Posts tagged 2013 NFL Draft

Mike Gillislee and the Currency of Respect

October 24, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Running Back

Hitting and guts are the currency of respect in the game of football. A football player that can deliver a hit, take a hit, and play with abandon earns respect from teammates, opponents, and fans. When I watch a prospect, these three aspects of football stand out immediately when I see them. Said player may not have the technical or conceptual skills, or physical talent to become an NFL player, but hitting and guts make a great first impression.

Florida running back MIke Gillislee delivered a strong first impression against Texas A&M in the 2012 opener. Although I watched him carry the ball 14 times for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns, the box score only reveals the tip of the iceberg. What the stat line doesn’t show is that Gillislee’s best runs – both statistically and otherwise – came during his final eight carries after he injured his groin in the first offensive series and required an A-C bandage. Continue reading →

Futures: West Virginia WR Tavon Austin

October 20, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

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Evaluating players is a long process. It doesn’t end when an analyst watches a few games of a prospect. I want you to keep this in mind as you read this take or any take that I provide of a player before his college career has ended. My methodology of evaluation is as detailed as any and I often find that the third, fourth, or fifth game I’ve watched of a player only validates what I saw in the first performance. Even so, there are times that my fundamental opinion of a player will change with additional viewings of games.

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall comes to mind. I had initial concerns about his acceleration that eventually diminished after additional viewings of his performances. The more I watched him, the more I liked him. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the more I watched quarterback Matt Leinart the less confident I felt that he had the on-field makeup to become anything more than system player with fringe starter potential.

I share this because West Virginia receiver and return specialist Tavon Austin is one of those players where after my initial studies I have more questions than answers. Several draft analysts list Austin as one of the five best receiver prospects of the 2013 N.F.L. Draft class – including NFL Draft Scout and my buddy Josh Norris over at Rotoworld. I agree that the 5-9, 176-pound slot receiver and kick return specialist from West Virginia is among the most productive performers at his position in college football, but what I have seen of Austin continues to raise one question: Is there a slot receiver in pro football with the kind of marquee game that in hindsight would have deserved a first-day pick in April?

Read the rest at Football Outsiders

Big Bad Utah War Daddy Star Lotulelei

September 22, 2012 0 Comments read Players

6313318837_9c23f6f708_b — Is Star Lotulelei the next impact DT along the lines of Ndamukong Suh? Find out at Football Outsiders. Photo by Jeffery Beall.

War Daddies. Chris Brown introduces this coach’s term of endearment for big, bad defensive tackles that man the middle of a defensive front in his ode to the position at Grantland. Brown, the author of the always excellent Smart Football, explains that when it comes to prioritizing the factors that make a good defensive tackle, size is only a fundamental consideration.

What separates a defensive tackle who earns an invitation to compete for a roster spot from a defensive tackle that has an integral role for an NFL team is fluid athleticism and a good football IQ. It might be important to have (Read the rest at Football Outsiders)

Futures: Georgia LB Alec Ogletree

September 15, 2012 0 Comments read Players

Weights by Lars Hammar — Now here’s a room of equipment my former trainer would have been proud of. I share my Jenny Craig Moment for Guys below to give you context about Georgia ILB Alec Ogletree in my latest Futures at Football Outsiders. Photo by Lars Hammar.

Six years ago, I met an athletic trainer for the University of Georgia football team. I joined a local gym and wanted to begin a weight training program. I was leery of the bells and whistles that “athletic clubs” have in their facilities and even more skeptical of the trainers who seem to be more about sales than fitness. I also wanted a workout that incorporated a lot of body weight exercises and the supervision of an experienced, educated, trainer. The gym management got my drift and recommended one guy.

The only appointment that this trainer had available in his schedule was 5:00 a.m. three times a week. The idea of studying a football game at 5:00 a.m. was one thing, an intense workout seemed like masochism. But as bleary-eyed as I was that first morning, I knew I’d made the right decision when this trainer walked us right past the the sea of Nautilus equipment and other gadgets.

“You see all of this here? This sells gym memberships. We’ll use maybe three of these machines. Let’s do some real work.”

And within two months, I lost 20 pounds and 10 percent body fat with a workout that consisted of free weights, sprints, jump rope, and medicine ball workouts.

I’m sharing this Jenny Craig moment for guys because, as I got to know my trainer, I learned a lot about the Georgia football team. My trainer wasn’t a 23 year-old whose career prior to graduate school was that of a glorified towel boy. Besides working as a professional trainer for a number of years in Major League Baseball, he came from a rich football background. He was a second-string safety at Florida State, and his grandfather was a former head coach and scout in the NFL

Among the several great nuggets of information that he eventually shared with me about Georgia football was the school’s preference to Read the rest at Football Outsiders

Pai Mei, Longtones, and Route Running: Lessons of Kung Fu, Jazz, and Football With Utah WR DeVonte Christopher

September 8, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

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Football and music (and in this case, Kung Fu) continue to have a number of parallels for me. I played saxophone from the age of 8 until I stopped at 23.This is roughly the same career life span of most college football players. Those who continue playing beyond college and perform on the highest stage possess a mastery of fundamentals that require a willingness to enslave oneself to the development process: practice.

Practicing the craft of an instrument is the same as practicing the craft of playing a position. There are concepts of precision, timing, teamwork, and leadership that all musicians and football players have to learn about playing together. There are also things a player from both worlds has to refine on his own. Continue reading →

RB-OL Collisions: Reading the Road with Marcus Lattimore

September 3, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Running Back

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A criticism I read about a few college running backs this week was the tendency for some of them to run up the back of offensive linemen. Sometimes this is a fair criticism of a player. However, it’s also an observation that requires a strong frame of reference about the critic. It’s easy to evaluate a running back, see him run into a lineman’s back, and conclude that he lacks patience, agility, or good decision-making.

However, there are numerous examples of plays where a running back is not at fault for colliding with the backsides of his blockers. Considering the number of Tweets I saw this week where this conclusion was made about a back, I thought it might be helpful to provide examples of when this type of behavior is not the fault of the runner. I’m using South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore and his teammates as an example. Continue reading →

Separating The Dark From The Dark: QB Tyler Wilson, Victim or Perpetrator?

August 12, 2012 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

Prologue: M. Degas Teaches Art & Science At Durfee Intermediate School by Phillip Levine

Phil Taylor by Erik Daniel Drost — Even 2.9 seconds of football can generate an hour of analysis. Photo by Erik Daniel Drost.

I love the phrase “separating the dark from the dark.” It signifies that we never have certainty about anything despite the fact that we often want to manufacture a world filled with absolutes. Life is rarely black and white. Pulitzer Prize winning writer Phillip Levine, a former factory worker who often writes about work-class life in Detroit, draws a great portrait Continue reading →

Texas WR Marquise Goodwin: The Angles of Separation Part II

August 5, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

Austin Collie by AngieSix — Austin Collie would lose a footrace to Marquis Goodwin every time, but at this point I’ll take Collie on a deep route over Goodwin every day. Learn why you would, too. Photo by Angie Six.

For more analysis of skill players like the post below, download the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the 56-page Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 RSP at no additional charge. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. Here’s an update on my pledge.

Texas Longhorns receiver Marquise Goodwin is a world-class long jumper with track star speed. Earlier this week, I broke down a play of Goodwin’s that shows how he had to do a better job of using his body to prevent a defender from gaining access to his hip pocket as the ball arrived. Here is the second of the two posts I promised. This is also from the December bowl game versus Cal and it underscores the importance of body position to maximize his speed. It also illustrates my oft-mentioned point that athleticism might be a game changer in college football, but it’s merely a baseline for the NFL. Continue reading →

Texas WR Marquise Goodwin: The Angles of Separation Part I

July 31, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

Marquise Goodwin Aaron is Not Cool — If Texas receiver Marquise Goodwin learns how to consistently gain and maintain position like he does on this catch, he has a future as a vertical threat in the NFL. Learn more from Sterling Sharpe in the video below. Photo by Aaronisnotcool.

There was a time that Texas receiver Marquise Goodwin thought about red shirting to prepare for the 2012 Olympics as a long jumper. Once he learned that NBC was covering the games, he decided competing for a Longhorns team that might slip below .500 in the Big 12 was more appealing. Truth be told, I haven’t watch the Summer Olympics at all so I can’t really take the smug stance of an arm-chair media critic.

However, I can critique Goodwin’s game. Most long jumpers have world class speed and Goodwin doesn’t disappoint here. However, as highlighted this spring with Stephen Hill’s game – Speed Kills, Now Learn How to Aim! – Goodwin has to refine what he does with his natural separation skills to become a dangerous NFL receiver. Here is the first of two posts Continue reading →

The FBI of Angles: UNC RB Giovani Bernard

July 28, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Running Back

Addai and Manning — Joseph Addai’s career is winding down unceremoniously, but he was a good pick for the Colts due to his pass protection skills. North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard flashes impressive skills in a phase of the game that is vital for NFL running backs. Photo by Brad J. Ward.

I have much affection for the game of former Colts and Canes running back Edgerrin James. He’s one of the few running backs I’ve seen enter the NFL as a good pass protector. It’s a skill that engendered similar love for the games of Joseph Addai and DeMarco Murray when I watched them on passing downs at LSU and Oklahoma.

If Bryce Brown had any experience with pass protection during his one season with the University of Tennessee, the Eagles might have needed to spend a pick somewhere between the third and fifth rounds to nab him. If Brown develops these skills as a rookie, the Eagles might have the best 1-2 punch at running back in the NFL by 2013. If he doesn’t, he may rarely see the field.

That’s how important pass protection is in today’s NFL. Especially in a league where the Colts and Eagles led the offensive trend of single back sets (11 and 10 personnel), which requires the running back to have more Continue reading →