NCAA Scouting NFL Draft Prospect Tracker – Week 3 by Paul Emery September 20th 2012
Alabama have several top prospects, but scouting the defense is going to be tough. Against an Arkansas offense missing QB Tyler Wilson they were hardly on the field as the eased to a 52-0 victory. Hopefully they will be tested down the road to really see what they are made of. But still some interesting games and prospects this week.
Rutgers at South Florida
Only two prospects in this one who came into the year with anything other than late round/free agent grades, I’ll cover them both in detail (Greene and Ryan) but also touch on the lesser rated prospects.
Rutgers
Khaseem Greene OLB Greene is listed at 6’1 230 lbs, but looks a little heavier perhaps he has added some weight. Against the run Greene had primary responsibility for B.J. Daniels in the zone/read game and he was nice and disciplined in this role. He was panned by Jesse Palmer for taking Daniels and thus taking false steps from the RB but it was clear from watching the game Greene was always with the QB, so he was just doing his job. At times he was a little slow to react to runs, perhaps making sure Daniels hadn’t faked so I will check this against a more traditional running team. He struggled to get off blocks and also struggled with cut blocks, he needs to bend a bit better and use his hands to defeat them. Asked to do many things, Greene looked very comfortable in coverage. He was asked to do a little man to man but mainly was in zone. He blitzed some, trying a rip move on one rush but not being strong enough for this to work. He stayed with a play late in the game and was able to get a hit on the QB. He looks to be a solid prospect who can do a lot of things, but he didn’t look quite explosive enough for me to think he’s going to be a super high pick. A solid prospect though.
Logan Ryan* – CB Ryan had a very good battle with sophomore Andre Davis and did a good job for the most part. Often in zone or off man coverage, he was most often side-on, but looked very comfortable moving and was easily able to accelerate to stay with his man down the field on deeper routes. He didn’t panic and start grabbing when the cushion was closed and was able to get his head turned when the ball was thrown his way. The problem with being side-on is that it’s tough to break on shorter routes and that was the case but that’s really a scheme issue. Ryan was asked to press some and did a nice job on a slant route to a TE just doing enough to cause a tip by the receiver right to a safety. Davis did knock him off balance off the line when in Cover-2 and Davis was able to sit in the soft spot of the coverage to make a reception. Overall I came away impressed with Ryan. I particularly liked the smoothness he showed when accelerating with his man down the field. Not sure if he will come out early, but certainly looks a good player.
D.C. Jefferson TE started off the game poorly with two penalties a hands to the face call (debatable) and holding. He recovered to have a good game, including 4 catches for 38 yards. His route running was precise two catches being for first downs when he got a yard beyond the sticks and ran a sharp square in on one and just hooked up on the other. He may not have blazing speed, but could be a decent number two NFL TE. Of note he was wearing a brace on his right knee, so will need to be checked out medically.
Scott Vallone DT had a solid game. Projecting him forward at 6’3 278 lbs is difficult though in many ways he’s a bit like Maryland’s Joe Vallano. Got penetration a number of times against the run and also flashed the ability to stack and shed (although his frame isn’t long enough to think he’s a two gap prospect at the next level). Played NT in 3 man nickel fronts and got some pressure. A good college player, but too light for the next level will have to add 20 lbs and retain his quickness. Might be a practice squad guy.
Steve Beauharnais ILB looks a little taller but thinner than Greene. Gets good depth in his zone drops. Lack of bulk was highlighted on a blitz just got thrown to the ground. Dumb offside penalty.
South Florida
B.J. Daniels QB at times Daniels looks really good he has a big arm and can buy time with his feet. Unfortunately he’s never really got out of making horrible decisions and three 3 interceptions in this one. He only threw 7 picks last year, but now already had 4 so it looks like being a backward step year. Daniels footwork is quite erratic, which doesn’t help his accuracy. He’ll throw off his back foot and sometimes will rush his throw without getting his fight under him. He’s not the tallest in the world, but can get away with that because he can move the pocket. But unless he can stop himself forcing passes into double coverage he’ll have trouble making an NFL roster although his arm should see him get a shot.v Demetris Murray RB only 27 yards on 9 carries. Tended to fall back on contact, so not a powerful runner. Did a solid job in pass protection, but did drop a screen although behind him he tipped it right to a defender for an interception.
Cory Grissom DT huge man 6’2 321 lbs, but might be more 6’0 350 lbs has massive thighs and a big backside. Got some penetration particularly seemed to come alive in the fourth quarter. Balance was an issue spent too much time on the ground. Pass rush was mainly a bull rush, got a little push but generally ineffective. Surprisingly didn’t always hold up well at the point of attack didn’t do enough up against a banged up center for Rutgers. Old school two down run stuffer but needs to learn to anchor.
Sam Barrington ILB a similar build to Beauharnais, but perhaps slightly more impressive. Flashed some initial pop taking on blockers. Lined up over the slot WR at times active in pursuit and looked comfortable in coverage. Showed he can and edge, might be the pick of the USF prospects.
Washington State at UNLV
Washington State
Marquess Wilson* – WR this was Wilson’s first 100+ yard game of the season, but he left more yardage on the field with two drops. He caught the opening TD of the game, but was wide open on a crossing route, so had an easy catch. His second TD was more impressive, an 81 yarder. He was able to show good speed to get behind the CB and although he appeared to fight the ball a little when he caught it, he hung on and pulled away into the end zone. He may have had two other scores but dropped both. On a skinny post he pulled away from the CB but just flat out dropped it. Later in the game he got behind the CB in the corner of the end zone, but let the ball get into him too much and again the ball fell to the Sam Boyd Stadium turf. On a curl-in route just before I noted he let the ball right into his body and it does seem he doesn’t trust his hands completely. They don’t look super soft and that’s a concern for someone being talked of as a first round talent. His routes don’t always seem sharp a couple of times he was thrown to but had very little separation. He’s not super explosive off the line, but does have a burst down the field. It could be the new offense isn’t quite for him, but I wanted more from him and so this year on two watches I haven’t seen it.
Travis Long DE/OLB Long had two sacks but overall I’m thinking a third day pick as he lacks that little bit of explosion. A few times Long was matched up against a RB in pass protection and twice was able to hurdle cut block attempts which netted him his first sack and a QB hit. Unfortunately on the hit he was called for a helmet to helmet personal foul. His second sack was against a tackle an inside rush saw him just too powerful. He lacks a top burst off the edge and is also often too high and therefore easily neutralised. To his credit his motor is high and he chases everything away from him. On one such running play that lack of explosion was again on show he just couldn’t close to the RB who was able to beat him to the edge. He shows enough to warrant a Draft pick, but I would imagine it won’t be until the late fourth/early fifth before he starts drawing serious interest.
UNLV
No top pro prospects. Guard Doug Zismann is the top rated, but although he gave everything he didn’t look that athletic and bent his waist heavily into contact too many times, so will have a tough job even getting a camp look.
California at Ohio State
California
Zach Maynard QB statistically Maynard didn’t have a bad day 26/37 for 280 yards with a TD and a pick. For someone with such a slight build and skinny arms, he’s got a very good arm. Consistency and accuracy have been the down sides for him, although he did improve as last year went on. His interception was a throw off the back foot under pressure, trying to make a play as they attempted to level up the scores. He made a couple of other bad decisions, but wasn’t punished for them. He’s a little like Matt Moore coming out of Oregon State needs to add bulk and can make a roster. He certainly has the arm talent for the next level, but needs to clean up his footwork and decision making.
Isi Sofele RB overshadowed by big play Brendan Bigelow on the day, but had more work 21 carries for 86 yards. Showed a nice spin move and the speed to get outside. Did tend to most most runs outside, but had his best run in between the tackles where he broke a tackle at the line, span and gained 26. At 5’8 185 lbs he struggled in pass protection, but looks to have enough talent to warrant a day three look.
Keenan Allen* – WR it didn’t feel like Allen had a huge game, but he still had 9 catches. The lack of any big plays probably made it feel like that as he was held to 80 yards (8.9 yards a catch). He only showed any explosion after the catch on a 15 yard run after the catch he had sat down in the zone for a short reception and turned up field quickly for a good gain. On the down side he sat down in the zone again on a 4th and 6 but ran his route a yard short of the first down and thus Cal turned it over on downs, rightly earning him a Chris Spielman rant. It was tough to see with the camera being panned right back, but it did appear he body caught a few too many of his passes, although he did make a nice high catch to show his soft hands. Not a great game for him and certainly not up to the level of Robert Woods last week.
Matt Summers-Gavin OT out with an MCL injury.
Brian Schwenke C had his hands full on the odd occasion Hankins was lined up inside he got the short straw a few times 1 on 1 and struggled. His snaps were a problem as well, with several of them being low. Looks like he needs to get stronger he was jolted upright with the initial contact several times in pass protection. Looks to be a free agent type at best.
Aaron Tipoti DT played as a 3 technique in the nickel (two down lineman) and DE in the base 3-4, which Cal used a little more in the second half. He battled away, trying to use his hands but struggled to get off blocks. He’s only 6’2, so despite some two gap experience doesn’t project for this role at the next level. He had one QB pressure with a nice swim move, but otherwise was held in check and like Schwenke looks to be a free agent type.
Marc Anthony CB Anthony has good size at 6’0 200 lbs. He looks a bit slow out of breaks and gave up a couple of passes in front of him and the Buckeyes missed other chances with two drops. Unfortunately Anthony got sucked up in zone coverage by an underneath route and released Devin Smith the safety did the same and the 72 yarder was the deciding score… He did show he can turn and run down the field, will support well against the run but doesn’t look like a high pick because of the slowness out of his break.
Ohio State
Jordan Hall RB Hall looked a bit unsure of the inside zone read game perhaps he needs to get used more to the new system. However, outside on option pitches he looked much better and was able to use his speed to turn the corner a number of times and finished with 87 yards on 17 carries. A little bigger than Sofele at 5’9 195 lbs, he also showed a nice spin move and could well be in the same area as the Cal man probably on day three.
Zach Boren FB the new Urban Meyer offense means that Boren isn’t on the field as much as last year, so we are denied some big time collisions in the hole. Boren was used some as a HB, where he led some runs coming across the formation, going a nice job of engaging defenders at the second level. The position is becoming devalued at the next level as much as in college ball, so there will be little value in taking him super high, but he can make a roster for a team looking to run the ball the old fashioned way.
Jake Stoneburner TE Stoneburner had some off the field issues in the summer and appears to be in the new coaching staff’s dog house. They’ve openly said they want more from him and got it to a degree as he had two TD catches and one other reception. His non TD reception was an easy one he was wide open down the middle of the field and made an uncontested catch. His first TD at 6’5 245 he sneaked out undetected into the flat as if he were 5’5 and 145 lbs and made an easy grab. The second TD catch was very nice he chipped the DE, making it look like he was blocking and then ran his route and again was wide open. His blocking was mixed he lined up in the slot a fair amount and should have done better against small DB’s a couple of times. I’m not sure he’s that fast and if the coaching staff aren’t high on him that will reflect in their discussions with scouts, so it could be he falls a little further on day three than one might expect a name that most people recognise.
Reid Fragel OT considering Fragel has only just moved inside to tackle from tight end he looked good and could be an interesting developmental pick with upside. He has the right idea with his hands in pass protection keeping them nice and high thus getting in his initial punch before his man can do the same to him. He was up against an outside linebacker in pass protection for much of the game and showed he can mirror. He will need to get a little stronger, he’s up from 280 lbs as a TE but that will come with more time. Did have a couple of penalties a false start and a block in the back turning his man up the field on a running play hopefully he will cut those out as he gets more comfortable and doesn’t have to think too much.
John Simon DE the big question with Simon is his height, or lack thereof. Listed at 6’2 he lacks the wingspan of the prototypical 4-3 end and lacks the bulk (270 lbs) to hold up in a one gap 3-4. His motor is most certainly not in question it’s set to high and he comes off the ball hard. Blocking him can’t be fun he has good initial pop and sneaky speed. He’s low to the ground anyway and adds to that advantage with the ability to dip his inside shoulder when rushing the passer. He presents a very small target and a big tackle must get really low to deal with him. He has some different moves when rushing the passer a dip and rip, a spin, a bull rush, a shake and bake (looks like a RB in the hole) and an inside move. He was off balance a few times and that would be my main concern from the game. Quite what the NFL will make of him in terms of Draft stock I don’t know he will probably end up going later than his play deserves, but he’ll make a team and demand playing time early in his career which should be at least worth a day two pick.
Johnathan Hankins* – DT as regular readers will know, I really enjoy listening to Chris Spielman far more so than his fellow alum Kirk Herbstreit who gets top billing for ESPN/ABC. Watching Hankins I was wondering why on earth you’d put a 335 man over the tackles outside shoulder. He’s athletic for a big man, but not as much as Dontari Poe last year and I think the Buckeyes coaching staff need to have a think about how they are using him. Hankins lined up over the center a few times sometimes over his nose and others in the 1 technique slot. He was also employed as a three technique in a three man front, with Nathan Williams standing up next to him where a DE would be. This looks a little like making him fit the system, rather than employing a system to fit your best player and it’s flat out bad coaching. Particularly when inside Hankins was a beast. I looked at Utah’s Star Lotulelei last week and Hankins impressed me far more. One on one he couldn’t be stopped he stacked his man, shed them and got in on several tackles. He also showed he can rush the passer blowing past the left guard to get a sack and having a couple of other pressures. He played lower than Lotulelei and although employed bemusedly (a wide 9 one one play!!) at times, he looks like a top 10 pick.
Nathan Williams OLB had a decent game on his return from a knee injury. He was sidelined most of 2011 and missed last week with a bruised knee. Still wearing a fairly bulky knee brace, his medical will be a big part of his Draft stock. Used as a rush linebacker and made a nuisance of himself. Seems to be quite comfortable in the role and hopefully can stay injury free for the remainder of the season.
Alabama at Arkansas
AlabamaEddie Lacy* – RB Lacy would have got himself more than 12 carries had the game been close, but as it was he didn’t see much action in the second half and all starters were out of the game in the fourth quarter, what a shame for a game billed as being one of the best of the season. He ran for 55 yards and 3 TD’s, showing some Trent Richardson like power between the tackles. Lacy runs low to the ground and not only falls forward on contact, he can carry tacklers for extra yardage. Quite whether he’s going to put a body of work together that will dictate he comes out as a junior I don’t know but he’s a tough runner who can be a solid NFL player quite whether he has that extra gear we’ll see as the season moves forward.
Michael Williams TE Williams chipped in with two receptions, but once again was very good at the point of attack with his blocking. He does get a little lazy on runs away from him and tends to just get in the way but on plays to the strong side he can set an edge very well. I’m not sure how fast he will run at the Combine, he doesn’t look to have blazing speed but is quite a smooth athlete so he might be a bit deceptive. He certainly looks to have really natural soft hands and I like him as a mid round prospect.
D.J. Fluker* – OT whether Fluker will come out early, I don’t know. He’s a big man and is very powerful, but is limited against speed in pass protection and doesn’t have a huge ceiling. Perhaps if he came back for a senior year he could lose a little weight and do better against speed. He wasn’t overly tested in this one, but was beaten inside once when he just stopped his feet and lunged at his man. The weight has to be a major concern moving forward after all if Nick Saban can’t motivate him to get in the 320 lbs range, then what chance does anyone else have?
Chance Warmack OG Warmack is another big man, listed at 320 lbs. For such a big man he moves very well when he’s pulling and like a bolder rolling downhill, anyone in the way just gets rolled over! He gets nice and square on interior runs and does a really nice job of getting underneath his man and clearing them out to make some big holes. He’s a little upright at times in pass protection but he’s so powerful he gets away with it at the college level. It’s a crowded guard field this year, he has some top competition so we’ll see how he plays moving forward.
Barrett Jones C Jones hadn’t played Center before, but is already looking comfortable at the position. He seemed a little more balanced getting to the second level than even week one, so he’s really picked things up quickly. He’s good against the bigger bodies inside driving his legs on contact and moved people down the line nicely. He’s very athletic, getting to the second level quickly and engulfed Alonzo Highsmith on one play, a draftable level talent. He sits in his stance better than Warmack in pass protection although when he doesn’t have someone right over his nose his hands get a little at times. But overall this versatile prospect should be a high pick.
Jesse Williams DT Williams is a fairly solid 320 lbs. He has somewhat of a soft middle, but certainly not to the extent of Terrence Cody. Williams has huge arms but might be slightly top heavy as he looks a bit thinner in the legs. He’s extremely tough to move, a couple of times he lost his technique and turned his back on his man, once getting buried on a double team but one man is not going to budge him an inch. Now, the issue projecting him to the next level is just how high are you going to draft this type of prospect? Teams are in the nickel a great deal these days and he’s not a great pass rusher. A classic two gap nose tackle who will continue to improve as he receives top level coaching (Australian native junior college transfer, so only his second year with Alabama).
C.J. Mosley* – ILB Mosley wasn’t listed in the CBS starting lineups (and thank you CBS for still showing them ESPN rarely bother). But he still saw plenty of action. He’s very athletic on one play action fake he took a step forward, but recovered very quickly to get good depth on his zone drop. He made a couple of plays against the run, but was relatively quiet. It seems to me though he’ll have more value on Draft day than run stuffer Nico Johnson but it could be Mosley will be better served by getting a little bigger and stronger, thus becoming a three down linebacker.
Nico Johnson ILB didn’t see much of him, so even harder to judge him than others. Made a nice play beating the tackles block with quickness, but harder to judge than against Michigan.
Dee Milliner* – CB wasn’t tested as much as he was against Michigan. He almost had an interception, but after review it was ruled it just touched the ground. That was a shame as he had a nice return on the play. He had a pass break up not being fooled on a double pass play and getting a big hit on Ronnie Wingo which dislodged the ball. Other than that just one Cobi Hamilton out route in front, but that was 5 yards short of the first down on third down and he made the tackle immediately. So, not much more learned than from the Michigan game.
Robert Lester FS Lester is the hardest Crimson Tide defender to TV scout as he’s in deep centre field and his first movement at the snap is back. He knows he must be deeper than the deepest offensive player, but really wasn’t tested in this one. He had a sack – sneaking up on a blitz and a couple of other tackles, but really one needs to be there in person or see coaches film to evaluate him. Hopefully someone will test him out at some point perhaps LSU with a strong armed QB this year.
Arkansas
Tyler Wilson QB out injured 52-0 says that he’s a pretty good player a bit like the Colts last year without Peyton Manning.
Knile Davis* – RB missed the 2011 season with an injury and looks to still be rounding into shape. Had one really nice run, but spoiled it by fumbling. Also had another fumble after a catch he was holding the ball too far away from his body and will need to correct that. But only 59 yards on 20 carries partly due to his offensive line really struggling.
Cobi Hamilton WR with three receivers graduating last year and all being drafted, Hamilton was the top returning WR and hopes were high for a breakout year. He suffered more than most because of Wilson’s injury as combined the two Arkansas QB’s went 11 for 25 on the day. Hamilton only had two catches but he did have the chance for another catch, but the ball went right through his hands and was intercepted. He needs Wilson to get back healthy and will then need to put up big numbers to move up boards.
Chris Gragg TE similarly to Hamilton, Gragg suffered and only had three catches. He had seven catches against both Jacksonville State (a game I watched to see Washaun Early who got hurt and only had 4 carries!) and Louisiana-Monroe (who I will look at on Friday night against Baylor). He found a nice soft spot in the zone but was missed, so should have had at least one more catch. With Wilson under center I think this guys stock can really rise he does have talent, but he struggled to be able to show it.
Alonzo Highsmith OLB later round rated prospect and didn’t show anything to put that into question unfortunately. Really struggled to get off blocks tended to only make plays because of his quickness and even that was neutralised particularly by Jones. Shorter than ideal at 6’1, will have to make a roster based on special teams play.
Dylan Breeding P surprisingly Breeding only had 5 punts but then Arkansas turned the ball over saving his leg. When the long snaps weren’t over his head he did OK. He gets good height on his kicks as evidenced by his coverage having the time to get down and cover quickly. Had one punt downed at the five, which was probably the moment of the game for the Razorbacks yes, it was that bad…
Notre Dame at Michigan State
Notre Dame
Cierre Wood* – RB 10 carries for 56 yards on his first game of the season after serving a two game suspension. Seemed to get his legs under him and get going more in the second half, with a couple of really nice runs. Looked like he has more than enough speed to turn the corner and showed good vision cutting back for a 26 yard gain. He should see more carries as the season progresses.
Tyler Eifert* – TE left the Purdue game last week with a concussion, but played. Tended to be used as a HB or move TE or at times split out wide. Gave CB Johnny Adams major problems and drew a pass interference call. He was only thrown to on one other occasion and dropped a tough low chance. As a blocker he didn’t impress me particularly. He was off balance far too much and spent too much time on the ground. He has decent size at 6’5 249 lbs and I’d love to see him use it even against defensive backs he was going for cut blocks.
Braxston Cave C Cave carries a mid round pre-season grade and in terms of athletic ability he’s probably not worthy of that rating. A number of times attempting to get to the second level he couldn’t get to his man and ended up blocking no one. He’s better in short areas, at times it’s not pretty in terms of technique but he gives top effort and tends to get the job done. He’s particularly good at getting under defenders and using their momentum to turn them to the ground. He then takes great joy in finishing the block, driving them into the turf. In pass protection he lunged and got himself off balance some again, his technique is not picture perfect but he did a nice job. I dont’ think he carries a great deal of athletic upside, but a scrappy type who could end up starting in the league.
Kapron Lewis-Moore DT/DE plays end when they use a 3-4 DT when they have a 4 man front. Often not on the field in obvious passing situations. Had a wrap around his lower right leg was hurt last week against Purdue, so perhaps was not 100%. Had one nice hit on the QB swimming over Chris McDonald. Otherwise was kept quiet. Showed good initial pop, but couldn’t seem to follow it up. Had the right tackle in trouble, but allowed him to re-anchor and he ended up being neutralised. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt health wise and have another look later in the year.
Manti Te’o ILB the most impressive thing for Te’o was actually playing in this game the fact he played well was even more so. Having lost both his grandmother and girlfriend earlier in the week, he produced a disciplined display and handled a post game interview with Heather Cox extremely well. He had one TFL on the day where he flew up to make a secure tackle but many of his 12 tackles were after short receptions. He was responsible for Bell or Sims and didn’t give either any yardage after the catch. Playing catchup Michigan State didn’t run the ball as much as they usually do, but against the run he did a nice job getting off blocks showing he can take them on with good power, but also displaying quickness to beat them. Outside of the tackles he looks to be rangier than Dont’a Hightower from last year and thus should be taken earlier in the Draft.
Michigan State
Le’Veon Bell* – RB I was slightly cautious with my review of Bell after Boise State I was impressed but did wonder about his speed. He ran the ball fairly well in this one, but only average 4.1 yards a run. He flashed acceleration outside the tackle one time, but he does lack that little bit of magic and creativity and against a physical defense he struggled at times. Once again he produced a highlight hurdle play this time over Zeke Motta if a defender reads one of those though I have a feeling it might hurt!! The Spartans tried to get him the ball in the passing game, but he struggled to get yardage after his 4 catches mainly courtesy of Te’o. So, even though this wasn’t as good as his season opening performance, I still think he’s a second tier back and if he runs a slow 40 time he might even slip lower depending on who else comes out.
Dion Sims* – TE 6 catches for 52 yards. Showed nice soft hands catches everything away from his body. Only got any yardage after the catch once, with no one close to him otherwise struggled to get going. Caught a number of little routes where he was the check down. His blocking wasn’t great he struggled to set the edge on more than one occasion, but did turn Lewis-Moore to the ground on one run. His lack of straight line speed may mean he’s regarded more as a third day type he’s a junior, so perhaps coming out might not be the best plan unless he has graduated and ready to move on, or his family is in need financially.
Fou Fonoti – OT out with a broken foot.
Chris McDonald OG as mentioned above, was beaten by Lewis-Moore on a pass the Notre Dame man using a swim move to win. He’s not a mauler but gets square in the run game more of a position wall off type blocker. Looks like he needs to get stronger struggled with an inside move by a DE. Gets too upright in pass protection looks like a late round/free agent type to me after two watches.
William Gholston* – DE didn’t have any huge plays, but quietly had a solid game. His length (6’6) might well appeal to 3-4 teams in a J.J. Watt kind of way certainly Watt’s success will see copy cat teams looking for their own version. He works hard he’ll chases plays away from him but got carried away, giving up backside contain once and nearly again later in the game, but just managed a shoe string tackle. Read a draw very nicely didn’t get sucked up the field and got in on the tackle. Often doubled with his pass rush showed some good initial pop, but didn’t follow it up odd, as he’s showed the explosion previously. Will always need to work to play low, but showed he can do it a little added strength I think will help him finish plays off. Certainly has upside.
Anthony Rashad White DT a very quiet game. Maybe without Jerel Worthy next to him he’s struggling but certainly he struggled to hold up against the double team and even got driven way back off the line by single blockers. Big space eater might warrant a late round flyer by a two gap team, but not looking as good as last year.
Johnny Adams CB didn’t have the best game. Wasn’t picked on that much as the Irish threw a lot of shorter passes but struggled on two plays down the field. Was beaten for a TD in the first quarter by John Goodman. He was in solid position early in the play, but was slow to react to a double move a corner route and struggled to recover. As he was peeling back he did manage to close, but he hooked Goodman’s arm and drew a pass interference call, which didn’t prevent the catch and score. The other negative play was a pass interference call against Tyler Eifert. Clearly a bigger man being a TE but he got un-necessarily grabby again and hooked Eifert’s arm. There were a couple of Cover-2 CB’s last year who ended up in the third day and while Adams showed he can break on the ball, he’s used to having a safety over the top and seems to panic on deeper routes. He’s also only 175 lbs and that will be a negative to some Cover-2 teams who like their CB’s to press.
Dan Conroy PK made a nice 50 yarder, which had plenty of leg but pushed a 44 yarder wide right. Doesn’t kick-off, so only saw him for those two plays.
Alabama have several top prospects, but scouting the defense is going to be tough. Against an Arkansas offense missing QB Tyler Wilson they were hardly on the field as the eased to a 52-0 victory. Hopefully they will be tested down the road to really see what they are made of. But still some interesting games and prospects this week.
Le’Veon Bell* – RB I was slightly cautious with my review of Bell after Boise State I was impressed but did wonder about his speed. He ran the ball fairly well in this one, but only average 4.1 yards a run. He flashed acceleration outside the tackle one time, but he does lack that little bit of magic and creativity and against a physical defense he struggled at times. Once again he produced a highlight hurdle play this time over Zeke Motta if a defender reads one of those though I have a feeling it might hurt!! The Spartans tried to get him the ball in the passing game, but he struggled to get yardage after his 4 catches mainly courtesy of Te’o. So, even though this wasn’t as good as his season opening performance, I still think he’s a second tier back and if he runs a slow 40 time he might even slip lower depending on who else comes out.
