Impressions: Missouri vs Illinois

Hey folks! Sorry for the long delay! I’d used up a lot of room on my computer downloading games so I had to wait for my external hard drive to arrive. I’m back in business. Should get another one up this weekend as well, if things go well. Missouri vs Illinois was an interesting game to keep track of because there is a lot of offensive talent and a couple big defensive names. On the downside, this was played in the StL Rams stadium (Edward Jones Stadium) so that made it both an injury-fest and a little hard to evaluate athletic tools.

Missouri:

Offense:

Jeremy Maclin, WR, rSo, 6’1 200lbs: #9 Caught at least the first pass with his hands. Missed a poorly thrown by catchable pass. Caught the next pass. Returned a TD through a huge hole but showed interesting speed. Interesting because it doesn’t look like his legs move that fast but nobody can catch it – eats up ground in a hurry and gets to top speed very quickly. His acceleration isn’t matched in the NFL. Used a lot in the slot and over the middle. He impressed, not perfect but he has a lot of talent and opens things up for his teammates – when he wasn’t covered by Vontae Davis, he was covered by 2 guys. I want to see him more, because his speed is tricky – he’s faster than everyone else, but he doesn’t look like his legs move that quick.

Chase Daniel, QB, Sr, 6’0 228lbs: #10 Pretty heavy for a quarterback his size. Appears well muscled for a quarterback. Has scrambled and is a better athlete than given credit for. Doesn’t get excellent height in his delivery, though it is fairly quick. For a short quarterback you’d like a higher release. Doesn’t look comfortable throwing on the move. His height definitely works against him, as he sometimes has to elevate his pass to make it past the LOS. Made a terrible pass on a WR screen into the hands of DE Walker for a pick-6. Throws a lot of touch passes, but some of them look like situations where taller QBs might have zipped passes in accurately (don’t see many touch-hitch routes in the NFL). First deep attempt wasn’t completed, was a near perfect deep toss 40 yards downfield. WR dropped it amidst good coverage. I’d give him average NFL arm strength, which is all he can hope for honestly, but he passed that test. Good tools except for his height and system. Only those work against him, and usually when a short QB makes it in the NFL they find passing lanes… he didn’t always do that.

Chase Coffman, TE, Sr, 6’6 247lbs: #45. Last year I thought he was superior to Martin Rucker, the other Missouri TE. Made a good block on a safety downfield during a long run by Washington. Caught a TD with his hands, but I’ve seen some body-catches. Made an incredible play on a short route, catching the ball, making a move, vaulting a cornerback, and running a bit. Over 15 yards altogether. Doesn’t have elite athleticism, but is really smooth. Caught a pass facing the QB and needed 1 yard for the first but looked to lack the strength to fall forward. Splits out wide a lot. Didn’t really focus on his run-blocking much, that’ll happen when I scout him specifically.

Defense:

William Moore, S, rSr, 6’0 226lbs: #1 Saw a sweet spin move to disengage from a block on a screen. Caught him miss a tackle against Benn, who is a strong WR. He went for the big hit, but given the situation it was a good call (3^rd and 2) on his part, since a big hit might have forced the incompletion. Missouri has faith in him – I’ve caught him in man against a Benn and out wide. Showed awareness on a QB scramble, working to stick with the WR without allowing an open running lane. Bit badly on a QB Read option play, taking himself out of position. Moves downfield quickly. Move him inside as the slot corner on a lot of 3-wide sets. Interesting to note he plays special teams on the kickoff and punt coverage units. I’m seeing him hit instead of tackle a few times and I’m not sure I like it. He’s not an elite athlete, but good enough for the NFL, and at his size he moves pretty well. Doesn’t have Ed-Reed or Troy Polamalu speed. Missed another tackle trying to lay a lick. Dissapointed me overall with his poor tackling form and lack of elite speed. He could redeem himself in other games, but I’d give him a 3rd or 4th round grade based off of this game alone.

Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Jr, 6’1 235lbs: #12 Gets pushed around in trash a bit. Shouldn’t declare from a scout’s perspective, but he might make some dough if he does. Has growing to do. He doesn’t look good blitzing, appearing a little tentative. Showed instincts on his first real play in coverage, jumping a route for a pick. Plays on punt coverage. Surprised Missouri uses so many talented guys on ST. 2^nd interception he just made a good play on the ball ripping it away from the targeted halfback who was struggling to bring it in. Heady play in coverage. Might be better in man than in zone coverage – he failed to get good depth in his zone and allowed a completion behind him. Interesting guy, but I’m always concerned about a linebacker who looked better in coverage than against the run.

Illinois:

Offense:

Xavier Fulton, T, rSr, 6’4 300lbs: #68 Showed some decent athleticism moving downfield on a screen pass. Missed an attempt to make a block on second level. Real athletic, keeping with Missouri’s best speed rusher, but doesn’t use his hands well or sustain his blocks. Doesn’t sustain. Needs more strength, supposedly he has room to add some, but he’s a bit of a project. Given his size I’d love to see him as a guard on a team that requires quicker guards.

Defense:

Vontae Davis, CB, Jr, 6’0 204lbs: #1 Has shown some aggression tackling earlier in the game. Doesn’t look all that big for someone who has an excellent cornerback build. Struggled a bit to get off a block on a long TD run. Was challenged deep once on an island and made a really sweet play, riding the WRs hip and then swatting the ball with his hand. Doesn’t disengage from blocks well. Doesn’t always play perfect, but he is always within a yard of the receiver when he plays man. Hasn’t given any easy completions except a drag route to Maclin which gained 3 yards. If he could just disengage from blocks he’d be twice as valuable to his team. Have to wonder if it is technique or effort. In coverage, he did well.

Derek Walker, DE, rSr, 6’3 270lbs: #91 Showed some good awareness on a WR screen, fighting off a chop block and then getting his hands up to pick the ball off. Also looks somewhat athletic running it back for the score. Made that big play but Daniels is an annoying QB to play against because he’s 8 yards behind the LOS on most snaps.

Impressions: LSU vs Florida

Louisiana State University vs University of Florida

Florida Offense:

Tim Tebow, QB, Jr, 6’3 238lbs: Long release. Should’ve had a pass picked off but instead it went for a TD (those things happen). Some guys take a long throwing motion on their deep tosses and throws quickly for short passes. Tebow always has a long release. Quick enough to run a bit in the NFL. Took a delay of game penalty – announcers blame center. Doesn’t seem to make his reads quickly, but does go through them (hasn’t taken off first time his guy is covered). Knows how to take something off his passes, even the corner routes. Throws off his back foot. Normally has a high release, but can drop his release point to make the play. I saw some improvement from a sophomore to a junior – he’ll look to his second read and has improved his touch and accuracy (seems to throw off his back foot less than as a sophomore). However, he still needs more work driving off his leg, has a very long release (Byron Leftwhich), and still doesn’t drop back from center. Still, I saw more this year than last.

Percy Harvin, WR, Jr, 5’11 195lbs: #1 Showed good concentration to catch a tipped pass. Tough to bring down with arm tackles, and knows how to work angles. Too small to do this much in the NFL, much looks like a good scatback, excellent speed and vision. Might have some potential as a 3^rd down back in the NFL. Harvin is definitely stronger and that changes his projection significantly. I’m scared by the lower-body injuries he has sustained thus far in his career, but he has a lot of potential as a Santana-Moss type of player. Great speed, even better acceleration, hands looked good… He could be very good if he can make it through an NFL season.

Louis Murphy, WR, Sr, 6’2 205lbs: #9 Didn’t see him until he caught a long pass at the 2 yard line. The one route I’ve gotten to see, he showed really good acceleration throughout the out-and-go. Great deep speed as well. Looks a little thin out there. I really only saw one catch by Murphy, and he had to leave the game due to a minor injury. Might have some value as a vertical threat but I didn’t see much of an effort by Florida to involve him in the game.

Jason Watkins, OT, rSr, 6’6 310lbs: #77 Got beat on the first run of the game. Was able to mirror Jackson, but got beat by the swim move and Jackson sacked Tebow (had time, but not enough). Is having a tough time with Jackson on runs, lacking the strength. Even when Jackson is taking a break he looks content to stalemate his man. Athletic getting to the second level, but reaches a bit on his blocks (waist-bender). Athletic enough not to get beaten off the snap, but doesn’t sustain his blocks. He doesn’t look to have the aggressiveness of Andre Smith, but he isn’t lacking in that department either in his run blocking. He’s athletic enough to play LT, but might struggle with the physicality of the NFL as his one weakness is pretty big: He doesn’t sustain his blocks well.

Phil Trautwein, OT, rSr, 6’6 310lbs: #75 Didn’t look good on a roll-out, unable to keep his guy from pressuring Tebow. Lacks the speed to play at LT in the NFL, just plain beat in protection. Could possibly play strong tackle. Didn’t pay as much attention to him with the other talent on the field.

Defense:

Brandon Spikes, ILB, Jr, 6’3 245lbs: #51 Doesn’t look all that fast in coverage. Looks faster downhill (hips?). Does a good job with angles near the line of scrimmage. Not a punishing tackler. Doesn’t look all that fast. Picked off his second pass (good instincts) and ran for a TD, but he didn’t look quick doing it. Drew an unsportsmanlike penalty for punting the ball after the TD. I thought before Spikes was faster than he showed today, he looked more like a 34 inside linebacker than he did a guy who can patroll sidelines in the NFL. Despite his looking a tad slow, he did look very instinctive.

LSU Offense:

Herman Johnson, G, rSr, 6’7 362lbs: #79 You expect a big guy like him to be a waist bender, but he does a good job keeping his knees bent. Doesn’t happen often, but he can get overextended. Hasn’t gotten the same sort of push (2^nd quarter so far) that he got against Auburn. For a guy who has impressed me so much with his athleticism, he looks pretty slow on screens. Hands don’t appear as quick as they did against Auburn. Didn’t appear to be drive blocking with the same strength I saw against Auburn. Not a great game for Johnson. I saw him pick up the blitz well and play technically sound football, and he still appeared athletic. I didn’t see him drive blocking like he did against Auburn though. He’s going to give me fits scouting, I can already tell.

Ciron Black, T, rJr, 6’4 328lbs: Looked pretty athletic getting to the 2^nd level. Looks terrible in space though as a pass blocker. Lumbers a little on the screen pass. Has had a lot of trouble late in the game as LSU is in passing mode. He’s just not a tackle, I’m going to start marking him as a guard because there is no way he can play tackle well in the NFL. He’s awkward looking when he mirrors rushers and he has a hard time keeping up with them.

Brandon LaFell, WR, rJr, 6’3 210lbs: Hard to tell from my view, but might lack explosion in his routes. Has caught every ball I’ve seen him come near. Has some serious YAC potential. Got separation on a deep route against a speedy Florida secondary, but the pass was poorly thrown. Not a slug at all. Finally saw his first non-catch, a jump ball which was underthrown. Has been great, but doesn’t run a large variety of routes – a lot of flats, slants, ins and outs. Missed a pass behind his back, I’d like to see him catch it though. His route (in patterns) was excellent. Body catches at times, but not too often. A little less impressive as the game went on – had 2 passes he could have caught, but neither was well thrown. He’s quicker than people will give him credit for, but he doesn’t run a full arsenal of routes either. Also put in a lot of situations to make plays.

Demetrius Byrd, WR, Sr, 6’1 200lbs: I question him in the NFL. He just doesn’t seem to get many looks at LSU in the games I’ve seen. 1^st catch in the 2^nd half a short hitch. As I type that, he catches another hitch. Is playing more of a role in the second half. Has shown the hands to catch the ball while getting hit. Gets more involved as the games go on apparently. He’s tough and has good hands, but that is really all I can tell you.

Charles Scott, RB, Jr, 5’11 232lbs: Shows good burst for his size. Didn’t see much of him and he never got the blocking to make plays. In the NFL, he’s not going to outrun people, but he has enough speed to serve as more than a goal-line back.

Defense:

Ricky Jean-Francois, DT, rJr, 6’3 290lbs: Did not play.

Tyson Jackson, DT/DE, rSr, 6’4 295lbs: #93 Shows a decent swim move. I think I saw that against Auburn too. Lacks any kind of closing speed. Didn’t see much here I didn’t see at Auburn. Technically sound for a college player, but is a poor athlete as a 43 end. He stacks well on runs though, which is key for the 34 so I could see him sticking there.

Curtis Taylor, S, rSr, 6’2 207lbs: #27 Looked fast pursuing Harvin on a TD (wasn’t his guy either). Practically invisible. Don’t know if it is because of scheme or himself. Saw him on another Florida TD, almost catching up to Demps (fast as Harvin). He’s got NFL speed. I wish I could see him more in action. I caught him missing a tackle late in the game when Florida was running out the clock but sample size problems with Taylor. He should make more of an impact early on when the games count, though. I did notice again that in coverage he wasn’t beaten deep.

Louisiana State University vs University of Auburn

Louisiana State University vs University of Auburn

LSU Offense:
Herman Johnson, OG, rSr, 6′7 362lbs: Got beat on the 2nd run by Marks, who just blew right past him. Plays through the whistle on runs. Quicker than you’d expect for a big guy. Caught him playing tall on one run. Knee bender. Gets to the 2nd level very quickly for a guy his size. Knee bender. Knee bends most of the time but can play high. Good strength as a pass protector. Knows how to pick up the blitz. Uses his hands really well. Still going strong in the 4th quarter, which was a concern of mine. I’d heard some mixed opinions from people I respect about Johnson. From HOF (no joke) to 4th round talent. I don’t think either is right, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnson makes a pro-bowl. He’s a little tall, but he played against a 6′1 DT, about as short as they get, and really had a nice game.

Brandon LaFell, Wr, rJr, 6′3 210lbs: Made a smart play on special teams, downing a punt inside the 1 yard line. Had a step on a post route, but the ball was poorly delivered. Can extend to call the ball. Shows that he can sink his hips in his routes. Works over the middle and will take a hit. Quick feet for a taller wideout, has some YAC potential. Blocking very well, called out twice by the announcers for good blocking on WR screens. Pretty quick for a tall wideout. Another guy who impressed me, he’s quicker than I expected, goes over the middle, has some YAC, and caught everything near him.

Ciron Black, OT, rJR, 6′4 328lbs: Had to lean to handle an edge rush. Uggh. Waste bender. Maybe I came in with too high of expectations, not athletic at all for a tackle. Maybe he can succeed as guard but he’s a project. Doesn’t look very athletic. Ironically, I’d heard good things about Black, but he looked awful. Technique wise, he’s atrocious. Athletically, maybe he has some deep down I didn’t see much.

Demetrius Byrd, WR, Sr, 6′1 200lbs: Has taken some hits early and held onto the football. Caught a TD on a halfback pass, got open for it. Quiet game, hurt his calf with 6 minutes to go in the game. Pretty quiet game for him, but Auburn has a great defense.

Brett Helms, C, rSr, 6′2 282lbs: Got manhandled for a sack, lacked strength. Good quickness and seals well. Never going to be a dominant drive blocker, just not strong enough. Excellent technique. If he was 300lbs, I’d say he’d be a great player. But the word is that 282 might be generous, either way he doesn’t look very big and his lack of functional strength hurt him.

Charles Scott, RB, Jr, 5′11 232lbs: Fights yard for every yard. Shows paitence waiting for the hole to improve. Decent burst. Negative. Better than decent. Had an open shot on the QB for a sack but missed (QB made a nice move). Falls forward. Body catcher, haven’t seen bobbles or drops. I’m really impressed with his vision and burst, and he has a knack for falling over. If he declares, I’d expect him to go day 1 if his 40 time matches his game speed.

LSU Defense:

Tyson Jackson, DE, rSr, 6′4 295lbs: #93 Flashed good strength as a DE. On the 2nd pass he looked surprisingly quick off the snap. Made a good read on the QB keeper, getting a TFL on the play. Looked slow rushing on a 7-step drop by the QB. Was given an open lane on a pass, but didn’t show good closing speed. Thin calves. Just not very fast, even when there aren’t people in his way. Been a sure tackler through the 1st half (has been making a lot of plays). Flashed a decent swim move. Not fast enough for be a 43 DE, but might find a place as an end in a 3-4 alignment. Plays with effort and smarts and size. Just not fast.

Curtis Taylor, SS, rSr, 6′2 208lbs: #27 Ping-ponged when put in the box (can’t get through trash). Almost made a nice play on a deep route with busted cornerback coverage, but somehow missed the catch and allowed the WR to make it (may not look the ball in). Looks just a tad small. Plays smart, doesn’t blow assignments. Not elite speed, but pretty good. Seems more of a coverage guy, but hasn’t had the chance to make many tackles. Need to see more of him. He looked like a smart coverage player, but I want to see him against the run some more.

Ricky Jean Fracois, DT, rJR, 6′3 290lbs: #90 Gets off the snap as fast as Jackson, which is impressive for a DT even though Jackson is actually heavier. Blew back a guard with his leg strength on a run aimed in his direction. On and off game. He didn’t dominate like against OSU in the BCS Championship, but he’s athletic and surprisingly strong for his rather light weight.

Auburn Offense:

Brad Lester, RB, Sr, 5′11 198lbs: Has a very effective spin move. Quick. Tough runner. Like of reminds me of Kenny Irons. Fumbled. Runs hard, uses his legs to fall forward (traditional Auburn back). Went out for the game with a scary injury, but it looks minor. Knee injury of some sort, but no ligament damage. If he can add some weight while keeping his quickness, I’d be interested. He has the leg drive that is so impressive, and he’s quick enough to play. But 10lbs in his legs would help him inside the tackles.

Ben Tate, RB, Jr, 5′11 215lbs: #44 Looks bigger than 215. Not a speedster, but shows enough speed to get around the corner and turn upfield. Can’t get any blocking. Hard to tell because he seemed to get hit as he got the handoff quite a bit against this great LSU defense. Looked tough and a little slower than I expected.

Auburn Defense:

Sen’Derrick Marks, DT, rJr, 6′1 295lbs: Blew up the 2nd pass play and the 2nd run in the game. Quick off the snap. Putting on a clinic. Saw him flash leverage on a run. Looked quick stunting. Makes plays in bunches. I can’t tell you how impressed I was by Marks, having not really been familiar with him before. He seems disruptive.

Antonio Coleman, LB/DE (34LB?), rJr, 6′2 252lbs: Maybe a couple of nice plays in a row. Fought through some trash to make a tackle at or behin the LOS, then pursued the QB well on a busted pass. Looks like a 34 LB, rather than a DE.

Impressions: Virginia vs Southern California

University of Southern California vs University of Virginia. I mainly was looking for Eugene Monroe and Taylor Mays, but the USC offense so thoroughly dominated that I didn’t catch as much of either as I would have liked.

USC Offense:

QB Mark Sanchez, rJr, 6′3 220lbs: Made a poor read on his first throw over the middle, allowed 2 different Virginia players to make a play on the ball. Shows the ability to avoid the rush. Knows how to take something off the ball. Looks terrible executing play action. Mobile, but isn’t a runner. Looks to pass even while he is running. Runs a lot of bootlegs and other plays to get him out of the pocket. For a guy with such a big arm, throws a lot of checkdown passes. Tossed a pick when he went behind his WR, who deflected it into the air. Almost never was pressured. Threw a lot of balls that were deflected.

Patrick Turner, WR, Sr, 6′5 220: Showed effort on the first play I caught him, blocking. Splits time (listed as a “co-starter”). Hasn’t been jammed early. Looks like he shows good effort as a blocker. Made a nice TD reception while being hit, running a post. Not real strong, but uses his long arms in his blocking. When he has nobody jamming him, has a fair bit of explosion off the line.

USC Defense:

Ray Maualuga, ILB, Sr, 6′2 260lbs: Looks the part. Rolls downhill. One of the most secure tacklers I’ve seen so far this year. Has a reputation for big hits, didn’t catch it. Had a big day getting to the quarterback and looked very good on blitzes. Doesn’t change directions too well (might have a weakness on counters, though against the USC defense a counter play is suicidal for 99% of the teams in the nation).

Brian Cushing, OLB, Sr, 6′3 255lbs: Made a great deflection in coverage. Looks like he could put his hand down if he needs to. One of the reasons I liked him.

Taylor Mays, S, Jr, 6′3 230lbs: I caught him jogging on a run to the opposite direction… I don’t like that. Lines up so deep at safety. Doesn’t have a chance to make plays. Has a big frame, but not good at fighting off OTs. I don’t expect safeties to. A little late providing help on a deep toss. I’ve seen him before and been very impressed with his speed, but I didn’t see that today. The biggest thing I noticed was how far deep he lines up – often 10 yards futher downfield than Keith Ellison, the other safety. Had 1 pick fall out of his hands and another one taken away by his teammate.

Keith Ellison, S, Sr, 6′1 226lbs: Downhill player. Sure tackler, looks like a small linebacker. He might be able to play as a Cato-June type in a tampa-2. Isn’t as fast as I’d like my safeties to be, but he might have that weakness minimized in the right scheme. Otherwise a good play.

Fili Moala, DT, rSr, 6′5 295lbs: Despite his relatively thin build – he looks almost like a 3-4 DE – he has tremendous strength, pushing aside guards with ease. He’s 23 years old and seems like he should be so much bigger, but I have to wonder if he is putting in the work needed to get bigger.

Virginia Offense:

Eugene Monroe, LT, 6′5 320lbs: Made two false starts in a row early on. Perhaps a little rattled. Big upper body, a little smaller in the lower body than I want. Take a few pounds from his gut and put it in his legs and I’d be happier, his midsection weakens him vs the bull rush. Shows good awareness of assignments, catching the blitz well. Not a slug upfield by any means, but doesn’t burst past the line of traffic like Andre Smith. Doesn’t seem like, through one half, he’s been challenged in pass protection. When he has been attacked, he’s protected very well. Uses his hands well, delivering a nice jolt. Caught him on a run not playing through the whistle, and might have prevented his back from having a nice cutback lane. Good knee bend. Stronger upper body than I expected. Now, I spent a lot of time prior to this game looking at Andre Smith, and so I was really disappointed in Monroe’s effort. He looked lazy out there, and Smith looks the opposite, so more scouting is needed. He is a better pass-protector but really needs to play through the whistle on running plays.

John Phillips, TE, Sr, 6′6 258lbs: Has a lankier frame that could use more weight. Fumbled one pass, dropped another. Decent blocker, but unsurprisngly struggled against these linebackers. I wasn’t impressed.

Cedric Pearman, RB, Sr, 5′9 208lbs: Stocky build. Returns kicks. Shows effort to block on special teams – could someday do that if he’s not the return-threat. Strong runner who doesn’t shy from contact. Falls forward. I like this kid as a 7th rounder or UDFA type.
Virginia Defense:

Clint Sintim, LB/DE, Sr, 6′3 254lbs: The first time I noticed him, he bit on the fake-reverse and allowed the runner to find a huge hole. Looked quicker than I expected, but I don’t know if he has the burst to put his hand down. Need more scouting, as USC’s backs often had huge holes to work with.

Antonio Appleby, ILB, Sr, 6′3 250lbs: Doesn’t look very quick out there, no doubt outclassed a bit by USC’s speed at halfback. Wraps up well. Plays much smarter ball than Sintim.

Impressions: Alabama vs Clemson

Finished scouting Alabama’s week 1 defeat of Clemson. This is the first time I have two impressions of the same team, so the Alabama impressions will not be as detailed as the ones against Georgia. Clemson didn’t do themselves any favors with their inability to stop Alabama either. I’m sure Alabama fans find their team exciting, but from my perspective these games are boring because I spend almost my entire time staring at Antoine Caldwell (C) and Andre Smith (LT) of Alabama. Barely got to see Clemson’s famed RB duo, CJ Spiller and James Davis. For this reason, as well as desiring to look at least once more on Alabama later in the year to see how guys are performing, this will be the last Alabama impression for a while.

John Parker Wilson, QB, Sr, 6′2 214lbs: Flashed zip on a 15 yard pass. Then flashed a noodle arm on a 10 yard curl. Not a bad athlete, but not a scrambler. Willing to take a hit on the screen. Can execute the rollout and bootleg passes well. Doesn’t throw on the run often but does appear to be capable of doing so. Saw a lot of what I saw against Georgia. Good decision maker, questionable velocity, decent deep tosses, poised. He’s probably more NFL ready than guys who will go before him.

Andre Smith, LT, Jr, 6′4 340lbs: As a pass protector, doesn’t mirror exceptionally well with his feet. Finishes his run-blocks. Plays to the whistle. Still athletic as a run blocker. Takes false steps in pass protection. Team runs left a lot for a reason. Handled a nice spin move on a pass attempt, rolling the defender. Can be beaten as a pass-protector, but generally is solid.

Antoine Caldwell, C, Sr, 6′3 305lbs: Smart player in pass protection. Good seal blocker, but not a drive blocker. Good tenacity as a blocker. As I noted against Georgia, lacks strength in pass protection. Hard to tell due to poor resolution, but might play a little high.

Defense:

Terrance Cody, DT, Jr, 6′5 365lbs: Huge, eats double teams. I feel safe in designating him a 2-down player. He appears stronger in the 1st half than 2nd in both games I’ve scouted, so I suspect he has conditioning issues (a 365lb DT with poor conditioning? Who’d have thunk it?).

Clemson:

Cullen Harper, QB, Sr, 6′3 220lbs: First pass of the game was a poorly thrown ball into triple coverage. Fluttered like a wounded duck. Almost picked, but safety dropped ball. Second pass: Missed wide. His release is a little long, throws 3/4 motion. Revision: Release looks long, period. Release is long even on the shorter tosses. Through the first half had generally made good reads, but threw one into triple coverage for a pick near the end of the half (might be pressing). Arm strength isn’t great, but it will suffice in the NFL. Accuracy is pretty good. Backpedal is acceptable, if a little elongated (should take shorter steps). Pocket presence is good, reads are generally good with occasional mistakes.

CJ Spiller, HB, Jr, 5′10 197lbs: Returns kicks. Looks good doing returns. Damn he is fast. Good football speed. Looks thin. Hard to evaluate too much, as he rarely got the ball. Showed wheels on a touchdown kick return. All I could really tell is that he is fast and thin. He might be as fast as Chris Johnson.

James Davis, HB, Sr, 5′11 210lbs: Hips might be a little tight. Runs controlled at the line of scrimmage. When he gets to the open field, has decent wheels. He picks his holes rather than runs to a spot, showing vision, but he isn’t a traditional “power” back like his nickname (Thunder) would lead you to believe.

Aaron Kelly, WR, Sr, 6′5 190lbs: Lanky build. Doesn’t have great acceleration upfield after the catch. I’d say he looks like a basketball player but there are guards his height who weigh more. Not slow, but not fast. Hasn’t been a big part of the game plan. Good lateral movement, especially on screens, he moves well for a 6′5 guy. Goes up for the ball well, can catch while leaping. Had a slow first half but gradually found himself targeted more. When the camera angle permitted, I was surprised that he wasn’t effectively jammed at the LOS.

Defense:

Michael Hamlin, S, Sr, 6′3 206lbs: Doesn’t attack the line of scrimmage. Rangy player. Didn’t show up much in the game, but did provide a solid “last line of defense” against the run. Looks like a solid tackler, despite his build. A little disappointed that he didn’t appear more aggressive at the LOS, but perhaps that was the game plan. Interesting guy, but need more games.

Impressions: Alabama vs Georgia

Well, here we go again. I actually downloaded some to my desktop and while it a little annoying (I can’t watch TV and scout, so I do it all on my PC and have to change tabs to take notes down) it actually provides almost as nice a picture.

Alabama – Offense:

John Parker Wilson, QB, SR, 6′2 214lbs: It is a fine line between “throws a catchable ball” and “lacks enough zip to keep defenses honest”. I’m not sure where Wilson stands on this. Not a strong arm no matter how you look at it. Deep ball is more of a heave than a throw, but shows enough of an arm to keep defenses honest. Makes good decisions. Underthrew one deep ball, but the play drew a flag. Connected perfectly for a score with another. Good drop-back.

Andre Smith, LT, Jr, 6′4 340lbs: Has the build of a DT, that’s not a positive either. Big midsection. Very athletic though, at least with his forward movement. Very strong, capable of making blocks without using his lower body. Despite that, does a good job keeping his feet moving on a lot (not all) plays. Athleticism is excellent with him. Not invincible in pass-protection. Finishes blocks. Looks to have played better in 1st half than 2nd, but that could be the result of the score (lopsided Alabama lead) or conditioning. I love his ability to move to the 2nd level. But I wonder if he’ll ever be an elite pass-protector. Best position is probably guard.

Antoine Caldwell, C, SR, 6′3 305lbs: Looks smaller. Not a small linesman, but has the build of a large DE. Makes line-calls. Athletic for a center. Lacks great strength as a drive blocker. Seals well. Doesn’t anchor well against the pass rush. Can get to the 2nd level pretty well. Lack of functional strength is his biggest flaw, especially in his lower body.

Alabama – Defense:
Terrance Cody, DT, Jr, 6′5 365lbs: Absolutely huge. Demands double teams, and can beat them. Collapses pocket well on defensive plays. Impressed by his effort in the first half, most players his size (well, close to it, the guy is mammoth) don’t pursue like he does. Not as athletic as his “can dunk a basketball” makes him sound. Of course, for a guy who weighs 365 he’s not exactly expected to play in the NBA.

Georgia – Offense:

Matthew Stafford, QB, Jr, 6′3 236lbs: Stocky kid. Good frame to handle NFL punishment. Great arm strength, flashes a ton of zip (especially compared to John Parker Wilson). Footwork isn’t bad, but he’ll use pure arm strength on some throws. Decision making looks terrible on deep passes. Seen 3 passes into at least double-coverage. Might have a gunslinger’s mentality, for better or worse. Reminds me of what Jay Cutler could’ve done with a real offense. Quick release. Has generally shown good accuracy, but not great. Potential pick.

Knowshon Moreno, RB, rSo, 5′11 208: Shortest 5′11 player out there. Barely used as a runner today. Looks best in the open field. Good burst. Not Chris Johnson speed, but a 4.4 player with good game-speed. Pass blocks with great intensity, including arguably the best block I’ve seen by a RB in protection, ever. Consistent in his effort. I’m a little concerned if his frame can handle that. Not a big back, the 208 is heavier than he looks, tight midsection and minimal body fat. Made a nice catch with a guy draped over him. Wanted to see him more involved in the offense but Georgia fell behind quick. Didn’t run poorly considering how few holes he had. Surprising strength, fights to fall forward. Injured wrist, but came back and continued playing. I love this kid.

Mohammed Massequoi, WR, SR, 6′1 200: Looks like a better athlete than I’d been lead to believe. On a trick play, showed a decent arm, throwing a 40 yarder. Got off the line without trouble, Alabama didn’t test his get-up. Wasn’t targetted nearly as often as I would have expected. Got downfield nicely once, but Stafford underthrew the pass.

On Hold for Now

Hey everyone,

Seeing as how we now have some viewers without family ties to me, I’d just like to say thanks for visiting College Talent Scout. Also, I’d like to explain the inactivity recently because you deserve to know. A little while ago, my laptop died. Unfortunately, because my TiVo does not work with my current television service, I’d been analyzing prospects by downloading torrents of the games. That actually worked out fairly well because I can catch some of the non-local games, including the SEC matchups with often deliver buckets of prospects.

But with my laptop went my downloaded games and my notes. I’d written another page on Michigan vs Wisconsin and USC vs Virginia. Hopefully I will be able to save those files, but it probably won’t be until the 20th or so of October that I get things back to the way they should be.

Sorry for the delay. With the way the Seahawks in particular are playing… well… The draft is the only thing to look forward to!

Best regards,

Kyle