Author: Rob Staton (Page 33 of 423)

Sports Broadcaster, Journalist and creator of Seahawks Draft Blog in 2008.

Scouting notes on Garrett Nussmeier & Miller Moss

September 3, 2024 /

The LSU vs USC game on Sunday was highly entertaining and produced a reassuring performance from the two starting quarterbacks.

Firstly, this was a great showcase against the constant transferring around of quarterbacks. Both players looked so comfortable within their respective schemes. There has to be a concern that QB’s are going to chase money and glory, rather than development as time moves on. Garrett Nussmeier and Miller Moss made as strong a case as possible for staying put and developing.

Secondly, it also a reminder that players can emerge. There was so much hype for Conner Weigman at Texas A&M, watching him crash and burn and look undraftable against Notre Dame was disappointing. Here, these two made an early case for being on NFL radars.

Let’s start with Nussmeier.

I thought this was a terrific performance albeit in a losing effort. He appeared comfortable throwing from the pocket, his feet were well and set and his throwing base enabled him to deliver passes with accuracy. His arm strength is certainly good enough and on the rare occasions that he had to move around, he did an excellent job re-setting his feet, turning his body to the intended target and delivering on the money.

Despite playing behind a line with two highly rated offensive tackles, he did have to operate from an imperfect pocket at times and he did very well dealing with pressure. He can flick the ball out of his hand to generate velocity easily. His throwing motion is naturally sound and clean.

Nussmeier isn’t a ‘wow’ athlete but he did show off natural talent as a passer. He doesn’t force the ball when he uncorks downfield or when he has to throw with extra effort.

I did think he was too quick to check down at times, missing deeper field targets and not allowing plays to develop. He was a little too eager to get the ball out and there were some missed opportunities. I think he left some third down conversions on the field as a consequence — although the offensive scheme felt restrictive and conservative. There were too many one-read third down situations meaning the defense only had to cover the primary target to get a stop. I don’t think LSU were aggressive enough on the night and I think their creativity on third-down was too limited.

Nussmeier looked very comfortable throwing on the move when he bootlegged out of the pocket. His first score was a nicely placed high throw giving his receiver a chance to go up and make a play. He showed he can throw off-balance and still generate power.

I thought he was technically very sound, in complete control within his system which he clearly understood, he didn’t look flustered in a close high-pressure game and he has enough of a physical skill-set to have a shot at the NFL.

I’m not sure what his ceiling is in terms of the NFL draft and I’d like to see LSU push the ball downfield more. However, I liked him a lot more than I expected to and it was very easy to imagine him in the NFL based on this performance. His draft stock will be determined by his physical ceiling and performances over the coming weeks but there are definitely things to like. The NFL is increasingly predicated on creativity and physical quality but you still need to throw with timing and structure in key situations. There’s reason to believe Nussmeier can do this based on the small sample size here.

He finished the game 29/38 passing for 304 yards, two touchdowns and a late desperation pick with seconds remaining.

Miller Moss shared a lot of the positive traits we saw with Nussmeier. He isn’t the same size and I’d be interested to get a proper measurement given he had quite a few batted balls at the LOS. He’s only listed at 6-1 and 205lbs. However — he looked at home in Lincoln Riley’s system. His rhythm and timing was excellent and he had a great grasp of his role within the scheme.

Moss’ placement and accuracy on short/medium range throws was very good and he showed he can attack the middle of the field and throw down the seam into traffic with accuracy.

This is a NFL pass in terms of timing, anticipating, accuracy and velocity. It’s hard to see in the screenshot but it’s also a layered pass thrown between two defensive backs:

Why was this my favourite throw of the game? Look at the left tackle who has been driven back into the quarterback. Regardless, Moss isn’t impacted by this. He doesn’t move off the spot or overreact. When he delivers this pass, he can’t see the intended target. He trusts the play because he understands the route and the scheme. Thus, he throws to an area and leads the receiver. When the receiver catches this pass, he is almost perfectly placed between two defenders. This was a big-time completion for a significant gain, thrown down the middle of the field with pressure to Moss’ blind-side. This is NFL stuff even if at the next level there won’t be quite as much space over the middle and the window will be tighter.

He also showed poise to convert key third down plays (eg — 11:14 left in the third quarter). These are the throws that some teams focus on the most. One evaluator once told me he watched every third down throw a quarterback makes and that’s how he judges his ability. Moss played well in that regard vs LSU.

He threw a 40-yard pass to the left sideline with ease that looked the part — showing ideal loft and placement with 6:50 left in the first half. He would’ve had two scores but for a bobbled catch in the red zone on a third and goal with 4:25 left in the second quarter. The receiver really should’ve controlled the ball.

Moss’ only touchdown was a beauty — a perfect throw exploiting a 1v1 matchup to the right corner of the pylon, thrown from the 35-yard-line. It was a wonderfully placed downfield shot after being given a free play for an offside flag. He followed it up with a drive to win the game with some big time throws — including his final pass which was exceptional and clutch to the left sideline, drawing a bonus targeting flag to set up USC for the go-ahead winning score in the red zone.

He did move around in the pocket a bit too much unnecessarily at times encouraging pressure — but not to the extent Cam Ward does. Moss is athletic enough to scramble and extend plays but he’s not a dynamic run threat based on this game. Sometimes he runs into trouble as mentioned. I think his fade throws could use some work too — they need to be thrown higher.

Lincoln Riley has clearly heard the noise from last year. This was a vastly improved defensive performance from USC and his offense was rolling again. Can this continue? Riley has been a QB whisperer in the past even if his work with Caleb Williams felt below par given the talent of the two individuals.

Moss finished 27/36 passing for 378 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. I’m very intrigued to see more.

Overall a great game with two eye-catching quarterbacks. This is the kind of game you love to see when you write thousands of words about the draft. Nussmeier and Moss are on the radar now.

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Scouting notes on week one of college football

September 1, 2024 /

Conner Weigman vs Riley Leonard was disappointing

This was a battle between two quarterbacks many see as capable of gatecrashing the first round. In reality, I think this game showed us that’s unlikely without major, sudden improvement.

This was only Weigman’s fifth college start. That has to be remembered. But amid all the lofty talk of being a high pick based on a completely inappropriate four-game sample size last season, this was a reality check. He isn’t remotely close to being considered a draft prospect on this evidence, let alone a first rounder. The accuracy, poise and experience is badly lacking.

He threw an awful interception in the second quarter, looking unnecessarily antsy in a clean pocket. His footwork was all over the place and he sailed a pass way over the receiver and straight to a safety.

Weigman ended the first half with another bad pick — he didn’t read the cornerback undercutting the receiver and threw it straight to him. He ended the game with a throw that should’ve been picked off in a very similar fashion.

There were no big plays, no real fluidity. There was very little to admire from a NFL perspective. He looks like a player who needs another full season or two to develop into something, rather than someone who should be on anyone’s NFL radar for 2025. He finished 12/30 for 100 yards with zero TD’s and two picks.

For Leonard, it felt like we were watching the exact same player we saw at Duke. He’s got the size. He’s got a decent arm. He can move around. But he’s never developed into an accomplished throwing quarterback. He remains a big athlete playing the position. That’s fine when you need a yard and want him to try and run to move the chains. But he hasn’t shown an ability to be a progression-based accurate passer who can work a scheme and challenge opponents with a consistent arm. This game showed more of the same. And yet, on a positive note, as we saw during his time at Duke — when he needs to come up with a drive in a tight game, he is capable of delivering.

Leonard almost gave up a horrible pick-six at the end of the third quarter. The cornerback anticipated the throw, baited the pass then jumped the route. If he catches it, he’s running it back for a touchdown but he couldn’t come up with it. There was very little in the way of dynamic downfield throwing or intricate, accurate consistency throughout the night.

However, as mentioned, we get to the last five minutes of the game. He converted a big 3rd and 5 play deep in his own territory to get a drive moving. Then he had a great shot to the right sideline to exploit a 1v1 outside for a chunk pass-play. He then ran for a first down, sprinting to the perimeter. At this point Texas A&M were tired and struggling. Two big runs by the running back capped off the drive with Notre Dame taking a seven-point lead with very little time to spare. This one drive sealed the game.

This is Leonard. He did this at Duke too. You just wish he could add some polish and technical skill to his passing. He finished 18/30 for 158 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also ran 12 times for 63 yards.

Now compare Leonard’s drive to Weigman’s subsequent attempt to rescue the game for Texas A&M. He threw out of bounds, then threw behind on a miscommunication with his receiver. They ran for a modest gain and then on fourth down, he threw incomplete with a cornerback jumping the route. It should’ve been an interception and possibly a pick-six but either way, it was game over.

Until either player shows a lot more, I won’t be considering them as likely first round talents in 2025. Weigman needs to focus on having an actual college career, while Leonard still needs to become an athletic quarterback, rather than an athlete attempting to play quarterback.

A couple of quick defensive notes too — Notre Dame’s undersized defensive tackle Howard Cross remains one of my favourites in college football. He is a pass-rushing menace and does such a good job swimming into the backfield. He had a sack in the second quarter with a classic interior rush on third down to force a punt. I would draft him whatever his size — he can do a job. The size, though, will dictate how early he goes.

Nic Scourton made his Texas A&M debut and while some have him as a future first rounder, I’m not convinced. He’s big and has some mobility for his size but has he got the burst and bend? It felt a bit weird that they took him off the field on 3rd and 8 late in the first half. You never want to see that.

Notes on the Georgia prospects as they demolish Clemson

Clemson, along with a few other notable teams (Florida) have not adjusted well to the transfer portal era. As a consequence, they are relying on solely working within the recruitment market. It’s an admirable approach, one I wish was working. But it isn’t. They’ve become a shadow of the team that used to be nationally relevant and their fall highlights the broader demise of the ACC — as we drift towards an inevitable ‘super conference’ or just two massive competing conferences like the NFL.

As such, it’s hard to get much out of Georgia slapping them around the field for four quarters. Here are my notes anyway.

I don’t think Carson Beck is the shoe-in QB1 many believe. The Georgia system is very much suited to him. There are a lot of short passes and dump-offs. It’s not a stretch the field system. Credit to Beck for executing the scheme he runs but I’m not sure his physical ceiling is very high. He needs to hit his shallow crossers, his slants etc — while playing behind an excellent college O-line. This same system enabled Georgia to have success with Jake Fromm and Stetson Bennett.

Beck puts the ball in the right areas including in the red zone. He has good size. He’s a bit more athletic than you might think but not in a way that’ll make him particularly dynamic as a runner, extender or scrambler. He made some nice runs though against Clemson when the field opened up.

In terms of pure physical and natural talent, he is not on the same level as Shedeur Sanders. Yet for coaches who value someone who will come in and master their system and basically do what they want, he will carry appeal.

This is the analogy I’d use for Beck. Being the Georgia quarterback is like trying to reverse-park a top of the range sports car that looks and sounds amazing, with parking sensors, a rear camera and power steering. You still have to execute the park job and you can even do it with a touch of finesse. Yet everything is there for you, it’s just about executing. At times it feels like Sanders at Colorado is pretty much trying to reverse-park a big red van from the 1970’s and the wing mirrors have fallen off (although admittedly, he has a couple of very good receivers).

Beck showed again in this game he’s a very tidy, accomplished player. He’s not a wow player though. There will be teams who really value what he does. But it’s currently difficult to project a draft range for a player like this.

On the other hand, it’s pretty clear that safety Malaki Starks deserves top-20 pick attention. He had a wonderful high-pointed interception on a deep throw to the right sideline in this game. The ball did hang in the air an awful long time but it’s still an outstanding play from the safety. He showed last year that he’s a rangy, hard-hitting, very quick defender. He’s not just about speed and coverage ability either — his run defense is excellent. He was a first round talent after my summer scouting work from last season and nothing about this game made me second guess that assessment.

I’m also quite high on linebacker Jalon Walker. He’s so quick to fly to the ball, he’s an electric force who can attack downfield. He also carries some pass-rushing chops off the edge. He’s playing as a more conventional linebacker this year and led Georgia in tackles (six) against Clemson, while registering 1.5 sacks and 1.5 TFL’s. I thought Mykel Williams, the highly touted defensive lineman, was pretty quiet. He had a couple of TFL’s but as with last year, you’re left waiting for the ‘big moments’ where he splashes and shows off his size, length and athleticism.

Notes on Quinn Ewers

I thought this was a very good start for Ewers, who let’s not forget lost his top two receivers, his receiving tight end and a good college offensive tackle this year to the NFL. His release and the way he spins the football out of his hand or with a flick of the finger is superb. I’m very much drawn to players who can deliver velocity and just rip the ball with minimum effort. Ewers shows off improbable delivery angles with the ball bursting out of his hand when he identifies a target. I’m permanently shocked at how compact his delivery is, so that even when he has that split second longer in the pocket to allow a receiver to uncover, and you think he’s going to get hit, he can get the ball out to where it needs to go in the nick of time.

Ewers’ first two touchdown passes against Colorado State were nicely delivered, accurate throws. His interception was unfortunate — his arm was hit as he threw after stepping up into the pocket. The pass looped up into the air and was caught by a defender. It’s more of a forced fumble than a pick.

He ended the day with a party-piece no-luck pass. I mean, how can you not be impressed with this?

The natural talent oozes out of Ewers. Bigger tests await and staying consistent and injury-free will determine his draft stock. However, he is one of the more gifted players to play in college football and teams will have that Alabama tape from last season in the front of their minds when doing eval’s next year.

Notes on Wisconsin’s Tyler Van Dyke and Jack Nelson

Wisconsin ran a conservative game-plan against Western Michigan. I thought overall TVD played OK. He wasn’t really pushed. There were a lot of shorter throws and dump-offs. He made some runs with his legs and looked more agile than he did at Miami. He made one great 3rd and 10 conversion, scrambling to his right and then as he was clipped by a blitzing DB and going to the turf, he somehow was able to still throw the ball for a 14-yard completion.

TVD can throw off a boot-leg motion with ease, he has the core and arm strength to generate power on the run without needing to be properly set.

He should’ve been picked-off late in the second quarter with an awful throw right to a defender (it was dropped). He forced another red zone throw into coverage that was bobbled and dropped in the third quarter. These kind of forced throws and errors dogged his 2023 season at Miami. His internal clock was also off too often — sitting in the pocket and inviting pressure.

There weren’t many deep shots in the game-plan which was a shame.

There’s something here at least physically with TVD but I’m not convinced he’s ever going to put it together. He’s missing that bit of magic and some consistency. He has a lot of the physical characteristics you look for in a NFL starter but he seemingly can’t cut out the mistakes, play on time and highlight his physical talent without the negatives. He showed he can do it in his first season at Miami but in this game, it felt like a continuation of what we saw last year. He can look good at times, right up until the point the wheels come off a bit. But the physical potential is there.

I really like Jack Nelson the Wisconsin left tackle by the way. Physical, recovers well if he looses initial leverage, gets into position and he’s not an easy out for any edge rusher. He can deal with inside counters. He’s probably a right tackle at the next level but he’s interesting.

Quick notes on the Ohio State players

I’ve not watched the full game but I did want to offer some thoughts based on a quick skim through some extended highlights. I quite liked safety Lathan Ransom when I watched him this summer and he led Ohio State in tackles (eight) and also had two TFL’s and returned a fumble for a touchdown in the game against Akron. I think he has some day-two potential for the next level with reasonable size and a rounded, versatile game. Cornerback Denzel Burke had an interception — stealing it away from the receiver as he tried to complete a catch. Burke has as much potential as any cornerback not named Will Johnson in this class.

How Will Howard gets on at quarterback will be fascinating to see. His first touchdown is a frozen rope, right on the money to Jeremiah Smith (Geno’s cousin) on a 10-yard slant. He also threw a nice 50-yard downfield pass to Smith for a big gain. Howard’s final score was an anticipation throw over the middle, allowing the receiver to create YAC and get in the end zone. Tougher challenges await and Howard’s ceiling might be somewhat capped — but he’s a better athlete than many realise, his arm is decent and he has a real spirit to his attitude.

Notes on Miami’s Cam Ward

I thought this was an extremely entertaining showing from Ward, albeit with the caveat of who Miami were playing. The Florida Gators have been a mess for a long time. Their current coach felt like a lame-duck entering the season and after one game, it now feels like ‘when’ not ‘if’ he’s fired. Like Clemson, they haven’t operated in the transfer portal well enough and are relying on young players thrust into playing too early — with significant doubts as to whether the coaches in charge are capable of developing them. They’ve lost key players like Trevor Etienne to rival Georgia. Based on what they showed against Miami, I’m not sure who Florida will beat at the moment.

Ward and the Hurricanes easily handled their opponent and looking at their powder-puff schedule, they might not face a stern test all season. I’d caution against building too much hype based on this game or in future games. Mario Cristobal might be a constant liability but even he might not be able to screw up a year like this.

We saw the best of the quarterback and this was a nice showcase opportunity to express what Ward does well. He loves to play off script, move around and improvise — with positive and negative consequences. In this game he had some really nice plays as the game went on. Physically he has some talent. I thought his best throw was an excellent 32-yard lob to the left sideline with 7:20 in the third quarter. Accuracy, anticipation, timing and velocity. That was a NFL throw. He then capped it off with an excellent scramble and pass to the end zone for a touchdown. There were four or five highlight reel plays in the game that showed off Ward at his best.

However, I’ve watched Ward live in person. I’ve also watched every Washington State game I could find online over the last two seasons. I would expect him to do well in a game like this, in August, against an overmatched opponent. And it shouldn’t gloss over the other things he’s shown on tape in his college career.

His decision making and tendency to move around too much gets him into trouble as much as it also can be his best aspect. This was on show with his interception against Florida — a really poor throw across his body after scrambling unnecessarily.

There was some A-gap pressure but he sidesteps it. As you see below, he can sit in the pocket and wait for the receiver to uncover working across the middle:

The red circle is the place where he could/should be in the pocket. The black circle shows the receiver has separated and is wide open. Instead, the QB has set off and is running to his left, a big error because he’ll need to readjust his whole body to set and throw, or he’ll end up throwing across his body (which is what happens):

He ends up trying to throw to the same receiver but instead of delivering an easy pass from a mostly clean pocket, look at the situation he ends up in — he’s throwing from an awful angle, with terrible body position and a defender in his face:

The throw sails and is picked off.

When Ward was at Washington State he tried to do too much and we saw mistakes. I’m not sure swapping to an easier situation should excuse the two previous years of that, or the fact it’s still showing in this game.

There are clean pockets where he doesn’t come close to setting his feet, playing on schedule and he drifts and freelances. This leads to throws that are off, such as the one behind his receiver with eight minutes left in the second half on Saturday when it was a fairly easy pitch-and-catch. In the NFL, he’ll need to be able to sit in an unclean pocket, let alone a clean one, and rely on his feet and arm being coordinated to deliver accurate passes. He won’t be able to move around constantly and play backyard football down-to-down.

There were examples in the game where he was leaving the pocket unnecessarily in quite a frustrating way. You don’t have to drop back 20 yards like he did mid-way through the first quarter in a perfectly clean pocket only to throw the ball out of bounds and give yourself no shot of a redzone touchdown because you’ve put yourself in an impossible situation.

How do you go from this:

To ending up in this position, with Florida only bringing a three-man rush, predictably failing to create any pressure? Why has he dropped into this position?

On the very next play he immediately started drifting backwards again off the snap, for no reason, dropping 10 yards and then having to dump it into the turf. His instinct is too often to get on the move — either out of the pocket or backwards. He doesn’t need to do this.

Now in fairness, he showed he can be better — because forty seconds after the play referenced a moment ago in the second half — he delivers a great chunk play by setting his feet and playing conventionally. It has to be more consistent though and what tended to happen at Washington State is when things unravelled and the games became tougher, he’d try to do more all the time and that’s when the errors stacked up. The big challenge this season is to become more conventional and use the creativity to be a force for exciting big plays, not the sum-part of your game with mixed results.

I think he can do this. Yet I’m not sure Miami will challenge him to — especially if the freelancing leads to a performance like Saturday. With no big test on the schedule, I suspect he’ll just carry on playing this way and it’ll make for production, if not allaying fears of NFL executives about how his game translates.

I came into the season feeling like Ward was a day three pick. Remember, he had a strange off-season. He took an age to decide where he was going to play college football, before then surprisingly announcing he was turning pro. Then, he reneged on that and withdrew his name from the draft, before joining Miami. It may be that all’s well that end’s well — yet I don’t think any of that process ties along with a player receiving the kind of feedback he was perhaps expecting.

Based on what we saw on Saturday, Ward will improve his stock. However, I would urge people to be realistic about the environment, the actual challenge at Miami, the fact he still has to play for Cristobal and the skill-set NFL teams look for in a quarterback they’re prepared to take early. Michael Penix Jr and Bo Nix elevated their way into round one playing within structure from the pocket. Caleb Williams was a phenomenal physical talent, a genuine rare player. Jayden Daniels dominated from the pocket and sprinted around like Lamar Jackson to make huge plays as a runner. Ward is creative and fun to watch — but his freelancing style will cause scouts frustration as well as enjoyment this year.

At 1pm PT I will be joining Brian at Hawk Blogger to preview the start of the new season for the Seahawks. Do join us:

Week One thoughts on Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter & Max Brosmer

August 30, 2024 /

Shedeur Sanders makes a strong start

It’s an open race to be the first quarterback drafted in 2025 but there’s no doubting Sanders has every chance to claim that spot and potentially be the #1 overall pick.

It was easy to forget this during a summer where his father said there are “certain cities that ain’t going to happen” in terms of where he’ll be drafted. This was followed up by a father and son tag-team combo on social media, attacking and insulting ex-team mates who had left Colorado. Unquestionably it will have left teams wondering what exactly they’ll be getting if they want to take Sanders with a top pick.

Thank goodness, then, that the football’s back — because on the field Sanders is an excellent talent with exciting skills that warrant genuine consideration at the top of round one.

He and his two star receivers carried Colorado against North Dakota State. While it certainly helped that Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr were consistently creating massive separation — Sanders faced another barrage of pressure, the same issue he had to deal with last season.

Colorado gave up 12 pressures in the game — more than any team has conceded in any of the other college games so far last night or last weekend. Despite this, Sanders produced three graded big-time-throws per PFF, also more than any other college quarterback to play a game so far.

Sanders has an obvious NFL skill-set. He showed off genuine arm talent with some excellent throws, including when under immediate pressure. He’s able to get the ball to all areas of the field with little room to manoeuvre. He layers passes. He doesn’t necessarily have to step into his throws to drive the ball downfield and he showed poise and accuracy from the pocket, even with a defender in his face.

Watch the throw 10 seconds into the video below. That’s with almost no footwork, he isn’t set, the mechanics are awful, you could argue he doesn’t need to move off the spot and shift to his right. But heck, he just casually tosses a downfield dime right into a difficult window for a huge play despite the unorthodox nature of the technique. He made this harder for himself and still produced a wonderful pass:

He had a fantastic drive at the end of the first half to lead his team to a vital field goal — making difficult chunk plays under immense pressure.

There are so many college quarterbacks who are very good at playing in a high-octane scheme, throwing from an easy pocket or in the shotgun, completing passes and creating eye-catching stats. It’s so hard for projection though, because this isn’t the NFL reality. Watching Sanders on that drive before half-time, that was NFL-style football even against a small-school opponent. He was getting hit and harassed but still delivered the football downfield to lead a scoring drive against the clock.

As a scrambler he is creative and he keeps his eyes downfield, scrambling to extend and create rather than just run. See this play yesterday:

Sanders is willing to throw over the middle and capable of throwing to the sideline with accuracy. He showed touch and velocity. He was unlucky with his interception which hit the foot of a defender, unbelievably looping up and into the hands of a team mate.

There’s a play in the fourth quarter where he’s under pressure again, it’s 3rd and 10 and he somehow stands tall, throws over the middle and converts. It’s a big-time situational throw, in a four-point game late on.

Sanders attacked North Dakota State and saved Colorado, who again looked porous on defense. This was a high first round pick performance for me.

I was also impressed with Sanders’ post-game interview. After the eye-rolling summer mentioned earlier, he spoke well and sounded mature and modest.

There will be tough challenges ahead for Colorado, particularly if they continue to give up so much pressure. Staying healthy might be Sanders’ greatest challenge. Based on this showing, though, I’d suggest he has the inside track on being the first quarterback taken if teams can reassure themselves on the fact ‘Dad’ comes with the package and is likely to be outspoken on his son’s pro career.

I will say this — if he does drop, it could also provide a big opportunity for someone. Let’s not forget that Lamar Jackson fell in the draft because of a bizarre pre-draft process where teams couldn’t properly arrange meetings with him because he insisted on using his mother as his agent. The Ravens benefitted from that, as Mike Macdonald will know all too well. John Schneider seems quite particular about the quarterbacks he’s willing to draft though. I’ve talked a fair bit about a feeling that Schneider has a character type at the position. It’ll be interesting to see what happens as the season progresses.

Travis Hunter shines

After watching Elic Ayomanor torch Colorado and Hunter to the tune of 13 catches for 294 yards and three touchdowns last season for the powerhouse passing offense that is Stanford, I was pretty convinced that Hunter’s best position was receiver. The fact he also had 13 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns in that game helped.

With the money sloshing around at receiver at the moment, I think Hunter will lean towards offense rather than cornerback when it comes to the NFL. To me it’s his best option. He is such a fluid, dynamic athlete. You don’t see many players with superb suddenness, change of direction, acceleration and adjustment. That’s Hunter.

His third touchdown catch on Friday was an amazing adjustment to the ball:

He has a fairly compete profile — good size, speed to burn, he can fight to get off blocks and he clearly has exceptional physical potential.

Hunter had three touchdowns against North Dakota State to go with seven catches and 132 yards. You can get the ball to him in space and he’ll run away (or around) defenders. He’s a deep threat. He can run across the field and separate. He’s quick off the break. I think he’ll be a top-seven pick as a receiver next year.

Max Brosmer’s start at Minnesota

It’s always interesting to see a player excel at a small school (New Hampshire) and then take a punt at a conference like the BIG-10. Brosmer lacks amazing physical qualities — he’s not a Josh Allen/Justin Herbert athlete. However, he shows an ability to throw an accurate, catchable ball — including on the run — and it warranted attention this season.

He and Minnesota had a stodgy opening to their first game against North Carolina, with both teams toiling on offense. I’m not sure why Minnesota were so conservative and tentative.

Certainly you wouldn’t watch Brosmer in this game and sit up in your seat, ready to post a high-round prediction. That’s not the type of quarterback he is, though.

I did like aspects of his performance against UNC. He made some pro-level anticipation throws and showed accuracy, decision making, placement and an ability to set and throw in a way that will intrigue NFL teams.

Watching this game I could well imagine him appealing to Kyle Shanahan. He’s that kind of quarterback.

Minnesota don’t have great weapons and their pass-pro was iffy so I doubt we’ll see a lot of mass-production offense this year. Brosmer did lead two potential game-winning drives though. One led to a converted field goal to take the lead in the fourth quarter, the other led to a potential 47-yarder to clinch the game as time expired but the kicker missed. Minnesota were beaten 19-17.

Here’s what he did in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. You could argue he did his job on the night:

For a first game for a new team against a relatively decent opponent, this was a fair if unspectacular start for Brosmer.

I think he has a ceiling of mid-round potential due to his lack of amazing traits but he could intrigue the Shanahan tree coaches with the way he gets the ball out, does what he needs to do and can throw with anticipation.

Thoughts on how the Seahawks and GM John Schneider are rated by NFL agents

August 29, 2024 /

Ben Standig has produced an interesting article in the Athletic today. He polled NFL agents on a variety of topics to assess their views of each franchise. There are two things I wanted to focus on from a Seahawks perspective.

Firstly, there was a ton of praise for John Schneider. He was voted joint-best talent evaluator among GM’s (alongside Kansas City’s Brett Veach). He also finished fourth in a list for ‘best overall GM’ — half a vote behind Detroit’s Brad Holmes and two votes behind Veach and Philadelphia’s Howie Roseman.

Do not underestimate the benefit of having such a highly respected GM in charge of the Seahawks. You might disagree with some of Schneider’s decisions. You might linger on mistakes, or issues not addressed. However, this is a very difficult role to fill within an organisation. The Seahawks have a proven, respected man at the helm.

I think there are a couple of key examples, too, to justify the lofty praise. Firstly, while the last few years may feel somewhat squandered, we may well discover in the coming weeks that this was a coaching/development issue beyond the GM’s control. Derick Hall already looks like a different player under Mike Macdonald as a case in point. Secondly, let’s not lose sight that the GM in charge during the LOB years was Schneider. He helped create a legendary roster and find a franchise quarterback to cap things off in round three.

There have been misses too — such as the Jamal Adams trade and some whiffed high picks. But it’s clear Schneider’s evaluating skills are highly regarded and no GM has a perfect record on trades and picks.

I’d also remind people that on the day Kansas City drafted Patrick Mahomes, it was made very clear via the main national reporters covering the NFL that Schneider was a big fan:

It’s not often a GM or a team goes out of its way to let the world know they rated a player and would’ve drafted him in round one if possible, despite the fact they already had a bona fide franchise quarterback under contract. Further to this, Mahomes wasn’t seen as a ‘sure thing’. A lot of the mock drafts, as we’ve discussed on this blog, had him as a late first or second rounder. He wasn’t included in Daniel Jeremiah’s top-50 list in advance of the draft.

Schneider anticipated Mahomes’ greatness and was proven right. The hope has to be that he has a similar hunch in the near future about a young signal caller and is able to claim them.

If Schneider can find two young franchise quarterbacks during his Seahawks run, it’ll be quite an achievement.

There are other things that need to be addressed too. Why has it been so hard for the Seahawks to find any semblance of consistency and success on the offensive line? Can that change moving forward? Fixing this unit will be of near equal importance for the long-term.

Overall though Schneider has been a huge success for the Seahawks, deserves to be regarded highly in the Athletic article and deserved to lead the franchise into the post-Pete Carroll era. The decision on Carroll’s replacement, so far, looks like an inspired choice.

The anonymous quotes in the article praising Schneider are as follows:

“He’s a football guy and an outstanding talent evaluator with conviction about how to run a program. Good communicator.”

“Schneider is the GM, the best talent evaluator and very respected. Look at the front-office staffers hired away from Seattle by other teams — there is more to come. John hasn’t changed since he was a scout and avoids changing his evaluation methods for trendy takes.”

“Schneider is a man of great character. He communicates well, is a heck of an evaluator and is a leader. He tries to work out situations with the player and agent.”

On a less positive note, the Seahawks didn’t receive a single vote in the poll for ‘best run franchise’. 14 teams received votes but nobody went for Seattle. For context, they were not listed among the eight teams labelled ‘most unstable’ either. However, if I was working within the organisation I’d at least be a little miffed by the exclusion on the ‘best run’ list and would be working out how that could change for next year’s poll.

Of course, it’s not just about trying to satisfy agents so that they give you praise. It might be more healthy for them to feel less inclined to vote for you in a ‘best’ poll. However, the 49ers were praised for ‘The way they treat people and don’t skimp on expenses’. The Eagles were credited for, ‘Every year, free agents want to go there. They reward players, and (GM) Howie (Roseman) nails the draft’. The Chiefs were praised for having, ‘a Hall of Fame coach and GM, QB, tight end and ownership’. It was noted that Miami finished first in the NFLPA report cards (Seattle received very average grades, including only a ‘C’ for treatment of families, training staff and their training room), that the Ravens have a highly successful team and a family-organization approach, that the Vikings have ‘great facilities’ and that the Steelers and Packers are traditionally well run.

Is it just a case of only being able to vote for one team and getting lost among several options? Or are there things the Seahawks can still do better — despite clearly having an extremely well respected GM?

Some thoughts on the ‘top’ players eligible for the 2025 draft

August 26, 2024 /

Reading through the ‘way too early’ 2025 mock drafts and top-50 lists, I’m surprised at some of the projections being made about next years draft. There are a lot of overrated players currently.

This is not a draft class with an obvious #1 overall pick. There isn’t a quarterback you can easily slot into that position. There isn’t a fantastic left tackle or EDGE worthy of being touted for this spot. It could end up being a draft like 2022, where a player emerges (in this instance, Travon Walker) to go first overall.

The best player in the class before the 2024 season is…

Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. He has a little bit of Ndamukong Suh to his game in that he’s well sized, can play with force and physicality and yet he’s still agile enough to make disruptive plays in the backfield. He’s pretty much a complete defensive tackle who will fit any scheme and there’s every reason to believe he could be one of the first two players drafted next April. Graham is the best overall talent as we begin the college season.

Who’s next?

Penn State’s Abdul Carter is going to transition to edge rush from linebacker although as a conventional linebacker, I thought he also warranted top-10 hype. He is a player with immense potential.

It’s a strong looking cornerback class at the top end with Will Johnson at Michigan leading the way. Keep an eye on Denzel Burke at Ohio State. Both players are very athletic and showed a willingness to play the run last season. Benjamin Morrison at Notre Dame could also generate some first round buzz.

Michigan’s Colston Loveland is a legit pass-catching threat at tight end and will almost certainly, if all goes well this year, be a top-15 pick.

Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr has a chance to be a top-ten prospect. He’s sudden off the edge and has the necessary athletic traits, size and length to be a genuine threat. That said, in order to deliver on his potential he needs to be stronger at the point of attack and be more violent against the run.

Alabama left guard Tyler Booker for me is a first round talent. He might not go that early due to his position — but he is the player I enjoyed scouting the most in preparation for this review.

Texas’ Kelvin Banks will probably have to kick inside to guard from left tackle due to his size/length. He has an opportunity to go early in the way Alijah Vera-Tucker and Troy Fautanu did.

LSU’s right tackle Emery Jones is the best pure tackle I have watched. He is physical with great size, is incredibly tough to get around and is just a bit better on his feet and more of a finisher than team mate Will Campbell, who I don’t currently view as a first round level player.

Who can work their way into first round contention?

It’s a wide open race at quarterback. Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers and Shedeur Sanders are the best placed to achieve this but with no obvious top-10 type, there’s room for others to really promote their stock like Jayden Daniels did last year. I did a full quarterback breakdown in July which you can read here.

Emeka Egbuka is such a smooth, controlled, polished player — if he can stay healthy he could really take a jump in 2024. Missouri’s Luther Burden is consistent, tracks the ball well and he can make things happen — I think the extent of his speed and testing will determine how high he goes.

Georgia’s big D-liner Mykel Williams has the frame, tools and splash plays to be a very high first rounder but he needs to become a more rounded, consistent force. Could he be the 2025 Travon Walker? Possibly. Team mate Malaki Starks has an opportunity to become a top-25 pick at safety. He’s instinctive, quick, flies to the ball downhill and can line-up in multiple positions. Jalon Walker is a reverse Abdul Carter. He’s done a good job providing pressure off the edge for Georgia in passing situations but will now become a full-time inside linebacker, while retaining some rushing snaps on third down. He’s a very interesting player who can bend well off the edge. Plus, he does a better job than his peers when engaging in contact.

Who is being overrated?

I don’t understand why people think quarterback Cam Ward, playing for Mario Cristobal, is going to be a Heisman contender or a high draft pick. Equally, I’m shocked to see people think Drew Allar could be an early round pick. I thought most of his 2023 tape showed an undraftable player.

The aforementioned Will Campbell at LSU looks more like a right tackle to me. He doesn’t look like a great athlete and I think he’ll struggle against speed. Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson has great athletic potential but he needs to play a lot better than he did in 2023.

JT Tuimoloau plays in spurts and lacks game-wrecking consistency and traits. I don’t think he is a round one talent. Team mate Jack Sawyer is a try-hard worker but not an early pick.

Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker has a strange body type where he’s top heavy. I thought he struggled vs double teams and I was left wanting more given how many people view him as a first round pick.

Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan definitely tracks the ball well and makes circus catches look easy but I don’t think he has the pure speed and explosiveness to be a great NFL receiver based on tape study so far.

I’m surprised to see some people rate Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant above team mate Mason Graham. For me it’s a total no-brainer. Graham is far better, with Grant a run-of-the-mill mid-round type you find in most drafts. He has the Bruce Feldman ‘freak list’ appearance but so did Kris Jenkins a year ago and he only went in the second half of round two.

Dontay Corleone is powerful but he’ll need to test well to go early. I think he’s being overrated as a first round type and is more of a typical bigger nose tackle. Those players don’t tend to go early.

Harold Perkins at LSU intrigues me because of his athletic potential and fit in a creative defensive scheme but he needs to play in space and has struggled taking on blocks. I don’t think he can play a full-time role off the edge taking on blockers but is he big enough to play linebacker? He’s caught between two positions.

I understand why Florida State EDGE Patrick Payton is getting first round buzz — but he needs to play with a lot more violence than he did against Georgia Tech on Saturday to get there.

I can’t project Travis Hunter early because I can’t work out what he is. There are games where he plays well at cornerback but then he’ll give up a whole ton of yardage to a bad, struggling offense (see: Stanford). At receiver he’s very capable of big moments but can he be consistent? We don’t often see two-way players like this so how do you grade him?

Josh Conerly at Oregon doesn’t have the size and length and might have to kick inside to guard. I also feel the same way about Jonah Savaiinaea, who I have graded at guard currently although he plays right tackle for Arizona. I do not see Savaiinaea as a first round tackle, as many do.

Players who deserve a bit more hype

Size will be key for Howard Cross but he was an impact player throughout last season for Notre Dame as an interior rusher. Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams, meanwhile, is a terrific, sturdy run defender with the upside to become a plus pass rusher.

Parker Brailsford played so well at center for Washington and while, like Cross, there will be size concerns — I can well imagine him excelling at Alabama and becoming a hot center prospect for next year. I’m also intrigued by Iowa center Logan Jones.

Aireontae Ersery at Minnesota has the tools and measureables to be considered in the top-50 at tackle. I really like Jack Nelson the tackle at Wisconsin. He might end up being a right-sided player in the NFL but there’s something there.

Mitchell Evans, tight end at Notre Dame, is a classic Y-TE with plus athleticism. His run blocking is tremendous and can be a dynamic pass-catcher with his skill-set.

I like what I’ve seen from linebackers Danny Stutsman and Cody Lindenberg and am intrigued to see more this season.

Further thoughts on the quarterback class

Watching Drake Maye in pre-season action on Sunday, I was struck by how much I thought he looked like a John Schneider-type quarterback. This isn’t a class, though, with an obvious player in that mould (big, athletic, strong arm).

I do think some talent evaluators are going to be enamoured with Quinn Ewers’ potential. The arm talent he showed in the road win against Alabama was electrifying. He also has a knack of releasing the ball incredibly quickly with a whip-like motion. There are times on tape where he just waits a split second for the target to emerge, he looks like he’s going to get sacked and then he releases the ball with perfect velocity in an improbably quick fashion. That release, combined with the ability to throw downfield, will interest teams. He’s also mobile and has a high degree of natural talent.

However, he also has to stay healthy and play with greater consistency. This is a big year for Ewers, who lost two high picks at receiver, his top tight end and a left tackle this year to the NFL. He will begin the year as QB1 on my board.

Shedeur Sanders also has plenty of talent but teams will spend a lot of time debating what life will be like if they draft him to be the face of their franchise, given the baggage that comes with making Deion’s son your focal point. How much are you going to need to manage ‘Coach Prime’, let alone his son?

Carson Beck is being overrated somewhat as the assumed top quarterback in this class. He lacks brilliant physical talent or elusiveness. He’s a timing and touch passer — but he did play well last season.

As noted in this article recently, I’m intrigued by Jalen Milroe working with Kalen DeBoer to see what progress he makes in terms of cleaning up his footwork and becoming a better passer in the pocket. It’s very difficult to project Conner Weigman given his lack of playing time but the Texas A&M quarterback clearly carries some intrigue. Riley Leonard has a lot of physical talent but he needs to become an athletic quarterback rather than just an athlete who plays quarterback. Max Brosmer and Brady Cook intrigue me, while it’ll be interesting to see how Tyler Van Dyke and Will Howard get on with new teams. Howard, in particular, could really elevate his stock playing on a loaded Ohio State roster. I’m interested to watch USF’s Byrum Brown given his physical potential.

Finally, here are some video thoughts on the Trevis Gipson trade and Geno Smith’s ranking in Mike Sando’s ‘QB tiers’ article for the Athletic:

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