Posts tagged NFL Scouts

Conversation with NFL Draft Scout’s Chad Reuter Part I

NFL Draft Scout Senior Analyst Chad Reuter and Matt Waldman discuss the science, craft, and art of talent evaluation.

If you thought ESPN analyst Matt Williamson’s path to becoming a paid evaluator of talent was unusual, consider NFL Draft Scout.com senior analyst Chad Reuter. The Wisconsin native learned about the craft of personnel evaluation from a decade of interactions with NFL scouts and general managers. Although he lacks a football background, he managed to transform a hobby into a job because of his tremendous analytical skills, sincere passion for the game, and a veteran scout’s work ethic.  In this multi-part conversation, Reuter and I spent a couple of hours discussing a variety of topics related to player evaluation. In this portion of the conversation, Chad and I talk about offensive line play, evaluating technique versus results, and balancing these two behaviors with the craft of projecting a player’s future in the NFL. 

Waldman: Are there any positions you enjoy evaluating more than others?

Reuter: I’m an offensive line guy. I love watching the line. I think it is one of the more under-appreciated positions in terms of scouting because it is not just about the physical or mental characteristics of the player. There is also a lot of differences with what coaches want.

Waldman: What are things the average person should appreciate more about line play? Continue reading

UDFA QB Adam Froman

The most athletic QB in the 2011 Draft Class? Newton? Gabbert? Locker? Taylor? Maybe. But Adam Froman belongs near the top of this list. He can throw, too. Photo by algaedoc http://www.flickr.com/photos/by-ken/

Due to the lockout, 2011 could be more difficult than usual for undrafted free agents trying to make it in the NFL. Yet, there will be players with the talent, the skill, and the work ethic to enter a camp and make the most of their limited opportunities.

This week, I’m profiling offensive skill players who I believe have the ability to develop into quality professionals if they have been training hard enough in this crazy offseason to hit the ground running. Profiles of these players are excerpts from my publication, the 2011 Rookie Scouting Portfolio, available at Footballguys.com

Adam Froman 6-4, 219:  Froman is a JUCO transfer who really didn’t become a passing quarterback until he went to a junior college in Santa Rosa, California. He devleoped into an efficient JUCO passer and carried over that 60 percent completion rate during his next two seasons at Louisville.

There are other numbers that are even more impressive in the spring: 4.55 and 4.08. These times are his 40 and 20-yard shuttle numbers and they are among thebest of any QB in this class loaded with impressive athletes like Newton, Gabbert, Locker and Tyrod Taylor. Continue reading

ESPN Analyst Matt Williamson Part III

ESPN NFL analyst Matt Williamson discusses his transition from the NFL to major media. Photo by The Brit_2 http://www.flickr.com/photos/26686573@N00

ESPN analyst Matt Williamson is a former NFL scout for the Cleveland Browns. He agreed to talk about a variety of topics in a three-part interview at The Rookie Scouting Portfolio. In Part I, Williamson discusses an emerging NFL offensive trend with personnel and then explains the difference between scouting for a football team and a media conglomerate. In Part II, Williamson tells the story of his ascent to football’s biggest stage despite never playing the game. In this final installment, Williamson discusses his role with the Browns, his transition to ESPN, and the resources he uses to continue learning about the game and its players. 

Waldman: What were your responsibilities with the Browns?

Williamson: I was equal parts NFL and college scout. I was in charge of the NFC West. I had to have a grade on every player in the NFC West at all times and be on top of all of the player movement for that position.

Then I had 20-25 schools: Penn State, Maryland, Marshall, West Virginia, Pitt, the New York area. More or less anywhere you could drive six hours from Cleveland. You put a circle around Cleveland – more east than anything – and that’s where I was. Then I was crosschecking on a lot of the other stuff, too. Everyone had their own region.

Waldman: You were there for the 2005 NFL Draft. Were you a part of that process?

Williamson: That’s the year we selected Braylon Edwards. We picked third in the draft. The war room leading up to the draft was amazing. I did speak my mind a little too much, but oh well.

Waldman: Why do you think that?

Williamson: Every GM or head coach is different. Some want more conversation about players in the war room than others. It’s something you have to get a feel for.

But it did surprise me how bashful some guys were. I mean, all of our reports were due well before we sat down to talk about these players so everyone knew what you thought of the player.

Speak your mind. The only way to be great and be able to sleep at night is to say what you think. You do that well on the air.

Waldman: Thanks. Without getting into too much detail, what was the basic scouting system like in Cleveland?

Williamson: It’s a standardized report that is entered into their system They still have them. I’m sure they can access my scouting report on DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merriman, Pac-Man Jones, and all the guys I went to see.

Waldman: What were some of your favorite parts of the job?

Williamson: Like I said before, the war room leading up to the draft was great. So was game day. The intensity of it and being on the sideline was unbelievable – I really miss that.  I also learned a lot from having the chance to drop into position meetings whenever I wanted.

Waldman:  How did your time come to an end in Cleveland? Continue reading

Emerging NFL Talents: WR “Big” Mike Williams

Seahawks receiver Mike Williams emerged in 2010, showing the talent that once made him an elite prospect. Photo by camplommer http://www.flickr.com/photos/44836202@N02/

Although my takes on the players in the next series of posts might be useful to fantasy owners, this isn’t a fantasy football article. I’m not projecting stats. I’m writing about talented players whose portfolio of work reveals techniques and behaviors that I think translate well to the NFL game. At the end of the year, you might look at the stats and conclude that the quantity of the production wasn’t eye-catching for each of these emerging talents. However, I believe their work will be impressive enough for opposing teams, fans, and more astute fantasy owners to take future notice.

Mike Williams technically “emerged” last year when he finally arrived at an NFL facility in football shape. He ascended from camp long shot to starting receiver and in 13 starts he accumulated 68 receptions, 751 yards, and 2 scores.  Not bad for a guy who hadn’t played competitive football for two seasons.

Fortunately, Williams’ offseason workout regimen demonstrates that he has figured out what it takes to become a professional football player. At age 27, Williams could produce at a high level for another 7-8 years if he maintains this new-found work ethic. Considering the Seahawks lacked a quality veteran receiver with a strong, multifaceted game to start opposite Williams in 2010, I believe last year was a promising sign for things to come. Continue reading

ESPN Analyst Matt Williamson Part I

ESPN analyst Matt Williamson joined Matt Waldman to talk football. Williamson, a former college director and NFL scout, shares his story and perspective on the game in this multi-part conversation. Photo by Jayel Aheram

ESPN analyst Matt Williamson is a former NFL scout for the Cleveland Browns. He agreed to talk about a variety of topics in a three-part interview at The Rookie Scouting Portfolio. In this post, Williamson discusses an emerging NFL offensive trend with personnel and then explains the difference between scouting for a football team and a media conglomerate.

Waldman: What is a positional trend in the NFL that you believe is really making a league-wide impact?

Williamson: One thing that I think is really becoming more prevalent and I think that we’ll continue to see much more of it is hybrid offensive players. People that come to mind are Aaron Hernandez, Dallas Clark, Reggie Bush, and Percy Harvin. Now Harvin doesn’t count as much as those others, but the rest of those guys are all in really good offenses with smart quarterbacks – which is absolutely a necessity.

The problem they present to defenses is how do you count them? If you are a defensive coordinator and Reggie Bush is on the field with a fullback, a tight end, and two wide outs are you going to call Bush a running back and just play a base defense against him? Okay, that’s cool… Continue reading

Emerging NFL Talents: RB James Starks

What most people don't think about with James Starks is that he hadn't played football for nearly two seasons. Photo by tyle_r http://www.flickr.com/people/tyle_r

Although my takes on the players in the next series of posts might be useful to fantasy owners, these aren’t fantasy football articles. I’m not projecting stats. I’m writing about talented players whose portfolio of work reveals techniques and behaviors that I think translate well to the NFL game. At the end of the year, you might look at the stats and conclude that the quantity of the production wasn’t eye-catching for each of these emerging talents. However, I believe their work will be impressive enough for opposing teams, fans, and more astute fantasy owners to take future notice.

Let’s play a game.

Below are the career stats of every starting running back (not counting short-term subs) for the Green Bay Packers since former running back coach Edgar Bennett was himself a Packers running back.  Look at the stats of these four runners and see if you can find a broad pattern when it comes to the team’s organizational decision-making. Continue reading

Emerging NFL Talents: RB Ryan Mathews

Despite an injury-plagued rookie year, Ryan Mathews led the NFL in rushing touchdowns greater than five yards. Photo by Garrett Johnson.

Although my takes on the players in the next series of posts might be useful to fantasy owners, this isn’t a fantasy football article. I’m not projecting stats. I’m writing about talented players whose portfolio of work reveals techniques and behaviors that I think translate well to the NFL game. At the end of the year, you might look at the stats and conclude that the quantity of the production wasn’t eye-catching for each of these emerging talents. However, I believe their work will be impressive enough for opposing teams, fans, and more astute fantasy owners to take future notice.

Unlike Eric Decker and John Beck, Ryan Mathews’ 2011 breakout potential is a no-brainer. If not for a high ankle sprain in Week 2, Chargers head coach Norv Turner foresaw a 250-carry, 40-catch rookie year from the heralded Fresno State prospect. Last year, Mike Tolbert did a fine job splitting the load with Mathews as the lead back. But for those people who believe Tolbert will be a hindrance to Mathews’ production, consider the skills both runners bring to the team. Continue reading

Emerging NFL Talents: QB John Beck

Mike Shanahan thought John Beck was the best quarterback in a draft class that included JaMarcus Russell, Kevin Kolb, Brady Quinn, Troy Smith, and Trent Edwards. Hardly a great group in hindsight, but you could say the same about Tom Brady's class with one noted exception, Brady's fellow sixth-round classmate. Photo by simplistic.designs http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplistic-designs/

Although my takes on the players in the next series of posts might be useful to fantasy owners, this isn’t a fantasy football article. I’m not projecting stats. I’m writing about talented players whose portfolio of work reveals techniques and behaviors that I think translate well to the NFL game. At the end of the year, you might look at the stats and conclude that the quantity of the production wasn’t eye-catching for each of these emerging talents. However, I believe their work will be impressive enough for opposing teams, fans, and more astute fantasy owners to take future notice.

Prologue

Once upon a time there was a Division I college quarterback. He had the minimum physical dimensions for NFL consideration, but he wasn’t an athletic phenomenon. The school he played for was a major program, but it was not a known commodity for quarterbacks. The lack of these quality bullet points on this player’s resume contributed to a lower draft stock. A noted exception were those who study film closely. These tape grinders saw a quarterback with an exceptionally quick release, good accuracy, and solid decision-making. Some of these analysts, (specifically this one) rated this quarterback among the top 3-4 in this class.

It didn’t make much of a difference. The quarterback was a sixth-round pick for a team that needed a better passer. But as with most sixth-round picks, that quarterback was waived.  The team didn’t regarded him as a player to develop. While this is speculation on my part, said player likely didn’t receive enough reps to even make an impression. Six years later, the team that cut our hero made a trade for a signal caller who turned this franchise around – much in part to a new head coach who I think might have taken a greater interest in our hero if the timing were right. But reality dictated that for the next five years this team would falter in large part to inconsistent quarterbacking. Continue reading

Emerging NFL Talents: WR Eric Decker

Eric Decker's rookie total was the grand sum of 6-107-1, but he's an emerging talent to remember. Photo by Jeffrey Beall http://www.flickr.com/photos/denverjeffrey/5300408094/

Although my takes on the players in the next series of posts might be useful to fantasy owners, this isn’t a fantasy football article. I’m not projecting stats. I’m writing about talented players whose portfolio of work reveal techniques and behaviors that I think translate well to the NFL game. At the end of the year, you might look at the stat-lines and conclude that the quantity of the production wasn’t eye-catching for each of these emerging talents, but the quality of work they did was impressive enough for opposing teams, fans, and more astute fantasy owners to take notice.

WR Eric Decker, Denver Broncos

One of my favorite receivers from the 2010 draft class, Decker’s game is well-suited to the NFL because he consistently demonstrated skills at the University of Minnesota that are commonplace requirements for a successful NFL receiver. What you’re going to see repeatedly from Decker in this highlight package is the following:

  • Good initial set up of breaks
  • Defeating press with use of hands and shoulders
  • Winning real estate early in the route
  • Maintaining real estate later in the route
  • Receptions after contact
  • A “my ball mentality”
  • Functional strength
  • Functional speed

Most people during the 2010 NFL Draft were enamored with Decker’s classmate DeMaryius Thomas. Personally, I have always thought Decker was the better player. Continue reading

Execution

Tony Gonzalez has enjoyed a long and productive career because as his athleticism has declined he still executes strong technique. Photo by Chemisti http://www.flickr.com/photos/chemisti/457300762/

While researching YouTube highlights for my last blog post, I came across a series of short videos on fundamentals for wide receiver and tight end. One set of these videos features former Packers, Chiefs, and Vikings tight end Paul Coffman, who does a fantastic job of demonstrating fundamental techniques for blocking, releases, routes, and pass catching. The other set has current NFL pros demonstrating the same fundamentals.

The difference between the two is that Coffman’s videos feature middle school and high school students executing these techniques. This may seem boring in contrast to the NFL stars, but there’s something to be gained from watching both, which is the vast difference in execution.  This seems obvious, but it is vitally important when evaluating players. Coffman’s kids are still learning these techniques while the pros make everything look easy and effortless. 

But “simple” and “easy” aren’t synonymous without years of practice. This is something to remember every time you watch a college athlete or young NFL player. Those prospects who make fundamentals look easy closer to becoming refined pros than those who are simply athletes with raw positional skills.  Continue reading