Elijah's 2017 Draft Thread

elijah · Jan 17, 2017

Current Big Board (1/18)

Jonathan Allen (DL) - Alabama
[SIZE=14.6667px]Malik McDowell (DL) - Michigan State[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Reuben Foster (LB) - Alabama[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Marshon Lattimore (CB) - Ohio State[/SIZE]
Solomon Thomas (DL) - Stanford
Leonard Fournette (RB) - LSU
Corey Davis (WR) - Western Michigan
[SIZE=14.6667px]Myles Garrett (DE) - Texas A&M[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Mike Williams (WR) - Clemson[/SIZE]
Jamal Adams (S) - LSU
Adoree' Jackson (CB) - USC
Budda Baker (S) - Washington
[SIZE=14.6667px]Teez Tabor (CB) - Florida[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Marlon Humphrey (CB) - Alabama[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Malik Hooker (S) - Ohio State[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Tim Williams (EDGE) - Alabama[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Sidney Jones (CB) - Washington[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Jabrill Peppers (S) - Michigan[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Cam Robinson (OT) - Alabama[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Derek Barnett (DE) - Tennessee[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]OJ Howard (TE) - Alabama[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Mitch Trubisky (QB) - North Carolina[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Dalvin Cook (RB) - Florida State[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]John Ross (WR) - Washington[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Deshaun Watson (QB) - Clemson[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Ryan Ramczyk (OL) - Wisconsin[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Takkarist McKinley (EDGE) - UCLA[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Quincy Wilson (CB) - Florida[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Zach Cunningham (LB) - Vanderbilt[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Deshone Kizer (QB) - Notre Dame[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Patrick Mahomes (QB) - Texas Tech[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Players I Need to Watch (suggestions?): Sidney Jones, Brad Kaaya, Tim Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Ju-Ju Schuster, etc. [/SIZE]

elijah · Jan 17, 2017

CURRENT POSITIONAL RANKINGS (1/18)
QB:
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Mitch Trubisky (UNC)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Deshaun Watson (CLEM)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) Deshone Kizer (ND)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) Patrick Mahomes (TT)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]RB:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Leonard Fournette (LSU)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Dalvin Cook (FSU)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]WR:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Corey Davis (WMU)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Mike Williams (CLEM)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) John Ross (WASH)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]TE:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) OJ Howard (BAMA)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]OT:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Cam Robinson (BAMA)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Ryan Ramczyk (WISC)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]OG: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]C:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]DL:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Jonathan Allen (BAMA)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Malik McDowell (MSU)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) Solomon Thomas (STAN)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Edge Rusher:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Myles Garrett (A&M)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Tim Williams (BAMA)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) Derek Barnett (TENN)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) Takkarist McKinley (UCLA)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]OLB: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]MLB: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Reuben Foster (BAMA)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Zach Cunningham (VAND)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]CB:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Marshon Lattimore (OSU)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Adoree' Jackson (USC)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) Teez Tabor (FLA)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) Marlon Humphrey (BAMA)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) Sidney Jones (WASH)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]6.) Quincy Wilson (FLA)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]S:[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]1.) Jamal Adams (LSU)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]2.) Budda Baker (WASH)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]3.) Malik Hooker (OSU)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]4.) Jabrill Peppers (MICH)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]5.) [/SIZE]

elijah · Jan 17, 2017

PLAYER EVALUATION LINKS

elijah · Jan 17, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]S - Jamal Adams - LSU[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’1” - 211 Lbs. - Junior[/SIZE]

Pros:

Reads the play & reacts fast.
Great in run support.
Plays man coverage well.
Hits hard.
Seals the edge fast.
Good special teams player.
Pursues quickly.
Relentless motor.

Cons:

Doesn’t wrap when tackling.
Misses a lot of arm tackles.
Over pursues at times.

Review:
For being a safety, Adams found himself play a lot of man coverage. The good thing about that? He played a lot of terrific man coverage. He found himself excelling in man coverage more often than not. He sticks right on his receivers hips and doesn’t allow them to gain ground on him. He has good speed and good size and he puts it to use, delivering punishing hits quite often to opposing players.

With these punishing hits comes a calculated risk of missing tackles though. The same goes for his pursuit, he’s extremely fast to find the player with the ball and get to him, but that also comes with a calculated risk of missing tackles. By closing on the player so fast, he’ll find himself overpursuing the ball carrier occasionally. That combined with his knack for big hits results in a lot of missed arm tackles that he needs to make. He doesn’t fully wrap up the carrier often, this turns a sure-fire tackle into him rather just slowing the play down. Or, even worst case scenario, he misses a tackle as the last line of defense and the defense gets beat deep in turn.

Other than his missed tackles, Adams has a complete game from the safety position. However, due to amount of man coverage he played, there’s not a ton of film of him playing in zone. With the film there is of him zone though, he rarely ever got beat deep. For someone I would consider an overall run supporting safety, Adams plays well in coverage regardless of zone or man. Adams seems like he’d be best fitted on a team with two solid corners so that a coach can dedicate him to rush support and not have to worry about helping the corners as much.
Grade: 8.7/10
Draft Stock: Top 15

elijah · Jan 17, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]DL - Jonathan Allen - Alabama[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’3” - 283 Lbs. - Senior[/SIZE]

Pros:

Fast and agile for his size.
Quick off the snap.
Strong, powerful.
Imposes his will while playing.
Eats up rushing gaps.
Never gives up on the play.
Dominates interior lineman.
Rarely misses tackles.
Hits hard.
Wins hand battles with offensive lineman.
Extra year at school to develop.

Cons:

Coming off of shoulder surgery.

Review:
I have nothing but a ravenous review for this kid. Before even looking at any of his tape, just the fact that he passed up on being almost for sure first round pick to come back to school to develop technique and prove he’s an every-down player speaks volumes. Even more impressive, he’s about to become a top pick as a defensive lineman, and an interior one at that. Before becoming this top defensive lineman, teams were recruiting Allen to play outside linebacker.

Allen is 283 pounds of lean, mean muscle and speed. He’s quick and agile on his feet and he’s fast with his hands. It’s nearly impossible to stop this guy as an offensive lineman. Alabama took an outside linebacker, added 30 pounds of muscle to him frame, and made his a 3-4 DE. The effort and hustle that is on this kid’s tape is nothing short of admirable. He played with a relentless motor and never gave up on the play. His conditioning is amongst the best I’ve seen, he never looks tired while he’s on the field. His strength makes for strong, well-formed hits. The combination of Allen’s speed, size and strength makes his a must-have talent.

After scouring through his game tape trying to find a negative part to his game, I couldn’t. The only setback that you may see with Allen is the aftermath of his shoulder surgery. It didn’t seem to bother him throughout the season, but you can never be to cautious about injuries. There’s nothing holding me back from calling Allen a top three talent in this draft. Everything on his tape is impressive, you’re getting a baller with Allen. I have nothing but praise for Allen, I can see a hall of famer on the field when he plays.
Grade: 9.5/10
Draft Stock: Top 5

jonathanlambert33 · Jan 17, 2017

elijah · Jan 17, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]DE/EDGE - Derek Barnett - Tennessee[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’3” - 257 Lbs. - Junior [/SIZE]

Pros:

Dips hips well.
Excels in pass rush.
Quick around the edge.
Good penetration.
Reads option well.
Right place, right time type of guy.
Pursues the QB relentlessly.

Cons:

Struggles to disengage.
May get overpowered in the rush game.
Over pursues in rush game.
Drawn offsides easily.
Lacks pass rush moves.

Review:
Barnett is an elite pass rusher, but my fear is that that may be all he ever is. You don’t see him eating up gaps and you don’t see him forcing his lineman back in the hole. He gets overpowered when the offense is rush blocking, and if he isn’t getting overpowered, he’s overpursuing, leaving his hole wide open. Unless he beats his man off the snap, he struggles to get off the block once the lineman has ahold of him.

That being said, you could never overstate Barnett’s pass rushing ability. He’s in on every play he could possibly be on and if he isn’t on the play, he’s hustling to get there. Barnett is the definition of right place, right time. He always seems to be where the ball is or in the general area of it. Dips his hips well and he’s a matchup nightmare for bigger, slower offensive tackles. His speed mixed with the little bit of size he does have isn’t an easy assignment for offensive lineman. However, he lacks a true pass rush move and seems to rely on his speed every play. He doesn’t have a spin move, he can’t bull rush, he can’t use a swim move, it’s all on his speed.

With the right coaching, Barnett could be a reliable every down player. Until he’s put into the right system with the right coach, he may struggle in the NFL. He’s not going to be able to simply be faster than every tackle in the NFL. Without a strong rush defense, I don’t believe he’s worth a top 10 pick, and top 15 might be a stretch. His potential and his incredible pass rush will keep him in the top 15 though. There’s just going to be a fan base hoping and praying that his potential pays off.
Grade: 8.6/10
Draft Stock: Top 15

elijah · Jan 17, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]RB - Dalvin Cook - Florida State[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]5’11” - 202 Lbs. - Junior [/SIZE]

Pros:

Very fast.
Good receiving target.
Very agile.
Fast feet.
Follows lead blockers.
Good ball carrier vision.
Explosive
Hits the hole fast.
Overall good blocking.
Freakish athlete.

Cons:

Not overly strong.
Doesn’t run hard.
Poor goal-line back.
Overrated pass blocker.
Almost all production comes from big plays.

Review:
Cook is fast, Cook is explosive, but I don’t see much more than a change of pace running back. He’s a poor man’s Shady McCoy with better hands. He may be best fit in the NFL as a slot receiver. I don’t see the hype in Cook that everyone else seems to see. He’s a great college running back, but the draft isn’t all about college production. It’s about how college production will translate to the NFL. I don’t think he has an NFL running back’s skill set.

Cook is a freakish athlete with a crazy amount of speed to him. He often breaks 10-15+ yard plays, but if it’s not going for more than 10 yards, it seems like he struggles to get 3 yards. I question his rushing ability in the NFL because he doesn’t run hard. If he isn’t making the defender miss with his feet, the defender isn’t missing. If an NFL linebacker has a squared up shot at Cook, I’ll take the NFL linebacker 9 times out of 10. He doesn’t perform around the goal-line and struggles rushing up the middle. He’s also an overrated pass blocker.

That being said, he’s still a solid pass blocker. I don’t see this developed pass protector that other scouts see in Cook. However, his run blocking down the field did impress me a little bit. That combined with his quick, agile feet and his above-average hands are what lead me to believe he’s meant to play receiver in the NFL. He has good vision and is a hassle to tackle in the open field. Once he gets four yards past the line of scrimmage and is in the secondary, he may break it anytime. However, the question is, can he get past an NFL front seven? Cook is overrated in my books, and drafting him in the top ten may be a reach. I might even say that drafting him in the top 20 might be reach.
Grade: 8.5/10
Draft Stock: First Round

elijah · Jan 18, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]LB - Zach Cunningham - Vanderbilt[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’4” - 230 Lbs. - RS Junior [/SIZE]

Pros:

Very long arms.
Hits hard.
Has a nose for the ball.
Gives you production.
Makes tackles while being blocked.
High motor player.
Aggressive & physical.
Good special teams player.
Shuts down the A-gap well.
Decent pass coverage.

Cons:

Reads and reacts slowly.
Struggles to find the gap.
Doesn’t shed blocks well.
Poor play recognition.
Waits for the play to come to him, rather than attacking.
Bad pursuit angles.
Runs right into blockers.
Misses tackles he should have.
Slow game speed.

Review:
When you search Zach Cunningham, you see titles like “the best LB you haven’t heard of,” or “sleeper no longer,.. ready to star,” and etc. After seeing him be described like that for a while, I was thoroughly disappointed and underwhelmed by his game tape. He’s an average run-stuffing 2-down linebacker that has potential to be a 3-down linebacker. He’s nothing special, he can be an average NFL linebacker.

He’s got some positives to his game, and they all start with the fact that he’s 6’4” with extremely long arms. His 6’4” frame gives him a chance to add maybe 10 or 15 pounds and become an athletic freak. He has a nose for the ball and you’ll definitely get production from him, but the production isn’t going to come without mistakes and mishaps. He’s aggressive and physical and he’ll run right into offensive lineman to shut down the a-gaps in the rushing game.

However, he reads the play and reacts to it slowly. He has bad play recognition and struggles to meet the running back in the hole. Not only does he struggle to meet the running back in the hole, he gets blocked on his way to the hole all too easily by offensive lineman. Once they get their hands on him, he struggles to shed the block as well. However, he does manage to make quite a few tackles with his blocker still attached to him. His 40 time is misleading as his in game and on field speed is rather slow. He has trouble finding good pursuit angles and often tries making tackles from behind the player. His tackling is a whole different issue that really hurts his draft stock. He misses tackles that no linebacker should ever miss and he finds himself diving or tackling by the shoulder pads more often than not. It’s not a common thing to see Cunningham square up and make a proper tackle.

Cunningham has been receiving a lot of hype recently, but it seems to be more the media than any actual NFL scouts themselves. There’s no reason for Cunningham to go any higher than 20th, and personally I wouldn’t be surprised to see him wait until day 2 for his name to be called.
Grade: 8.1/10
Draft Stock: Late First - Early Second

elijah · Jan 18, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]WR - Corey Davis - Western Michigan[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’3” - 205 Lbs. - Senior [/SIZE]

Pros:

Very fast.
Can lineup in the slot.
Tall body frame.
Runs strong in the open field.
Fights for the ball.
Gets open for the QB when he’s scrambling.
Coaches say he has a strong work ethic.
Looks the ball in.
Blocks down the field.
Great hands.
Good route-runner.
Great spin move.

Cons:

Holds the ball like a loaf of bread.
Performance inflated by team’s system.
Played against weak competition.

Review:
Corey Davis is flat out talented, he’s a human highlight reel. He draws double, triple coverage and still manages to make plays for his team. Standing tall at 6’3” with elite speed, Davis is a deep threat on every play. On top of that, he has has great route-running and amazing hands which makes him a red zone threat as well. Hell, he’s just a threat any where he is on the field. He owns the record for most receiving yards of all-time, he has the second most receiving touchdowns of all-time and he has the fourth most receptions of all-time.

There’s no mystery as to why he holds all of this records, as I said above, he’s just flat out talented. He does everything you want your receiver to do. He can lineup in the slot and make a play for you, or he can take a screen pass and get work done on the ground for you. He runs like a running back in the open field and makes it’s a very difficult task for defenders to tackle him. He goes after the ball hard, plays a physical game, and lokos the ball into his hands. There’s not many negatives to him other than the fact that he played against weak competition and in an offense that was designed to inflate his stats.

Even when you talk to his coaches, the outstanding reviews continue to pour in for him. They praise his work ethic and call him a terrific student. It was big when he played Wisconsin this year, they were the only power 5 school he played. He had a down game against them, but still produced 6 receptions, 73 yards and a touchdown. Last year he played both Michigan State and Ohio State, between the two games he combined for 16 receptions, 196 yards and a touchdown. He doesn’t shy away from harder competition. Part of me thinks I should lower his grade and draft stock because he played in the MAC, the other part of me says hey, look what Khalil Mack is doing right now.
Grade: 8.9/10
Draft Stock: Top 20

elijah · Jan 19, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]LB - Reuben Foster - Alabama[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’1” - 240 Lbs. - Senior [/SIZE]

Pros:

Reads the play fast.
Finds the ball carrier.
Fills the hole.
Covers the field quickly.
Plays zone well.
Good football IQ.
In on every play.
Great tackler.
Good speed for MLB.

Cons:

Not a great blitzer.
Poor in man coverage.
Not an every down linebacker.

Review:
It’s unlikely for Foster to come into the NFL and be an every down linebacker. He’s simply not good enough at man coverage to take on slot receivers and tight ends on third down and long. However, on first, second and third and short, Foster can do everything for your team. He’s a middle linebacker that does everything fast. He reads the play first, he reacts fast and he gets to the ball fast. He shuts down holes and stands up running backs, aside from man coverage, he can do it all. He knows the game and his position well and he’s near the ball on every play.

There’s not a lot that he can’t do. I said in the ‘cons’ that he’s not a great blitzer, but he’s not a terrible one either. I was sort of puzzled as to why Saban blitzed Foster so often on passing downs, but maybe it was to make use of him. He can’t exactly cover man-to-man too well as I said, but that’s why you simply take him out on third and longs. It’s rare nowadays for linebackers to play all three downs anyways.

Foster looks to be the real deal and shouldn’t have any trouble going early in the first. He plays a lot like Ragland did last year, he filled in for him just fine. As a defensive coordinator, I would be excited to welcome Foster to my unit. He plays with heart and he covers the entire field quickly. Foster is a top five prospect in this draft and is destined for great things. He may be my favorite player in the draft and you’re probably looking at a perennial all-pro.
Grade: 9.0/10
Draft Stock: Top 10

elijah · Jan 20, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]DL - Malik McDowell - Michigan State[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’6” - 280 Lbs. - Junior [/SIZE]

Pros:

Doesn’t give up on the play.
Very strong.
Great at block shedding.
Hits hard.
Freakishly athletic.
Can line up anywhere on the defensive line.
Eats up blockers.
Does whatever it takes to get to the ball.
Good repetoire of pass rush moves.
Wins hand battles against the OL.
Elite speed for position.

Cons:

Spins his back into defenders.
Penalty hazard.
Doesn’t close gaps as a rush defender.
Takes plays off.
Discipline concerns.
Injury concerns.

Review:
I read about McDowell once, he had said that he wouldn’t leave for the NFL unless he was a projected top-three pick. I read about him again later on, and it said that when he made that statement he was moreso talking to himself than reporters, NFL teams or Michigan State personnel. This should mean that it comes as no surprise that he is entering the draft. While he may not go in the top three picks, he certainly finds himself as one of the top three most talented players in the draft.

McDowell was gifted with an elite body frame and was given freakish athletic ability to go with it. He makes plays that most people would deem impossible. (1/13) Recently I was watching Solomon Thomas who’s nearly equally impressive as McDowell, but not quite just as impressive. I couldn’t figure out what was holding Thomas back from being as impressive, so I watched some more tape on McDowell. Let me tell you, McDowell’s combinated of body frame and speed for his position is something that NFL scouts will covet. Thomas looks slow and average in comparison to McDowell (that’s not saying that Thomas is).

I’ve never seen a player playing with the same mindset as McDowell, he does whatever he can to get to the ball. During the Notre Dame game, I watched him cover three holes on the line to make a tackle at the line of scrimmage. That’s three offensive lineman, guard, center and guard, that he had to climb past and he still met the ball at the line of scrimmage. However, that play isn’t going to be in any coach’s gameplan. That means that he may not always be doing his assignment, something that commentators have called him out for over the year.

He’s a large, powerful defender that simply imposes his will on others. He can line up anywhere on the defensive line and get off of any blocker on the offensive line. He has a large arsenal of pass rush moves and and he has the speed to use them against anyone. It seems as if his mind is always in pass rush mode though, and he tends to leave open gaps for the offenses rushing game. He doesn’t sit and wait for the rusher to get to him, he tries to penetrate in the backfield, which is exactly what the offensive line wants in a lot of scenarios when rushing the ball.

It’s hard to predict where McDowell might go in the draft. He has all the talent in the world, but it’s said that he has a discipline issue and he’s definitely dealt with a few injuries throughout his college years. His talent says top three, but his complete body of work says top 15. When you look at him as a complete prospect, rather than just his on-field play, you start to see things that will be brought up as question marks. With good combine interviews, I could see McDowell fighting his way into the top 5. However, he’s said to be rather head strong which may not make for good combine interviews.
Grade: 9.2/10
Draft Stock: Top 15

Hurricane Season · Jan 20, 2017

Amazing work, man. I'm a fan.

If you ever get the time, I'm curious as to what you think about Corn Elder. I can't really find any in depth scouting reports on him, and I'm interested to see how people with an eye for talent feel about him as a prospect.

elijah · Jan 20, 2017

Hurricane Season said:
Amazing work, man. I'm a fan.

If you ever get the time, I'm curious as to what you think about Corn Elder. I can't really find any in depth scouting reports on him, and I'm interested to see how people with an eye for talent feel about him as a prospect.

I'll get around to him eventually, I'm trying to get all of the big names out of the way first though.

His size looks extremely small though.

elijah · Jan 20, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]CB - Marshon Lattimore - Ohio State[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’0” - 190 Lbs. - RS Sophomore[/SIZE]

Pros:

Opens hips well.
Plays press well.
Covers the field fast.
Great footwork.
Drops to zone with no problem.
Good tackler.
Doesn’t shy away from contact.
Shuts down his half of the field.
Ball hawk.
Reads the play well.
Extremely athletic.
Endless pursuit of the ball.
Understands his zone coverages.

Cons:

Could use more muscle/weight.
Not a lot of experience.
Struggles to shed the stalk block.

Review:
Lattimore has a very complete game and would be ready to start in the NFL from day one. He excels in press and man coverage and has the speed to not get beat over the top. He opens his hips well and his footwork is phenomenal. He’s an exceptional player that should catch the eyes of many front offices. He’s extremely athletic and covers the field like it’s nothing. There’s not many places that you could take a shot at Lattimore’s game. Even his run support is pretty solid, he hits hard for a cornerback and he is a pretty good tackler.

There’s no question that the talent is there for Lattimore, the only sketchy part about picking him would be his experience. With the little film he’s provided us, he’s looked fantastic. However, he’s only played about a year and a half of college ball. If I were Lattimore, I would forego my remaining eligibility and declare for the draft right now. His draft stock may not get any higher than it already is. He provided Ohio State with an amazing season in their secondary.

As of right now, there’s not that much hype surrounding Lattimore. I’ve seen him all over the first rounds in mock drafts. At the end of the day, he looks like a top 8 talent to me in this draft. Part of me wants to say top 5 but that may be a stretch. It looks as if he’ll end up going somewhere in the top 15, but the further past number 8 he slips, the bigger of a steal he is.
Grade: 9.0/10
Draft Stock: Top 20

elijah · Jan 21, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]TE - OJ Howard - Alabama[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’6” - 242 Lbs. - Senior[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px] [/SIZE]

Pros:

Large, powerful frame.
Good run blocker.
Fast for his size.
Good pass blocker.
Can line up at receiver.
Blocks downfield.
Very difficult to tackle.
Sure-handed.

Cons:

Lunges when he blocks at times.
Stands straight up when blocking.
Lacks an initial ‘pop’ when blocking.
Rough edged cuts.

Review:
O.J. Howard is like a sixth lineman that can play receiver on offense. His huge size makes him a threat anywhere on the field and he’s typically pretty sure handed. As a blocker, Howard can both pass and rush block successfully. He’s strong and powerful, although he doesn’t have a great initial ‘pop’ to match his size. He’s still an effective blocker though, and he blocks all the way down the field. After he catches the ball, he becomes difficult to tackle thanks to his size.

He can still polish his game a little bit, as Howard is definitely a little raw with his skill set. Little things can get tidied up, like lunging when he blocks rather than getting under his defender and pushing with his legs. He could be a little more aggressive getting off the ball and into the block. He needs to bend his hips a little more when blocking as well. As for route running, Howard is nothing special. His cuts aren’t very clean, and this may allow NFL talent to cover him better than at the college level.

Overall, Howard is a big tight end that looks like a Gronkowski, a Graham, a Bennett, etc. Howard would be a dream for Bill Belichick. With Gronkowski’s continuous injuries and Bennett’s playoff injury, it would not surprise me at all to see the Patriots pull the trigger on Howard. A very talented player, but his position of tight end will hurt his draft stock a little bit. I’d be shocked if Howard fell out of the second round though.
Grade: 8.5/10
Draft Stock: Mid First - Mid Second Round

elijah · Jan 21, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]QB - Mitch Trubisky - North Carolina[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’3” - 220 Lbs. - RS Junior[/SIZE]

Pros:

Ability to run when needed to.
Pin-point accuracy.
Very decisive.
Great poise.
Plays best under pressure.
Throws well on the run.
Reads the defense well.
Throws a tight spiral.
Good escapability.

Cons:

Throws off back foot often.
Poor arm strength.
Took majority of snaps from shot gun.
Looks scared in the pocket.
Runs too quickly.
Throws side-armed at times.
Misses throws he should make on occasion.
Only one year of college experience.
Inconsistent downfield accuracy.
Doesn’t climb the pocket well.
Needs to throw ball away more often.

Review:
A good friend once told me that you can’t teach a quarterback accuracy. Mitch Trubisky’s accuracy is pinpoint. He’s shown everything that a quarterback needs to show, except his arm strength and a pocket presence. His arm strength is a strange topic though, because he tends to throw off of his back foot more often than not. When throwing off his front foot and with his body, Trubisky has above average arm strength.

It’s hard to properly evaluate Trubisky because of the talent he had around him. His offensive line didn’t seem to give him a lot of time to throw at any time and his receivers didn’t exactly give him open looks. Due to his team, he’s seemed scared in the pocket, he seems to take off and run too quickly. Overall, he seems to be a little fidgety in the pocket and he doesn’t climb the pocket well. I’d be interested to see Trubisky on a top 25 team to try and see what he could do with talent surrounding him.

Other than his issues in the pocket and his arm strength, Trubisky has everything he needs to be an NFL quarterback. His accuracy is nothing short of amazing. He puts the ball where it needs to be, and when it needs to be there. While he doesn’t climb the pocket well, he can run when he needs to. Granted, he takes off to quick to run, but don’t let that diminish his rushing ability. His escapability is great, he’s decisive, he throws a tight spiral. Trubisky’s career will come down to the coach and the system he gets put in. With a solid running back and a smart coach, he can be an NFL quarterback. However, missing a pocket presence and lacking arm strength are big hurdles to overcome. He’ll take time to develop, and he’s definitely a risk, but if a team does happen to hit on him, they’ll likely be hitting big.
Grade: 8.6/10
Draft Stock: Top 20

elijah · Jan 23, 2017

[SIZE=13.3333px]DL - Solomon Thomas - Stanford[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.3333px]6’3” - 273 Lbs. - RS Sophomore[/SIZE]

Pros:

Strong and powerful.
Eats up lineman.
Makes tackles while being blocked.
Can lineup anywhere on the line.
Endlessly pursues the play.
Disengages from the block well.
Hits hard.
Wins hand battles with offensive lineman.
Good play recognition.
Good repertoire of pass rush moves.
Terrific bowl game.
Draws double-teams.

Cons:

Misses tackles he needs to make too often.
Lacks elite speed.
Appears fatigued at times.

Review:
Solomon Thomas had a gifted bowl game. If the bowl game were the only game he had on tape, he’d look like the top prospect in the draft. You couldn’t stop him during his bowl game, whether he was lined up inside or outside, whether it was the pass rush or the rush defense, he was unstoppable. He made plays all over the field and was a huge part of Stanford coming home with the W.

Thomas is a strong guy that gets past offensive lineman on instinct. He’s got a great catalog of pass rush moves and he puts them to use at the right times. He sheds blocks easily in the pass rush and he tackles the ball carrier while on the block in rush defense. He can do everything for you on the line of scrimmage, not just pass rush and defending the rush, but he can do both from inside and outside. He wins hand battles with the offensive lineman and once he’s past them, he pursues the ball well and he pursues it relentlessly.

There’s not much you can say negatively about Thomas. He comes equipped with all the right tools to be an elite player, other than the elite speed. When you watch game-changing players, you’ll notice that they do everything a step faster than everyone else on the field. Thomas doesn’t do that necessarily. While he does get off of the ball quickly, the rest of his game isn’t exactly done with elite speed. Rather, it’s done with great technique and power. He also misses tackles that are must-have tackles. Against Arizona he had an easy routine tackle against the running back and he just flat out whiffed. During his phenomenal bowl game, he did the same on a free sack against Trubisky.

Thomas has the parts of a top 8 prospect, but he may see himself slip due to a stacked defensive lineman class. He looks like a more complete and better prospect than both Garrett and Barnett, but those prospects may see their names called before Thomas. He should however, be guaranteed a top 20 selection.
Grade: 8.9/10
Draft Stock: Top 20

elijah · Jan 30, 2017

[SIZE=10pt]S - Budda Baker - Washington[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]5’10” - 184 Lbs. - Junior[/SIZE]

Pros:

Good play recognition.
Good closing speed.
Tackles well.
Good instincts.
Seals the edge well.
Great burst.
Can play man, zone, press and off.

Cons:

Over pursues at times.
Doesn’t play the ball well.
Rather small body frame.

Review:
     Less athletic but more talented than Jabrill Peppers, Budda Baker has a very good understanding of his position and responsibilities. He’s an extremely versatile player that offers his coach the advantage of being able to play anywhere on the field. He can play man coverage and zone coverage, he can press or play off-coverage. He can line up in the box, or he can play deep at his normal safety spot. Although he has a small frame, he throws his body around and plays bigger than he is.

Baker recognizes the play quickly and reacts even quicker. Great natural instincts makes Baker a threat everywhere on the field. Between his combination of instincts and burst, Baker has a tendency to be a playmaker and will make a quarterback think twice before testing him. He closes on the ball fast, seals the edge well and is a pretty good tackler. While he isn’t a crazy hard hitter, he shows a good ability to wrap and tackle by the legs.

I expect Baker’s stock to rise as the draft gets closer. Other than a small body frame and the occasional missed tackle, Baker didn’t have many negatives on his film. His ability to play anywhere on the field will be coveted by defensive coordinators. A safety like Baker brings an extra level to your defensive gameplans. Baker may be one of the most complete players in the draft, he’ll be able to come in and make an impact immediately. While he may not have any stand out abilities like Adams’ rush support and Hooker’s range, his game is very well-rounded.
Grade: 8.7/10
Draft Stock: First Round

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