Category: 2020 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Ashtyn has good size and excellent athletic talent to play either safety position. He has solid cover skills and that means he can play in the slot and cover slot receivers and big receivers. He is a solid tackler and looks to be very smart. He is big enough to be used close to the line in nickel/dime situations and for blitzing because of his strength, quickness, and speed. Ashton can also be used as a single free safety once again because of his speed and quickness. I have no doubt that Ashtyn can be used in the red zone to cover those big, pass-catching Tight Ends that teams like to line up outside to get mismatches against smaller corners. Ashtyn has the hands to make the interception and the speed to take it back all the way. He is fearless coming up to support the run and when out in the open as the last line of the defense, Ashtyn does a good job making the sure tackle.

CONCERNS
Ashtyn has excellent speed and quickness but lacks the recovery speed and extra gear to be used as a cornerback until you get into the red zone. He also is a good tackler but has to become more astute and discipline on taking better angles to the play, to be more consistent tackling when he is playing up closer to the line of scrimmage.

BOTTOM LINE 2.67
Ashtyn cover skills, allows him to play multiple positions in your defensive backfield depending on down and distance. When he takes the correct angles, he has the burst to take down players who are faster then he is. Don’t get me wrong, he has plenty of speed but that burst and quickness allow him to play faster than he will time. As I stated before because of his size and cover skills Ashtyn can line up against those taller and bigger receivers and that is something unique that he will bring to the team that selects him. Ashtyn reminds me a lot of Buffalo Bills Safety Jordan Poyer in his overall play and ability to make plays.

STRENGTHS
Albert has the size and athletic talent to be an efficient blocker in space or on the line in a three-point stance. He has excellent upper and lower body strength and on film has the type of speed that makes him very difficult to match up against. He has excellent hands to catch the ball and the athletic agility to adjust to the ball in the air and make the difficult catch outside of his frame. Albert is a complete Tight End with the ability to block on the line of in space with natural strength. He has a high football IQ playing on or off the line of scrimmage and on passing downs in the red zone can be used in the slot or out wide because of his overall athleticism. Albert has the same type of talent and size as former Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski. He has the same big lower body that makes it difficult for smaller players to tackle and the ability to make those difficult over the shoulder catches as he is going down the slot.

CONCERNS
There is not much to say other than I’d like to see him play with a little more quickness and urgency to his overall game but the truth is, I’m nit-picking.

BOTTOM LINE 1.72
Albert is a Gronkowski clone and although he might not be as quick as Rob was, or as fast as Rob was when Rob first come out in his draft, Albert is as good. Albert is very tough to bring down because of his thick lower body and when catching passes there is not a surer handed receiver in this very talented receiver group than Albert. He is right up there with the best of them. There are not many COMPLETE Tight Ends in any draft, and in this draft, there is less than normal but Albert could be a top Tight End in any year because of his ability to block on the line and in space, and his athletic skills and talents to catch the ball. He’s is the real deal and they call him Albert O, but I call him Albert (Oh MY) because the first time I saw him block on film that’s what I said out loud…Oh My, we got a good one here. Remember when you see the obvious, you draft the obvious. You don’t look to nitpick the obvious away.

STRENGTHS
Jordan is a linebacker with the speed, burst, explosion to the play, and the passion to tackle that every team needs. He could be used in multiple positions on your defense because of a high football IQ and the instincts to make plays. He does need to be in the right system but he is a playmaker. He shows on the film the quickness and decisiveness at the snap of the ball along with the effort on every play to be around the ball any place on the field. Jordan shows leadership skills through his play on the field. He is the type of football player who minimizes his athletic weaknesses with effort, passion and just good old football commonsense. Jordan has that innate ability to make decisions quickly and, on the run, and process what is happening in front of him on almost every play similar to Chiefs safety Tyrion Mathew and former Steelers/ Hall of Fame Safety Troy Polamalu.

CONCERNS
Jordan is undersized to play linebacker at the next level and might not have the athletic talent that others have in the draft. Some teams might not feel that Jordan will play linebacker and might not have the pure athletic talent to play safety so the label might be just as a special team’s player and we all know how the teams talk, out of both sides of their mouths when it comes to the importance of selecting special team players in a draft.

BOTTOM LINE 3.33
I’m not suggesting that Jordan will be as good as those two players I mention before but trust me when I say that those two players had the same athletic weaknesses as Jordan has the difference is, they both played safety. Troy ran the forty in the 4.3 range and was selected in the first round and Tyrion ran the forty in the 4.5 range and had some off-field issues to contend with and wasn’t selected till the 3rd round. I’m not sure how fast Jordan is but his workouts will decide for most teams for sure. I’m guessing he is in the 4.5 range but if he is slower than most teams will not rate Jordan as high as I have. That being said I have no doubt that whatever position Jordan plays that once he gets on the field he will not come off. That’s just the type of player he is because he plays fast enough and he is smart enough to make plays all over the field. Jordan has been used as a linebacker and I believe that might be his impact position because attacking the line of scrimmage seems to be in his blood. That being said as a safety, he can be moved around more and with the right coaching staff could become even more of an impact player. Jordan most likely won’t be selected early in this draft but if your team selects him or signs him as a rookie free agent, there is no doubt in my mind his potential to become a core player in that team’s defense.

STRENGTHS
Jacob has the pass-catching skills equal to any receiver in this draft. He is a fluid athlete with a high football IQ working well with his QB and understanding how to get himself open when the play has broken down. He uses excellent blocking techniques, keeping his feet moving after engaging and finishing his blocks. Jacob has the lateral agility to block in space and, when catching the ball, that lateral agility helps in running his routes and not taking the big hit after gaining yards after the catch. Jacob has strong hands and can adjust to the ball in the air and that adds a big catch radius to his pass-catching skills. He is a nightmare matchup at any point on the field and, a move the chains, touchdown making machine. Jacob is more than just a pass-catching Tight End. His athletic talents and high football IQ send signals that he will become an offensive weapon that teams will have to game plan for in the very near future.

CONCERNS
Jacob is coming off an injury year so the combine medicals will be big for him but if he comes out of the combine with passing marks and can work out, he will fly up everyone’s team’s boards like a turkey vulture looking for its first Carrion of the day. Jacob could use more bulk to better deal with his inline blocking assignments at the next level but the truth is he uses excellent techniques to minimize this weakness. Jacob will do what is asked of him and to the best of his ability and that’s all you can ask from any player at any position.

BOTTOM LINE 1.73
Jacob reminds me a lot of Eagles Zack Ertz. He might be a little taller but Jacob’s pass-catching, route running, fluid athletic talent to run routes are very much the same as Zack’s. Like Zack, Jacob is a good blocker but not necessarily a great inline blocker because of their lack of bulk but, if in rehab he can add more bulk to his frame without it affecting his fluidness, than this kid will be the real deal. Jacob like Zack will be more of a threat in the passing game as a matchup nightmare and a player his new quarterback will fall in love with. He is consistent when running routes but what his new coaches are going to love is how quickly Jacob will mesh with his quarterbacks thinking in the context of reading defenses on the fly and adjusting his route to get open and gain extra yards. Truthfully when it gets all said and done that is the key to playing the Tight End position in the passing game.

STRENGTHS
Harrison has the size and speed along with the eye/hand coordination to be an impact offensive player at multiple positions in your offense. He is an excellent blocker in space or on the line when pass blocking or run blocking. Harrison shows the lateral agility and is a fluid athlete using long strides to gain separation when running his routes. He has the fluidness to be used on the outside or in the slot as a receiver, along with the blocking skills in space to be used as an H-Back out of the backfield. He has the quickness and excellent techniques to be used as an in-line blocker and when helping out the offensive line, his pass blocking is better than some offensive tackles. Harrison has the potential to impact for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Harrison does struggle a bit with having less bulk than most Tight Ends need, to be an efficient blocker but he makes up for that with excellent techniques and passion. Harrison will need to work on his hand strength to better secure the ball on passing downs and must improve his ability to catch the ball out of his frame. I have no doubt he will improve in both these areas.

BOTTOM LINE 1.86
Harrison is not just a pass-catching Tight End. He is a willing blocker on or off the line of scrimmage. He is “receiver like” when running routes and because of his long strides he can separate easily. Harrison reminds me a lot of former Panthers/Bears Greg Olson and because Harrison is a good blocker like Greg, Harrison’s impact in the passing game will fluctuate and be dependent on how an offensive coordinator uses him in their offensive scheme but he will be an impact player, for sure. My guess, Harrison might sneak into the first round but look at Rob’s value board to get a good idea in what round this 1st round talented player will most likely get selected.

STRENGTHS
Joshua has the quickness and explosion off the line of scrimmage teams are looking for in a pass rusher. He has long arms that help him to play bigger than his size when rushing the passer. He gives excellent effort on every play. Joshua has been used as a “hand on the ground”, pass rusher but he also has the athletic talent to be used at any one of the linebacker positions in multiple style defenses. Joshua shows on film enough cover skills to play zone coverages and be used in single coverage close to the line of scrimmage. He is smart and shows leadership skills through his play on the field.

CONCERNS
Joshua has the type of athletic talent that will confuse teams into wondering exactly what position he should play at the next level. This confusion will affect his draft status. Joshua also has to clean up his tackling. Right now, he is sloppy and falls off players letting them gain extra yardage.

BOTTOM LINE 3.06
My guess, as to Joshua’s impact position at the next level is as an interior linebacker. He struggles and can be defended one on one when he lines up as a defensive end with his hand down or standing up, once his defender gets a hand on him. Yes, he can beat some teams with his explosiveness but even good college tackles can nullify him. When he lines up off the line as a linebacker, he has the speed and explosion to get into the backfield and disrupt or sack a quarterback. Also lining up off the line as a pure linebacker will allow him to use multiple gaps of his Defensive coordinators choosing, confusing offensive lineman. As an interior linebacker, he has the speed and the coverage skills to impact but using him on the line of scrimmage even with his long arms, in my opinion, Joshua will struggle. If I’m correct about Joshua having to change positions to impact then most teams will wait to select him. Then again, in this draft, there are few impacting Defensive Ends and pass rushers and if teams feel that Joshua is a pass rusher than he will be selected earlier than I have rated him. If I’m doing the selection, Joshua needs to change positions and improve his tackling but that just me talking to myself.

STRENGTHS
Thaddeus has decent size and long arms and has the eye/hand coordination to make difficult catches when he is called upon. He is a willing blocker and has lined up at the TE, H-Back and receiver positions. Thaddeus looks to be a good teammate and when he is in the red zone can be an efficient pass-catching Tight End provided he is not in the other team’s game plan.

CONCERNS
Thaddeus lacks the passion and aggressiveness in his blocking, route running and overall game that is needed for an undersized player to be successful at the next level. He also lacks the speed and quickness right now but that can be developed.

BOTTOM LINE 4.67
Thaddeus has some developmental talents if he can improve on his speed and quickness and become a much better route runner. If that happens he can become a specialty player used on passing downs and in the red zone. He has good hands and if he can learn to adjust to the ball and become a more acrobatic pass catcher then the sky is the limit. Right now, he is a low priority for any team to game plan for and most, if not all, of his impact for his college team, has been as a complementary receiver benefiting from the other talent on his team. Then again, maybe he is a hidden talent because of the talent of his teammates. Maybe he will go to the combine and have numbers that will surprise us all. Thaddeus does have some developmental attributes if his workouts suggest he has some hidden athletic talents because of his pass-catching potential…. But so, do a lot of others in this draft.

STRENGTHS
Cole is a smooth-running athlete. He shows on film good hand/eye coordination to catch passes and the athleticism to adjust to the ball in the air. Cole does a good job helping out when pass blocking and shows just enough lateral agility that in the future should help him running his routes and, with gaining run after the catch yardage. Cole has good feet and although he doesn’t explode off the line of scrimmage and into his routes, he has this smooth style of closing the cushion between him and his defender making it difficult to anticipate when Cole is going to make his cut and separate. Cole has enough size to be used as an in-line blocker and enough athleticism to be used to block in space also. Cole is a developmental player at this point in his career but that development should be well worth the effort by the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Cole might be coming out too early. He lacks the bulk, strength, and balance to be much use blocking on the line or in space right now. He also still has to learn to run better routes and he is just discovering his ability to catch the ball that’s away from his body, he seems surprised when it happens right now. Cole has the size, hand/eye coordination and overall athleticism to improve, and has shown that improvement in every game he has played for his college team this year.

BOTTOM LINE 4.28
Cole is not even close to being ready for the NFL but he does have the talent and seems to have the ability to improve from game to game. In my opinion, he still has a lot of improvement to do at the college level much less being ready for the NFL level. His techniques in helping out with pass blocking are the best part of his game right now. Cole gets open when he runs routes because he gets lost in coverage and is not considered a threat enough to game plan for. He doesn’t understand how to run routes and separate or use his size to defeat players who are faster and better than he is right now. He is off-balanced when blocking and lacks functional strength, to block when lined up on the line and as far as blocking in space, seems to struggle to change directions and drive block and finish and stay with his blocks. He also seems to lack the true passion to block although that could be because he is frustrated with himself knowing he is not using the correct techniques. So, with the information I have in front of me along with film work, I believe Cole is a developmental Tight End who, with good coaching and hard work on his part is one of the few Tight Ends in this draft who could develop into a complete Tight End for the team that selects him. I believe he can become, a good inline blocker with pass-catching talent very much in the style of Jason Witten. The problem is I think it will take his first contract before we see this type of development and that means for me, I would let someone else do all the work and see where he is after that first contract is up.

STRENGTHS
Brandon is a strong receiver with excellent long speed and run after the catch ability. He has good balance and in the open field and once he gets up ahead of speed, he is very hard to Tackle. Brandon shows good quickness when cutting north and south and this is another reason for his ability to make run after the catch yardage. His quickness when cutting north and south is another reason for him to be a weapon when returning punts and kicks. Brandon has good hands to catch the ball and because of his long speed can get deep for the deep pass if the QB is given the time. Brandon has talent and size to become a good receiver for the team that selects him but his true value might be at returning kicks and punts if the NFL continues to have kickoffs and punts.

CONCERNS
Brandon has good talent but he doesn’t show on film a big catch radius for a big receiver. He also doesn’t show on film the ability to catch contested passes or get off the line against press coverage although, he does show very little wasted movement off the line and that is a good thing. Brandon is slow off the line but I just think given the time to develop and learn the tricks of the trade he can mask this weakness in the future. Brandon will have to learn to be more aggressive when the ball is in the air and I find that most receivers who are not aggressive when the ball is in the air, don’t have the confidence or hand/eye coordination, needed to be the franchise receiver that their overall talent may suggest they can become.

BOTTOM LINE 3.11
Brandon as talent but, he is just going to have to work a lot harder to reach it for the next level. He has to learn the tricks of the trade like getting off the line of scrimmage but for the time being, his ability to impact against zone coverages and the talent to gain yardage after the catch should be attractive to a lot of teams. Add to that his ability to return punts and kicks because of his quick north/south cutting, and long speed and could rate him high on some team’s draft boards. I will say this if you’re looking for a franchise receiver right away, I don’t think Brandon has that type of talent but he does have the talent to be an important part of a teams passing came and special team’s unit for sure. Anything after that will be up to how hard Brandon works to improve his overall game. I will say this if Brandon does improve and becomes more than just an important part of a team’s passing game that will be like putting a new and bigger motor into your already favorite car.

STRENGTHS
Trevon has the size and athletic talent teams are looking for in a big cornerback. He is very smart and uses clever techniques that add to his abilities and skills to cover receivers. He has excellent strength and is a quick, strong, form tackler, wrapping up with the strength to take down bigger opponents. Trevon looks to be a mature football player with good communication skills working well with his teammates before the snap of the ball. He is an excellent zone cover corner with good hands to make the interception when it is needed. Trevon is big enough and strong enough to be used in the slot against those, pass-catching Tight Ends and large receivers and because he is a good tackler against the run. Trevon is a complete cornerback and because of his high football IQ and clever Techniques, he should be able to start right away for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Trevon is a little slow on his hip flip because of his long legs and can get beat deep but in his defense has excellent catch-up speed. He will struggle against the smaller quicker receivers but he also will win some downs against them because of his use of those clever techniques.

BOTTOM LINE 1.94
Trevon has to be one of the smartest and common-sense corners I have seen coming out in the draft in a long time. He understands when the QB is on the far hash mark and there are three receivers to his side that unless the QB is going to roll to his side the chances of the pass going to the far receiver on a vertical pass is not likely and defends the play accordingly. When he is in press coverage and anticipates a slant pass on an obvious third and short down and distance, on the snap of the ball, Trevon takes a big first step INTO the receiver, at the line of scrimmage making the receiver have to hesitate or change his route disrupting the play right from the snap of the ball. He also is strong, with strong hands and in press coverage at the snap, will hit the receiver’s shoulder (Not his chest) throwing the receiver off balance and making him late into his route. Because Trevon has good makeup speed he can recover if he has guessed wrong but at the next level, he will pay for guessing wrong for sure. He reminds me a lot of Richard Sherman because of his size and his football intelligence to understand his limitations and mask those limitations on the field with off-field film work. It would not shock me if Trevon slips a bit in this draft because when he works out at the combine a lot will depend on his 40 time for most teams but don’t worry, Trevon will still be a very good Corner at the next level if your team is smart and selects him.

STRENGTHS
Jalen is a very smart, fast, quick, strong, acrobatic catching receiver. His ability to explode quickly is dramatic and his ability to catch the ball in any situation is dramatic also. You don’t have to worry about separation with this kid because he knows HOW to run routes by changing gears and using his quickness and NOT just relying on his speed. He has good size and is tough and his run after the catch skills is excellent because of his vision and balance and lateral explosion. He has excellent hands, using strength and force when it is needed and softness when it is called upon like an Artist who creates sculptures. Jalen can be used inside because of his quickness and on the outside because of his speed. He will be able to help the team that selects him the day after the draft at any receiver position because of his route running skills, speed, quickness, and overall high football intelligence to run routes by changing gears to get open.

CONCERNS
Some teams will downgrade Jalen for one reason and one reason only, his size, it’s only average. Not me, I look strictly at talent to compete because as a profiler and not an analyst, I know that talent to compete, comes in all sizes and that size is not a deciding factor unless that person doesn’t have the talent.

BOTTOM LINE 1.61
To me, size is a factor but it’s not the deciding factor, not to select a player in the draft if, they have the talent. Jalen has the talent to compete so suggesting that his “only average size”, should be a reason to downgrade him perplexes me. Jalen might be the smartest receiver in this draft, or maybe just one of the smartest receivers. Jalen might be the fastest receiver in this draft, or maybe one of the fastest. He also could be the most acrobatic receiver, or maybe just one of those also. Or maybe Jalen is one of the only receivers in this draft who can run routes and gets separation better than any other receiver in this draft. If you watch the film and agree with what I just wrote and then you say but…he is not big enough; all I can do is give you an NCIS slap, to the back of your head. Jalen has first-round talent to impact right away on my talent board. If you’re a team that doesn’t value receivers high in this draft and waits to select Jalen, all I can say is good luck if you’re looking for a receiver who can impact right away and help turn your passing game from nothing to something. As far as I’m concerned Jalen is the Donatello of this group of very talented wide receivers.