Alvin Kamara Scouting Report

Written by Christian Lysek

Tennessee had one of the more disappointing seasons this year. They did win a bowl game, but they had national championship aspirations. The teams was supposed to be lead by a Josh Dobbs air attack and a Jalen Hurd running game, but Hurd went down with injury and then quit the team. The next man to step up was Alvin Kamara, the receiving back. He dominated, and now looks like a fringe first round prospect. Here's why:

Measurables: 
Height- 5'10''
Weight- 214 lbs
Year:
Junior (21)
2016 stat line:
103 carries, 596 yards, 9 TDs, 40 receptions, 392 yards, 4 TDs

Pros: Alvin Kamara is absolutely explosive. He has a strong frame and can accelerate in a split second. Kamara is a downhill runner who is at his best using his vision to find holes and then accelerate through. His strong lower body causes defenses to bounce off of him and he keeps his legs pumping through contact. Once Kamara gets a full head of steam (and it doesn't take long), he is a great cutter and leaves defenders wearing cement shoes. Kamara is also a good receiver out of the backfield and a serviceable blocker. On top of that, Kamara only has a little over 200 career carries, so he is fresh.

Cons: Kamara isn't really a creator. He isn't the LeSean McCoy improvising type, so if defenders can penetrate the backfield, they will bring down Kamara. Kamara is by no means slow, but he is a 4.5 so he isn't elite either. Kamara is a willing blocker, but he definitely needs coaching. He has poor technique and pick-up instincts. Kamara also has knee issues, which will be scrutinized by every team in the league.

Pro Comparison: Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Melvin Gordon was unfairly labeled a bust after his rookie year, but his offensive line couldn't create a hole in a wet paper bag and constantly allowed defensive penetration. With some semblance of an offensive line though, Gordon showed off why he was a first-round pick. He is an explosive downhill runner with receiving and cutting ability. If Kamara gets a half-decent offensive line, he could be just as good as Gordon.

3 teams that could use him: Panthers may not get Leonard Fournette in round one, but picking up Kamara to compliment and eventually replace Jonathan Stewart would be a nice consolation prize. Carlos Hyde has been unreliable for the 49ers so Kyle Shanahan may want to have him share duties or lose his job to Kamara. The Eagles have a decent offensive line and a need at running back, but they will probably draft a corner in round 1. Kamara would be help take the load off of Carson Wentz.

Conclusion: Kamara is an agile downhill runner who can succeed with a half decent offensive line. He will come off of the board in round 2.

All stats from www.sports-reference.com

Sidney Jones scouting report

Written by Christian Lysek


In this loaded corner class, everybody's rankings are different. For me, my current top corners in order are Marshon Lattimore, Sidney Jones, and Gareon Conley. Jones is the more debated of the three. Most doubters debate his size and speed, but Jones has some truly elite traits. Here is my evaluation of the former Washington corner:


Measurables: 
Height- 6'
Weight- 186 lbs
Year:
Junior (21)
2016 stat line:
39 tackles (27 solo), 2.5 TFL, 2 INT, 2 FF, 6 PDs

Pros: Sidney Jones is a true lockdown corner. Jones has the height and length to cover any wide receiver in the league no matter their height. He can play man or zone coverage and can keep up with almost any wide receiver (4.47 40 yard dash). Jones best trait is his hips, which are smoother than a baby's cheeks. His change of direction is effortless and he doesn't lose speed at all. Wide receivers really struggle to separate from him. His 8 career picks and 21 career pass deflections do a good job of reflecting Jones' great ball skills. He is an artist at adjusting his body and making contact with the ball or catching it (he has wide receiver hands). In the run game, Jones is actually a good tackler for his weight. He uses good form and has good instincts, so he is far from a liability when facing the run.

Cons: Jones does have a slight frame. The questions about whether or not he can tackle the Latavius Murray's and LeGarrette Blount's are warranted because he isn't exactly imposing. He has to rely on good tackling form instead of his size. That factors into the passing game too, as Jones struggles to hold physical receivers in coverage because they swat away his press coverage. Jones also has a habit of drifting away from wide receivers in zone coverage to bait the quarterback into throwing. While this works sometimes, Jones is too often inches behind and a completion is made. Jones will have to learn the nuances of coverage when he goes to the pros.

Pro Comparison: Kevin Johnson, CB, Houston Texans
He was the 16th overall picks in the 2015 nfl draft, and he has only scratched the surface of his potential. The Texans secondary is Mariana Trench deep and as a result, Jonson has not been able to show off his hips and tackling skills. Jones could get picked even higher and may get a day one starting job.

3 teams that could use him: The Eagles have no number one corners on the roster and spent all of last season watching their old corners get torched. Jones is a guy who can be plugged in and immediately improve the secondary. The Panthers defense has not been the same since Josh Norman left, so nabbing Jones could go a long way in helping the rebuild of the secondary. The Titans need to fix their broken secondary to contend for the AFC south title, and I am comfortable drafting Jones with either first round pick.

Conclusion: Sidney Jones is a pure lockdown corner with underrated tackling skills. Teams will have to overlook his slight frame, but he is worth a top-20 pick come April.

All stats from www.sports-reference.com

Garrett Bolles Scouting Report

Written by Christian Lysek

Garrett Bolles might have the weirdest path to the NFL ever. He went from a juvenile delinquent that always found himself in trouble to a new man when he found God. He then joined Utah's football team and dominated at left tackle. Here's my evaluation of Garrett Bolles:

Measurables: 
Height- 6'5''
Weight- 297 lbs
Year:
Senior (25)

Pros: Garrett Bolles is one heck of an athlete. He ran a sub-5 40-yard dash at the combine and he looks even faster on tape. He is quick to get off the line and into the second level. In the run game, Bolles excels at pulling and finishes blocks with power. This is a nasty player. and nobody is going to out-tough him or get around many of his angle blocks. In pass protection, Bolles has good enough agility to take away the speed rush and has active hands while blocking. He also uses leverage well and in general can stop most moves that come at him. Bolles also has good measurables with long arms and height.

Cons: Bolles isn't a very strong prospect, and it shows in pass protection. He doesn't have very strong hands and defensive lineman can knock them away. Bolles is also susceptible to the bull rush and while struggle with strong defensive lineman. On top of that, Bolles is already 25, limiting his upside.

Pro Comparison: Ronnie Stanley, OT, Baltimore Ravens
Bolles is a great physical prospect just like Stanley was, specifically of their athleticism. Both fit the dancing bear mold and have the speed to get to the second level. The issue with both is a lack of strength, but an NFL weight room could change that.

3 teams that could use him: The Seahawks need to stop playing this cruel joke on Russell Wilson and get him some actually offensive line prospects. He could immediately be the left tackle for the Hawks. The Broncos also struggled with their offensive line and need a replacement for Russell Okung, so picking up Bolles makes sense. Ereck Flowers is a horrible left tackle, so replacing him with a functional tackle like Bolles makes more sense than having Eli Manning get anihillated for another season.

Conclusion: Garrett Bolles is an older prospect, but he is a great athlete and good fit for a team that needs an immediate starter at tackle.

All stats from www.sports-reference.com

Winners and Losers from the Final Day of the Combine

Written by Christian Lysek

We are officially done what has been one of the more exciting combines in recent memory. It had everything you could want (aside from real football): drama, athletic freaks, records being broken, and lots of compression clothing. With that, let's see who won and who lost the final day.

Winners:

Obi Melifonwu, S, UCONN: Melifonwu clearly was made in a laboratory where superhumans are designed. At 6'4'' and 224 lbs, he ran a 4.40 40 yard dash, had a vertical leap of 44 inches, a broad jump of 141 inches, and did 17 bench press reps. He probably vaulted himself into the first round with his freaky good performance.
Adoree Jackson, CB, USC: We knew Adoree Jackson would perform well in the base workouts, but I questioned how he would perform in the corner specific drills. He nailed them. His form and hips were silky smooth and he boosted his draft stock in a big way.
Kevin King, CB, Washington: He may be known as the other corner from Washington, but King put on a show. At 6'3'' and 200 lbs, King ran a 4.43 40 yard dash and jumped a 39.5 inch vertical. He could be an intriguing day 2 or round 3 prospect.
Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA: Moreau is continuing to build off of his impressive shrine game performance. He ran a blazing 4.35 in the 40, jump a 38-inch vert, and jumped 236 inches in the broad jump. His stock is climbing and he seems to be a top-50 pick.
Shaquill Griffin, CB, UCF: Shaquill Griffin was an unknown prospect heading into the combine, but you can bet the league knows his name now.  He dominated the day with a 4.38 40, a 38.5-inch vert, and a 132-inch broad jump.
Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado: Much like Kevin King, Witherspoon is the "other" corner that plays with a start, who is in this case Chidobe Awuzie.  I knew Witherspoon had the measurables to succeed (6'2.6'', 198 lbs), but he surprised me and many others by running a 4.45 in the 40, jumping 40.5 inches on his vertical jump, and broad jumping 127 inches. He is a sleeper pick stud.

Losers:

Teez Tabor, CB, Florida: Wow, Tabor had a bad day. He ran a 4.62 40 yard dash, had a 31'' vertical, and 120'' broad jump. For a defensive back, those numbers aren't good, especially for a first rounder. Tabor's stock is quickly falling.
Desmond King, CB, Iowa: King had a decent day jumping, but his stock isn't going to budge until he runs his 40. He needs to run a sub 4.55 for first round consideration.
Lorenzo Jerome, CB, St. Francis: He is a small school prospect and a ballhawk, but a 4.70 40 yard dash will get you burnt like bad toast in the pros. He lost the momentum he gained during the Senior bowl.

All data is from FanRag sports Combine Tracker

Winners and Losers from Day 5 of the combine

Written by Christian Lysek

Myles Garrett

The linebackers and defensive line took the field yesterday, and it was quite a show. This years strong edge rushing class impressed, while the weak defensive tackle class did not. Here were the winners and losers from yesterdays action.

Winners:

Myles Garrett, EDGE, Texas A&M: He locked up the number one pick with a 41'' vert, a 4.64 40, 33 bench press reps, and 128'' broad jump. If the Browns don't take Garrett, God doesn't want them to win.
Solomon Thomas, EDGE, Stanford: He ran a 4.70 in the 40 yard dash, the same time as Tim Williams, who weighs 245. Thomas weighs 270. He is explosive and a top ten lock.
Carl Lawson, EDGE, Auburn: I knew Lawson would would be strong (35 bench press reps), but I didn't know he would run 4.67 and dominate the cone and lower body drills. He had a great combine and might be a top 25 pick.
Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, FAU: He has been my sleeper EDGE rusher all year long, and he crushed the combine. He ran a blazing 4.64 at 266 lbs and had top marks in the cone and lower body drills. He could be a top 100 pick.
Haason Reddick, LB, Temple: Haason Reddick ran a 4.52 40, had 24 bench press reps, a 36.5 inch vert, 133 inch brad jump, a 7.01 3-cone, and a 4.37 short shuttle. I don't care if he is a "tweener," he is a freak athlete who I will let my defensive coordinator get creative with using.
Jordan Willis, EDGE, Kansas St: Willis ran just slower than Reddick with a 4.53. He also had a 39'' vert, 125 inch broad jump, 6.85 3-cone, 4.28 short shuttle. Those are explosive numbers that are important because he didn't look explosive at all sometimes in college. Teams are going to have to investigate more to find out what kind of player they are getting, but in this instance, that isn't a bad thing.
T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin: The younger brother of J.J. had a dominant day. He ran a 4.7 40 yard dash at 252 lbs, placed 1st in the cone drills and broad jump and second in the vertical jump. He has the upside teams look for in a 3-4 EDGE rusher.
Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State: McMillan had a good combine, and what made it so good was that he answered his questions about his speed. For a linebacker his size, a 4.61 is a damn good time.
Tarell Basham, EDGE, Ohio: At almost 269 lbs, he ran a 4.7 40 yard and posted explosive measurables in every other event. He is now in the top 100 pick discussion.

Losers:

Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama: Allen didn't have a bad day (5.0 40, 29'' vert, 108'' broad, 7.49 3-cone, 4.89, short shuttle), but he failed to stand out. In a class packed with winners like those listed above, his performance combined with his shoulder injury could drop him down boards.
Davon Godchaux, DL, LSU: Davon Godchaux had a bad day. He ran a 5.27 40 and pulled a hamstring, neither of which helped his stock.
Jarron Jones, DL, Notre Dame: Jones is a monstorous man, but he performed bad at the combine. He ran a 5.33 40 and only jumped 20.5'' inches in the air. On top of that, he looked slow in positional drills.
Tim Williams, LB, Alabama: Not only did he admit to failing multiple drug tests at Alabama. He was merely mediocre during drills. He was not explosive or fast for only being 245 lbs.
Ben Boulware and every linebacker like him: They did other drills but answered zero questions on whether they are fast enough to play on Sundays. They lost even more ground in the draft process.

All statistics taken from FanRag combine tracker.

Winners and Losers from Day 4 of the combine

Written by Christian Lysek

John Ross

Did you miss all of the action on day 4 of the combine? See who won and lost the day below.

Winners:

John Ross, WR, Washington: He broke the 40-yard dash record with a 4.22. Need I say more?
Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss: He ran a 4.42 40 yard dash at 6'3'' and 233 lbs. Plus he had a 36'' vert, 125-inch broad jump, and he placed 2nd and 3rd in the 3 cone drill and short shuttle, respectively. That is wide receiver athleticism in a tight end body.
George Kittle, TE, Iowa: I'm not sure anyone expected Kittle to be this athletic. At almost 6'4 and 247 lbs, Kittle ran 4.52 in the 40-yard dash, had a 35-inch vert, and 132-inch broad jump  
Speedy Noil, WR, Texas A&M: He didn't run the 40, but he jumped a 43.5 inch vertical. If anything, he pretty much ensured himself he will get drafted.
Trevor Knight, QB, Texas A&M: Knight had a good chance of not being drafted before his combine workout, where he ran a 4.54 in the 40 and looked good in the field drills.
Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State: I knew Godwin would jump well, but I had no idea he was fast enough to run a 4.43 in the 40.
Robert Davis, WR, Georgia St: Robert Davis went from a nobody to a sleeper pick in one day. He is 6'2.5'', weighs, 219 lbs, and had the following performances: 4.44 40, 41-inch vert, 136-inch broad jump, 6.82 3-cone, 4.28 short shuttle. Domination has been personified.

Losers:

Deshone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame: He showed off the tools while throwing, but he also showed why he completed under 60% of his passes at Notre Dame. Inaccuracy in his Achilles heel.
Travis Rudolph, WR, Florida State: I've always thought Rudolph was overrated, but his combine performance has me asking what does he even do that is good? He ran a 4.65, jumped 31 inches in the vert, and broad jumped 114 inches. Those numbers would have been bad for this year's tight end group much less for a 5'11'', 189-pound receiver.
Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech: He dropped several passes on his gauntlet run. That will have scouts digging in to how good his hands actually are.
David Njoku, TE, Miami: I knew he would jump well, but I thought he would run a faster 40 time (4.64). He probably let Evan Engram pass him on some draft boards.
Drew Morgan, WR, Arkansas: He ran a 4.74 40 yard dash at 5'11'' and 190 lbs. That's not good.

Winners and Losers from Day 3 of the combine

Written by Christian Lysek

Forrest Lamp

The first on the field drills were yesterday, and they definitely were interesting. Let's see who won and lost yesterday:

Winners:

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford: Quite the bounce back, eh? After disappointing during the bench press, McCaffrey runs a 4.48 40, jumps 37.5 inches in the air, 121 inches in the broad jump, and runs the second best 3-cone drill mark in the last 15 years according to NFL research. Oh, and he crushed the field drills.
Forrest Lamp, OG, WKU: Lamp has been on a mission to destroy every event at the combine. he ran a 5.0 40 yard dash, has a 111-inch broad jump, a 27.5-inch vertical jump, a 7.55 3-cone, and a 4.62 short shuttle. That's called crushing it, folks.
Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah: Bolles showed off his athleticism yesterday, and the highlights were a 4.95 second 40 time and a 115-inch broad jump. That shows some great lower body explosion and athleticism.
Pharoh Brown, TE, Oregon: Pharoh Brown continues to stand out among the tight ends, as he came in first on the bench press with 24 reps.
Chris Carson, RB, Oklahoma St: Chris Carson is putting together a performance that will make me go scour for more tape. At 6' and 218 lbs, Carson ran a 4.58 40 yard dash, had a 37 inch vertical, and had a 130-inch broad jump. Those are some explosive numbers that are bound to turn heads.
TJ Logan, RB, North Carolina: TJ Logan seemed to be one of the rising prospects heading into the combine because he stood out on tape while scouts watched Mitch Trubisky. Now he is running a 4.37 40 with 121 in the broad jump and 33.5-inch vertical jump at 196 pounds. Can you say sleeper pick?

Losers:

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU: I know he ran a great 40, but cmon, a 28.5 inch vertical? You can bet teams are going to hunt down exactly why he did so poorly.
Rushel Shell, RB, West Virginia: I know he is a "big back" at 231 lbs, but a 4.74 40 is straight up bad How are you supposed to pull away from anyone when almost every defender on the field runs a faster sprint than you?
Devine Redding, RB, Indiana: At least Shell has weight as an excuse. Redding ran a 4.76 40 yard dash at 208 lbs. That is the type of stuff that keeps you from being drafted, especially in a great running back class.
Damien Mama, OG, USC: Damien Mama can be called be a road grater or whatever, but it doesn't change that he lacks any athleticism. He placed last in the 40-yard dash, 3-cone drill, and short shuttle, and it wasn't close either.
Chad Wheeler, OT, USC: Chad Wheeler did terrible in the timed drills, which everyone saw coming, but he was especially bad on the field. My grandpa was less stiff and was quicker at 80 than Wheeler is now.
Rueben Foster, LB, Alabama: He was sent home for playing the "do you know who I am card" with a hospital worker and engaging in a heated argument. Not the smartest thing to do at a place where the slightest red flag is treated like a radioactive bomb.

All data comes from Fanrag sports unless it is marked otherwise