Posts belonging to Category Scouting Reports – 2012
February 19, 2012
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Posted by Ryan McCrystal
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Andre Branch DE Clemson #40
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Ht: 6’4″
Wt: 260 |
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| Strengths: |
| Prototypical size. Above-average speed for the position; can make some plays in pursuit. Shows good awareness on the field; keeps his eyes in the backfield and makes adjustments. Impressive motor; plays through the whistle and never gives up on a play. Does a nice job diagnosing run vs pass; isn’t overaggressive with his pass rush and is willing to hang back and let the play come to him. Impressive stamina; wears down offensive linemen throughout the course of the game and maintains his productivity deep into games. Some experience playing with his hand off the ground; may be considered at option at outside linebacker for some 3-4 teams. |
| Weaknesses: |
| Plays too upright at times; needs to stay low to improve the leverage in his bull rush. Pass rush skills are average; doesn’t have the explosion off the snap to consistently win off the edge and lacks the strength to consistently bull rush his way into the backfield. Stats are misleading; many of his sacks are hustle/coverage sacks – he fights hard and eventually wears down the blockers. Likes to go for the strip too often and will miss some would-be easy tackles. |
| Comments: |
| Branch lacks the explosion of an elite pass rusher, but he makes up for it with a balanced game. There are some minor things he needs to work on, but he’s fairly polished for a college defensive end. What’s most impressive is his willingness to play the run – so many college defensive ends want to pin their ears back and fly into the backfield on every play. Branch is willing to be patient and hang back when necessary, and does a nice job diagnosing when it is necessary. He is a prototypical 4-3 defensive end, but he does have enough athleticism to play linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. In a 3-4 system he would do well playing opposite a more explosive pass rusher so the attention isn’t always on him. |
| Videos: |
2011 vs Virginia Tech
2011 vs Auburn
2010 vs South Florida |
Categories: Scouting Reports - 2012
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Tags: Andre Branch
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February 18, 2012
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Posted by Ryan McCrystal
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Rueben Randle WR LSU #2
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Ht: 6’4″
Wt: 208 |
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| Strengths: |
| Decent size. Strong hands; does a great job catching the ball away from his body and quickly securing it. Consistent route runner. Relatively quick with his breaks and has deceptive speed; can get over the top if the defense isn’t paying close attention. Quick off the snap; gets up to full speed quickly. Has potential as a blocker. |
| Weaknesses: |
| Needs to do a better job using his body to shield defenders in tight coverage. Plays too soft for a guy his size; hesitates when he hears footsteps and will even give up on balls when he knows he’s going to get hit (see 2011 vs Miss. State). Physical defensive backs can get into his head. Not a strong runner after the catch; has the size to break tackles, but just doesn’t know how (or doesn’t want to put in the effort) to lower his shoulder and run with a purpose. Inconsistent effort as a blocker; needs to improve in this area to take full advantage of his size. |
| Comments: |
| Randle has the skill set to contribute at the next level, but he has never played up to his full potential. His best assets are his hands, and he can be an excellent possession receiver. However, he needs to become more physical in every aspect of his game. He has the size to take advantage of smaller defensive backs, but he just doesn’t seem interested in being that type of receiver. His lack of physical play, considering his relatively modest speed, is a red flag that definitely hurts his stock. While he could develop into a quality No. 2 receiver, he’s a definitely boom-or-bust prospect. |
| Videos: |
2011 vs Auburn, Mississippi State
2011 vs Arkansas |
Categories: Scouting Reports - 2012
| Tags: Rueben Randle
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February 18, 2012
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Posted by Ryan McCrystal
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Mike Adams OT Ohio State #75
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Ht: 6’7″
Wt: 323 |
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| Strengths: |
| Elite size and strength. Prototypical left tackle. Has the size to engulf most defensive ends. An impressive natural athlete for the position. Strong fundamentals in pass protection. Has a nice study base to anchor against the bull rush. Quick out of his stance. Has excellent footwork and can easily slide outside with athletic edge rushers. Has the ability to easily get to the second level and beyond. Strong upper body allows him to get a good pop on smaller pass rushers, often tossing them aside with a quick jab. Has the size to dominate as a run blocker; does a nice job staying low despite his impressive height. Showed a steady improvement throughout his career. |
| Weaknesses: |
| Lacks the killer instinct; seems to be content to keep pass rushers at bay without ever finishing them off. Awareness is suspect; doesn’t always know what to do when not engaged immediately off the snap; needs to do a better job identifying when to slide over to help left guard when there isn’t an immediate threat on the outside. Suspended for five games for his role in Ohio State tattoo scandal. Suspended for two games in 2009 after being arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia; charges were late dropped. Suffered season-ending foot injury in 2008. Had shoulder surgery during 2008 offseason. Missed time in 2009 after undergoing knee surgery. |
| Comments: |
| In terms of his performance, there’s very little not to love about Adams game. Physically he has everything you could ask for in a left tackle, and he is generally fundamentally sound as well. The major flaw in his game, however, is the mental aspect. He simply doesn’t play like he wants to be great. He has the size to be a dominant force but he rarely finishes off his blocks, instead elected to do just enough to keep his man at bay. He consistently gets the job done, but you have to wonder what is holding him back from taking his game to the next level. |
| Videos: |
2011 vs Illinois (video is of Mike Brewster, Adams is #75)
2011 vs Michigan |
Categories: Scouting Reports - 2012
| Tags: Mike Adams
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February 16, 2012
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Posted by Ryan McCrystal
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Jonathan Massaquoi OLB Troy #94
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Ht: 6’2″
Wt: 250 |
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| Strengths: |
| Impressive motor; fights through the whistle and is very active throughout the play. Decent speed and athleticism for a linebacker; definitely looks the part of a 3-4 outside linebacker. Has the speed to make plays in pursuit. Does a nice job shedding blocks; has active hands to fight with more physical offensive tackles. Has a nice array of pass rush moves; rip move seems to be his go-to and is consistently effective. |
| Weaknesses: |
| Already 24 years old. Primarily lined up at defensive end in college, but likely will need to shift to linebacker in the NFL. Level of competition is a minor concern; played at JUCO before joining Troy. Explosion off the snap is inconsistent. Plays out of control at times; needs to do a better job of staying low to avoid being knocked off course with quick jabs from offensive linemen. Struggles at the point of attack; lacks the lower body strength to hold his ground against physical run blockers. |
| Comments: |
| Massaquoi is an good athlete, but unfortunately that works against him at times. He was too athletic for most offensive tackles in the Sun Belt, which has allowed him to develop some bad habits. He is extremely active, but gets carried away at times and plays out of control which make him susceptible to getting knocked down and taken out of the play. At this point Massaquoi is more of a project than a sure thing, but definitely has the skills to be an effective pass rusher at the next level. He may never be a three-down linebacker or lineman, but could be an asset as part of a rotation. |
| Videos: |
2011 vs Western Kentucky
2011 vs Arkansas State
2010 season |
Categories: Scouting Reports - 2012
| Tags: Jonathan Massaquoi
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February 16, 2012
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Posted by Ryan McCrystal
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Lavonte David OLB Nebraska #4
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Ht: 6’1″
Wt: 225 |
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| Strengths: |
| An impressive natural athlete. Looks very fluid in coverage; quick footwork and impressive change-of-direction ability for a linebacker. Plenty of experience dropping into man coverage. Has the speed and athleticism to stick with most running backs and tight ends. Occasionally lines up vs slot receivers. Above-average straight-line speed. Looks fluid dropping into zone coverage; does a nice job staying in his zone and tracking the quarterback’s eyes. Generally takes good angles in pursuit. Very reliable tackler. Experience lining up inside and outside in Nebraska 4-3 defense. |
| Weaknesses: |
| Undersized for some defensive schemes. Lack of height will hurt his ability to match up with some tight ends. Struggles to shed blocks consistently; swallowed up by offensive linemen and fullbacks once he’s engaged. Reliable tackler, but lacks the strength to consistently quickly bring ball carriers to the ground; often stands them up as others swarm to the ball to bring him down. Very little experience blitzing, but likely won’t be asked to blitz often in NFL either due to lack of size. Lacks the ball skills to be a playmaker in coverage. |
| Comments: |
| David is an elite coverage linebacker, however, he is a liability against the run. For that reason, he will receive a wide range of grades from teams based on how his skill set fits their system. His athleticism makes him a prototypical Tampa Two linebacker, and could be a star in that system. He could also make a transition to inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but may not be a three-down linebacker in that scheme due to his struggles against the run. Even if he is only a part-time player, he has enough value to warrant a 2nd-round pick. This is a pass-first league, so more often that not he’ll be an asset on the field. |
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Categories: Scouting Reports - 2012
| Tags: Lavonte David
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February 16, 2012
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Posted by Ryan McCrystal
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Alameda Ta’amu DT Washington #74
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Ht: 6’3″
Wt: 341 |
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| Strengths: |
| Prototypical build for a nose tackle; a true space eater. Strong bull rusher who requires the attention of multiple offensive linemen. Flashes the ability to explode off the snap. Surprising initial quickness. |
| Weaknesses: |
| Weight has been an issue throughout career; reportedly tipped the scales just shy of 400 pounds at times and consistently played around 350-360. Short and stumpy build; not a great athlete. Inconsistent explosion off the snap; possibly a conditioning issue. Slowed down too easily if he doesn’t get a good jump off the snap. Quickness is solid in short bursts, but he fails to sustain his activity for more than a moment or two. Doesn’t always play with good leverage, something which should come naturally given his relatively modest height. Takes up space, but does little else on most plays. Lacks the athleticism, speed and stamina to make plays in pursuit. Not a threat to consistently pressure the quarterback. |
| Comments: |
| Ta’amu has one thing you can’t coach: pure size. And that quality will likely land him a spot somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd round. However, his inconsistent play – very likely a result of poor conditioning – raises a red flag. As of right now, he is not capable of being effective for 30+ snaps and will wear down as the game progresses. However, in a part-time role he can be a dangerous weapon. The best situation for Ta’amu would be to land in a system where he can play in a rotation which will limit his snaps. When fresh, he’s tough to block, and could be an impact player coming off the bench in key situations. |
| Videos: |
| 2011 vs Utah |
Categories: Scouting Reports - 2012
| Tags: Alameda Ta'amu
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