ShadowHawk7
04-25-2004, 05:40 PM
Here is some decent to good offensive talents that slipped thru the draft, that we should definetly look at for depth.
QBs:
Robert Kent
Position: Quarterback
College: Jackson State
Height: 6-4
Weight: 222
Positives: Has a thick chest, broad shoulders, good arm muscle definition, thick thighs, knotted calves and long arms … Above-average runner who is strong in the pocket and very difficult to bring down … Has the body control to pass while rolling out of the pocket and shows fine quickness driving away from the center … Has a fluid wrist delivery and throws the short passes with touch … Lays the ball up nicely on deep tosses so that the receivers do not have to alter their routes … Drills the ball in a seam and scans the field quickly to spot his alternate receivers … Can freeze pass rushers with his moves, showing impressive elusiveness … Effective at hitting receivers on crossing routes … Has a snappy over-the-top release … Good ball handler and faker with the ability to make the initial tacklers miss … Holds the ball chest-high and can easily step up and avoid the rush … Has great timing and anticipation in the short-range passing game.
Negatives: Needs to improve his mechanics, as he has a long delivery … Can slide and buy time with his feet, but looks to run mostly when under pressure … Needs to do a better job of spotting the wide rush and stepping up … Will hurry his passes and put them up for grabs when the pocket collapses and the lanes are not open to run with the ball.
(Don't forget 'bout Zolman!)
RBs:
Jarrett Payton (yes, the son of THE Payton.)
Position: Running Back
College: Miami (Fla.)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 218
Positives: Well-built athlete with good size, strength, body control and change-of-direction agility … Intelligent player who picks up the playbook easily … Quiet leader by example … Shows good balance and body control running in-line … Keeps his feet when making lateral cuts, showing the ability to pick and slide … Has natural hands and ball skills, doing a nice job of reaching and plucking the pigskin away from the body's frame … Solid route runner who is very effective when motioning wide or lining up in the slot … Shows aggressiveness and good effort as a blocker and will not hesitate to face up to the larger defenders … Secures the ball well before heading upfield … Better inside runner than outside, displaying the vision and run instincts to spot the rush lanes … Shows good balance and strength when he gets behind his pads, getting yards on contact when he lowers himself before the initial hit (good leg drive).
Negatives: Lacks top-end speed … Effective when he keeps his pads low, but has a tendency to run a bit high, which causes him to get taken off his feet too easily against the low hits … Not effective running outside, as he needs to gather himself in order to gain acceleration … While he is an adequate route runner, he does not show a good burst out of his breaks … Good at picking up the blitz, but needs to do a better job of locating the linebackers when asked to block in the second level.
AGILITY TESTS
Timed at 4.43 in the 40-yard dash (indoor track) and 4.56 in the 40-yard dash (outdoors)
WRs:
Still a whole crop of talented project recievers out there. We don't need another one, but if TD wants, he could get 5th or maybe even 4th round talent WRs in many drafts, in the FA.
TEs:
Ben Utecht
Position: Tight End
College: Minnesota
Height: 6-6
Weight: 249
OVERVIEW
One of the nation's finest tight ends, the four-year starter made great strides in his blocking technique and turned into a great all-around player … Utecht has surprising speed and great hands for a player his size, proving to be an effective deep threat … Rated the third-best tight end in college football by The Sporting News, he played in 44 games for the Gophers, hauling in 82 passes for 1,201 yards (14.6 avg.) and 15 touchdowns for his career … Can also fill in as an emergency punter … Talented singer that performed regularly with former teammate Dan Nystrom at major sporting events.
ANALYSIS
Positives: Tall, with a linear build with defined muscles, long arms, tight midsection, and thick thighs and calves … Quick in his release, showing effortless motion getting into the routes and quickness in and out of his cuts … Gets into blocking position quickly, staying low in his pads with legs wide to maintain balance … Shows hand power to push and shove off the line to defeat press coverage … Has an effective swim move and change-of-direction agility to elude … Good route runner who can break off his patterns squarely and is very effective on underneath and TE-delay routes … Has the agility to slip off tackles and get into the deep zone … Big target who does a nice job of shielding the ball from the defender, showing a nice feel for coverage to get open in time for the quarterback to get the ball to him … Has soft hands and the ability to pluck the ball away from the body's frame … Uses his body well to squeeze through traffic and will not hesitate to go over the middle and compete for the ball … Has an above-average burst and does a nice job of tracking the ball in over his shoulders … Has some shake to elude after the catch and drives hard with his legs to gain extra yardage after securing the ball … Has the body control to get out on linebackers and sustain blocks in the second level.
Negatives: Willing to work in the weight room, but is not as dedicated as you would like … Has sure hands, but will drop a few due to concentration lapses … Not an overpowering in-line blocker, who relies more on finesse than power when facing up (won't knock down defenders much, just gets in their way) … Competitive, but lacks true aggression.
(would be an excellent pickup, even tho we used our 4th rounder on a TE.)
FBs:
Doug Easlick
Position: Fullback
College: Virginia Tech
Height: 5-11
Weight: 238
Positives: Has a short, stocky build with broad shoulders, thick legs and thighs, and muscular arms … Excels at what a fullback does – Catches the short tosses out of the backfield and lead blocked for some very successful tailbacks (Lee Suggs, Kevin Jones) … Good competitor who is not afraid to throw his body around, and will never take a play off … Shows quickness to reach the outside to lead block and the strength and balance to clear rush lanes between the tackles … Low-maintenance type who puts the extra effort in during practice and weight-room sessions … Vocal leader who will take whatever the line gives him in limited chances to carry the ball … Runs hard and gives second- and third-effort blocking in the second level … Has the straight-line speed needed to get out into the flats as a receiver … Shows adequate vision when running with the ball … Plays on his feet, using his power to effectively handle the blitz and can square up in the hole and hold the point … Makes good reads to adjust to defenders on the move.
Negatives: More of a straight-line runner, lacking hip swerve and wiggle to be productive as a runner … Lacks the foot speed and burst to adequately hit the holes (good square-up blocker, though) … Not punishing when running inside, but stays low in his pads and uses his arms effectively to lock on and steer defenders away from the play … Does not have the long speed needed to threaten a defense vertically … Prefers to cut block, but shows the strength to square up when attacking the holes … Has shorter than ideal arms (28 5/8-inch length).
Luke Lawton
McNeese State
Positives: Has a thick upper body with good overall muscle development, thick arms and high, muscular calves … Has a good work ethic, responding well to hard coaching … More of a West Coast-type fullback, as he has the quickness to perform at halfback, relishes the aggressiveness of blocking and is an effective short-yardage receiver … Strong runner with the leg drive to move the pile, staying low in his pads to get underneath to rock defenders back when lead blocking … Has the quick first step needed to get out into the flats immediately … Keeps his shoulders down and square, pumping his legs on contact to show power when running between the tackles … Has natural strength and fluid change-of-direction agility … Secures the ball firmly, rarely putting the pigskin on the ground … Has soft hands, doing a nice job of extending to catch the pass away from his frame … Makes quick cuts to be a reliable receiver coming out of the backfield … Gets upfield after the catch, using his strength to break tackles … Has no problems selling out his body to get to the ball in traffic … Adds to his skills with excellent hand quickness as a long snapper … Can accelerate to uncover a linebacker and will make every effort to clear the rush lane.
Negatives: Intelligent player, but has a short attention span (will do what is told, but needs to be ridden and given a firm hand to respond well) … Little too stiff in the hips to be an effective blocker on the move (best when lead blocking) … Does not have the hip shake or wiggle to elude defenders in the open, preferring to run over the opponent rather than around him … His stiffness prevents him from turning to adjust to the ball … While he has the speed to lead block on the outside, he is more of a one-hit type that falls off blocks and struggles to sustain at the second level … More effective catching flats and curls, as he will lose balance when asked to run deep.
Guards and Centers:
Very weak draft IMO, and a very bare bones FA crop.
QBs:
Robert Kent
Position: Quarterback
College: Jackson State
Height: 6-4
Weight: 222
Positives: Has a thick chest, broad shoulders, good arm muscle definition, thick thighs, knotted calves and long arms … Above-average runner who is strong in the pocket and very difficult to bring down … Has the body control to pass while rolling out of the pocket and shows fine quickness driving away from the center … Has a fluid wrist delivery and throws the short passes with touch … Lays the ball up nicely on deep tosses so that the receivers do not have to alter their routes … Drills the ball in a seam and scans the field quickly to spot his alternate receivers … Can freeze pass rushers with his moves, showing impressive elusiveness … Effective at hitting receivers on crossing routes … Has a snappy over-the-top release … Good ball handler and faker with the ability to make the initial tacklers miss … Holds the ball chest-high and can easily step up and avoid the rush … Has great timing and anticipation in the short-range passing game.
Negatives: Needs to improve his mechanics, as he has a long delivery … Can slide and buy time with his feet, but looks to run mostly when under pressure … Needs to do a better job of spotting the wide rush and stepping up … Will hurry his passes and put them up for grabs when the pocket collapses and the lanes are not open to run with the ball.
(Don't forget 'bout Zolman!)
RBs:
Jarrett Payton (yes, the son of THE Payton.)
Position: Running Back
College: Miami (Fla.)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 218
Positives: Well-built athlete with good size, strength, body control and change-of-direction agility … Intelligent player who picks up the playbook easily … Quiet leader by example … Shows good balance and body control running in-line … Keeps his feet when making lateral cuts, showing the ability to pick and slide … Has natural hands and ball skills, doing a nice job of reaching and plucking the pigskin away from the body's frame … Solid route runner who is very effective when motioning wide or lining up in the slot … Shows aggressiveness and good effort as a blocker and will not hesitate to face up to the larger defenders … Secures the ball well before heading upfield … Better inside runner than outside, displaying the vision and run instincts to spot the rush lanes … Shows good balance and strength when he gets behind his pads, getting yards on contact when he lowers himself before the initial hit (good leg drive).
Negatives: Lacks top-end speed … Effective when he keeps his pads low, but has a tendency to run a bit high, which causes him to get taken off his feet too easily against the low hits … Not effective running outside, as he needs to gather himself in order to gain acceleration … While he is an adequate route runner, he does not show a good burst out of his breaks … Good at picking up the blitz, but needs to do a better job of locating the linebackers when asked to block in the second level.
AGILITY TESTS
Timed at 4.43 in the 40-yard dash (indoor track) and 4.56 in the 40-yard dash (outdoors)
WRs:
Still a whole crop of talented project recievers out there. We don't need another one, but if TD wants, he could get 5th or maybe even 4th round talent WRs in many drafts, in the FA.
TEs:
Ben Utecht
Position: Tight End
College: Minnesota
Height: 6-6
Weight: 249
OVERVIEW
One of the nation's finest tight ends, the four-year starter made great strides in his blocking technique and turned into a great all-around player … Utecht has surprising speed and great hands for a player his size, proving to be an effective deep threat … Rated the third-best tight end in college football by The Sporting News, he played in 44 games for the Gophers, hauling in 82 passes for 1,201 yards (14.6 avg.) and 15 touchdowns for his career … Can also fill in as an emergency punter … Talented singer that performed regularly with former teammate Dan Nystrom at major sporting events.
ANALYSIS
Positives: Tall, with a linear build with defined muscles, long arms, tight midsection, and thick thighs and calves … Quick in his release, showing effortless motion getting into the routes and quickness in and out of his cuts … Gets into blocking position quickly, staying low in his pads with legs wide to maintain balance … Shows hand power to push and shove off the line to defeat press coverage … Has an effective swim move and change-of-direction agility to elude … Good route runner who can break off his patterns squarely and is very effective on underneath and TE-delay routes … Has the agility to slip off tackles and get into the deep zone … Big target who does a nice job of shielding the ball from the defender, showing a nice feel for coverage to get open in time for the quarterback to get the ball to him … Has soft hands and the ability to pluck the ball away from the body's frame … Uses his body well to squeeze through traffic and will not hesitate to go over the middle and compete for the ball … Has an above-average burst and does a nice job of tracking the ball in over his shoulders … Has some shake to elude after the catch and drives hard with his legs to gain extra yardage after securing the ball … Has the body control to get out on linebackers and sustain blocks in the second level.
Negatives: Willing to work in the weight room, but is not as dedicated as you would like … Has sure hands, but will drop a few due to concentration lapses … Not an overpowering in-line blocker, who relies more on finesse than power when facing up (won't knock down defenders much, just gets in their way) … Competitive, but lacks true aggression.
(would be an excellent pickup, even tho we used our 4th rounder on a TE.)
FBs:
Doug Easlick
Position: Fullback
College: Virginia Tech
Height: 5-11
Weight: 238
Positives: Has a short, stocky build with broad shoulders, thick legs and thighs, and muscular arms … Excels at what a fullback does – Catches the short tosses out of the backfield and lead blocked for some very successful tailbacks (Lee Suggs, Kevin Jones) … Good competitor who is not afraid to throw his body around, and will never take a play off … Shows quickness to reach the outside to lead block and the strength and balance to clear rush lanes between the tackles … Low-maintenance type who puts the extra effort in during practice and weight-room sessions … Vocal leader who will take whatever the line gives him in limited chances to carry the ball … Runs hard and gives second- and third-effort blocking in the second level … Has the straight-line speed needed to get out into the flats as a receiver … Shows adequate vision when running with the ball … Plays on his feet, using his power to effectively handle the blitz and can square up in the hole and hold the point … Makes good reads to adjust to defenders on the move.
Negatives: More of a straight-line runner, lacking hip swerve and wiggle to be productive as a runner … Lacks the foot speed and burst to adequately hit the holes (good square-up blocker, though) … Not punishing when running inside, but stays low in his pads and uses his arms effectively to lock on and steer defenders away from the play … Does not have the long speed needed to threaten a defense vertically … Prefers to cut block, but shows the strength to square up when attacking the holes … Has shorter than ideal arms (28 5/8-inch length).
Luke Lawton
McNeese State
Positives: Has a thick upper body with good overall muscle development, thick arms and high, muscular calves … Has a good work ethic, responding well to hard coaching … More of a West Coast-type fullback, as he has the quickness to perform at halfback, relishes the aggressiveness of blocking and is an effective short-yardage receiver … Strong runner with the leg drive to move the pile, staying low in his pads to get underneath to rock defenders back when lead blocking … Has the quick first step needed to get out into the flats immediately … Keeps his shoulders down and square, pumping his legs on contact to show power when running between the tackles … Has natural strength and fluid change-of-direction agility … Secures the ball firmly, rarely putting the pigskin on the ground … Has soft hands, doing a nice job of extending to catch the pass away from his frame … Makes quick cuts to be a reliable receiver coming out of the backfield … Gets upfield after the catch, using his strength to break tackles … Has no problems selling out his body to get to the ball in traffic … Adds to his skills with excellent hand quickness as a long snapper … Can accelerate to uncover a linebacker and will make every effort to clear the rush lane.
Negatives: Intelligent player, but has a short attention span (will do what is told, but needs to be ridden and given a firm hand to respond well) … Little too stiff in the hips to be an effective blocker on the move (best when lead blocking) … Does not have the hip shake or wiggle to elude defenders in the open, preferring to run over the opponent rather than around him … His stiffness prevents him from turning to adjust to the ball … While he has the speed to lead block on the outside, he is more of a one-hit type that falls off blocks and struggles to sustain at the second level … More effective catching flats and curls, as he will lose balance when asked to run deep.
Guards and Centers:
Very weak draft IMO, and a very bare bones FA crop.