Category: 2019 Player Profiles

Oshane Ximines ER Old Dominion

STRENGTHS
Oshane has the size, speed ratio that makes him attractive to teams as a potential double-digit sack defensive lineman. He has those long legs and long arms that give him an advantage against offensive tackles when rushing the passer. He has a good burst off the line and gives good effort on every down. Oshane does a solid job against the run using those long arms to keep players off his body to make tackles. He has good lower body strength to keep his balance to turn the corner and make a sack.

CONCERNS
Oshane starts off just about every game slow. Not sure what this means but I noticed it. It might be a confidence issue or it might be he is just slow getting prepared to play. Oshane has raw talent, his hand usage is inconsistent and just about all of his talent needs development. He also has to gain more confidence. At the Senior Bowl practices, he did improve but still needs time to believe he can play against the best.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 3.11
Oshane reminds me of Vikings Danielle Hunter. Danielle played for LSU and is bigger and stronger and was selected in the 3rd round, pick number 88. Oshane has that type of talent, but needs more time to develop and gain confidence. When he does Oshane, could accumulate double digit sacks… my guess that would be in his third year or so. Danielle Hunter has been worth the development and I do believe that Oshane will be also. Developmental pass rushers like any pass rusher are at a premium and I wouldn’t be surprised if Oshane is selected earlier that his TBR grade suggest. Of course, the level of competition will concern some teams as to what round to select Oshane in and then, some teams will not care, they will select him based on a size/speed ratio…development be damned.

Jarrett Stidham QB Auburn

STRENGTHS
Jarrett has solid athletic skills and has enough arm strength to be considered a top developmental quarterback for the team that selects him. When he throws in rhythm he is accurate and has good enough velocity to be effective in the red zone. Jarrett shows solid athletic skills to extend plays with his feet and can move, reset and still be accurate from the pocket. When he has time Jarrett can make plays in the passing game equal to the better quarterbacks in this draft. He does a good job identifying, blitzing lineman at the line of scrimmage. Like I stated before, Jarrett has all the tools to be a good development quarterback with the the potential to be a starting quarterback for an NFL team.

CONCERNS
There all a lot of issues but none that can not be corrected with the right coaching and given enough time. Jarrett struggles mainly because he is trying to do too much, holding on to the ball too long, not going to check downs early enough and looking too much down the field for the big play on every play. His mechanics are not consistent and he doesn’t do well throwing down the field accurately when he is on the run. His foot speed is questionable when flushed from the pocket and he would do much better if he just manipulated the pocket more and reset, rather than leave the pocket. Jarrett just needs to get his overall play under control and not think he needs to do everything. He needs to allow the players around him to make him better.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 3.17
Jarrett runs hot and cold during a game because he thinks he has to make a play all the time. Football maturity, is what Jarrett has to develop at the next level. Patience with his own play on the field and understanding better down and distance and situational football. The game has to slow down for him more mentally than physically. When that happens then Jarrett’s athletic talent will match up to his mental talent and he will become a pretty good quarterback. The question is how long will that take? Jarrett reminds me a lot of a former Buffalo Bills QB Rob Johnson. (Look him up, I can’t do everything for you) Rob was selected in the 4th Rd of the 1995 Draft and proceeded to play for 6 different teams showing flashes of being a good quarterback but never getting over the mental hump to match up with his athletic talent. Nevertheless, Rob does have a super Bowl Ring as a back up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jarrett has the same issues and the same talent as Rob but if he gets with the right coaching staff and the right offensive system he might go to the big game too. For me personally. I would let some other team select him and see were he is after his first contract is up. But that’s just me, talking to myself.

Brett Rypien QB Boise St

STRENGTHS
Brett has that moxie you look for in a quarterback for the next level. He has solid athletic talent and good solid arm strength to go along with some excellent accuracy. Brett is a winner and that’s what I look for in a quarterback. He reads defenses at a mature level and has the ability to get rid of the ball quickly and accurately. Brett has enough foot speed to move the ball for third downs when he has too. He can manipulate the pocket, reset and throw with accuracy. When the play calls for it, Brett can roll out and make accurate throws. Did I mention he is accurate? Ok, in case you missed it, let me mention it again, he’s accurate, smart, has quick release and the leadership skills that are needed to be a quarterback at the next level. He reminds me a lot of the Redskins Case Keenum.

CONCERNS
So, let’s start the nit picking…He’s not tall enough or big enough, doesn’t have a bazooka for an arm, has small hands and is not able to leap small buildings in a single bound. His feet are small so we can’t figure out how he is able to stand still and not fall over.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 3.06
The truth is, you can nit-pick any player you want, right into the 7th round. But for me its HOW a player plays the game that is a key to how well he will play the game at the next level. Is Brett maxed out athletically? I would have to agree but the truth is, you do not gain athleticism the more you play football at the next level but you do gain experience, anticipation, instincts through hard work, study and years of playing. That is what makes you better at the next level. Brett is smart and has good enough talent to play at the next level but what he brings to the table is passion, work ethic, accuracy, moxie and the ability to understand what is happening on the field at all times. All you have to do is take a look at his stats to see the type of quarterback Brett is. He understands situational football and he understands defenses. Brett is limited in that he fits a certain system and not every team runs that system. He’s limited because of all the coaching changes that go on in the NFL and the lack of playing one type of offensive system from one year to the next but, he is not limited at being a good player for the team that selects him because, this kid can play. I do not expect Brett to be selected in this draft just like Case Keenum wasn’t selected but I do suspect that if he gets on the field it will be hard to get him off. In fact, the only way it will happen is like it happened to Doug Flutie when he played, they will take him off because they THINK a bigger version will be better… but it won’t. Good luck Brett.

Tyree Jackson QB Buffalo

STRENGTHS
Tyree is a big, strong armed quarterback with tremendous upside to his game. He has good athletic talent to make plays with his legs and because of his size, is very hard to bring down in the open field. He can make most of the throws and if you have speed in your receiver corps he will throw the long ball as long as it is needed to be thrown. Tyree does a good job making plays when plays break down, and he looks to throw or run when he breaks the pocket. He has shown excellent arm strength at all his workouts and at the combine and that fits any team’s offensive system therefor, any team will be interested in selecting Tyree at any point in this draft.

CONCERNS
Tyree lacks the maturity, work ethic and understanding of the amount of work he will be asked to do to compete at the next level. He has a lot of mental work to do like, learning to read defenses along with improving some mechanical issues. He has a long release, holds on to the ball too long and must improve throwing in rhythm from the pocket. It almost seems like Tyree thrives more when he holds on to the ball too long, waiting for plays to break down and then making the spectacular play. Tyree must improve throwing the ball from the pocket in rhythm and not holding on to the ball too long.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 4.44
Tyree’s size and big arm will attract a lot of teams because there is upside to his game. For me the upside may be too long to reach. I think with all the work that Tyree has to do physically and mentally along with his lack of maturity shown at the combine that I would leave all the work to some other team and see where Tyree is at, after his first contract is up. Don’t get me wrong, Tyree can win a game or two as a backup just on his athletic talent, size and arm strength alone but, expecting him to play a 16-game schedule and be competitive any time soon, with all he has to learn, is asking too much of him in my opinion. Then again everyone has an opinion and mine shouldn’t mean any more to Tyree than anyone else’s. Tyree is a wild card type of player in this draft and he could be selected at any time from the third round on… Just not by me.

Juan Thornhill S Virginia

STRENGTHS
Juan has the size and look of a cornerback playing safety. He has good speed and solid change of direction skills. He has those long arms and legs that make it easy to trail in coverage and still make a play on the ball out over his head. He is smart and looks to communicate well with his teammates. He has played close to the line of scrimmage and in the slot in single coverage, as well as being used in a deep single safety because of his speed. Juan was a cornerback who was moved into the hybrid safety position and has done well the season improving from game to game.

CONCERNS
Personally, I think for the next level Juan should be moved back to corner. He struggles tackling in the open field because he drops his head and this will make him miss tackles at the safety position. When he goes low and keeps is head up he’s fine but in the open field he dives at a player’s feet and drops his head and that’s going to get him hurt. Juan has very good strength pushing up 22 reps at the combine but he has a pipe cleaner type body that will struggle at the next level to handle the punishment a safety takes.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 3.89
Juan can definitely help a team right away in nickel/dime coverage inside or outside and that is his value for this draft. If he can move back to the cornerback position and stay on the field than he can impact but for the purposes of this draft, I would considered him as a coverage nickel/dime back. Now some teams who are using a 4-2-5 as their base defense will be all over Juan and rate him high and those that use that style of defense on a limited bases will rate Juan lower unless, they feel that Juan has the potential to be a starting corner back in the future. Every team needs nickel/dime coverage defensive backs and although Juan struggles to make clean tackles at times, it’s a form issue and not an issue of him not wanting to make tackles. Juan is a solid defensive back who could be a better than average cornerback and that means there is value to selecting Juan and value to his play on the field.

Amani Hooker S Iowa

STRENGTHS
Amani is the new athletically talented, extremely High Football IQ, hybrid safety/linebacker for the new 4-2-5 base defense. He has the athletic talent to cover, size to play up at the line of scrimmage and intelligence to play in different styles of zone coverages. When he is up at the line he uses perfect techniques to keep blockers off his body to shed and make tackles. When he is in coverage he has the hands to catch the ball and make the interception and the intelligence and route savviness to understand what routes will be run against him on what down and distance. Amani is always aware of where he is on the field and what his assignment is. He has solid change of direction skills and quick feet to go along with an excellent burst and recognition to the play. This is a technique, mature player who a team can plug in and play in any defensive configuration that you can think of as a cover safety or in the box safety or like I said in the new 4-2-5 defense that most teams are playing now. The key here is to NOT… take Amani off the field on any play because, on any play he has chance to make a play and give your team the win.

CONCERNS
Amani has to build the strength up in his hands to make the sure tackle for the next level. Most don’t realize that being a sure tackler is all in the strength of a player’s hands and not because they can lift weights better than the next player. I’d also like to see him communicate a little more with his teammates but than again maybe he is and I just haven’t seen much of it on film.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.47
I think what impresses me the most about Amani’s play on the field is that he seems to know where he is on the field at all times, before the play, during the play and after the play. You don’t realize how important a skill like that is to the ability for a defense to dominate. If a quarterback can’t move a defender into taking false steps than that defender will not only frustrate that quarterback but it also means he is always in the right place to make a play when others would not be. Add to that his athletic talent and you have a player who can make plays all over the field on any down and distance. That to me is dangerous defensive player and believe me, the type of player who offensive coordinators will have to game plan for. I call him, Amani (Hybrid) Hooker because, he is the definition of the new 4-2-5 hybrid Safety/linebacker.

Anthony Nelson DL Iowa

STRENGTHS
Anthony has the size and the gives the effort on every play that makes you know there is upside to this kid’s game just waiting to break out and dominate. He has solid athletic talent and this along with his size and length makes Anthony’s potential, enormous. He has solid foot speed and uses good techniques overall. He is strong against the run, shedding blocks and making tackles at the line. Anthony is a worker bee type of Defensive Lineman who can be used at different position on your defensive line depending on down and distance because he is assignment savvy. He is a team orientated player, communicating and working in tandem with his linemates and linebackers. Anthony is the type of player every team needs to have a dominating defensive.

CONCERNS
Anthony is still growing into his body and has to continue to work on using his techniques quicker and moving his feet in tandem with his techniques to free himself up quicker. I believe he has the work ethic to improve game by game and, year by year until he reaches his peak and for Anthony, I’m not sure he will ever feel that he has reached his peak.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 2.72
Anthony reminds me a lot of a former player for the Buffalo Bills called Phil Hanson. (Look him up, I can’t do everything for you.) Hanson was underrated by the media but not by his teammates or the fans. Anthony has the same potential and, as a Defensive End in a 3/4 defense he will become a fan favorite and a core player for the team that selects him. Anthony could also be a Defensive End in a 4/3 defense moving him inside on passing downs to get a more direct path to the quarterback. He has good explosion off the line but lacks the foot speed to be the type of pass rusher from the outside that can turn the corner unless, he learns better power pass rushing techniques like former Giants Defensive Ends Jason Tuck and Michael Strahan. Anthony has more length than those players had and if he learns to use that length he could be a double-digit sack defensive lineman. Anthony’s film shows a work ethic that makes me believe he will improve and his size and work out numbers suggest he has upside to his overall game so, selecting Anthony in this draft will be smart if you give him the time to develop. Believe me it will be worth it.

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson S Florida

STRENGTHS
Chauncey has the football intelligence, athletic talent, down and distance knowledge and the situational football savviness, to make the players around him better and… be an impact Defensive Back for the team that selects him. He is a sure tackler who can be used in the slot in nickel and dime, as a high single safety or in any other kind of configuration you want to use him in because he has the athletic talent and high football IQ. He has excellent hands to catch the ball and make the interception but what he really brings to the team that selects him is, his ability in his play on the field, to put team first. He has good speed to go sideline to sideline and the anticipation and understanding of routes to cover. When he needs help he asks for it and when he makes a mistake he holds himself accountable and then turns the page and moves on. He’s a leader and a coach on the field.

CONCERNS
Chauncey struggles to flip his hips that means in the middle of the field, when he is in slot coverage, he will need help over the top. He is excellent with the play in front of him but, on running plays to his side, he must learn to meet his blocks quicker and with more aggression so that he can get off them quicker and make more tackles, limiting yardage. He’s a sure tackler but needs more upper body strength to continue to be a sure tackler at the next level.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.89
Chauncey is a multi-talent Defensive Back, who brings with him the skill level that is needed nowadays to have a dominating defense. That skill level is a high football IQ mixed with good, solid athletic talent to play more than one position. This is the type of player, because of a flaw or two in workouts, that will make most teams overlook Chauncey and not select him early. You see, Chauncey is not a true cornerback and he is a limited Safety and not big enough to be every down linebacker. At least that’s what teams will think when they work him out. Of course, those teams like the Ravens, Steelers, Patriots, Seahawks and maybe some others think differently. They’re like me, they see the value in a player with Chauncey’s talent and size and high football IQ, to play more than one position. Those teams understand how to keep a talented asset like Chauncey, on the field for all three downs. Those teams understand his potential to impact because he can be a coach on the field, make tackles all over the field, intercept the ball, sack quarterbacks and tackle running backs for loses while playing different positions on their defenses. Yup, they seem to be the only teams who see this potential in Chauncey… except for me of course.

Darrell Henderson RB Memphis

STRENGTHS
Darrell has explosive straight-line speed. When he hits a hole…he hits a hole. When he breaks the line of scrimmage, you better have your speed pants on to catch him. Darrel makes most of his yardage and impact from direct snaps. That allows him to hit the line of scrimmage at full speed and gain yardage on off tackle plays and sweeps. Darrell is difficult to catch in the open field and is a one cut running back between the tackles and like I said once he breaks the line of scrimmage he’s like the road running going beep, beep all the way to the end zone.

CONCERNS
Darrell is a one cut running back, he’s also is a one speed running back. He is easy to take down when tackling because he lacks vision, latera explosion to juke players along with the lack of size to break tackles. Darrell takes big hits because of his style of running up high and making him an easy target to take down. Darrell will have to become a better blocker and more of a student of the game to stay on the field and impact as a possible third down back.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 4.39
It’s hard to say how effective Darrell can be at the next level. It truly will depend on the blocking scheme being used in front of him and how well his body can last getting hit because Darrell takes big hits at the college level so, imagine the pounding his body will take at the next level. As I stated before, he runs high and that’s why he is easy to take down just by knocking him off balance sometimes. The bigger issue is pass blocking and reading defenses and identifying players who are blitzing and off course his size to be an effective blocker. Right now, Darrell just runs as fast as he can with little understanding of the running techniques he will need to use at the next level but like I said, once he hits a hole and breaks the line of scrimmage its beep, beep road runner time, all the way to the end zone.

Miles Sanders RB Penn St

STRENGTHS
Miles is a solid running back with a high football IQ. He blocks, he runs good routes and has good hands to catch the ball out of the back field. He has the size and leg strength to break tackles and the speed inside the fifty-yard line to take it too the house. Miles is a mature running back. He makes it easy to block for him because he is patient and runs behind his pads with good strength. He has the speed to take the ball outside the tackles and has solid lateral agility and vison to make the right cuts to get himself free and gain needed yardage when the blocking breaks down.

CONCERNS
Miles is an overall excellent running back but he lacks the explosion and quickness to be a dominating running back. That doesn’t mean he won’t impact, it just means he has to have enough touches to impact.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 3.83
Miles has to carry the ball a lot and catch the ball a lot to impact. If your team is behind in the score (in most cases), Miles will not make the play that will break the game open. He could be part of the play like making a block or gaining some yardage in chunks but his talent is solid…but not explosive. Nevertheless, I want Miles to carry the ball in my four-minute offense because I know he will not fumble or make the big mistake to lose the game but he will gain the needed yardage to keep the ball. He’s a quality football player and the type that you don’t think is impacting the game much until you look at the stats and see the yardage, running and catching the ball that he gained. Don’t get me wrong, Miles will make plays, he will make touchdowns, he will catch the ball, just not in a big flashy way.

Caleb Wilson TE UCLA

STRENGTHS
Caleb is a lengthy, long legged, complete Tight End with excellent hands to catch the ball deeper down the field than the average Tight End. His in-line pass blocking techniques are excellent using his long arms and lateral agility to stifle the pass rush of any Edge Rusher. Caleb has excellent hands and is quick off the line into his routes. He has solid run after the catch skills using a stiff arm to his advantage keeping tacklers off those long legs to pick up first downs. Caleb can block in space like an H-back of be used on the line of scrimmage. Because of his size when used in the slot he is a matchup nightmare. He has the speed to out run most Linebackers and the size to use his body as a shield against defensive backs. In the red zone because of his athleticism he can be lined up inside or outside to catch touchdowns on fade routes or across the middle on slants. Caleb is a pass catching Tight End who is a willing blocker and a good blocker and that’s the definition of a complete Tight End.

CONCERNS
Caleb will have to gain better mental stamina and physical strength to become the impact player his talents suggest. When he blocks he needs to stay with his blocks longer and finish both running routes and blocking better than he does right now. He tends to give up on both too quickly. Caleb’s medicals will need to be investigated and could be a reason for his lack of finishing.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 2.03
The physical strength that Caleb needs to increase to become the impact player his talents suggest should not be hard to accomplish. The mental stamina he needs to develop to finish his blocks and finish running his routes will be the key to how well he can improve at the next level and continue to impact as he did at the college level. Caleb has the talent to be an excellent and complete Tight End but not giving up on run blocks, especially sweeps around his side will dictate his ability to stay on the field and get the needed three down repetitions to impact. I like his quickness off the line and the ability to get into his routes and that separates him from most tight ends and makes him very dangerous on third downs. Mental toughness is the type of skill you either have or you don’t have. It’s not something you can develop. Caleb seems to have the mental toughness but lacks the mental stamina and those are two different skills. Mental stamina can be developed and the lack of it is sometimes is attributed to the lack of the CORRECT physical strength and physical stamina to compete. Sometimes this is because of medical reasons so teams will have to do their homework and if there are no issues than putting Caleb with NFL trainers should do the trick and help Caleb to reach his full potential.