Posts tagged 2012 NFL Draft

The Best of the RSP Blog (Draft Reads) for 2011-2012

0 Comments read Matt Waldman

Sometime in May I plan to reorganize the site by draft year. Until then, this post contains a list of NFL Draft-worthy reads from this blog during the past 10-11 months I’ve been posting here. Before we get into that list, I want to take a moment to discuss one of the common questions I used to get over the years about my annual Rookie Scouting Portfolio: “What do I get from the RSP?”

One of the things that I haven’t mentioned in that list of things RSP readers get is what you’re reading right now: This blog. I created this blog for a number of reasons but more than anything, it is to give you an idea of the study and analysis that goes into the publication. I love Continue reading →

New York Times Fifth Down Series: No. 2 RB Doug Martin

0 Comments read Players, Running Back

[youtube=http://youtu.be/xSc_Fru5lQs]

2.    Doug Martin, Boise State (5-9, 223)

Martin reminds me of Ray Rice in the respect that he’s not abundantly fast once he reaches the second or third level, but his initial burst is top notch. He consistently defeats the angles of defenders as he enters and exits a hole because they misjudge his quickness, which is excellent for a back of his dimensions. Combined with the fact that he’s a strong, downhill runner who isn’t afraid to create a hole by ramming up the backsides of his linemen, he seems to be the product of a mad football scientist who spliced Rice with Frank Gore’s build.

Martin does three things that a lot of N.F.L.-caliber runners can do:[Click here to read more]

Download the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio for analysis of over 151 prospects at QB, RB, WR, and TE.

Futures: My New Football Outsiders Column

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views
Russell Wilson is short by NFL QB standards but matched with the right offense, there is a place for him in the league. Photo by Seth Youngblood.

This week’s column on Russell Wilson is titled, “Studying the Asterisk.” I studied three games of Wilson’s junior season at N.C. State – FSU, UNC, and Va. Tech – and I think there’s ample evidence that demonstrates why Wilson is an underrated commodity in this draft. I also provide some footage and analysis of Drew Brees to illustrate how Wilson could be used in an NFL offense to help a team win games.

Enjoy!

If you like the analysis you read at Football Outsiders, download the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio for analysis of over 151 prospects at QB, RB, WR, and TE.

New York Times Fifth Down Series: No.3 RB Lamar Miller

0 Comments read Players, Running Back

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3.     Lamar Miller, running back, Miami (5-10, 212)

Lamar Miller is a potential Pro Bowl back. He’s at the sweet spot in terms of height, weight, speed and acceleration. He runs with patience and balance, and he protects the ball. He understands how to stay close to his blocks until an opening develops, and like Clinton Portis and Edgerrin James before him, he knows how to shorten his steps in traffic until he finds a cutback lane or alternate crease when the primary hole does not open.

He runs with good balance and power between the tackles. He can run through contact, and he has good enough footwork to prevent defenders from getting angles on him. He bends runs with good speed, and he has shown some skill to [Click here for the rest]

Download the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio for analysis of over 151 prospects at QB, RB, WR, and TE.

No. 4 RB David Wilson

0 Comments read Players, Running Back
David Wilson is my No.4 RB in the 2012 RSP. Here’s an excerpt of my ranking thoughts on Wilson in the New York Times Fifth Down Blog.

4. David Wilson, running back, Virginia Tech (5-9, 206)

Physically, Wilson might have as much upside as any back in this draft, and from this perspective, he might be the best back to come out of Virginia Tech. Ryan Williams was a conceptually smarter runner with great effort and a strong array of skills, but purely from an athletic perspective Wilson is to Williams what Trent Richardson is to Mark Ingram.

Wilson’s quickness, speed, balance and stop-start agility are among the best in the country, and it makes him a special athlete/runner in the open field. Get him in space and he’s a nightmare to bring down. When he’s disciplined about what he’s doing conceptually, he has the pad level, acceleration and technique to be productive as a between-the-tackles, chain-moving runner.

Wilson is a “strong” 205 pounds, and I think he can probably [Click here for more]

Also see my David Wilson Series:

Download the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio for analysis of over 151 prospects at QB, RB, WR, and TE.

Cal WR Keenan Allen: Creating Separation With His Hands

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
Keenan Allen might have DeSean Jackson’s fancy footwork in a 6’3, 205 lbs. frame, but he also flashes some quality hands in more ways than one. Photo by John Martinez Pavliga.

I’ll still be writing about 2012 NFL Draft prospects in the coming months, but with the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio in the books – and available for download – I’m also beginning my work for next year’s draft. See below.

If you’ve been reading my blog for at least a couple of months then you know I have an appreciation for former Cal wide receiver Marvin Jones. As much as I enjoy his technical skill at the position, Jones’ contributions were sometimes overshadowed by the terrific athleticism of his teammate Keenan Allen. The rising junior is 6’3″, 205 lbs. of quick-twitch, X-box-inspired moves once the ball is in his hands. Continue reading →

Reads Listens Views 3/30/12

0 Comments read Uncategorized

Perhaps the craziest stride on a top college RB ever.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/5mOFEwbOjGo]

Keith Byars might have run like one of the Flintstones, but he had a heck of a career as a Joker for the Eagles and Patriots.

We’re counting down to the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio, which will be available for download on April 1. I’d count on it happening sometime after 7 pm EST. You can pre-order here or download past issues now.

I just finished my initial phase of running back analysis. What’s left is ranking and writing the chapter. All of the notes and reports are ready to place into the chapter. Once that’s done, it’s just a matter of putting together the book.

Here’s a final list of players who will be  in the publication (sorted by alpha). Continue reading →

UT-Chattanooga QB B.J. Coleman: Decision-Making is Also Fundamental

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
B.J. Coleman copied Peyton Manning’s drops and play fakes to a “T.” Here’s a look at both guts and in flawed decision-making by the young prospect with late-round value. Photo by chattanoogaalumni.

For a more in-depth breakdown, see my analysis of Coleman at FootballOutsiders.com

A few weeks ago, I profiled East Carolina receiver Lance Lewis and demonstrated how his fade routes often appear identical to Patriots receiver Brandon Lloyd. In that post, I mentioned that University of Tennessee-Chattanooga QB B.J. Coleman’s drop, play fake, and release of the football is no different than Peyton Manning. Coleman voraciously studied Peyton Manning’s game as a redshirt freshman at Tennessee before transferring to Chattanooga and it has paid huge dividends with his fundamentals.

I had a chance to watch Coleman again this weekend with my Footballguys.com pals Cecil Lammey, Sigmund Bloom, and David Dodds (Jene Bramel would pop in, see one bad throw, and then mock us before returning to the NCAA tourney). I’m not going to detail how Coleman looks like Manning here. It’s pretty obvious once you see it. So, here’s highlights of the Shrine Game:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/__GQYD1aRi8]

You have to admire a young player like Coleman to copy the best fundamental physical skills of a great like Manning. I bet coaches and GMs wish more Continue reading →

Arkansas WR Greg Childs: Career Resurrection?

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
Ryan Williams is working his way back from a Career Near-Death Experience. See what WR Greg Childs was like before his.

The Career Near-Death Experience. This is one of my favorite Bloomisms of football writing. A Bloomism is what I call the slang that Footballguys and Bleacher Report Draft Analyst Sigmund Bloom (who is also a medalist in some Writer-Olympiad) creates to encompass various football experiences, states of mind, or rights of passage in the sport.

The Career Near-Death Experience is an event where a player faces his career mortality. All players face it at some point. Those that don’t cross to the other side discover a new and better way to approach the game. Former wide receiver Cris Carter had a career near-death experience as drug addict when playing with the Philadelphia Eagles and Coach Buddy Ryan helped save the receiver with a southern fried reprise of the ghost of Christmas Future.

The career near-death experience can also manifest Continue reading →