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+---- Thread: *DSFL Scouting report of the 15 rookie CB's (/showthread.php?tid=21048)
*DSFL Scouting report of the 15 rookie CB's - cho1325 - 04-12-2020
This DSFL scouting report I will be focusing on the cornerback class. I have scouted the top 15 corner propsects for the upcoming NSFL draft. This is what we scouts look for in a top tier corner.
Speed and Burst: The job of a cornerback depends on numerous traits and characteristics, but in my book, no one trait is as important as speed. You might think to yourself that coverage ability is the chief need of a cornerback, and you would be right when looking at football skills. But speed is the basis for all a cornerback can do. Think about a normal play. The wide receiver explodes off the line of scrimmage into his route, and the cornerback must be quick enough to turn and run with the receiver. The offensive player knows the play, though, so he makes a cut back toward the ball. That leaves our cornerback tasked with changing direction and accelerating to catch up to the receiver. Having elite speed makes the difference between allowing a catch, breaking up a pass and getting to the ball before the receiver for an interception. Speed is the foundation on which coverage ability and ball skills are built. A slow cornerback may have elite technique, but he won't be able to keep up with fast receivers. And on top of that, technique can be taught. Speed can't. If you can't run a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, you'll need elite size, cover skills and instincts.
Instincts: There are top-tier cornerbacks in the NFL who don't run elite 40-times. Corners who don’t have the speed need to make up for it with reading and reacting to the wide receiver and the quarterback. Having the ability to see the route and respond without delay is what elite cornerback’s without speed can make up for.
Agility and technique: Breaking down a DSFL cornerback and projecting his ability to the NSFL takes some imagination. What type of scheme will he fit in best? Will he be able to handle coverage on an island without a pass rush? Oftentimes, it's impossible to fully evaluate a player's ability on DSFL film because of limitations in schemes or opportunities. That's where scouting traits and technique can have a major influence. A pro-level cornerback must be agile enough to turn his hips and run with receivers when they make cuts in their routes. You'll hear this called "flipping his hips," and it's genuinely a player's ability to go from a back pedal to a run at an angle. Thankfully, this is easy to evaluate both on film, at a live game or at the NSFL Scouting Combine. You want a player who seamlessly transitions from a back pedal to his angled run with no hesitation and quick, balanced feet to transition to the run. Outside of agility for flipping your hips, being a great cornerback means having the quick feet to change direction. That can mean transitioning from a back pedal and coming up to stop the run or being asked to run through a double move in a route. Quick feet are in my top five most important traits for any cornerbacks along with speed, instincts, change of direction skills and tackling. It is always important to remember that technique can be taught, and for almost every player, there will be refinements made by NSFL coaches after the draft. A big, strong, fast cornerback can be coached up in terms of technique and hand use.
Size: Being big helps in controlling wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, challenging jump balls and coming up to play the run. Those three aspects are essentially cornerback play in a nutshell.
Tackling: Tackling in the NSFL has become a lost art form, but there are still those cornerbacks who aren't afraid to come up and take on the run or single-handedly pull down a wide receiver in the open field. Getting back to this will be something scouts look for more and more as NSFL offenses attack the edges with quarterbacks and running backs in the run game. Tackling will never be a top of the list trait for cornerbacks, but you can bet that I'm taking the better tackler every time two players ground out close to one another. So without further ado let me introduce you to the season 22 cornerback class. (Ranking is in order from top to bottom based on TPE)
Brandon Booker (218 TPE, All-around, Mrytle beach) at 5’11” and 198 lbs Premier, quick twitch athlete with explosion pulsing through his hips and feet. Instant click and close action to explode forward and attack the throw. Vertical springs to go up and over receivers at the high point. Smooth, controlled backpedal with ability to weave and mirror route progressions. Plays with outstanding body control and balance. Feet are electric. Can overwhelm lesser opponents across from him. Instinctive and urgent in his play. Excels from press, off or zone coverage. Fiery competitor with a strong desire to own the pass. Has quick, soft hands. Could see early kick or punt return action. Unwilling to stay blocked and doesn't hesitate for one moment in run support and against wide receiver screens. Chest up tackler who runs through his target. Weaknesses: Lean, wiry frame. Aggressive nature allows teams to bait him with double moves. Quicker than fast and doesn't have closing speed to make mistakes underneath and still recover on top. . Scouts worry about his height outside. Big receivers will pose a challenge on the next level. Willingness to throw body around in run support could cause him to break down.
Tyler Oles Jr (215 TPE, Zone, Portland) At 6’3” and 195lbs Dominant athlete. prototype frame for a big, press cover corner. From press, lands accurate blows with extended arms into the shoulders of receivers. Can redirect and, in some cases, completely roadblock a route with his disruptive press strength and tactics. Has experience at safety and as slot corner. Shines in trail coverage. Has athletic ability to slam on brakes from full sprint and shadow comeback routes. Length and closing speed make it difficult to beat him over the top. Elite leaper who can challenge jump balls against anyone. Uses aggressive ripping and raking against catch attempts. Aware and instinctive from zone and off coverage. Diagnoses quickly and will stick a foot in the ground and drive hard towards the throw. Balanced, wrap-up tackler in space. Weaknesses: Much better straight-line player than lateral athlete. Shows hip tightness from press. Overreacts with feet to initial moves from press and can be knocked off balance by a clever release. Footwork and patience from press must improve or teams will match him up against quickness to test him. Missing fluid hips to open and run. Allows early separation in tight quarters and a clean passing window against crossing routes. Can be a playmaking run-thumper on one play, but then passive the next.
Eldrick Avery (215 TPE, Zone, London) at 6’3” and 205 lbs Good height, weight and arm length combination. Clean footwork in transition with natural ability to mirror and match from press coverage. Won't open hips early and rarely turned around off line of scrimmage. Has foot quickness in short spaces to maintain feel for his man. Extremely competitive when ball is in the air. Has play strength to redirect receivers from their routes. Aggressive hands in coverage and fights hard to disrupt the catch by any means necessary. Scouts praise him for work ethic. Will come downhill against run and is diligent with contain responsibilities. Weaknesses: Can be slow to diagnose and anticipate quarterback's plans. Average reactive athleticism. Doesn't feature the balance or twitch to rocket forward and challenge throws if he's not shadowing his man. Won't always play to his size as a tackler.
Zamir Kehla (213 TPE, Man to man, Portland) at 5’11” and 205 lbs Outstanding size with a well-distributed frame, knotty calves and thin ankles. Good press strength. Controlled, efficient pedal. Good competitive playing speed. Transitions cleanly in man-off coverage. Very good eyes, anticipation and reactive quickness. Good pattern recognition -- sorts out what he sees quickly. Clings to the hip pocket of receivers down the field. Swift speed turn. Likeable personality. Very accountable leader by example. Brings intensity to the field and plays with urgency. Highly confident and competitive. Weaknesses: Raw technician. Not natural commanding the back end and making coverage adjustments vs. complex schemes. Comes off with an aura of arrogance to some and likes to do things his own way.
Thubba Bumper (212 TPE, Zone, Norfolk) at 6’3” and 205 lbs Bumper can play man and zone equally well and was a physical presence on the outside of the defense.. He understands when to take risks and when to play back, and he is physical when he makes his decision to come up. He supports the run well and is a reliable tackler. He works well to feel with his hands to stay on a receiver in phase, and has the hip mobility to move with his man all over the field. Weaknesses: He is taller and can struggle with some hip/transitional movements moving to his left, but it's not a major concern and surely will be part of the adaptation process.
Andrew Witten (205 TPE, Zone, Tijuana) at 5’10” and 170 lbs Prototype size for the position. Fluidity in his hips to flip and run. Competes hard out of press-man coverage and tries to intimidate receivers with his physicality. Can redirect talented receivers with his length and flat-out stuff receivers with marginal foot quickness and strength. Stays in pocket of vertical receivers while turning to locate and track ball. Active and disruptive when ball is in the air. At his best when contesting catches and often comes away the winner on 50/50 throws. Outstanding feel for space with ability to track multiple receivers and quarterback at the same time. Closes on throws with above-average burst and brings some force on contact. Confident and tough. Weaknesses: . Inconsistent with footwork and loose with technique. Lacks patience in press and will open up early. Grabby off line of scrimmage and downfield when beaten. Average mirror-and-match and long speed. Slower than expected to squeeze routes in space.
Chester Sweets (202 TPE, All-around, Kansas) at 6’0” and 205 lbs. Supremely confident and believes he should make the biggest plays on the field. Looks to feast on unsuspecting quarterbacks. Has the feet and twitch to trigger and go when he reads the quarterback's intentions. Takes a direct path to the ball. Ball hawk in the short and intermediate passing game. Savvy and trusts his instincts. Good coordination from press coverage and can track releases both inside and out. Understands the body game and gets into the chest of receivers while running downfield. Willing tackler who steps downhill and doesn’t miss his mark very often. Weaknesses: Doesn't have the recovery speed to be able to take as many chances on the pro level. Lacks field discipline. Gambler who will get his knot chopped by double moves and pump fakes. Needs to get better at finding the ball when he’s beaten over the top. His play style could lead to early penalty issues.
Ben Stackinpaper (201 TPE, Man to man, London) at 6’2” and 205 lbs. Above average height for the position. Has experience playing from slot and outside. Light on his feet. Relatively smooth hip turn and foot quickness to mirror and match the receiver. Plays with desired balance and body control for lateral change of direction. Good short area ball reaction. Instinctive and shows tendency recognition that comes from film study and retention of coaching. Leary of double moves. Processes quickly. Plays with adequate transitional quickness to react to what is eyes are seeing. Weaknesses: Scouts concerned about ability to carry long speed. Opens out of backpedal extremely early for fear of being beaten over the top. Played so far off receivers that challenging throws became impossible. Tall, tight backpedal. Doesn?t have juice to quickly close separation when asked to turn and run. Unable to find ball frequently when beaten over the top. Lightweight. Pushed around in the red zone by bigger targets. Ankle-biter as tackler with inconsistent effort and desire. Passed up opportunities to stick his nose in.
Colt Mendoza (200 TPE, Man to man, Dallas) at 6’3” and 205 lbs Uber-athlete. Parks under receiver's chin at line of scrimmage. Uses disruptive inside hand to slow the release and can punch out of his pedal. Patient from his press, utilizing well-timed opening to match the receiver. Plays with explosive hip flip that jump-starts him into top speed when forced to turn and run. Has balance and footwork to remain in phase with target throughout the route. Has electric, flat-footed closing burst. Can shadow a nine route from release to completion. Has twitch to drive hard toward the throw from his lateral shuffle. Plays with plus instincts. Has burst and instincts to make plays from any coverage asked of him. Forceful open-field tackler. Works through blockers to get to both wide receiver screens and running plays. Wrap-up hitter who sees what he hits. Weaknesses: Wasn't tested by high-end receiving talent very often. Will be much tougher to consistently slow NSFL receivers with jam and might have to learn to play some off coverage. Showed slight transition hitch when matched up against in inside release. Will read receiver's eyes to assess ball-timing down the field rather than getting his head around early. Film shows infrequent issues recovering against speed receivers.
Cadillac Harris(198 TPE, All-around, London) at 6’1” and 200 lbs Outstanding body and arm length looks the part. Good athlete with loose hips and a fluid pedal. Natural interceptor attacks the ball in the air like a receiver and tracks it very well. Plays big in critical situations. Very confident demeanor. Outstanding zone instincts sees patterns developing and jumps routes. Solid tackler. Experienced. Mature, accountable father of two. Solid character. Durable and has battled through injuries. Weaknesses: Regularly matched up against inferior competition, inflating production, and was not challenged enough. Average timed speed. Loses a half-step in transition and will struggle to carry NSFL receivers vertically. Could stand to do a better job wrapping as a tackler and filling faster does not always play to his size in the run game.
Johnathan Altidor (185 TPE, All-around, Myrtle Beach) at 5’11” and 190 lbs. Light on his feet. Good balance and flexibility. Good man-coverage skills. Mirrors off the line. Enough speed to run with receivers. Good zone awareness, read-and-react and plant-and-drive. Confident and competitive. Has kickoff-return experience. Team captain with sterling intangibles. Weaknesses: Lacks ideal length has short arms and small hands. Disadvantaged vs. bigger, physical receivers. Limited functional strength to pry himself off blocks. Could stand to refine his technique. Tends to clutch and grab when he's beat, which happens too frequently. Gets out of phase and does not demonstrate a feel for routes.
Bayden Brosley (142 TPE, Zone, Norfolk) at 6’3” and 190 lbs. is a size prospect with some good intangibles that will help him mold into a contributing backup corner for a press-heavy team. However, he does not possess the natural coverage instincts, fluidity or burst to be considered a future starter. Is comfortable and capable in press man, using his size to disrupt receivers' releases off the line, but doesn't show enough make up speed to consistently recover when beaten. Awareness in zone and off-man are only adequate. Has average ball skills but some upside as a playmaker. Tough against the run but still developing from a technical standpoint. He possesses rare height for a corner with enough bulk and speed. Effective when lined up at the line in press man coverage. Uses length well and established sound initial positioning. Flashes the ability to turn and run. Flashes the ability to high-point the football. Willing to help out in run support. Weaknesses: Can be baited out of position when in zone and a tick late to diagnose underneath routes. Tall, high-cut prospect who displays some hip-stiffness. Not explosive when transitioning or when changing direction. Lacks great recovery skills when beaten off the line. Can struggle tacking in the open field at times.
Ozamataz Buckshank (116 TPE, Zone, Tijuana) at 6’3” and 190 lbs Has height and arm length that every secondary coach loves. Instinctive and willing to operate outside of his zone. Won't lose the 50/50 battle very often. Sits down on receivers when ball is in the air and uses well-timed leap and outstanding hands to break it up or take it away. Stellar reactive quickness with hands to pluck interceptions after undercutting routes. Redirects receivers with aggressive shoves. Decent finisher as tackler. Weaknesses: Doesn't have the loose hips or fluid feet to mirror and match in man coverage. The more layered the route, the more separation allowed. Passive in bail coverage allowing significant throwing run underneath. At times becomes preoccupied with the vertical chase and fails to find deep ball headed his way. Would like to see more aggression from him play after play. Sits and waits in run support. Doesn't use size to overpower blockers and get into running backs early.
Matt Krause (114 TPE, All-around, Minnesota) at 6’0” and 205 lbs Extremely smart and instinctive on the field. Shows above-average anticipation of routes. Is able to sniff out rub routes and works to avoid them. Flashes recovery speed downfield and gets head around to find ball and make a play on it. Uses instincts and adequate closing burst to disrupt the catch. Generally reliable tackler. Team captain and leader on the field and in the locker room. Scouts say he's willing to play hurt and inspires his teammates. Weaknesses: Plays with high center of gravity. Has difficulty gearing down quickly and changing directions. Doesn't always play with feet under him. Will lose balance and footing too often. Not a quick-twitch athlete. Feet show noticeable stall before firing forward out of backpedal. Willing to tackle but not a physical player.
Tyron Shields (71 TPE, Man to man, Minnesota) at 6’1” and 200 lbs. Very good height/weight with an ability to redirect from press coverage. Active, strong hands. Rips at the ball and wide receiver's arms during attempted catch. Aggressive in the red zone. Will sit on routes and look to make plays on the ball. Wrap-up tackler who is patient in run support and works to position of leverage and containment. Excels in off coverage and has played outside, as single-high safety and over tight ends. Weaknesses: Unable to consistently mirror and match in man to man and shows some tightness when attempting to open up and run. Marginal play speed and appears to lack a second gear on tape. Has issues with awareness. Will lose track of his responsibility in man and zone coverage, and fails to find ball when playing with back to the ball. Will eyeball quarterback for too long rather than scanning field. Gives ground to stay clean in run support rather than attacking and shedding.
*DSFL Scouting report of the 15 rookie CB's - sensual-snickers-bar - 04-13-2020
this is actually kinda fucking awesome, well done
how dare you call my hips stiff >:^(
*DSFL Scouting report of the 15 rookie CB's - revuhlution - 04-13-2020
(04-12-2020, 12:22 PM)cho1325 Wrote:Chester Sweets (202 TPE, All-around, Kansas) at 6’0” and 205 lbs. Supremely confident and believes he should make the biggest plays on the field. Looks to feast on unsuspecting quarterbacks. Has the feet and twitch to trigger and go when he reads the quarterback's intentions. Takes a direct path to the ball. Ball hawk in the short and intermediate passing game. Savvy and trusts his instincts. Good coordination from press coverage and can track releases both inside and out. Understands the body game and gets into the chest of receivers while running downfield. Willing tackler who steps downhill and doesn’t miss his mark very often. Weaknesses: Doesn't have the recovery speed to be able to take as many chances on the pro level. Lacks field discipline. Gambler who will get his knot chopped by double moves and pump fakes. Needs to get better at finding the ball when he’s beaten over the top. His play style could lead to early penalty issues.
Fucking right.
In seriousness, though, this is really cool. I dunno about y'all but I love this in-depth coverage IRL. I enjoyed seeing this level of attention (tell me you got these write-ups from somewhere else. it sounds like a real scout writing) and to pretend Chester is such a monster :O)
Thanks, cho!