Category: 2022 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Leo reminds me a lot of former LB/ER Kevin Greene. Between the hash marks Leo is a punishing football player. His burst to the ball and his strength are dominating factors in his overall game. He has quick feet and is an excellent tackler. He has good size and excellent bulk to give out and take the punishment his style of play requires, for him to stay healthy. Leo fires off the line of scrimmage with excellent power and against bigger players will use hand fighting techniques to free himself up quickly and get into the backfield or shed blocks and make tackles at the line of scrimmage against the run. He’s the type of player who will make the sack when everyone in the stadium knows he is coming. He’s a finisher, a disrupter, and the type of player offensive coordinators will have no choice but to game plan for. Leo is no honey badger on the field, he’s a freaking wolverine.

CONCERNS
Leo will not be considered by most teams, to be big enough to be a pass rusher. He does not have the agility to be used off the line, in pass coverage. He will not be considered strong enough or big enough to rush the passer or make tackles from the interior of the line. Leo is not the modern-day “run and chase” and makes tackles 20 yards down the field, type of player after the opponent has already made a first down. This confusion on how and where to play Leo will affect his draft status, not his play on the field.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.06
Leo is a playmaker, a disrupter, a clutch player. He is not fancy and he is not going to play in your defensive backfield except in zone coverage. Leo is an attack the line of scrimmage, stop the run, rush the passer, type of Linebacker who can be used to do all of those things, from any position in your front seven. Turn on the film and watch how Defensive Coordinator Jim Leonard took advantage of Leo’s athletic talents. If you are not ready to use Leo the same way…don’t bother drafting him. Oh, and by the way, if your Defensive Coordinator now, doesn’t think Leo can impact the defense making plays behind or at the line of scrimmage, I suggest you hire another Defensive Coordinator. Like Keven Greene, Leo will have to play in the right system and for the right Defensive Coordinator or he will not be as effective or impacting as he has been in college.

STRENGTHS
What you see is not what you get with Jalen…you get a whole lot more, much more. He reminds me a lot of the Bills Jordan Poyer. Jalen plays multiple positions for his college team because of his high football IQ and maturity. He has good size and is a lot better cover safety than most give him credit for. He shows excellent overall athletic agility and solid cover skills that make it easy to see how he can handle being a slot cover corner. He does a good job getting off blocks to make tackles on sweeps and screens because he plays with excellent anticipation, instincts and has good recognition skills. Jalen should be a fan favorite and coach favorite, the type of player for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
He needs to get much stronger and add some bulk to his frame without it affecting his speed and agility. He is a good tackler but still with improved strength in his hands and forearms he could become a much better and surer tackler. Because Jalen played up near the line of scrimmage most teams will think that he lacks the cover skills required to be a starting Defensive Back for the next level. He could be pigeonholed as a zone cover defensive back and this could affect his draft status. Of course, that will be a mistake. Jalen needs for his workouts and combine numbers to address all of these concerns.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.03
I’m going to out on a limb and suggest that Jalen was one of “those” players who went to class and did not spend all of his time just playing football. My thinking is that for the next level his upside will be physical more than mental because he already has an extremely high Football IQ and shows excellent leadership skills. When he gets bigger and stronger his tackling will improve and as he gains more experience his cover skills will improve. He is a playmaker on defense and a leader and in future years should become a coach on the field. When a player shows those attributes to me on film along with the athletic talent to play more than one position I tend to rate them for early draft round consideration. But that’s just me. Most of the time, players like Jalen aren’t selected until the later rounds but if he has very good workouts and runs 4.4 or 4.5 range, he could move into the third round. It’s a possibility.

STRENGTHS
Breece is a big, strong, powerful running back with excellent agility and vision. He is an excellent blocker and if his quarterback decided to throw to him, you would see on film that he has the eye/hand coordination to catch passes out of the backfield like a receiver. He shows excellent speed and burst and the type of lateral agility to gain yardage on his own. Breece is such an excellent blocker, his team used him as the blocker for the quarterback on role-outs instead of a Tight End, Offensive Lineman, fullback, or even an H-Back. Breece has the potential to be even a better running back at the next level than he was at the college level and that is saying a mouth full. Breece was very effective at the college level, especial in the Red zone. The proof of that Red Zone effectiveness showed up on the field and in his stats. He scored 20 touchdowns and 1472 yards in 2021, and 21 touchdowns and 1572 yards in 2020. Think about it, every team, game planned, and knew he was coming, and he came anyway.

CONCERNS
When Breece is patient and waits for his blocks he really shines. Sometimes he’s too quick, fast, and impatient to the line of scrimmage for his own good. He also needs to learn better, how to set up his blocks for his offensive lineman and improve his vision but all of this will happen at the next level because of his work ethic. Some teams might be concerned that Breece has been “Used up” at the college level and won’t have much left for the NFL level. All I can say is, he gives out punishment more than he takes it.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.90
The team that selects Breece is going to be surprised at how well he catches the ball and gains yardage in the open field, breaking tackles. He is such a good blocker that he hasn’t been able to show that skill set much on film. Being as good a blocker as Breece is can be a gift and a curse. A gift because your QB gets more time in the pocket. A curse because if you keep Breece in to block, you lose his talent to catch the ball down the field with sure hands, and make RAC yards like a Tight End. Of course, the value of the running back position will affect his draft status but I’m guessing that after his workouts and the combine some teams might feel that Breece is the exception. If your team needs a feature running back Breece might be the one to target, at least he is on my board.

STRENGTHS
Is Drake a linebacker playing Defensive End or… or a Defensive End who should be playing linebacker? He has the athletic talent to play either position. He has a good burst off the line into the backfield to sack quarterbacks. He shows the needed change of direction talent to play Zone coverage, dropping off the line. He has those long arms that give him the ability to play bigger than his size and he has the quick feet and long stride needed to turn the corner and get to the play behind the line of scrimmage or down the field. Drake has all of the talent and size to play more than one position in the front seven for the team that selects him and that makes him valuable to just about all 32 teams in this draft.

CONCERNS
As a Defensive End, Drake gets pushed off his line too easily when pass rushing and this makes it hard for him to finish. Against the run, he plays too high, doesn’t get off his blocks, and struggles to hold his gaps or turn the play inside for others to make a play. Drake’s biggest problem is he cranes his neck like a giraffe looking into the backfield on the snap of the ball on most downs making the big mistake of giving up his chest to his defender. Drake has a lot to learn about the intricacies of the Defensive End position and even more to learn if he is to be considered for a linebacker position. Right now, his success is based on just athletic talent and for the next level and it takes more than athletic talent to play in the NFL.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.44
Defensive linemen have to understand the blocking schemes of the offensive line or it is hard for them to react correctly and do their job. Don’t get me wrong Drake is smart but he lacks the trust. It’s like a QB who waits for his receiver to break instead of anticipating the break and throwing the ball to a spot on the field. Drake wants to make a play so badly on every down that he just loses his trust. He doesn’t read and react, he looks past his defender, into the backfield and this makes him lose balance and power, and the ability to finish. A defensive lineman has to read the player in front of him at the snap first. Sometimes it’s very hard for coaches to break this habit of “looking past the defender” as if they weren’t there, for a defensive lineman. When this happens and if you can’t turn them into linebackers, they become depth players. That’s why I asked the question, is Drake a potential Defensive lineman or is he a linebacker? Drake has talent and could impact very much like The Dolphins Jason Taylor did when he played. Jason played both in his career, maybe Drake will do the same.

STRENGTHS
Trey has the eye/hand coordination, of a Las Vegas magician. He can catch a pass that most receivers would struggle to catch. He wants to catch the ball and then punish whoever tries to tackle him. He is a passionate blocker and a passionate run after the catch type of receiver. Trey is a solid in-line blocker, because of his passion to dominate and intimidate the player in front of him. He has good size to block but his success when blocking comes from his wiliness to compete and passion to dominate. Trey has the talent to be an impact offensive player and a fan favorite for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Trey is very tight in the hips and lacks the lateral agility and change of direction talent to block in open spaces and run all the routes. When he lines up as an inline blocker and gets beat off the snap, he panics and commits penalties. Because of his lack of lateral agility, Trey will have to learn how to use his body against single coverage to separate. Also, Trey struggles to get into his routes quickly and with some explosiveness, when he is coming out of a three-point stance. Nevertheless, Trey will be outstanding catching the ball and making punishing RAC yardage against zone coverages for sure.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.67
Until Trey learns how to run routes better, changing gears and using his body, he will struggle against single coverages in spite of the fact that he can catch contested passes. As far as to pass blocking, he will struggle if left alone, out in space. Trey will need help when pass blocking, and have to learn more finesse to keep himself on balance. Trey’s passion to make a block is a gift and a curse because, in spite of his success at the college level, it has kept him from learning better techniques and also understanding his own limitations physically when blocking. Trey has a lot to learn but he seems to have an excellent work ethic. His ability to catch the ball like a magician and his punishing style of run after the catch skill level is unique. That is what he truly will bring to the next level to become an impacting, fan-favorite, type of player for the team that selects him.

STRENGTHS
Bernhard has the size, athletic talent, and work ethic needed, to be a successful offensive lineman for the team that selects him. He shows good quick feet and good enough lateral agility to be considered as a potential starting Left tackle or Right tackle. He has the agility to go out to the 2nd level and make his blocks and enough foot speed and agility to be used on sweeps and screens. He seems to show pride in protecting his QB and looks to have the mental strength needed. Bernhard is quick to learn and does not repeat mistakes very often and in the very near future, should be an excellent starting offensive lineman for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
There are a ton of issues Bernhard will need to improve on before he can become a starting lineman. His balance and pad level, when run blocking or pass blocking, is poor, he has to get stronger in his upper and lower body, his hand techniques are poor, he needs to improve his football IQ and become more instinctive, he needs to play with more overall aggressiveness and quickness in all phases of his game. All of that being said he improved dramatically during the Senior Bowl practices and the game.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.06
When you put the film on during the season Raimann doesn’t impress you more than a size/ athletic type, developmental pick in the upcoming draft. But like the Bills Spencer Brown last year at the Senior Bowl, Bernhard’s improvement was dramatic during the week. Bernhard showed that he can take what is learned into practice into a game and improve from play to play. The first day Bernard was catching players and one of the coaches showed him how to use his hands on the inside instead of the outside. Bernhard proceeded to do that on every repetition throughout practice and never changed back. He got quicker out of his stance from practice to practice and improved his footwork. It was very impressive to watch how quickly he improved, and showed, when he did get beat, he did not revert back to old or bad habits and techniques. Not reverting back, is what sold me on his potential to be a starting left tackle at the next level. I’m not sure what round he will be selected, he could sneak into the 1st round or fall to the 3rd round but I am sure of his potential to start. Left Tackle (in my opinion) is a skill position on the offense so…you do the math… what round would you select him in?

STRENGTHS
Nicholas might be the most athletic offensive tackle in this draft. Because of that excellent athleticism, he can play either offensive tackle position at a high level. He shows excellent mental strength and pride in protecting his quarterback. Nicholas might be one of the best offensive linemen I have seen going out to the second level, making his blocks and dominating linebackers in the process. He is excellent at blocking in open space on sweeps and screens. Nicholas fires out when run blocking with the passion needed to dominate. His pure athleticism, football intelligence, and pride are what allow him to pass block at a high level for his college team.

CONCERNS
There are a ton of questions that will need to be answered and none of them can be answered in a workout or an interview. Is he a right tackle or a left tackle? Should he be moved inside? There’s more but nevertheless, Nicholas has too much mental toughness, character, and athletic talent to pass up selecting early in this draft.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.89
It’s very hard for athletic Offensive linemen to trust the techniques of the position over their athletic talent. The shock for those athletic linemen is, that for the first time, their athletic talent will be matched at the next level. If Nicholas doesn’t use good techniques along with his athletic talent, then he will fail to live up to his potential. It’s a trust issue and sometimes the only way to get through to a player like Nicholas is to throw him on the field and let him get beat physically and emotionally until he is ready to use the correct techniques religiously. I remember when the Chiefs selected Eric Fisher as the very 1st pick in that draft. I thought he would go later in the 1st round because, in spite of his athletic talent I thought, he needed time to develop. Eric struggled big time and the only reason the Chiefs stuck with him was that he was such a high pick. Nicholas, selected late in the 1st or early 2nd round by a team willing to give him time to develop should become one of the better, if not the best offensive tackle in this draft. He is very smart and even more athletic than Eric was coming out so, maybe Nicholas won’t take as much time to develop.

STRENGTHS
Jahan reminds me a lot of the Bills receiver Stephon Diggs. This kid has the eye/hand coordination to catch a June bug as it flies by him. He has a big catch radius to go along with intelligent route running talent. He is smart and can be lined up at any one of the receiver positions. Jahan has the toughness to make those difficult contested catches and move the chains on third downs. He can play in the slot like Jarvis Landry but as I stated before when he plays on the outside he reminds me a lot of Stephon because of his ability to get off the line and his slippery route-running skills. Jahan knows where he is on the field and the down and distance at all times and this will make him very valuable to a quarterback and the play-caller at the most crucial times in a game.

CONCERNS
Let the nitpicking begins, what about his size? What about how big his hands are? What about if he stole a candy bar when he was in the 3rd grade? Size matters when it comes to the draft but once the game starts, production is the only thing that matters. Jahan will not break that many tackles after he catches the ball but he will fight for 1st downs when needed and that truly is all that matters with RAC stats to me.

BOTTOM LINE 1.69
Like Stephon Diggs, Jahan knows when it is most important to gain yards after the catch and when it is important to take what you can get, and go down to avoid injury. That intelligence makes him very dependable and keeps him from injuries. Catching the ball, and football intelligence is the key to being an effective and impact receiver in the NFL. Add to that dependability and trust and you have yourself a pro bowl receiver no matter what his size is. Trust me, knowing that he might have stolen a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when he was in grammar school, really is not part of the process. All you need to know is that Jahan is a playmaker and has the competitive nature and the needed athleticism to run your passing game through him…that’s all you really need to know.

STRENGTHS
Chris reminds me a lot of Texans/Dolphins Will Fuller. He has a smooth gate and stride and shows good hands to catch the deep ball most of the time. Chris is a smart route running, changing gears, and using his speed to separate from the defender. He does a good job when he is used on the outside getting off the line of scrimmage against press coverage because of his quickness. He is a matchup nightmare when used in the slot because of his speed and putting him in motion will put a defense into panic mode trying to defend him. Chris has excellent potential to make the big play for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Chris will struggle against physical defenders and can disappear at times because of that. He will not be much help on special teams and will struggle to make those needed yards on third downs when you need them the most. That being said, he is a big-play receiver, just not the kind of receiver who can carry the passing offense.

BOTTOM LINE 2.86
Chris is what I call your complimentary big-play receiver and if that’s the type of receiver your offense needs then don’t be concerned about selecting him early in this draft. Chris will make the big play but just not when everyone in the stadium knows the ball has to go to him. Understand when you select Chris, if you are thinking he’s the next Stephon Diggs or the next Cooper Kupp or for that matter the next Justin Jefferson, you might be asking too much of him. After a few years in the league, who knows… he has the talent to develop into a player like those that I have mentioned but, for the purposes of selecting him in this draft, I believe you have to think of him as a complementary impact receiver. Those teams that think differently will no doubt, select him earlier than I have him rated so look for Rob’s Value Board to find out what they might be thinking.

STRENGTHS
Christian has the size, speed, and athletic talent to be one of the best LB’s in this draft. He shows very good agility to be used as a cover linebacker up against most, if not all, Tight Ends and big slot receivers. In fact, from what I see on film, that is the strength of his game that he will bring to the next level. His overall athletic talent is very good and his production and stats are very good also. Christian does his job and whatever the coaches ask him to do on the field he does with excellent results. Because of his size, speed, athletic talent, Christian has the “potential” to be an excellent linebacker for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Christian is effective at the college level because of his athletic talent. For the next level, he shows me on film, that he will struggle against the run, especially between the tackles. He is a poor tackler with poor upper body strength to finish. He struggles to recognize how a team is attacking him on running plays. He tries to go around blocks rather than take on blocks when offensive linemen come out to the second level. When he plays inside, he takes wrong angles on sweeps and screens but because of his athleticism gets away with it. When he plays on the outside he is easy to block and gets washed out and struggles to hold the point of attack and dump the play inside. When used to blitz he hesitates until he is sure of the play and then explodes to the QB. Believe me, for a player with his production I was very surprised, to see this type of play on the field.

BOTTOM LINE 3.11
I’m a simple guy and a run-first guy. For me, ALL defensive players have to be strong against the run and be good tacklers. Why, because you can’t teach the mentally needed to be strong against the run and a good tackler. You can teach the techniques but the truth is success, is all up to the players mentally to do this grunt work. When you’re a linebacker and that running back is coming straight at you, they have to WANT to take that player done and put him on his back. Not throw a shoulder into them, not dive at their legs, they have to show me a head up, wrap up, squeeze and drive tackle that will put that bigger player on their back. To be able to Form tackle doesn’t happen all the time but the “will” to make sure that player goes down has to happen on every play or you won’t make it in the NFL. Every player misses a tackle…that happens but that miss should not be because of a lack of the mentality to take that player down. I like Christian’s size and athletic talents. I respect his production on paper, but I do not like what I see on film in his style of play. That’s just me, most others seem to think differently.

STRENGTHS
Jameson has the speed and quickness to defeat the angles of his opponents who are trying to tackle him in the open field. For the young Draftniks, he is a bigger version of the #Chiefs Tyreek Hill. For you older Draftniks, he is a smaller but just as tough version of former, 5 team great Randy Moss. He has that “Randy Moss smooth gate” that keeps his head from bobbing that allows him to catch the deep ball with ease. He also has the “Tyreek Hill quicks” to nullify taking big hits and to easily separate when running any route on the route tree. Jameson has excellent hands and a big catch radius to go along with a high football IQ to decipher zone coverages on the run. He is not one of those “finesse” type speed receivers. He is mentally tough and shows that toughness on the special team coverage units for his college team making kamikaze-type tackles all over the field. Jameson will make the average starting NFL quarterback into a playoff quarterback and the franchise quarterback think, they have died and gone to football heaven.

CONCERNS
Jameson has an injured knee that has required surgery and this will affect his draft status for some teams. I do not feel he is just a speed receiver so I’m not convinced it will affect most team’s thinking but for those teams that pigeonhole him as a speed receiver, this injury will affect how they rate him.

BOTTOM LINE 1.40
Jameson does not bring with him the baggage that Tyreek brought and Randy brought with them when they were available for the draft but his injury could affect his draft status just as much. Randy had unique size to go along with his talent and that kept him in the 1st round but he wasn’t selected until the 21st pick. Tyreek lasted until the 5th round in spite of his talent and partly because of his size. I’m guessing Jameson in spite of his injury, could still be a top 10 pick but stranger things have happened in a draft. If I’m a playoff team I’m thinking if he drops to the twenties like Randy Moss did that it would be very hard for me not to throw caution to the wind, throw a 2023 1st round pick in (if necessary) and trade up to get him but that’s just me. I mean really, if you’re a playoff team this year and you move up to get him using a 2023 1st round pick chances are you will be a playoff team or super bowl team next year too so how much did you really give up? It’s like giving up a 2nd rounder. It’s a little bit of a chance but a calculated one. I bet the Chiefs would do it if they had to.