OT
Here is where I grade the top offensive tackles who I feel will enter the 2009 NFL Draft.
Eugene Monroe, University of Virginia, 6.7
Michael Oher, Ole Miss, 6′5 322lbs, 6.5 CC
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What I Do
How to Read These Scouting Reports
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re not an NFL Scout. And if you are an NFL Scout, that’s no guarantee that my ratings will make sense without translation. I use a slightly modified system of what Bucko Kilroy, an NFL scout with over 40 years experience, created and is used by about a dozen teams. Due to my limited financial resources, I have modified it slightly to place less emphasis on personal character (keeps his nose clean), football character (works hard), and body growth (can he add weight), with more emphasis on performance. This does not reflect a disinterest in those categories, as I believe they are important (Football character especially is a top concern of mine), but until I have the money and access to visit school and inquire about players, my ability to provide an accurate grade on these things is limited. My knowledge of this system comes from Russ Lande, who publishes GM JR which uses a scale that was the inspiration for my scale, though we have a few, mostly minor, differences.
The grading scale works on a basic 1-9 system. In general, a player with a 4 or lower in any rating has a lot to overcome to be an effective NFL player, and you will rarely see that in my grading. Again, I am focused more toward players with legitimate NFL careers because I don’t have the time to scout out every eligible player available. Those reading this without a blood relation to me are most likely interested in early-round picks, not undrafted free agents. Those reading this with a blood relation probably don’t care too much one way or another. That doesn’t mean I am going only after stars. Of the first four players graded, I’d be surprised if more than one of them went in the 1st round of the 2009 NFL Draft. What it does mean is that I only am interested in scouting players who stand a legitimate chance of playing in the National Football League.
How the grades work:
Overall player grades are a little different from individual skill grades. An 8 is the highest grade I can ever give, and it is doubtful I will give that grade to anyone anytime soon. Of course, there is a fair bit of projection with any draft choice. Some players end up in excellent situations that improve them in ways that were not expected before they were drafted. Other players might be rated highly and then be colossal busts. I am unaware of any scout who can see the future, the best we can do is project the most likely path for a player, but in no way does that mean a player cannot improve/regress in ways that were unforseen – a player assigned a “Good Starter” grade could turn out to be a HOF player if groomed by the right coach for the right system, and that same player could be a colossal bust if drafted by a defunct franchise that is a poor schematic fit. And, of course, it is possible that I am simply wrong.
8.0 = No doubt the #1 pick, no doubt a HOF player.
7.9-7.0 = Surefire multiple Pro-Bowl player. Legitimate HOF chances. Top-5 pick.
6.9-6.5 = Possible Pro-Bowler for several years. Very productive starter. Easily a first rounder.
6.4-6.3 = Good starter. Asset on the field. Late first, early second round selection.
6.2-6.1 = Above Average starter. Does a good job. Second or third round
6.0 = Acceptable starter, may be a quality backup early. Second or third round.
5.9 = Backup now. Has potential to become a starter. Third round.
5.8 = Probably a long-term backup or journeyman starter. Constantly replaced. Fourth round or lower.
5.7-5.5 = Fill out a roster types, long term project players, career special teams player. 5th round or lower.
5.4 or lower = Free Agents.
Throughout the reports, I will grade each player individually on several skills. All players will be graded based off of four factors.
Athleticism – Quickness, Balance, Flexibility, Body Control
Physical Talents – Strength, Explosiveness, Body Type
Polish – Understanding of Playbook, Proper Technique, Instincts
Competitiveness – Plays Through Pain, Consistency, Clutch Play, Effort
These are all graded on a slightly different scale. The numbers go 1-9, with 9 being the highest. Here is a general translation:
9.0 = Incredible. Rarely given out ever.
8.5 = Amazing. Rarely given out ever.
8.0 = Exceptional. Might find this a few times in my reports.
7.5 = Excellent. More easily obtainable, but still a huge plus.
7.0 = Great. Several players have this for a single attribute.
6.5 = Very good. Given out to players who have skills that are above-average.
6.0 = Good. Given out for skills that are average for a college player.
5.5 = Inconsistent. Can be improved, but needs work.
5.0 = Acceptable. It won’t ruin a career, but will hinder it unless improved.
4.5 – 3.0 = Very bad. Unlikely to success with this, but possible.
2.0 = Terrible. Rarely given out to players I grade, as these players will struggle to make it in the NFL.
1.0 = I’m out of bad adjectives to describe how bad this is. This would be the grade I would give my own NFL skills, if I scouted myself.
There are also position-specific skills. These will be graded the same way that general player attributes are graded. I don’t want to give a comprehensive list for every position because it would be boring for all involved, but things such as Hands, Concentration, Routes, After Catch Skills, are all examples of what a Wide Receiver prospect would be graded on in position-specific skills.
There are also a few symbols that I should explain.
E = Estimated – used for height/weight/40 speed primarily.
V = Verified – I have from a reliable source of information an exact number.
* = Junior (redshirt or not) who has declared for the NFL Draft.
** = Redshirt Sophomore who has declared for the NFL Draft.
CR = Character Risk – I’m liberal in applying this, though many of these guys may be fit to draft.
CP = Character Problem – I’m conservative in applying this, and I wouldn’t recommend drafting this guy early.
I = Injured – Player needs to prove his health before a team uses an early selection on him.
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Welcome to my blog!
Essentially, I wanted a place to record my thoughts on the draft. I absolutely love scouting, but much of what I say is lost when wherever I say it cleans it’s archives. I’ll make sure not to clean the archives here.
My name is Kyle Rota, I’m a college student residing in Bellingham, Washington. I’m hoping to get into scouting someday, mainly because I already do it anyways and getting paid for it sounds like a good idea. That said, I have no doubt that my scouting is rudimentary at best. I’m currently working on improving my scouting, and will be doing some cool stuff by December, or so I hope.
Figuring out this site presented some difficulties. As far as the NFL goes, I try to follow all teams casually but the only team I really know in and out is the Seattle Seahawks. Because of that, both the players chosen to be scouted and what I look for is influenced. I consider this a natural extension of what real scouts do – look for the guys who fit the scheme that their team runs. So, things are presented with a Seattle slant. That said, while I may watch USC looking at Taylor Mays (given Seattle’s need for a good safety), it would be impossible for me not to notice, oh, half the defense that deserves to be drafted in the first day.
I hope that you enjoy what you read. I absolutely love discussing prospects, so by all means feel free to post responses, if I have the time (and short of this site gaining national prominence, I will eventually) I will likely reply. That said, there are a few basic things you should do if you don’t want me to delete it:
1.) Mild profanity at most. I don’t care if you swear, but if your post sounds like an Ozzie Guillen press conference it’ll be gone.
2.) Disagreements are great. It means you have an opinion you believe. Bickering and personal attacks are not. Keep it on the subject of players.
3.) No porn, no advertising, no spam. Duh.
I hope you enjoy,
Kyle Rota
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Ahoy!
Methinks you need to do Monroe. I’m liking him more and more..not because of anything he’s done, but because I’m becoming more and more afraid of Jason Smiths size and Oher’s intelligence/awareness.
Monroe is the reason Brandon Albert played guard…and Albert is now the Chiefs left tackle. That has to say something. I’ve heard it said that he’s lazy and unmotivated, is that shown in his play? Or are people just making assumptions because he’s more skilled as a pass protector than as a run blocker?
I meant:
“Do you think you’ll get to Monroe? Please?”
Yeah, I’ll get to Monroe. My goal is to get to all of the 1st rounders from a BCS school, at least. I just got done converting some U of Virginia files to a format that I can watch, so he’s on the list. I might do Maclin next, cause I promised someone I’d get to him soon, we’ll see how many Missou files I have.
Anyways, the one game I did an “impression” on Monroe, I was not pleased. Athletically, he did fine against USC. But he looked lazy. I estimate he could’ve earned his team another 30+ rushing yards that game just by playing to the whistle. According to someone else I talked to, who does this scouting thing as well, he came to the same conclusion with Monroe.
Excellent, I guess I’ll reserve a lot of judgment until you get to more film. Thank you much.
Man, the OT’s are scary this year…..
People that said this year was better than last year must know something I don’t know.
It’s more talented:
J. Smith, Oher, and Monroe are as talented as Clady, and moreso than Long and Otah (Williams was probably as talented as any of them, in terms of athleticism, though he was never a drive-blocker in school). Andre Smith is an odd sort of talent, in some ways more talented than anyone.
But this class is FAR riskier. I’m not sure any of the OTs this year are safe picks. If you pulled a name out of a hat and told me that OT would be an NFL bust, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Will Jason Smith be big enough to anchor? Will Andre Smith ever handle speed rushers? Will Oher learn the mental part of the game? Will Monroe work hard enough to be a worthy of a top-5 selection? Good questions, and I can’t give you a definitive answer.
Hey there, just wanted to let you know that the link to Oher’s report points to A. Smith’s.
And thanks for the hard work, I’m amazed you put in so much with school going on too. Cheers to you from a Western grad.
Thanks for pointing that out! WordPress is an absolute pain to work with in regards to links, I’ll try to get that taken care of.
This quarter is taking a bite out of my scouting, I gotta admit. Last couple quarters have been pretty easy.