Category: Scouting Reports – 2014

C.J. Fiedorowicz scouting report

Scouting Reports - 2014
Comments
[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”]
C.J. Fiedorowicz TE Iowa #86
Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 265

[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”] [level-2014-scouting-reports]

Size/Athleticism: Impressive overall size. He’s a big, physical tight end with the potential to excel as a blocker. Speed is limited, but he’s a decent all-around athlete. Played basketball in high school and was offered some D-I scholarships.

Separation Skills: Not a deep threat. Strictly a possession receiver and rarely gets open more than 10 yards down the field. He does a nice job sliding off blocks on delayed routes. Does a nice job using his body to shield defenders. Adjusts and finds the soft spot in zones.

Ball Skills: Reliable hands. Doesn’t have the athleticism or body control to consistently make plays on poorly thrown balls. Despite his height, he isn’t explosive enough to really excel in jump ball situations.

Blocking: Tough, physical blocker. Focused and consistent in his fundamentals. Struggles with speed rushers off the edge at times (got burned by Ryan Shazier vs Ohio State a few times).

Intangibles: Viewed as a hard worker and well liked by coaches and teammates. Awarded the “Coaches Appreciation” award in 2013.

Durability: No known issues.

[/level-2014-scouting-reports]

Comments: Fiedorowicz is a solid mid-round prospect who can contribute in all phases of the game. However, his lack of athleticism limits his upside. His ceiling is probably as an Anthony Fasano type tight end which, ideally, is a No. 2 option in an offense and a guy primarily used for blocking responsibilities.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins scouting report

Scouting Reports - 2014
Comments
[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”]
Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE Washington #88
Ht: 6’6″
Wt: 276

[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”] [level-2014-scouting-reports]

Size/Athleticism: Elite size. He has the height to be a threat as a possession receiver. Overall size makes him a well balanced tight end with the ability to impact the game as a receiver and as a dominant blocker on the line of scrimmage. Modest speed and quickness limits his ability for big plays.

Separation Skills: Speed is average at best and he’s not a threat to break away down the field. But he does have the size to be a threat in jump ball situations. He isn’t explosive, so he’ll struggle to get open in certain matchups when the defender is willing and capable of pressing him at the line of scrimmage. He rarely faced a man-to-man matchup in college that wasn’t in his favor, but he will face some linebackers at the next level who can shut him down in the passing game.

Ball Skills: Very reliable hands. When he’s in position, he comes down with the ball. Should be more successful winning 50-50 balls than he’s shown. He has the size to dominate, but he isn’t very aggressive. Inconsistent body control along the sidelines. Doesn’t always put himself in the best position to come down with the ball.

Blocking: Possesses the size to dominate. Can mix it up with defensive linemen and hold his own. Awareness on the field is lacking at times. Seems to lack the ability to process the defense quickly. He gets lost in space and doesn’t make quick decisions in terms of his blocking assignments.

Intangibles: Serious character concerns. Arrested for a DUI after crashing his car in March, 2013. Effort has been questioned by many throughout his career.

Durability: Under went surgery on his finger in August, 2013.

[/level-2014-scouting-reports]

Comments: Seferian-Jenkins has the potential to be an effective well-rounded tight end. He isn’t a flashy playmaker, but his size gives him the potential to excel in all facets of the game. He reminds me somewhat of Martellus Bennett. Like Bennett, he lacks the explosive playmaking ability to be a star but his size could make him one of the most well-rounded tight ends in the league. Character concerns linger which must be addressnzed, but he’s stayed out of the news since his DUI arrest and most teams should be willing to look past it if interviews go well.

Eric Ebron scouting report

Scouting Reports - 2014
Comments
[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”]
Eric Ebron TE North Carolina #85
Ht: 6’4″
Wt: 245

[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”] [level-2014-scouting-reports]

Size/Athleticism: Lacks elite size, but makes up for it with athleticism. He’s a very smooth athlete and plays like an oversized receiver. His size and speed combination makes his a dangerous threat after the catch.

Separation Skills: Speed makes him a viable down-field threat in certain matchups. He’s too fast and quick for many linebackers and some safeties. Needs to learn how to use his size to his advantage in jump ball situations. He’s too much of a finesse receiver at times.

Ball Skills: Fairly reliable hands, but he needs to improve his ability to fight for the ball in traffic. He can be passive in his approach. He often lets the ball come to him, even in tight coverage when he should attack the ball. Needs to improve his skills in jump ball situations. He has the size and athleticism to be dominant in jump ball situations, but he’s too soft in his approach right now.

Blocking: Lacks the strength to dominate but he gives a good effort most of the time. He’s physical and won’t back down from a battle against anyone. Fights hard even when he’s clearly overmatched and uses leverage to hold his ground to the best of his ability.

Intangibles: Missed bowl game in 2011 for academic reasons. Appears to be a hard worker based on his obvious development throughout his career.

Durability: No known injuries.

[/level-2014-scouting-reports]

Comments: Ebron has a high ceiling based on his physical tools, but he’s still developing as a pass-catcher. He lacks the elite size of a guy like Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski, so he needs to be more polished in how he uses his body in contested situations. The potential is there for him to be a game-changing weapon, but more development is needed. His upside will likely put his name in the first round conversation, but he shouldn’t be viewed as an immediate impact player. He’ll show flashes as a rookie, but he’s a year or two away from fully developing.

Jace Amaro scouting report

Scouting Reports - 2014
Comments
[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”]
Jace Amaro TE Texas Tech #22
Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 260

[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”]

[level-2014-scouting-reports]

Size/Athleticism: Prototypical build for the position in today’s NFL. Has the height teams look for but also the overall size to contribute as a blocker. He’s a tough runner with the ball in his hands. He’ll fight for extra yardage and can be difficult to bring down.

Separation Skills: Not a deep threat, but he has the speed to get down the field and then use his size to win jump balls. He knows how to use his body to shield defenders. Field awareness isn’t great – he doesn’t consistently find the soft spot in the zone and runs himself into coverage sometimes. Route running is extremely lazy at times. He appears to adjust his effort based on whether or not he is one of the primary options. When he explodes off the line, the ball almost always comes to him, or at least to his side of the field. When he’s slow off the snaps and runs a lazy route, ball almost always ends up on opposite side of the field. Has experience lining up all over the field (slot, backfield, on the line and occasionally out wide).

Ball Skills: Elite hand-eye coordinator. Reacts extremely quickly to poorly throw balls, and balls that are fired from short distances. Shows great body control when adjusting to poorly thrown balls.

Blocking: Certainly not elite, but gives a reasonable effort. Appears to give fake hustle sometimes – he’ll fight hard against a defensive back, but conveniently be late to get to his assignment when he’s supposed to engaged a more physical linebacker.

Intangibles: Plenty of red flags get raised. Arrested in March 2012 on felony fraud credit card fraud charges. Ejected from 2012 bowl game and suspended for throwing a punch during the game.  Teams will have plenty of questions to ask about his maturity.

Durability: Significant durability concerns. Missed six games in 2012 with a spleen injury. Injured during game in late 2012 and appeared to suffer a concussion (full details not released to media). Suffered torn ACL in high school.

[/level-2014-scouting-reports]

Comments: Amaro has been hyped up as a potential first-round pick and is the top tight end on many media draft boards. The potential is certainly there, and he very well may be the best in this class, but he isn’t an elite prospect. He lacks the dominant size of Gronkowski or the elite athleticism of a Jimmy Graham. Amaro’s ceiling is probably as an Owen Daniels-type tight end – which is certainly a guy worth  having, but hard a game-changer. Further complicating his draft status are the character concerns. It’s not out of the question that he could be removed from some draft boards based on concerns about his maturity.

Zach Mettenberger scouting report

Scouting Reports - 2014
Comments
[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”]
Zach Mettenberger QB LSU #8
Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 224

[divider top=”0″ style=”solid”]

[level-2014-scouting-reports]

Size/Athleticism: Prototypical NFL size. He has the height to stand in the pocket and see the whole field and the size to take some hits. Strictly a pocket passer, very limited mobility outside the pocket. However, he does move very well within the pocket. He’s a decent athlete, so can avoid the pass-rusher, he just isn’t blessed with the speed to be a serious threat on the run.

Arm strength/Accuracy: Above-average arm strength, bordering on elite. He has the ability to make every throw on the field and can get the ball downfield with some nice zip. But he isn’t just a cannon arm. He shows excellent touch and knows when to take something off his fastball. Stands tall in the pocket and will deliver crisp, accurate throws even in the face of pressure.

Footwork/Release: Solid fundamentals. Remains calm under pressure and moves within the pocket while maintaining his fundamentals. Technique begins to break down when he’s forced out of the pocket. He struggles to set his feet and sometimes drops his arm when throwing on the move. Footwork in the pocket is extremely polished for a college quarterback. He consistently sees the pressure from all sides and steps up in the pocket to buy time while keeping his eyes downfield.

Decision making: Still developing in this area but made significant strides from junior to senior year. Most of his mistakes come from issues reading the defense, rather than blind trust in his arm which is the most common, and more concerning, issue for young quarterbacks. With more experience and quality coaching, he can continue to develop in this area. Playing in an NFL-style system under Cam Cameron did wonders for his development in this area. Will occasionally lock on to a receiver

Intangibles: Spent one year at Georgia, transferred to JUCO, then to LSU in 2011. Two-year starter in the SEC with plenty of experience and success against elite competition. Not a noticeably vocal leader on the field. Arrested and plead guilty to sexual battery charges in 2010 for inappropriately touching a woman at a bar.

Durability: Coming off a season-ending torn ACL.

[/level-2014-scouting-reports]

Comments: Mettenberger has the talent to be an elite pocket passer. But his stock will be determine by how much NFL personnel trust him to continue to develop. It’s a fair question to wonder how much impact Cam Cameron had on Mettenberger and how much of it is sustainable. Did Cameron already squeeze everything he could out of him, or is there more under the surface? How he interviews and how much more development, in terms of the mental side of the game, is possible will determine where he lands in the draft.