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+---- Thread: *Zamir Kehla, his story. (/showthread.php?tid=19267)
*Zamir Kehla, his story. - retrospace111 - 02-20-2020
Hey all! It's me, John Johnson. I recently had the opportunity to go to Chick-fil-A with one of the new prospects in the S22 draft class. This should count towards the 1.5x Media bonus and plus I need the money to pay off the fines the IRS is sending me for federal tax evasion. Due to my laziness, this won't be a Q&A format, but rather like a background story about this mystery person. Just kidding, if you saw the title, you know who he is. His name is Zamir Kehla, an upcoming cornerback in the S22 draft class. He's a top 3 CB this class, and we will know more in a couple weeks. Expect me to release a full scouting report close to the draft. We don't know his full extent until we see how prospect bowl performance. Anyways, I don't want to make you all wait any longer, so let's just jump right into it.
Zamir Kehla was born in Austin, Texas. His dad was a military veteran working as a manager for a local animal shelter. His mom was a real estate agent and made most of the money that his family was dependent upon. Zamir's father was driven by intrinsic motivations and always loved to help those in need, whether it be actual people... or even pets. Zamir's mom was extrinsically motivated, and she was always chasing the next promotion, the next bonus, so she could pick up Zamir from his elementary school with their brand new Mercedes. She thrived off of other's attention. Zamir's dad thrived off of order and organization. Some would say Zamir got more of his mom's personality, but that's up to you to debate. Growing up in a military family, Zamir was always held under strict rules, a curfew, limited allowance, no girls, blah blah blah. The usual. Zamir was a rebellious kid, with deep political ambitions. I guess you could say growing up in the south as a non-Caucasian influenced his political views. But we're not here to do race. Growing up in Texas, there was a huge emphasis on football. Zamir grew up as a Copperheads fan, and his family loved the Copperheads. I'm sure Zamir's dad and mom were very excited yesterday after the Copperheads won the Ultimus. Zamir was exposed to football at an early age, but he wasn't a physical freak, he wasn't the fastest person on his team, he wasn't the smartest. What made him stand out then? His work ethic. He worked and worked and worked and worked. And then he worked some more. He put in hours outside of practice working out. Of course, when you are 8 years old, there is only so much you can do to condition your body to Pee-Wee football. Zamir's parents were just happy to see their child do something as physical as football and succeed. Zamir eventually grow, and so did his stock as a football player. He was a starter on his middle school team despite being too young to do so. The school made an exception for him because, hey, it's Texas, it's football, it helped them win. No further explanation needed. Zamir was an instant hit on the team, destroying cornerbacks. Oh, did I forget to mention Zamir was a wide receiver in middle school? Oh ok, sorry. He he. Zamir smashed all of his school records as a freaking 6th grader. He went on to dominate for 2 more years. His parents were so proud of him. Of course, being on the football team comes with some perks. Zamir did enjoy an exciting social life in middle school, but hey, it's freaking middle school. High school was a whole different thing. Everyone was more serious, there were actually intense playoffs, and the coaches made it seem like D1 football. Zamir came prepared with his work ethic, and put in the hours in the offseason while his other team mates were out gangbanging. Zamir's dad really cracked down in High school. He was afraid his son would use his athletic talents for the wrong purposes, so he set wayyyy too strict regulations on Zamir. Zamir felt so shitty about these regulations, but there wasn't much he could do except deal with it. Of course, Zamir was an instant starter on his high school varsity team. Zamir wasn't used to the type of players he encountered, with huge 6' 3" linebackers decking him. Zamir wasn't very tall or heavy, and he often bounced around like a ragdoll. After a horrible couple of games to start out his freshman season, he turned things around. He started holding on to the ball and catching better. It's also no coincidence that his improved play came at the same time as a massive growth spurt did. Zamir was now able to separate himself from the defensive back. He was able to catch the ball and take a hit. He was able to block for screens and running plays. He was doing everything right, but at the wrong time. High school football is cutthroat, and their team ended up missing the playoffs. Zamir kept that chip on his shoulder the whole offseason, and he worked hard. His dad made him. Zamir's dad was smart and knew that his son had D1 College talent, and that he could get paid big if he worked hard. Zamir's father kept Zamir on the right track during that offseason, and Zamir toned his body, cut down on body fat, built up muscle and increased his strength and speed. Zamir came back with a vengeance his sophomore season. Texas wasn't ready for the stuff he was going to do as a WR. Zamir smashed the state record for most receiving touchdowns in a season, with 22 over a 14 game season. Zamir led his team to the state championship, where they got punched in the mouth horribly. Zamir dislocated his knee in the 2nd quarter, a gruesome injury knocking him out of the game. Their offense stalled out without their star player, and they went on to lose by over 4 scores. Zamir was heartbroken and realized he had to go through a whole 'nother offseason and regular season just to get the chance to play in the ultimate game. Zamir told me this is where he learned the struggle of rehab, and without the expensive trainers to help him get through it like they have here in the professional leagues. Zamir learned about dealing with playoff losses emotionally. Coming from a military family, emotional constraints were required, even if it ended up doing more harm than good. Zamir went through the offseason and rehab with a determination his coach had never seen before. Unfortunately, Zamir just wasn't the same after his injury. He wasn't as fast anymore and he failed to make some of the spectacular catches he had made a year ago. Local news sources suspected he was going through a lingering injury, but he denied all of this numerous times throughout the season. Despite not being at full strength, he was still a beast on the field. He led his team to an undefeated record and they dominated throughout the playoffs, making it all the way to the state championship game for the 2nd year in a row. Their team's offense did well, scoring over 30 points against their opponent, the #1 ranked defense. However, Zamir's team's defense did not do their job, letting their opponent score over 40 points on them. Zamir was heartbroken again. He thought he knew about dealing with playoff losses, but this time he did his job and they still lost. He went through this off-season with a different mental perspective towards football. He no longer was playing to be a "Star" or to gain recognition from others. He just wanted to do his job. He talked with his coach and tried to decide upon the best course of action for Zamir's future. Their team's offense was already set without Zamir. Their receiving corps had developed under Zamir and so had their QB. Their offense wasn't what was holding them back. It was their danged defense. Zamir went through a rigorous offseason program with a defensive backs coach after finally deciding to make the switch to cornerback. Going into his senior season, college scouts didn't know what to think of his decision. He was surefire 3 star recruit at minimum as a WR. This could either make or break Zamir's D1 opportunities. Zamir told me he had a lot of stress at this time. He told me he was being selfless, sacrificing his talent at WR to play a position his team needed more. He told me he probably wouldn't do this again unless he absolutely needed to. His drive to win championships overruled everything. So, Zamir set out on his 4th season of being a starter for his varsity high school team. He was a star cornerback, and everyone was surprised, except for Zamir. He told me that he put in the dedication and hours that offseason and because of his work ethic, he knew he would be successful in any situation he had to be in. Zamir led his team to the coveted State championship game for the 3rd year in a row. They had fallen victim to their rival the past 2 years, but this year, Zamir locked up his defense. This year, things would be different. Zamir's team absolutely dominated, and college scouts were already writing scouting reports on him. He was an absolute stud on defense. Zamir told me he didn't expect to like playing cornerback so much and that if he wasn't open to switching positions and trying new things, he may never have been where he was now. I told him that that would be important going into the professional leagues, where he may be asked to switch positions. He said he's aware and had already gotten some questions about that from GMs. Zamir got tons and tons of full rides to some of the top football programs in the country, but he decided to stick local and go to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). His parents definitely had some say in that. Zamir said he wanted to be around his parents because they were one of his major reasons for success as a high school star and he needed their advice to be successful as a collegiate athlete. Zamir started instantly at UTEP, which was desperately in need of a good lockdown cornerback. Zamir was an instant starter his freshman year, playing behind a star studded defensive front 7. He made quick contributions his first year, recording 2 sacks and 2 INTs. Zamir quickly established himself as a shutdown corner, capable of keeping pace with the top players. He made a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore year, recording 4 INTs and 12 pass deflections. Opposing QBs stopped throwing to his side of the field. Unfortunately his offense didn't do much during his college years, leaving him empty handed when it came to playoff success. Zamir planned to finish his college degree, but no one could see what was coming his junior year. Zamir broke out, recording 9 INTs, 19 pass deflections, 4 sacks, 7 TFLs and 3 FF. He was everywhere on the field, shutting down top NFL prospects and also shutting down the run. He was one of the top CBs in his class, and he decided to take a shot and apply for the draft early. With his blazing speed and hands, he knew he would generate lots of interest. Zamir told me that he learned something from his college years. These football experiences provided valuable lessons for his life. Zamir hated losing, but he was able to perfect his cornerback play in the collegiate level, despite his team playing poorly overall. Zamir began to value teamwork and a strong effort from a team as a whole. Never again would he take effortful teammates for granted. Zamir loved what he was doing and he said he couldn't wait to start in the DSFL. He wants to make an immediate impact to any team and win championships. His hunger for wins only grew in his time in college. He has no favorites, no team he wants to get drafted by in the DSFL, but he says he would like to be close to his parents. He said he wouldn't comment further on that, but he said he didn't mind playing for any team. Take this as you will, but he said this right after the news of the Dallas Birddogs team came out. This is just my personal opinion as John Johnson, but I think Zamir was referencing the Birddogs when he said he wanted to play close to his parents in the DSFL. He said he didn't care what team he went to in the NSFL, other than that he "wanted to win championships". Whatever that meant. I'm 102% sure he wants to play for the Copperheads, and their recent S20 Ultimus win probably furthered his desire to play for them. After all, he grew up as a Copperheads fan. Zamir told me his work ethic was what guided him to success and was what was going to separate him from the rest of his S22 draft class. He knew he was going up against some stiff competition, but he didn't mind. He wanted to stand out from others. He wanted to gain that buzz early on. He knew pro teams were looking at him as soon as he decided to forego his senior year. He didn't want to let down his parents or anyone else.
Wow. I wrote a lot. Anyways, I've decided to write a scouting report because I talked about him so much in depth. I will be releasing an updated scouting report in roughly 2 weeks, before the DSFL draft. I can't wait to see how much he has grown and how well he does in the prospect bowl, which he confidently told me, "I will dominate". We will see about that.
Scouting Report
- Average height as a cornerback, he's 5' 11". He did get overpowered on some occasions by larger WRs and TEs (6' 4" and above) in college. He did make up for that with his long arms. His weight is average for a cornerback, again, at 197. He's not heavy, not lean, he's just OK. Kind of like that Goldilocks story I used to always hear as a child. He's right handed, which won't affect him that much.
- Excellent hands. He had some of the best hands of this S22 draft class, despite being strong in other attributes as well. This can be easily determined if you go watch tape from his college and high school years. Playing in his high school playoffs for 2 years definitely helped him catch better. Zamir also has a very long reach considering his average height. He consistently disrupted catches and made WRs' lives difficult when it came to catching. They might have caught the ball, but Zamir always recovered himself, and he usually swatted the ball out or outmuscled the WR, thus forcing an in-completion. He was excellent at defending passes.
-Excellent speed. There are faster cornerbacks than him, so if you are looking for speed only, this isn't your guy. He was fast in college and will still be fast in the pro leagues, but don't expect him to catch up to WRs with blazing speed, especially when he goes into the NSFL. He still has an amazing recovery ability and he perseveres when he makes a mistake, often allowing him to recover after stumbling and chase down the WR before a big play breaks out. His speed allowed him to limit big plays, and he barely let any up in his collegiate years.
-Weak. Yeah, I said it. He is weak for a cornerback. He did mention to me that he is undergoing an intensive strength and conditioning program in the weeks leading up to the draft. This may mean he will increase his strength. We don't know, that's something for me to write about in my later scouting report, but all I will say is he is weak. He was overpowered by offensive linemen and power backs in college. He couldn't get off of blocks from good offensive linemen and blocking-type tight ends. I hope he increases this so he can increase his forced fumbles. He has excellent technique when stripping the ball out, which is why he stacked up so many forced fumbles in college. He never really used brute force, and was always more of a precision and skill based player.
-Average intelligence. He was able to keep up with his man and be aware of what was going on near him. He did get fooled by the run-pass-options he faced in college. I remember reading an article or two talking about how other colleges' teams' coaches prepared for Kehla by designed lots of sweeps, RPOs, fake sweeps, shovel options, HB draws and such. Kehla did get faked out by these kind of stuff, so watch out for that. He did however, have excellent awareness when it came to guarding his man. He is one of the top Man-to-Man cornerbacks we have in this stacked draft class. Expect him to keep with his WR, but also expect him to bite on certain trick plays.
-Good endurance. Kehla rarely showed wear and tear on drives under 10 plays. He was able to play consistently well for those 10 plays, but then after that, his level of play dropped off exponentially. He told me he was hoping to improve that before the DSFL, but he felt his lack of strength was a more pressing issue. I think he really is committed to improving his strength, but his endurance is something he could improve on too. He really struggled on longer no-huddle drives near the end of the game. He actually gave up a game winning TD in his sophomore year in a game because it was a long, no-huddle drive near the end of the game. I believe after that game, he said during a press conference that he would take a long hard look at his endurance coaching and training. He didn't let up many big plays after that despite fatigue.
Overall, an excellent player with a willingness to learn and change. He will be an excellent starter for any team that drafts him in the DSFL. I cannot wait to see what he becomes later on in his career in the NSFL. I believe his work ethic, discipline, and drive to win championships set him apart from other players in the S22 draft class, though his attributes may not be the best, they are still very good! GO CHICK-FIL-A!
*Zamir Kehla, his story. - Warner - 02-20-2020
Former LA Rams SS John Johnson III getting his first article in as an analyst to pay off his taxes. I like it. All jokes aside, though, good work. Keep it up.