Preliminary Dontari Poe Scouting Report:

Dontari Poe has a great combination of size, strength and burst off the snap. However, he is a very raw prospect from a technique standpoint.

Size: Poe has elite size for a defensive tackle. He is listed at 6’5”, 350 pounds, but doesn’t look obese. I don’t think he has a great build as he is probably pretty flabby, but he carries the weight fairly well because of his height. He could probably stand to slim down to about 335 pounds, but that is just my opinion.

Strength: Poe has plenty of strength and is said to be a very impressive weight room lifter. Combining that with his natural size and strength and you’d assume he would be pretty tough to move around. But from a strength and size perspective Poe is a very intriguing prospect.

Get-off: Poe’s get off is incredibly impressive for his size and it is pretty consistent. The only time it drops off is when his concentration might be lacking (such as getting ready for the snap late) or when he wears down on long drives or later in games. However, he has impressive burst off of the line of scrimmage which helps him beat offensive linemen with his get-off and one move to blow by them.

Pass Rush: Poe’s pass rush ability is lacking as a prospect even in spite of his impressive get off. Once engaged he is essentially out of the play and won’t have an impact, even when he is only one on one with a guard. He struggles to disengage once blocked, and that limits his potential as a pass rusher. If he doesn’t beat the blocker initially his only hope is to eventually get off the block either because the offensive linemen struggles to sustain or because he fights through it when he’s fresh and his motor is still running strong. He flashes a rip move to beat blockers, but beyond that a less than impressive bull rush is all he has from a pass rushing standpoint. However, he does a pretty good job of getting his hands up into passing lanes when he can’t get to the passer which is good to see.

Run Defense: Poe is a pretty strong run defender, but he doesn’t project to the nose tackle position as well as I expected him to. As I mentioned earlier, he has an impressive get-off for his size which allows him to penetrate into the backfield and disrupt running plays on occasion. However, he gets pushed around much easier than you would expect him to given his great combination of size and weight room strength. Theoretically he should be incredibly difficult to move off of the line of scrimmage, even in the face of double teams, but too many times I saw him get pushed off of the line of scrimmage by just one offensive lineman. That surprised and disappointed me, and made me doubt his potential to be a 3-4 NT at all in the NFL. He struggles with leverage on a pretty regular basis because of his height and that contributes to him getting pushed off the line of scrimmage.

Tackling: Poe is a reliable tackler and when he can wrap his arms around a defender he goes down. He’s so big that he just has to get his hands on the ballcarrier and he can bring him down.

Intangibles: I’m not sure how hard of a worker Poe is or what his football IQ is, but he flashed the ability to sniff out screens in the games that I watched of him. However, there seemed to be a number of times that he did not maintain his gap responsibility when he tried to beat the offensive guard off of their outside shoulder. He’s oftentimes lined up at nose tackle, which often resulted in him leaving the A gap and making it easy for blockers to seal him out of the play. This is something that will take a while to evaluate, but right now I’m not that impressed with his intangibles especially because he seems to have some issues regarding conditioning.

Overall: Poe is a very intriguing prospect because of his rare combination of size, strength and an impressive burst off of the line of scrimmage. However, his technique is not well developed at all and struggles to disengage from most blocks. He only flashes a rip move as a pass rusher, and struggles to impact the game versus the pass. In 33 games as a college player (with two still remaining in his junior season) he has only totaled 5 sacks. There is no reason to expect that his sack total will increase drastically once he gets to the NFL, and that limits his potential especially as a potential 4-3 defensive tackle. He doesn’t stand up well at the point of attack either and struggles to shed blocks. He gets washed out against double teams and even sometimes by one offensive lineman because of his struggles with leverage and pad level. That makes me very worried because it limits his upside as a 3-4 NT and as a 4-3 NT, and if he struggles to rush the passer then it makes you wonder why he is projected by a 1^st round pick by so many people. I think he has 1^st round potential, but he is nowhere near his potential right now. He needs significant development and coaching before he will be ready to be a part of a rotation because his pad level and hand usage are serious issues for him as a prospect right now.

Projection: Right now I have a 3^rd round grade on Poe. I thought about grading him as a round four guy, but his size, strength and burst off of the line of scrimmage is just too rare that I don’t think he would slide that far. Too many people are projecting him as a 3-4 NT right now in my opinion because his game is predicated on penetration and disruption in the backfield, not on standing up to double teams and allowing linebackers to fill and make plays. He has a long way to go as a prospect, but his upside is undeniable.

Updated Robert Griffin Scouting Report:

Robert Griffin has great tools and fantastic upside. It's easy to see why talent evaluators are gushing about his potential.

**UPDATE** After Griffin’s recent performances against Kansas and most notably Oklahoma I have changed some of my thoughts on Griffin. Because this report is not 100% reflective of these opinions, I wanted to note that Griffin’s performance on Baylor’s last drive against Oklahoma was very impressive and displayed ability to make critical plays and decisions for his team late in close, important games. He played terrific against Oklahoma, and I will eventually have a further updated Robert Griffin post now that I believe he has taken a significant step forward in his development into a potential future NFL starting quarterback. Enjoy the rest of my report!

Size: Solid size for a NFL QB, listed at 6’2”, 220 pounds but looks very skinny on film and could stand to add 10-15 more pounds in my opinion. He regularly takes hits and stays down for a long time but then pops right back up after a while. Seems to be a little dramatic in that instance.

Arm Strength: Griffin has quality arm strength, can make all the NFL throws. He has solid zip on intermediate throws and knows when to take a little off of his throws. Sometimes his zip is lacking on intermediate throws, but he throws a very good deep ball. However, they often have a lot of air under them and at times will be underthrown because he doesn’t have elite arm strength.

Accuracy: Griffin’s accuracy has definitely improved each season and this year is no exception but he still has room to improve. His ball placement overall is definitely better, he throws a very accurate deep ball to the correct shoulder and he has good touch as a passer. However, he has a tendency to miss high when he does miss which is an issue, especially when you attempt throws over the middle in the NFL. His accuracy under pressure is significantly impaired, and I think this has to do with some throws coming off of his back foot. He also has solid accuracy on the move.

Mechanics: Griffin’s mechanics have definitely improved, but they still need work. He has a clean throwing motion and a quick release, but he will hold the ball near his hip when scrambling. This has led to fumbles in college at times and it will lead to more in the NFL. He has to hold the ball high and tight which will help speed up his release even more. His footwork is improving, but he will still throw off of his back foot at times especially in the face of pressure. He also doesn’t keep his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage when he is scrambling to his left, doesn’t reset his feet well when outside of the pocket, throws off balance, and will throw across his body. Because he spends so much time in the shotgun he will have to transition from a purely shotgun and pistol offense to an offense that relies more on three, five and seven step drops. This is a significant change, but if he works hard at it he will be able to improve his comfort level with those drops fairly quickly.

Mobility: This is obviously one of Griffin’s greatest strengths. He’s a fantastic athlete with a listed 40 yard dash time of 4.52. He is a very elusive runner, can extend plays very easily and can gain substantial yardage with his legs. He probably has the speed to attempt a transition to WR, but he has progressed so much as a QB at Baylor that I would be very surprised if that happened. He’s going to get a shot at QB.

Griffin has improved each season he has been at Baylor, but he still has plenty to work on.

Pre/Post-Snap Reads: Griffin has flashed the ability to do this but it isn’t consistent in my opinion. Occasionally he will find his hot receiver versus a blitz and get the ball out fast, but he has progress to make with his pre-snap reads, especially once he is taking more snaps from under center at the next level. He makes solid post-snap reads and seems to be patient, but sometimes it is tough to tell if he is being patient or if he just isn’t processing everything he is seeing. I don’t see many anticipation throws at all and rarely throws his receivers open. The offense he’s in allows him to wait until his receivers are open, but I want to see anticipation throws from him because they have been few and far between. He also doesn’t seem to trust his eyes, will hesitate to throw and start his motion but then pull back and often scramble afterwards. This indicates potential issues processing information and making NFL reads at this time. I think he struggles to make reads on routes over the middle, and this leads to a lot of sideline throws in the games I have seen. He throws over the middle, but they aren’t anticipation throws and often the throw comes after his receiver has ran himself open. At times it seems like he waits for guys to get open, and will force throws into coverage when he is pressured. He doesn’t always make very good decisions, especially when he is pressured. Additionally, he makes lots of one read throws and doesn’t make a lot of progressions, but he does make them at times. I am told he is very smart and has a great work ethic, so he can continue to improve in this area. I underestimated Cam Newton’s ability to do this last year but he has gotten much better at this, so there is no reason Griffin can’t continue to improve either. It also bothers me that he seems unwilling to throw the ball away. When he is flushed from the pocket and has the option he frequently just runs out of bounds and loses his team yardage. Part of that is maturity and coaching and he can easily learn and develop that tendency, but it is something that he doesn’t do at this juncture.

Intangibles: From what I have heard about him, Griffin has great intangibles and a fantastic work ethic. He’s smart, disciplined and has a lot of upside because of the combination of his athleticism, arm talent and the intangibles and work ethic that he brings to the equation. He has improved significantly each year and I think that speaks to his work ethic and determination to get better. However, I am not sold on him as a leader or as a field general so to speak. It is tough to evaluate, but after poor plays he shows frustration and sometimes needs to be calmed down a bit. He doesn’t always stay poised and composed, and I’m not sure he is the guy I want at QB with two minutes left down four points with one time out left in college or in the NFL. He doesn’t seem to have a great sense of urgency that great leaders have, and is almost non-chalant at times on critical downs late in games. He has lost all three games against legitimate Big-12 teams (Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas A&M) but did beat TCU week one. However, in those three losses against those teams he has thrown all four of his interceptions on the season and didn’t necessarily play his best games against the best teams on his schedule, which is something I take into consideration. He has shown he can put up video game numbers against bad defenses (and to his credit, he had a great statistical game against Kansas State with 23/31 passing (74.2% completion), 346 yards, 5 passing touchdowns and only one interception) but hasn’t been as reliable against better teams. I don’t want to take anything away from how good he has been this year, but he got a lot of hype after playing TCU, Stephen F. Austin and Rice in his first three games. I just don’t think I have seen him make clutch throws late in games and I personally wouldn’t trust him to do so at this point in his career. So overall, I believe he has quality intangibles and work ethic, but I am not sold on him being a quality leader.

I am not convinced that Griffin is a good leader and that he is a winner. He wouldn't be my choice at QB for a critical drive late in the fourth quarter.

Character: Griffin has a lot of character from what I know of him. Very disciplined, responsible and smart from what I have been told. He’s a hard worker, a film junkie and has shown improvement from year to year his entire career at Baylor. That speaks to his determination to get better.

Overall: Griffin has top 10 potential and may ultimately end up there should he declare because of his great set of tools. He has a nice combination of size, arm talent, great athleticism and quality intangibles, football IQ and work ethic. There aren’t a lot of mobile quarterbacks who have the same tools that he has which makes Griffin incredibly rare as a prospect. That makes him a very desirable commodity since he has so much potential and upside. He has plenty to work on, but he has the work ethic that should allow him to continue to improve especially with quality coaching. But will he ever be a franchise quarterback? At this point, I don’t think he will be. He’s obviously subject to improvement and I think he can be a good/very good starter if he keeps improving, but I don’t think he’s got the leadership capability that other great QB’s do. I don’t think he makes everyone around him better, and I don’t think he comes up huge late in games when his team needs it most. I don’t know if he will ever win a Super Bowl, but if he is developed correctly I think he can be a productive QB. I just don’t necessarily think he is a “winner.” Some guys have that aura about them, and I don’t think Griffin is one of those players. I personally don’t think he will be ready to start week one as a rookie, but I tend to be more conservative when it comes to QB development. Therefore it is entirely possible that he could study hard, pick up the playbook and force the team that draft him to start him week one much like Cam Newton did with the Panthers.

Projection: Top 15: If Griffin comes out he will blow people away with his athleticism in post-season workouts and in interviews and one or more teams will fall in love with his potential. Like I said, I don’t think he’s a franchise guy, but he’s got a ton of upside that will have NFL teams salivating.

Thanks for reading, I’m looking forward to what everyone thinks of this. Obviously I’m not as high on Griffin as others are, but I think that I’ve identified some things he needs to work on here. Hopefully you enjoyed my report even if you disagreed with me.

–Tom

Preliminary Kendall Wright Scouting Report

Kendall Wright has plenty of ability to be a dangerous slot receiver in the NFL. He's got significant upside.

Size: Wright is only listed at 5’10”, 190 pounds but he is well built for his size and could probably add 5-10 pounds of weight to help him withstand even more hits than he takes in college. He is big enough to take big hits and still hang onto the ball, plus it helps him run through arm tackles and other contact.

Speed: Wright has very good speed. I would estimate it in the low 4.4’s, and his listed 40 yard dash time is 4.42. He can burn defenders downfield and get vertical very easily. He is definitely going to be a deep threat in the NFL whether as an outside receiver or more likely as a slot receiver. He is very hard to keep from getting behind the secondary, and it is almost impossible to keep him from beating you one on one in man coverage. He is lethal on double moves, especially when Griffin works in a good pump fake.

Quickness: Wright has very impressive burst, acceleration and change of direction speed. He can make guys miss in the open field because of how fast he can accelerate from a still position to running full speed. He has good burst in and out of cuts which helps him create separation when he runs routes.

Release: I don’t think I have seen Wright get pressed once in the four games I have watched of him so far, and I believe that is a direct result of teams worrying about him beating them deep. That is a very rational fear, and due to his relative strength for his size I think it would be tougher to jam him at the line of scrimmage than many might expect. However, I can’t say I have seen him get jammed or pressed at the line, so I am waiting to see how he handles that. Has a good get-off from the line of scrimmage when allowed a clean release.

Route Running: Wright runs good routes and has the athleticism to create separation in the NFL. I believe his routes could use some polish, but overall I was impressed by the separation he was able to create. He changes directions effectively, bursts in and out of his cuts, plants his foot effectively to drive into the route, and does a good job of setting up defenders when running routes. This is exemplified very easily when he runs double moves as he sets up the defender to think that he is running a curl or an out, then he burns them deep.

Hands: Wright’s hands are good, but not great. He has made some very impressive catches in traffic and has more than enough ability to make catches above his head and away from his body. However, he tends to body catch at times which concerns me a bit. I don’t think he will have many issues with drops in the NFL, but his range as a receiver isn’t what it could be because of his hands. Like I said, he has good hands, just doesn’t have great hands.

Body Control: Wright has very impressive body control in my opinion. He displays this effectively when running routes, adjusting for the ball in the air, and when he attempts to get his feet in when he is near the sideline. He also displays this effectively when making people miss when running after the catch. There is no better example than when he seemed to be walking on a tight rope to avoid falling out of bounds and managed to do it just long enough to dive into the endzone for a touchdown against Kansas State earlier this season. The body control that required was astronomical. Here is a clip of it for those that did not see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrSwC2-RBnk

In Traffic: Wright is one of the best receivers I have ever seen in traffic for being so short. He’s not a big guy, but I have seen him take some pretty vicious hits as he’s catching a pass and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him drop one of them. He’s a tough guy to dislodge the ball from, and he’s willing to take a hit to come down with the ball. Because of his height he isn’t a great jump ball receiver, but he has the leaping ability to contest passes high above his head and can come down with them if he can get his hands on the ball.

YAC: Wright is a master of YAC. He is lethal in the open field because of his great combination of speed, acceleration, change of direction speed and his ability to run through arm tackles. He can break tackles with his strength and then take off for additional yardage or he can make you miss with his agility and gain additional yardage that way. He is very versatile.

Blocking: Baylor doesn’t run the ball a lot and a lot of the screen passes they throw to receivers involve Wright getting the ball, so evaluating him as a blocker hasn’t been as easy as I expected it to be. Due to his strength and his competitiveness I would anticipate him being a solid blocker in spite of his size, but this is a facet of his game I need to evaluate further.

Overall: Kendall Wright is a very talented receiver. He is one of the best slot receiver prospects in this class and has a lot of upside once he gets to the NFL. He’s a very versatile and talented athlete that should have a significant impact from the slot in the NFL. He is very explosive and can threaten teams vertically, gain yardage after the catch to turn a short gain into a long one, take reverses as a ball-carrier and has a pretty good arm for a wide receiver. He even made a stick throw on a trick play where he caught a pass behind the line of scrimmage and then threw the ball back to Robert Griffin in between two defenders! He’s got plenty of potential for trick plays in the NFL, and should be able to have an instant impact if he gets drafted into the right situation. He is a good route runner with the potential to get better, he has good enough hands to make big plays but also be reliable on critical downs, he has the speed and athleticism to threaten teams vertically and is a very intense competitor with impressive toughness. He’s got the whole package and he still has ways he can improve his game.

Projection: Late 1st round-Early 2nd round: Previously I didn’t think Wright would work his way into possible 1st round consideration but that has since changed. He’s a top 32 guy in my opinion, and should have a very fine NFL career. I’d be surprised if he lasted until the 2nd round at this point, but should be a top 40 lock in the NFL Draft.

Preliminary T.Y. Hilton Scouting Report

T.Y. Hilton has plenty of upside due to his athleticism and ability to stretch the field, not to mention his versatility as a return man. I do worry about his hands though.

Size: T.Y. Hilton doesn’t have very impressive size at only 5’10”, 184 pounds. He looks skinny on film, and could definitely stand to add weight and get stronger. Without more muscle and strength I worry that he will struggle with durability issues in the NFL (he has already had hamstring issues this season).

Speed: Hilton’s speed may be his greatest asset. He has the speed to outrun man coverage, to beat zone coverage over the top of him on vertical routes, and to outrun angles that defenders may take to tackle him. His 40 time is listed at 4.48 but I would be shocked if that were his official time. He looks faster than that on film, and I would estimate around a 4.42 if he was healthy. This aspect of Hilton’s game is what makes him a worthwhile NFL prospect, and it is what will turn the heads of talent evaluators when they watch him play.

Quickness: Hilton has quite a bit of quickness too. He is very shifty and changes directions easily. This makes it easy for him to burst in and out of cuts when he wants to, which makes him difficult to tackle in the open field. This also helps him change direction on kick-off and punt returns which he also excels at, making him a versatile and valuable player.

Release: Hilton’s release is one of the more disappointing parts of his game. Even when he isn’t being jammed, I have never been impressed by his burst and explosion off of the line of scrimmage. Frequently he doesn’t fly off the line, and at times will almost jog (though primarily on drag routes, etc.) which concerns me. But when he is jammed he can be physically abused because of his lack of size and strength, and that makes it hard for him to get off of the line of scrimmage and hurts the timing of his routes. This is one thing that Hilton really needs to work on.

Route Running: Hilton’s route running shows flashes of potential, but as of not it is inconsistent and not very impressive. He has the burst and change of direction ability to burst in and out of cuts to create separation, but more often than not he rounds off his breaks and doesn’t run crisp routes. While this is an issue currently, with NFL coaching (and the desire to improve from Hilton) this could be rectified easily. He has the ability to run quality routes and create separation at a NFL level, he just hasn’t had to do it at Florida International.

Hands: Hilton’s hands are the most concerning part of his game to me. Frequently his only drops are passes that he attempts to catch outside of his body with his hands. He catches the ball fine when he can trap it against his body, but this bad habit will lead to drops in the NFL. Additionally, because he struggles to catch passes away from his core it makes it more difficult to QB’s to put the ball somewhere where he can catch it. His range is small because of his inability to snag the ball out of the air away from his body, and that really hurts his potential as a receiver.

Body Control: I believe Hilton has pretty good body control. He is able to change directions quickly and has good feet to stop and start when making a cut or changing directions. I haven’t had a lot of chances to evaluate his body control in the four games I have watched since he catches so many bubble screens and simple routes, but if my opinion of his body control is changed by what I see later in the season it will be reflected in an updated scouting report.

In Traffic: Hilton is average at catching passes in traffic. I don’t think he likes contact very much as evidenced by him frequently runs out of bounds at the end of plays and struggling to gain yards after contact with defenders, and because of his body catching I don’t think he will be overly reliable over the middle in the NFL. He can make catches against man coverage with a defender in his hip pocket, but I’m not sure he will be able to make tough catches and absorb a lot of contact.

YAC: Hilton is a fantastic yards after catch producer. He’s very fast and changes direction very easily and does a great job of making defenders miss in the open field to gain additional yardage. When he can accelerate and get going full speed he is tough to catch because he can outrun your angles, and that leads to a lot of yardage when he can catch passes down the seam or on slant routes when he has created some separation. However, when he tries to run through arm tackles he struggles and I’m not sure I’ve seen him break more than one or maybe two tackles when I’ve watched him. He prefers to avoid contact and make guys miss than shrug off would-be tacklers.

Blocking: Hilton is an average blocker for his size, but it seems that he is rotated out of the game in obvious running situations in favor of other wide receivers who might be better blockers. If he is ever going to be truly effective in this area of the game he is going to need to get stronger so he can sustain his blocks better.

Overall: Hilton is a very intriguing prospect because of his great athletic ability. He isn’t a very big guy, but if he can get stronger and get coached up at beating jams at the line, improving his release off of the line of scrimmage and then using his burst, acceleration and speed to create more separation as a route runner he could be a very dangerous slot receiver. But his hands are definitely a concern for me and I don’t think he will ever be a receiver who snags passes away from his body with his hands. I think he can improve them with coaching, but I wouldn’t expect him to ever have great hands even with NFL coaching and experience. If he can improve his hands it would make him a very dangerous weapon in the NFL considering he will already be effective at creating YAC once he has the ball in his hands. He just has to be a more reliable target with a better range in my estimation. But as he is developing as a receiver he should be able to make an immediate contribution on special teams as a kick-off and punt return man. He seems to have good vision with the ball in his hands and due to his great speed he can really pick up yardage quickly once he has some open field to work with. Hilton’s versatility and his upside as a vertical threat on offense definitely make him a worthwhile NFL prospect.

Projection: Late 2^nd round to Mid 3^rd round: Obviously this is an early projection, but I think this is a solid estimation of where Hilton will go. I think his hands will scare some teams off from picking him in the early-middle portion of the 2^nd round, but a guy with his ability to threaten teams vertically, make plays on special teams and rack up yards after the catch will be worth a selection once you get towards the end of round two and into round three. That is where you tend to see a lot of slot receivers go.

Preliminary Russell Wilson Scouting Report

Russell Wilson is a very well-rounded quarterback with plenty of upside. The only thing holding him back? His lack of height.

Size: This is Wilson’s most serious issue as a prospect, and it is what will likely hurt his stock more than anything once the season ends and the grueling NFL Draft postseason begins. I would estimate his height to be about 5’10” which is about three or four inches shorter than most teams would prefer at minimum at the quarterback position. Some people will write him off because of his lack of height, but while I acknowledge it will make life significantly harder for him in the NFL I will absolutely not write him off because of it. It will certainly negatively affect his stock though, and anyone would be foolish to argue otherwise.

Arm Strength: Wilson has very good arm strength. He has great zip on passes to all levels and throws a very nice deep ball. He can make every NFL throw thanks to his very good arm strength and this is definitely one of his strongest attributes. He can absolutely rifle throws from the pocket or when he is moving outside of the pocket which makes him very dangerous.

Accuracy: Wilson’s accuracy is also very impressive. He has quality accuracy to all levels of the field whether they are short, medium or deep throws. Wilson knows when to rifle a throw down the seam and when he needs to put some touch on a pass to drop a throw into a hole between the corner and safety on the sideline. He is also very accurate on the run which makes him dangerous on the outside because if the coverage breaks down at all Wilson can find a hole to throw the ball.

Mechanics: Wilson has quality mechanics. His throwing motion is compact and quick, he has good footwork in the pocket as well as plenty of experience dropping back from center. He has good footwork on play action as well. He usually keeps his shoulders square when scrambling outside of the pocket which is critical to throwing accurate passes on the run quickly. Wilson could stand to get out from under center quicker in my opinion, particularly when handing the ball off at times. But that is a pretty ticky-tacky mechanical flaw, and can easily be coached up.

Mobility: Wilson’s mobility is pretty rare for the position because not only can he threaten defenses with his legs because of his great athleticism he has managed to develop into a great passing quarterback with great mobility rather than a great runner that can throw as well. The distinction may not be very obvious, but the ability to scramble and gain yardage with your legs is usually a crutch that prevents athletic quarterbacks from developing into good or great passers. That is certainly not the case for Wilson but that doesn’t mean he can’t rip off big runs when he gets outside of the pocket. Teams have to account for his ability to run and that is so hard to do against Wisconsin thanks to their fantastic running game as well as Wilson’s ability to stretch the field as a passer. His mobility helps him extend plays and makes him a very dangerous passer outside of the pocket.

Pre/Post Snap Reads: Wilson seems to make very good pre and post snap reads based off of what I’ve seen of him. At times at NC State he would force passes into coverage and make poor decisions when he was simply trying to throw his team into the game and keep them competitive. But at Wisconsin he has been terrifyingly efficient now that he has one of the best running games in the country helping him balance out the passing attack. He does a good job of identifying coverages pre-snap and reads defenses well once he drops back to pass. He also does a good job of reading defenses quickly after play action fakes and does a good job of making decisive decisions.

Pocket Poise: I think pocket poise is a very important quality to identify in quarterbacks and I think Wilson has pretty good poise in the pocket, especially for someone with so much athletic ability who can scramble for positive yardage. One of the few weaknesses in his game seems to be when there is pressure around him in the pocket and trash at his feet. I’m not sure why this is, but it certainly limits his ability to find throwing lanes because of his height and he can’t often scramble out of it, so it makes sense that in these situations he would be less effective than others. I think that causes him some discomfort at times, and will result in throws off of his back foot or less accurate passes than when he has a cleaner pocket, when he can side-step the rush to find a throwing lane, or when he can move outside of the pocket where he has clear vision of the field.

Intangibles: Russell Wilson’s intangibles are off the charts as far as I’m concerned because of how significant of a leader he was at NC State and because he has been able to seamlessly transition into a completely different locker room and organization and not only become a quality starter, but become a fantastic player worthy of at least some Heisman consideration as well as the leader of his new team, all in a matter of weeks and months. As I like to say “you can’t coach that” and that is as true about Wilson’s intangibles as it is with anything else. He’s a very hard worker, he’s very poised, he’s intelligent and he is just a natural leader. Yes, I think the Badgers would have been good this year even with a question mark at quarterback, but Wilson has been the guy that has not only made them great, but has made them borderline unstoppable. There is definitely something to be said for that.

Character: Wilson’s character is top notch from what I know of him and he is considered to be a very hard worker, very studious, watches a lot of film and clearly has his head on straight. Drafting him won’t be a risk as far as character is concerned.

Overall: I’m a huge fan of Wilson and even though I expected him to be a terrific quarterback for the University of Wisconsin even I couldn’t have anticipated him being this good this soon. He has absolutely shut up everyone who doubted that he could transition into the Badgers smoothly and he has not only transformed the Badgers into contenders, he has transformed them into a virtual lock for the Rose Bowl as the eventual Big 10 champions. His height is his most significant issue as a prospect, and beyond that he is a very well-rounded prospect that if he was three or four inches taller would warrant serious first or second round consideration in my opinion. He’s got plenty of upside, he just has to prove that he can overcome his lack of ideal (or even average) height. Playing behind Wisconsin’s mammoth offensive line and having this kind of success can’t hurt, and it will be interesting to see how he ultimately translates to the NFL once he gets drafted.

Projection: 3^rd-4^th round. Wilson has the ability of a 1^st or 2^nd round selection, but his height will hurt his stock and make people question how well he will transition to the NFL. I think he can make it as a NFL starter, but his height certainly poses a significant barrier between himself and success at the next level. Personally, I’ll be rooting for him. I am really looking forward to seeing him play at the Senior Bowl this year if he elects to go.

B.J. Coleman Scouting Report- Nebraska

Size: Coleman definitely seems to have NFL size, and I haven’t changed my opinion on that since I last watched him this summer. He’s got good size as he has listed at 6’5” but he looks a bit skinny on film and is listed at only 220 pounds. He could stand to get bigger, and if he added weight he would be able to sustain more hits as a quarterback.

Arm Strength: I have backed off my claim that Coleman has very rare arm strength for now. In this game his arm strength looked good, but it didn’t look great. He has a strong arm and can make all of the NFL throws, but it didn’t look elite. I’d grade it a 4.0 out of 5.0, so it’s not like he has a weak arm, but right now I can’t say that it’s elite. He has good zip on his throws though and can make quality deep ball throws.

Accuracy: Coleman has pretty good accuracy, and it was tough to judge against a very good Nebraska defense. He didn’t make a lot of NFL throws in this game just because a number of times they weren’t there, which made it difficult to truly evaluate his accuracy. But he showed the potential to be accurate to all levels, though he does still miss high at times. Right now I would give him a 3.5 grade on accuracy.

Mechanics: Coleman has solid mechanics. He very rarely lines up under center, but his offense is similar to what Ryan Mallett ran at Arkansas in that they run from under center almost every time he lines up there, but they will mix in play-action looks to try to catch the defense sneaking up to stack the box against the run. He has a smooth, quick release and has solid footwork in shotgun. He will need to develop his footwork when dropping back straight from center which I have rarely seen him do, but overall his mechanics are solid.

Mobility: Coleman has some mobility but won’t be a big scrambling threat in the NFL. However, he has more than enough mobility to make people miss in the pocket and to extend plays outside of the pocket by scrambling. He won’t outrun many people, but he can buy himself time which is all he has to do as a pocket passer.

Pre/Post Snap Reads: Coleman could use some development in this area. He stared down too many receivers in this game against Nebraska and checked down a lot. This probably has more to do with his receivers being overmatched as they struggled to create consistent separation, but regardless Coleman still struggled to threaten downfield. Additionally, he also did not recognize Nebraska’s blitz packages effectively prior to the snap which led to him being surprised by the immediacy of the pressure applied by them which led to a number of sacks for the Huskers. He needs to continue to learn how to use his eyes to deceive the defenders trying to read his eyes because right now he stares down too many receivers partially because he is still learning to read defenses and partially because of the offense that he operates. Particularly in this game, the only yardage they were able to accumulate was coming on short throws to try to get the ball out quickly due to Nebraska’s overpowering defensive line. He hasn’t really developed in this area since last season which is a little disappointing to me, but it adds credence to the idea that he would need a year or two before he could step in as a solid NFL starter.

Intangibles: Coleman still seems to have quality intangibles. His team was very overmatched in this game but he kept coming and making efforts even though literally every time his defense walked back onto the field they seemed to give up points. He is always up to the challenge of converting on 3^rd downs, but doesn’t force a lot of throws into coverage which indicates pretty good decision making. He won’t just force throws into double or triple coverage which limited his options against a talented Nebraska defense. Their only touchdown drive was helped along by a big roughing the passer penalty that helped them convert on a 2^nd and 10 after an incomplete pass instead of having yet another 3^rd and long situation. I definitely need to see more of him from this aspect, but I’ve seen him exemplify mental toughness and perseverance before, so I know it’s there.

Character: I don’t know much about Coleman’s character, just like I don’t know an awful lot about his intangibles, but he didn’t seem frustrated or angry with his supporting cast even though they were vastly overmatched and struggled to consistently pick up yardage on early downs resulting in a lot of 2^nd and 3^rd and longs for him to try to convert. He seemed a bit frustrated later in the game as he continued to get hit, but by then they were so far behind that it was only natural to get a bit frustrated. He did transfer from Tennessee so I’m sure people will question how good he could really be if he couldn’t beat out Crompton back when he was a Volunteer, but that is only a minor concern in my opinion.

Overall: I was not as blown away by Coleman’s performance in this game, though he did play well overall considering the vast gap between Nebraska’s talent and the talent he had on his offense. He made good decisions, didn’t force throws into coverage, and continued to demonstrate good arm strength and accuracy. He still needs work on his pre and post snap reads and could stand to develop his mechanics further, but overall he is a solid prospect. Right now I’d grade him in the 4^th round range based off of what I have seen so far, and hopefully he will merit an invite to the East-West Shrine Game so I can scout him further and potentially interview him later this year.

Preliminary Brock Osweiler Scouting Report

Preliminary Scouting Report:

Brock Osweiler has a fantastic combination of size, arm strength and accuracy. He has great tools, he just needs more starting experience so he can continue to develop.

Overview: Brock Osweiler stepped into the void left at QB thanks to Steven Threet’s concussion issues last year and he flashed intriguing potential throwing for 797 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions on 109 passing attempts last season. He started hot this season as well and currently has thrown for 1,352 yards on 117/172 passing (68% completion with 7.9 yards per attempt), 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also has 66 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. He has really demonstrated a lot of potential this year as he has helped upset both Missouri and USC, two pretty established programs. Like the developing Arizona State team Osweiler still has to learn how to finish games and finish teams off, but they have flashed the upside to win their division and compete for the Pac-12 title, especially since they have already beaten their main competition in USC. Osweiler has a lot to do with that emergence.

Size: Osweiler has fantastic size for a quarterback. He is listed at 6’8”, 240 pounds and his size is reminiscent of Ryan Mallett’s size from a year ago.

Arm Strength: Osweiler’s height isn’t the only thing that is reminiscent of Mallett as a prospect. Osweiler might have the strongest arm in the nation now that Mallett has graduated. He has an absolute rocket and he can make absolutely any throw with great zip. He generates a lot of power when he drives through the ball and it really allows him to make some impressive throws even when the timing of the pass isn’t exactly what you would like. He can also put the ball in some really tight spaces because of his pretty quick throwing motion and his strong arm because defensive backs don’t have much time to react to the ball once it is thrown due to the velocity of the throws.

Accuracy: Osweiler’s accuracy was quite surprising to me because I didn’t anticipate him placing the ball as well as he has in all of the games I have watched of him. He was particularly impressive in this aspect against Missouri, but also flashed quality ball placement against Illinois contrary to what you might think looking at his stat line. He throws a good deep ball and does a good job of placing the ball on the correct shoulder of the receiver, but he also throws very accurately into holes in the zone in between multiple defenders and seems to be accurate to all fields as long as he can set and throw. Occasionally he will miss easy throws that he should make without much problem, such as throws into the flat on bubble or tunnel screens. I’m not sure if he is rushing the throw to give the receiver time to make a play before the defense reacts or what, but it happens once or twice a game.

Mechanics: Osweiler’s mechanics are much better than I expected them to be. He has a clean throwing motion that is consistently quick and he drives the ball very well when he releases the ball. He has good footwork when taking snaps from shotgun, but he is almost exclusively a shotgun quarterback which means he will have to develop the ability to make three, five and seven step drops. He steps into the majority of his throws and even flashes the ability to step into a throw even when he knows a hit is coming, which is something that is critical for his progression into a quality NFL starter. He does not fade away from throws as often as I was afraid he might which is good to see.

Osweiler has room to improve when making pre/post snap reads and I would like to see him improve his pocket poise.

Mobility: Osweiler might be a huge quarterback but his mobility isn’t as bad as you might think. His short area quickness is not very impressive, but he does have the ability to make a defender miss in the pocket partially because of his athleticism to avoid him but also because he is just so big and tall that defenders can’t tackle him with a half-assed arm tackle. Thanks to his long strides he can really pick up yardage surprisingly quickly when he is running in a straight line, but he doesn’t change directions very quickly and definitely isn’t a guy you have to scheme against to take away his ability to scramble in that sense. However, he isn’t as much of a statue as you might think he would be at that height.

Pre/Post Snap Reads: This is one place where I think Osweiler needs to improve, but at the same time he only has seven total games of starting experience to this point so he is still developing and learning as a starting quarterback. Regardless, he doesn’t always recognize when blitzes are coming so he doesn’t identify his hot reads, though he does demonstrate the willingness to make checks and audibles at the line of scrimmage which is great to see for a quarterback with such limited starting experience at this point. But he does need to improve his ability to make pre-snap reads at the line of scrimmage, especially since he spends so much time in the shotgun. His post-snap reads are also a bit of a mixed bag because he more than flashes the willingness to go through multiple progressions (which isn’t necessarily typical for a spread offense quarterback) but far too often for my liking he drops his eyes to try to avoid the rush instead of continuing to look downfield. It especially bothers me when he only makes one or maybe two reads and then he drops his eyes and leaves the pocket prematurely when there really isn’t significant pressure that would constitute scrambling outside the pocket. He needs to continue to work on his pre and post snap reads as well as his poise in the pocket. There is potential there, he just needs to continue to develop.

Intangibles: I think Osweiler has pretty good intangibles. As I mentioned earlier I have seen him making checks at the line of scrimmage which is an encouraging sign of football IQ because of how limited his starting experience is. Plus, he has flashed the ability to make pre-snap reads as well as go through multiple progressions, and he tends to make good decisions and doesn’t force a lot of throws into coverage. He’s also fairly reliable late in games, he just hasn’t been on the top of his game late partially because of dropped passes that have killed late drives he has tried to lead. I think he has the ability to be a closer late, and hopefully over the next year and a half he will come into his own in that respect.

Character: I don’t know much about Osweiler’s character or anything like that, but he seems to be a solid leader and his teammates seem to follow him fine. This is something that is nearly impossible to evaluate from an observational perspective since all I can do is watch his games, I can’t actually talk to him and his coaches like NFL scouts can.

Overall: I am a pretty big Osweiler fan. I think he has a ton of upside thanks to his great combination of size, arm strength and accuracy. He’s still developing obviously which is why this is a preliminary scouting report, but I love his upside and I think if he is developed appropriately and coached up he can be a quality starting quarterback in the NFL. He’s got the upside, he just needs to finish the rest of this year and come back for his senior year to continue to get more starting experience before he goes to the NFL. It will be interesting to see how he progresses the rest of the season because he has a lot of upside, but as teams start to figure out some of his tendencies (like dropping his eyes in the face of pressure at times) he may start to struggle a bit. I look forward to seeing how he does the rest of the season because I really think that with him at the helm Arizona State has a chance to represent their division in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Projection: If Osweiler came out this season I think he would be a 3^rd round pick because he has so much potential but he is raw and needs to develop for another two years before he would be ready to start. But if he stays for his senior year and comes out for the 2013 draft I think he has 1^st round potential and if he continues to progress and develop I think that is where he will end up. Quietly he is 6-1 in his career as a starter against some pretty legitimate competition outside of UC Davis to open this season. He’s definitely one to watch, so if you get a chance to see one of his games you should take a look. You’ll marvel at his size, arm strength and accuracy. He’s got the tools, he just needs more experience.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you enjoyed my Brock Osweiler scouting report!

–Tom

Preliminary Tyrann Mathieu Scouting Report

Tyrann Mathieu is a special player and a special prospect. If he was two or three inches taller he would be getting touted just as highly as Patrick Peterson was.

Summary: Tyrann Mathieu is a sophomore cornerback on LSU. He wears #7 in honor of his mentor Patrick Peterson who left after his junior season after which he was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2011 NFL Draft. Mathieu is a playmaker in the same vein as Peterson was at LSU, and may be even more impactful. Mathieu is truly a ball-hawk, a playmaker at cornerback and as a return man, and his versatility within LSU’s defensive scheme makes him incredibly valuable. He may not be the biggest defender on the field, but there is little doubt that he has the biggest impact.

Size: Mathieu doesn’t have very good size for a cornerback as he is listed at just 5’9”, 175 pounds. I have maintained that if he was two or three inches taller he would be discussed as a potential top five pick, but his size is one of the only knocks on him as a prospect. He more than makes up for his lack of ideal size, but when you see him line up opposite a receiver you notice that he has a natural disadvantage due to his height.

Athleticism: Mathieu is a fantastic athlete. He has great straight line speed, impressive quickness and burst, he changes directions very easily, he closes very effectively and he absolutely flies around the field whenever he steps onto it. His athleticism helps mask his lack of size.

Man Coverage: Mathieu doesn’t play a vast amount of man coverage at LSU (or at least I haven’t seen him do so) because they moved him around a lot last year as a nickel corner, and this year he often plays inside on the slot guy. However, he has fluid hips, he changes directions well, he closes incredibly fast on plays in front of him, he recovers very quickly on plays behind him, and he mirrors receivers well thanks to his quick reaction time. I think he could be a great man coverage corner, I just haven’t seen a ton of evidence of it yet due to how LSU uses him.

Zone Coverage: Mathieu is lethal in zone coverage for many of the same reasons he is lethal in man coverage. He is very instinctual (my guess would be that he also watches a LOT of film) and he reads quarterbacks very well. Then, once he knows where the ball is going, he is off like a rocket closing on the ball and more times than not if it is thrown near him he makes a play on it to either break up the pass or to make an interception. He is incredibly comfortable in space and his closing speed makes him a special zone corner.

Run Support: This is one aspect of Mathieu’s game that really surprised me the first time or two that I saw him last year as a freshman. He closes on the running game the same way he closes on passes in the air and that is surprisingly rare for cornerbacks. He is very willing in run support, he loves laying down a big hit, and he’s not afraid to tackle running backs that are much larger than him. He may be one of the best run support corners in the entire country.

Mathieu is one of the best tackling cornerbacks in the country, and has an uncanny knack for producing turnovers.

Tackling: Mathieu is a very reliable tackler. He does miss tackles in open space at times, but most players do miss those on occasion. However, I would say he is a very good tackler especially for a cornerback. He is a fundamentally sound tackler and he doesn’t drop his head when he attempts tackles. This often results in missed tackles and a surprising number of players do this. On top of all that, he also packs a serious punch as a hitter. He is one of the best corners in the country when it comes to hit power and his proficiency for forcing fumbles.

Blitzing: Mathieu is an effective blitzing corner and he is very dangerous coming off the edge as a blitzing corner. He seems to be pretty good at knowing when to come late, when to show he is coming, and when to show that he’s coming and then drop back into coverage. It isn’t as much of a surprise to see him blitzing as a sophomore because he was so incredibly successful at doing so as a freshman, but he hasn’t had quite as much success blitzing off the edge thus far this year. However, I would argue that his lack of success has something to do with coaching staffs scheming to make sure he isn’t the one to create pressure and get a hit on their quarterback because of his proficiency for forcing turnovers.

Ball Skills: Mathieu’s ball skills are out of this world. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player who is more of a ball-hawk than Mathieu is. He flies to the ball constantly, he has great hands to make tough catches in traffic or on diving attempts, locates the ball very well in the air, he adjusts to the ball effectively in the air, and he will do anything to make a pass deflection or an interception. This part of his game is the part that truly sets him apart and makes him a rare, special corner.

Intangibles: I tend to believe that Mathieu has very impressive intangibles. He’s an aggressive player and he plays with great energy all the time, and I think he has fantastic instincts and I would imagine that has something to do with good study habits. However, he does have a tendency to get in people’s faces due to his intensity, and I see him “barking” at players after the play is over which will eventually get noticed and draw penalties in college and in the NFL. I think he has had a late hit or two when I have watched him as well, and that is something that he needs to make sure he doesn’t do. You love the intensity and his willingness to fight until the whistle, but late hits are cheap yards for the offense and he can’t make simple mistakes like that.

Overall: As I’m sure you can tell by reading my breakdown of Mathieu’s game, I am a huge fan of his. If I were forced to pick one favorite player in all of college football I think it would be him. He plays with a reckless abandon, he’s the definition of a playmaker and a ball-hawk, and he plays the game the right way. He is everything you could want in a corner, even if he’s two inches shorter than he ideally would be. He has top five-ten ability and if teams can look past his height they will get an absolute stud once he is draft eligible. Because that’s the amazing thing: Mathieu is still only a sophomore. He still has another year after this season to develop. I just hope that he stays healthy for the remainder of his LSU career and for his very promising NFL career. He has a ton of upside and potential, and if you haven’t seen him play I encourage you to find a way to watch a LSU game this year or next. You won’t see a talent like this very often, even in the SEC. He’s truly a special player.

Projection: Top 15 in 2013 draft. As good as Mathieu is and will be by the time he is draft eligible his size will still be a knock on him. For some players it makes sense to knock them because their lack of size will inhibit them as playmakers in the NFL. I think Mathieu is an exception to that rule. Regardless, I find it hard to imagine that he will get picked in the top five or ten overall selections even as his skills continue to develop. But if he fell out of the top 15 it would be an absolute travesty for someone as talented as he is.

Hopefully you enjoyed my first current season scouting report of the year! Thanks for reading!

–Tom

Wisconsin Film Post: 2011 Defensive Prospects

I like Nzegwu's upside as a 3-4 OLB, I just hope he isn't pidgeon-holed into a 4-3 DE role because it doesn't maximize his skill set.

Louis Nzegwu, DE, Wisconsin: Nzegwu is very athletic and I think he has all the makings of a quality OLB in a 3-4 defense. He is much more effective in every facet of the game when standing up versus playing with his hand in the dirt like a 4-3 DE. He gets off the ball faster, makes more plays versus the run and applies more pressure to the QB standing up. I hope he gets drafted to play 3-4 OLB, because so many players get drafted to play a position they aren’t a good fit for (like Justin Houston or Jason Babin being drafted to play LB when they are clearly 4-3 DE’s) and they end up being unsuccessful until the scheme changes or until they go to a team that employs them correctly. Anyways, Nzegwu has upside because he has good size, long arms, impressive change of direction speed, good agility and pretty good edge speed to rush the passer. He shows a good swim move to keep blockers from engaging him along with a very impressive shoulder dip to get the edge as a pass rusher. He has impressive hip flexibility and also has a very good motor, as he regularly chases plays down from the backside and gives consistent pursuit from the backside. He is a very reliable tackler and may be one of the best returning tacklers that Wisconsin has on the roster. However, he needs to get stronger at the POA because at times he can be washed out of plays, and needs to get up to 255 or 260 to hold up at the linebacker position he projects to in the NFL. He has the frame for it, but he looks pretty skinny at only about 240 or so right now. He also needs to improve his hand usage so he can shed blocks more effectively, because while he flashes a swim move to keep blockers off of him, he doesn’t do a good job of violently using his hands to disengage once blocked, though to his credit he fights off the block eventually because of his motor. He has upside, and his work ethic and motor make me think he will be a quality player in the NFL, but he has things to work on. I am excited to see how he does without Watt, but with more experience. I like him as a prospect.

 

Fenelus has upside and is one of the best senior cornerbacks in the country. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Antonio Fenelus, CB, Wisconsin: Fenelus has definite upside, that is for sure. He doesn’t have ideal size or speed, but he has solid height and pretty good speed. I am very impressed with his footwork, which seemed to improve as the season progressed. He never wastes steps in transitions even when he gets turned around, and he recovers very quickly when he guesses wrong on a route or isn’t expecting the receiver to break. He did not look like he even knew what a click and close was at the beginning of the year, instead he seemed to try to stop in one step and then lunge back towards the receiver who caught a pass in front of him, but he seemed to be much better about clicking and closing later in the year. I will obviously evaluate this further during his senior year. He also has very fluid hips, a huge plus for a corner. This helps him turn and run with receivers effortlessly, which helps him in both man and zone coverage. He is good in both man and zone coverage, and seems to have good ball skills as he quickly locates the ball in the air and makes a play on it when he can. I don’t think he’s an elite athlete when it comes to straight line speed (probably a 4.5 guy) or leaping ability, but he is a good, fundamentally sound corner who is also a very good tackler for a cornerback. However, I think he might be a bit of a guesser at corner, which is something I’m not wild about. He seems to learn from his mistakes (ie getting burned when he bites on the hitch part of a hitch and go) but he doesn’t seem to be reading and reacting well at times. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but something seems a bit off in that part of his game. Overall I am high on Fenelus as a cornerback prospect, and I’d project him in the 2^nd or 3^rd round of the Draft today. I am excited to see how he progresses as a senior because he seemed to improve significantly over the course of the year as a junior, which is something NFL Draft talent evaluators love to see.

Aaron Henry, FS, Wisconsin: I think Henry is a pretty good free safety, but I am not convinced he is anything special. He has solid height, pretty good speed, solid burst, pretty good ball skills, he is a solid tackler (inconsistent, but solid overall I would say) and he takes alright angles. He just isn’t special in any one way in my opinion. He doesn’t have elite speed or burst to close, and that limits his potential as a center fielder, and he is just as likely to whiff on a tackle in the open field as he is to wrap them up or lay a nice hit it seems. It’s confusing, and it’s hard to pinpoint just how good (or bad) of a tackler he is. He seems comfortable in zone coverage, but he doesn’t have the speed or quickness to be effective in man coverage in my opinion (at least, not very effective). So he has upside, but unless I see more athleticism and better tackling out of him as a senior I’m not sure he will be anything more than a mid-round pick next year.

 

Smith will be moving into the starting role this year, and while he has playing experience as a nickel back his play as a starter could determine whether Wisconsin's secondary is a relative strength or weakness.

Devin Smith, CB, Wisconsin: Smith has good size and speed, nothing elite but it’s good. He seems to have solid footwork though he didn’t get a ton of playing time in the games that I saw, so it was a bit hard to evaluate. He played a lot of nickel last year, so I would imagine he will step up into the starting role opposite Antonio Fenelus now that Niles Brinkley has graduated. That should offer a lot more looks at him over the course of the year. Right now I would project him as a late round pick because I don’t think he has great hips or footwork, but he does have pretty good ball skills and he is a good tackler, and willingly supports the run. I’m not sure how much upside he has yet, but he is worth watching next year to see how he adjusts to a significant increase in playing time.

David Gilbert, DE, Wisconsin: Gilbert has upside because of his combination of size and speed, but right now that is all he is: potential. He is strong for his size (about 6’3”, 240 pounds) and has good edge speed, but he doesn’t get off the snap consistently well (I wonder if he might be like Fenelus and get a better jump on the snap when he is standing up, though there isn’t a lot of film of him to study that, but it may well be the case) with his hand in the dirt and that limits his potential as an edge rusher obviously. He doesn’t shed blocks well and despite his relative strength for his size he doesn’t get off blocks well and is not a good run defender as he struggles to hold the POS and he doesn’t compensate for it with quickness to avoid blocks like Nzegwu does. Obviously Gilbert is only a junior this year, and he should get a lot of playing time opposite Nzegwu if he locks down the starting job, so it will be interesting to see how much PT he gets and what he manages to do with it. For his sake I hope he has gotten stronger and improved his hand usage, because the DE spot opposite Nzegwu could make or break Wisconsin’s pass rush this year.

Patrick Butrym, DT, Wisconsin: Butrym didn’t really stick out to me in a positive way. He didn’t look great versus the run, but didn’t get pushed off the ball, he was often in a stalemate which speaks to his strength and leverage. However, he rarely gets off the blocks (whether one on one or if he is doubled) to make a play on the ball carrier versus the run. He applied a bit of pressure in the games I saw, but the pressure he applied was a result of effort, not of quality technique and hand usage in my opinion. And when he got to the QB he tried to arm tackle instead of wrapping him up (he couldn’t get close enough to him to wrap up) and three times he let a QB he had his hands on get away, which is not any stat a defensive lineman wants to accumulate. As of right now I think he is a 6^th or 7^th rounder if not a UDFA, but he still has another year to prove his worth. It will be interesting to see how he does with another year of experience under his belt, but I’m not expecting him to be anything special.

Hopefully you enjoyed the read on all of these Wisconsin prospects! I’m still working my way through film, so keep checking in for team reports or individual pre-season scouting reports until football gets here! Thanks for reading!

–Tom

Wisconsin Film Post: 2011 Offensive Prospects

Wisconsin Film Post:

Here are my thoughts on all of Wisconsin’s prospects. Obviously as a senior Russell Wilson would constitute an offensive prospect, but I obviously couldn’t watch film of him on Wisconsin from 2010 because he was on NC State at the time. I have high expectations for Wilson and the rest of Wisconsin’s team next year, and if you want to read about the impact I think Wilson will have on Wisconsin feel free to read it here. Otherwise, enjoy the read for these prospects! I watched a ton of film for these, so they should be pretty thorough.

Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin: Ball was obviously extremely effective for Wisconsin last year and he should be the featured back in their offense next year and figures to continue his incredible success that he experienced after John Clay’s injury last season. Ball is a power back in a similar mold to Clay, just without the same mammoth size. He has a similar running style though he isn’t as likely to run over defenders as Clay was. He can run through contact and break arm tackles, but I haven’t seen him bowl defenders over like everyone saw Clay do on a regular basis in the games I watched, though they were from earlier in the season. He seems to have about 4.55 speed to me, which is solid for a power back, but like Clay I don’t think he has much in the way of burst and quickness. He seems to run at more or less one speed on toss or stretch plays, not showing much of a higher gear when he has time to accelerate. He doesn’t quite have the speed to get the edge, but he is a very effective between the tackles runner. Shows the willingness to put his head down and get the tough yards, and showed good vision to find cut-back lanes, etc. He consistently falls forward also which illustrates his impressive leg drive. He also flashed ability in pass protection as he picked up blitzes with effective blocks multiple times while I was watching him. He also demonstrated pretty soft hands out of the backfield. Overall I like Ball as a prospect, but I’m not sure he’s much more than a mid-round guy at this point.

 

I think James White is one of the most talented players Wisconsin has had in years, and is poised to be one of the best players in the Big-10 in the next year or two.

James White, RB, Wisconsin: First things first, White is very fast. He definitely has the speed to get the edge and demonstrated impressive quickness every time I saw him get the ball. He shows pretty good vision though a couple times he missed cut-back lanes when running between the tackles. Those were in the earlier games though, and he seemed to get better and better as the season progressed. When he is in the open field he has a great feel as a runner and is so quick and fast that it is hard to get him down one on one, especially if he can get you off balance with a cut/spin move. He has good hands out of the backfield and should be utilized as a receiver more this year because of his speed and potential to get sizeable gains on screen passes. He also flashes some ability as a pass blocker, utilizing a couple cut blocks to take out blitzing players. He did miss an assignment or two when he was in, so he still needs to improve in this area. He reminds me a lot of Warrick Dunn in terms of his size, quickness, speed, hands and at times his vision. We’ll see if that comparison holds any water as we all watch him this season, but the similarities are uncanny to me at this point. I know White is only a freshman, but he has 1^st round written all over him when he eventually leaves in my opinion.

Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin: I have to say I was impressed by Toon. I had seen him play before obviously, since my freshman year actually, and I knew he had a tendency to drop catchable balls at times. That’s usually a red flag for me, because it’s pretty natural to expect a wide receiver to catch the ball when he’s thrown to, or else what’s the point? So I was skeptical about Toon. But after I was able to watch him and specifically pay attention to him and see what he had to offer I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. He has good size at 6’2”, 215 pounds and you can tell he is strong. He is effective running after the catch and gets tough yards even in the face of contact. He is also quite fast. He has a listed 40 yard dash time of 4.52, but I think he might be closer to 4.48, or at least it looks that way on film. But even more importantly, he has very impressive acceleration and burst which helps him create significant separation. At times his burst looks elite, and while I’m not sure if it is, it is definitely noticeable and noteworthy. He is a good route runner for this reason, and I’m not sure anyone in the country runs a better corner route than he does.

He also shows the ability to come down with tough catches, such as balls away from his body or passes in traffic with defenders draped over him. He has good hands and good potential to make tough catches, his problem is with more routine passes. I think it has more to do with lapses in concentration (not paying attention to the ball or trying to turn and run too quickly before the ball is secure) than it does with his actual ability to catch the ball. If he focused intently on the routine passes on curls and quick slant routes he would be able to catch them easily, just like he catches tougher balls. His hands aren’t elite, but they aren’t bad enough that he should drop those catchable balls by any means. So, needless to say, I like Toon’s upside. He isn’t a great run blocker, and doesn’t give a ton of effort in that phase of the game, but he isn’t a liability either. I’ve heard he’s a confident, bordering on cocky guy, but that’s nothing new for the receiver position. I can’t wait to see how he does this season, because if he can get on the same page with Russell Wilson he could absolutely blow his career season averages out of the water. To do that, though, he will need to improve his concentration on routine passes. Let’s hope he does, because I love watching him run routes.

Josh Oglesby, OT, Wisconsin: There isn’t much to say about Oglseby other than he clearly disappointed this past season. He got replaced by Ricky Wagner, an offensive tackle I am very high on that is expected to start at LT, and didn’t see much playing time after that. The RT position may be up in the air for Wisconsin so perhaps he will have a shot at regaining his starting spot, but he has very slow feet and is not fundamentally sound, leading to him reaching and losing his balance when blocking, severely limiting his effectiveness. He also doesn’t have the lateral agility or the quick feet to mirror speed rushers which presents a problem when he faces smaller, quicker defenders. I would be surprised if he turned out to be the starter, and even though he has great size I don’t think he will stick in the NFL. He strikes me as a potential CFL player because his size will do more for him at that level of competition.

 

Wagner has NFL upside as a LT in my opinion, and I was very impressed with him even when he had just been inserted into the lineup at RT.

Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin: Wagner should be the man to replace Carimi at LT and he is only a junior so he definitely has upside. I was very impressed with his lateral agility, his sound fundamentals, his quick feet and his good hand placement. He doesn’t lean or reach when blocking, he bends at the knees, not at the waist, and he has the athletic ability to get out in front of screens or to cut block defenders effectively. He is very athletic, moves to the second level well, and has good awareness to boot. On top of that he can recover quickly whether he is surprised by a blitzer or if he gets bull-rushed, and he has a strong anchor that he can use to stop the bull rush. He has the total package and I think he might actually have more upside than Carimi as a pass blocker because he will be able to handle speed better than Carimi did. I think Wagner has LT written all over him and may even keep the LT label once he starts getting NFL consideration. I am very much looking forward to seeing him play this season, and I think he will surprise a lot of people once he faces some pass rushers at LT. He should be able to handle whatever the Big-10 can throw at him. There was a rumor going around Wisconsin that he was playing so well that the coaching staff considered moving him to LT last year, even with Carimi firmly entrenched at the position. That speaks volumes about his upside in my opinion. I can’t wait to watch him play more this season as a junior.

Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin: Zeitler is a pretty good guard, but I’m not sure he will go before the 3^rd round at this point. He has pretty good size and shows some ability as a drive blocker, has pretty solid leg drive usually, and is an effective combo blocker who has the athleticism to get to the second level. He is a solid puller, but not spectacular and at times will struggle to sustain when blocking on the move. He is athletic enough to cut block effectively which he does well, and he also has a good enough first step to down block effectively, where he gets a good push. He will lean at times I noticed, but overall seems to have solid balance. He can anchor as a pass rusher and seems to be fundamentally sound overall as far as hand placement, etc. I don’t think he’s an elite guard, but he looks like a reliable NFL starter to me, similar to Moffitt in that regard.

Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin: Konz was very impressive when I watched him. He will be a junior in 2011 so he has definite upside. He is big and strong enough that he can block a defensive tackle one on one which is a very valuable trait for a center to have. He isn’t a dominant drive blocker but he can drive DT’s one on one at times which is almost like having a third guard on the line instead of a smaller pivot who can’t handle a defensive tackle one on one. It’s a huge advantage for your offensive line, which is one reason I’m high on Konz and another reason why I think he will be in high demand when he enters the NFL Draft this year or next. He is a good athlete and pulls well and he blocks effectively on the move, consistently engaging linebackers on the second level and taking them out of the play. He also has an impressive first step which enables him to snap and step smoothly, and that enables him to down block or wall-off defensive tackles to create seams in the middle of the offensive line with relative ease. He has good feet and strength which helps as well. He will lean into his blocks at times though which leads to balance issues, so he spends some time on the ground which I’m not wild about. He has pretty good awareness but I’m not sure how good his intangibles are, I haven’t seen enough of him to know how much he makes line calls before the snap, etc. He has a lot of upside, but he still has things to improve on. I think he is the 2^nd best prospect on Wisconsin’s offensive line behind Wagner.

 

Wisconsin fans, Pedersen is going to be the guy who replaces Kendricks as the next dynamic TE at Wisconsin. Get excited. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Jacob Pedersen, TE, Wisconsin: I was very pleased with myself for uncovering Pedersen when watching film. His stat line may not blow you away (8 receptions, 132 yards (16.5 yards per reception) and 2 TD’s) but they are pretty impressive for a #3 TE who was playing behind a 2^nd round pick who was a very good receiving TE and arguably their best big play receiver in Lance Kendricks. I was not particularly taken with Jake Byrne, a TE who will be a senior in 2011, though he is a pretty good blocker. I expected them to have a receiving TE to help replace Kendricks, and that is where Pedersen comes in. He is fast, similar to Kendricks I would say, has good size, hands and has some quickness to create separation and shows the ability to run effective routes. I don’t think he will be the primary blocking TE like Kendricks was regularly for the Badgers, but should have a similar role to what Kendricks had as a junior with Garrett Graham as the primary TE. He should provide some ability to stretch the field just like Kendricks did and hopefully his hands will be just as reliable.

Thanks for reading, and the defensive post should be up later today!

–Tom