Category: 2024 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Decamerion is a faster version of the Buffalo Bills Christian Benford. He is excellent in any style of coverage, playing soft zone, matchup zone, and press coverages, because of his high football IQ and quickness to tackle in the open field. Decamerion is quick to get off blocks and make tackles. He is a physical, quick-twitch athlete, with the speed to recover when he gets beat. He is tall and lengthy, with long arms that make it easy for him to trail a receiver and still make a play on the ball. Because of Decamerion’s quickness and length, he can defend receivers of any size and athletic talent in the red zone. He has that wiry type of strength, and uses his arm length to his advantage, better than most Defensive Backs, getting off blocks against screens and sweeps with surprising ease. Decamerion very much like Christian was, is very underrated at this point in the draft.

CONCERNS
Decamerion is strong but he does lack the weight and bulk most teams like to see in their Defensive Backs to be able to play in any style of defense and to play multiple positions. Also, because the team he plays on used him in different coverages all through a game, Decamerion hasn’t shown the ability to make any interceptions.

BOTTOM LINE: 2.47
Decamerion is a smart player. He goes low when he tackles but he wraps up and that’s why he can limit the “run after the catch” yardage against him. This guy is really smart but to play more than one position in a team’s defensive backfield, he will have to communicate better with his teammates, before the snap of the ball. Decamerion sees things before the snap of the ball that most others don’t see. His anticipation skills, as the play is evolving in front of him is very much like Christian Benford’s. Christian wasn’t drafted until the 6th round of the 2022 draft and has outplayed a cornerback who was selected in the first round for no other reason than Christian’s ability to anticipate and tackle better. Decamerion’s athletic talents are excellent and still, he is being overlooked in this draft. It’s likely he won’t be selected at all until Rookie Free agency. If I’m right, Decamerion will be one of the steals of this draft. If I’m wrong, I still get to do profiles next year…I think!

STRENGTHS
Isaac reminds me a lot of Former Washington Redskins RB John Riggins. Isaac is a big, strong, smart, fast running back. He has enough wiggle to make defenders miss him in the backfield and the power to break a tackle and make that defender wish he had missed him in the backfield. Isaac is an excellent pass-blocking running back and has excellent hands to catch the ball out of the backfield. He is 6’0” 221 lbs and ran a 4.33 at the combine. Isaac is the type of back, play callers will be fools not to let him touch the ball at least 20 to 25 times in a game because he is “machine-like” in gaining the yardage needed on every down he runs. He averaged 6.1 yards a carry and 10.6 yards catching the ball out of the backfield. Think about that. He runs with this quite strong-willed confidence that keeps making yardage, all game long, punishing defenders and making them curl up in a fetal position after the game in the locker room. In the 2016 draft, I told you Derrick Henry was the best running back in that draft, you didn’t believe me. Now, I’m telling you Isaac is the best running back in this draft class. Let the non-believers…line up.

CONCERNS
Trust me in the open field, Isaac will not make a “break your ankles” move, to get by a defender so…you better bring your big boy pants to tackle him. In this day and age that means Isaac will take a lot of hits and most teams will downgrade him because of the injury factor of the position…big mistake, Hugh.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.80
How is it, that no one noticed a 6’0” 221 lbs running back who ran a 4.33 – 40, 1.55 – 10-yard split, 41.5 vertical, 10.9 broad jump, 6.94 – 3 cone, and a 4.15 – 20 shuttle? Let’s add to that, in 2023, 810 yards rushing for a 6.1 average, 234 receiving yards for a 10.6 average. In this day and age, of everyone looking and evaluating a player on analytics, you explain to me, how this kid is not high on your analytical nerd list! By the way, I very rarely have seen a running back average 10 yards when receiving passes out of the backfield. After the combine, I put on the film and I saw who he was after three carries…I saw John Riggins, in the flesh. By the way, at the combine at 221lbs, at about 15 to 20 lbs heavier than the other RB’s, Isaac ran the fastest 40, the 3rd best vertical in the entire combine, the 2nd best broad jump, 4th best – 3 cone, 4th best 20-yard shuttle. He did this without one analytical nerd, media expert, or former player, (who thinks they know how to evaluate players for the draft) … noticing. I bet the scouts noticed….and of course me.

STRENGTHS
Marshawn has the lower body strength and bulk that along with his speed and agility makes him an intriguing and potential starting running back for the team that selects him. He has that “cinder block” body, that makes it difficult to tackle him low because of his lower body strength and his short 5’ 9” stature makes it a struggle for tacklers to find him coming out of the backfield too. Marshawn does a good job catching the ball down the field showing his athletic talent and excellent hand-eye coordination. Marshawn has the speed and quick cutting agility to take the ball to the outside as well as the strength to run between the tackles. Marshawn has the potential to be a starting running back for the team that selects him if…he can improve his skill set in two important areas.

CONCERNS
Marshawn fumbles and you can’t have a running back on the field who fumbles. Nevertheless, that can be corrected. Still…it will affect his draft status. The other issue is pass blocking. Marshawn is built like a cinder block. A Cinder block is a stabilizing piece of concrete with 2 or 3 holes and unless you have multiple blocks stacked up on top of each other, they are not going to be effective blocking very much. One Marshawn blocking in the backfield will not be enough cinder blocks.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.44
Marshawn is not ever going to be a good pass blocker. His body type makes that difficult for him more than his lack of size. He can be used in the slot and as a check-down receiver but it’s best for him to be running a route in the open field because once again, his body type and not his stature makes it hard to find him. He is a very good running back with the ability to find holes, follow blockers, and make needed yardage because of his lower body strength and balance. There are times when he thinks he is a finesse runner and tries to do too much cutting back but that can be addressed and corrected. Even the lack of body type to block can be worked around but fumbling…that cannot be worked around and until he can prove that fumbling will no longer be an issue it will be hard for a team to select him early in this draft and put him on the field giving him enough touches to impact. If Marshawn can correct the fumbling issue and build trust, he can become an impact running back for the team that selects him. By the way, his body type and style of running lends itself to more longevity than most other running back. So, you see how his cinder block body type taketh away and how it can, giveth.

STRENGTHS
Kingsley is a big, strong, powerful offensive lineman who plays angry. He has enough athletic ability to play more than one position on the offensive line. He has those long arms that make it difficult for the edge rushes to get around him and the size and power to handle a bull rush. Kingsley showed at the Senior Bowl practices that he can be a good run blocker and this will allow the team that drafts him to line him up at the guard or tackle position.

CONCERNS
Right now, Kingsway is a penalty-making machine for the next level. I don’t see him as a tackle at the next level because his techniques are crude at best and when he gets broken down he struggles to recover. Moving him to a guard position makes sense, but once again he has to improve his run and pass-blocking techniques and stay away from committing penalties.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.94
Kingsley thinks he can outmuscle and intimate his opponent and at this point of his career lacks the mental patience and techniques to play his position with the proficiency needed to be the player his talents suggest that he can become. He has all of the needed athletic talent, size, and strength and none of the mental patience to be consistent in his play from down to down. Kinsley’s fear of getting beat makes him panic, lose control of his emotions, and commit penalties. Move him inside and hopefully, a coach with patience and understanding can get Kingsley to relax and not worry about getting beat. He seems to be a smart person. He just has to learn not to use his “angry panic play” after the snap of the ball and use it “AT” the snap of the ball. Don’t let the fight come to him, bring the fight to them. There is a ton of potential in Kingsley…big time potential but I’m pretty sure it will be at Guard and not at Tackle. To be honest with you, I’m not sure if he might be playing on the wrong side of the ball.

STRENGTHS
Bub reminds me a lot of former Bengals Receiver Tyler Boyd. Their style of play is the same but Bub is bigger, faster, stronger, and a more natural receiver compared to Tyler who works hard to accomplish his success. Bub has a smooth gate that allows him to play effortlessly. He also has deceiving quickness that you just don’t see when watching him on film unless he is pressed into using it. Playing football comes easy to Bub. I suspect that Bub is challenged more in practice against his teammates than he is in a game. Bub can play inside or outside. He can run all the routes and because of his strong body, can keep defenders away from his hands-on deep routes. He has the strong hands to make the difficult catch. Bub likes to be physical and enjoys the challenge of going up against press coverage. He has remarkable natural athletic talent to be a top receiver in the NFL. Nevertheless, it takes more than talent to play in the NFL.

CONCERNS
Bub takes for granted his ability to be a top receiver. He is so very gifted that he hasn’t been challenged at the college level and when he has, he easily steps up to that challenge. Bub may think he works hard but his work ethic hasn’t been challenged to improve himself as a receiver. Bub has a good work ethic but the question is…does he work hard? Remember Drew’s Draft rule number #26 – Having natural athletic talent can be a gift and a curse. As a gift, it can make things come easy. It can be a curse when it deceives you from realizing your true potential.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.33
The work ethic to get better as a “receiver” is the big question mark. Better route running, smarter route running, details of running routes, stronger hands, catching contested balls, improving his catch radius, running routes consistently, the work ethic to become a better “receiver” is the question mark. We can see how good Bub can be, now we need to understand if he sees how good he can be. Because of his athletic talent, Bub could be successful early. Nevertheless, as soon as Defensive Coordinators get some NFL game film on him they will find ways he never thought existed to challenge him and frustrate him, and that’s when Bub will learn what real work is or he will just fade away. Bub is not a boom-or-bust player because he won’t be selected in the early rounds of this draft. Bub is a developmental player and it will be up to him how much more he develops. He could be one of those 4th or 5th-round receivers who could be special but, becoming special starts with the attention to the details of your position.

STRENGTHS
Audric is a big, powerful running back with the speed and burst that makes him special. He’s a straight-line runner, and god help you if you happen to be in that line. Audric is a run-between-the-tackles type of running back and a square shoulders-to-the-line-of-scrimmage type of running back. He can and does have the speed to take the ball to the outside but his impact will be between the tackles for sure. He can break tackles at the line of scrimmage as well as in the open field. He reminds me a lot of former Rams/Steelers RB Jerome Bettis, (Look Him Up, I’m not your Mother. I can’t do everything for you.) Audric has the hands to catch the ball out of the backfield and this makes him a potential every-down back for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Audric might struggle figuring out who to block on third downs but trust me, if the QB points the blitzing player out to him, he will make the block and make sure the person blitzing remembers that block. He hasn’t done a lot of blocking but he can do it. As I stated before, he has the speed to go to the outside but that’s not where he gains his yards, he’s a between-the-tackle nightmare and not a finesse back or a juke-you or break-you-ankles type of back. He has the talent to be that style of back but it’s just not in his mental make-up. This may bother some teams who worry about the injury factor with the running back position and affect his draft-round status.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.82
Put Audric on an NFL team, and with a “Franchise” quarterback, and a Defensive Coordinator will have nightmares figuring out a game plan on how to stop that offense on third downs. Why you ask…because if there is a lightbox, Audric will run the ball through the tackles and gain the needed yards, and if that team loads the box up, that “Franchise Quarterback will make them pay, passing for the needed yards. All an offense has to do is double team a DT with the center and guard, and bring your Tight End in motion to double team the other DT with your other guard and the linebacker is one on one, with a runaway freight train all by his little…lonesome…self. Audric, on a team that has an average or better-than-average NFL quarterback, can carry the offense and make that team more competitive. Audric will give any team the threat of an impact running game and help control the middle of the field. By the way…don’t believe that 4.7 forty. Anyone who watches the film sees that Audric has 4.5 speed and matching burst…that’s if your “expert” bothers to watch the film. Those are the facts, they are undisputed.

STRENGTHS
Frank is a smart running back with solid overall athletic talent. The skill set he has that can make him a starting back at the next level is vision, balance, and the ability to make it easy for his offensive lineman to block for him because of his patience and quick feet. Frank understands how to take advantage of his running skills better than most running backs coming out in the draft. He has good speed and along with his quick feet can impact quickly. Frank is what I call a “reactionary” running back. He sees the play waits for the defense to committee and then because of his excellent vision and balance reacts to gain his yards. He is not a… hand the ball off, run to the hole, and pray the hole is open, type of runner. It’s hard to tackle Frank behind the line of scrimmage because of this style of running and setting up his blocks. Out of all the running backs in this draft, Frank might be the smartest and gets the most out of his athletic and learned reactionary talents.

CONCERNS
Frank doesn’t show the burst you would expect from a running back who has this, reactionary style of gaining yards. He has good enough speed and he has good long speed but that quick burst he lacks. The other issue is Frank has at times fumbled the ball, although most of those fumbles are at impact to the ground and get overturned it shows that he carries the ball loosely and this will be the issue that will keep him off the field at the next level.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.25
I tell people this all the time, I am not an analyst or a coach and I don’t break down film and try to impress you with a whole bunch of football coach talk. I am a profiler. I’m trying to find out through a player’s play on the field in a game what motivates that player to be good and if that motivation will be enough to follow him to the next level to continue to be good and get better. All the other stuff is subjective. But motivation is a constant. It is the one thing that drives people to do what they do. That’s why my profiles are so different than many others and why my talent board may be so different. When I watch Frank on film, I see a person not haunted or in competition with his father’s records and great career. I see a player who is motivated on every carry for his father to be proud of him. That is a big difference from the average player whose father has a successful career. Once he establishes that his father is proud of every carry, Frank is inquisitive and wants to see just how good he might be. Once Frank satisfies both goals, how he reacts after that will be the key to how successful his career can be. Don’t shy away from drafting Frank in this draft because he should be a very productive three-down back, with the leadership skills to become a core player and a fan favorite for a franchise quickly.

 

STRENGTHS
Junior is that sneaky good, type of football player, who surprises you game after game with his production. He is a “do your job” type of linebacker who has the talent, high football IQ, and instincts to do more than just his job when it calls for it. He has good size and speed to play more than one position in the front seven of a defense. Junior has the leadership skills and the consistent play that you look for in a player to be a coach on the field. He has the agility to cover in small spaces and the instincts to move on the play and be around the ball to make an impact play. Junior is the type of player who does his job and when he needs to do more than his job, he does that too. He is sneaky good.

CONCERNS
Junior is not a punishing tackler but he is a sure tackler. He doesn’t flash because he always seems to be in the right place, using the least amount of effort. He is the definition of sneaky and this is affecting his draft status because he just makes his impact seem so easy. Junior has been playing with a hand injury and cast on his left hand, and a split on his right that could affect his draft status if these injuries are suspected to be a chronic issues.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.54
Scouts see Junior, Defensive Coordinators see Junior but GM’s…because they don’t value the linebacker position, they may not see Junior. When you watch the film of Junior and he makes a play, you think…any linebacker could have made that play. But you’re wrong, the reason Junior made that play so effortlessly is because he was moving to that play as the ball was being snapped. Junior was already establishing the right angle, or in the right gap, or moving to shut down that running backs hole, or moving in anticipation towards the side he knew was the only way the quarterback could extend the play out of the pocket. He is that smart and instinctive and yes, this talent does come from repetitions but I do expect him to repeat this talent, instincts, and leadership at the next level just like I expect him to be 6’2” 338 lbs with a 32-inch arm length. It’s inevitable. Don’t expect Junior to be selected early in this draft because of the position he plays, the style he plays at, and his hand issues. It’s not my job to tell you if a player will be drafted or what round a player could be drafted in. All I can suggest to you is a player’s potential to impact if healthy at the next level. I will tell you this, if a player doesn’t have two good hands it’s difficult to play effectively in the NFL. History tells us that you have to have at least one good hand.

STRENGTHS
Tez has the size, speed, and agility teams look for in an outside receiver. He reminds me a lot of former North Carolina WR Bucky Brooks. He’s got those long arms and legs that make him seem bigger than he is. On film he looks 6’5” but at the combine, he came at 6’1” not much difference but a bit deceiving for some reason. Tez has deceiving speed, that allows him to get behind unsuspecting defenders. He shows the ability and agility to play inside or outside.

CONCERNS
For me, it comes down to 2 issues that I find very hard for him to overcome. He double-clutches a lot of quick passes and seems to be a receiver who will be better at running vertical routes and not all the routes. The other issue is if you get physical with him, he will disappear. Maybe I should have said 3 issues…he sucks at blocking because he is just not a physical player.

BOTTOM LINE: 4.89
Bucky Brooks was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 2nd round of the 1994 draft. He played for 5 different teams in 5 years. Most of you don’t know that because you haven’t been following the draft like I have been for 45 years. All you know about Bucky is that he is a sports announcer who never talks about his college or NFL career. Enough Said. I don’t draft players who don’t like to be physical and do not like it when players get physical with them. I really don’t care what former player breaks them down on film and tries to make you believe things that just are not there. I don’t care how many teams bring a player in for their 30 visits. Tez double clutches the ball unless he is running vertical routes or as the pros say, he is a linear type of route runner. That’s a nice way to say that he will struggle running the route tree and most likely will not be a starting receiver. Tez most likely will be considered as only a 3rd or 4th receiver with special team’s potential. There are exceptions in profiling a player and overlooking some issues but for me personally, it’s hard to overlook a player who disappears when the play gets physical against him.

 

STRENGTHS
Ruke is a big, strong, powerful defensive lineman with the potential to become a dominating Defensive lineman. It’s possible for Ruke to become a dominating lineman “similar” to the Chiefs Chris Jones. Ruke has the length and size to play more than one position on the defensive line. He gives good effort on every play and enough foot speed to be disruptive when he gets into the backfield. He shows the strength and lateral agility to stuff the run and control his blocks. Ruke has all of the potential to become a dominating player at the next level for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
There are a lot of issues that have slowed his football growth. He is rarely double-teamed and that’s because after he engages and beats his block he gets frozen in space looking for what to do next. When he comes off the line and continues to the backfield he is a potential sack master and disrupter but he rarely does that unless he is teaming up with a teammate on a stunt. Ruke seems to be unsure of what to do when he is one-on-one and defeats his block. He doesn’t finish, and I’m not sure why, but if some coach can unlock this kid’s thinking, maybe he can be as good as Chris Jones… just maybe.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.97
Ruke should be drafted higher than I have him rated because of his size and athleticism. I have never liked or thought highly of the coaching at Clemson in developing players. If teams think Ruke has the work ethic to improve and feel the same as I do about the program then for sure, Ruke will be selected higher than I have him rated. The truth is, in this draft, Ruke has the most upside from this group of defensive linemen. That being said, he also has the furthest to go to reach that upside and that will affect his draft status

STRENGTHS
Renardo is a shutdown, press cover corner. He is a quick twitch athlete who is physical and loves the challenge of defending against the top receivers at the college level. He has the size, length, speed, and competitiveness needed to be a press cover type of defensive back. He is smart and understands that press coverage is all about disrupting the rhythm of the receiver and the quarterback and making them hesitate and struggle mentally as much as physically. He is relentless in his coverage and if he gets beat he will give up the penalty rather than let the receiver be successful, adding to the mental frustration for the receiver. Renardo is quick to come up against the run and is slick at slipping blocks to make tackles but when he is in coverage his priority and obsession is to be that “mentally and physically pain in the ass”, dominating cover corner.

CONCERNS
He is physical and will give up the penalty if he gets fooled and teams are just going to have to learn to live with it if they expect him to be their shutdown press cover corner. He has played some safety but in zone coverages, his recognition skills and athletic talent are not what you would expect them to be because he plays so much press coverage.

BOTTOM LINE: 1.88
To give you an idea of his coverage talent, turn on the Florida St vs LSU game, and watch as he shuts down Malik Nabors and disrupts the passing rhythm of Jayden Daniels. It’s impressive. At the same time being able to play at that level and with that energy, for a 17-game schedule and not mix zone coverages into the defensive scheme, is unlikely. That means Renardo has to play in zone coverages, without hesitation, and with better consistency, than he does right now. Renardo reminds me a lot of the Buffalo Bills 2022 1st RD pick CB Kaiir Elam. He might have a more dominating demeanor but as far as size, athletic talent, and cover skills they are about the same.