Category: 2023 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Steve has the athletic talent and high football IQ to play more than one interior position on the offensive line for the team that selects him. He has that “Sponge Bob Square Pants” body type that makes it difficult for defensive linemen to change the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball in their favor. Steve shows the lateral agility to play center, make all the snaps, and help out his fellow guards. He is a pass-blocking guard/center dream come true. Once he gets his hands on the defensive lineman when pass-blocking he will shut that player down. In this new passing NFL, Steve’s ability to pass block is rare for a pure guard or center who has not been an offensive tackle moved inside. As a center with a nose tackle over him, Steve handles the bull rush better than most centers in the NFL right now. His “Sponge Bob Square Pants” body, leverage, and foot agility give’s him a natural advantage when pass blocking.

CONCERNS
On youtube, “CFO sports” has an excellent breakdown of Steve’s strengths and weaknesses. Most of his weaknesses are technique issues but the one issue that Steve will struggle with at the next level is his lack of aggressiveness to attack. Steve mentally, is the type of person who is more likely to defend rather than attack. You can teach him all the techniques you want but if you can’t find the switch that makes him become more aggressive and attack when he is run-blocking, he will never be more than a one-dimensional offensive lineman. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just reality.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.28
If you train dogs for security you purposely pick dogs who are defenders so you can control their attacking. That’s why trainers pick the breeds that are natural defenders, like German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers. They are taught to attack on command only because their natural instinct first is to stand, growl, bark, and move to you to warn you before they will attack naturally. I believe that if you slap Steve in the face his first instinct is to warn you not to do it again. He will not react aggressively unless you do it again. If you call three passing plays in a row and then call a running play, Steve will not run block aggressively. If you are running the ball Steve will get better and more aggressive on every play and if you’re in the red zone like “CFO Sports” showed on their breakdown, Steve will make his block. Use him to pull and like an attack dog going after two robbers at the same time, Steve will get confused deciding which player to block because he lacks the aggressiveness to choose. So, what do you do? Steve is way too talented not to select him early in this draft. My answer to his lack of run-blocking aggressiveness is COACH BETTER.

STRENGTHS
Jaxson has the size, long arms, and athletic talent to play more than one position for the team that selects him on their offensive line. He shows leadership skills through his play on the field and communicates well with his linemates. Jaxson does a good job controlling his body when he pulls, not overrunning his blocking assignment to make smart powerful blocks. He has the foot quickness to be used on sweeps and screens and does a good job going to the second level to make his block. He can fill in at tackle but truthfully his pro bowl potential will be as a left guard or right guard because he can run block and pass block and has the high football IQ to lead from there. Jaxson is a zone-blocking dream come true, offensive lineman. Because of his mental toughness, quickness out of his stance, and overall solid athleticism, Jaxson’s ability to be an effective pass blocker makes him a complete offensive guard who can play the day after he is selected.

CONCERNS
Jaxson had ankle surgery last year and although he did a very good job this year as a guard he just might be able to play tackle in the future once he is with some NFL trainers. He has played Left Tackle in the past.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.22
The truth is, Jaxson improved dramatically after his ankle surgery. He is more confident and much stronger and powerful and his leadership skills appeared, making him more “team orientated” in his play on the field. He also is not thinking as much and firing off the ball quicker. Now if he can take all of that improvement and bring it over to the tackle position then Jaxson can become an excellent starting left or right tackle for the team that selects him. I personally believe that the ankle injury and surgery was the best thing that could have happened to Jaxson because, he came back from it bigger, stronger, quicker, smarter, and with a more mature play on the field.

STRENGTHS
McClendon is a smart, athletic, big, long-armed offensive lineman with the developmental potential to play more than one position for the team that selects him. He has the potential to become a dominating offensive lineman because of his natural size and strength. McClendon has the athleticism and foot quickness to be used on sweeps and screens and is smart enough to pick up stunts. He can go out to the second level and has enough foot speed and body control to be used as a pulling guard. McClendon has just enough of a mean steak and steps up when he is challenged, and that will help him to improve quickly. Right now, most teams have slated him in at a guard position but because of his size and length, and athleticism he might be a future offensive tackle, and if teams think that, it will affect his draft status in a positive way.

CONCERNS
McClendon just needs to get into an NFL conditioning and training program. Once he starts to work with a position coach that can discover all of his potential hidden athletic talents, we could see him moved from the guard position to a tackle position in the future.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.22
I believe after a year at the NFL level that there will be a dramatic improvement in all aspects of McClendon’s overall game. He will get stronger, bigger, and quicker and the drills will open up his flexibility to move lateral and that will help his ability to pass block. Add to all of that, learning smarter techniques, and an introduction to consistency in using those techniques, and I’m sure he will become a starting offensive lineman for the team that selects him. McClendon has the work ethic and the intelligence to get better quicker than most others in this draft. I know it seems like a lot of issues that McClendon needs to improve at but the truth is it’s not really any more than most offensive linemen who come out in the draft. The key will be how quickly can he improve. From what I saw at the Senior Bowl workouts, it should be quick, quicker than most think. Look at Rob’s board for the round McClendon will most likely be selected.

STRENGTHS
Sydney is an instinctive football player who can play in the box or in the back end of your defense in a two-deep safety system. He is a sure tackler with the quickness and burst to the play that allows him to be around the ball and to make plays. His competitiveness sets him above other players in this draft and that’s what gives him the ability to make plays. He can be used to blitz off the line because he tackles like a linebacker. Sidney fits as a deep nickel or in the center of the field type of safety. His leadership skills and instincts to make plays in zone coverages and his skill set to tackle, force fumbles, and limit run after the catch yardage makes him one of the better football players in this draft. The truth is, Sidney is a pure old-school linebacker in a safeties body.

CONCERNS
Sidney lacks the lateral agility and flexibility to be used in single coverage. To impact, he needs the play to be in front of him and this will affect his ability to play in any style of defense and affect his draft status.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.17
Sidney is physical and instinctive, has good straight-line speed, and is fearless, tackling in the open field. That being said, he is not a very good cover defensive back because he lacks the fixability and lateral agility to keep receivers from separating from him. That’s why he refuses in his workouts, to run the 20-yard shuttle. I don’t know why he refuses because his lack of coverage ability is obvious on film so unless he has an injury it doesn’t make sense to me. Just about every one of his interceptions could have been called pass interference, because he catches the receiver and holds them when they go to make their break. He is outstanding in zone coverages and overall is an excellent football player because of his instincts and straight-line speed, but don’t ask him to go into the slot and cover because, at the next level, he will struggle. Sidney is a playmaker and there are few playmakers who play defense. If a team that selects him uses him like the Steelers used Troy Polamalu, Sidney could be an impact player. He has the high football IQ, instincts, and sure tackling skills to be used all over a team’s defense but don’t expect him to be this great cover defensive back, that’s not going to happen. He will always need help over the top and give up first downs or commit penalties if you use him in single coverage situations. As I stated before, he’s an old-school linebacker in a safety body.

STRENGTHS
AT Perry reminds me of former Bengals TJ Houshmandzadeh, a 7th-round draft pick in the 2001 draft. AT is a long-striding receiver with excellent length and along with his straight-lined speed, this gives him an immediate advantage coming of the line of scrimmage against press coverages. AT is a tall receiver and lined up on the outside, has an advantage of body length and long arms against smaller corners. He has a solid catch radius and will go down to catch the low ball in spite of his 6’4” height. AT is a potential developmental impact receiver for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
AT has a lot of work to do to be a starting receiver for the team that selects him. Most receivers coming out have to work on running better routes so that’s a given but for TJ, there are bigger issues. His blocking sucks. His mental toughness is lacking and that will affect his ability to catch the ball consistently in big down situations. The lack of mental toughness will also allow Defensive Backs who are physical with AT, to get into his head during a game and affect his consistency in all aspects of his game. Also, AT lacks special teams ability and this will affect his draft status unless he proves otherwise.

BOTTOM LINE: 4.00
Right now, AT is the type of receiver, the quarterback makes him, he doesn’t make the quarterback. He can be dangerous because of his ability to go deep and take the attention away (if paired up across) from a franchise receiver. If he can become stronger, a better blocker, and of course run better routes he can become as effective as TJ Houshmandzadeh was when he lined up across from a franchise receiver for the Bengals.

STRENGTHS
Julius is a unique athlete. He has the size and wing span of a Jabiru. At 6’3” 202 Lbs his wing span is larger than most Offensive Tackles measure at the Senior Bowl who are larger in height and weight. In spite of his size, Julius is a quick-twitch athlete. He also is an excellent and physical tackler which means he can play more than one position in a team’s defensive backfield. He is smart and adept at playing as a cornerback in zone coverages and a lot of off coverages because of his ability to recognize and support the run quicker than most other defensive backs. Julius has the change of direction skills to play press coverage, especially in the red zone, and shut down any size receiver. The first time I saw Julius on film, I said to myself, Holy Crap who is that kid?

CONCERNS
Julius lacks the one thing that most teams will downgrade him for and that is a lack of makeup speed once he gets beat. That is the same reason teams downgraded Richard Sherman. Some teams like Julius more as a safety and we all know the value most teams put on that position and this will also affect his overall draft status.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.94
Safety or Cornerback, what’s the difference? If Julius can play multiple positions in your defensive backfield because of his athletic talent and high football IQ what the hell is the difference? What the hell are teams so afraid of when it comes to selecting players with this type of talent? Why do they look at the negatives as the deciding factors in selecting players more than the positives? I don’t have the answer and I’ve been involved with the draft since 1979 when I was shocked that Joe Montana wasn’t selected until the third round! Julius has first-round talent because of his size, athleticism, high football IQ, production, and his ability to play more than one position at a high level. So, after intensive consideration this year, Julius is my “Holy Crap”, player of this draft. I suggest you look at Rob’s board to figure out where he could be selected but I stand by my “Holy Crap” 1st round talent reaction no matter what round a team selects him in.

STRENGTHS
YaYa reminds me a lot of former Bengals Defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap. He is a naturally powerful edge rusher with the ability to ruin a quarterback’s life all game long because of the effort he gives on every play. If YaYa doesn’t get a sack, he gets the pressure. When he is double-teamed he fights like a raccoon protecting its Den. YaYa doesn’t have very many pass rush moves and he still got 9 sacks this year. He is stout against the run and fast enough and quick enough to react to anything in the open field to his side and shut it down behind the line of scrimmage. YaYa has the potential to become the sleeper impact edge rusher from this class of talented pass rushers and has a long career.

CONCERNS
He has to be more consistent in using his natural strength and length. He has to come off at a better pad level, engage his opponent and then make his moves. He also struggles to get off blocks consistently. He has so much talent and potential it makes you wonder if he struggles to bring what he learns in practice onto the field in-game time.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.31
YaYa had 22 solo tackles, and 9 sacks this year and was moved all over the defensive front and the truth is he hasn’t got a clue what the hell he is doing. They brought him into the Senior Bowl and my guess was to see about his ability to be coached. There is no doubt about the talent to be an impact defensive end in a 4/3 or 3/4. When he is lined up inside against a guard he has to be double team or he will make a play in the backfield. When lined up outside he still does an excellent job getting into the backfield getting pressures and sacks but the truth is he is doing it all on athletic talent and not using techniques. His talent screams, Coach me, coach me. But his play during a game says “I don’t need no stinking techniques”. My guess is it’s all because he was moved around the defensive front, teams will have to decide if he will be better adding some weight and lining him up inside or leaving him as is, adding some pass rush moves, and keeping him on the outside. Either way, it will take a little time for YaYa to reach his potential impact and that impact could be something special

STRENGTHS
Byron has the potential to be a solid edge rusher for the team that selects him. He has the length and athletic talent to get into the backfield quickly and be disruptive. He does a good job working stunts inside and out with his teammates and looks to be an excellent teammate overall. Byron has a lot of hidden talents and if the team that selects him can find and develop those hidden talents Byron can become a core player for that team.

CONCERNS
Byron has poor pass-rushing foot mechanics and this along with a lack of using his length to explode off the snap of the ball is holding him back from being more impacting. Using your inside foot to turn the corner when pass rushing will not do at the next level. Add to this the fact he doesn’t get off blocks quickly enough or identify where the ball is in the backfield or understand down and distance anticipation and you have an athletic developmental edge rusher.

BOTTOM LINE: 4.17
The truth is, personal stories do not affect my profiling except to judge how that personal story may help a player be more competitive than other players. He’s a good person and comes from a good family, doesn’t do anything for me. I’m profiling the person, not anything else. Byron looks to be a good person and that’s good but that also should be the norm and not the exception. So, let’s move on. Byron is way behind in his football IQ and techniques and when I look at the film, I think I’ll let some other team go through the process of his first contract and see where he is after that first stage of his pro football life. I’m sure he has an excellent work ethic to improve and develop and after his first contract is completed he just might be a free agent find.

STRENGTHS
Israel has the same running style as former Pitt great Running Back, Tony Dorsett. He is fast like Tony and doesn’t waste a lot of movement when he makes his cuts between the tackles or in the open field. Israel has good vision and balance and the ability to break tackles if you make a mistake trying to tackle him. He can run between the tackles and although he is not used on many sweeps and screens, in the open field he is very difficult to stop from making big plays. He is the type of running back who makes a cut at the line of scrimmage and while the defense thinks they have him bottled, quicker than you can say abracadabra, he appears in their end zone handing the ball to the official. Israel is very smart and knows how to set up blocks in spite of the fact he runs behind mostly a zone-blocking scheme. He also is a tough pass blocker for his quarterback when he needs to be. I suspect there is a lot more talent in this kid’s bones that he has been able to show for his college team because of the offensive system he has been used in. He is a big play running back with the size and speed and high football IQ to be considered as the sleeper in this class.

CONCERNS
We know he can run the ball, and we know he can block, but we have no idea if he can catch the ball because they didn’t throw the ball to him. They do put him in the slot at times, but he only runs one route and they never throw him the ball, open or not open!

BOTTOM LINE: 1.82
I saw Israel early in the season, make a cut at the line of scrimmage, and run to daylight. As that happened there was a safety, in coverage cutting across to take the angle and possibly make a tackle on Israel in the open field. Israel, with his speed, might have been able to beat that safety to the angle but instead went right to the safety and used his receiver to make the final block that got him into the end zone. Now looking at Israel’s teammate after the play, I knew right away that skinny wide receiver was never going to make a block on that safety in his freaking dreams. Israel put that skinny unable to block anyone receiver, in such a position that he had no choice but to make that block, and abracadabra, Israel was handing the ball off to the official in the end zone. Israel makes his cuts north and south without much movement and just goes by tacklers like they don’t even see him. Some smart team is going to select Israel’s first-round talent, later in this draft and be surprised by his overall talent to play in more than one style of offensive system and impact. Coaches will watch him in practice and abracadabra, a franchise running back will appear.

STRENGTHS
Rashee is a physical receiver who is a “contested catching” machine. His bulk allows him to handle any size corner, safety, or hybrid linebacker when he runs his routes. Rashee has good overall athleticism and speed and the ability to adjust to the ball in the air, make the acrobatic catch and track the ball on those deep passes to make the big play. He has good run-after-the-catch leg strength, to break tackles in the open field. Rashee has that sneaky type of speed that makes you think he is not that fast or quick until someone is chasing him or he has to get open in the red zone. Rashee is the type of receiver quarterbacks just have to throw him the ball and not worry about if he is open or not. Trust him and he will find a way to catch the ball.

CONCERNS
Rashee has so much confidence in his ability to catch a contested pass that his route running has become sloppy and easy to read. Against single coverage, he has a bad habit of actually slowing down after he makes his cuts and lacks separation. He is very good against zone coverage but against single coverage, he will have to break this very bad habit of slowing down because if he doesn’t it will allow for easy interceptions.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.67
Rashee’s ability to impact will be directly related to who is throwing him the ball and play calling. If he is matched up with a strong-arm quarterback who has “arm arrogance” or can extend plays out of the pocket then I see Rashee as being one of the best receivers from this class because of his ability to make contested catches, adjust to the ball in the air, and make the acrobatic catch. If Rashee is selected by an average quarterback who is a rhythm thrower…your guess is as good as mine as to his ability to impact.

STRENGTHS
Jaylon is a strong-bodied cornerback who could play more than one position in a team’s defensive backfield. Because of his size and mental toughness and quickness, Jaylon should be an excellent fit as a slot cover corner/in-the-box safety. He can handle those big receivers and pass-catching Tight Ends and because of his quickness and change of direction skills. Because of his size and strength, he is a solid tackler and with a little coaching could turn into an excellent “off the line” of scrimmage Blitzer. He plays a lot of zone coverage, combination coverage, and off coverage and that will help him if a team decides to move him to a safety position. Jaylon has good enough hands to catch the ball and make interceptions and the talent to be used inside or outside in pass defense inside the red zone. Jaylon has a lot of talent to work with. The team that selects him will just have to find the best fit in their defense for that talent.

CONCERNS
Jaylon has good talent but that talent is situational talent and his impact will depend on his ability to learn multiple positions in multiple situations. Right now, he goes for the macho big hit and that has to change. He has too much talent, to waste on making a big hit and then flexing his muscles for all to see. When playing in single coverage, he has to learn to track the ball better to make a play on the ball in the air. Jaylon also has to become a better communicator and leader on the field if he wants to really be the Defensive Back his talents suggest that he can become.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.00
I think Jaylon has a lot of potential but he has to start thinking about team play more than just his play. If he can make that transformation then he can be a special player for the team that selects him.