Category: 2021 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Josh has solid athletic talent and the skill set to be a starting offensive lineman for the team that selects him. He does a good job making all the snaps when playing the center position and is stout against nose tackles who play him heads up. He is a big kid, with good overall strength and in a zone-blocking scheme can dominate because of his size. Josh is smart and understands his position but what Josh brings to the next level is consistency in his ability to run block.

CONCERNS
Josh lacks the foot quickness and speed to play center at the next level when pass blocking and will struggle to play one of the guard positions when pass blocking also. If he can get his weight down and play with better leverage, that would help him for the next level to move quicker and he could become a starting offensive lineman in certain offensive blocking schemes.

BOTTOM LINE 4.11
In an offense with a lot of play-action, Josh should be a solid offensive lineman. Although with his lack of foot quickness and speed, I’m not sure he can be a starting offensive center but, he will be able to fill in at that position for sure. The fact that Josh can play center or guard makes his value more attractive to all 32 teams. If he can get a little lighter, I think he will move quicker, and if he can move quicker and play with better leverage, Josh could become a starting guard with the ability to play center if needed and that will affect his draft status in a positive way. I would also like to see if Josh can long snap, and if he can, that would be another positive, to add to his draft status.

STRENGTHS
Jaret is a running back anomaly. He shows excellent lower body strength along with the quick feet and speed that makes that combination of athletic talent, unique for his size. Jaret is an excellent runner between the tackles. He is strong and finds a hole when there is no hole to find, and gains just enough yardage to move the chains. He is the type of running back that teams have to stop behind the line of scrimmage or, he will gain yards on every carry. Jaret has the hand/eye coordination to be used on check-downs and, in the open field, he has the speed and quickness to make the best defensive player on the field snap his head around after he misses the tackle, watching Jaret as he goes by him. He definitely can help a team on the return units of special teams but what Jaret brings with him to the next level is… in spite of his size, your play calling is not limited. Jaret’s strength to run between the tackles makes him more than a third-down back. It makes him a complimentary running back and that is a big difference from just being considered as a third-down back to teams that are smart enough to see that.

CONCERNS
Jaret is a very willing blocker, in fact, he is a good blocker but he can be overwhelmed and that will put his quarterback in jeopardy so, using him to block on third downs will not be the most effective way to take advantage of his impact. Of course, for this draft, Jaret will be considered as being too small to be effective at the next level except, he is not.

BOTTOM LINE 3.39
You know that expression, you can’t see the forest for all the trees…well that’s what teams can’t see when they look at Jaret on film. They can’t see the running back because Jaret is in the way. I have heard all the talk, and I said the same thing before I turned on the film. Oh, here we go, another small running back with great production at the college level, against competition that is less than the best at… the college level. Now I’m here to tell you while watching the film, I saw a real running back and that running back was Jaret. If you get to him behind the line of scrimmage it looks like the defensive player just tackled a rag doll. But get Jaret to the line of scrimmage and because of his leg strength, and pad level, opponents are lucky they can get him on the ground before he breaks off the big one and scores. As I stated before, Jaret is an anomaly, not the norm, a rarity, an aberration. Most teams will think, he’s too small and light to run between the tackles, and yet, that is one of his strengths. Most teams will say, he’s too small and he will get hurt and we won’t be able to count on him, and yet, for 3 years he has played every game, 636 att, 3884 total rushing yards 52 TD’s. You don’t have stats like that unless you are a threat on every kind of running play. I don’t have a clue what round Jaret will be selected in or even if he will be drafted but I do know this, if I wanted to improve my team’s overall running game, I would not hesitate to select him at some point in this draft. He might not be a franchise back but he will be an impact one…for sure.

STRENGTHS
Asante is a quick-twitch athlete, with the athletic talent and high football IQ, to play in any style of defensive scheme. He can play off the ball in zone or uptight in single coverage and is a solid tackler. Asante will come up and support the run. Because of his quick feet and football intelligence, he could play more multiple positions in a team’s defensive backfield. He has good hands to intercept the ball and the change of direction skills to make yardage after the interception.

CONCERNS
Asante plays smaller than his size because of his lack of bulk and not because of his height. His height is fine. He has long arms and legs but the lack of bulk in his lower and upper body is the real issue. He can bulk himself up but I believe it will take away from his speed and quickness because of his frame. Of course, that is just one person’s opinion and I am not a trainer so take my opinion for what it is…just an opinion.

BOTTOM LINE 2.81
If I’m correct about Asante’s lack of bulk to get bigger without it affecting his athletic talents, then that will be the issue that will affect what round Asante will be selected. If you play him out wide he will struggle defending against those big receivers for a 16-game schedule. If you play him in the slot, then every time a team needs yardage to make a first down they will run the ball right at Asante and he will get overwhelmed physically. If a team tries to make a safety out of him, once again, that lack of bulk to tackle in the open field will become an issue and will make him revert to making tackles that could be called penalties and also get him hurt. There is value in a player with Asante’s athletic talents and high football IQ for sure. But teams will have to decide that for themselves and that will affect his draft status and potential to impact for the next level. Asante definitely has 2nd round talent but it’s very hard to know at what point in the draft teams will value him personally and how he will fit into their system. My guess, it will be not until the 3rd or 4th rounds because, there are so many corners with length in this draft, that Asante could get lost in the shuffle. Any other draft I think his talent would overcome most teams’ concerns.

STRENGTHS
Dillon reminds me of Packers David Bakhtiari. Dillon has the size of an offensive guard and the athletic talent and techniques of an offensive tackle. Dillon is an intelligent football player who if and when, he gets beat knows right away why he got beat and reestablishes his techniques to not allow that to happen again. He plays with good pad level when pass blocking or run blocking and understands that using leverage is his friend. Dillon understands that keeping his feet moving once he is engaged is the key to be a success when pass blocking or run blocking. He is quick out of his stance with balance and that is one of the reasons he can play more than one position on your offensive line. Dillon shows leadership skills through his play on the field and his attention to detail in using and understanding the techniques needed to play any position on the offensive line.

CONCERNS
I guess if you want to nit-pick you can. He does need to get stronger and in an NFL training program that should happen quickly, until he does, injuries can limit his ability to be on the field. Also, I have never seen him snap the ball and play center but something tells me if he was asked to do that he would be successful.

BOTTOM LINE 1.53
As I stated before, Dillon reminds me of Packers David Bakhtiari. At the Senior Bowl, the 1st day of practice, he was moved inside to left guard, by the end of practice he was working out at both left guard and left tackle. By the end of the third day, Dillion was just being worked out at Left Tackle and on game day he was the starting Left Tackle. The Packers didn’t draft David Bakhtiari until the 4th round of the 2013 draft because he played tackle but he had the size of a guard. Because of injury to the starting Left Tackle at the time, David was forced into the Left Tackle position and has never given it up. Dillon is as athletic or even more athletic than David and just a bit bigger but, because of his size, he also is being labeled as a natural guard. The fact is, I believe that Dillon just wants to play the Left Tackle position and I think if he wants it that much, let him. At Guard, he is a natural, but at Tackle he is impacting. So, you tell me what position do you start him out at? I don’t think it matters, just select him and let his play on the field decide for you. He has 1st round talent at both positions. That being said, selecting Dillion in the 1st round might be a reach for some teams because of his size, and the feeling that playing tackle for 16 games might be too much for him to handle. I don’t believe that but, I can see teams talking themselves out of the obvious and questioning the competition level. For me, he proved himself at the Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS
Andre is a playmaking defensive back. He has the ability to track the ball in the air like a center fielder. He has excellent hands to make the interception and the speed, vision, and enough change of direction skills to take it to the house. Andre is very smart and calculating and knows exactly the right time, to leave his zone responsibilities to make the interception or make an impact tackle. He seems to always be around the ball and will support the run as quickly as any linebacker in the draft. He shows excellent foot quickness, speed, and burst to the ball, and is an intimidating tackler. Andre shows leadership skills through his play on the field but what he brings with him to the next level is the ability to take the ball away from his opponents with unique skills to intercepting the ball.

CONCERNS
In the film I have, Andre played in a lot of zone coverages, and let me tell you in zone, this kid is outstanding. In coverage and when used up close to the line of scrimmage I saw a player who is a little light and struggles, to handle plays right at him. He was solid in short area coverages but I believe the question for most teams will be his pure speed and how good he actually is in single coverage in the slot against bigger receivers. Also, Andre had a knee injury (ACL Tear) this year and between that and no combine, the evaluation on his pure speed might be difficult to access.

BOTTOM LINE 2.17
In 2018 Andre had 7 interceptions and 9 pass defenses in 13 games. In 2019 in 9 games he had 5 interceptions and 5 pass defenses. Watching him on film and appreciating his athleticism, it’s a good bet his coverage skills are solid. I know his zone skills are outstanding but he does play light up near the line of scrimmage and that means most teams will look at him as a free safety if he has the speed to go sideline to sideline. Teams that play a lot of 2 deep some won’t give a dam because Andre is a ball hawk, and he was made to play in that style of defense. That being said, he does have some concerns that will affect how every team views him in their defense system and that will affect his draft status but it won’t affect how he plays the game once he gets on the field. The facts are, Andre is an intimidating tackler who can fool quarterbacks into making mistakes and interceptions. The type of defensive back quarterbacks and offensive coordinators have to be careful when game planning and calling plays. Most safeties with these concerns are selected later than I would (3rd, 4th, 5th Rd’s) but trust me, once he gets on the field he will be considered by most, as one of the steals of this draft.

STRENGTHS
Rondale is the type of receiver who can play in the slot, out wide, or coming out of the backfield. He can return punts or kicks and I bet he could even be used to block punts if you needed him to. He has good size and overall strength with the lower body strength to break tackles in the open field if you can lay hands on him. His vision and lateral agility is equal to any running back in the draft. He shows excellent balance and not only can he make yardage after the catch but his quickness running routes, to separate from coverage, is equal to any receiver in this draft. Rondale is a weapon, a match up nightmare, the type of player who should not be pigeon holed into playing just one offensive position.

CONCERNS
Rondale’s size, will be an issue for some teams, add to that a knee injury in his second year and coming off that knee injury in the covid year, and basically, you have only one year of production to base selecting Rondale on. That will be the biggest concern along with how well his knee injury has healed.

BOTTOM LINE 2.06
Rondale stats for his freshman year are, 114 receptions for 1,258 yards, 12 TD’s, 11-yard average per catch. The next year before his injury he averaged 13.3 yards per catch on 29 receptions for 387 yards increasing his average yards per catch when he was being game planned for. But here is the real concern, in the covid year he averaged 7.7 yards per carry on 35 receptions for 270 yards. Now granted, he only played in three games in 2020 but still, it might prove and question, if Rondale is completely back “mentally” from his knee injury as well as physically. Nevertheless, there is no question about his ability to impact if he is healthy and I have no doubt that once he is healthy, Rondale can impact for the team that selects him. Watching Rondale on film reminds me of former Panther Steve Smith because of his size and stoutness. He looks to be just as fast and quick but what really separates Rondale from other smaller receivers in this draft is the fact he can play outside as well as inside. Most smaller receivers don’t have the strength and bulk, along with the quickness, to stand up to taller corners and not get moved off their routes easily. Rondale will also go across the middle and make the tough catch and he is smart. Because of his high football IQ to play more than one position and athletic talent and stoutness like Steve Smith, Rondale could be the type of playmaker a Quarterback could go to, in any situation to make a momentum-changing play in a game.

STRENGTHS
Teven is a big offensive lineman with long arms. His movement skills should allow him to be a good fit as a guard at the next level.

CONCERNS
Teven has had a lot of repetitions on the offensive line so to watch on film, at this point of his career, how out of NFL football shape he is, how sloppy his techniques are, how poor his balance is the quicker he tries to move his feet, how he lunges once he engages and stops moving his feet, is mind-boggling to me. He also holds on just about every play. He has a lot of work to do and the fact he opted out after a mysterious injury to work on the draft shows me that he knows he needs a lot of work. It reminds me of that kid who waits until the last minute to study for the test. That kid either fails or squeaks out, a passing grade, and is happy with that grade.

BOTTOM LINE 4.56
Well maybe, if Teven gets in better NFL shape all of his negatives will turn into positives. It’s possible…enough to be considered as a solid guard but, I’m not convinced at the next level he can play a tackle position. But that’s just me, I’m sure many others think differently. At least we know Teven’s agent thinks differently because right now as of this writing Teven is being considered as a possible 1st round pick by some people in the media. For me, I’d let someone else pick Teven and see where he is, physically and mentally at the end of his first contract. But like I said…that’s just me and you never know, if he works hard and gains strength and better techniques he does have the size to play a tackle position…you just never know. That being said as I stated before, I’d let someone else do all the work.

STRENGTHS
Joe has the talent, size, and length to be an impact Defensive End for the team that selects him. He has the talent to change the line of scrimmage in his favor on every down. He has those long arms and legs that make it easy for him to get into the backfield and be disruptive in two strides. Joe has the athletic talent and size to be used at multiple positions in a team defensive front seven. He can drop off the line into zone coverage as well as be used inside on the goal line because of his strength and ability to take on blocks and shed quickly to make tackles on the line. Joe shows on film, good overall effort on every play and the ability to improve in every aspect of his game, to be the impact player his talents suggest that he can become.

CONCERNS
Because Joe has played multiple positions he is reacting to what is happening on the field instead of making his opponents react to what he is doing on the field. Basically…he is thinking too much and it’s affecting his ability to impact. Thinking too much is also affecting his ability to be consistent at any one position with the correct techniques. Joe has a lot of bad habits that are covered up by his athleticism that will be magnified at the next level. He struggles in his pass rush to stay on his line and when he gets stopped on his initial move he lacks second moves to get himself free. He doesn’t finish because he is trying to out-think his opponent instead of using his god-given talents to defeat his opponent.

BOTTOM LINE 2.56
Joe has to decide for himself what position he wants to play…Linebacker or defensive line. Once that happens, he has to convince teams that are interested, that he is coachable, that he will take what he learns in practice into the game and use those techniques consistently. Then he has to learn and understand down and distance and how he is supposed to make an offensive lineman react to what he is doing and not the other way around. He has excellent talent and when he uses the correct techniques he easily defeats his opponent. Joe reminds me a lot of Vikings LB Anthony Barr and Bills LB Tremaine Edmonds. Now I know I’m in the minority but I feel that Anthony has never truly had the impact at the next level as a pass rusher because he has played out of position for his whole career. I also feel Edmonds would be more impacting if he was allowed to attack the line of scrimmage instead of being used most of the time in coverage. Sometimes having talent like Joe, Anthony and Tremaine have, is a gift, and sometimes it’s a curse. Of course, that depends on the Head Coach and your own opinion.

STRENGTHS
Nick is a smart linebacker who has could quickness and burst to the ball. He shows excellent leadership and has the ability to be a “coach on the field” type of player. Between the hash marks Nick is a tackling machine and with his ability to anticipate on sweeps and screens, Nick will make those tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Because of Nick’s high football IQ, he can play bigger than his size and that’s what he will bring with him at the next level to the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Nick is a unique type of player and it requires a unique style of defense for him to be the impact player he has been for his college team. He is free to run to the play and does not take on blocks to make plays. In fact, he is easy to block because of his size and most teams will consider that a problem. He lacks the change of direction skills to impact against the passing game and along with his lack of height, Nick will struggle to deal with receivers of all different sizes. Nick’s size and limited athletic talents will be a concern for most teams at the next level.

BOTTOM LINE 3.39
Nick reminds me a lot of a former vertically challenged linebacker with the limited athletic talent to play in the NFL when he came out. Sam Mills was 5’9” 230lbs and played linebacker in the NFL for 12 years for the Panthers and the Saints. He was signed by the Browns in 1981 as a free agent and released after the preseason. He bounced around for a while and then got signed by the Saints in 1985 and became the anchor of that defense and made the pro bowl 4 years in a row before he went to the Panthers and became the anchor of that defense. My point is no matter where or what round or what team or even if he doesn’t get selected at all, because of Nick’s high football IQ and determination, with the right team and the right defense he can become an impact player. For the purposes of this draft teams are looking for bigger, faster and players with more length, so Nick is in for a struggle from day one. Defenses have changed and most coaches are now looking for lighter linebackers who can run and cover and don’t care much if they can stop the run as Nick can. That being said, Ray Lewis was Nick’s size and wasn’t a great cover linebacker and he was selected in the 1st round of the 1996 Draft but then again, that was 25 years ago. Do you see my point?

STRENGTHS
Luke is a sleeper Tight End in this draft. He shows on film the ability to block, setting up on the line and off the line. He does a good job blocking in space and that along with his size and agility to block makes him a valuable player. He has good feet and although he is big his ability to, stay on balance and stay with his blocks is excellent. Luke is smart but what attracts me to him is his ability to catch the ball with ease and make the needed yardage after the catch. He does a good job against zone coverage, showing his numbers to the quarterback but don’t be fooled, Luke can catch the ball on the move and in contested situations in stride and like a receiver down the field. In the red zone once again because of his size he will not be easy for defenses to match up with. Luke is a complete Tight End, the kind that will open up your running game and move the chains, and score points in the Red Zone. If you’re looking for more than that from a Tight End…then you are truly, not looking for a Tight End.

CONCERNS
Luke is not going to run the ball 50 yards and score. Nevertheless, if you give him a chance in the passing game he will score and he will gain yards and he will keep your offense on the field.

BOTTOM LINE 2.72
Luke is a sleeper Tight End in this draft and the reason for that is because most think he is only a blocking Tight End but I believe that is not all he has to offer. The reason Gronk is considered as one of the best is because of his blocking. His ability to block made the coaches want to reward him by giving him some chances in the passing game. Once they did that Gronk showed them that he could catch just about any pass thrown to him and make yardage after the catch because he was so hard to bring down. Gronk had good speed when he first came out as a rookie but as the years went on his speed was marginal but he still produced big plays in the passing game. Luke might not be as dramatic a player as Gronk but he can be just as effective if…the team that selects him will include him in their passing game. A good Tight End is a key to opening up the running game. He is also the key to being a playmaker through blocking or catching the ball in the passing game. But this can only happen if the Tight End has the size and talent and the offensive coordinator includes him as an intricate part of the offense. Most, think Luke is JUST a blocking TE, I disagree, I guess the future will be telling. Look for some team to select Luke late (4th to 7th RD) in this draft but he will impact like he was selected in the 2nd RD. After all, sleepers don’t get selected early.

STRENGTHS
Joseph has the size, long arms, and work ethic to become more of an impact player at the next level than he was at the college level. He shows on film, solid agility skills and the stoutness against the run when playing on the edge, that most in this draft do not have. He does a good job rushing the passer and when playing off the ball shows an excellent burst to the play (when he commits) to make tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He has a good burst off the ball and the balance and hand strength to defeat his opponent once he identifies the play. Joseph has enormous, untapped talent and the more repetitions he gets the better he will become. I believe his impact position for the next level will be as a 4/3 defensive end. Playing one position and learning that one position will unleash this kids’ athletic talent to impact on any play, run or pass, in the future.

CONCERNS
Joseph needs to play one position and learn that position. If it’s as a linebacker off the ball or an edge rusher in a 3/4 defense or like I suggest a Defensive End in a 4/3 defense, until he learns just one position he will not have the impact, his talent suggest he should have.

BOTTOM LINE 2.06
Joseph is one of those players who could easily be selected in the 1st round or easily drop until the 3rd or 4th rounds, it just depends on what position he plays for the teams that are evaluated him. I just see so much untapped talent in his film, especially when he is used, attacking the line of scrimmage as a defensive lineman. As an off the line linebacker, I see a lot of guessing and because he has the athletic talent to recover quickly, he does a good job but, that guessing at the next level will be a struggle for him to overcome. As a linebacker off the ball, his LTI, (length till impact) will be out there someplace. As a defensive end, give him a year to build up his lower body, and this kid will be in the double digits for sacks and tackles behind the line quickly. He has those strong hands and long arms that will allow him to be more consistent, setting the edge of the defense. When he tackles running backs, he wraps them up with those long arms, like a Python wrapping around its prey. You can check all the boxes on this kid and you will see, all he needs is time and repetitions to get better.