| Pierre Allen DE Nebraska | ||
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Ht: 6’4″
Wt: 275 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Impressive overall size. Quick off the snap, shows a nice bull rush. Very reliable tackler. Strong lower body; holds his ground against the run. A great leader on and off the field; a mature player (23 years old, married with a son). | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Slightly older than your average draft prospect. Doesn’t have the explosive athleticism necessary to consistently get into the backfield. Collegiate production may be a result of playing next to some dominant tackles (Ndamukong Suh, Jared Crick). | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Allen has NFL talent, but his skill set may limit the number of teams interested in his services. He isn’t big enough to play tackle and not quick enough to offer much as a 4-3 end. He is probably best suited to play end in a 3-4 scheme. While he could have a successful career in the right system, players with a limited skill set often fall on draft day. He doesn’t have a ton of upside, but could provide some quality depth in the right scheme. | ||
Pierre Allen scouting report
Willie Smith scouting report
| Willie Smith OT East Carolina | ||
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Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 310 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Prototypical height and overall size. Impressive athleticism; a converted tight end/defensive lineman. Two year starter at left tackle who has shown a lot of potential. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Still very raw. May not be able to contribute immediately. Shows good fundamentals at times, but in pressure moments he breaks down. Looks good off the snap but as the play extends he loses his fundamentals; stamina could be an issue? | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Teams love offensive lineman who are converted tight ends. It generally means they have a ton of athleticism and will be capable of playing on the left side in the pros. There’s a lot to like about Smith, but he probably won’t contribute until 2012 or later. As a result, he’ll probably fall to day three of the draft, but shouldn’t remain on the board very long into the 4th or 5th round. | ||
Derek Hall scouting report
| Derek Hall OT Stanford | ||
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Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 305 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Adequate size and strength. Plenty of upside; a converted defensive lineman who is still learning the position. Impressive production considering his limited experience. Above average athleticism. Has the strength to move inside to guard. Could provide depth at four spots on the offensive line. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Due to lack of experience, won’t be able to contribute immediately. Technique still needs a lot of work. Looked hesitant at times; needs to develop a mean streak to be a dominant blocker. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Hall is an interesting prospect due to his limited experience. He has almost no upside for the 2011 season, but he definitely has the long-term upside to warrant a mid-to-late round pick. Teams looking to add immediate depth should look elsewhere, but anyone looking to make an investment for the future should be interested. | ||
Joseph Barksdale scouting report
| Joseph Barksdale OT LSU | ||
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Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 325 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Elite size and strength. A dominant run blocker. Shows a mean streak at times, driving his man to the ground. Came to LSU as a highly-recruited defensive tackle and is still learning to play offensive line, giving him plenty of upside. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Lacks elite athleticism. Will be limited to right tackle or guard in the pros. Struggles with speed rushers at time; footwork is very average and he isn’t always quick to get into position off the snap. Field awareness is still a work in progress; gets caught out of position at times and occasionally looks very ugly, whiffing as guys blow past him. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Barksdale has the potential to dominate at the next level, but he was too inconsistent at LSU to warrant a high selection. He is relatively new to the position, which is reason to believe he could still improve, but after four years his development is somewhat behind schedule. At times he looks great, and other times he looks clueless. He’s a boom-or-bust prospect, and it all depends on how hard he is willing to work to learn an NFL system and master the position. | ||
Derek Newton scouting report
| Derek Newton OT Arkansas State | ||
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Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 310 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Good overall size and strength. Shows decent fundamentals; rarely caught out of position. Could move inside to guard, where his athleticism would be above average. Looked dominant at times. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Hasn’t faced top competition. Only two years at Arkansas State after transferring from JUCO. May lack the lower-body strength to consistently anchor against the bull rush. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Newton is a very solid right tackle prospect, but he may be limited to that position. He doesn’t have the dominant size and strength to be an obvious candidate to switch to guard and he lacks the athleticism to play left tackle in the pros. While he does have NFL skills, he may struggle to stay with a team if he can’t develop into a versatile backup. | ||
Jah Reid scouting report
| Jah Reid OT Central Florida | ||
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Ht: 6’7″
Wt: 325 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Elite size. A decent athlete considering his size. Quick feet. Strong lower body; looks very good slowing down bull rushers. Has the skills necessary to switch to guard if teams view him as a better fit there. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Not a dominant blocker. Even when going against smaller defenders he rarely finishes off his blocks; seems to lack that nasty streak that many great linemen have. Slow to react to delayed blitzes; doesn’t appear to have great field awareness. Probably limited to right tackle or guard in the pros. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Reid’s size alone is enough to get him a look at the next level. Couple that with his decent athleticism and someone is likely to roll the dice on him in the mid rounds due to his upside. He needs work, but there’s no denying his potential. | ||
Cecil Shorts scouting report
| Cecil Shorts III WR Mount Union | ||
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Ht: 6’0″
Wt: 205 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Impressive athlete who dominated D-III competition; 63 career touchdown receptions. Converted quarterback; played both positions as a freshman. Adequate size and strength. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Level of competition is a concern. Stats are inflated by Mount Union’s dominant offense. Speed is decent, but nothing special. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Shorts was a tremendously productive player over the past three seasons. While he dominated D-II competition I have to wonder if the success of his former teammate, Pierre Garcon, has inflated Shorts’ draft stock. Shorts is solid across the board, but lacks the elite skills to be top prospect. He could be a solid slot receiver, but is probably a 3rd or 4th option at best. | ||
Ricardo Lockette scouting report
| Ricardo Lockette WR Fort Valley State | ||
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Ht: 6’2″
Wt: 211 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Prototypical height. Elite size/speed combination. Has the speed to stretch the field. Impressive leaping ability. Experienced returning kicks. Fairly strong for a receiver; good upper-body strength. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Some character concerns; initially signed with Auburn but was ruled academically ineligible. Went to JUCO to run track before returning to football at Fort Valley State. Tested positive for elevate testosterone levels at 2009 NCAA D-II Track Championships. Wasn’t nearly as dominant against lower level competition as he should have been. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Lockette looks and runs like an elite NFL receiver. Given time to develop he could become the next Miles Austin. However, like Austin, it will take time. He isn’t ready for the NFL and may not see the field, except on special teams, in 2011. That said, his raw skill set should allow him to come off the board on day three of the draft. | ||
Stanley Havili scouting report
| Stanley Havili FB USC | ||
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Ht: 6’0″
Wt: 225 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Elite athlete for the fullback position. Capable of carrying the football; averaged over six yards per attempt over his career. Great receiver out of the backfield; 116 career receptions. Has a nice small, compact build; stronger than his height/weight would indicate. Does a great job using leverage to take on bigger pass rushers. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Slightly undersized; 10-20 pounds lighter than most fullbacks which may cause some teams to dismiss him. Missed time in 2006 with a broken leg. Some character concerns. Briefly ruled academically ineligible in 2008. Suspended in 2010 for getting into a fight with a teammate. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Havili isn’t your traditional fullback, which is exactly why he should draw interest from so many teams in the draft. Very few teams use a true fullback, but Havili will give someone the luxury of carrying a player on the roster who can play fullback but is also capable of contributing as a running back and receiver out of the backfield. His versatility and athleticism is rare for someone with his skill set and should allow offensive coordinators to be creative. | ||
Niles Paul scouting report
| Niles Paul WR Nebraska | ||
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Ht: 6’1″
Wt: 225 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Impressive size. A strong, physical player. Willing to go across the middle. A tough runner with the football; will break some tackles. Above average blocking ability and has the size/strength to get better. Experienced returning kicks/punts. Impressive athlete; will make some tough catches. Capable of going up in traffic to get the ball. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Arrested on suspicion of DUI in 2009 and pled to a lesser charger. Arrested for underage consumption 2010. Work ethic has been questioned, and he admits to having a poor work ethic early in career. Missed time with a broken foot in 2010. Doesn’t play as fast as his timed speed. Looks a bit stiff as a route runner. Has small hands; drops too many easy passes. Weight could be an issue down the road; he doesn’t have the frame to carry much more than he already does. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Paul has the size and athleticism of a potential top receiver, but there are too many questions marks to take him before the third day of the draft. He definitely qualifies as a boom-or-bust prospect. He could flourish in an NFL offense which better suits his skill set, or he could flame out and be out of the league in a year or two. | ||