Category: 2019 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Greg is an athletic big man who understands that his priority job is stopping the run. He has quick feet and good foot speed to pressure the quarterback. He has good lateral agility to stretch out plays allowing his teammates to make tackles. Greg understands gap control but because of his quick feet and foot speed you can run stunts with him forcing offensive lineman to double team him. He changes the line of scrimmage to his benefit on almost every snap and when he is double teamed his defensive teammates became dominating behind him. Greg shows leadership skills through his play on the field. Greg has the athletic talent and size to be used as a nose tackle in a 3/4 defense or either one on the DT’s in a 4/3 defense. On some downs he could even be used as a down DE in the 3/4 because he has good overall athleticism. The ability for Greg to play inside on the defensive line at different positions makes him a value selection for the team that drafts him.

CONCERNS
Greg has to get stronger in his upper body and use his hands better to stand up his opponent, take on double teams and shed blocks to improve his ability to make tackles at the line of scrimmage consistently. When he comes off with good leverage he is as good as any defensive tackle in this draft but he seems to lack confidence in his strength to raise his arms and block passes.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 2.22
A Defensive tackle can impact, coming off the line, getting into the backfield and raising their arms to knock down passes or tip passes. You have to have the strength to first engage and then use your arms to free yourself up, pushing forward consistently. Greg has good strength but needs to upgrade it to make this move, and once he gets that strength and learns those techniques, I believe he will become a more impacting defensive lineman then he has been at the college level. You can tell when a nose tackle/guard is an impact player. All you have to do is look at the amount of tackles the players behind him accumulate. In this case, I believe there is a linebacker and safety who led this conference in tackles at their prospective positions this year, as proof of Greg’s hard work. That only happens because of talent on the defensive line and Greg was that talent. He can pass rush and get into the back field to disrupt but Greg is a team player and knows that gap control and taking up double teams and pushing the pocket is where he can impact more for his teammates. Greg is the type of defensive lineman every team needs to have a dominating defense. He does the grunt work and he reminds me a lot of the Bills Kyle Williams. Let’s see if he has as impacting a career. I think he will.

STRENGTHS
Dwayne has extraordinary talent to become a franchise quarterback for the team that selects him. He has a quick release that teams are going to love and makes all the throws with the accuracy and the velocity that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up and make you say…Oh brother! He is a pure pocket passer who has the mental talent and football IQ to adjust his style of play to any style of offense system and that is a unique talent that only a franchise potential player has the ability to do. Dwayne has the size and bulk to handle the pounding at the NFL level. He is very comfortable playing from the pocket because of his quick release, accuracy, strong arm, and the ability to throw from various release points without it affecting his accuracy or velocity. He can make all the throws because he is a natural thrower and has enough athletic talent to move in the pocket reset and still throw the ball on target. Dwayne stands tall in the pocket and has the mental toughness to lead and makes impact plays passing the ball that will open up the running game. Dwayne has the talent to be something special for the team that selects him in the draft.

CONCERNS
He only has one year of production and that will scare some teams and make them down grade him on that issue alone. I do understand this, and its easy for me not to be concerned with that fact but as I have said all along…I just look at the film and the film says this kid has the talent and mental stamina and the football IQ to be something special because of his ability to improve and impact in an offensive system that does not fit his talents.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.33
How many quarterbacks can you think of that no matter what offensive system you put them in, they would impact and produce? Not many but, Dwayne being a pure pocket passer, impacted, improved and raised the level of the players around him for this one season in a system meant for an athletic running quarterback. I’m not suggesting that Dwayne is not a good athlete on the contrary… he is more than adequate but because of his ability and confidence to release the ball quickly, his mental makeup is to play from the pocket. His college coaches really were not prepared nor did they want to, change their offensive system to his strengths so, if Dwayne wanted to play he had to improve his weaknesses to fit their system instead of them fitting the offense to his strengths and naturals abilities. There are always question marks about any player playing any position for only one year coming out in any draft and trust me, there will be many “experts” ready to tell you about every one of them and project their failures on to Dwayne. The truth is, Dwayne will have to work hard to prove them all wrong… there is no doubt about that. Nevertheless, do not count me in that group of negative nellies because, there is no doubt in my mind that Dwayne will be a special player for the team that selects him because he is a natural. I call him Dwayne (The Natural) Haskins and if I needed a franchise QB, on my board, he would be rated very early like… top ten for sure.

STRENGTHS
Jonah reminds me a lot of former Left Tackle for the Browns Joe Thomas. He has excellent techniques and is consistent using those techniques on just about every down. He has good quick feet and stays on balance and also is smart and adapts to the athleticism of his opponent quickly after he gets beat but the truth is, at the college level he rarely got beat. Jonah shows the on the field leadership skills, that all excellent Left Tackles needs to have to be successful at the next level. He has a high football IQ and I know that because of the way he uses all the technique’s required, to play his position, with less size and pure athletic talent, than most have who play left tackle at a high productive level. Jonah has all the tools to be an excellent Left Tackle for the team that selects him and that’s why I call him Jonah (The Tool Man) Williams.

CONCERNS
I’d like to see him get a little bit better pad level and leverage when run blocking but I am nitpicking…you don’t select a left tackle because they are good run blockers, you select them because of their pass blocking and Jonah like I said, has all the tools to pass block. There is an issue about size and arm length that some teams use, (who checks boxes) as a way to evaluate players. Those teams will have a problem with Jonah’s size and will downgrade him because he’s not perfect. I don’t check boxes to evaluate players…I just look at the film. I know that’s crazy but, that’s just me.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.38
You don’t find many offensive lineman using techniques as consistently as Jonah coming out of college into a draft very often. It’s a shame, but a fact and when you do find one, you’re foolish to pass up on them and not select them even if your have a pro bowl left tackle on your roster right now. With the fact that teams are not using blocking tight ends and full backs to help out with pass blocking both sides of the line need offensive tackles who can play on an island nowadays. Jonah has played both right and left tackle at a high level so suggesting that because he doesn’t check all the physical boxes to be a tackle, makes using the box method, in this case, a bit foolish as far as I’m concerned. So, check away and because Jonah doesn’t fit into your boxes don’t select him, I don’t care…but don’t come to me when he makes the pro bowl for the team that selected him, and your quarterback who he’s not protecting, is on a gurney being taken off the field along with your team’s chance for the playoffs. If you don’t think selecting Jonah early in this draft is smart than the truth is…you’re not a true Draftnik, you’re really just a poser

STRENGTHS
Rashan has good size and good enough athletic talent to become a solid defensive lineman for the team that selects him. His strength is in defending against the run. He does a good job getting off blocks and making tackles in and close to the line of scrimmage as a run stuffer. Rashan has the length and size to develop into a solid pass rusher. He has those long arms and legs that make it easy to gain advantage against offensive tackles, getting them off balance in obvious pass rushing situations. Rashan looks the part and has the talent and potential to be an NFL defensive lineman but as I always say, it takes more that talent to play in the NFL.

CONCERNS
There is a big lack of attention to details to Rashan’s overall game and techniques. In spite of his obvious size he struggles to consistently put pressure on the quarterback and change the line of scrimmage in his favor on every down. He is a bit of a tweener in that he doesn’t have the bulk and techniques to play inside and lacks the burst and techniques to play on the outside. Rashan does show good effort but struggles to use second moves when he has been stopped to free himself when pass rushing. If he works hard my guess is that he will fit a 3/4 defense the best and because of his length could become a better than average pass rusher.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 3.72
As of this writing Rashan is listed as a potential top ten player in this draft and he is coming out early to take advantage of that… I suppose. For me personally…I don’t see it! As far as I’m concerned, someone is blowing big time smoke up this kid’s buttocks. The truth is this whole team lacks the attention to detail in its coaching and it shows in their play on the field. Rashan has potential and hopefully he understands that and is coming out early to develop that potential because he doesn’t see it happening if he stays in college. If that’s why he is coming out early than that is hard to argue with. Now I have been wrong before and I hope Rashan proves me wrong this time but you draft with the information you have in front of you at the time of the draft and my information says, Rashan has a long way to go just to become a starting defensive lineman in the NFL. If he can help out rotating and use that time to develop his techniques and bulk up he could become a solid run stuffing defensive lineman with the ability to get effort sacks but as of this writing he is not a dominating force at the college level and that leads me to believe that dominating at the NFL level just might not be in the cards either. The gauntlets been dropped Rashan, I challenge you and welcome you to prove me wrong.

STRENGTHS
If you’re looking for a player who is smart, with strong hands, has excellent size and strength, can play more than one position on your offense than look no further than Jalen. He can play slot receiver and move the chains. He can be your touchdown maker catching the ball or running the ball. He is unique and taller than most running backs but don’t be fooled, he runs with excellent quickness and pad level to make whatever needed yards you need to make on third down. When you pass the ball to Jalen he shows on film excellent catch radius and with the attitude that the ball is his when it’s in the air. He shows good naturel balance and vision and is a strong run after the catch receiver. Jalen works the slot like a maniac all over the offense. First you see him lining up in the back field running the ball, then he’s lined up in the slot, then he is lined up out wide, then he is at the first down marker and then he is in the end zone. Jalen is a multi-talented, multi position offensive player that any smart offensive coordinator should be beating the table for. Oh, and by the way, let’s not overlook that Jalen just might be one of the best blocking receivers in this draft. Like I said…the kid’s a maniac.

CONCERNS
Jalen has a bad habit of running routes all at the same speed. If he becomes a pure receiver than he will have to learn to change speeds and become more “sudden”. If Jalen is used as a multi positional player this is not a big issue because than Jalen is used as a match up player and is not on the field all the time. If Jalen wants to be a starter than he has to learn better rout running skills. Something tells with his intelligence, this will not be a problem.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.60
The Patriots have an impact player who Jalen’s talents remind me of, James White. The difference is size, James is listed at 5’10” 205 lbs. and Jalen is listed at 6’4” 220 lbs.…big difference, same football IQ and skill sets. Trust me when I say this, don’t count out, Jalen’s ability to run the ball as an RB just because he is 6’4”. This kid has been a running back most of his life and loves the physical part of running the ball. He also has strong hands to catch the ball and can catch the ball down the field as good as any receiver in this draft. What really attracts me to Jalen when I first saw him at Baylor, was the aggressive way he blocked for his teammates. When my Boys were young we watched a lot of Sponge Bob Square Pants and one of my favorite episodes was “Hall Monitor”. Everyone knew who Sponge Bob was and yet Patrick confused him for the maniac and saw him all over the place. Everyone knows about Jalen and yet they don’t recognize him during the game because, he is all over the place. Even his own teammates don’t recognize what position Jalen is lined up at, all the time. He’s at running back, no he’s in the slot…oh no he’s lined up outside, where is he now coach…oh no…watch out…. HE’S IN THE END ZONE! Jalen has the size to become more that a specialty player but I would always use him all over my offense because he is a match up nightmare no matter what position he lines up at. He’s a maniac.

STRENGTHS
Ed has the explosion off the line of scrimmage to be a dominant defensive lineman for the team that selects him. He has the size to be stout against the run and the quickness to split the double team and get into the backfield and disrupt the rhythm of an offense. Ed has played mostly on the nose for his college team but he could play multiple defensive line positions because of his quickness and explosion off the line. He plays with good effort and will work hard until he hears the whistle to make a sack. Ed has the ability to push the pocket on third down and if your team plays a one gap attack defense or running the 46 Defense, Ed is a perfect fit for sure.

CONCERNS
Ed has had a knee issue that muddied up his playing time this year so that will have to be checked out. Also, he had problems with his coach and although his coach got fired and I don’t know the whole story…this is an issue that teams need to investigate.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 2.02
I have said for years that it takes more than talent to play in the NFL. Ed has the talent; the question is does he have more than talent? Having an altercation with his head coach over a freaking jacket is an issue that for me and stands out as a red flag. What happens when he is selected and doesn’t like his position coach or like the defense he is in? Seems to me that Ed has more respect for his teammates (if he likes them) than he does his coaches. Now I haven’t got a clue what Ed is like, but for me actions have always spoke louder than words. Ed on the field is a show man but as far as doing the grunt work required of a defensive tackle, that is when Ed seems to lack the consistency and interest in doing his job. When Ed is double team and can’t hit the gap quick enough he settles for being handled. That being said…in the right defensive system and with a coach that he likes and can get along with Ed can become very productive. My problem is how many teams have the right system and how do I know for sure that Ed will like his coaches? As an owner spending 1st round money on a player who has shown his dislike and lack of respect on the field, during a game, in front of a whole stadium, to his coach, that is a problem for me no matter how talented he is. It’s a problem for me even if his coach deserves it and is a total jerk. Making excuses for Ed’s lack of maturity is exactly why teams blow the 1st round pick. I think Ed, only fits a certain system and that to me means selecting him too early would not be smart at all. Then again, I have never been accused of being smart. Remember you draft with the information on draft day you have in front of you and that’s all you can do. After that it’s up to the player to succeed. My information SUGGEST that Ed’s talent might not be worth the headaches he might be in the future and there are other options in this draft. Ed has 1st round talent with potential 4th round headaches and that equals 2nd round selection for me.

STRENGTHS
Josh reminds me a lot of former Dolphins DE Jason Taylor. He has the same athletic talent to play more than one position in your defensive front seven as Jason had. Josh can be used to rush the passer or drop off the line in coverage because of his length. He has an excellent burst off the line and those long legs that allow him to turn the corner and sack the quarterback. Josh has an excellent burst and can change direction in coverage just enough to cover tight ends off the line. He has the potential to be as good as the Vikings Anthony Barr and in the future could become a special defensive player, the kind who can impact and you can build you defense around. He’s a defensive playmaker.

CONCERNS
Josh is a much more aggressive attacking the line of scrimmage than he is dropping off the line of scrimmage. He struggles tackling consistently in the open field and this will be magnified at the next level. When he drops off into zone coverage he seems to be lost at times and struggles to be consistent in his drops. Josh struggles tackling consistently in the open field and at times uses poor form and also will hesitate, allowing others to make the tackle. This doesn’t happen when he is used to attack the line of scrimmage.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.61
There is too much talent and potential to pass up Josh in the 1st round but the truth is right now he is better in a three-point stance bursting off the line into the back field than he is standing up, off the line of scrimmage. He is going to need some hard coaching and a mature attitude to reach his full potential as an OLB/DE in a 3/4 Defense. I’m not saying he can’t do it…all I’m saying is, put on the film and watch him in a three-point stance coming off the line and then tell me that you think he should be standing up off the line struggling to carry out his assignment, until you can get him up to speed. Jason Taylor made his name and career as a DE in a 4/3 defense. It wasn’t until later in his career that he was switched over and played in a 3/4 and believe me he wasn’t as impacting. He was good but not as disruptive or as impacting. Josh comes off the line and into the backfield like a greyhound coming out of the starting gate when he’s in a three-point stance. He has those long strides that puts the offense lineman off balance trying to match up with him. His pad level, speed and quickness are what gives him the advantage and once he learns better hand usage and how to set up his opponent he just might become a bigger version of Broncos Von Miller. Of course, if you want to turn him into the next Anthony Barr that can happen also but that, might take a little more time and some hard coaching.

STRENGTHS
Nick Bosa is the definition of a defensive lineman for the NFL. He has the size, speed, and explosion off the line to make defensive coordinators drool so much while sleeping, it makes their wives move to another room for fear of being drowned. He is stout against the run and will change the line of scrimmage to his advantage on almost every play. Nick moves directly into the back field and has this ability of slipping past his blocker, slapping their hands down, turning his shoulders and then, like a magician, he is in the back field and in the QB’s face for a sack or at worst disrupting the timing of the play. Nick’s ability to come off the line at the correct pad level to gain leverage and put the offensive lineman at an immediate disadvantage seems to be unique to the Bosa family. Like I said before, Nick is a defensive coordinators dream come true and although the wife may move to another room to save themselves from drowning, believe me… they will also be jealous of all the attention Nick will be receiving from their husbands also. Remember ladies…happy Nick, happy husband.

CONCERNS
Nick has to stay healthy…that’s it, I got nothing else.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.36
Nick plays the game like a Boa Constrictor. Boa Constrictors do not move side to side like other snakes do. They move straight to their prey, slipping by and over any obstacles in their way and then lunging and wrapping themselves around and constricting their prey’s ability to breath. That’s what Nick does on the field taking a direct line into the backfield, slipping and sliding by offensive lineman and then wrapping his arms around the QB and constricting that player’s movements to pass the ball. In South America some of the natives call the Boa constrictor “Wowla”. Unlike his brother Joe, Nick plays the game with a little more speed and finesse and effortlessly while Joe, uses more strength and explosion to over power. It’s a little different style but the same dominating conclusion. I’m calling him Nick “Wowla” Bosa because any nick name with the word “Wow” in it, should be used to explain what this kid can do on the field.

STRENGTHS
Daniel Jones has franchise quarterback “potential”. He has the size, athleticism, arm strength, accuracy along with the ability to throw from the pocket that you look for in a potential franchise quarterback. Daniel has excellent maturity in all facets of his game and because he is so respected by his teammates he has excellent leadership skills to make the players around him better. He can throw on the move with accuracy and has the ability to change his release point without losing any accuracy or velocity. He can play from under center or in a spread offense because of his quick feet and excellent balance. Daniel is smart and goes through his progressions and if he can break the habit of trying to make every play a big play, Daniel could reach his full potential as a franchise quarterback in the NFL.

CONCERNS
Daniel will at times try to do too much and although he is athletic, he is not a running quarterback because he lacks the quickness to get away from being run down. Daniel also can manipulate the pocket to extend plays but takes a lot of late hits because he doesn’t feel the pressure when he doesn’t see it or anticipate it. This leads to big hits out of the pocket and injuries. That being said Daniel is smart when he anticipates the blitz, can extend plays and re-set and throw with accuracy. Daniel likes to throw down the field and at times is late to throw to his check downs and must learn to take more of what a defense gives him during a game. Daniel numbers are not that outstanding and some will use those to down grade him but for me HOW he plays the game in that “Manning style”, is the key.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.46
Daniel reminds me a lot of the Giants Eli Manning. He has the same ability in the pocket to extend plays and the same quiet leadership on the field. He also seems to have that inner strength that allows him to deal with his mistakes and his teammates mistakes without getting too high or too low during the game. He has the arm talent and accuracy to make teams defend his ability to pass the ball down the field opening up the running game. His mechanics are mature moving his feet consistently to keep his balance when under pressure in the pocket. Daniel does an excellent job managing the game plan and is like a coach on the field helping his teammates at all times. The potential to be a Franchise quarterback is what you get when you select Daniel and I think in this draft if you want him you just might have to trade up to get him. If I needed a quarterback I would trade up to get him, what would I give up, to move up, to select him you ask? Well, all I can say is…if I were Amish I’d build you a barn for the privilege of trading up to select Daniel Jones.

STRENGTHS
Jaylon just might be the best PURE pass rusher in this draft. He has excellent size and the burst off the line that can make him a special player for the team that selects him in the very near future. Jaylon can play more than one position in your defense and in different styles of defense also. He uses mature pass rushing techniques and along with his length and burst off the line is a pass rusher extraordinaire. He is stout against the run and with his athletic talent to play on or off the line, standing up or in a three-point stance, along with his length, Jaylon should be considered as one of the top defensive players in this draft.

CONCERNS
I feel that Jaylon’s impact will be as a defensive end in a 4/3 defense but he has the talent to play as an edge rusher in a 3/4 with the athletic talent to drop off the line of scrimmage. Problem is he seems to mentally… be more excited to attack the line of scrimmage and less excited dropping off the line into coverage because he knows that it lessens his impact. At times Jaylon seems disinterested when the play goes away from him playing in the linebacker role. He has to show more consistent effort no mater what position he is playing to reach his full potential at the next level. That’s a maturity issue and one that could affect him on and off the field.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.46
Jaylon reminds me a lot of Former Patriots and now Browns Jamie Collins. Jamie impacts when he is on the line scrimmage in a three-point stance but use him as a linebacker off the line of scrimmage and he disappears and it lessens his impact. Some of it has to do with football IQ and some of it has to do with simply a mentality to attack the line of scrimmage instead of not attacking the line of scrimmage. Patriots traded Jamie because he didn’t fit their system and not because he didn’t impact. I see Jaylon in the same way fitting a system that he wants to fit in or he too will not impact. If I’m right that means Jaylon could be selected in any round in this draft and the teams who use a 4/3 system and need a defensive end who can impact will rate him higher than those that do not. Jaylon has the potential to be as impacting a pass rusher and defensive lineman as any who have played the game but if you’re not going to use him on the line of scrimmage than you just might be wasting your time selecting him because mentally that’s what Jaylon wants to do…RUSH THE PASSER. So, I suggest you select him and let him do just that.

STRENGTHS
Ryan is an accomplished, smart quarterback. He has the size and arm talent to go along with just enough athleticism to play in any style of pro offense for the team that selects him. He reminds me a lot of the Falcons Matt Ryan. He throws an “easy to catch ball” with the velocity needed to make the difficult throws look easy. He is very smooth and throws the ball with excellent mechanics. Ryan’s football IQ is very high with excellent maturity. He looks like he might be a “quiet” type of leader getting the most out of his teammates who don’t seem to have the same enthusiasm and football IQ to play like Ryan has. Ryan is a pro ready type of quarterback, as pro ready as Andrew Luck was when he came out. If you’re looking for a talented pro ready type of quarterback to lead your team through the difficult years than you would be smart to select Ryan. Don’t be fooled by his effortless style of play, this kid is as competitive as they come with the potential to be a franchise quarterback for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Ryan will need to bulk up to take the pounding at the next level. He has a bad habit of throwing off his back foot and this will be a problem at the next level for those deep balls and in the red zone. He has plenty of arm strength but for the next level he will need all of it to protect the ball.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.72
Ryan is the type of quarterback who is sneaky good. He is so smooth and plays with such little effort and without flash. He is very accurate and does an excellent job taking care of the ball and will throw players open if those receivers are smart enough to adjust to the ball, and make the catch. Watching him on film he will lull you to sleep so much that you start watching other players on the field. But then, all of a sudden, he makes a throw that makes you say to yourself, “Who threw that ball”? You stop the film, go back to the beginning of the play and low and behold it was Ryan who threw that ball. So, you start to watch again, and once again you start looking at other players and sure enough Ryan throws another pass you can’t believe. Dam that was a hell of a throw and he didn’t have his feet set and was under duress and then you see another play where he stood tall in the pocket and that’s when it dawns on you that this kid can play. I suspect the “experts” will overlook Ryan in this draft because he’s not fancy or flashy but I just bet the scouts don’t. This kid is a hell of a quarterback and pro ready. I will see more of Ryan at the Senior Bowl practices so I suspect he will get noticed a bit more and maybe than he will move up the charts. I call him Ryan (No Wow) Finley, because there is “no wow” to his game but that doesn’t mean that he is not one hell of a quarterback.