Category: 2022 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Tariq is a smart, talented defensive back. He has excellent size and speed and has those long legs that make it easy to make up speed when he gets beat. Tariq is quick to come up and support the run. He fights through blocks and is a good open-field tackler. Tariq also shows leadership skills through his play on the field, his high football IQ, and communication with his teammates on the field. He has the pride and competitiveness nature, to be used in any style of coverage and at multiple positions in any team’s defensive backfield. Tariq is a sleeper cornerback, hiding in plain sight, on a division one team.

CONCERNS
Tariq has not shown to be much of a ball hawk making interceptions in his college career. That’s because he would rather cover and tackle instead of taking chances and jumping routes hoping he can make an interception. I don’t see this as a concern but a lot of teams will. He is a little tight in his hips and will at times get his footwork out of whack when he is in single coverage but overall, he is a hell of a defensive back.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.72
Tariq stood out to me in the Senior Bowl practices. The scuttle on him at that time was that he wasn’t a good tackler and was a marginal cover corner. I don’t believe in scuttle so I made my notes and then went to the film and saw exactly the opposite. I saw a hell of a cover corner and an excellent tackler who fought through blocks and was an impact corner for his college team. So, I thought, maybe I don’t have enough film on him. I’ll wait for the combine. He looked good and ran fast but still, I thought how could I be the only one who sees the opposite? I’ll wait for his pro day. I see him do his drills and yes there are some issues but nothing to think that Tariq is a marginal cover corner as far as I could tell. He showed that he has the hands to make the interception when needed so we can put that concern to rest also. Tariq at this point in his career is just not wired to take chances and make interceptions unless the ball is going to come to him. There is nothing wrong with that at all. Tariq will cover and defend and limit, after the catch yardage, and as far as I’m concerned those are the priorities I look for in a cornerback. Add to that his potential leadership skills, and high football IQ and I would take Tariq on my team for sure. So, I see the opposite of what everyone else see’s in a player. Do you think it’s been the first time that has happened? Seriously, Tariq is 6 Ft, runs a 4.3 with longs legs and arms, tackles, and has a high football IQ! What’s there not to like?

STRENGTHS
Jake plays like a calculating crazed Pomeranian. He is quick and has an excellent burst to the ball. Jake is smart and a coach on the field and the type of player who makes the players around him better. He has excellent instincts and that helps him to play bigger than his size and faster. Jake is always around the ball. He’s a playmaker looking to make a tackle, rip the ball out for a fumble, or slap the ball out of the QB’s hands. He’s the type of player who anticipates the offensive center snap of the ball and that my friends is pretty hard to do without getting penalized, for offsides. Jake is solid when used in coverages. He reminds me a lot of the Buffalo Bills Matt Milano.

CONCERNS
Injuries have cut into Jake’s ability to work out and teams are forgetting how good a player he is. I don’t think the scouts are forgetting, and when Jake gets healthy he most likely will be an impact starting defensive player for the team that was smart enough to select him. Jake will be considered by most teams as “position-specific” and that will affect his draft status also.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.50
If Jake can not work out before the draft because of his knee injury he will mostly become a priority-free agent signing or late round selection. That being said, it’s hard for me to include injuries in my evaluations because I have no clue how bad they will be to a player’s career status. All I can do is tell you what I see in the film and then inform you of the injury. I think Jake is an impact and talented defensive player who forces turnovers and makes plays. I do agree that he is “position-specific” and he mostly will fit a certain style of defense and with that information, I would look at selecting Jake in and around the 2nd round. Now we get into Jake’s value. Because of his injury, I can look at Rob’s board and evaluate what round Jake most likely will be selected in and plan off that information. That’s how the 2-board system works. It gives you a chance to realize that there is talent in every round of the draft if you manage the draft correctly, and do not fall in love with just one player. Jake’s injury does not change his talent but it does change his value and where that talent could be selected. Matt Milano was injured when he came out in 2017. He was selected in the 5th round. He’s been one of the Bill’s starting LB’s since halfway through his 1st year in the league. He just signed an extension for $44 million dollars for the next 4 years. Good luck Jake.

STRENGTHS
Cam is what I call a power cornerback who will intimidate most receivers and make impact plays on special teams and against running plays to his side of the field. He is athletic enough to play on both sides of the ball as a Receiver/Running back or as a safety or cornerback or as a hybrid slot corner in a 4/2/5 style of defense. Cam is a smart player and might have finally found a home as a cornerback in the Nebraska defense. He is quick to come up and support the run fighting through blocks with strength and quickness most blockers will struggle to handle. He is a good tackler and a smart zone cover corner. He has plenty of athletic talent to play in single coverages. Cam, given some time to develop, has the potential to become a shutdown cover corner in the NFL in the near future. If that doesn’t happen for some strange reason, he still will become a hell of a cornerback or safety or hybrid slot corner for the team that selects him. Cam reminds me a lot of former Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson who was the 5th pick of the 2011 Draft.

CONCERNS
Cam needs more time to develop single coverage skills. He has played safety and a hybrid so much that he is used to keeping the play in front of him. As soon as he learns better tricks of the trade and gets the needed repetitions he will become one of the better cover corners and might be a shutdown corner in the NFL. Cam has to learn to trust his athletic talent in single coverage and learn to read receivers better than he does now. He has the recovery speed and burst, it’s just all tied up in his footwork and looking into the backfield too much and too soon right now.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.14
Cam reminds me of Patrick Peterson but he is a lot more aggressive against the run. The difference is that Patrick was much better in single coverage and played in the SEC against top receivers. That’s a big difference. Cam has all of the same athletic talents as Patrick and might be a little smarter so given the time to adjust those hidden skills should come out soon enough. In the meantime, Cam will be a hell of a corner or he can play safety or even be used in the slot but I do think he has found a home at cornerback and if he stays there can become a pro bowl corner for the team that selects him.

STRENGTHS
Abraham is a big, strong, powerful athletic offensive tackle who does his job and does it well. He has good feet and good lateral agility but what he truly brings with him for the next level is the use of mature techniques and a non-panic attitude. Abraham is a quality offensive lineman. He has a lot of repetitions at the right tackle position, more than most offensive lineman coming out in a draft. He shows leadership skills through his play on the field and the mental toughness and stamina to start the day after you select him. Abraham is very underrated by most in this draft.

CONCERNS
The biggest concern for most teams will be can Abraham play on the Left Tackle as well as he plays Right Tackle? Also, Abraham has to prove he is as good a run blocker as he is a pass blocker because of the style of offense he played in. Of course, this is a bogus nit-picking excuse to downgrade him but teams will use it anyway.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.89
There is nothing wrong with Abraham’s ability to run block. He is quick out of his stance and has the quick feet and overall athletic talent to be used in any style of offense line scheme. The real issue will be can Abraham play on the left side to be used as a swing tackle until he becomes a starter. It’s not as easy as most think to play on the left side when all you have ever played is right tackle. Personally, I think it’s stupid to downgrade him because of it but I do understand that being only position-specific on the offensive line can be an issue for some teams and will affect his draft status. That being said, a plug-in offensive tackle like Abraham is, should not be passed over for very long. Abraham will play for ten years as your Right Tackle and could be a pro bowl player so I expect most teams will be looking at that potential rather than worrying about if he can play Left Tackle. At least that’s how I look at it. Look at Rob’s board to see what round this 1st round talent is most likely to get selected in. He could sneak into the 1st round, then again, he might not.

STRENGTHS
Eric is a big, strong, solid route runner, catch anything thrown to him, receiver. He will break tackles to move the chains or to score a touchdown. Eric does an excellent job tracking and catching the deep ball. He has strong hands to catch the contested pass and the athletic agility to adjust to the ball in the air and make the difficult catch. Eric has the talent to make the average starting Quarterback better and the Franchise Quarterback thinks they have died and gone to football heaven. He is an aggressive and strong route runner making it very hard to push him off his routes. He loves to be physical and with his large catch radius loves to fight for the ball in the air. Eric is one of those receivers who is open when he is not open. He has the potential to be as good and as impacting as the Buccaneers WR Mike Evans and he reminds me a lot of former Bills Receiver Eric Moulds.

CONCERNS
I’m going to nit-pick and tell you that he has a bad habit of giving up his chest coming off the line of scrimmage and this will have to be addressed at the next level. It will stop the rhythm of him getting into his routes if he doesn’t correct this. I’d also like to see Eric bulk up a little bit more to take the pounding a receiver with his style of play needs, to last a full 17 game schedule. At the combine, he came in at 6’2” 209 lbs. I like to see him up around the 215 to 220 lbs area. But that’s just me personally.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.92
Eric can line up any were on the field and do just about anything he wants to do because of his size, strength, eye/hand coordination, strong hands, and overall god-given athletic talent. He can catch the deep ball, move the chains, and in general allow the coaching staff to run the passing game through him. Years ago, there was a receiver for the Buffalo Bills Eric Moulds 6’ 2” 225 lbs who really “reminds” me of this Eric because of Ezukanma’s passion and aggressiveness running his routes. Eric Moulds, in spite of playing with some less than average QB’s (except for Doug Flutie), was considered one of the premier receivers from 1990’s to the 2000’s. If Ezukanma can bulk up without losing his speed and quickness I think he could have that same type o career. This is another 1st round talent that most likely will not be selected in the 1st round. Nevertheless, he will play like he was drafted in the 1st RD, once he gets on the field. This draft is deep in receivers with excellent talent but not deep with receivers with Eric’s size and talent.

STRENGTHS
Rachaad reminds me a lot of the Saints running back Alvin Kamara. He has that same slip/sliding, smooth gate when making his cuts as Alvin has. He is not a pounding type of running back, more like a knife cutting through butter style of running back. Rachaad has excellent speed, size, and quickness and has excellent football intelligence with a great “feel” for the game in general. Rachaad can catch the ball down the field as well as any receiver in this draft. His quick feet, lateral agility, and vision makes Rachaad a “Now you see me, now you don’t” type of running back that will frustrate most linebackers once he breaks the line of scrimmage. His slip/sliding and gliding style of running between the tackles makes it very hard to get a full hit on Rachaad and his ability to stay on the field as a receiver makes Rachaad a possible every-down back for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Rachaad plays light and needs to be used in a spread offense to be effective out of the backfield. He gives good effort when used to block in the backfield but is not that effective. He runs upright but does drop his pads when he needs to gain needed yardage but he is not a power runner and this will affect his draft status for some teams.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.61
Rachaad will frustrate a lot of evaluators because he has the size and numbers that suggest he should be more of a power back. Alvin Kamara is not a power back and I believe most GM’s and Head Coaches wish they had selected him when he came out. Of course, the Saints are also always looking for that running back to complement Alvin and run the ball in the red zone or with 4 minutes left on the clock. Rachaad has to be used all over the offense and not just as a running back. Run him between the tackles and then split him out and throw him the ball. Don’t let a defense get a beat on this kid and he will impact for sure. The offensive coordinator and play-calling, are crucial to Rashaad’s ability to impact at the next level. His athletic talents and high football IQ allows him to be a multi-positional player and using him as just your running back, stuck in the backfield, will not maximize his talent’s ability to impact.

STRENGTHS
Dameon has talent and a style of running the ball that is unique. He has good size and strength and has those quick feet that allow him to make his cuts in a phone booth. When he breaks the line of scrimmage he has surprising vision with excellent power to break tackles and make his own yardage. Dameon is not as big as the Colts Jonathan Taylor but he has similar strength and power and does not shy away from making a tackler pay for tackling him. The strange thing about Dameon’s running style is that as the game goes on he starts to use his vision and lateral explosion to make players miss him. He strangely has two different styles of running in a game that seems to contradict each other and that is unique. He starts out in a power running style smashing through tacklers and as the game goes on, winds up juking and breaking ankles. As I stated before this style is unique. Nevertheless, I am sure of one thing when I watch him in the small amount of film I have seen…he definitely has the talent, size, and skills to be an every-down running back for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
So, what does Dameon lack you ask…production that proves he has all of those talents. He also needs to answer the question, of why he wasn’t used or on the field more? I don’t care what anyone says about the coach, I can’t believe any coach would leave that type of talent on the bench. So, what’s up with that?

BOTTOM LINE: 2.39
He’s a power runner, no, he’s a “break the ankles” runner, no, he’s a between the tackle’s runner, no, he’s a third-down back! What kind of running back is Dameon? He has excellent speed, excellent lateral explosion, and vision, excellent power, very good hands to catch the ball, and is a smart and willing blocker. His lack of production and not being on the field is troubling but I learned a long time ago not to believe anything I can’t touch, smell, and in general see for myself. There is so much poor media reporting of the facts of any situation on or off the field or for that matter, news in general. There is a reason Dameon was not on the field. There is a reason this type of talent was kept off the field. I will not speculate what that reason is but I do not accept the reports that it was just because “he didn’t fit the system”, or the coach didn’t know how to use him, or any other BS reason, being reported. I don’t believe coaches are that stupid or…maybe they are!

STRENGTHS
Matt is your sleeper, developmental potential Left Tackle of this draft. He has excellent size and overall athleticism to play offensive tackle at a very high level for the team that selects him. Matt is that type of player who is so efficient at playing his position that you really don’t notice him during a game. After the game, when you look at the film you realized he never got beat the whole game. He has very good lateral agility and is very smart and never panics when he gets beat off the snap. Matt has the athletic talent to be used in any style of offensive line blocking scheme. As I stated before, Matt is your sleeper Offensive tackle in this draft class, the type of player who won’t beat anyone out starting now but, if he gets on the field because of an injury to a starting tackle, he won’t come off.

CONCERNS
Basically, Matt needs to build up his physical stamina and of course, clean up some techniques and he should be good to go. At the Senior Bowl practices, he seem to struggle mostly with stamina, and at the combine when he ran his forty he looked like he was laboring in spite of the fact he ran a 5.03. In the past, he did have a knee injury.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.72
At the college level they “Red Shirt” players or stash them to get another year of eligibility. In the NFL, teams sometimes stash players who are selected in the draft, on IR to keep them and give that player some more time to get mentally and physically ready for the NFL. Then they put them on the practice squad in the hope no one notices them and that players can keep developing. Matt is the type of player that if you put him on your team’s practice squad another team will snatch him up quicker than you can drive back to the office to take him off the list. I suggest you just select Matt and let him work on getting stronger and building up his physical stamina. Don’t play games with his availability. Let him develop and let him know he is needed so that when your marginal starting Left Tackle is looking for a contract that pays him as much as a quarterback, you can trade him and start Matt and never have to look back. Matt has, former Browns Left Tackle Joe Thomas potential. He doesn’t “remind” me of Joe but he does have that type of potential. He has Joe’s “efficient style” of playing the Offensive Tackle position.

STRENGTHS
Marcus is the best athlete in this draft. Watching him play on defense is like watching a hyena chasing down a lion on the Serengeti. Marcus is a quick/twitch athlete with those quick feet that makes players miss him when returning punts and kicks on special teams. He has those fluid hips that allow him to cover receivers on defense better than most in this draft. Marcus is a weapon who plays bigger than his size because of his athleticism and high football IQ. He has the skills to shut down any size receiver from any defensive back position on the field. Marcus is a weapon on the special team return units. He has the leadership skills to be a coach on the field for your defense. He is quick to support the run but doesn’t shed blocks, he just beats the blocker to the spot on the field and makes a tackle with anticipation and instincts. As I stated before, Marcus is the best athlete in this draft, and watching him play on defense is like watching a predator hunt, on one of those nature shows on TV.

CONCERNS
There are two big concerns teams use to justify NOT selecting a player early in a draft…size and versatility. Marcus oozes both of those concerns from every part of his body. He’s 5’ 8” and plays on defense, offense, and special teams. Marcus is a cornerback who is aggressive and tends to guess routes and can get beat off the line. That being said his tremendous athleticism allows him to recover quicker than most other defensive backs and still make plays on the ball. Once again, if you want to nit-pick Marcus out of not selecting early in this draft, go ahead but…you will be sorry.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.43
A big issue I see in selecting Marcus is trying to replace his impact if he does get hurt. You will need to call up at least three players from the practice squad to replace the three players who will have to be used to replace Marcus on the field, and those moves still, will not replace his impact. I believe Marcus prefers to play on defense because of his predatory and competitive nature. His competitive nature does get satisfied playing on offense but, it does nothing to satisfy the portion of his nature that is predatorial. I don’t care what round he gets selected. You can nit-pick him into the lower rounds or select him in the top ten, it really doesn’t matter to me. Nevertheless, believe me when I tell you, if I were actually selecting players he would be on the top of my list, and in fact he is. As I stated before, watching him on film is like watching a Hyena chasing down a lion on the Serengeti…picture it.

STRENGTHS
Quay reminds me a lot of Bills LB Tremaine Edwards. He is tall and lanky and extremely athletic. He has the type of size, speed, and overall athleticism that makes you think he can play any place in your defense front seven. Quay has the talent to play off the line of scrimmage and the size to be used on the line of scrimmage. His long arms will allow him to keep players off his body, shed, and make tackles. His long legs allow him to make ground up fast and be used in coverage against big slot receivers and Pass Catching Tight Ends. Because of Quay’s size, if you put Quay on the Edge and try to block him with a Tight End or a running back on passing downs, your quarterback will pay the price. Quay has excellent potential to be an impact player for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Quay needs more repetitions to develop his instincts. To do that he needs to be in a structured defense playing one position. That defense and position could be as an outside linebacker in a 4/3 Defense, or as an outside linebacker/edge rusher in a 3/4 Defense. The keyword here is OUTSIDE.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.00
Quay should not be forced to play in a 4/2/5 defense (Like Tremaine has been) because of his athleticism, size, speed, and big wingspan. Quay’s change of direction skills are good, but not good enough to cover, down the field, just because in a workout he might show the numbers that suggest otherwise. Tremaine struggles to be the “impact” player his talents suggest because he has been forced into a defense that demands to much responsibility from him. Quay can be an impact linebacker if the team that selects him doesn’t demand that he have too many responsibilities at the snap of the ball. Don’t misunderstand what I am suggesting. I’m not saying Quay is not smart enough to play multiple positions in multiple defenses. All I’m saying is, if you use his athletic talent all over the field it gets watered down. Think of it this way, when you’re on the field of battle do you prefer to have the choice of only a shield to protect yourself or only a spear to attack your enemy? Using Quay as an OLB is like having a spear. Using him as a cover linebacker in a 4/2/5 defense is like using him as a shield. You decide, personally, I always like taking the fight to the enemy instead of trying to shield myself from getting hurt. With his talent, don’t be surprised if Quay sneaks into the 1st Round.

STRENGTHS
Britain is the type of impact player that strikes like lightning. His quickness allows him to be the type of receiver and special teams player that can score at any time and from any place on the field. He is so quick he makes defenders look like they are playing on a hockey rink without skates. Britain is a slot or move receiver because of his size and is close to impossible to defend when he runs routes from the slot or when he is used as a move receiver. He is also a special teams returner nightmare. Britain’s quickness, route running, and football intelligence comes in very handy inside the red zone. His ability to catch anything thrown at him is a big plus also. He’s the type of player who doesn’t need to handle the ball a lot in a game to have a big impact or make the play that wins the game.

CONCERNS
His lack of size most likely will make him a late-round pick or rookie free agent priority. His play on the field will allow him to be as impacting as Tyreek or Hunter or Cole…take your pick. If your biggest concern is size and injury issues, I suggest you just trade all your draft picks now because there is not a player you can pick in any round that guarantees they will have an injury-free career.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.17
Hunter Renfrow, drafted in the 5th RD is 5’10”, Tyreek Hill drafted in the 5th RD is 5’8”, Cole Beasley undrafted, 5’8” and all are in the 175 to 180 lbs range. Britain is 5’ 8” and in the 175 to 180 range depending on who’s numbers you believe. Hunter, Tyreek, Cole all had the label as specialty players whose impact would be on special teams and emergency receivers only. Size matters when it comes to the draft but it doesn’t matter once a player gets on the field, only production matters then. I can’t tell you when a player will be selected in a draft or even if a player will be selected. All I can tell you is there are lots of small slot receivers impacting more than the receivers selected in the draft ahead of them. The player who started it all is Former Buffalo Bills Steve Tasker, 5’ 9” 180. He impacted as a special teams player until the last three years of his career when Steve played as a receiver in their no-huddle, three and four-receiver sets an offense most teams were not running at that time. Steve’s impact was enormous on special teams and as a slot receiver cumulating in a playoff game catching 5 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Steve was drafted in the 9th RD of the 1985 draft, cut and picked up by the Bills off waivers, and played for a total of 12 years. He accumulated 204 special teams tackles, 7 blocked punts, 7-time pro bowl selection. He’s the only special teams player ever elected MVP of the pro bowl. How about we stop measuring hand size and start measuring heart size.