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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 |
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Category: Scouting Reports – 2012
Lavonte David scouting report
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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. | ||
| Videos: | ||
Alameda Ta’amu scouting report
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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 | ||
Bobby Wagner scouting report
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Bobby Wagner ILB Utah State #9
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Ht: 6’0″Wt: 235 |  |
| Strengths: | ||
| Above-average athleticism. Extremely quick off the snap. Did not blitz often in college, but flashed impressive explosion when he did. Speed and lack of size makes him a dangerous situational pass rusher; tough for taller offensive tackles to stay low enough to get him engaged. Looks good in zone coverage; stays in his space and keeps his eyes in the backfield. Physical at the line of scrimmage in man coverage; does a nice job getting hands on tight ends and slowing them down. Reliable wrap-up tackler. Experience lining up at all three linebacker positions in a 4-3 scheme (primarily strong-side linebacker). Team captain in junior and senior year. Four-year starter. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Size will concern some teams; won’t be a great fit for every defensive scheme. Lacks the strength to consistently shed blocks once he’s engaged. Reliable tackler, but sometimes lacks the strength and explosion to bring the ball carrier to the ground without help. Inconsistent with the angles he takes in pursuit, and often relies on his speed to make up for mistakes. Limited experience against top competition. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Wagner has the skills to start at the next level, but he’s not a great fit for every system. His lack of size limits the number of teams which will have an interest, as most schemes in today’s NFL favor size/strength over pure athleticism and speed. Wagner’s biggest issue is in run defense, where he really struggles at the point of attack. For this reason, he may actually be best suited to play inside in either a 3-4 or 4-3 system, which will give him more space and limit the instances where he’s engaged at the point of attack against the run. | ||
| Videos: | ||
| 2011 vs Auburn 2011 vs Nevada |
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Orson Charles scouting report
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Orson Charles TE Georgia #7
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Ht: 6’3″
Wt: 242 |
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| Strengths: | ||
| Quick off the snap. Does a nice job fighting through press coverage; quick enough to shake more physical linebackers in coverage. Reliable hands; can make the tough catch in traffic. Does a really nice job staying low and using good leverage on his blocks. Plenty of experience against top competition; three year starter. | ||
| Weaknesses: | ||
| Lacks the strength to excel as a blocker; will get desperate and hold when he starts to lose control of a block. Somewhat reckless running with the football; needs to do a better job securing the football and staying low and driving his legs to fight through tackles. More quick than fast; can shake free in tight spaces but won’t be a threat to consistently stretch the field at the next level. | ||
| Comments: | ||
| Charles has the skills to be effective at the next level, but doesn’t stand out in any one area which limits his upside. He is a reliable receiver, but may lack the height to truly be a difference maker in that area of the game. There are relatively few pass-catching tight ends listed at 6’3″ or shorter, and Charles lacks the blocking skills to make up for what he lacks as a receiver. He should be a solid backup, and could be a nice 3rd or 4th round luxury pick for a team in need of another weapon, but he likely will never be a feared pass catcher. | ||
| Videos: | ||
| 2011 vs Georgia Tech | ||