Elijah's 2014-15 Off-Season/Scouting Thread

[elijah]

EDGE - Randy Gregory - Nebraska
6’6” - 245 Lbs. - Senior

Pros:
- Plays fast and explosive.
- Very good size for an edge rusher, could use 10 to 15 more pounds to be a starting end.
- Used a very wide array of pass rush moves.
- Attracts a double team very often.
- Uses his hands very well with his swim move, spin move and etc.
- Very fast and athletic.
- Persistent on the play.

Cons:
- Very inconsistent with his jump off the line, very slow and delayed or extremely fast and impressive.
- Not very impressive against the rush.
- Bigger offensive lineman over power Gregory with ease.

Review:
Gregory impressed me quite a bit, but he didn’t seem to be the top 5, elite prospect that I was expecting. Gregory reminds me a lot of Jerry Hughes, a compliment guy that could get double-digit sacks in a year.

Gregory is a fantastic pass rusher, he has the size and the skill set. His pass rush moves are wonderful and he has a very wide array of moves. He used his hands extremely well in these moves. His athleticism contributes a lot to his success, as he’s very quick around the edge.

However, he is very, very suspect against the run. He didn’t do that well, and even seemed to get picked on sometimes. The bigger offensive lineman would overpower him on every single rushing down. Gregory needs a lot of strength, he can be a very successful end if he adds some muscle. He experienced a bit of a drop-off in 2013 due to increased attention.

Gregory is a talent, but he’s rush defense may hurt him. As of right now, he’s slated as a top 5 pick by many. Don’t be surprised if he falls to the 10/15th range. He’d be great for a team with a good rush defense but a poor pass rush, or a team with a talented defensive line with a spot for one more (in example, Washington, Oakland).

Grade: 8.8/10

 

[elijah]

WR - Amari Cooper - Alabama
6’1” - 202 Lbs. - Junior

Pros:
- Very fast and explosive after catching the ball.
- Quick off the line.
- Great footwork.
- Great running after the catch.
- Very good hands.
- Quick and clean cuts on his routes.
- Lines up, and is successful, almost anywhere on the field.
- Plays taller than he is.
- Uses his body pretty well, can be very acrobatic while looking for the ball.

Cons:
- Extremely poor blocking.
- Gives an extended arm on occassion.
- Could use a little more strength and an extra 10 pounds.

Review:
Amari Cooper is an incredibly special talent. In a league of elite superstar receivers, he’s bound to fit right in. He plays like a mix of Odell Beckham Jr. and Sammy Watkins. I thought that Cooper was hyped up a little bit, but he seems to be the real deal. He is an extremely explosive receiver and he plays taller than he is. He’s made continuous impressive catches with ease. I was impressed much more than I thought I was going to be.

Cooper possesses a tremendous amount of talent in the receiving game. He has the basics, his hands are great and his footwork is great. He gets off the line quick and has clean and quick cuts on his routes. Cooper can line up anywhere on the field and be successful. He’s extremely athletic and makes great catches all over the field.

If he could add more muscle and add a little bit of weight, Cooper could be a dominant force in the NFL. There’s not much else to complain about, other than his blocking. He was an awful blocker. With the way that Cooper plays, you can’t find much to knit-pick out of his game.

Cooper could easily be a top 5 pick, and would be well-deserving of a top 5 pick. There’s a lot of teams that he would make sense for. If the rumors of Cutler being a done deal to Tennessee, Cooper would be a fantastic fit in a Titans uniform. They would give Cutler something to work with right off the bat. The Jaguars and Raiders would also get a lot of help from Cooper, two young quarterbacks that could use elite talent to get the ball too. Cooper can be an immediate impact anywhere that he goes, so a team trading up (similar to Julio Jones and Sammy Watkins) is something that seems very realistic. I see a multitude of teams that a Cooper trade would pay off for, namely the Rams, Browns, Chiefs, Seahawks, Patriots or Colts.

Grade: 9.2/10

 

[cdumler7]

Honestly if Winston made it to the end of the 1st round where the Broncos would be picking I would be torn on whether I would be excited for the Broncos to draft him or not. Like you said he is wildly inconsistent and his off the field issues would be tough to deal with. At the same time the idea of him sitting a year behind Peyton and seeing how he conducts himself has me believe a little that Winston could thrive. I mean the guy hasn't lost in 2-years. While this year hasn't been as pretty as last season for him or the Seminoles they still seem to find a way to win. To me I would rather have a quarterback that can up their game late to help a team win compared to one who puts up great stats all season but can't seem to win the big games. So again I would be torn. Not sure I like the idea of cheering for a guy like Winston but then again all I know is some of the off the field stuff and always like the idea of a guy given a 2nd chance to show he can mature.

 

[Clayton]

It wouldn't shock me to see Cooper go #2.

 

[cdumler7]

It wouldn't shock me to see Cooper go #2.

If Tennessee gets Cutler this off season then I think Cooper is the easy choice for them. Nothing makes a quarterback happier than getting a shiny new toy and Cooper is a very nice shiny toy to add to the arsenal. I would also say the defense seems pretty set with quite a few quality players and the OL at times looks pretty decent. Now given they do have decent receivers but I would say adding Cooper to the group of Nate Washington and Kendall Wright would make them a very tough group to defend.

 

[elijah]

It wouldn't shock me to see Cooper go #2.

The Bucs and Jets re the only teams up there that I think would definitely take a QB in the #2 spot. If the Titans, Jags or Raiders somehow end up in #2, I could see all 3 of them taking Cooper.

There's still a lot to change between now and then, and plus I haven't watched much of Leonard Williams yet so I don't know how valuable he is in comparison to Cooper.

 

[Clayton]

The Bucs and Jets re the only teams up there that I think would definitely take a QB in the #2 spot. If the Titans, Jags or Raiders somehow end up in #2, I could see all 3 of them taking Cooper.

There's still a lot to change between now and then, and plus I haven't watched much of Leonard Williams yet so I don't know how valuable he is in comparison to Cooper.

Cooper will go top 5 and yeah, its too hard to predict now. I just think that the NFL is a copycat league and the emphasis is on getting a premier, consistent playmaker on offense because there really isnt any other way to get one outside of the draft. The old rule with WRs is that they take 3 years to really make progress but OCs are getting more creative.

 

[elijah]

OT - La’el Collins - LSU
6’5” - 315 Lbs. - Senior

Pros:
- Opens up rather quick with his kick-slide.
- Very strong player.
- Opens into his pull blocks quickly.
- Very talented run blocker, perhaps more suited for RT?
- As a pass blocker, once he gets his hands on his defender, the defender is done.

Cons:
- Rather wide grip at times.
- Speed rushers often get Collins going heavy to the outside, a counter back to the inside is wide open.

Review:
Scouting offensive lineman isn’t necessarily my strong suit. Just want to put that out there.

Collins is a dominant run blocker, and would perhaps be more suited to be a RT in the NFL. He’s a very strong player, and once he gets his hands on you and a squared up base, the defender is often done for.

It’s concerning when he’s pass blocking on occasion. He’ll get heavy to his outside and that leaves the inside wide-open to talented NFL pass rushers. Collins definitely isn’t a world beater, but he has talent that can succeed.

Grade: 8.4/10

 

[elijah]

Just to help some with my grades at the bottom of each post..

10 - Franchise player from the start, guaranteed all-star, potential to be one of the greatest ever.
9 - Immediate impact & starter, potential to be the face of the franchise
8 - Should be a starter, potential for a big impact, could become an all-star, pro bowl player if the develop right.
7 - May be lucky and get a chance to start, can be an impact role player. Some can develop into a starter.
6 - Role player, may have an impact eventually. Chance to potentially start, but slim one.
5 - Role player for their career, can develop to have an impact as a depth player.
4 or Below - Not very good.

 

[elijah]

RB - Todd Gurley III - Georgia
6’1” - 232 Lbs. - Junior

Pros:
- Extremely quick and explosive.
- Provides for a dangerous play action game on offense.
- Very strong and imposing, difficult to tackle.
- Very good vision of the field.
- Showed the ability to pick up blitzers, blocks well.
- Runs very north and south, not much east and west running.
- Never stops moving his legs.
- Plays great in the screen game.
- Cuts through holes beautifully.
- Rarely goes down on first contact.

Cons:
- Tore his ACL.
- Ankle injury in 2013, little bit of durability concerns.
- Could make cuts a little bit more emphatic.

Review:
An ACL tear is always a shame, but it’s truly devastating for Todd Gurley. Gurley absolutely dominated the college level, he looked like a man among men. If he can recover from his injury, Gurley can easily be as dominate as Lynch or Peterson almost immediately. The injury may be the only area of concern for Gurley.

Gurley is an all-around complete back. To begin, he shoots through his holes like a slingshot. He explodes through them extremely quickly with a lot of speed. His vision of the field and his holes is tremendous, he seems to see everything. Gurley is always running north and south as well, you rarely see him taking the balls sideways. Perhaps the most impressive part of his game, he runs with power and strength and never stops moving his legs, this makes it extremely difficult for any defender to bring him. He’s also a great receiver out of the backfield.

Pre-injury, Gurley could have easily gone top 10. Now, it seems like all the scouts expect him to go late 1st-early 2nd. A good combine showing could easily bring Gurley back to a mid-1st round pick. Gurley is one of the most impressive runners I’ve seen, and if he rehabs well, he’s going to take the NFL by storm. He’ll be a great back for any offense, but to me it seems like he’d be best fitted in Philadelphia or Buffalo (despite the fact that neither team really needs a RB). Both teams use the running back out of the backfield a lot, as well as allowing the back to run all over the place. If a trade involving Shady McCoy happens in Philly to move up for Mariota, Gurley would be a great 2nd round pick for them.

Grade: 9.5/10 Pre-Injury (based on pure talent) | 8.7/10 with the ACL tear

 

[elijah]

WR - Kevin White - West Virginia
6’3” - 210 Lbs. - Senior

Pros:
- Great body size.
- Good bursts of speed.
- Plays well anywhere, can move him from #1 to #2 to your slot.
- Great hands, great focus on the ball.
- Great footwork, ran very clean routes and very well after catching the ball.
- Uses his size well to his advantage.
- Very willing to block, needs to improve his blocking though.
- Runs very hard and strong.
- Runs the deep/jump ball fade near perfectly.
- Attacks the ball at it’s high point.
- Draws a lot of defensive holding and PI calls.
- Makes some amazing and impressive catches.

Cons:
- Not that fast of a player on the field (not overly slow though, 4.5 40 time).
- Despite normally having great hands and great focus, he has an occasional focus drop.
- Has a wide grip on his blocks, doesn’t move his feet much either while blocking.
- Randomly burst onto the scene after a very inconsistent year.

Review:
White is an extremely talented receiver, and I was very impressed with him. He may be one of the most underrated prospects in this draft. He had a fantastic year this year, with more than 100 receptions, 1300 yards and 9 touchdowns. He showed his ability to be a go-to, reliable receiver.

White has a very good overall receiving game. At the top of the list though doesn’t have anything to do with his talent, his size is incredible and he uses his strength very well. Thanks to his terrific footwork and route running, White showed the ability to line up at any of the receiving slots. He ran beautiful routes and ran a perfect deep fade route, always attacking the ball at its high point. After catching the ball, he was a hard and strong runner that defensive backs had trouble tackling. White is a very attractive talent, and he showed quite a playmaking ability as well. This kid has me raving, a lot of other scouts have him very underrated.

The worst part of his game is one of the more important attributes though, his speed is rather slow. White doesn’t have tire burning speed, he’s not one to flat out outrun his opponent. Another area for concern is the fact that he burst onto the scene after a very inconsistent year. Other than that, the only issue is his occasional focus drop.

White is a player that you want on your team. His speed may not be the greatest, but as long as you aren’t wasting a top 8 pick on White, you should love to have him. Based on talent, White should go between the 9th and 14th pick. If scouts begin to see the talent that I’m seeing, a team may trade up into that range to add White to their roster. However, scouts aren’t quite raving about him like I am, so a mid-teen to mid-twenties pick is more realistic at the moment.

Grade: 8.8/10

 

[Clayton]

There seems to be a WR everyone likes every year but has a 'slow 40' and then they hit the combine with a 'good enough' 40 and they go top 10 or so. White fits that profile.

Gurley is a 2nd rounder, imo. Way too risky at a position that barely has any value

Collins looks like an ideal Guard prospect but he might be able to a solid starter at OT. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Rams target him.

 

[elijah]

There seems to be a WR everyone likes every year but has a 'slow 40' and then they hit the combine with a 'good enough' 40 and they go top 10 or so. White fits that profile.

Gurley is a 2nd rounder, imo. Way too risky at a position that barely has any value

Collins looks like an ideal Guard prospect but he might be able to a solid starter at OT. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Rams target him.

If White can hit a 40 of 4.44 or below at the combine, I think he should be a surefire top 10 pick. That'd set him over the edge, but a 40 of 4.55 or below and that could also set him back even more though. I don't pay much attention to the combine, but this will be one thing that I do look for.

Todd Gurley is another thing that I'll be looking at in the combine, to see how he comes back from his knee. It's a shame that he tore his ACL because Gurley is an insane talent.

Collins could easily be a top 8 prospect if he had played at guard or right tackle all season long. If an NFL team takes Collins and makes him a guard, they should be getting good production.

 

[Clayton]

Do you think Gurley is a case like Adrian Peterson where his talent is good enough to come in and be the best in the league right away? There really isnt much elite RB talent right now

 

[night]

Do you think Gurley is a case like Adrian Peterson where his talent is good enough to come in and be the best in the league right away? There really isnt much elite RB talent right now

There is no way you can definitively say that about any prospect. He has the tools to be great but it really all depends on the perfect storm. He still needs to have a decent line to produce at that level and that won't be guaranteed for him.

 

[elijah]

Do you think Gurley is a case like Adrian Peterson where his talent is good enough to come in and be the best in the league right away? There really isnt much elite RB talent right now

I back what Night said,

Before the injury, Gurley had everything he needed. The size, the skill set, the talent and all that was left was a little bit of luck and some hard work and he could have easily came in like Adrian Peterson.

Now, with the injury, it's a lot harder to tell. The ACL is often deadly to running backs, but even if he does rehab strong, like Night said, there's no definite in the draft process. You never know how the player is going to transition, you can scout all you want, but you're still going to have busts and gems.

The best answer I can give you is that before the injury, to me Gurley was the most promising, lowest risk prospect. He seemed like the most ready for the pro-level.

 

[elijah]

EDGE - Vic Beasley - Clemson
6’3” - 235 Lbs. - RS Senior

Pros:
- Extremely fast off the line.
- Works with his hands very well.
- Always gets his hands up on pass plays.
- Gets around the edge quick.
- Very fast for his position, could cause slow lineman fits. (i.e. against Florida State)
- Great bend and burst around the outside.
- Good balance.
- Extremely quick and talented spin move.

Cons:
- Missed his contain assignment on multiple occasions.
- Needs to add muscle, gets overpowered too easily.
- Swinney blitzed Beasley up the B too often, should have always been going outside the tackle.
- Not always the greatest tackler.

Review:
Beasley was one of my favorite players in the draft last year, and then he decided to stay at Clemson. It was a good choice at the time, and the extra year helped. However, the extra year didn’t help quite as much as some people were expecting it too. We saw the same Beasley that we saw last year, a fast, explosive pass rusher that could use more muscle and 10 more pounds.

He’s extremely fast and explosive and beats his defender around the edge very well. If you get Beasley against a slow offensive lineman, he’s going to have a feast that day. He has great balance and all of the basics that you look for in an edge rusher. His quickness makes his spin move absolutely devastating, and his swim move is pretty impressive too.

I saw two big areas for concern with Beasley. The biggest issue is his weight, he needs to add 10 to 15 pounds and be a stronger force. Being stronger would also help his tackling, seeing as he displayed very poor tackling at times. It also didn’t help Beasley’s case that he was blitzed to the inside way too often, He should have almost always been blitzing the C gap, instead of the B gap.

Vic Beasley and Randy Gregory are very, very similar players. Down the stretch, you may have some GM’s that like Beasley more than Gregory, and that may result in Beasley getting taken off the board before Gregory. I expect Beasley and Gregory to go within 3-4 picks of each other, both being in the top 12 picks. I’d take Beasley’s skill set, but Gregory’s size is going to help a lot with how scouts look at him.

Grade: 8.7/10

 

[elijah]

EDGE/DE - Shane Ray - Missouri
6’3” - 245 Lbs. - RS Junior

Pros:
- Plays with strength.
- Good pursuit on rush defense.
- Pursues the ball well.
- Made plays all over the field.
- Plays much bigger and stronger than he seems to be.
- Very quick first step.
- Tremendous athlete.
- Extremely quick mismatch on guards.
- Plays very aggressive.
- Plays extremely quick.
- Very high motor.

Cons:
- Not too big of an array of pass rush moves.
- Struggles when the rush comes straight at him.
- Can’t always disengage from the lineman when the ball passes.
- Needs to control his aggression a little bit more.

Review:
I was overall very impressed with Shane Ray. The way I see it, Ray is the top edge rusher in this draft. I’ve yet to see Oakman, Fowler or Dupree, but Ray seems to have sky-high potential and he’s a playmaker. Ray was always somewhere near the ball all throughout this year.

Ray proved to be a raw athlete all throughout the year. Missouri has produced an impressive line of pass rushers, and Ray is just going to add to it. He’s very quick off of the line, and all-around his game is quick and athletic. He was way too fast for the guards and often provided mismatches. Though not the biggest player on the field, he found ways to use his strength to his advantage. He was a playmaker all year long, he was always right next to the ball somehow. His pursuit was fantastic, he was aggressive and his motor is extremely high.

With his raw athleticism comes an undefined game. His pass rush moves aren’t that great, and he rarely uses them. However, that’s something that a good defensive coordinator/D-Line coach can get into his game rather quickly with his skill level. Despite having great pursuit and making plays against the run, Ray struggled when the ball came directly towards him. He lacked the ability to disengage from the lineman consistently.

If you’re looking for the best overall option in an edge rusher in the draft, Ray is the direction to go. The only advantage that Gregory has over him is Gregory’s pass rush moves. Other than that, Ray has a better motor, he’s more athletic, he plays more aggressive, and he was an all-around better playmaker. Ray will climb big boards by the time the draft comes, but once the draft is here, the choice between Gregory and Ray will all depend on what team it is. I take Ray in almost every situation.

Grade: 8.9/10

 

[elijah]

DT - Leonard Williams - USC
6’5” - 300 Lbs. - Junior

Pros:
- Very ideal size, not too big but definitely strong enough.
- Can line up anywhere on the defensive line.
- Consistently pushes the O-Line back and causes trouble in the backfield.
- Always has his arms in the passing lanes.
- He’s a human roadblock on the defensive line, you can’t go through him.
- Creates a lot of opportunities for the players around him.
- Flushes the pocket often.
- Very good forklift.
- Athletic and relatively quick for his size.
- Huge, long arms help in many ways.
- Loves to hit, and loves to hit hard.

Cons:
- Depended on his strength a lot, if it doesn’t translate well to the next level he could be in trouble.
- A little slow off the ball.
- Pass rush moves are average.

Review:
Leonard Williams is a force to be reckoned with, and a consistent one at that. He finished off an impressive season with a fantastic bowl game and that certainly helped his stock even more. Mariota is the top on my big board, but with an unimpressive playoff outing, Williams may take his spot.

Williams is a very strong, athletic and big player with lengthy arms. He has the perfect body size and uses it too his advantage. The athleticism he has for his size allows him to line up anywhere on the defensive line, and that’s certainly going to help how teams look at him on draft day. He’s a consistent problem for the offense and finds himself causing disruption nearly every play in the backfield. He’s a very good rush defender with average pass rushing moves. Williams consistently gets double-teamed and in turn helps create opportunities for his teammates. Perhaps my favorite part of Williams’ game is that he loves to hit, and he loves to hit hard. He plays passionate, and he loves the game.

There’s not much you can knitpick about Williams. The worst I could find, is that his pass rush moves are just average. However, he can likely improve those with the right coaching. Other than that, he’s a little slow off the ball. There’s not much to be concerned about with Williams.

Williams would be best fitted in the NFL as a 4-3 defensive tackle. Depending on how the draft goes, there’s a plethora of teams that would like Williams, and he’ll definitely be a top 5 pick, if not a top 3 pick. Word is that Williams reached out to the Raiders and said he’d like to play there, the Raiders should take advantage of that and swap picks with the Jaguars. If not, as of today (12/31/14), it looks like Williams will be a Jaguar.

Grade: 9.4/10

 

[Clayton]

The way I see it, the top 6 teams all really need offense. Then the next 3 teams need defense. The next 2 teams need offensive line. This means that you're going to need to be a 'Suh' type prospect to crack that top 6. It sounds like most people have Williams as that guy but I think there is a chance that the 5th and 6th best defensive players will end up falling a bit.