - 3rd Round Grade

Darrel Luter Jr. CB South Alabama

Positives

+Good at effecting catch point, plays ball well

+More experienced and better play in zone scheme

+Strong run defender; willing and able tackler

Areas of Improvement

-Out of his depth in man coverage

-Some hip tightness and lack of long speed get him into trouble

-Has no plan in press coverage, is easily faked and beat

Grade: (78.45) - 4th Round Grade

Anthony Johnson CB Virginia

Anthony Johnson shows flashes of where he can be and that is going to probably have me higher on him than most others. Great height, weight, and length for a corner. In run defense he is able to use this to his advantage as he does a great job defeating blocks. He needs to clean up the tackling technique but I have full confidence in his next coach squaring that away. In coverage, Johnson shows good ability in both zone and man coverage. He has good instincts and is decisive. In press-man his length and strength is certainly an advantage to re-route receivers. He has good success out of the trail technique because of his length and he has good game speed for his height. He has some hip tightness, but at his size he is surprisingly fluid. His game speed really is an asset, he is able to recover nicely when his ability to flip his hips fails him. He will need to continue to work on his craft. He can get handsy downfield, he has misplaced jams at the line, and on occasion will open his hips too quickly giving the receiver an edge. With time I see a tall corner, who is able to keep with almost any wide receiver type in any scheme.

Positives

+Great, height, length, and weight

+Defeats blocks in run defense at a high rate

+Shows good ability in both zone and man coverage

+He has good instincts and is decisive

+In press-man his length and strength is certainly an advantage to re-route receivers

+He has good success out of the trail technique because of his length and his game speed seems better than his timed

+Good ball skills

Areas of Improvement

-He needs to clean up the tackling technique but I have full confidence in his next coach squaring that away

-Some hip tightness; can get him in trouble when his technique is faulty

-He does need to continue to work on his craft. He can get handsy downfield, he has misplaced jams at the line, and on occasion will open his hips too quickly giving the receiver an edge

-Timed speed

Grade: (77.7) - 4th Round Grade

Jakorian Bennett CB Maryland

Positives

+Intelligent zone corner, able to anticipate routes and break on ball

+Understands where he needs to be in run defense, will attempt to set edge

+Plays with higher comfortability in slot

+Next level speed

Areas of Improvement

-Lacks size and strength

-Poor tackler, lacks the strength to be effective in run game even though he is intelligent in it

-Issues with hip tightness

-Will occasionally play too high in backpedal

-Struggle to see role outside of the slot

Grade: (75.95) - 4th Round Grade

Tiawan Mullen CB Indiana

Positives

+Potential to be effective NFL slot

+Great in run support, has the ability to tackle well

+High level blitzer

+Aggressive playstyle works well in zone system, allowing him to come downhill puts him in his best position to succeed

+Fluidity is a positive

+Demeanor should find itself welcome on special teams

Areas of Improvement

-Lacks size to play outside

-Coverage inconsistency are the downfall in his game; improving in man coverage will certainly mean whether he plays meaningful snaps or not

Grade: (75.15) - 4th Round Grade

Garrett Williams CB Syracuse

Positives

+Highly intelligent zone corner. Based on how he operates pre-snap and the late adjustments he makes it leads me to believe his pre-game prep is high level and he truly cares about what he does before the game each week

+Has the demeanor and the ability to be strong in run support, nice tackling ability

+Good backpedal

+Has the ability to high-point the ball

Areas of Improvement

-Torn ACL in October ended his season at seven games

-Wish he gotten more reps in press coverage, he was a bit feast or famine

-Long speed

-Ball skills must improve

-Size

Red Flag: Torn ACL in October 2022

Grade: (74.95) - 5th Round Grade

Kei'Trel Clark CB Louisville

Positives

+Has the speed to carry routes and plant and drive at high level

+Potential to be very effective slot with development; has the demeanor to excel in position in today's NFL

Areas of Improvement

-Fragile looking frame

-More reactionary than anticipatory in both man and zone coverage

-Lacks the desired and expected fluidity for his size and weight

-That feistiness can turn into being overly handsy real quickly

Grade: (70.325) - 6th Round Grade

Safeties

Brian Branch NB/SS Alabama

Brian Branch is your man if you want high-level impact behind the line of scrimmage. He is a strong tackler and elite accelerator. I do not care about Branch's size; he's an absolute baller and a pain bringer. He is a skilled run defender with excellent play recognition and instincts that allow him to get to the football fast. Excellent stop-start abilities and ability to avoid blocks. He reads the quarterback well in the zone and passes off routes at a high level. In man, his athletic ability lets him to play well more often than not, but he has some areas to improve since there are times when he appears lost and space is created. He also has a high number of penalties per snap; clearing that up will be critical, since the league appears to have gotten a lot worse on the defensive side of the ball in recent years. Overall, he is a top-tier talent.

Positives

+Ability to cover slot and thrive in the box
+Strong run defenders with good play recognition and instincts that propel him to the football quickly
+Demonstrates a strong understanding of routes and excels in zone coverage
+Reads the quarterback's eyes and sees the routes very quickly; has elite click and close to make play on the ball
+High level stop start ability
+Strong tackler and heavy hitter

+High level block evader

+Fluidity

Areas of Improvement

Areas of Improvement

-Must play with more control; his ability to recognize misdirection and not chase it too hard needs to improve. While an offense can use creativity to break him down, understanding the preparation side of the game will raise Brown's skills and keep him on NFL rosters for a long time.

Grade: (84.375) - 2nd Round Grade

JL Skinner FS Boise State

JL Skinner has odd size; he is tall and lengthy, yet his lower half is noticeably thin at a concerning level. He is an above-average run defender who tackles high, but he has good instincts and is a hard hitter. Skinner is most effective in zone coverage, where he can use his instincts and quickness to read the quarterback's eyes and trigger. His long arms and ball skills help him minimize catch success. He can stand too tall in his backpedal, generating transition challenges, and his lack of man coverage experience culminates to a struggle to mirror and stay in phase.

Positives

+Above average run defender

+Good zone instincts

+Plus ball skills

+Above average speed

+Good height

+Hospital hitter

Areas of Improvement

-Issues transitioning out of backpedal

-Inexperience and less than stellar performance in man coverage

-Thin lower half

Red Flag: Torn Pec prior to NFL combine

Grade: (79.45) - 3rd Round Grade

Antonio Johnson SS Texas A&M

Antonio Johnson excels near the line of scrimmage. He has had his fair share of coverage issues. He plays a little high hipped, has trouble sinking into his backpedal, and his transitions can be stiff as a result. In addition, he has a major lack of ball production. As a run defender, he has a quick trigger and strong intuition, but he needs to improve his deceleration and play with more control because he can over pursue. He enjoys blitzing as well, so with his play style finding him a Jamal Adams-type role would be beneficial to both him and the club.

Positives

+Successful blitzer who loves to do it

+Quick trigger, good run sense just over pursues, limits run after the catch

+Has good speed

+Has the ability to lay thumping hits

Areas of Improvement

-High hip, struggles to sink hips to tackle and has high backpedal

-Some stiffness in transitions

-Overly aggressive, will over pursue in run game and doesn't have great understanding of routes

-Significant lack of ball production

Grade: (79.35) - 3rd Round Grade

Jordan Battle FS/NB Texas Alabama

Battle is a easy mover who stays engaged every second of every game. He lacks top tier burst and speed, but he has enough range to cover the deep sections of the field and enough charge to come downhill and make plays on the ball. Battle is a fine tackler in run support, but he lacks recognition, adopts bad pursuit angles, and can be a little tepid when coming down from the top resulting in some bad misses. Battle, in my opinion, is a successful free safety with good size who can be moved around on occasion. To position him for success, employ his mobility and stature in a man coverage heavy role.

Positives

+Great size for the position

+Easy athleticism, nothing seems forced or that he is pushing himself hard; seems to be some calm and natural

+Good ball skills

+Better in man coverage than zone but solid ability in both

+Stays ready, keeps his feet active at all times

Areas of Improvement

-Struggles in run support with poor pursuit angles and with ballcarrier route anticipation

-Plays too tepid when coming down from the top

Grade: (77,65) - 4th Round Grade

Daniel Scott FS Cal

Positives

+Has the range to operate as center fielder

+Willingness to attack downhill

+Takes good routes to the ballcarrier

+Outstanding fluidity

+High-end athleticism

Areas of Improvement

-Age, will be 25 when drafted

-Tackling form must improve

-Below average length

Grade: (77.425) - 4th Round Grade

Christopher Smith FS Georgia

Positives

+Operates best in zone coverage situations

+Displays nice range over the deep half of the field and has nice burst downhill to attack underneath routes and support against the run

+Good instincts against the run and in zone and does a fantastic job of reading the quarterback

+Fine tackler

+Good fluidity

Areas of Improvement

-Does not have the feel for man coverage, footwork is erratic and struggles to recognize incoming route and anticipate wide receiver moves

-Struggles to transition out of back peddle when triggering downhill

-Can be too high in backpedal in deep zone

Grade: (76.55) - 4th Round Grade

Ronnie Hickman SS Ohio State

Positives

+Fine speed

+Great size for position

+Good instincts; high level coverage skills when playing down and in front of him

Areas of Improvement

-He can loose the feel for coverage once he starts operating in the intermediate or deep areas of the field

-Change of direction can be an issue for him

-Must clean up tackling, find consistency

-Poor angles to the football, the deeper he is the worse they are

Grade: (75) - 4th Round Grade

Brandon Hill NB/SS Pitt

Positives

+Great speed for the position

+Instant accelerator

+Has the desired attitude of a defensive back

+Power hitter, lives for the impact

Areas of Improvement

-Limited experience in man coverage

-Lacks length and size for position

-Aggressive nature leads to poor pursuit angles, drops to incorrect landmarks in coverage, and poor tackling

-Near zero anticipation skills, all react at the moment

-The hope is his traits could translate to solid man coverage skills

Grade: (74.7) - 5th Round Grade

DeMarcco Hellams FS/SS Alabama

Positives

+Good speed

+Strong tackler

+Attacking down is certainly a strong suit, zero hesitation in moves, hard to fake by ball carrier

+Best in zone coverage operating in a robber type role

Areas of Improvement

-Limited hip fluidity; struggles to flip and stay with anyone who gets by him

-Can get caught out of position on play action plays

Grade: (74.275) - 5th Round Grade

Brandon Joseph FS Notre Dame

Positives

+Intelligent, good communicator at the top of the defense

+Good zone ability, reads quarterback well and has the instincts to trigger downhill

+Good size

+Has the ability to complete hard hits

Areas of Improvement

-High back peddle

-Lack of fluidity

-Lack of range

-Poor tackler that attacks too conservatively in the middle of the field

Grade: (68.025) - 7th Round UDA Grade

Chamarri Conner NB/FS Virginia Tech

Positives

+Good size

+Great athlete, nice positional speed

+Can matchup against athletic tight ends well

+Good fluidity

+Team captain and special teamer

Areas of Improvement

-Ineffective coverage abilities

-Struggles as a tackler

Grade: (64.675) - 7th Round UDFA Grade

Jay Ward NB LSU

Positives

+Good length

+Speed for the position

+Special teams player, has blocked multiple field goals in career

Areas of Improvement

-Lanky frame

-Significant fluidity issues

-Poor tackling

-Reactionary over anticipatory

NFL Draft Scouting By: Ryan Hurst