Category: 2023 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Isaiah has the size and workout numbers to be an impact defensive lineman. He has those long legs and arms that should make it easy for him to be both an impact player against the run and in rushing the passer. Isaiah looks to be an excellent teammate. He gives good effort on every play and because of his athletic talent, has impacted at the college level.

CONCERNS
For the next level, Isaiah is what we call a tweener. He lacks the techniques and flexibility to be an effective pass rusher and lacks the techniques and lateral agility and balance to be an effective run stuffer. If Isaiah has had some good coaching then he struggles to bring that coaching to his play on the field. That’s if he has had good coaching.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.72
With his size and overall athletic talent, there is no reason why Isaiah isn’t considered a top-15 player in this draft. I look at film and to be honest I have never seen so many defensive linemen down on the field after the snap. It’s disturbing and suggests to me that coaching could be an issue and maybe Isaiah with the right coaching could be a better-than-average Defensive lineman. Isaiah has to learn to be more physical and he has to understand that he is NOT a finesse pass rusher. Isaiah’s strength for the next level will be more as a power rusher who changes the line of scrimmage and then sheds to make the sack. He needs to be much better against the run shedding and being stout, and he needs to increase his football IQ to be able to anticipate and understand how he is being blocked and how to fight a double team. Isaiah has the size and athletic talent to be a core player but he needs a lot of development and better coaching.

STRENGTHS
Matt is 6’ 4” 200 lbs, runs a 4.37 with a 1.51-10 yd split receiver, who can catch the deep ball. His speed and length are a matchup nightmare. He glides when he runs and that makes it hard to read his routes and cover him. He runs the entire route tree and can play on the inside or on the outside. Matt has excellent hands and will give you dramatic, run after the catch yards using a straight arm, vision, and quick change of direction talent. He has a BIG catch radius going low and high for the ball and will make the contested catch on the short routes to move the chains. Matt plays with arrogance. His overall talent reminds me a lot of Randy Moss.

CONCERNS
I’m not sure why no one is talking about Matt as one of the top receivers in this class, maybe it’s an off-the-field issue or a coaching issue? All I know is what I see on the film and that is a hell of a lot of talent that no one is talking about. Remember, arrogance arises from insecurity and is used to mask that insecurity.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.44
Matt also reminds me of another receiver who played for the Packers, Raiders, and Bills years ago James Lofton. Matt’s size, speed, and ability to catch anything thrown to him are not that unique but his quick twitch, and run-after-the-catch talents are unique to his size and that is what separates him from other receivers and allows him to run any route, short or long. His arrogance and chip-on-the-shoulder body language make me think that Matt could be something special. He played for Georgia then Toledo and then for Arkansas and was consistent in showing his talents at all three stops. So the question is, why is no one talking about a 6’4” 200 lbs receiver who can run a 4.3 in the forty, run every route, and can catch anything thrown to him? I don’t know, all I can do is tell you what I see in the film and I see one of the best receivers in this group of receivers. In fact, he might be the best mature route-running pure receiver, in this class. At least that’s what I see.

STRENGTHS
Riley Has the size and athletic talent to play more than one position for the team that selects him in their defensive backfield. He has excellent cover skills and is a sure tackler. Riley has those quick feet that make it easy for him to change direction and the lateral burst to limit the receiver’s ability to separate in and out of breaks. He is quick to support the run and is quick, to shed blocks to make tackles. He also has excellent recovery speed. He has a high football IQ and understands zone coverages and combination coverages better than most in this draft. Because of his overall athletic talent and hidden receiver talents Riley has the instincts and hands to make the interception and the speed to score the pick-six.

CONCERNS
Most “experts” are labeling and downgrading Riley and suggesting that he should be moved to safety because he has played a lot of zone, off-coverage, and combination coverages and that he doesn’t have true man coverage skills. It’s a big mistake. Riley has the athletic talent to play man-to-man, he just needs time to develop and gain confidence in those skills and techniques. He has surprised and shown that he is more than just a zone cover defensive back recently at the Senior Bowl practices.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.17
As I stated earlier Riley needs a little development time but given that time to develop, Riley will be one of the best corners in this very deep corner back draft. Riley knows he has excellent athletic talent but needs to develop his confidence in single coverage and know that he has the skills to make the step up to the next level. He accepted that challenge at the Senior Bowl going up against bigger and faster receivers and you could see that confidence growing every day. Riley has the size and quickness to play in the slot against any size receiver. He has the needed size and speed and agility to play on the outside. Yes, he has the high football IQ, he can be moved to safety because he has the speed and ball-hawking instincts to cover sideline to sideline and that is intriguing also. Riley even has the speed and receiving ability to be used on the other side of the ball on offense too. That’s Riley’s potential to be an impact player for the team that selects him if given the time to develop his confidence and I believe that will not take that much time.

STRENGTHS
Emmanuel is a lightning quick and a lightning smart, pure cornerback. He has excellent recovery speed to fool quarterbacks into thinking they can take advantage of him off the snap…big mistake. Emmanuel has those quick feet and fluid hip flip that make it easy for him to cover and is very smart when used in zone coverage or combination coverages. He is a good tackler in spite of what you have been told. His slight build gives him the advantage of offensive coordinators thinking they can take advantage of him in their game plans. That type of thinking has led to Emmanuel, playing in the SEC, against top receivers and quarterback talent, into having a career 14 interceptions in three years and in his last year, owning the FBS record for six pick-sixes.

CONCERNS
Emmanuel came into the combine weighing 6’ 1” 166 lbs. Think about how well that lack of bulk might be able to hold up to a 17-game schedule.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.47
If Emmanuel was 180 or 190 lbs he would be considered one of the top corners in this draft class. There is nothing wrong with his tackling, he doesn’t shy away and is a willing tackler, taking on the challenge, getting off blocks, and wrapping up better than most other corners in this draft. In the 2021 year, he had 45 solo tackles and held up just fine. Not many corners or even safeties have that many tackles in a year. As far as most NFL teams being concerned about the potential of injuries, he seems to have a pretty good record of playing a lot of games. That being said, you can’t blame the scouts, GM’s, and coaches for being concerned about his ability to hold down a starting position at the next level. There is no doubt that his lack of bulk will relegate him to a backup position until he can prove otherwise. At least for me, it does and I’m not trying to feed my family, putting my credibility on the line to have a career as a scout in the NFL. The question is, will Emmanuel be the exception to the size standards and impact like he has in college for the NFL team that selects him? We shall see.

STRENGTHS
Jason is a highlight film every time he plays the game. He is a playmaker and can play multiple positions on defense as a deep safety, a box safety, and also as a linebacker or slot cover safety depending on the match-up. He is always around the ball because of his high football IQ, leadership skills, and instincts to make the big play. He shows the hands to make the interception like a slot receiver. He is an excellent tackler in the open field or close to the line of scrimmage in fact he might be one of the best tacklers in this draft. He literally comes out of nowhere (stealth-like) to tackle players or intercept the ball, like Jason in a Friday the 13th movie. Jason understands angles and this makes him more productive and impacting than most others who are faster than him. Add to that skill set his size, speed, burst to the play, high football IQ, multiple positional talents, and playmaking talent and you tell me if you think he could be a fit to play on your favorite NFL team.

CONCERNS
Jason doesn’t have the cover skills most teams are looking for in their safeties but he can outplay those that do. Jason is a 4.5 guy and teams early in the draft will select players with more speed and this will affect his draft status along with the lack of value most teams put on the safety position. Of course, Jason’s 10 yd split was 1.52 and that is as quick as most RB’s and equal with a lot of the corners in this draft.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.67
Coming off a knee injury the year before, Jason played multiple positions on defense at all three levels this year and wound up with 80 solo tackles, and 6 INT’s. Think about that. That being said, Jason has not faced the talent at the quarterback position that he will face at the next level but still, six interceptions are pretty impressive. Jason is 1st round talent you get to select in the later rounds of the draft and the reason Rob and I invented the two-board system 18 years ago. We also introduced to the other Draftniks the “value” of a position and how it affects the draft status of a player and Jason is a good example of that. Jason played in the Senior Bowl and was invited to the Combine and he still might not be selected at all. He has excellent size, excellent athletic talent, and the production to back it up his talent, and he still, might not get drafted at all. You just never know so, keep an eye out for him. Jason’s position and 4.5 speed make him a late pick in this draft but his play on the field will make him a core player, a fan favorite, and even a pro bowl selection in the future. At least that’s what I see.

STRENGTHS
Derick has all the attributes to become an excellent pass rusher and complete defensive end for the team that selects him. He has the long arms and size needed, and the solid burst to put offensive tackles at a disadvantage off the snap of the ball on passing downs. He can bull rush and counter off that move, as well as anyone I have seen coming out. Derick has the ability and strength, and is stout against the run, allowing teammates to make tackles instead of shedding and making the tackle. He looks to be a quality teammate working well with others on the field and in fact that might be the real issue that is holding him back from being more productive in the stats than he is.

CONCERNS
Someone needs to kick this guy in the ass and tell him to stop being so nice. They also need to put his hand on the ground and rush the passer because he is thinking way too much as a stand-up, whatever the hell he thinks his role is as a defensive player. Derick needs to learn to continue to fight through double teams and finish. He needs to put his hand down on the ground, mind his own business and become more productive because he has the talent and high football IQ to be a lot more impacting than he is. He also needs to use his long arms better to get off blocks and make tackles more in the run game. He is good against the run and efficient but just doesn’t get off his blocks and I don’t know why.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.00
Derick is one of the captains of his team and his defense, and this has made him less impacting on the field. On most pass-rushing downs, he is doubled and tripled team. I think Derick thinks he is an ER/LB but to me, that is not his impact position for the next level. Taking this type of talent to rush the passer and use it to fall off the line into coverage is a waste especially when your opponents are using double and triple teams against him. What I see on film is a very talented pass rusher playing out of position and this has affected his draft status. Derick is not an off-the-line linebacker. It’s not that he is worse off the line of scrimmage it’s just that his potential to impact is more as a pure 4/3 defensive end with his hand down getting into the backfield on every down. He is your sleeper defensive end in this draft and a quality person. At least that’s what I see on film, others may differ. If a team agrees with me it would not shock me to see him sneak into the latter part of the 1st round. Of course, looking at Rob’s board right now, that doesn’t seem likely.

 

STRENGTHS
Dawand is a big, tall, long-armed mountain of a human being. In spite of his very large size, he has good movement skills and foot quickness and does a good job when pass blocking and in run block situations. Dawand has the quickness off the snap of the ball needed to be successful in the NFL. He is able to go out to the second level and make blocks as well as lead on sweeps to his side of the line. Dawand’s long arms, solid first-step lateral agility, and ability to be quick off the snap will allow him to make blocks that most players his size and weight could not make for the next level. Dawand has the potential to be a pro bowl Right tackle for the team that selects him and because he plays with a lot of pride could be a plug-and-play offensive lineman the day after you select him in the draft.

CONCERNS
Don’t ask him to lead a sweep or pull all the way to the other side of the field because that’s just too much for him and will abuse his athletic abilities. Although he carries his weight very well, to protect his knees and back you would like to see him get into the 360lbs range. At the Senior Bowl and Combine he was listed at 375lbs and that shows that his weight is steady and not a lot of garbage weight and that’s a good thing.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.06
Draft him and don’t be stupid thinking you are going to move him to the left side or make him do athletic blocks that he will not be able to do. Accept him as is, a dam good Right Tackle. With continued good coaching he can be a pro bowl right tackle and control the right side of your offensive line for ten years. I suspect Dawand to be selected a lot earlier than most think. In fact, I even think he could slip into the back half of the 1st round because there are not many offensive tackles in this draft and he is a pretty good player in spite of what most are suggesting. Dawand is a mountain of a human being and teams do not pass up on selecting human beings this big for very long in a draft when there are no obvious off-field or on-field concerns. Dawand looks to me like he will be an excellent teammate with a good work ethic and is very coachable. Add to that his ability to be an excellent pass protector and a solid run blocker and tell me you would downgrade him because he is too big. Does that make a lot of sense to you? It doesn’t to me. I can envision him slipping into the 1st round and if not, I would be very surprised to see him last for very long in the 2nd round but, that’s just me and believe it or not, I’ve been wrong before. Look at Rob’s value board for the most likely point in this draft where he would be selected.

STRENGTHS
Tyjae’s running style reminds me a lot of the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard. He is a smart running back with the ability to stay patient and follow his blockers. Tyjae has the ability to hit the hole AS it opens up and not after the blocks are made TO open the hole. He is able to read the body of his own blockers and know beforehand if the block will be made. That’s a talent and skill set that few running backs have and those in the past that have this talent had great careers. Tyjae’s competitiveness is also noticeable when he runs the ball. He is hard to bring down and fights for yardage when that yardage is needed to move the chains. He can run inside or outside and because of his unique burst and very good speed, he will make big plays at any point on the field. It’s his ability to read blocks, excellent and quick burst, and overall football IQ that allows Tyjae to break the big plays when running between the tackles. In the open field, Tyjae shows good vision and the needed shake and bake to make tackles miss him and gain more yardage. Tyjae has a big running back style, in a small body, nevertheless, that big back style gives him the potential to be more than just a “changeup” running back.

CONCERNS
Tyjae’s hands need to get stronger to catch the ball better and hang on to the ball when running. He also needs to improve his pass blocking. The real issue is that he needs to gain more bulk if he wants to be a featured running back. He has a great work ethic, coming back from a knee injury, and kudos to the Tulane staff that helped him.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.17
Tyjae just needs to gain more bulk if he wants to be a featured running back and his competitive nature tells me that he does. The truth is I don’t have confidence in his ability to catch the ball or pass block as a third down or change up back. I have more confidence that he will be better and more impacting if he is on the field and running the ball as an every-down back. His hands have to get stronger because he is loose carrying the ball and he double clutches passes at times and that makes me nervous. Catching the ball could just be an “anxious” situation or a depth perception situation but carrying the ball loose when running is a whole other issue. That being said, with his work ethic I know he will improve. The teams he was up against didn’t go after the ball very much. They were worried more about just tackling him. At the next level, it’s strip city, and if he starts to fumble he will not see the field until he can prove that he secure the football. Right now, most are thinking of him as a change-up back and he could be a good one but the truth is, his running style is big back and if he can add some bulk he could be something special.

STRENGTHS
Will has the talent, size, and “cleverness” to be an excellent Defensive End in a 4/3 defense. He has the length and explosion you look for in a potential double-digit pass rusher. Will’s quick-twitch athleticism and cleverness make it easy for him to have counter moves off his initial pass rush moves and still be able to finish. Off the snap of the ball, his length allows him to get into the backfield quickly putting offensive tackles at an immediate disadvantage to overreact and become off-balance. Will, looks on film, to be an excellent teammate moving inside at times this year, to use his quickness to pass rush, putting him at a disadvantage to be productive. In spite of that coaching decision to move Will inside on some passing downs, he was still clever enough to be a disruptive force. Will has the potential to become a complete pass-rushing Defensive End for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Most are thinking that Will is a tweener. They believe he is undersized and can’t stop the run to become a starting Defensive End in a 4/3 defense and that he lacks the coverage ability to be a starting ER/LB in a 3/4 Defense. They are both right and wrong, right in that evaluation, and wrong in thinking that he can’t develop and become excellent.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.69
Jerry Hughes is considered undersized and was not good at stopping the run when he came out. Von Miller is considered undersized and I remember downgrading him because he was poor in stopping the run, in fact, I didn’t believe Von would ever be anything more than a specialty player, go figure! Stopping the run has to do with two very important skills, mindset and techniques, and not how big a player is. You can’t teach the mindset but you can teach the techniques. Will has developed and worked on his pass-rushing skills. I believe that given the time to develop, he will become more than adequate at stopping the run as Hughes and Miller both did. Why do I think that? Because Will has self-taught himself the pass-rushing and counter moves needed to impact. Once he gets to the NFL he will get into a better strength and conditioning program and be taught the run-stopping techniques and double-team techniques that he needs to learn to become better at stopping the run. I have seen in his play from year to year, the mental toughness, strong character, and work ethic needed to improve. I believe that given some time to develop, I have no doubt that he will improve and get bigger and stronger and become that double-digit sack artist others seem to think he won’t become.

STRENGTHS
Ivan is the “exception to the rule” player. He brings an excellent burst to the ball along with the determination on every play to make a play. Ivan also brings with him to the next level, the instincts and high football IQ that make him pound for pound one of the best football players in this draft. He is also one of the best off the line of scrimmage, blitzing linebackers using his quickness and relentless explosiveness, to defeat players bigger than he is just about anywhere on the field. Ivan has everything you look for in a starting linebacker. His leadership skills, instincts, high football IQ, and playmaking talents are equal to any other football player in this draft. He reminds me a lot of former “exception to the rule”, undrafted LB London Fletcher.

CONCERNS
Ivan has two physical concerns that will affect his draft status. His lack of height and his lack of arm length. Ray Lewis, at about the same height and weight, had 34½ inch arm length. Ivan has 30¼ inch arm length. That’s a big difference. Also, to be an effective playmaker Ivan, like Ray Lewis, will most likely have to be in a system that gives him the ability to be free to run the ball.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.89
The times and style of play on the field are different than when London Fletcher played. Nevertheless, London was the exception even back in the 1998 draft and still played for 16 years, 3 different teams, and holds the record for consecutive starts at the linebacker position, 215, and played in 256 consecutive games before he retired. London was a leader of the defense for every team he played for, a pro bowl player, and won best defensive player awards with every team. Still, every team would let him go to upgrade with a bigger player using free agency as the excuse because they knew the fans would go crazy if they traded him. So now, let’s get back to Ivan. My prediction, in spite of being the best player on defense at the Senior Bowl with ten tackles, Ivan might not be selected. If he is it won’t be until the later rounds. Second, after he is on a team he will only play on special teams and be considered a backup at linebacker or safety. Third, if he gets to play because of injuries, he will be replaced very quickly by a bigger (not Better) player signed off someone’s practice squad. Ivan Pace was a late selection to the Senior Bowl. He won Defensive MVP honor in the game and still, he went unnoticed with no picture taken with the director or bowl of candy. My prediction for the possible impact Ivan will have on the team that selects him is… he could be the next Matthew Slater who was selected in the 5th round, or…the next London Fletcher?

STRENGTHS
Keion has the size, strength, and work ethic to play multiples positions, in multiples styles of defenses, for a team’s front four. He is one of the better defensive linemen at shedding blocks and making tackles at the line of scrimmage stuffing the run. Keion has the ability to rush the passer playing Defensive End or Defensive Tackle. His ability to defeat the double team when lined up inside makes him one of the best in this draft and better than most defensive linemen in the NFL now. Playing on the outside as an Edge Rusher, Keion is more of a power rusher who doesn’t “turn the corner” to make sacks he is more likely to “destroy the corner” to make the sack. Keion is smart and see’s the screens and sweeps to his side quickly and shuts both down, demoralizing a team’s offense. Because he is so adept at patrolling his end of the defense, he makes it hard for a spread offense to run the ball outside of the hash marks. With his helmet on and his style of play on the field, he makes me think he is “Judge Dredd” with the power to be judge, jury, and executioner of the opponent’s offense.

CONCERNS
Keion must work on his pass-rushing skills from the outside to be more impacting and dominating. He is inconsistent coming off the snap using his speed and quickness. At times he stands up off the snap, giving his chest up and losing his ability to use better leverage that will get him to the quarterback faster. Keion right now is better rushing the passer from an inside position. Given the time and with his work ethic and athletic talent he can become better on the outside and reach the double-digit sack level.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.03
When Keion is lined up on the outside as an Edge Rusher, he has to come off the line with more passion and less thinking. Right now, when playing on the outside he gets mostly cover sacks. Keion is not coming off the line with enough aggressiveness and has to learn better hand techniques. He also is using a lot of power moves because he has confidence in using strength over athleticism. As soon as he learns to trust his athleticism when rushing the passer, and starts to learn how to set up offensive linemen, I believe you will see a complete Defensive lineman who can stuff the run and give you double-digit sacks. Until then, he will patrol the edge and be your judge, jury, and executioner for your defense and a hell of a football player.