Category: Scouting Reports – 2014

Eric Rowe Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2014
Comments
Eric Rowe CB Utah #18
Ht: 6’1″
Wt: 205

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Size/Athleticism: Impressive height, but surprisingly short arms. Strong leaping ability adds to the effect of his height in jump ball situations. Adequate athleticism but nothing special for a cornerback. Converted safety and some teams will view him as a safety due to some limitations in functional speed/agility. Tested extremely well at combine, but does not appear to have the same elite athleticism on the field.

Coverage: Has the strength to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. Inconsistent footwork and balance creates issues against quicker receivers who can force him into a false step at the line of scrimmage—and then he lacks the elite speed to recover. Change of direction ability to lacking, making it difficult for him to recover from false steps. Excels at defending underneath routes due to his physical play, but is susceptible to getting beat over the top. Would not trust him on an island early in his career—needs safety help over top.

Ball skills: Tends to play the receiver more than he plays the ball. Would like to see him turn to locate the ball more consistently. Shaky hands.

Run support: Capable but inconsistent. When unblocked, he’s a playmaker—closes quickly and efficiently and can wrap guys up or deliver a big hit. Gets blocked and taken out of the play by receivers more often than you’d like to see for a corner with some size.

Intangibles: Nothing positive or negative of note.

Durability: Missed two games with hamstring injury in 2012. Knocked out of a game and missed following week in 2014 with undisclosed injury

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Eric Rowe Chart

Overview: Rowe is a safety/corner ‘tweener. As a corner, his size is definitely intriguing and could potentially lead to some first-round grades. He excels at jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage but limited agility (like many taller corners) make him susceptible to getting beat over the top. I wouldn’t trust him on an island, which limits his upside, but there’s definite value in his physical play and he has the skills to start on the outside in the right defensive scheme.

Duke Johnson Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2014
Comments
Duke Johnson RB Miami FL #8
Ht: 5’9″
Wt: 206

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Size/Athleticism: Bulked up during the offseason prior to junior year. Looks like a more complete running back with the added weight and it may help ease some injury concerns from earlier in his career. Maintained his speed with added weight and is a legitimate home run threat.

Vision: Shows decent vision but his patience is a concern. He hits the first hole he sees hard, but he doesn’t do a great job of waiting for blocks to develop.

Power: Has shown improvement in this area but it will never be a strength. When hit squarely he will get knocked backward. Does not push the pile. Capable of running through arm tackles, but will lose balance from glancing blows.

Speed/Agility: Straight-line speed is among the elite playmakers in this class. Dangerous in space. However, you would like to see a lot more elusiveness between the tackles from a runner of his size. Simply lacks the fluid hips and ankles to string together moves—a skill which is necessary to develop into an elite runner as an undersized ball carrier. Does not play with great balance or agility and struggles to weave between defenders when taking the ball up the middle. Start-and-stop ability is modest, at least when compared to runners with his size and skill set. More of a one-cut runner, which isn’t ideal for his size.

Passing Game: Productive receiver (38 catches in 2014) but technique could be improved. Frequently traps the ball against his body. Gives an effort as a blocker but simply lacks the size and strength.

Intangibles: No known issues. Leaving school early to help support his family.

Durability: Suffered season-ending ankle injury in 2013. Concussion history is unclear, but was knocked out of two games in 2013 after hits which appeared to raise concussion concerns.

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Duke Johnson Chart

Overview: Johnson worked hard to bulk up this past offseason and it paid off. He looks like a more complete back and could be viewed as a runner with feature back potential. However, it’s tough to overlook his limited size and injury history, which is sure to raise some red flags with teams. Johnson reminds me of Boom Herron, who I liked entering the draft and gave a third-round grade.

Chris Borland Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2014
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Chris Borland LB Wisconsin #44
Ht: 5’11”
Wt: 248

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Size/Athleticism: Vastly undersized. Lacks the height and has incredibly short arms which limits his ability to shed blocks and impacts his tackling ability. Appears to play faster than his timed speed.

Run Defense: Closes quickly. Capable of delivering the big hit and jarring the ball loose. Can take a hit and hold his ground at the point of attack. Keeps his eyes in the backfield and quick to react. Speed isn’t great and limits his range but he somewhat makes up for it with quick reactions.

Pass Rush: Explosive in short bursts and can be disruptive. Lacks the strength to consistently shed blocks. Limited arm length severely hinders his ability to keep linemen from getting into his chest and locking on to him. Shows a nice spin move.

Coverage: Smooth in back pedal when dropping into coverage. Does a nice job reading the quarterback. Will be a liability in man coverage. Lacks the height to play with almost any tight end and lacks the quickness to contain running backs.

Intangibles: Team leader who can be the quarterback of the defens.

Durability: Missed one game in 2013 with a leg injury. Missed 2013 spring game due to injury. Missed two games with hamstring injury in 2012. Suffered season ending shoulder injury in 2010.

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Comments: Borland does all the little things well, but can he hold up at the next level with his limited size? Not only does his size limited him on the field, but it also may be an issue in keeping him healthy. He’s missed significant time throughout his career and has seemingly battles nagging injuries throughout his time at Wisconsin. But he’s a smart player who is probably worth the risk based on the fact that he’s capable of being a reliable backup at the very worst.

C.J. Mosley Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2014
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C.J. Mosley LB Alabama #32
Ht: 6’2″
Wt: 234

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Size/Athleticism: Prototypical build for the position. Below average speed. Lacks the explosiveness to get into the backfield consistently. Timed speed (4.63 at pro day) doesn’t quite show up on tape.

Run Defense: Decent range but struggles to diagnose. Bites on a lot of fakes and is often a step late to react. Really struggled in 2013 against Auburn’s option attack. Takes strong angles in pursuit. Does a nice job fighting through the junk to get to the ball carrier when he knows where he’s going. Strong anchor at the point of attack and sheds blocks quickly. Disciplined and rarely over pursues.

Pass Rush: Rarely used as a pass-rusher. Lacks the explosiveness to slip past the interior line consistently.

Coverage: Lacks ideal athleticism for coverage. Stiff hips. Disciplined and does a nice job reading the quarterback in zone. Closes quickly on underneath routes. Lacks the speed and agility to run with the elite tight ends and running backs. Bites on play action a lot, although it’s partially due to Alabama’s scheme which is designed to focus on stopping the run.

Intangibles: Quiet leader and well respected by coaches and teammates. Not your typical loud, vocal leader at inside linebacker. No issues off the field.

Durability: Missed two games with dislocated elbow in 2011. Dislocated hip in 2011. Underwent right shoulder surgery following 2012 season.

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Comments: Mosley is a steady, physical inside linebacker who can excel against the power run game but he lacks the elite athleticism to play at a high level in today’s NFL. He’s capable of playing a starting role in certain schemes, but his modest range and inconsistent ability to diagnose, especially against play fakes and options, will hold him back.

Jimmie Ward Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2014
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Jimmie Ward S Northern Illinois #15
Ht: 5’11”
Wt: 207

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Size/Athleticism: Good size/athleticism blend. Fast enough for man coverage but strong enough to play near the line against the run—the ideal blend for a strong safety.

Coverage: Used almost exclusively at free safety in zone coverage. Looked fluid and confident in limited man-to-man opportunities. Decent range but not elite. Fluid in his backpedal. Late to react and struggles to pick up the subtle movements of receivers that can give away their direction. Development still needed in man coverage. Quick-twitch athleticism is modest, causing him to struggle against elite slot receivers.

Ball skills: Does a great job reading the quarterback and breaking on the ball. Good hands with 11 career interceptions. A playmaker after the interception.

Run support: Quick to diagnose and closes quickly. Reliable wrap-up tackler. Lacks elite size and some runners will plow through him, but its rarely due to a lack of effort or poor technique.

Intangibles: Multiple reports exist about a lack of maturity but has never been suspended or in trouble with the law. It’s unclear if these issues have impact his status on the draft board of any teams.

Durability: Missed combine due to foot injury. Missed just one game in college and played in 55. Relatively small frame for the position does raise some minor concerns.

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Comments: Ward reminds me of Quintin Mikell, whose ability to react and close quickly have made him a solid run defender despite modest size. Ward needs to continue to develop his man coverage skills in order to play strong safety in most schemes, but he has the tools to do so. He fits best at strong safety, which he played at NIU, but could transition to free safety if necessary.