Archive

Joe Haden

• Height: 5-11
  
• Weight: 190
  
• CB
• Florida

NFL.com

Attribute	Rating
Speed/Acceleration
Ball Skills
Pass Coverage
Run Defense
Agility
Football I.Q
Tackling
Durability

Scouting Report

Joe Haden is the top cornerback prospect of the 2010 NFL Draft. What you get with Haden is an outstanding athlete, and a spunky tackling machine who is unafraid to tangle with much larger opponents. He may not tally 8 INT’s in a season, but his pure coverage skills will help shut down one side of the field.

Expected value: 1st round, Top 15

Speed/Acceleration: Speedy enough to blanket receivers deep.  Drives very hard on the ball and can close in a heartbeat. Shows the excellent recovery speed expected of a #1 corner.

Ball Skills: Haden shows exceptional leaping ability and has keen kinesthetic/body awareness.  Has been very productive using his hands to deflect passes, but hasn’t shown the ability to make the interception away from his body.

Pass Coverage: Because of his athleticism and physical style of play, Haden should be in a scheme that utilizes man coverage, as opposed to the zone.  He lacks the instincts and route recognition skills to jump routes and make plays within the zone.  He can be a bit slow to read and react. Consequently, he loses the step often necessary to intercept the ball. Also, he needs to improve against inside moves, especially in press coverage. Additionally, he must work on rerouting receivers. Can’t afford to come out of his backpedal so quickly.

Run Defense: Contrary to the norm for his position, Haden relishes the chance to throw his weight around in the run game.  He plays with a nasty attitude, although he sometimes gets in over his head and can be bullied by larger receivers.

Agility: Fluid hips, and can change directions with great precision, even among a defensive back’s standards.

Football I.Q:  Lacks elite ball-hawking instincts. Relatively inexperienced as a cornerback since he was a quarterback and receiver in high school. Still learning the finer points of the position. Has upside in this respect.

Tackling: A willing and able tackler, throws his body around in run support, and will try to lay a big hit on the ball carrier. Sometimes gets in over his head and tries to blow up tight ends and will get end up on the ground.

Durability:  Missed only one game due to injury during his career.  Very durable prospect.

Videos for you to watch:

Joe Haden career highlights (made by jadekaipitt1)

Rolando McClain

• Height: 6-4
  
• Weight: 258
  
• LB
• Alabama

NFL.com

Attribute	Rating
Speed/Acceleration
Pass Coverage
Run Defense
Strength
Agility
Football I.Q
Tackling
Durability

Scouting Report

As the reigning Butkus Award winner, Rolando McClain is this year’s primo linebacker prospect. He has prototypical size and length for a middle linebacker (and for 3-4 OLB), and his outstanding football intelligence will endear him to any NFL team looking for a leader for their defense. He is a battle-tested prospect, having played for a championship team in the SEC, and offers a low bust factor.

Expected value: mid 1st-round, somewhere between 10 and 20.

Speed/Acceleration: Decent top end speed, but doesn’t have the extra gear to be a true sideline-to-sideline player. Good initial burst off the edge.

Pass Coverage: As a read and react type, he naturally relies on his ability to read the QB’s eyes. Displays clean footwork, and doesn’t have many wasted steps. Athletic enough to cover most tight ends, but should be best in zone coverage, where his instincts are most valued. In terms of pass rushing, McClain has several things going for him.  He times his blitzes well, offers pretty good versatility (can line up inside and out), and he institutes a solid bull rush. His great length allows him to bat down passes at the line of scrimmage.  However, he has limited potential as a 3-4 OLB because he lacks pass rush moves, and doesn’t seem to have that hunter’s mentality desired in pass rushers.

Run Defense: Strong against the run, doesn’t get moved off the ball very easily.  Can stand up against big linemen when he attacks the line.  Elite diagnosis skills in run game, and reacts quickly to all but misdirection plays. Doesn’t take on and shed blockers consistently enough.  Lacks the nasty football demeanor of a true middle linebacker in the NFL, and seldom violently charges with the intention of blowing up a play. Since he shows a tendency to watch the backfield, he can get surprised by oncoming blockers. Needs  to do a better job protecting feet, and can be easily taken out with cut blocks.   Lackluster in pursuit and won’t give full effort when chasing from behind.

Strength: Plays with good leverage, and seems to be strong in both lower and upper body.

Agility:  Usually pretty smooth changing directions, but not an elite athlete in space.

Football I.Q:  Well-versed in a complex college defense run by Nick Saban. Diagnoses plays before the snap, and is more than capable of making pre-snap adjustments.  A cerebral player/ film-room junkie.  Sniffs out screens and reverses. McClain’s ability to read and react gives him a jump on most plays, which makes up for his average speed.  Naturally, should be a defensive captain at the next level.

Tackling:  Adept tackler in space and in closed-quarters. Flashes the ability to deliver a pop and will drive through his hits when he gets a full head of steam. Because of his long arms, once he wraps up, it is difficult to get away from him. Can be caught lunging with a lazy arm tackle.  Not a consistently explosive hitter.

Durability:  Excellent stamina, plays every down on defense.  Managed to stay healthy throughout his college career.

Videos for you to watch:

(Video thanks to CkParrotHead at Universaldraft.com)

Universal Draft Presents LB Rolando McClain of Alabama – Part 2 of 2

Derrick Morgan

• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 272
  
• DE
• Georgia Tech

NFL.com

Attribute	Rating
Explosiveness
Pass Rush
Run Defense
Strength
Agility
Football I.Q
Tackling
Durability

Scouting Report

Not an overly impressive athlete, yet he still managed to register 12.5 sacks on his way to earning AP 1st-team All-American honors this season, a testament to his work ethic and team-first mentality. His overall skill set and physique are comparable to Lawrence Jackson, defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks.

Explosiveness: First to fire off the line,  but lacks the speed to consistently beat opposing tackles to the outside. Struggles in pursuit because of questionable top end speed. Doesn’t fire off the line well when standing up. Good motor, and hustles from beginning to end.

Pass Rush: Considered to be one of this year’s most polished pass rush technicians, Morgan brings a nice balance of pass rush moves, flashing the rip, club, spin, and bull rush.  Prefers to line up in a 4 -point stance like Philadelphia Eagles’ DE Trent Cole. Displays ideal pad level, and uses good leverage. Gets his hands in the air to bat down passes at the line. Teams roll protection to his side, and often draws double teams and chip blocks.

Due to his questionable speed, he might never be considered an elite edge rusher in the NFL.  He relies on inside moves too frequently, thus limiting his overall effectiveness.

Run Defense: Understands his role against the run by funneling ball carriers back inside.  Too often lets mauling tackles lock onto him, and push him off the ball. Has the potential to do so, but he needs to get better at disengaging in the run game. Iowa’s TE Tony Moeaki was able to reliably handle Morgan when running the ball to his side. Can be slow to diagnose run plays.

Strength: Very good initial punch, but lacks the strength to continue to press the pocket once blocker decides to anchor. Questionable core strength combined with average speed limits his ability to dip, and he is too often on the ground because of balance issues. I counted at least 7 times during the Bowl game against Iowa where Morgan was taken off his feet because of poor balance. Frame looks close to maxed out.

Agility:  Looks out of his element when playing in space. Doesn’t break down particularly well, and is limited by relatively stiff hips.

Football I.Q: Can be slow to diagnose run plays. However, he shows enough awareness to correct in-game errors. Won’t often make repeat his mistakes.

Tackling: Takes good angles to the football. Wrap-up type of tackler. Only needs one arm to take down ball carrier.

Durability: Very durable player, with good toughness and stamina. Started every game for the last 2 seasons. Doesn’t take many plays off during the game. No major issues thus far.

Listed below are a few Youtube video links of Derrick Morgan for you to study:

Derrick Morgan Highlights/Lowlights 2009 (created by Prodraftparty )

Gerald McCoy

• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 297
  
• DT
• Oklahoma

Soonersports.com

Attribute	Rating
Explosiveness
Pass Rush
Run Defense
Strength
Agility
Football I.Q
Tackling
Durability

Scouting Report

After his redshirt sophomore season, Gerald McCoy was considered to be a top 15 pick for the 2009 NFL Draft. Instead of declaring, he returned to Oklahoma to improve his skills and to earn his college degree.  His senior campaign only reinforced his reputation as a disruptive force on the defensive interior. In my opinion, he is a better pass rush technician than Ndamukong Suh. McCoy just isn’t blessed with the same kind of raw athleticism that Suh possesses.

Explosiveness: Very quick off the snap.  His violent and relentless  movements make him difficult for all but the most athletic linemen to contain.Splits through the line with frightening regularity.

Pass Rush: Extremely active hands, and a great motor are his strongest assets. Relies on finesse moves (mainly the rip and swim) to beat his blocker and get to the quarterback.  This is also his main weakness. Lacks power moves and will require more strength to succeed against NFL guards and tackles. However, he has shown flashes of potential with the bull rush, and can pancake linemen when he gets them off balance. Gets skinny to slip between double teams.

Run Defense: Not always stout at the point of attack. Moved outside in goal line situations. Instead, McCoy is able to affect the run game by slicing into the backfield and redirecting the running back.  He is able to shed blockers with ease, but is also capable of filling his gap to funnel plays to the linebackers. Not regularly asked to anchor against the run, but does a decent job of it. Attacks the line sometimes blindly, causing him to lose track of the ball carrier, in addition to making himself vulnerable to cut blocks.

Strength: Good, even great lower body muscle mass, but could definitely use some additional strength in his upper body.

Agility: Shows enough lateral movement to play outside at end in a 3-4 defensive front.

Football I.Q: Team captain with excellent character and work ethic.

Tackling:  Tallied 32 tackles during his 2009 campaign.  Not a forceful hitter, but wraps up well. Shows good effort and hustles down the line in pursuit. Needs to take better tackling angles when bursting through the line of scrimmage.

Durability: Healthy as a horse- McCoy has not missed a game in his 3 years as a starter.

Listed below are a few Youtube video links of Gerald McCoy for you to study:

2008 Gerald McCoy Highlights (created by prodraftparty)

Gerald McCoy vs. Florida, National Championship game (created by Alodraft)