Archive for NFL Draft

Joseph Randle Scouting Report

February 18, 2013 No comments

Joseph Randle

Position

RB

Height

6’0

School

Oklahoma State

Weight

200

Class

Junior

40 Time

4.55

Grade

5th Round

Athleticism:

Randle is a high-cut back and because of this he’s a stiff runner. He lacks explosiveness and he really struggles to accelerate out of his cuts. He’s a one-speed runner who lacks the extra gear to pull away from the secondary. A bit narrow through the lower body.

Grade: 2.0

Power:

Randle runs with toughness and he is always looking to finish his runs. Because he is stiff he tends to run a little too upright in the open field which makes him easier to take down. He does have the ability to lower his shoulder into contact and fall forward. However, he lacks powerful leg drive and too often he stops his feet on contact and can’t generate much of a push. He’s also brought down too easily by arm tackles at times.

Grade: 2.5

Vision:

Randle does a pretty good job of finding the open lanes and getting the most he can. He shows the ability to find cutback lanes and is usually pretty patient in setting up his blocks to the outside. However, at times he’s content with just running full speed into the hole, even if one doesn’t open up.

Grade: 3.0

Hands:

A reliable receiver, Randle has over 100 receptions to his name in his 3 year career. He displays soft hands and can pull balls in away from his body. He’s not explosive after the catch however and he may struggle to create separation on quicker linebackers. An added bonus is that he has experience lining up as a wide receiver.

Grade: 4.0

Blocking:

Not afraid of contact and will throw some mean blocks. Can be a little slow to pick up blitzers or making his way across the pocket. However, he’ll go in strong and has the upper body strength to hold blocks. Certainly much farther along then most backs.

Grade: 4.0

Intangibles:

A 2 year starter at Oklahoma State who leaves behind a productive career. Numbers (YPC, TDs, REC) dipped in his final year. A durable back who hasn’t missed a game due to injury in college. Can make an impact on 3rd downs but not a workhorse back. Worked hard to put on weight throughout his time at OSU. Has no known character concerns.

Grade: 3.0

Outlook:

Randle brings something to the table that not a lot of backs in this draft class can and that’s his ability to make an impact on 3rd downs almost immediately in the NFL. He’s a reliable receiver and has toughness as a blocker. Still, I can’t be impressed with his overall athletic ability and his vision is a work in progress. He can have moderate success as part of a 2-back rotation but I don’t envision him ever being a great starting back in the NFL.

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Johnathan Franklin Scouting Report

February 9, 2013 No comments

Johnathan Franklin

Position

RB

Height

5’10

School

UCLA

Weight

201

Class

Senior

40 Time

4.50

Grade

2nd Round

Athleticism:

Franklin is another back who may not be particularly explosive but he’s smooth and has deceptive quickness. He lacks true game-breaking speed and he will get run down from behind, most of the time, once he gets into the open field. However, he is able to cut quickly and has more than enough speed to break through the initial layer inside. Has good size but lower body seems a bit thin.

Grade: 3.0

Power:

Not a power back and certainly goes down way too easily at times. However, he’s pretty good at fighting for extra yardage and once he gets a head of steam he can be tougher to bring down. Still, he lacks powerful leg drive and it shows once defenders get a good grasp of him inside. He does a good job of maintaining his balance and it’s usually how he “breaks” tackles.

Grade: 2.0

Vision:

Franklin has excellent vision and patience and it’s what makes him so good as a runner. He is always waiting for his blocks to set up but at the same time doesn’t waste time dancing around. He’s a good runner between the tackles who has the speed to bounce things outside. He’s great at finding lanes and is quick to go north-south when he does.

Grade: 4.5

Hands:

Wasn’t used much as a receiver until his senior year where he caught 33 passes for 329 yards. Has soft hands and is generally a reliable receiver. Has had some drops due to concentration issues but his hands are solid.

Grade: 3.0

Blocking:

Lacks strength as a blocker but is more than willing. Not afraid of contact. Can be trusted more than your average back but the lack of strength, again through his lower body, are a concern because he can simply get run over at times.

Grade: 2.5

Intangibles:

Franklin is a very experienced back picking up the bulk of the carries from when he was a freshman at UCLA. His numbers are impressive and he has also improved each and every year. A durable back who hasn’t missed a game due to injury in his collegiate career. Needs to improve lower body strength in order to be a starting running back in the NFL but can succeed early on in a timeshare role. Has some concerns about his ball security. Regarded as a high character player.

Grade: 3.5

Outlook:

Johnathan Franklin may not be the biggest, quickest, or fastest back in this class but I like what he brings to the table. His quickness and great vision are a great combo and it’s the reason for his success. He’s willing as a pass blocker and is a good receiver as well so he should have an instant impact as a 3rd down back. His play is similar to that of Kendall Hunter who I also was a big fan of a few years ago. His thin lower body concerns me and I wonder if he will hold up as a workhorse in the NFL. However, that may not even matter with the way NFL teams utilize running backs these days.

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Kenjon Barner Scouting Report

January 18, 2013 No comments

Kenjon Barner

Position

RB

Height

5’10

School

Oregon

Weight

192

Class

Senior

40 Time

4.45

Grade

4th Round

Athleticism:

The best word to describe Barner’s athleticism is “smooth”. Don’t get me wrong he still has great speed and can take it to the house on any play. It all looks so effortless for him though. He makes quick cuts at high speeds which is very tough to do but he does it consistently. His lateral agility is not elite but it is great. He has a very thin frame though and there will be questions raised about his durability at the next level.

Grade: 4.0

Power:

As mentioned earlier, Barner isn’t very big. He lacks power to his game and his feet often go dead on contact. He struggles to fight for extra yardage and it’s particularly troubling to see him go down so easily with arm tackles. He doesn’t seem to run with much toughness.

Grade: 1.5

Vision:

Barner has good vision and is a very patient runner. He generally lets his blockers set up and reads the blocks correctly. He’s good at finding cutback lanes and his offensive line usually opens up some big ones for him. The problem is that he almost always bounces runs to the outside. He shows very little discipline in taking the run where it was intended to go and instead is too eager to bounce it out for more yardage. To be fair, this has worked well for him in college but it won’t be as easy in the NFL (as Reggie Bush and countless others have proven).

Grade: 3.0

Hands:

Barner is a capable receiver although he wasn’t used much in the passing game at Oregon. He’s most comfortable catching the ball with his chest rather than plucking the ball off his frame. He should have no problems on screens and flat routes where he’ll likely make a living in the NFL.

Grade: 2.5

Blocking:

Rarely used as a blocker and for good reason. He’s simply too small and gets over-matched at the point of attack. Lacks physicality and will take awhile before coaches can trust him to pass protect on 3rd downs.

Grade: 1.0

Intangibles:

Split time with LaMichael James before moving into the #1 spot in 2012. Was very productive as he eclipsed 1700 yards with 21 touchdowns on the ground. Lacks size to be a starter in the NFL. Is a finesse runner and backs who have been labelled as such haven’t had much success in the NFL. Has dealt with nagging injuries in the past including getting knocked out against Washington State in 2010. Oregon’s scheme most likely inflated his numbers. Has experience returning kicks and punts. Needs to do a better job protecting the ball. Has no known character concerns.

Grade: 2.0

Outlook:

I love what Barner brings to the table in terms of his athleticism, his speed and the ability to take any carry to the house. I’m very concerned by his slight frame and his lack of physicality though. He can carve out a role on a team and be used as a “space” player and he can make an impact. But time and time again we’ve seen “soft” runners not last long in the NFL, or at least not have much success. He is a bit of a boom or bust player who will have to carve out a niche on a team in order to be successful.

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Ray Graham Scouting Report

January 18, 2013 No comments

Ray Graham

Position

RB

Height

5’9

School

Pittsburgh

Weight

192

Class

Senior

40 Time

4.50

Grade

3rd Round

Athleticism:

Ray Graham’s calling card is his impressive lateral agility. He possesses elite lateral agility to cut on a dime and maintain his balance. He can stop and start just as quickly and can explode once he sees a crease. He also has the second gear to break big runs once he gets into the open field, and while he doesn’t have elite speed it’s certainly above average. He was hampered throughout the year as he recovered from an ACL tear but steadily improved and gained confidence as the year progressed.

Grade: 4.0

Power:

Graham is a small back and he doesn’t run with much natural power. His legs go dead too easily on contact at times and he’ll never be a guy who can push the pile. Despite his shortcomings, he is still tough as nails and isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder into contact. He’ll run through arm tackles here and there but he’s much better at juking defenders than running through them.

Grade: 1.5

Vision:

It’s Grahams impressive vision combined with his agility that makes him such a big play threat. He’s got a 6th sense for finding cutback lanes and even when there is no hole he can somehow find a way to pick up 10 yards. He’s very patient and will wait for his blocks to set up. Like most backs with his style of play at times he tries to do too much. He dances around and prefers to cut everything outside as opposed to going north and south.

Grade: 4.0

Hands:

Graham is an impressive receiver with over 100 receptions to his name at Pitt. He is a reliable option on screens or as a check-down in the flats. He shows the ability to pluck the ball away from his frame and has even made some impressive one handed catches throughout his career.

Grade: 4.0

Blocking:

Because of his size, or lack thereof, Graham won’t give you much in terms of pass blocking. He is willing but too often he is over-powered by defenders. Technique can help but when you’re 190 lbs. there’s a limit to what you can do.

Grade: 1.5

Intangibles:

Well of course the main issue with Ray Graham is the torn ACL he suffered part way through the 2011 season. He made an impressive recovery and was able to suit up Week 1 of the 2012 season. However, you could tell the knee was not 100%, and it likely wasn’t even towards the end of the season, although noticeable improvements could be seen. These improvements points towards him being able to fully recover by training camp. He is undersized so the likelihood of him ever being a workhorse back are very small. However, as a change-of-pace back he can excel. He also offers some versatility as a kick and punt returner. Graham was charged with assault earlier in 2012 although the chargers were later dropped.

Grade: 2.0

Outlook:

I like Ray Graham and was devastated when he tore his ACL. However, he’s made a nice comeback and managed to play his senior year. There are questions about his size and durability and those questions are warranted. I still think he can be very productive splitting carries in the NFL. He looks like a guy who you try to get the ball to in space anyway you can so he can make plays. He can develop into quite a weapon for someone and he’ll be fun to watch.

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Montee Ball Scouting Report

January 18, 2013 No comments

Montee Ball

Position

RB

Height

5’11

School

Wisconsin

Weight

215

Class

Senior

40 Time

4.60

Grade

4th Round

Athleticism:

While Ball is listed at 5’11 and 215 lbs. he’s got the build of a tall and skinny back. His straight line speed is below average and he is a bit stiff as a runner. He does have pretty good foot speed and he can make some nice cuts at low speeds. He lacks a burst and second gear to pull away from defenders in the open field and is purely a one-speed runner.

Grade: 2.0

Power:

Ball is a pseudo power back, as I like to call him, because while he does break a lot of tackles, he doesn’t have much natural power. He does a good job of lowering his pads on contact and running with a forward lean. He’s also pretty good at making himself skinny through the hole, occasionally busting out a sweet spin move, to give defenders a small target to hit. Despite that, his leg drive isn’t impressive and he usually goes down easily with a good wrap tackle.

Grade: 2.5

Vision:

Ball is generally a patient runner who waits for his blockers to set up. Smart move considering he’s running behind one of the best offensive lines in the country. He does a good job of finding the open lane and is adept at finding cutback lanes. He prefers to go north and south but will occasionally bounce runs to the outside.

Grade: 3.0

Hands:

Ball wasn’t often used as a receiver at Wisconsin, his career high being 24 catches in 2011, but he shows he is capable. He also has experience lining up at wide receiver and running routes down-field.

Grade: 3.5

Blocking:

A willing blocker but shows poor technique and awareness. Struggles to sustain his blocks after initial contact and defenders can usually over-power him to get free. A lot of the times he’ll be late in recognizing the free blitzer which leads to trouble. He’s not afraid of contact though and doesn’t shy away so some coaching would do wonders for him.

Grade: 2.5

Intangibles:

One of the most productive college backs ever. Set the NCAA touchdown record with a ridiculous 83 scores. Very productive. Benefited from running behind one of the best lines in the country. Wisconsin is known for consistently producing quality offensive lineman (Gabe Carimi, Kevin Zeitler, Peter Konz, John Moffitt all blocked for Montee Ball at one point) and they consistently opened up huge lanes for him. Has close to 1000 career touches which is a huge red flag. You have to wonder how much tread is left on his tires. Big Ten and Wisconsin has a dubious track record for their running back prospects. Was arrested in 2012 for trespassing and was assaulted later that year which gave him a concussion.

Grade: 2.0

Outlook:

Montee Ball seems like he’s destined to be the next great Big Ten back that never succeeded in the NFL. It isn’t fair to knock him for that, and I’m not, but it is something that you know is in the back of your mind. I’m more concerned with the sheer volume of touches he had over his 4 years at Wisconsin. It’s been proven in the NFL that backs who receive 350+ carries tend to wear down and Ball has certainly eclipsed that mark while still in college. He doesn’t have a big frame either and I worry about how he’ll handle the pounding of being a #1 back in the NFL. Regardless, his skill set is average. He does have nice vision but his speed and power is not that impressive. I’ve heard the BenJarvus Green-Ellis comparison and I think it’s fair. He can be a starter, but he’ll give you what he can get and nothing more.

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