Category: 2020 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Javon has the size and length to play on the inside or outside positions on your defensive line. He has those long arms and legs that make it easy for him to cover ground and get into the backfield to pressure the quarterback off the snap of the ball. Javon uses those long arms and strength to help change the line of scrimmage in his favor on almost every play. He gives excellent effort on every play and will chase and make tackles from behind when the play is to his side. Javon has the potential to be the type of defensive lineman you can build your front four around. He has the “potential to be as impacting at the next level as Saints Cameron Jordan.

CONCERNS
If Javon has already grown into his body, then I believe he should be playing more in space as a DE in a four down line system. He needs to work more in space because on the inside he gets tied up too much and struggles getting off blocks and using his long legs to get into the backfield. At this point in his career, he lacks the techniques and football strength to compete at the level on the inside that his talents and size suggest. He has a long way to go as a Defensive Tackle or nose tackle the way he has been used by his college team. That being said, move him to the outside and in space and I believe he will be unstoppable and as soon as he upgrades his physical stamina and techniques, Javon will impact big time.

BOTTOM LINE 1.64
I watch Javon on film and my “Draftnik” instincts say this kind is playing the wrong position. He should be on the outside where he can use his size and natural strength against offensive tackles and tight ends and running backs after he burst off the line of scrimmage and gains the advantage. Keeping him inside as his college team has, and it will lessen his ability to impact because two big hulking offensive linemen can double team him. Of course, if the team that selects him. chooses to keep him inside as a Defensive Tackle Javon will have to get bigger and stronger and learn better techniques to get off blocks and when he does, I’m sure will impact just as much. So, selecting him early even though he still has a lot to learn is a no brainer. Either way, inside or outside he should become an impact, defensive player. He should become the type of player you can use to build your defense around. Javon should become the type of player teams’ offensive coordinators will have to game plan for so it seems obvious to me that selecting him is just that…obvious.

STRENGTHS
Leki is a big, powerful, stout, pushing the pocket type of Defensive Tackle. He should be able to play on the nose in a 3/4 defense or as a Defensive Tackle in a 4/3 defense. He has good lower body strength and does a solid job changing the line of scrimmage in his favor on most plays. He gives excellent effort on every play and has enough athleticism to be used on stunts because he has decent straight-line foot speed. Leki should be a tow down lineman for the team that selects him rotating in on run downs and goal line.

CONCERNS
Leki has the size and strength but struggles to get off blocks to make tackles. He struggles against double teams and is inconsistent keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage on every down and distance. He also lacks the balance to rush the passer very much so pushing the pocket is how he can become disruptive at the next level.

BOTTOM LINE 3.22
IF you’re a team that uses a lot of 2 gap system allowing its linebackers the freedom to run to the play and make tackles than Leki should be a little higher on your board than a team that uses a one gap attack style of defense. He still needs to get stronger in his upper body and learn to get off blocks quicker and better but that goes for just about any pure defensive lineman coming out in any draft.

STRENGTHS
Zack Reminds me a lot of Eagles Connor Barwin and former Buffalo Bills Aaron Schobel. He is a fluid athlete with the athletic talent to play more than one position on your defense depending on the style. He can be a pure linebacker playing any one of the positions in a 4/3 defense, or as an edge rusher in a 3/4 defense. He has the quickness and straight-line fluidity to be a cover linebacker against tight ends and big receivers. Zack is stout against the run and holds the edge against bigger offensive lineman because he uses excellent techniques. Zack is a pure team player and shows leadership skills through his play on the field. He is a good enough athlete to play multiple positions on your defense as well as being a pretty good Tight End/ H-back on your offense if need be.

CONCERNS
Zack is a team player to a fault. He doesn’t allow himself to take chances and doesn’t make plays that are not assigned to him on that particular play. Zack has to learn to take more chances and unleash his athletic talents more and to make better use of them and become the playmaker his talents suggest he can become. He has the football IQ, he just needs to let it work for him more. He is a bit tight in the hips and lacks the change of direction skills going forward, but that never stopped a lot of great pass rushers and it should not stop Zac.

BOTTOM LINE 2.02
I suspect Zack’s workouts will zoom him up the boards for many teams. I also suspect his high football IQ will impress teams and his ability to lead also will impress teams but when you put on the film, even though all of these talents are evident, what’s also evident is the lack of playmaking plays that you would expect from such an athletic player with such a high football IQ. There is something to be said about being a great teammate. Sometimes it’s a gift and sometimes it’s a curse. Zack, in his need for perfection, limits his impact talents. His need to be “assignment corrects” on every play is holding him back. What I’m saying is Zack could be as good and as impacting as Rookie 49ers Nick Bosa and yet, he is not considered in the same discussion and it’s not because of a lack of size or athletic talent. So, what is the reason? It’s because Zack won’t let that Athletic talent be unleashed mentally. The team that selects him and can get him to unleash that talent might wind up with a rookie of the year player. If it’s not unleashed than that team still will have a hell of a solid football player very much like Connor and Aaron were for there teams.

STRENGTHS
Tee has those long arms and strong hands that shoot out all of a sudden during his route to catch the ball when his opponent is least suspecting him too like an Octopus. He has excellent balance and strong body to make run after the catch yardage, and because of his size, he is a matchup nightmare on third downs and in the Red Zone. He can play inside in the slot, or out wide and does a solid job blocking for his teammates. If you need a first down or need yardage when your team is in a two-minute drill situation, Tee is the one receiver you can count on to get separation and catch the ball. Tee will adjust to the ball in the air and use those octopus-like arms that are attached to those strong hands to make a catch when the ball has just been thrown up by the QB in anticipation of being sacked. He has those long strides that make it easy for him too separate from his opponent when making his cuts. Tee has the potential to become a Franchise Receiver for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Tee has enough speed to separate and go for the deep ball but I don’t expect him to time well when he is worked out. He has football speed, not track speed. Think, Larry Fitzgerald only taller and with a bigger catch radius.

BOTTOM LINE 1.78
If your offense is on life support just hanging in there, Tee is like a Doctor who will bring new life into it. The difference is Tee will not have to use Electro Shock, all Tee will do is make a dramatic one-handed catch down the field when most think that he can’t get deep to catch the 50-yard touchdown. Tee has the talent and competitiveness to become the heart of your passing offense. Oh, there might be other receivers in the draft who can make plays and are faster but Tee will be the one playmaker who will catch the ball when everyone on the field knows the ball is coming to him and in spite of being double-teamed. So, go ahead, select a faster receiver, one who will make fancy plays and is voted into the pro bowl because the media drives his success. I’ll take the Doctor with the Octopus-like arms, to catch the ball anytime and anyplace on the field and I bet you’ll be watching my team in the playoffs. I’ll select Tee (Doctor Octopus) Higgins, because I know he will keep my offense off life support.

STRENGTHS
Jake has the production and athletic talent to be considered as one of the top quarterbacks in this draft. He can play under center or in the shotgun and shows good velocity and accuracy when passing from both styles of offenses. Jake has solid athleticism to extend plays in and out of the pocket when it is needed. He can throw from different angles and release points with accuracy and those are important attributes to have for the next level. Jake shows solid leadership skills and brings with him the production level that not many quarterbacks coming out of college have had. He takes care of the ball and does an excellent job managing the game plan and working within the context of the game plan.

CONCERNS
Jake is a Pure Pocket passer and doesn’t use his athleticism as much as he should to move the ball down the field. Of course, that observation is subjective but not gaining first downs inside the red zone and not using his legs to score more in the red zone is one of the reasons for settling for field goals instead of touchdowns. Jake, in three years of starting, has just 3 rushing TD’s. He also lacks the velocity on some throws outside the hash marks and in the Red Zone and shows on film that he doesn’t throw all of the route tree with the needed velocity for a top QB. Jake also is not consistent in manipulating the pocket and escaping and resetting and instead will throw the ball away or take the sack way too much. He also doesn’t consistently manipulate the pocket opening up passing lanes. In general, for all of his production and play Jake does not show the overall instincts to bring his play and the play of his teammates up to a consistent level.

BOTTOM LINE 2.06
Is Jake, Andy Dalton, Case Keenum or could he be as good as Drew Brees? Well, right now he projects to be a potential starting quarterback but not a franchise quarterback. That doesn’t mean the Jake can’t get better and learn better mechanics to have better arm strength in the red zone and outside the hash marks. It doesn’t mean that Jake can’t learn all the intricacies’ of manipulating the pocket helping out his offensive line and opening up pass lanes. It doesn’t mean that Jake can’t learn to use his legs more to gain yardage on third downs and inside the red zone. It just means for the purpose of this draft Jake’s instincts and play to lift his teammate’s play is not where it should be and that will affect his draft status. Jake is the type of player who could sneak into the back half of the first round or drop all the way into the fourth round. It just all depends on who needs QB’s from the teams in this year’s playoffs or if a team has big question marks about the quarterback they picked in the top 15 of this draft and might want to cover their pick similar to the Redskins in the 2012 Draft. Who knows, maybe Jake is the next Drew Brees, I wouldn’t bet on it but you never know. My guess, he’s the next Chase Daniel. My theory about selecting QB’s in a draft, if they don’t have a 1st round grade or you want the benefit of five years on the first contract don’t bother selecting them until the fourth round. If they drop to the fourth than select them because, at that point, you got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

STRENGTHS
Jedrick is a Right Tackle who has the athletic talent and skill set to play Left Tackle. He has excellent balance and the foot quickness to mirror his opponent. Jedrick shows the foot quickness to get out to the second level and make blocks and has the power, when run blocking, to dominate. Jedrick is very smart and works well with his teammates handling most stunts with excellent techniques and hand usage. What Jedrick brings with him to the next level besides the athletic talent and mature techniques to play the Right or Left Tackle positions is the high football IQ needed to be a leader as well as one of the better offensive linemen in this draft.

CONCERNS
I have to question why Jedrick isn’t playing on the left side of the offensive line? He has the athleticism, the mature techniques, the size, so why? He looks to me to have better athletic talent and techniques more mature than his counterpart on the other side, so once again…why? I can only go by what I see on film and what I see is, an athletic player not playing up to his athletic talent consistently. He has lazy feet and doesn’t always finish his blocks and he doesn’t block until he hears the whistle. Most of these issues are when he is run blocking. As far as pass blocking, he seems to use all of his talents but it’s hard to trust him on every play. Also, when he gets tired he gets sloppy and nasty. Jedrick needs to improve his mental toughness and physical stamina.

BOTTOM LINE 2.17
I have to wonder if Jedrick is pissed off that he is not playing on the left side instead of the right side? He is very smart and sometimes being that smart can be a gift…and a curse. I’ll be honest, the kid playing on the other side doesn’t have the talent Jedrick does so I could see why he might be pissed but it’s not an excuse. Am I suggesting that Jedrick is taking downs off? Absolutely not because, I don’t believe for a minute that Jedrick thinks he is not playing up to his talents on every play and that means, it’s a coaching problem. If they don’t turn on the film and show him and hold him accountable than that’s on them.

STRENGTHS
Tua might be the most accurate quarterback in this draft. He is adept at hitting receivers in stride like a hunter shooting skeets out of the air. He shows a good strong arm and can make all the throws with the needed accuracy, touch or appropriate velocity. Tua has the athletic talent to manipulate the pocket and extend plays. He runs well and has the foot quickness to juke opponents in the open field making third downs and touchdowns with his legs. He does a good job throwing on the run or moving and resetting his feet without losing any accuracy. Tua has a quick release and can throw with accuracy from different angles and release points once again, without it affecting his accuracy. Tua shows leadership qualities through his play on the field and in making the big play in the passing game. He has the passing skills to bring a team from behind and this makes him a potential Franchise Quarterback for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
There are a lot of holes in Tua’s overall game. First of all, he panics and throws the ball up when he has to stay and throw from a muddy pocket. This will be magnified at the next level and lead to him turning the ball over. Of course, there will be questions about his injuries and if those injuries (Knee and Hip) are chronic or career-threatening. Tua is also left-handed and a lot of teams do not like left-handed quarterbacks at the next level. They won’t admit it but history suggests it. He also holds on to the ball too long and the fact that there is a lot of talent on this team, the question for some teams might be if he is the beneficiary of this talent and to what degree? Also, you can add size into the equation, no matter how well smaller quarterbacks do in the NFL there are still coaches who will stick to their opinions about size.

BOTTOM LINE 1.47
We all know unless there are issues about his injuries that Tua will be selected very early in this draft. After all, in spite of the concerns I have outlined none of them except the injuries are issues that cannot be overcome. For me personally, I say draft him, commit to him and put him in an offense like the WCO that will allow him to get rid of the ball quickly and move in the pocket to deliver the ball. Don’t try to make him a pure pocket quarterback. Don’t make him go through three progressions. Make your plays two progressions or make those progressions flood the same zone, at different levels, so he can go through them quickly. Going from one side of the field to the other could cause problems for him as far as staying healthy. Then again, I’m just a dumb old fan, what do I know? Tua has excellent overall talent but what he brings most to the NFL is the uncanny accuracy to hit receivers in stride crossing the field or vertically. It’s quite amazing.

STRENGTHS
Bryce is your sleeper pass rusher in this draft and his play reminds me a lot of Bears Khalil Mack. He is strong and has excellent explosion to the play. His quickness off the ball and explosiveness is unique, to the few true pass rushers at the next level. He has quick feet and has enough flexibility to make that turn at the top of his pass rush and sack the quarterback. Bryce is excellent at stopping the run and shedding blocks to make tackles in the hole. He has a high football IQ and shows leadership skills through his play on the field working well with his teammates. Like I stated before he is a sleeper pass rusher with the explosiveness similar to Kahlil Mack.

CONCERNS
Teams will be concerned about his size although it is equal to Khalil, the quality of competition, once again equal, stats are comparable but all that means nothing. Turn on the film and watch it. Bryce is stuck right now in some sort of loop of marketing/media mediocrity and as of this writing hasn’t even been invited to the Senior Bowl. He has been invited to the Shrine game and it would not surprise me to see him eventually get invited to the Senior Bowl. His size will be an issue at first and teams will be interested in his ability to play one of the linebacker positions and this will affect his draft status. That being said, every team he goes up against has to account for him and double team him.

BOTTOM LINE 1.94
When Khalil came out I gave him a second-round grade because I thought for sure, teams were going to try and make him a linebacker instead of attacking the line of scrimmage. That will be an issue for Bryce also, and the truth is he also needs to attack the line of scrimmage to be effective and impacting. He is very smart and has all the tools to be an impact player with some more technique work, an impact pass rusher too. Right now, he is a sleeper but the truth is I don’t believe he will be by the time we get to the draft. As far as I’m concerned, Bryce is one of the top pass rushers in this draft and the fact that he plays the run as well as he rushers the passer should make everyone excited about him as I am. All I can say is go ahead, turn on the film, I dare you to tell me this kid is not an impact player. Watch how Penn State doubles him and runs away from him in their bowl game. Watch him be stout against the run and not give up his assignment just to get stats and sacks. Go ahead, I dare you. Remember size matters when it comes to evaluating players for the draft but not when it comes to impact on the field. Impact comes in all sizes.

STRENGTHS
Jonathan is a powerful, in between the tackles, running back. He has good balance and vision and has just enough wiggle to make tacklers miss him at the line of scrimmage to gain the needed yardage on those third and short downs. He does a good job catching the ball out of the backfield and in open space and will break tackles of players not as big as he is. Jonathan has been the main running back for his team and has helped to carry the offense and because of his quick feet and solid breakaway speed, has been the offensive weapon opponents have had to game plan for because of his impact. Jonathan is the type of running back that falls forward on almost every tackle to gain yards in spite of being met at the line of scrimmage.

CONCERNS
Jonathan has to stay square to the line of scrimmage to gain yardage because he lacks the explosion to go east/west and outrun opponents to the sideline. This makes him predictable and easy to stop at the next level for attacking defenses. If Jonathan wants to be more than a two-down back he also has to improve his blocking.

BOTTOM LINE 2.86
In the right offensive line blocking scheme Jonathan can be as impacting at the next level as he was at the college level. That being said not every team will rate him high on their boards and not every GM who is looking for the style of back who can play and be effective in any style of offensive scheme will rate him high on their boards also. Jonathan Taylor reminds me of a lot of Running Back Jonathan Howard formerly of the Bears and as of this writing with the Eagles and like Howard, Taylor can be an effective running back in the right system. If Jonathan shows hidden skills at the combine than he could move up on team’s boards but, his poor pass blocking skills will still have to improve before he can become the impact player his talents suggest.

STRENGTHS
Laviska is a run after the catch, determine to make 1st downs and touchdowns, type of receiver. He shows on film the eye/hand coordination and big catch radius to catch any ball in any kind of weather situation. Laviska has the strong, powerful, body type to be used in different positions for your offense. He shows quick feet to get in and out of breaks and separate when running routes. He is smart and understands zone coverages and when used on jet sweeps he is not interested in being strung out, he cuts up north and south as soon as he sees the opportunity. Laviska can be a weapon on offense and because of his ability to break tackles and determination to make 1st downs and touchdowns, he also has the “potential” to become a franchise offensive player and receiver for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Laviska has the “potential”, if he learns how to change gears and run the deep routes at the wide receiver position, as well as he runs routes from the slot. He has speed and quickness but his speed will be matched at the next level so learning HOW to use his speed is the key to becoming more than just a flash at the next level or having the type of career that could be long and outstanding. He has the potential to be a bigger vision of former Panthers receiver Steve Smith Sr.

BOTTOM LINE 1.72
Everything comes down to Laviska learning how to run deep routes against single coverage as too how impacting he can become in the future. He has all the other skills and his run after the catch talents are attractive but learning how to stay injury-free and the continuation of his RAC impact will depend on how much of a cushion Defensive Backs have to give him off the line of scrimmage and that will only happen IF he scares them with the deep routes as part of his skill set. For his college team, Laviska was a playmaker and a jack of all trades. But for the next level to become more than just a player who can impact when used on a set of specialty plays, he has to learn how to run the route tree against any style of defense and that will take him learning the intricacies of the wide receiver position. I’m sure his works outs will be outstanding but it takes more than athleticism to be more than just a specialty player at the next level. It takes football intelligence and the willingness to take what you learn in practice and the classroom on to the field quickly. I believe Laviska has that ability but we shall see. Remember a swiss army knife is not the main knife in a person’s arsenal, it’s just the knife most use when they can’t use their main knives and although it’s handy, it doesn’t work for all projects. Laviska has to become more than just a swiss army knife.

STRENGTHS
Malcolm has the vision, power, speed, balance and lateral explosion to become an offensive weapon for the team that selects him. He has a high football IQ that will allow him to play multiple positions in any style of offense. He can be used in the backfield because of his vision and lateral explosion or in the slot because of his quickness or out wide as a wide receiver because of his speed. Malcolm has the lower body strength to break tackles in the open field making it easy for him to gain yardage running out of the backfield or catching passes down the field. His vision and balance are what sets him apart from most offensive players and his lateral explosion is what allows him to break tackles between the hash marks or in the open field. Malcolm is one of the most exciting players to watch because on any given play he can explode, that’s why I call him Malcolm (The Pocket Rocket) Perry.

CONCERNS
Of course, Malcolm plays for Navy but the new ruling signed by the President allows for service players to play in the NFL. I also have no tape of Malcolm catching a ball or running routes so those concerns will have to be addressed in workouts but something in my gut tells me this should not be an issue for very long. Of course, using him in the backfield will also require him to block and pick up blitzing linebackers who are bigger than him in size but once again, my gut says forgetaboutit, Malcolm (The Pocket Rocket) Perry can do anything he puts his mind to.

BOTTOM LINE 2.50
Watching Malcolm on any given play is like waiting for a bottle rocket about to go off, after you have lite the fuse and have run to a safe place, standing still and waiting. You wait and then you slowly creep back towards the bottle, not understanding why the fuse is so slow. Then, just before you get too close, the rocket takes off and your heart beats like it’s coming out of your chest and you think, how lucky it was to be a safe distance away as you stand in awe watching it go up in the air, to its peak and then slowly fall to the ground. Malcolm is that rocket and watching him make’s you go through all those emotions during a game except Malcolm keeps going off play after play after play until he scores a touchdown. The question is, can the “pocket rocket” catch a ball down the field like a receiver? Also, can the pocket rocket, run routes from the slot and can he block, bigger players to help his quarterback extend plays? And also, does the pocket rocket have the hand/eye coordination to catch contested passes and how big is his catch radius? Like I said all I can tell you is that my gut tells me he can do all of this and workouts and the combine will answer many of these questions but even if Malcolm can’t catch the ball or block as well as others I still want him on my team. I want him because I know in my gut that he will be able to do all that you ask of him if given the time. After all, how many times on a football field do you get a chance to see a rocket go off?