LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh

Name: LeSean McCoy
Position: RB
School: Pittsburgh
Height: 5105 E
Weight: 204 V
40 Time: 4.44 V

Athleticism: 6.5
McCoy is a very good athlete who hides his athleticism well. In particular, he doesn’t always show his quickness when running the football, but when he gets into the open field or when he has to outrun a defender to a spot, he can turn up the speed. McCoy has excellent balance that allows him to escape would-be tackles and turn 3 yard gains into longer runs. He has excellent change of direction ability that allows him to make great cuts and he runs with good pad level.
Quickness: 6.5
Balance: 6.5
Fluidity: 7.0

Physical Talents: 6.0
McCoy has decent physical talents because of his very good acceleration, but his lack of size and only adequate strength are legitimate problems. He has been an excellent inside runner for Pittsburgh, but his ability to break arm tackles might not translate to the NFL. For a back his size, he has good functional strength but in order to maximize his talent as an inside runner he will need to improve in this area.
Body Type: 5.5
Strength: 5.5
Explosion: 6.5

Polish: 6.0
McCoy has a decent understanding of the playbook (though he did have a couple of miscues, it was in a pro-style offense that showed a lot of looks) and has a firm grasp of running technique (pad level, body lean, turning the corner). He does have a tendency to make one or two ill-advised bounces outside a game, but normally shows excellent instincts waiting for and locating the hole. He has improved on his tendency to bounce runs outside and his ball-security issues but needs to continue to improve here.
Understands Playbook: 6.0
Proper Technique: 6.0
Instincts: 7.0

Competitiveness: 6.5
McCoy is a competitive player who does a few things that you really like. His freshman year, McCoy had problems consistently running for 5 yards (tried to hit a homerun all the time) but was much improved as a sophomore here and was more consistent than his offensive line. He shows the leg drive to fight for the first down and displays good effort while running (poor effort as a blocker lowers his grade from 7.0 to 6.5). In the clutch McCoy is a guy who you want to give the ball to, as he seems to play well with pressure on the line (WVU game, 3^rd/4^th and short).
Toughness: 6.5
Consistency: 6.5
Clutch Play: 7.0
Effort: 6.5

Football Character: 6.5 In general gets high marks – still learning to be a complete back but has a good reputation.
Personal Character: 6.0 I just don’t expect to see any problems from McCoy. He went from one of the top recruits in the nation his junior year to almost losing his career after a nasty ankle injury and academic issues, spent a year in prep school, then burst onto the scene again at Pitt. He still has some growing up to do, but when all is said an done I don’t think he will be much of a problem.
Durability: 6.0 Ankle injury in high school is several years old, but with his frame you would be a little concerned about his durability. Overall, not a guy you expect to have problems.

Run Instincts: 7.0 Has a good feel for rushing lanes and who will be open.
Tackle-Breaking: 5.5 He did this well enough in college, but will need to add weight to do this in the pros.
Cutback Ability: 6.5 McCoy is deadly making cuts, sometimes tries to go against the grain when he shouldn’t, but also gets some nice gains when he does so.
Inside Running: 6.5 Best on runs between the tackles or just outside the tackles. Vision, patience, and cutback ability allow him to shine here despite a mediocre OL. If he adds weight, he could be even better.
Outside Running: 6.0 McCoy has the speed needed to run outside a lot, but seems to do his best work inside.
Receiving Skills: 6.0 McCoy is a reliable receiver, though rarely runs more than 5 yards past the LOS in his routes. About what you’d expect from a good starting back.
Run After Catch: 6.0 McCoy could be even better if he ran more decisively after the catch, but has the raw physical tools needed to be deadly in space. I’d love to see him on screen passes.
Open-Field: 6.5 McCoy has the loose hips, plus speed, toughness, and a spin move to make him tough to bring down in the open field.
Pass Blocker: 5.0 Terrible. An okay cut-blocker but unenthused when asked to pick up the blitz. Needs a lot of improvement here.
Fumble/Errors: 5.5 McCoy is improving here, but still has work to do. Doesn’t make a ton of mental errors, but more than you’d love to see. When it comes to ball security, he exposes the ball too much and doesn’t always transfer it between arms well. I think he can improve this.

Summary: Due to a certain Youtube video, some people are under the impression that McCoy doesn’t run inside much. That is simply not true, as McCoy runs inside more often than outside by a significant margin. He’s actually pretty good running inside because of his burst, vision, and leg drive. McCoy definitely has some areas for improvement, however, as he needs to work on his blocking, continue to improve ball security, cut down on mental errors, and add weight. The potential to be a very good ball carrier is there, but McCoy probably needs a year before he is ready for a starting role and even then I question his ability to be a 3 down back. Some offenses release their backs on routes more, while others have them block. Under Holmgren, Seattle sent their back out on routes frequently, but it is unlikely Knapp will retain that philosophy so McCoy’s blocking problems could be amplified. I probably wouldn’t take McCoy 37^th for Seattle, but I think some team would be justified doing so and I think McCoy would be worth a pick around 50-60 for Seattle.

Final Grade: 6.1

Note: There is a possibility that I will watch more Pitt games in the future, and for that reason I reserve the right to change this grade up until the 2009 NFL Draft.

Games Scouted: USF, WVU, ND, OSU

Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest

Name: Aaron Curry
Position: Outside Linebacker
School: Wake Forest
Height: 6020
Weight: 249
40 Time: 4.50
Athleticism: 7.0
Curry has incredible athleticism for his size, and very good athleticism period. COD is good, he keeps his feet underneath him, and he backpedals extremely well. He will be among the more athletic 4-3 OLBs in the league when he gets to the NFL.
Quickness: 7.0
Balance: 6.5
Fluidity: 7.0

Physical Talents: 7.0
Curry has an almost-perfect LB body type, being just a tad shorter than is “ideal”, but certainly nothing to complain about. He has superb strength in his body and above-average explosion when asked to blitz. The only real problem is a tendency to sometimes out-think himself.
Body Type: 7.0
Strength: 7.0
Explosion: 6.5

Polish: 6.0
For all you hear about how safe he is, his polish needs some work. He’s not a project by any means, but he doesn’t always make the best reads against the run (can get too aggressive) and really has some problems anticipating the pass in zone coverage. Makes the tackle, but would be better off stopping the play before the catch.
Understands Playbook: 6.5
Proper Technique: 6.0
Instincts: 6.0

Competitiveness: 7.0
Curry seems to have a great head on his shoulders, shows great toughness (was hurt in one game I watched, but overall track record is great) and effort, even playing special teams at a high level. He sometimes bites on play action or doesn’t read the run well, but it isn’t an effort or competitive drive problem.
Toughness: 7.0
Consistency: 6.0
Clutch Play: 66.5
Effort: 7.0

Football Character: 7.0 Supposedly an extremely hard worker, and has a great NFL-ready body that shows dedication in the weight room.
Personal Character: 7.0 Should be a star in the community.
Durability: 6.5 Seems to have a good record, did get knocked up a bit in one game but was back for the rest of the season.

Linebacker Specific Skills
Read & React: 6.5 Generally reads very well, but does make some errors. Does a great job against the option, though, which is important with the spread of the “Wildcat” offense.
Initial Quicks: 7.0 First 2 steps are great, though not always maximized due to somewhat slow reaction to the play.
Hit Power: 6.0 He was asked to do so much for WF that he didn’t get to make the riskier tackles. Very safe tackler, but not a real hard hitter on a consistent basis. Certainly not a weakness.
Block Shedding: 7.5 TEs and even OL are going to have trouble blocking him at the NFL level on running plays, not as strong on passing plays.
Tackling: 7.0 Makes a lot of tackles and usually does a good job – only problem comes when he takes poor angles, but is generally secure.
Range: 7.0 Can cover vast areas of the field quickly, actually this is most prevalent in coverage as he spent a lot of time attacking the LOS against the run, opening things up for his teammates.
Man Coverage: 6.5 Athletically he has the ability to match up with anyone in the league at TE to RB. He jams TEs well but gives them a little too much room to prevent the big play.
Zone Coverage: 6.0 Again, the athleticism is there. But he seems to get picked on a bit by QBs (BC game in particular) in this area. Instincts don’t look great in this area, as he’s a little sluggish to pick up guys entering his zone.
Pass-Rush: 6.5 He’s big and strong and fast, with good explosion. He looks a little tight when asked to change directions, and is more of a “pressure” edge rusher than a guy who seals the deal.
Errors: 6.5 He doesn’t always read the run right, and he seems to have trouble with the passing game. Puzzling because he supposedly gets high marks for his smarts off the field, just not seeing any kind of genius on the field.

Summary: Curry is a very good player, and possibly the best defender in this draft. However, he is not a guy who is perfect as is, despite what some in the media say. He has great athleticism and strength, is a good person, and works hard. Mentally, his game still needs refining. My only real issue with Curry is that I don’t think, in a 4-3, he’ll have the kind of production to justify what a top-10 pick will earn. I’d rather put him in a 3-4 and let him do a mix of blitzing, short coverage, and playing gaps in the running game. He deserves a top-10 grade because he will be a great player, but like Alex Mack, I’m not sure I’d take him that high.
Final Grade: 6.7

Games Scouted: Baylor, Boston College, Navy, Vanderbilt

Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa

Name: Shonn Greene
Position: RB
School: Iowa
Height: 5105 E
Weight: 227 V
40 Time: 4.65 V

Athleticism: 6.0
Greene is not a great athlete because he lacks much in the form of quickness, speed, and burst. However, for a running back balance and the ability to change directions is key and Greene does a good job at both. It is clear that Greene’s lower body strength enables him to take a hit and keep going, and he has enough change-of-direction ability to make a cut.
Quickness: 5.5
Balance: 6.5
Fluidity: 5.5

Physical Talents: 6.0
In my eyes, at 5’11 227 Greene has the prototypical body type for an NFL back, able to maintain a low center of gravity while running and strong enough to break tackles and consistently fall forward. Greene lacks the long legs (and thus deep speed) of a player like Beanie Wells but has good durability and the frame to suggest that will continue in the NFL. He plays with very good strength and while his burst is not good, it isn’t terrible either.
Body Type: 6.5
Strength: 6.5
Explosion: 5.5

Polish: 6.5
For a guy who spent 2007 moving furniture because he was struggling in school, Greene is a surprisingly polished back with a great understanding of the playbook. I liked his ability to determine where pressure was coming and make the block. His technique is very refined in all areas except pass catching, where he struggles mightily.
Understands Playbook: 6.5
Proper Technique: 6.0
Instincts: 6.5

Competitiveness: 6.5
This could be a 7.0 and I wouldn’t argue. I was impressed with the grit and toughness I saw from Greene on the field. He consistently picked up whatever yardage was available for him and fell forward more often than most backs I’ve seen. He has played well against good competition even when his line has struggled a bit, and his effort as a pass-blocker is noteworthy for it’s consistency.
Toughness: 7.0
Consistency: 6.5
Clutch Play: 6.5
Effort: 7.0

Football Character: 6.0 When he was academically ineligible (hard to tell if lazy or just not too bright), rumors are his weight ballooned to linesman levels. However. He worked it off and I feel he’s mature.
Personal Character: 6.5 No known problems off the field and seems to have more maturity than many college players. I’d expect him to have no problems.
Durability: 6.5 Long term durability is in doubt, but with his frame and low wear I expect he can carry a team.

Run Instincts: 6.5 A good sense of where the hole is while running and how to protect his QB while passing.
Tackle-Breaking: 6.5 I was hoping to see more broken tackles, to be honest, however Greene does break more than his share of arm tackles. Not elite, but very good.
Cutback Ability: 5.5 Greene can make cuts up to 75 degrees pretty well, but lacks the burst and doesn’t show the ability to make against-the-grain cuts.
Inside Running: 6.5 Greene does a good job finding the hole and falling forward while running inside – consistent grinding.
Outside Running: 5.5 Greene was able to run outside some in college, but should not be asked to very often in the NFL.
Receiving Skills: 5.0 Showed bad hands in the limited attempts I saw, shouldn’t be asked to run anything past the LOS.
Run After Catch: N/A I actually didn’t see him catch a pass in any position to run with it, though I saw him drop a few.
Open-Field: 5.0 Not very fast and doesn’t seem to change directions well in the open field.
Pass Blocker: 6.5 Very, very good. I was impressed by how rarely his man pressured the QB.
Fumble/Errors: 6.5 Shonn showed no tendency to make errors or fumble the football.

Summary: I really wanted to like Shonn Greene. I like short, stocky backs more than most anyone, and Greene has the NFL body fewer and fewer college backs have. However, he just doesn’t offer much in the open field, possessing only adequate burst and mediocre speed. That said, a good offensive mind can get some legitimate value from Greene. He’s good in short yardage, he has all the tools needed in the red zone, he’s a very good pass protector if terrible receiver, and brings some toughness. While I would not want to give Greene a starting job (and have to live with him for 400 pass attempts), I think he could be a valuable member of a two-back backfield, as he isn’t entirely one dimensional and is consistent.

Final Grade: 5.9

Note: There is a possibility that I will watch more Iowa games in the future, and for that reason I reserve the right to change this grade up until the 2009 NFL Draft.

Games Scouted: South Carolina, Penn State, Illinois

Mitch King

Name: Mitch King
Position: Defensive Tackle
School: Iowa
Height: 6020 E
Weight: 280 E
40 Time: 4.83 E

Athleticism: 6.3
I’m officially coping out with this grade, a 6.3. I just don’t feel a 6.0 or 6.5 really fit King. He’s a better-than-average athlete, but he doesn’t have the wow that Jerry (Ole Miss) has in the athleticism department. He’s somewhere between Ziggy Hood and Jerry, I’ll just leave it at that.
Quickness: 6.5
Balance: 6.0
Fluidity: 6.5

Physical Talents: 5.5
Physically speaking, it’s a miracle King was so good in college. There have been defensive ends bigger than him who are also more explosive athletes, though King does have surprising lower body strength, which enables him not to get pushed around at the LOS. He has good explosion and is usually the first man off the ball, but only beats the OL off the ball occasionally.
Body Type: 5.5
Strength: 5.5
Explosion: 6.0

Polish: 7.0
King has started a bunch of games and seems to have a good understanding of the playbook, but where he really excels is with his understanding of individual technique. He has exceptional hand use, is good at stunting, and even gets his hands up to interfere with the pass. Instinctively, he has a good sense of where the ball is but really isn’t all that special.
Understands Playbook: 7.0
Proper Technique: 7.5
Instincts: 6.5

Competitiveness: 6.0
King is a competitive player despite his overall small size. He plays with very good effort – sometimes takes himself out of plays because he plays too fast against the run – but he does a good job in most aspects. You’d like him to take himself out of less offensive runs, but even when he goes whistling past the ball carrier he usually takes an OG with him.
Toughness: 6.5
Consistency: 5,5
Clutch Play: 6.0
Effort: 7.0

Football Character: 6.5 Leader, plays almost all the D snaps, seems like a hard worker.
Personal Character: 6.5 Should have no off-field problems from what I can find.
Durability: 6.0 While he has been very durable, you have to be concerned about his small frame handling the physicality of the NFL.

Position Specific Skills
Read & React: 5.5 Seems to know where the ball is, but comes off the snap before the RB has the ball and seems to have a pre-set destination. Truthfully, he just doesn’t read/react and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Initial Quicks: 6.5 Typically gets off LOS quickly on runs. Vs pass needs to beat OL with hands.
Play Strength: 6.0 Not as bad as I feared, he plays with decent strength.
Hand Use: 7.5 Really exceptional hand use. Fights off attempts by OL to get into his jersey.
Run At Him: 6.0 Comes off the ball quickly enough that rarely is he stuck matching his strength. Blown off ball by double teams.
Disengage from Blocks: 6.0 Does a good job to avoid being latched onto, but lacks the strength to disengage consistently. Gets high in passing formations.
Pursuit: 6.5 High motor guy who chases plays down from behind.
Tackling: 5.5 Rarely misses tackles when he has a clean shot, but on the run doesn’t get a clean shot often (usually moving too fast).
Speed Rush: 6.5 Has the speed to stunt, beat OL with quicks if caught napping.
Bull Rush: 5.5 Not really a threat here.
Big Errors: 6.0 Does not make dumb penalties, but gets too high in his stance at times.

Summary: King burst onto the national radar with a really good Senior Bowl week. In some ways, the Senior bowl isolates King against a guard with a lot of space, so he wasn’t quite as good as he showed at Mobile. However, King does several things well enough to earn a roster spot as a rotational player. He isn’t a special athlete but his hand use enables him to beat guards who are far better athletes than him. While I like King, his tendency to run rampant in the backfield could create problems against NFL running games and he doesn’t keep OL off his linebackers (like Seattle stresses) so my grade for Seattle is a little lower than his overall value to a team.

Final Grade: 5.8

Note: It is possible I will scout more Iowa games, for that reason I reserve the right to change this grade.

Games Scouted: Illinois, South Carolina, Penn State

Firsthill’s Seahawk Mock

Here is my attempt at a mock draft for the Seahawks

1st round
WR Michael Crabtree 6-2 215 lbs, Texas Tech: Crabtree is the #1 or #2 rated prospect in the draft and the best WR to enter the draft since Calvin Johnson & better than any WR coming out next year. Perfect fit for the West Coast Offense due to his size, route running, run after the catch, and run blocking. If the Seahawks wait till the 2nd round to draft a WR they will be getting the 5th or 6th best WR in the draft (fairly steep drop off in talent from Crabtree).

2nd round
FS Louis Delmas 6-0 202 lbs, Western Michigan: Considered the best safety in the draft. Big hitter despite his size, good speed and will be a good fit in any defensive scheme. Safety might be our biggest need now that a lot of holes have been filled through free agency.

3rd round
OLB Marcus Freeman 6-1 239 lbs, Ohio St: Good speed and should be a good fit as the weak side LB (assuming Hill moves to the strong side LB) in our cover-2 defense.

4th round
C Antoine Caldwell 6-3 309 lbs, Alabama: 4 year starter at a big time school. Smart player and makes all the calls on the o-line. Team captain final two years and was considered the heart and soul of the offensive.

5th round
QB Stephen McGee 6-3 225 lbs, Texas A&M: Good arm strength, great mobility, good leader/ team captain since 2006. We need to come out of this draft with a QB and McGee might be a good fit for the West Coast Offense. Let him develop a few years under Hasselbeck and he could be the 2nd string QB when Seneca Wallace leaves next year, then hopefully becoming the starter when Hasselbeck retires.

6th round
WR Johnny Knox 6-0 185 lbs, Abilene Christian: Great speed 4.29 40-yard dash, 2,000+ rec. yards and 30 TD’s in his two years at Abilene. I envision him as our starting KR and PR. Let him develop a couple of years to eventually take over the slot WR position in a couple of years. Could possibly be the next Wes Welker of the Patriots.

7th round
RB Gartrell Johnson, 5-11 220 lbs, Colorado St: Great acceleration, runs with his pads low, tough runner, good hands, and good pass blocker (he is a former FB). He could be a good compliment to Julius Jones and Johnson could even be the 2nd or 3rd string FB. He doesn’t have good speed but neither did Shaun Alexander and he broke off some long runs. Johnson’s running style reminds me of Marion Barber.

I referred to Nfldraftscout.com to know which rounds the prospects where projected to be selected.

(Kyle’s Add: Remember, discussion is okay, personal attacks are not.)

Looking ahead to next year

Hey Guys,

So, running this site (along with the scouting I do this year being much more intense than what I’ve done previously) has been a learning experience. For one, I’m trying to run a full-fledged site on WordPress, which is really just an exceptionally powerful blog. It makes formatting tough, but also free. However, I’m beginning to look towards next year (primarily because, due to other events, I’m taking the summer off) and the new scouting class. I know changes need to be made in how things are run, but since you guys are the reason I actually go to the effort to post this stuff, I want to get your takes… Which means I better ask this before the draft, ’cause 3 days after the draft this will become a ghost-site.

The good news is that this site didn’t get rolling until my External Hard Drive arrived in November or December. I didn’t figure out how to efficiently convert files until February. So, with a plan in place, I ought to be able to get more games, particularly on the smaller-school prospects that I’m struggling with right now (not D2, but just guys from programs like Kansas State, Virginia, or UConn.). There should be a lot more information. The problem is primarily processing it.

One of the biggest problems here currently is that the “normal” scouting reports are just too damn long to write up. I type all of these by laptop, which means no mouse (which makes it take even longer). Furthermore, I’ll spend 10 minutes arguing with myself about if a guy deserves a 6.0 or a 6.5. This may make my reports exact, but it also cuts on the reports you guys get to read (or, inversely, the guys I get to scout). I’m debating alternatives and wanted to present some to you guys, as well as creating a forum for you guys to talk about them in.

Some ideas I’ve thrown around:

If finances work out, I might be able to buy a camcorder/microphone and create podcasts or videos (the videos would probably be of me talking, not of the prospect, I don’t have the time to make my own highlight video of each prospect, no matter how cool an idea that sounds). Advantages would be that the scouting would remain the same, the reports would cover the important stuff, it wouldn’t require a lot of reading. This would probably be predicated on a few economic issues that would let me afford that + a real web domain. The disadvantages would be that I’m not a great orator so expect a little bit of stuttering and such, you probably don’t want to listen to the reports at work where everyone can hear you slacking off, and frankly if we do video I’m not THAT good looking. Truth be told, I can’t think of a reason not to just make it a podcast, but I’m all ears.

Another idea would be, again, the same scouting involved, but shorter reports, I actually didn’t mind writing the Donald Brown/William Beatty abbreviated reports, and I could work on ways to improve the reports. It would cut down on the time I spend formatting, while still providing a good amount of detailed information. Downside is that I wouldn’t mention some skills (like OL lateral slide) unless it was remarkable in some way.

Third idea is one I’m a little hesitant on, but might be the most efficient. Since it will take me until November/December to obtain enough games to scout most players, that leaves a lot of the college football season up in the air. What I would do during that time is essentially present “notes” (like the impressions, but probably a little more focused) during the season. If, say, after a game I decide a guy has 6.5 quickness, I’ll put that down. I take notes during my normal scouting process anyways. I’d be posting these notes as I write them, but the new twist would be using the information on the notes in the reports. So if I takes notes on 3 games for a team, I might only need to pop in 2 more games to finish up a report. It would speed things up greatly. Unfortunately, I have no idea what it would do to the quality of my reports – normall a guy is evaluated over the course of a coupledays, not a couple months. It may be that there is no loss in quality, and of course if I disagree with a grade I can change it.

So those are the three that I have going so far. I’m also debating how to work with my grading system in general (for one, Quickness and Explosion seem to be grades that need more defining, I want to add change-of-direction, etc.) so any input on what you want for that would be appreciated. If you have some other advice on how to improve the format, by all means let me know. I certainly haven’t thought of everything. As well, if there are readers who are not Seahawk fans and would like to see this site take on a less-Seahawks oriented  feel, chime in now. I’m debating how I want to work with grades and if the readerbase isn’t as heavily composed of Seahawk fans as I think, that influences my decision as well.

Lastly, has anyone tried to submit a mock draft, I’ve recieved none, but maybe people don’t want to make a Mock this early. I certainly understand that. I just want to know if the mailing feature works or not.

Donald Brown, RB, UConn

Name: Donald Brown
Position: RB
School: UConn
Height: 5103 E
Weight: 210 V
40 Yard: 4.48 V

Athleticism: 6.0
Brown is a good but unspectactular athlete. He has good foot speed, but his top speed is not overly impressive and he cannot keep it up during a long run (when he gets caught from behind, it is because he loses gas). He has very good balance in a back and runs with good pad level. He has the ability to change directions quickly, but for some reason I rarely saw him truly plant off his foot and explode, more interested in pitter-pattering steps.

Physical Talents: 6.0
Good but not great size, at 5’10 210 he is the build I like from my backs but may have trouble adding weight. Looks thinner than 210lbs, to be honest, but not a lot smaller. He has a good amount of explosion, at least a 6.5 there, as he bursts through the hole with surprising speed. While he does not get overpowered and plays tough, strength is not a big part of his game.

Polish: 7.0
I wish I could have seen Brown more as a pass receiver and blocker so I could get a better grasp for that aspect of his game, but as a runner Brown is very polished and instinctive. He runs with very good patience and vision, it will be interesting to see how he compares to Knowshon Moreno, another back with great vision… I believe those two are at the top of the class when it comes to vision.

Competitiveness: 6.5
I didn’t see a whole lot either way to get a good feel for Brown. He was hugely productive and consistent for UConn, and was almost their entire offense in the two games I saw. He plays tough, but not spectactular for a RB. Certainly not a back who avoids contact but absorbs it rather than dishes it out. High effort player.

Strengths: Very instinctive, smart runner. Does not try to score a TD every play, knows when to accept a 3 yard gain. Very good burst through the hole and can pick up 20 yard chunks of yardage as fast as anyone. Not afraid of contact. Follows his blocks with patience. Very good character guy who takes fantastic care of his body (cold-tub fanatic). Supposedly has a fantastic stiff-arm, but I never saw it.

Weaknesses: Really only had one good year, his junior year at UConn (became a starter due to pre-season injury). Does not maintain great speed on breakaway runs, allowing defenders to catch up to him. May not have potential for more growth. If a defender squares up on him, is not especially difficult to tackle but plays angles well (minimizing head-on hits). Long term durability has not been answered. Only sometimes does he plant his foot and cut upfield, preferring to pick and slide.

Summary: Brown is the kind of runner I would love to have for my team. He has a good build for the position and excellent burst when he finds the hole. He’s a patient runner and has the ability to rip of yardage in chunks. He’s a good character sort and takes care of himself, and has a reputation as a good blocker and receiver. Unfortunately for Brown, Seattle’s zone-blocking scheme will not utilize Brown’s vision or patience especially well, and his inconsistency with his cuts will be a glaring weakness. Is Brown good enough to play RB in a good zone? No doubt. But Brown has more value to a scheme that will utilize his vision and instincts. This grade is on his value to Seattle, which simply isn’t as great as his value to another team.

Final Grade: 6.1

William Beatty, OT, UConn

Name: William Beatty
Position: OT
School: UConn
Height: 6060 V
Weight: 307 V
40 Yard: 5.06 V

Athleticism: 7.0
Beatty is every bit as athletically gifted as the top OTs in this draft. He has exceptionally quick feet, evident when pulling or on screens as he runs in a straight line extremely well. He changes directions well when adjusting to the linebacker and has good (but not great) balance, rarely getting overextended.

Physical Talents: 6.0
Beatty has some problems that lower this grade more than just what the film would show. If he can play with the same sort of speed he showed on film with the 6’6 307lb frame he showed at the combine, his future team will be very happy, but he did not play at that high a weight in college and has admitted a difficulty keeping weight on (came to college at 265lbs). He has enough strength to protect the quarterback and be an effective blocker, but overall his strength is nothing special. He is quick off the snap but does not explode into DL when he run blocks, despite showing decent aggression.

Polish: 6.0
Beatty looks to have a good understanding of what his assignment is and what he has to do to complete it. He gets to the 2^nd level well and had no mental lapses in the two games I saw. The only area where I feel Beatty is deficient is his individual technique, as he really needs to learn how to use his hands when protecting the quarterback, lacking any kind of punch. Rarely saw him as a pass protector due to limited tape and UConn’s offense, but what I saw was not endearing.

Competitiveness: 6.0
Beatty was a good competitor in his senior year, showing a decent amount of aggression and desire while blocking and playing at a consistently high level. He really strives to make the block on the second level, which is a big plus in a zone blocking scheme. The only concern I have is that this is supposedly a big change from the Wiliam Beatty of 2007.

Strengths: Eye-popping athleticism. Good height and weight at the combine, if he can keep it up he can play in some systems as an OT. Does a good job using his feet as a pass protector and showed a good understanding for the playbook. Blocks well on the move and shows a desire to block the LB on the second level. Perfect fit for a zone blocking scheme.

Weaknesses: Not a finished product – lacks any punch in protection. A little grabby and while it only resulted in one penalty (2 games), it could bite him at the NFL. Almost all other problems are off-film problems: Not really known as a hard worker until his senior year at UConn, so teams will have to ask if he will slack off once he gets an NFL pay-check or if he has rededicated himself. Allowed 5 ½ sacks as a junior compared to 1 as a senior, so consistency could be an issue. Ability to maintain 300+lbs over an NFL season is also a concern.

Summary: Going just off film, the comparisons between Beatty and D’Brickashaw Ferguson are uncanny. Ferguson was a little more polished, but just on film the similarities were far more similar than different. Unfortunately for Beatty, Ferguson also had multiple years playing at an extremely high level while Beatty burst onto the scene his senior season. With Beatty, it is all going to come down to his dedication for football – will he work his butt off to keep on weight, improve his technique, and get better in general? In any case, he is probably not ready to protect a quarterback’s blind side this year but would be a good developmental project if a team that runs primarily zone running plays believes he is ready for that kind of responsibility. I am admittedly an optimist when it comes to these kids working hard to better themselves. Since I can’t ask around the UConn campus to get a feel for Beatty’s character, I take an innocent-til-proven-lazy approach with most prospects and for the sake of consistency I will give Beatty the grade his senior film warrants. While I rate Beatty highly, I am concerned about these issues so it is somewhat reluctantly I don the mask of the optimist.

Final Grade: 6.4 I (broken leg Sophomore year should be looked at but is likely alright)

Jason Smith, OT, Baylor

Name: Jason Smith
Position: OT
School: Baylor
Height: 6052 E
Weight: 312 E
40 Time: 5.09 E

Athleticism: 6.5
Smith is a very good athlete, however I was a little disappointed as I did not see the eye-popping athleticism with Smith that I saw with Monroe and Oher. Make one thing clear: He is still a good enough athlete to be potentially elite at LT. He’s just not a freak athlete like Oher or Monroe. He has very good quickness and excellent fluidity, with plus balances as well. In truth, he may deserve a 7.0 for athleticism but I awarded those grades to Oher and Monroe, and Jason just isn’t as athletically gifted as they are.
Quickness: 6.5
Balance: 6.5
Fluidity: 7.0

Physical Talents: 6.5
This grade is a little tricky. He showed plenty of explosion and strength on tape, so I do not feel bad giving him a 6.5 in these categories. However, his body type is something of an enigma. He definitely put on weight (presumably good weight, as he excelled with the workouts) before the Combine, but is he capable of playing with it and keeping it? That is a good question, and one I can’t answer without “inside information”. I’m going to work off of what I see on film, and that means itty-bitty legs.
Body Type: 6.0
Strength: 6.5
Explosion: 6.5

Polish: 5.5
Smith is definitely a project. Looking at the positive, he is a very smart young man and it shows with his understanding of the playbook (just about the only guy I’ve graded who hasn’t made a “uh… what?” play or three at OT). However, his technique is terrible. I saw him make a couple really poor cut blocks, and he doesn’t have a punch. Too often he gets in front of the DE without punching or even latching on. Instinctively, I liked the awareness but he seemed to struggle catching LBs on the 2^nd level.
Understands Playbook: 6.5
Proper Technique: 5.5
Instincts: 6.5

Competitiveness: 7.0
I really liked what I saw from Smith in terms of his nastiness. It’s ironic that of the “big four” OL, Smith played his senior year smallest and was arguably the toughest. He brings physicality in his pass protection as well, which I really like. It should be noted that the 6.0 Clutch grade is not a bad thing… but usually Baylor wasn’t really in a close situation for him to demonstrate his “clutch” ability.
Toughness: 7.0
Consistency: 6.5
Clutch Play: 6.0
Effort: 7.0

Football Character: 6.5 – Tough as anyone, as high effort as anyone on that Baylor team.
Personal Character: 6.5 – Can’t find any flaws here, seems like a stand-up guy.
Durability: 6.5 – Has had a bit of injury trouble, but nothing this past year and shouldn’t be a major injury problem.

Play Strength: 6.0 – Surprisingly strong run-blocking, pass protection not as strong.
vs Speed Rush: 6.5 – It will take a rare athlete to challenge the corner with pure speed against Smith. Lack of punch allows defender to do better than they should here.
vs Bull Rush: 6.5 – Not the stud against the bull rush that Monroe was, occasionally loses the battle.
Footwork: 7.0 – Plays with a wide base and can move around very well.
Hand technique: 5.0 – Honestly, his technique looks like mine would if you threw me out there… I never played OL either.
2nd level blocking: 6.0 – Has the athleticism, has the desire, just misses sometimes.
Quickness off snap: 7.0 – Sets up off the snap very quickly. Can get under DEs in run blocking. Some concern because he played primarily with his hand off the ground.
Proper Balance: 6.5 – Natural knee-bender with good but not great balance.
Lateral Slide: 7.0 – Can get where he wants to very easily.
Errors: 6.0 – 3 penalties in four games is not particularly good, but not horrible either. Mental errors don’t exist.

Summary: Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe are clearly the two best tackles in this class, at least of the group everyone is talking about. Both have the natural tools needed to become elite left tackles (assuming Smith can maintain his weight). Monroe is much more ready to contribute right away at tackle, Smith has more value at guard (especially if the added weight helps him anchor against the bull rush). What separate Smith and Monroe the most is that Smith definitely wants it more than Monroe does, he has a much nastier attitude that shows up on the field. Monroe has more natural ability, but if I am choosing to invest tens of millions of dollars I would choose Smith because he has the intelligence and the desire to become a great player. Monroe could become a better player than Smith, but he could also be an Alex-Barron clone. For that reason, I am giving Smith a grade just slightly higher than Monroe… Despite being raw, Smith is the safer pick.

Final Grade: 6.8 I

Games Scouted: Texas, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, UConn

Slow for a bit…

Hey all!

Just wanted to let you know it may be a few days before I get any more player reports up. I’m finally paying the price for not having had to do much schoolwork this quarter, so this next week is crazy. After Friday we should revert back to updates. In the meantime, I’ll try to scout Jason Smith by the weekend and have a report sometime Friday, but no promises. I’m two games into him, athletic, definitely nasty in run and pass blocking… Terrible hands. A little better than Andre Smith in that I’ve never seen Jason block with his shoulder, but doesn’t really have a punch in pass protection and is a little too grabby for my tastes. He’s a smart guy, so perhaps it is something he can learn. He’s better against the run than I expected, and I love the attitude. Unlike Monroe, I think if Smith can play at 310lbs he could play guard for a year or two and be pretty good.

Anyways, I’ll get back into gear next week, when I am for all purposes done with school til the beginning of April . Thanks for the paitence!
Kyle

P.S. let me know what position/player you want me to scout next, I’ll try to accomodate if I can!