Former Washington head coach Jay Gruden studies Jayden Daniels' gametape at LSU and explains why he thinks the Commanders must select the Heisman winner with the number two overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Analysis
4/11/24
1 min read
Analysis
4/11/24
1 min read
Former Washington head coach Jay Gruden studies Jayden Daniels' gametape at LSU and explains why he thinks the Commanders must select the Heisman winner with the number two overall pick in the NFL Draft.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Leonard Taylor.
Taylor did not look like the same player on his 2023 tape as he did on his 2022 tape, and there were some valid reasons for that beyond just some flaws and concerns with his game.
In 2022, his best tape came as a 1-gap penetrator, showing excellent quickness off the ball with plus athleticism, balance and body control. My sense was he could project and transition to the next level as a 3-technique defensive tackle in a 4-man even defensive front.
In 2023, Taylor not only looked heavier than he did in 2022 — playing too high with little quickness and power off the snap — but he played far more snaps as a 2-gap defensive tackle with significant reps at 0-technique. I don’t believe that is the best way to maximize his physical traits.
Watching the tape, I believe Taylor needs to lose weight (probably a meaningful amount) and look to get back to being the more explosive off-the-ball, 1-gap defensive tackle that he flashed far more often in 2022. We know he can do because we saw it (e.g., a sack vs. Temple in 2023 that was a strong snapshot of how Taylor can be aligned at 3-technique and where he showed an effective arm-over move).
Taylor will not be an easy projection to the next level given that his 2023 tape was not strong overall despite some flashes that showed his traits. But his 2022 tape showed a much stronger prospect who could win with both off-the-ball quickness as a 1-gap defensive tackle and the contact strength to control and displace as a 2-gap defensive tackle.
The traits are there in Taylor’s body, with the question being: How do you best get them out of him so he can become a quality NFL defensive tackle? There is no easy solution to that.
Taylor came out of Miami Palmetto High School as a 5-star recruit and the top-rated defensive tackle in the nation.
In 2022 and 2023, Taylor lined up in multiple defensive tackle positions in Miami’s defensive fronts — including 3-technique and 0-technique.
In 2023, Taylor played more snaps at 1-technique and 0-technique and overall he played more snaps as a head-up defensive lineman rather than a gap defensive tackle. There were third-down snaps where he was deployed as a standup Joker in the middle of the defensive front.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Tyler Davis.
Davis has a specific traits profile that will project his transition to the next level as base-defense defensive tackle much in the way that Derrick Nnadi made the transition when he came out of Florida State to the Kansas City Chiefs as a third-round pick in the 2018 draft. Davis has lighter feet and is a better inside pass rusher than Nnadi, which could present a slightly different projection, especially as teams look at what Davis could become in two to three years with coaching and experience.
Davis was quick and explosive off the snap at times looking sudden and twitchy in his movement for an interior DL and his first step juice to attack and penetrate gaps and be effective on slants and inside stunts (which Clemson featured) consistently showed up on film, Davis showed excellent bend and flexibility for a DT with his stout body type and he was able to re-direct and change direction with efficient lateral mobility;
He was more of an athletic inside defensive tackle than a power force player (although that was there on his tape), but it is not likely he will be seen especially early in his career as a sub-front pass rusher. However, I believe he can develop into a quality inside pass rusher with him having shown many flashes on tape.
In some ways, Davis is a bit of an anomaly in that his game is built more on finesse and quickness and athleticism. But his stout body type suggests a more physical, point-of-attack defensive tackle, which he showed but which was not the strength of his game.
Overall, Davis has a desirable combination of quickness and confined-space short-stroke strength despite lacking the mass and arm length teams ideally want. He's a player I liked the more I saw his tape.
Davis came out of Florida as a consensus 4-star recruit and a top-100 player in the nation regardless of position. He became a starter in his freshman season (2019).
In 2022, Davis lined up at 1-technique, 2-technique, 2i and 0-technique depending on defensive front personnel and down and distance. Davis was dominant vs. NC State in 2022.
In 2023, there were third-down pass rush snaps where Davis lined up at wide-9 defensive end. At times from that alignment, he was a penetrator in multiple stunt concepts. He was also featured as both a looper and a penetrator in inside stunt concepts when aligned at 2- and 3-technique.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Michael Barrett.
Barrett was a fun player to watch in the context of Michigan’s highly talented and well-schemed defense. Despite him not possessing ideal measurables for an off-the-ball, stacked linebacker, I believe Barrett has a chance to develop into a starting three-down linebacker at the next level.
Barrett plays with an instinctive feel for the position with strong key; diagnose read and react traits; and dynamic short area quickness in the box to find the ball. There is a highly competitive physical nature to his game that takes him well beyond his less-than-ideal length.
There might be a size and play style comparison to be made to Nick Bolton. Bolton was clearly a more highly ranked linebacker coming out of Missouri, and he has proven to be an excellent NFL linebacker. But many were concerned about his size (5’11 ⅛” and 237 pounds without dominant athletic testing measurables, which were similar to, and in some cases lower than, Barrett’s). The better comp might be Anthony Walker, who was a fifth-round pick coming out of Northwestern in 2017 and has been a solid NFL linebacker starting every game for the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 and 2020 and overall starting 63 of the 73 games he has played in.
Barrett is an outlier with his less than 6-foot height, and that will likely remove him from some teams' draft boards based on their critical factors template. But there is no question he is a good player and prospect who will find a place in the NFL and could well develop into a quality starting linebacker.
Barrett played six years at Michigan becoming a full-time starter in 2022. In the 2023 national championship season, Barrett started all 15 games, finishing his career with 35 total starts. Barrett came out of Georgia where he was a record-setting high school quarterback.
Barrett played approximately 70 percent of the defensive snaps in 2023 and did not leave the field in the sub nickel. At times on third down, he lined up in the A gap as part of a double mug front and was deployed as a rusher. He was deployed as a blitzer on third down both from the inside and off the edge — at times part of stunt concepts where he could be the picker of the looper; There were man coverage snaps where Barrett matched up to the tight end.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Myles Cole.
Cole will have a fascinating projection to the next level given the stark contrast between his outstanding athletic and physical testing measurables that showed a rare height/weight/speed/length profile and his 2023 tape, which was spotty at best.
He has the kind of size and length and athletic movement that would lead you to believe he could develop into a quality edge pass rusher. But at this point as he enters the NFL, he did not show that he could rush the quarterback with any bend of flexibility or power.
While he looked athletic in his movement, he was not sudden or explosive, and he was not strong enough to execute speed-to-power. So there was really no tool in the toolbox for him to deploy as a go-to move.
Cole showed rare flashes of pass rush with his natural athleticism and movement, but at this point, he would have to be seen as a project who needs much work in learning the craft of rushing the quarterback so that he could play to his movement traits. The big issue with Cole is that he plays much too upright, and that negatively affects all facets of his game.
Cole began his college career at Louisiana-Monroe where he played three seasons before transferring to Texas Tech for his final two seasons.
Cole lined up both outside at defensive end and inside at defensive tackle in Texas Tech’s defensive fronts. There were snaps in both 4-man and 5-man fronts where Cole lined up at 4i and 3-technique — and even at times lined up at 0-technique in sub fronts.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint.
Rosemy-Jacksaint is one of those wide receivers whose athletic testing measurables were not very good. But when you watch his tape, you feel he has a chance to make an NFL roster and could eventually contribute in some 11 personnel offensive packages — especially given his extensive experience with lining up in multiple locations (multiple splits within the offense and at times being deployed as the motion receiver).
He has excellent size and a smooth feel to his movement but is more of a one-speed receiver than a fast or explosive mover who can add an extra gear when needed. There is no question, however, that he plays faster on tape than his poor 40-yard dash time.
What consistently stood out on his tape was that he was a bigger body who effectively worked between the numbers, catching the ball easily with his hands and away from his frame. That kind of receiver, one who can work the middle of the field in the short to intermediate areas, has value in the NFL.
With his size, length and catching ability, Rosemy-Jacksaint will find a place in the NFL. It would not surprise me if, a few years down the road, he is an effective third wide receiver — depending on the team and scheme — with the chance to develop into a quality No. 2 wide receiver depending on the skill set of the WR1.
Rosemy-Jacksaint came out of St. Thomas Aquinas in south Florida as a highly coveted 4-star recruit and a top-10 wide receiver prospect in the nation. He played four years at Georgia with 23 starts in his career, including 11 in his senior season of 2023 with a 34-535-15.7-4 TD stat line.
Rosemy-Jacksaint lined up in multiple locations within the Georgia offense, including taking snaps at boundary X on the back side of trips.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Ray Davis.
Davis is one of the more intriguing running backs in the 2024 draft class given his impressive traits profile. That includes his pass-catching ability and his extensive experience as an I-back running both zone and gap scheme concepts.
Davis packs a lot of natural quickness and power in his stout, compact frame. That showed in his explosive, short-area burst both as a one-cut downhill runner in the zone run game and when working off puller-wrapper blocks in the gap scheme run game. Davis has a low center of gravity and a strong lower half that allows him to be short-area explosive with burst and acceleration; he has the strong leg drive and contact balance to work through first and second levels of the defense.
There was an efficient smoothness and easy fluidity to Davis' running — he runs with controlled yet decisive cuts and change of direction that consistently showed up on tape. What adds to Davis' projection and transition to the next level is that he can be a factor in the passing game as both a receiver out of the backfield and detached from the formation running intermediate and vertical routes, as well as as a pass protector with awareness of blitz pressure and the aggressive toughness to block.
Davis is one of the better running back prospects in the 2024 draft class, and with his experience in multiple run schemes and his ability in the passing game, he can be a three-down contributor relatively early in his NFL career — although he is not likely to be the premier running back in the rotation.
Davis has the look and feel of a professional runner with his refined sense of pace and tempo, vision, short-area burst and acceleration, contact balance and natural feel for navigating space at the second and third levels of the defense.
The question as you project re: Davis, as he matures in his NFL career, is whether he can be a primary back. My sense is different teams and coaches will see that differently, with much of that answer dependent on offensive scheme and running back deployment.
Davis played one year at Kentucky after playing two seasons at Vanderbilt and two seasons at Temple. Overall, he started 37 games in his five-year college career — Davis finished with 199-1129-5.7-14 TD at Kentucky.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Malik Washington.
Washington is a fun receiver to watch with the explosiveness he plays with and the run-after-catch traits that make it difficult for defenses to get him to the ground. He's a short, compactly built receiver who has both outstanding route quickness and run-after-catch ability. But what constantly stands out is his focus and hands almost always making catches away from his frame with elite body control to adjust and contort and outstanding ball tracking skills. Despite his size, he has the mental and physical toughness to catch through contact and in traffic when contact is imminent.
The other trait that showed up throughout his tape was his ability — despite his size and shorter arms — to maximize his catch radius and make the kinds of catches you would not expect to see from a 5-foot-8 ½ receiver with just over 30-inch arms.
While there are clear limitations to Washington’s game, the evolution of the NFL passing game — with much more quick game, motion, stack and bunch formations and reduced splits — will allow him free access into his routes. That will mitigate his smaller size and allow him to be a factor. Depending on the team and overall scheme, he could become a volume target.
Washington is an explosive weapon with the ball in his hands, and the team that drafts him will know and understand that. That team's pass offense will already be structured to allow a player such as Washington to be a factor.
He is not the vertical dimension that Jaylen Waddle is (similar height/weight measurables) and therefore cannot regulate and take the top off the defense in the same way. But Washington’s natural quickness and explosiveness and run-after-catch ability demands you get the ball in his hands.
Washington played his final college season at Virginia after spending his first four seasons at Northwestern. He had an outstanding year with the Cavaliers: 110-1426-13-9 TD. Washington originally came out of Georgia as a 3-star recruit.
Washington was predominantly a slot receiver in Virginia’s offense in 2023 with 110 of his 142 targets coming inside and 88 of his 110 receptions for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns. Washington was featured at times as the motion receiver in Virginia’s offense and was also used at times on jet sweeps — he ran through North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson on a 59-yard tunnel screen reception.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Caedan Wallace.
Wallace may be overlooked by some because he is the offensive tackle opposite Olu Fashanu. But Wallace is a strong right tackle prospect with excellent size and length and plus movement traits for the position. In addition, he has extensive experience in a Power 5 conference with 40 career starts.
Wallace has a broad, well-built frame with plus arm length and athleticism, and he consistently showed he could pass protect 1-on-1 out of multiple set techniques with efficient kick slides and excellent balance, as well as refined and calculated hand usage. In the run game, Wallace was also efficient in executing multiple blocking concepts with point-of-attack strength as a drive and base blocker sustaining with moving feet and with the athleticism, balance and body control to climb to the second level.
Wallace will need to clean up a tendency to reach at the top of his pass set which resulted in balance and body control concerns that compromised his reactive athleticism and redirect inside to deal with counters. But that is a technical issue that can be coached.
Overall, Wallace has the physical and athletic traits to play right tackle at the next level and could certainly move inside to offensive guard, with the ability to start there if needed
Wallace was a four-year starter at right tackle at Penn State, finishing his career with 40 starts.
NFL Analysis
4/11/24
4 min read
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Walter Rouse.
Rouse started 52 games at left tackle in his college career, but he is not likely to transition to the NFL at that position, given his traits profile. Rouse had snapshots of strong pass protection reps with an efficient kick slide, good knee bend and balance, and he keeps his hands inside.
But overall, he lacks the athleticism and fluidity in his lower half to be an effective 1-on-1 pass protector vs. quality rushers, with his only means of being successful to engage early in the down by using his strong hands and overall strength and minimizing his weakness of lateral range and reactive athleticism.
Rouse lacked the requisite foot quickness and lateral range to be consistently effective in 45 degree and vertical pass sets, and there were too many snaps where he stopped his feet in response to pass rush quickness and then bent at the waist to compensate.
Rouse had strong snaps as a run blocker where he could come off the ball with leverage and generate power and force on contact, and that was especially the case as a down blocker on the play side in the gap scheme run game. Overall, Rouse's 2023 tape showed a player who cannot make the transition to the NFL at the offensive tackle position, and my sense is the only position he could play at the next level would be center.
Rouse came out of Washington, D.C., as a four-star recruit and finished his Stanford career as a four-year starter at left tackle. He transferred to Oklahoma for his fifth-year graduate season in 2023. Rouse started 52 games at left tackle in his college career, including all 13 at Oklahoma in 2023.
In 2021, Rouse dominated Kayvon Thibodeaux in their 1-on-1 pass protection snaps. Thibodeaux could not beat Rouse with speed-to-power and could not get the edge on Rouse. Rouse clearly improved in pass protection as the season progressed. He looked more comfortable with his movement and the coordination between his lower and upper halves.