Category: 2023 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Nolan is a very athletic Edge Rusher. He has done a solid job at that position for his college team. He has quick feet and is very fast, faster than most receivers and cornerbacks in this draft. He has excellent size and overall athleticism to play more than one position in the front seven of a team’s defense. Nolan was not on many teams’ “Have to have him” radar until he hit the combine and worked out and showed everyone that maybe…just maybe he has been playing out of position for Georgia. It makes you wonder why?

CONCERNS
I think it’s a red flag when a player with this much athleticism, size, and flat-out speed is not playing off the line of scrimmage where a team can take full advantage of his God Given talents all over the field. Then he slipped up in an interview and suggested that he struggled to learn the concepts when playing off the ball. So, they put him on the line of scrimmage to make it easier for him to learn. I guess that’s why he plays with so much hesitation and not to his God Given Talent off the snap of the ball. He’s an honest person.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.33
There is no doubt that Nolan has been playing out of position. He is an off the line of scrimmage linebacker and he good be one of the best. When he drops in coverage you see the athleticism and it makes you drool with envy. I hope once he gets into the NFL and coaches spend time with Nolan that he will break out as a pure linebacker. He can become a good edge rusher but he has to start playing more to his talents and not thinking so much. His college coaches have set the base for Nolan and put him on the field and although Nolan still struggled to play up to his athletic talent at least he has learned. I don’t know how long it will be before Nolan can impact at a pure linebacker position, but I do understand that he should be worth the wait of his first contract to find out. BTW, don’t tell me workouts and the combine don’t matter. I don’t care how nice a kid Nolan is in interviews, until he worked out, no one thought of him as a potential 1st Round draft pick, no one.

STRENGTHS
Calijah will have an impact as an interior pass rusher and disrupter. He never stops working, down after down, trying to get into the backfield to make a play. He is the type of player that offensive linemen have to game plan for. Calijah is smart and once he finds the weak link in your offensive line, he will exploit it, using his quickness and work ethic to his advantage. Calijah is strong but it’s his suddenness and leverage that truly gives him the advantage to beat bigger players, and change the line of scrimmage in his favor. Going up against Calijah on pass-rushing downs is like going up against a rolling ball of butcher knives, you are not going to beat him so it’s best to just try to avoid him, like an evil mother-in-law.

CONCERNS
Calijah is vertically challenged for the Defensive Tackle position. In his case, it’s a gift and a curse. Because he struggles to change direction, he also will struggle to finish once he gets into the backfield and make sacks. Also, most will think because of his size, that he will be a detriment in defending against the run. Truth is, I don’t think he will be a detriment as much as people are suggesting because he works too hard against double teams not to be effective, and if you single up against him he will beat the block.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.94
As I stated before, going up against Calijah on pass-rushing downs, is like going up against a rolling ball of butcher knives. He never stops working and moving his feet and in spite of the lack of change of direction agility, he does find a way to finish and make sacks and TFL’s. It’s a joy to watch this kid play. His work ethic alone will make him effective and impacting. He might struggle a bit against the run but let’s face it, what Defensive Tackle in the NFL doesn’t struggle against the run? Trust me, this rolling ball of butcher knives will force offensive line coaches to game plan for. Calijah’s work ethic to be the best he can be is worth selecting him in the 1st round alone. At least, that’s how I see it.

STRENGTHS
Adetomiwa is one of the best Defensive linemen in this draft. He can rush the passer from multiple positions in the front fore and is an excellent run defender too. He is a nightmare fighting through a double team. Tomi has excellent overall athleticism, quickness, and strength to become a dominating pass rusher and run-stuffing player very much like former Giants Michael Strahan. His ability to control his opponent after he snaps off the line of scrimmage is unique and shows the upper and lower body strength along with the hand strength that is unique. He has gotten better every year and shows his leadership skills through his play on the field and teammate-like work ethic. Adetomiwa comes off the line of scrimmage like a tommie gun, firing off and obliterating offensive linemen from every position on the defensive line and never stops firing until the job is done. It might not be politically correct but I call him Adetomiwa (Tommie gun) Adebawore.

CONCERNS
Teams will downgrade him because he did not play in the SEC and did not get the coaching an SEC player gets and that will be a big mistake.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.69
I believe Tomi hasn’t come close to reaching his potential to become a dominating defensive lineman for the team that selects him. As I stated before he can play any down or distance on the inside or outside and in any style of defense because he can stop the run or rush the passer from the inside or line up on the outside. The only issue holding his evaluation back (I suspect) for most teams is that he didn’t play in the SEC and his sack numbers are not that high but don’t be fooled, he is just an excellent teammate who just needs more coaching to develop. Because I’m too old to be politically correct I think the name tommie gun is just a perfect name for the style of his play. That being said, the “Beast of the East” ain’t bad either, if he is selected by an NFC or AFC East team. He’s a beast.

STRENGTHS
Jaquelin is an animalistic, effective pass-rushing Defensive lineman. He has the size you look for to play more than one position in the front four or front three of any style of defense. On passing downs, he changes the line of scrimmage in his favor by using more than just a bull rush. He uses excellent hand-fighting techniques to defeat offensive linemen off the snap, getting into the backfield quickly. Jaquelin is the type of large defensive lineman that if you don’t double-team him, he will get into the backfield and either disrupt the play or be able to gain the advantage for a teammate to make a play. There is a ton of size, strength, and quickness off the snap in Roy’s overall game to work with for a team at the next level.

CONCERNS
Jaquelin struggles to get off blocks on the run-downs. When he struggles he gets up high and that makes it easy to move him off the line of scrimmage and defeat his gap control. It’s almost as if on run-downs, he forgets to use those same hand-fighting techniques he uses on passing-downs to free himself up. He also struggles to understand where the double team is coming from on run-downs to anticipate it better. He is much better on run-downs as a nose tackle because lining up on either shoulder or straight up, he can dictate where the double team has to come from, and anticipate it better.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.06
Jaquelin will fit a 3/4 defense better right now than as a DT in a 4/3 defense. In a 4/3 defense, he is more of a rotation piece of the puzzle, playing on passing downs more than run downs. Of course, he has the talent to change that over the years and become an excellent Defensive lineman in any style of defense, who can play inside or outside and that’s what makes Jaquelin so appealing in this draft. I think when he gets into a pro strength and conditioning program, gets more repetitions, and better coaching, he could be something special. It should be interesting at what round in this draft Jaquelin gets selected in but on my board, his potential to impact is big time.

STRENGTHS
Jack has the size and overall athleticism to play at the next level. He has those long strides that help him to cover ground quickly, making his speed on tape very deceiving. Because of those long legs and arms, he has good lateral agility and in-zone coverage can take up a bigger passing lane affecting a quarterback’s accuracy. He shows excellent leadership skills and in big games, Jack will make a big play because he is an emotional player and plays with the passion needed to be better than his athletic talent suggest. Jack is a very solid linebacker with excellent size, and leadership skills and in the future could become a coach-on-the-field type of player that all defenses need to be good.

CONCERNS
Ten years ago, Jack would be a very highly-rated linebacker who might be considered in the top ten of a draft. In this day and age, he will struggle to make plays unless he is in the right defensive system and in most cases plays as a linebacker in a 4/3 defense because he lacks the burst, speed, and change of direction agility the NFL is looking for in its defensive backfield players. The NFL really doesn’t have linebackers anymore, they just have defensive backs who play the linebacker position and are excellent at defending against the pass.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.94
Jack is solid and could be a very impacting linebacker if teams start running the ball more but, in this day and age, Jack might be too much of a throwback type of player to impact with the new style of linebacker coaching. That being said, he has excellent size and overall athleticism to be an impact player in the right system and with the right coaches. Use him to attack the line of scrimmage, on the line or off the line, and in spy situations, and Jack will impact. Expect him to cover tight ends and receivers all over the field and guess what, he will do his best but he will not be as impacting or make as many plays. I feel bad for Jack because I have no confidence in the coaching in the NFL. I have no confidence that they will understand how to use Jack and his talents and skills. If I’m running a 4/3 defense I’m all over selecting Jack early. Nevertheless, in spite of about half the teams in the NFL using the 4/3 defense, most are using defensive backs instead of pure linebackers. Jack could fit a 3/4 defense as an ER/LB because of his size but he would have to learn better “on-the-line” pass-rushing skills and that could take some time. Now that I think about it, that just might be Jack’s “calling” for the next level or a Defensive End in a 4/3 defense. His talent is intriguing.

STRENGTHS
Josh is a productive, cunning like a fox, sure-handed receiver. He reminds me a lot of former Panthers WR Steve Smith Sr and like Steve, is more quick than fast although Josh is pretty fast. Josh has a large catch radius because of his ability to adjust to the ball in the air and catch anything that might be near him. He can make the acrobatic catch as well as the contested catch giving his quarterback the confidence to throw to him in any situation. He has quick feet and has good strength to run his routes but what truly makes him productive is his remarkable hand/eye coordination to catch the ball, and his competitiveness to find a way to be productive when he is challenged. Josh has the catch radius of a 6’ 0” receiver in a 5’ 9” body.

CONCERNS
Josh is vertically challenged and this is THE reason he will be downgraded by every team in this draft. They believe this lack of height will limit his ability to be as productive as he was for his college team. The truth is, the only thing that will affect Josh’s ability to be productive will be coaching. The question is, will coaches understand why Josh runs his routes the way he runs his routes or try to make him run routes the way every other receiver runs the routes?

BOTTOM LINE: 2.14
Josh is a very cunning type of route runner. At first, I thought he was lazy and didn’t finish routes when the ball wasn’t coming to him. Then after continuing to look at films from both years I realized he is very smart. He can run all the routes inside or on the outside. Josh runs his routes to purposely fool defensive players into thinking they can cover him and then when he is needed he turns on the speed and quickness, shocking his defender, and allowing Josh to be open and separate. Because of Josh’s remarkable eye/hand coordination, big catch radius, and acrobatic skills to catch contested passes, quarterbacks will learn to throw the ball to him even if he looks like he is not open. Josh just has to know the ball is coming to him so he can change the way he runs his route. If you put Josh in the slot in the middle of the field he will make the tough catch to move the chains and make impact plays. The closer you get to the red zone is when he should line up on the outside so that he can use his quickness in the open field and quarterbacks can see him better. I wonder if coaches will figure this out or insist on Josh just being a slot receiver and running routes that will NOT make him a mismatch. One can only wonder?

STRENGTHS
Mazi is a big, strong, powerful defensive tackle with the potential to be a run-stuffing disruptive force for the team that selects him. He is a natural nose tackle and I believe that is his best position in a 3/4 defense. He seems to like the challenge of being double team and does a good job against it. He does have good overall athleticism and when it’s called for will shoot a gap getting into the backfield and be disruptive. Mazi has the talent to be an effective defensive lineman for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Mazi may have the talent but I have to wonder looking at his film how coachable is he. He uses a stance at times, that looks like a frog and gives up his chest too early. But when he uses the correct stance, he looks the part of an effective defensive lineman. He is not very consistent at all using the techniques I know he has been taught, and in general, is not living up to his athletic talents at the college level and that is an issue for me. As far as any off-field issues, all I look at is his film. What has happened to him off the field doesn’t even enter into my evaluation, that’s for teams to figure out for themselves.

BOTTOM LINE: 4.44
There is a lot of talent and size but I’m not convinced Mazi is ready for the NFL. Right now, all I see is a developmental rotation defensive lineman who seems to be a specialist in playing the nose tackle position and is less effective at any other position. I mean, what the hell, if after four years you don’t even have a consistent stance what are evaluators supposed to think? Maybe Mazi will come to the NFL with a chip on his shoulder and prove me wrong but for me personally, I would let other teams do all the work. He should get drafted but I’m guessing it won’t be as early as he is thinking unless his workouts are something teams just can’t pass up on because of his size.

STRENGTHS
Jalin is a “move receiver” with excellent speed, when lined up in the slot or on the move he becomes a mismatch. Jalin can sell the short routes because he is a deep threat and teams have to give him big cushions off the line of scrimmage. Jalin shows good hands to catch the deep ball and that is what he brings to the next level. He is a weapon when a team needs to throw deep and will force teams to add defensive backs to their game plans. Jalin has the ability to impact a game and make a big play at any point in a game without too many touches.

CONCERNS
Jalin will need to bulk up if he wants to be a top receiver in the NFL. He will also have to prove he can catch contested passes and handle “in-your-face”, physical corners who will challenge him at the line of scrimmage. He has to prove that he is more than just a specialty receiver who at this point is very one-dimensional. Nevertheless, he has proven that he can catch the uncontested deep ball and teams will be impressed with that ability no doubt.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.89
Jalin has the talent to play at the next level but he also has a lot to prove if he wants to stay at the next level and become more than just a one-dimensional receiver. That won’t happen until he is selected and can prove it during a 17-game season. I hope he does want to be more than just a specialty player because there is enough talent to develop for sure.

STRENGTHS
Kendre reminds me a lot of former Bills/Rams RB Marshawn Lynch. He has the same quick feet and makes his cuts north and south without giving the tackler his whole body to tackle. Kendre keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage on every run very much like Marshawn did. He is not a “run sweep” type of back. Nevertheless, because of his lateral suddenness, quick feet, and vision, Kendre is able to make tacklers miss him in the backfield and in the open field. Kendre has enough speed to make it difficult to track him down from behind. He doesn’t make jump cuts, he makes power cuts and because of his vision and balance, he is able to only give the tackler a portion of his body to tackle, and that allows him to break tackles easier than most other running backs. Kendre has the potential to be a franchise Running Back for the team that selects him because of this unique running style that allows him to break the big play and stay on the field.

CONCERNS
They don’t throw to Kendre very much because this offense is a vertical play action offense and they like to throw down the field a lot. I’ve seen a few passes thrown to him and he looks natural catching the ball out of the backfield in check-down situations. Because they use him so much in play action, Kendre hasn’t developed the blocking skills in passing down situations but I have no doubt given time he will master that skill also. Kendre is an off-tackle, between-the-tackles style of running back, so running him on sweeps is not a smart way to use his talents.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.81
Kendre is smart and although on film he might not be able to show all of the skills needed for the next level for a franchise running back, my gut says that his style of running proves his high football IQ to learn quickly at the next level. Kendre strikes me as the type of person who when he is in a game and you need him to block, will make the block. If you need him to catch the ball, he will make the catch but running when everyone in the stadium knows he is going to get the ball, he lives for. I believe, strictly based on his running style, that Kendre’s thrives are being considered the type of back, his coaches and teammates can depend on to make the big play when it is needed the most. His running style reminds me so much of Marshawn that it’s very hard for me to think otherwise.

STRENGTHS
Luke has the blocking and receiving talent to be a complete Tight End for the team that selects him. He has those soft hands to catch the ball down the field, and the long strides, height, and long arms make it hard for anyone to cover him when he runs deep routes. Luke does a surprisingly good job, (for a tall Tight End), run blocking. He gives the needed effort without committing penalties when pass blocking also. Luke’s long strides when running deep routes gives him the advantage to be an impact receiver on third and long plays that many other Tight Ends do not have the ability to do and this opens up the play calling for an offensive coordinator and a smart quarterback. I think most teams will be enamored with Luke’s overall blocking talents especially when run blocking and that will be the key for Luke to be selected early in this draft.

CONCERNS
Luke struggles to run the easy routes and short routes because of his long legs. He also has a hitch off the line of scrimmage when he is lined up in the slot or outside that slows him up from getting into his routes quickly. His long legs make it easy to tackle him in the open field, not allowing him much run after the catch yardage. Luke’s tall body type also makes injuries to the legs and feet prevalent and Luke is already working off a knee injury right now through the draft process.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.26
Luke’s long legs make him an impact player in the passing offense on third and long downs. The fact that he is a good run blocker and a decent pass blocker, and gives effort all the time, should make Luke very appealing to almost every team in the NFL. Tall Tight Ends usually struggle to run the easy routes and are not very good blockers because they lose leverage. Those issues make those Tight Ends useless because defenses can anticipate them running deep routes, and can shut them down. Because Luke is a good blocker he can either block or pretend to block, and then sneak out into the flat late to make the yardage needed to move the chains minimizing his lack of short-route abilities. Add to that his big play ability down the field, in the passing game because he is tall, a long strider, with long arms and a good catch radius, and now you have a productive and potential impact Tight End and it’s all because he blocks and not because he can run fast and catch the ball. Think about it.

STRENGTHS
Marvin Mims is a smart, strong, route runner who has those strong hands to catch anything thrown to him. He has a big catch radius and the speed and quickness to run any route against any kind of coverage. Marvin has good size and because of his natural strength and long strides, can play on the inside in the slot or line up on the outside against corners. He covers more ground quickly because of those long strides, and that makes his speed very deceiving. Because of his ability to sell his routes and adjust to the ball in the air, he can make those difficult acrobatic and contested catches. Marvin has been an impact receiver as a freshman, sophomore, and a junior, and not many receivers in any draft can say that. He has excellent run-after-the-catch skills and because of his route-running talents is the sneakiest receiver at getting behind the defense to make explosive plays. Marvin has those quick feet and slinky hips that make it difficult for defensive backs to read him running routes and the high football IQ to rip apart zone coverages. He is so good at getting open he makes defensive coordinators think there are only nine players on defense. Marvin Mims, there ain’t no mountain high enough and there ain’t no valley low enough to keep him from being something special for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Most teams are labeling Marvin as just a slot receiver or move receiver, not able to line up on the outside against faster and more physical corners. Big mistake because Marvin’s lower body strength and long strides to run routes, is along the same style as Bills Stefon Diggs. Until Marvin is drafted and proves he can impact lined up on the outside, teams will downgrade him to the later rounds just like Stefon Diggs was. Stefon was selected in the 5th round of his draft.

BOTTOM LINE; 1.81
As I said because Marvin is a long-striding receiver he has deceiving speed that sneaks up on defenders and that is why he gets so open all the time. His strong running also makes it difficult to push him off his routes and that gives him the explosion out of his breaks that most “Speed” receivers lack, coming out in a draft. Marvin is also very smart and reads defenses on the run, and adjusts his routes as he is running them and quarterbacks see that and can anticipate and feel comfortable throwing the ball to him knowing he will be open. Marvin is the type of receiver that makes a quarterback better. Oh, and by the way, let’s not forget about his ability to play special teams returning punts. Like I said, no mountain is too high or valley is too low…he can be something special.