Category: Scouting Reports – 2015

Owamagbe Odighizuwa Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2015
1 Comment
Owamagbe Odighizuwa DE UCLA #94
Ht: 6’3″
Wt: 267

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Size/Athleticism: Prototypical build for a traditional 4-3 end. Impressive functional strength. Explosive off the snap. Initial punch to offensive linemen can be devastating. Speed-to-strength conversation is definitely there.

Run Defense: Explodes off the snap and delivers a nasty punch to offensive lineman allowing him to gain the upper hand immediately. Tough to move off his spot. Gets low and plays with great leverage. Easily sheds blocks to take off in pursuit. Doesn’t make a ton of plays in pursuit. Speed is moderate and he doesn’t have a great closing burst.

Pass-Rush: Relies on strength, possibly too much. Doesn’t really have a go-to pass-rush move. Usually lines up from a five-tech position and blitzes on the inside shoulder off the offensive lineman. Appears to have the quickness to win as a speed rusher, but rarely used on the edge (six-tech position or wider). Does a great job splitting gaps in the o-line when lined up from the three-tech position.

Versatility: Can play just about anywhere in the front seven. Primarily lined up with his hand on the ground in the five-tech position, but has some experience as a traditional 3-4 linebacker. Could even be viewed as a potential 3-4 end due to his size and strength.

Intangibles: Team captain. Received multiple team post-season awards for production and leadership contributions. Strong academic performance.

Durability: Has had surgery on both hips and missed entire 2013 season.

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Owamagbe Odighizuwa Chart

Overview: “Diggy” is a high-upside prospect but comes with a serious durability red flag due to multiple surgeries on both hips. It’s possible that some team doctors will have enough concern to result in him being removed from draft boards. If he clears medically, however, he has elite upside as a three-down lineman. His pass-rush skills are raw, but he has the physical tools to grow. Pronounced: ‘Oh-wah-MAH-bay Oh-DIGGY-zoo-wah.’

Preston Smith Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2015
Comments
Preston Smith DE/LB Mississippi State #91
Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 271

[level-scouting-reports]

Size/Athleticism: Prototypical size for a 4-3 end. Tested extremely well at the combine but the explosive athleticism does not show up on the field. Impressive length but he doesn’t know how to win with it.

Run Defense: A productive edge setter. Strong enough to hold his ground at the point of attack. Good upper body strength allows him to shed blocks. Mediocre ability to diagnose and pursue the ball carrier. Effort in pursuit only shows up in spurts.

Pass-Rush: Primarily a bull rusher. Tries to win with speed and strength but doesn’t have enough of either to consistently win.Does not have the explosive athleticism to be a speed rusher, despite solid combine numbers. Plays a little too high and doesn’t consistently sink his hips and dip his shoulders to turn the corner.

Versatility: Primarily played with his hand on the ground. Has some experience lining up at nose tackle in 3-4 sets. Best suited as a 4-3 end, but could potentially play outside linebacker in 3-4.

Intangibles: Two-year starter who played in a rotation. Has a young daughter.

Durability: No known issues.

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Preston Smith Chart

Overview: Smith tested extremely well for his size at the combine but the athleticism has never shown up on the field. On the field he looks stiff and while he has some positive traits he doesn’t stand out in any one area. He projects best as a 4-3 defensive end who can be a contributor in a rotation.

Danielle Hunter Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2015
Comments
Danielle Hunter DE/LB LSU #94
Ht: 6’5″
Wt: 252

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Size/Athleticism: Has everything you could possible ask for in terms of physical tools. Freakish blend of length, strength and athleticism. Really impressive upper body strength to press off linemen who start to get into his chest.

Run Defense: Has the strength to anchor and does a nice job setting the edge. A little sloppy off the snap and gets too high at times, but he’s strong enough and flexible enough to recover. Upper body strength allows him to shed blocks and take off in pursuit. Fast enough to make some plays in pursuit.

Pass-Rush: Very limited obvious production (1.5 sacks) but more productive on tape than the raw stats show. Can get to the quarterback with a range of techniques. Explosive off the edge, but needs to do a better job anticipating the snap count. Does a nice job getting his long arms into passing lanes.

Versatility: Easy to envision him as a 4-3 end or 3-4 linebacker. He’s explosive enough to be utilized as a pass-rusher, but also strong enough to be a true three-down lineman. Limited experience dropping into space, but he shows enough athleticism to develop in that area.

Intangibles: Praised by coaches as a hard worker. Dominates in the weight room.

Durability: No known issues.

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Danielle Hunter Chart

Overview: Hunter is a polarizing figure, depending on if you choose to focus on his raw technique or his ridiculous physical tools. I’m in the camp that believes his incredible upside can be reached with some minor tweaks to his game. What I find most encouraging is the fact that when he’s beat, it’s often easy to identify the mistake and it’s usually a very fixable issue. He is already dominant against the run, and has room for significant growth as a pass-rusher. He’s a prototypical 4-3 end, but could easily shift to playing standing up in 3-4 scheme.

Eli Harold Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2015
Comments
Eli Harold DE/LB Virginia #7
Ht: 6’3″
Wt: 247

[level-scouting-reports]

Size/Athleticism: An explosive athlete who wins with speed. Strength is adequate for his size. Very well build but has a maxed-out frame. Lacks ideal length—average height for the position and short arms.

Run Defense: Gets dominated at the point of attack. Stronger offensive linemen can lock on to him and finish him off with ease. Fast enough to make plays in pursuit if he can avoid getting engaged off the snap. Tends to close too fast and out of control and whiffs on some tackles.

Pass-Rush: Elite explosiveness off the snap in terms of the speed at which he can fly into the backfield. Looks comfortable and fluid sinking his hips and dipping his shoulder to move around the edge. Lines up in a wide-nine position at times and can fly past offensive tackles if he times the snap right. Does not have the length to shed blocks. Once a lineman gets into his pads, he’s done. If he can avoid engaging, he can be slippery when blitzing on the inside. Doesn’t really have a pass-rush move aside from speed. Needs to develop a counter move, which is entirely lacking from his game at this point.

Versatility: Has experience at end and linebacker in Virginia’s 3-4 scheme. Probably best suited as a 3-4 edge rusher. Limited experience dropping in coverage, but appears to have the athleticism to handle some zone assignments.

Intangibles: Motivated player. Mother died of cancer when he was 15; older brother became a father figure to him (brother is much older).

Durability: Finished career with 24 consecutive starts. No known issues.

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Eli Harold Chart

Overview: Harold is an explosive edge rusher with the ability to improve as he refines his technique and learns to win with more than just speed. However, his frame is maxed out and he lacks the length to consistently disengage from blocks. He frequently gets mauled in the run game and will probably always be a liability against the run. It would be tough to justify spending a first-round pick on a limited player, but there is obvious value in his pass-rush skills so he won’be on the board long on Day 2 if he falls there.

David Johnson Scouting Report

Scouting Reports - 2015
Comments
David Johnson RB Northern Iowa #7
Ht: 6’1″
Wt: 224
40: 4.50

[level-scouting-reports]

Size/Athleticism: Impressive size. Decent athlete with experience at wide receiver. Not very explosive, but for a power runner he has decent speed and can break off some longer runs.

Vision: Vision is limited. Knows where the hole is supposed to be, but is slow to react when it closes. A one-cut runner who accomplishes very little once his initial lane closes.

Power: Has the size of a power back but doesn’t really embrace that role. Dances too much at the line of scrimmage, even in short-yardage situations. Needs to simply lower his head and play forward in short-yardage situations and take on defenders with his size and strength. Runs too high at times.

Speed/Agility: Long strider. Straight-line speed is adequate but takes time to build momentum. Does not have great change-of-direction ability. Fluid in his COD movements, but simply lacks the explosiveness to be effective. Makes too many unnecessary wiggle movements that don’t fool many college linebackers and will only slow him down in the NFL—needs to eliminate these and embrace his role as a power back.

Passing Game: High school wide receiver who looks very comfortable catching the ball. Extends his arm to pluck the ball. Secures it quickly and turns upfield. Can run some more complex routes than the typical running back and could potentially line up in the slot and be a viable option as a receiver. Capable in pass protection but inconsistent. More than just a chop blocker. Gets low and delivers a nice pop, showing his lower body strength to hold his ground against blitzing linebackers. Doesn’t always show great awareness.

Intangibles: Coaches speak highly of his work ethic. Worked had to transition from receiver to running back.

Durability: Stayed on the field but had over 1,000 touches in his career at NIU.

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David Johnson Chart

Overview: Johnson is limited as a runner due to his mediocre vision and limited athleticism. He has the size to be a power runner but has not embraced that role and does not break nearly as many tackles as expected for a runner his size. However, he is among the best receivers of the running backs in this class which greatly increases his value as a potential backup. With his receiving skills and potential to develop as a power runner, he could be an intriguing third-down back to keep defenses guessing.