Posts tagged NFL draft

2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio Publication Update

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Getting to the end zone on a long drive towards finishing the 2012 RSP. Details below. Photo by Joint Base Lewis McChord

I’ll keep this short and sweet: I’m on schedule for the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication to be ready for download the evening/night of Sunday, April 1. If you’ve pre-ordered the publication, I’ll write a blog post and use Twitter and Facebook to notify when it’s ready to download.

Remember, all RSP purchases in 2012 will have 10 percent of its monies donated to the non-profit organization Darkness to Light.

For those of you that have pre-ordered, thank you for not only doing so but suggesting it in the first place. It’s humbling to have this kind of early response for the RSP and I have to tell you that while I have added new analysis to the publication this year, this is the first time in the history of the RSP that I’m actually looking forward to starting the book for 2013 before the 2012 NFL Draft.

You’re a big reason why.

If it goes as planned – and I believe it will – I  think the 2013 RSP will be a significant improvement from the past seven issues combined.

I’ll leave you with some Jarrett Boykin analysis…from a really young draftnik. Awesome early start for this kid.

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

Mel Kiper better look out.

Joining Football Outsiders

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I'm not sure what German Shepherd this guy is training (check out the pants), but I'm suiting up for the Football Outsiders' team to write a pro prospect analysis column on Saturdays. Photo from Claremont Colleges Digital Library.

I’m pleased to announce that I will be joining Football Outsiders to pen analysis on pro prospects.  My weekly column will be published on Saturdays beginning this fall until the NFL Draft. I will provide player/game analysis of high-performing college players, including non-skill positions on both sides of the ball.

I’m excited become a part of another great team of writers on the Internet, but nothing else is changing. You can still find me writing fantasy football-related content at Footballguys.com and maintaining this blog. Football Outsiders is an additional opportunity to write about what I study.

I want to thank all of you who read and recommend my work on a regular basis. You’re a great audience and I appreciate the opportunities you have helped to provide. I’m still thinking of a name for the column so if you have suggestions, I’m all ears.

Juron Criner: “Trust Me”

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Arizona WR Juron Criner is a “Trust Me” player. See below (trust me).

Whether it was in a stadium, the park, the street, or your friend’s back yard, I know you’ve been in a situation where you knew you could take the man assigned to you. All you had to do was convince your quarterback. The fewer the words, the better.

“Trust me.”

Continue reading →

Looking for Mr. Dunn: LaMichael James

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If there’s an alternate universe, I’m a running back in it. There isn’t a week that goes by that I walk along the field that held the first football game at the University of Georgia and daydream of ripping off a run like Garrison Hearst’s 96-yard touchdown versus the Jets. I just don’t act it out (although the urge is there). It’s probably why most of my analysis this month has been quarterbacks, receivers, and tight ends. I want to save the best stuff for last – the way your son or daughter might save a favorite dessert.

One of the running backs of the past 20 years whose game I had grown to admire was Warrick Dunn. He was listed at 5’8″, 187 pounds, but I bet 5’6″, 178 is closer to the truth. Even if his listed weight is correct, I like the tall tale version more – it befits a back of his size who carried the load for Alex Gibbs’ zone blocking scheme for the Falcons.

I love what LaMichael James brings to the table, but it isn't in Hungry Man portions - if you know what I mean. Photo by Neon Tommy.

Since Dunn, Continue reading →

Pre-Order the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio

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Ahmad Bradshaw was an RSP fave and 2012 has a lot of players capable of out-playing their draft position. Pre-order the 2012 RSP for the low-down. Photo by Ted Kerwin.

If you haven’t heard, the 2012 RSP is now available for pre-order. Now in its seventh year, I publish the Rookie Scouting Portfolio every April 1. I  have evaluated 161 players at the offensive skill positions thus far. The publication essentially has three parts:

1. Rankings, analysis, and player comparisons: This is generally 120-130 pages of material, much like a draft magazine, but focused solely on QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs.

2. Appendix of my game-study notebooks: All my raw notes from my database and I also supply a complete grading checklist for each player and game I study. This also includes my scoring process. And last but not least, I also provide play by play notes on each player that is often pages of analysis for each prospect. This blog analysis of players you’ve seen this month draws from these notes.

3. Defined criteria for my scoring methods: How I define a technique and the value I give it.

You can also order back issues of the RSP (2006-2011) from this same link. This year, I’m donating 10 percent of all 2012 sales to Darkness to Light. Its mission:

Our programs raise awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse by educating adults about the steps they can take to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse.

You can learn more about this excellent organization and its noble aim through the link above. In the spirit of transparency, I will provide an annual update and documentation of the monies donated to Darkness to Light on this blog.

Once again, you can pre-order the 2012 RSP or immediately purchase and download past RSPs through this link.

 

 

QB Kirk Cousins: Footwork and Pocket Management

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Spartan's QB Kirk Cousins has to refine his footwork and feel for the pocket or his arm will fail him. Photo by Matt Radick.

[Author’s Note: I tag this post and others like it as “scouting reports,” because readers seeking this type of information search the Internet with this terminology. This post and others like it are not scouting reports. It’s a few plays used as talking points to discuss technique. For a complete assessment of a player for my annual RSP publication, I examine multiple games and every snap.]

Bill Walsh was a big proponent of studying a quarterback’s footwork and building on a prospect’s coordination to develop an accurate and efficient passer. Good footwork helps a passer generate good timing, accuracy, and velocity. There are some quarterbacks with great arm talent that have thrived despite poor footwork.

Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins will not be one of them. I have colleagues with NFL scouting experience that think highly of Cousins’ pro prospects. He has a quick release, experience in a pro-style offense, and he can make some difficult throws down field into coverage with accuracy. According to the Twitterverse, Cousins also looks and talks the part of an NFL quarterback.

But the feet tell the immediate story. And presently, Continue reading →

RGIII: Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick . . .

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Even a great prospect like Robert Griffin III will experience growing pains in the NFL. Some of that might come from playing too fast. Photo by Mike Davis.

Explosive (– noun): a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. Examples include TNT, C-4, and RGIII.

Not that I’m an expert at explosives, but it only takes a childhood of movies to know that the difference between them working for you or against you is timing. There’s a reason why quarterbacks are known as trigger men. They hold the detonator in the passing game. The quarterback’s internal clock is often the difference between an explosive offensive play and an explosive defensive play.

Another integral factor is how a quarterback cares for that explosive material. There’s a line as thin as a fuse when it comes to managing pressure in the pocket, but the differences are dramatic: Quick-thinking and harried. Aggressive and reckless. Tough and masochistic.

Robert Griffin III is fast in mind and body. His speed makes him capable of feats that put jaws on the floor – teammates, opponents, and fans alike. However Continue reading →

Reads Listens Views 3/2/2012

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Hurricanes QB Jacory Harris had an uneven college career and Miami, but he did play in a pro style offense and his arm strength is pretty good. Accuracy? The hips tell the story, see below. Photo by Greg Hartmann.

For more analysis like this at every skill position, purchase the Rookie Scouting Portfolio available here on April 1, 2012.

For past issues (2006-2011) email me: mattwaldmanrsp@gmail.com

Friday’s Quick-Hitter: Miami QB Jacory Harris’ Delivery

Here are two glaring examples of a mechanical flaw in a quarterback’s delivery that contributes to inaccurate passing. Continue reading →

Wake Up Call: Notable 40 Times

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Arian Foster breaks a ton of big runs, but the stopwatch at the NFL Combine ran out of juice before he crossed the finish line. See who else lost the Underwear Olympics, but helps NFL teams win games. Photo by Wade Rackley.

Riddles for you. What do you call a wide receiver that runs in the 4.61-4.72 range in the 40 at the NFL Combine or Pro Day?

What about a running back that runs 4.66-4.69?

A bust?

Yeah, in February. Maybe in April. But you better try on some different labels for the guy come September.

NFL starter. League receptions leader. Perennial Pro Bowler. Super Bowl star. Here are some notable 40 times for players in the annual Underwear Olympics broadcast on NFL Network. Continue reading →

Temple RB Bernard Pierce: All About The Angles

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Nothing better than a power back behind an angle blocking line that gets the job done. Even then, a good runner like Bernard Pierce has to improvise.

Author’s Note: If you haven’t entered the RSP Guess the 40 Contest for a chance to win a free past issue of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio, details here. Alshon Jeffrey still hasn’t run, so there’s time.

Wednesday night, I Tweeted that there’s little better than watching a good angle blocking scheme in action. It’s like watching Joe Frazier walk right up to his opponent and deliver an uppercut that floors him. The adrenaline rush that comes from watching that kind of moment is similar to a runner and offensive line taking it to a defense.

Bernard Pierce and the Temple offensive line did just that in this year’s New Mexico Bowl. The Temple runner had a box score total to the tune of 25 carries, 100 yards, and 2 scores. Pierce is a no nonsense, down hill runner with just enough agility and burst to set up a block or a defender for a few extra yards.

Although nothing here is meant to provide a definitive evaluation of Pierce’s skill as a football player, I’m showing you two plays that I believe is salient analysis. As with the analysis I’ve been doing lately, all plays can be seen a little better if you click on the photo. Any laughter from the stills of Pierce in pass protection is meant to laugh with him, not at him. Continue reading →