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