NCAA Scouting
Senior Prospect Tracker - Week 9
by Paul Emery
November 1st 2011
 
Once again this week started with FIU and T.Y. Hilton on a Tuesday night. There are four other midweek games alone for me to cast my eyes over for Week Nine – including another look at former Florida CB Janoris Jenkins. But the highlight of the week was Penn State's Devon Still on a snowy day at Beaver Stadium.
 
Troy at Florida International
 
Troy
 
James Brown – OT – the spread offense makes it tough work to scout offensive lineman. The quick passing game often used means that you only have a handful of plays in any one game where a lineman has to hold his block for any length of time. Early in the game he looked fine against the outside speed rush, but his base was too wide and he struggled a little to redirect against inside moves. He did adjust his technique against this but by using a backpedal in pass protection and being too upright. His feet looked OK athletically and his hand placement was good – but he will need some technique work. In the run game he did a nice job of playing square and his hand placement was good as he worked his man upfield on draws and screens. He struggled to engage at the second level against FIU's smaller/quicker LB's – but did flash some power on a couple of plays when he was able to engage. Overall, he showed some tools – but I wouldn't be willing to spend anything more than a 4th/5th round pick on him depending on his combine numbers.
 
Florida International
 
T.Y. Hilton – WR – Hilton was quieter than last Tuesday night as he was bothered by cramp. He's also been troubled by a knee injury – in addition to the hamstring strain earlier in the year. He's had similar durability problems before in his career and it is the main concern with him. Part of the problem is because FIU use him for so much – kick and punt returner, receiver, wildcat QB and also used on fly sweeps. At 5'10” 183 lbs he is clearly struggling to stand up to the punishment. I don't think this will be as much of a problem at the next level as his touches can be managed. He can kept for returns and some slot work and no more than 10-15 touches per game. It seemed to get a little chat with Troy's LB Xavier Lamb to get him going in this one – so clearly Lamb rattled his cage. He had a catch in the soft spot in the zone (19 yards) and a big play on a 39 yard punt return. A couple of brief flashes, but he didn't look as fast as the first two games of the season where he was breathtaking.
 
Connecticut at Pittsburgh
 
Connecticut
 
Mike Ryan – OT – Ryan is a big kid at 6'5”, 333 lbs – but isn't natural flexible. He's also not the fastest guy in the world. His lack of foot speed says Guard, but he's too upright and I wouldn't like his chances inside because of his inability to win the leverage battle. He looks like a strong kid though and he got away at times with shoving his man upfield – but he did give up a sack when he was beaten by Greg Williams. Rather interestingly Brandon Lindsey didn't really give him too many problems – but overall I think he looks like a late round size guy who might be a tweener.
 
Moe Petrus – C – Petrus looks like he has fairly short arms and did have to over extend some as a result. However, he did a nice job of playing square in the run game and also did a nice job getting under his man to win the leverage battle and move people to make some holes. He's a scrappy type who struggles a bit for power at times – but part of that came from his short arms and not being to keep people off his body in pass protection. I would think his body type will only see him as a late round pick, but he will fight hard for a roster spot.
 
Kendall Reyes – DT – I was talking above about how spread offenses make it difficult to scout offensive lineman. The same applies to defensive lineman – as in a short passing game they have little time to get to the QB. This applied to Reyes, particularly as he was double teamed much of the night. Connecticut used a 3 man line quite a bit and Reyes was employed right over the Center. He generally drew a double team and resorted to getting his hands up as the QB threw. In the run game he flashed ability to penetrate and blew up a couple of run plays, however he wasn't consistent with this. He also showed the ability to 'stack and shed' – that is to extend his arms, control the blocker and then be able to control the gap either side of his blocker (two gap technique). This is actually a rare skill and indeed at the next level only a handful of teams require two gap technique (Patriots, Chiefs, Jets and Ravens). Reyes didn't look explosive enough to be a first round pick – but he has a high motor and will appeal to those two gap teams as these guys are hard to find.
 
Pittsburgh
 
Lucas Nix – OG – still out injured (knee).
 
Chas Alecxih – DT – Alecxih has a late round/free agent grade and listed at 280 lbs could use with adding some weight. He plays the DT role in Pitt's 3-4 – which is a Jets type hybrid system. He's a really hard working kid who got 1.5 sacks on the night and gave Connecticut some problems with his motor. His sack was a nice swim move back inside the Guard – he used this move earlier in the game to get pressure on the QB. He didn't show up quite as much in the run game – but again the swim move got him off a block to make a tackle. He may need a year on a practice squad to bulk up before pushing for time in a D-Line rotation.
 
Brandon Lindsey – DE – Lindsey rotated very heavily in this game and really struggled to make any kind of impact, so I'm not sure if he perhaps was carrying an injury. He made a couple of plays with his motor – taking the long road around big Mike Ryan and chasing plays down from the backside. He only had one QB pressure – again looping around Ryan. He struggled for power against Ryan and a couple of times was pancaked. He really impressed me early in the season, but since he's disappointed and he's moving down my board to the 3rd round region.
 
Virginia at Miami (Fl.)
 
Virginia
 
Cam Johnson – DE –prior to this game I had been impressed with Johnson and had him in the third round region. I thought he played really well in this one and his performance will move him up my board. While he doesn't flash elite quickness like Marshall's Vinny Curry, he does have some power and did a nice job winning the leverage battle when rushing the passer. He was consistently able to get under his man and then come off inside. He had a sack, forced a holding penalty and had a few other pressures against decent opposition. In the run game I really liked his awareness – before the snap when seeing motion his head was on a swivel taking it all in and he read a toss sweep superbly making a tackle for loss. He was able to set the edge and on one play he met the fullback in the hole and came out on top. In some ways his ability to use his power and hands to get off blockers makes him more valuable than a pure speed rusher. I have two more Virginia games on my schedule (plus maybe the ACC Championship and certainly a Bowl game), so I should have a pretty good idea about Johnson – but certainly he's a player on the rise.
 
Chase Minnifield – CB – Minnifield played more press man coverage in this one and looked better. However, at times he was in off man coverage and it really baffles me why he's employed in this way. At times he was 10 yards off the line and gave up two passes in front of him which went for decent gains (6 and 7 yards). If he's up at the line he shuts both of these plays down. He was able to read a swing pass and come up quickly to make a tackle for loss. Down near the goal line he had his customary poor play of the day. He was up at the line, but decided against getting a bump in to disrupt the timing of the fade route. He also let the receiver have too much room to drop into – he should have been using the sideline/back of end zone as an extra defender. He had his head turned for the ball, but was unable to get a hand on the pass and the result was an easy TD. Every time I've seen him he's had a poor play like this and as a result he remains in the second round area on my board. He was better in press – he generally was able to get a good jam on his man and remain physical with them down the field (Benjamin really didn't like this on one play). Of course with the amount of illegal contact penalties being thrown in the NFL this season he'll have to learn to leave his man alone after the first 5 yards – but he did show he can turn and run without being overly physical. He has some more chances to have a clean game, but for now he's behind Janoris Jenkins and Alfonzo Dennard.
 
Miami (Fl.)
 
Travis Benjamin – WR – Benjamin is a poor man's T.Y. Hilton. He doesn't seem quite as electric as Hilton was in the first two weeks of the season, but he is still fast. His routes look like they need some work, he doesn't seem to be able to cut sharply and ends up running very rough/rounded routes. A nice sharp cut would help him get separation. He caught a nice over the shoulder pass and his hands look natural. His return ability will help his stock, but like Hilton at 176 lbs he'll have to be managed at the next level.
 
Sean Spence – OLB – listed at 225 lbs and going up against a big offensive line, this was a nice test for Spence. One play really showed the problems he will have at the next level in terms of getting off blocks. He was up against a pulling Guard (Luke Bowanko) and he was just completely engulfed by the 6'6” 295 lb man – and engulfed if a nice word to describe the play! Like Zach Brown and Lavonte David he is coming into the NFL at the right time. Teams won't shy away from undersized LB's quite in the same way as defensive co-ordinators will want to combat the wide open passing offenses (surely coaching staffs knew this was coming – shouldn't they have worked out ways to stop this during the lockout?!). Spence moves really well and he shows a nice ability to pick his way through traffic and indeed on one play on the other side of the field, he was able to get through the bodies and make a TFL. He looked comfortable in coverage and was out over the slot receiver a few times. He didn't show the knack that Brown does of sliding off blockers in this one and it does limit his stock (I have Brown lower than many anyway). I'm perhaps living five years in the past, but I don't know I'd want to spend a first round pick on a LB under 230 lbs. I'll be interested to see when these guys start coming off the board.
 
North Alabama at West Alabama
 
North Alabama
 
James Brooks – DE – Brooks came into the season with a mid round grade from National Scouting. Then at Arizona State he abruptly left the team for undisclosed personal reasons. I didn't realise until earlier in the week that he had transferred to North Alabama. Brooks really dwarfed a number of the West Alabama offensive lineman – he is a big man – looking heavier than his listed 278 lbs. He made some plays through power – but in terms of his movement, he looked quite slow. He had good backside contain though and was in on a number of tackles. He could still be drafted – but teams will want to discover everything behind his reasons for leaving Arizona State. He could interest 3-4 teams as he looks to have the length for that system.
 
Marcus Dowtin – ILB – while Brooks stood out size wise in D2 football, Dowtin at 6'2” 226 lbs doesn't really. He made a few more plays than against Delta State a couple of weeks ago, but still had some negative plays and I'm sticking to my view that I wouldn't spend a draft pick on him. He struggled to get off blocks at times, over pursued one cut back run badly and also missed a couple of tackles. He also had a personal foul late in the game as the Lions as a whole got frustrated.
 
Janoris Jenkins – CB – Jenkins was suspended for the first half after he was ejected from the Delta State game. He wasn't tested in coverage as the Tigers threw away from him and really there was little to learn about him – particularly after some of those SEC battles last year against AJ Green etc. He gave North Alabama a boost in the return game and in the punt game they kicked away from him. He was constantly jawing with the opposition and is clearly a very confident kid. I hope he gets and accepts an invitation to the Senior Bowl, I think a solid week there and positive reviews from an NFL coaching staff working with him will help rebuild his image.
 
BYU vs TCU
 
BYU
 
Matt Reynolds – OT – while there are many inconsistent prospects who are tough to get a real feel for, Reynolds is the exact opposite. He's been very consistent this year and after four watches, I know exactly what he is. I see him being a late second/early third round pick for a team needing a Right Tackle. He does struggle against speed and indeed did a few times in this one – but he has excellent technique, which does help him. He doesn't have super quick feet in pass protection – but he sets up smoothly with his hands up and ready to strike. He has good hand placement and can get by against speed by his initial punch turning his man up the field and away from his QB. A couple of times he lunged to try and land that punch – he then left himself off balance and struggling. In the run game he plays nice and square. He can seal the edge very effectively and was able to move his feet nicely to ensure this got done. There is a lot of poor offensive line technique out there, so it's nice to see a technical sound young man who should be a solid pro.
 
TCU
 
Tank Carder – OLB – Carder's stock seems to have dropped this year. However, I thought he played pretty well in this one and is certainly pushing for a mid round slot. He's got very quick feet and his best moments came because of that quickness. Conversely he struggles to get off blocks and he had some negative plays in there where he was just eaten up by blocks. He reads the game nicely and looked comfortable enough in coverage against running backs in the flat. He missed a couple of tackles, but they were on plays he got off a block late and then made a diving attempt. He was used as a blitzer a few times on passing plays, but struggled to make a real impact in this area. He's going to fit best as a read and react LB behind a solid defensive line that can keep him clean.
 
Illinois at Penn State
 
Illinois
 
A.J. Jenkins – WR – a look at the Illinois combined QB stats tell a story. They were 13/24 for only 94 yards and so one can forgive Jenkins for having only 6 catches for 43 yards – a number which still put him above the 1,000 yard mark for the year. A couple of times Jenkins was open, but one pass was batted down at the line and another (15 yard square in) was never thrown. He managed a big play as Illinois were driving late for a game tying field goal (which was no good) – he saw D'Anton Lynn had turned his back to him, so he just ran a curl and caught the 20 yard pass in soft hands. He didn't have any yardage after the catch and even an early toss sweep to him lost 3 yards. This WR class looks like being the strongest position in the draft and Jenkins could well be good value in the 3rd/4th round region – depending on which juniors come out and his combine numbers.
 
Jeff Allen – OT – I guess Allen isn't ranked higher because he's a big heavy guy who struggles against edge speed. But that doesn't stop guys like Cordy Glenn being ranked highly. Allen did have two false start penalties – but in an interesting matchup with Jack Crawford – he came out on top. He did a nice job playing square in the run game and on one play showed some nasty as he drove a LB back 10 yards. He wasn't up against anyone super fast off the edge and therefore looked very comfortable in pass protection. He sits in his stance and actually his technique looks better than the higher rated Glenn. I'll be interested to see if he can get a Senior Bowl invite – but certainly I think he deserves mentioning more in the middle rounds than the later ones.
 
Penn State
 
Derek Moye – WR – Moye wasn't scheduled to play until after Penn State's bye week as he returns from a broken bone in his foot. But with Penn State struggling mightily offensively he was called off the bench on Penn State's last drive and really gave them a big spark. He had two catches – one finding the soft spot in what looked like zone coverage and then caught a shorter pass. He also drew a pass interference call, which was perhaps a little debatable – but the flag was thrown. Being absent for two games will have dropped his stock a touch – but he certainly put himself back in the frame.
 
Johnnie Troutman – OG – I tend to like Penn State offensive lineman, but in the last few years most of them have tended to go undrafted. Troutman makes every effort to sit in his stance in pass protection. He doesn't tend to lock his man up, but will shove them back – not a tactic I'm a fan off as it keeps the defender alive for a second try. He's not super quick with his feet though and although he was OK in this one, I think he will struggle against quick one gap DT's. He flashed some power in the run game and threw a nice kick-out block against the Safety on Penn State's winning TD run. I think he's probably a later round guy, but I do like his efforts to use correct technique.
 
Jack Crawford – DE – as mentioned above Crawford came out second best when matched up against Jeff Allen. He looks to have a nice frame, but just couldn't stack and shed Allen who was too big and strong for him. To his credit he kept working throughout and I do really like his motor. He chases plays away from him and made a couple of tackles. He had one QB pressure – he beat a TE outside – a matchup he had to win. I'll be interested in his arm length at the Combine – his length and upside (he's still learning the game) may see him considered in the 4th/5th round regions.
 
Devon Still – DT – at times Still was just simply unblockable. Illinois even tried doubling him, but he was still able to make plays. Just as I was thinking he was looking tired late in the game – he got penetration and made a tackle for loss – he looked like he was shot out of cannon on the play. He is a big kid at 6'5” 312 lbs – yet is very quick for his size. He made plays based on that quickness – but also with power as he got off blocks really well. The area he struggled most was on draws – he was easily turned up the field away from a number of plays. He had a sack – plus hit the QB twice and had another pressure. The performance of the week – he came into the season with a bit of boom or bust about him – but he's impressed me and he looks like a sure fire first round pick.
 
D'Anton Lynn – CB – Lynn missed some time after suffering from concussion, so this was only my second look at him. He came into the season with a mid round rating, but I didn't come away thinking he looked that good. As mentioned above – A.J. Jenkins was able to catch a 20 yard pass in front of him late. Lynn opened his hips up very early and was almost completely turned around – making it very easy for Jenkins to run a curl route. Of course he didn't want to get beat deep late in the game, but 20 yards helped Illinois get into field goal position. He also had some other shorter passes caught in front of him and there was no real explosion out of his backpedal. He looked a bit high in it – so could do with sinking and this would help him. He was active in the run game – in on a number of tackles, but looked more like a day three guy to me.
 
Florida vs Georgia
 
Florida
 
Jeffrey Demps – RB – Demps was back after missing last week with injury. He carried the ball 8 times (only 5 carries combined vs Alabama and LSU) and had no impact rushing with only 12 yards. However, he did take a little swing pass 72 yards – breaking 3 tackles in the first 10 yards. He was caught from behind, so perhaps still isn't 100% as his sprinter speed should see him as one of the fastest prospects at the combine. He did look better on his 98 yard kick-off return for a TD though – he was very direct on the play and just burst up the middle. The last 4 weeks haven't been great for him, but the two big plays were a step in the right direct. He will need to stay healthy down the stretch and play as he did in the Kentucky game to push for a mid round slot.
 
Chris Rainey – RB – Rainey was used at receiver and running back in this one. He showed the problem with a shorter WR on a slant pass thrown away from his frame and he lacked the catching radius of a longer receiver and the pass was incomplete. He had another drop, which he should have caught – plus a fumble late in the game. Like Demps, he had a nice kick-off return – but it was called back for a holding penalty. He's looking like a late rounder at best who can perhaps get 5-10 touches per game.
 
Jaye Howard – DT – Howard had a pretty good game. I think he's moving into the middle rounds with some pretty good play this year. Right now I have him outside of my Top 100, but in that 4th round area he would be a solid pick. Although he doesn't look super quick off the ball – he does a very nice job of getting off blocks. A number of times he was able to slide off a blocker to make tackles for short gains (he wasn't peeling back off them and making the tackles after 5+ yard gains). He was in on a sack, although didn't look great as a pass rusher without that great initial burst. He's not going to be rated super highly without that burst, but still does the dirty work inside and I like him better than USC's Christian Tupou (see below).
 
Georgia
 
Cordy Glenn – OT – this was the best I've seen Glenn play this year. He had a problem early against edge speed on that swing pass that was intercepted (his man hit Murray just after he threw). However, after that he looked very solid. He doesn't have super quick feet and indeed will be best inside at Guard I think – where he starred in 2010 (only Trinton Sturdivant's injury moved him out to Left Tackle this year). At times he got by with his long arms in pass protection – but he did keep his QB clean. In the run game he looked good. A couple of times he was able to drive his man back 10+ yards off the line of scrimmage. His stock hasn't been helped by his move to Tackle – hopefully he will accept his Senior Bowl invitation and play back inside, where he should appeal to power teams.
 
Ben Jones – C – I've seen Jones rated as a first round pick, but my off season tape study – plus this as my fourth Georgia game so far this year has him rated in the 3rd/4th round area. To be fair to him, as the season has moved forward he has looked better. He hasn't been over extending as much, which was his big problem last year. He tended to have that problem only when getting to the second level in this one. He missed a couple of blocks and ended up on the floor. He used the cut block a few other times – again missing some. I can't say I'm a fan of cut blocks, with all the emphasis on player safety I can't believe these are still legal. In pass protection he doesn't seem to trust himself to sit in his stance and anchor. He tends to play too high and when he's up against power his feet just go out and back. Having such a wide base makes it very tough to keep his feet moving and also to anchor. However, overall he did hold up pretty well. I'll be interested in his combine weight (listed at 300 lbs – but might be lighter and therefore the anchor issues) – plus his arm length will be one to watch. He's certainly a hard worker though – I don't know if he'll be a star initially – but after some work he could push for a starting role at the next level.
 
Brandon Boykin – CB – Boykin's technique is very sloppy – he tends to get by with his athletic ability. When he's over the slot man he looks a little better – he at least uses a backpedal, although he doesn't get real low in it and thus doesn't have great explosion out of it. He does read the QB well though and in that respect might be better off in a zone heavy pro defense. When he's outside, he turns side-on right after the snap – leaving the short out route on, but it wasn't taken by Florida. He dropped an interception on a poor pass from Brantley – and would have had a pick six as he read a short out route and got under the route – but Brantley saw him and threw it too high for him. He might end up as a day two pick as teams look for CB's to cover all these slot WR's – but he won't be for everyone and isn't quite the pro prospect his college reputation might suggest he should be.
 
Blair Walsh – PK – Walsh is having a poor year and once again he struggled in this one with two missed field goals. From 33 and 37 yards he was wide right – efforts he would have made with his eyes closed last year. I have been waiting for him to turn it around, but he looks gone and unless he can sort himself out, he will struggle to be drafted – something I didn't think would be on the cards coming into the year.
 
Drew Butler – P – Butler has played pretty well this year – but he had a couple of poor efforts in this one. Short punts of 24 and 26 yards – with a 32 yard effort from his own 4 yard line not much better. He is better than this display and was nowhere near his season 46 yard per punt average.
 
Stanford at USC
 
Stanford
 
Chris Owusu – WR – coming into the year I liked Owusu a little more than his production dictated. He had 3 catches in this one and is on course to beat his 2009 career high of 37 receptions. Of course, he's not in a Ryan Broyles style spread offense, so it's important to put his production into some context. I didn't think he looked real explosive in this one returning kicks – only averaging 20 yards a return. He dropped two passes – one he should have caught – the other was tipped in front of him by the CB, he was rewarded with that one by a big shot from the Safety (who was flagged for the personal foul). He's sliding down my board – I'm sure I'll see Stanford again, so hopefully he can pick things up some.
 
Coby Fleener – TE – Fleener now has 18 catches on the year and it may seem off to some that I think he's the best TE in this class – and he's not an overpowering blocker! The big thing with Fleener is that projecting him to the next level he's very exciting. He has a frame to add 10-15 lbs comfortably and looks very athletic. He had a nice catch for 21 yards – catching the ball with hands away from his body – and did a nice job shoving the LB off him to get open in the end zone for a two point conversion. He did a nice job as a blocker – working hard to get low and therefore win the leverage battle (I believe in the Chris Spielman “low man wins” statement). He had some success getting to the second level also – holding up Chris Galippo a couple of times. He's my top senior TE – I'm not sure he will still be the top TE if a couple of juniors I have on my radar come out early – but we'll see!
 
USC Marc Tyler – RB – Tyler dislocated his shoulder against Cal two weeks ago, but started the game. Unfortunately after carrying for 3 yards he aggravated the injury and was on the sideline in the second half with his arm in a sling. Tyler is my kind of back and I'm hoping he makes it back soon as USC have no Bowl game this year.
 
Rhett Ellison – TE – Ellison was used more as a HB or TE in this one that at FB. He was used in pass protection quite a lot and did well against Chase Thomas. He played square and like Fleener showed he can seal the edge. He had two catches – both on crossing routes. He left the game late in the 4th quarter with what looked like an ankle injury and didn't play in overtime – no word on any injury, but hopefully he'll be back next week.
 
Christian Tupou – DT – I tend to agree a fair bit with National Football Post's Wes Bunting, one of the premier Draft writers out there. He, amongst others, has been pushing Tupou up boards – but as mentioned a couple of weeks ago – I just don't see it. As such I paid close attention to him in this one and he just doesn't do anything at all for me. He's limited as a pass rusher – not even on the field most of the time in obvious passing downs. He had one pressure, flushing Andrew Luck out of the pocket – but otherwise wasn't a factor. In the run game he was tough to move at times – but equally on other occasions was moved out of the hole and even pancaked a few times. He lacks any kind of quickness off the ball – so isn't your typical Cover-2 penetrator. I see him as a later round pick – but it would seem he may go a fair bit earlier!
 
Chris Galippo – ILB – Galippo also wasn't on the field all the time. Early on he wasn't on the field on obvious passing downs – then he was for a big chunk of the game – but again late wasn't. He had problems getting off blocks – but unlike Tank Carder didn't show any real quickness to be able to beat blockers to the point of attack. He was able to get good depth in his drops – very important for the MLB in a Cover-2 scheme. However, I'm looking at him as a third day pick who will need to push for a roster spot based on his special teams coverage play.
 
Georgia Southern at Appalachian State
 
Appalachian State
 
Brian Quick – WR – I wanted to check in on Quick after App State changed their QB. His stats were better with 4 catches for 119 yards and 2 TD's – but I still didn't think he showed enough to be viewed anything more than a third day pick. He caught the winning TD pass – but had the review system been in place the pass would have been ruled incomplete. He bobbled the pass in the back of the end zone and never had control of the ball before it hit the ground (and he was out of bounds anyway). However, fortunately for him he was given the touchdown. His other touchdown pass was also bobbled – he got behind the CB on a go route – caught at the second attempt, but did carry the CB into the end zone from the 5 yard line (he's 6'5”, 220 lbs). Better from him, but still not enough to move him significantly up my board.