2024: 3rd AP All-American/2nd All-BIG 12, 87rec/1,183yds/9TDs
combine; 4.47s 40, 39"vert, 10'8"broad
strengths: Purposeful drive phase disguises comebacks & stops. Runs routes with smooth strides & good balance. Effective use of size to physically separate at breaks. Competes for catch space using focus & hand strength to win. Hands are natural, soft & sudden.
weaknesses: Unable to sink hips for sudden stops & sharp cuts in his routes. No second gear to prevent corners from closing distance. Finds himself in a high number of contested catches. Below-average run-after-catch talent in smaller spaces.
grade: 6.31 (Will eventually become a plus starter)
OG Jackson Slater - Sacramento St 6'3" 311
2024: FCS All-American/All-BIG SKY
combine: 5.01s 40, 28.5"vert, 9'broad, 31reps
strengths: Easy cut at his stance & into action on skip pulls. Fits up blocks with low pads & wide base. Upper-body power and strong hands allow him to latch longer. Punches & resets with independent hands in protection. Scans his gaps & finds protection work when uncovered.
weaknesses: Has trouble turning heads-up blocks out of the gap. Below-average adjustments to 2nd-level movement. Can become impatient and lunge with his punch. Lacks technical agility for NFL protection scrambles.
grade: 5.82 (Average backup/Special Teamer)
EDGE Jared Ivey - Ole Miss 6'6", 274
2024: 3rd All-SEC, 42tckls/10.5TFLs, 7scks, 3PBUs, 2FFs
strengths: Comes off the ball and explodes into blockers with lift. Flurries like a boxer to keep blockers at the end of his punch. Rangy and can play off blocks to nab runners from the back side. Rush tools to mismatch guards for quick wins as an interior rusher.
weaknesses: Anchor & contact balance don't match the listed measurables. Rush plan crumbles when he's hit with a sudden punch. Leggy pass rush is segmented & mechanical. Below-average change of direction & closing burst inside the pocket,
grade: 6.00 (Traits/Talent to be an above-average backup)
EDGE Shemar Stewart - Texas A&M 6'5", 267
2024: 3rd All-SEC, 37ckls, 1.5scks, 1FR, 2PBUs
combine: 25"vert, 8'8"broad
strengths: Can overwhelm opponents with physical traits. Firm edge-setter when bumped out to 5-technique. Pries open pathways to the pocket when finding proper arm extension. Athletic feet create rush opportunities across the gaps.
weaknesses: High center of gravity makes anchoring & leveraging gaps an issue. Has trouble staying on balance and on his feet at times. Sub par conditioning leads to his motor gassing out. Below-average leg bend limits power potential as a bull-rusher.
grade: 6.23 (Will eventually become an average starter)
comp: Jordan Phillips
CB Trey Amos - Ole Miss 6'1", 195
2024: 1st All-SEC, 13PBUs, 3INTs, 1FF, 50tckls/13.5TFLs
combine: 4.43s 40, 32.5"vert, 10'6"broad, 13reps
strengths: Possesses foot quickness & size to be a problem in press. Has body control and footwork to stay in phase versus NFL routes. Plant-&-drive is sudden without stall at the top. Desired pacing, positioning in vision in cover 3 looks.
weaknesses: Allows unnecessary separation from off-man coverage. Needs better eye balance & decisiveness from off coverage. Plays WR's hands instead of the ball with his back to the action. Arm tackler & slow to get of of perimeter blockers.
grade: 6.28 (Will eventually become an average starter)
comp: Tarheeb Still
CB Darien Porter - Iowa St 6'3", 195
2024: 18tckls, 3INTs, 2PBUs
combine: 4.3s 40, 36.5"vert, 10'11"broad
strengths: Smooth athlete with easy change of direction & acceleration. Long speed with well-timed transitions to phase deep routes. Mature field awareness and zone discipline despite a lack of experience. Standout talent at gunner with 4 blocked punts.
weaknesses: Limited man-cover reps on tape to evaluate. Takes time gathering & adjusting to more complex routes. Below-average play strength to discard run blocks. Quite a bit to clean up with tackling & contain in run support.
grade: 6.19 (Good backup with potential to develop as a starter)
comp: Riq Woolen
RB Devin Neal - Kansas 5'11", 213
2024: Honorable All-BIG 12, 219att/1,266yds/16TDs, 24rec/254yds/1TD
combine: 4.58s 40, 37.5"vert, 10'4"broad
strengths: Runs behind his blocks while maintaining decisiveness. Plays with synced-up eyes & feet for sudden transitions. Prioritizes ball security. Pushes through initial contact and falls forward for yardage. Converts short-yardage carries with downhill mentality and forward lean.
weaknesses: Average early burst to keep defenses from crowding his runs.. Lacks creativity to find alternate pathways when needed. Needs better strain and finish to keep his QBs protected.
grade: 6.10 (Good backup with potential to develop as a starter)
TE Mason Taylor - LSU 6'5", 251
2024: 3rd All-SEC, 55rec/546yds/2TDs
strengths: Very natural mover with above-average athleticism. Capable at running an expanded route tree. Tracks & adjusts to throws with ideal consistency. Plucks throws with natural hands and good extension. Good body control with late adjustments on move blocks.
weaknesses: One-speed route runner who lacks attention to detail. Needs to improve his physicality and leverage inside the route. Requires better technique & commitment as a blocker. Needs to bring his hands inside to improve block sustain.
grade: 6.40 (Will become a good starter within 2 years)
comp: Dallas Goedert
QB Will Howard - Ohio St 6'4", 236
2024: 3rd All-BIG 10, 73%, 40,010yds, 35TDs/10INTs, 105att/226yds/7TDs
combine: 31.5"vert, 9'4"broad
strengths: Can work off-platform with relative ease & efficiency. Throws from a grounded base with good mechanics and repeatable delivery. Able to buy time for routes to develop when pressured. Has poise, accuracy & touch to beat a blitzing defense. Uses legs on zone-read and for short-yardage carries.
weaknesses: Can be mechanical & predictable from the pocket. Will struggle to beat NFL corners when throwing outside the numbers or into tight windows. Not enough eye manipulation to keep defenders guessing. Had some contested throws bailed out by WR's ball skills.
grade: 5.90 (Average backup/Special Teamer)
comp: Blake Bortles
QB Jaxson Dart - Ole Miss 6'2", 223
2024: 1st All-SEC, 69.3%, 4,279yds, 29TDs/6INTs, 124att/495yds/3TDs
strengths: Gets across the full field of progressions when he needs to. Recognizes potential trouble and gets away from it. Beats man coverage when making predetermined throws. Very accurate with his back-shoulder fades. Runs with early acceleration & vision in the open field.
weaknesses: Deep zone coverages slowed his momentum & consistency. Lazy footwork forces him into muscled throws at times. Displayed inconsistencies with decisiveness in his reads. Throws feel very labored when he's forced to work off-platform. Deep throws lack energy and force WRs to break stride.
grade: 6.17 (Good backup with potential to develop as a starter)
comp: Gardner Minshew
DT Derrick Harmon - Oregon 6' 4 1/2", 313
2024: 2nd AP All-American/3rd All-BIG 10, 45tckls.10.5TFLs, 5scks, 4PBUs, 2FFs
combine: 4.95s 40,
strengths: Versatility to play up & down the line in odd or even fronts. Punch is quick, powerful & efficient to stall the block. Capable as a block collector to keep his LB clean. Uses arm-over or rip move to penetrate the gap. Creates rush momentum to roll downhill once he hits an edge.
weaknesses: Gets caught behind lateral blocks when he shouldn't. Inconsistent to finish his plays after gaining an advantage. Rush is linear with a lack of upper-body turn to flip edges. Footwork becomes too static, prevents secondary rush. Pad level and agility issues create missed tackles in tight quarters.
grade: 6.38 (Will eventually become a plus starter)
comp: Daquan Jones
QB Quinn Ewers - Texas 6'2", 214
2024: 2nd All-SEC, 65.8%, 3,472yds, 31TDs/12INTs, 2 rushing TDs
strengths: Makes it look easy when he's working in rhythm. Arm talent to make trick-shot throws from a variety of angles. Gets the ball out in a hurry with just the flick of his wrist. Capable of making touch throws from off-platform. Throws with consistent accuracy on boot-action rollouts.
weaknesses: Can be fooled from pre-snap to post-snap looks by defense. Gets stuck on his 1st read, regardless of coverage. Lazy footwork forces WRs to break stride to make the catch. Will throw late and put too much air under some downfield throws. Must improve his feel & response to edge pressure.
grade: 6.15 (Good backup with potential to develop as a starter)
comp: Sam Howell/Kelly Holcomb
S Xavier Watts - Notre Dame 6', 204
2024: Consensus All-American, 82tckls/3.5TFLs, 6INTs/1TD, 10PBUs, 1FF/1FR
strengths: Plays with excellent twitch & anticipation. Tremendous ball skills and feel for passing lanes. Very rapid diagnosis & response to the run. Displays good pre-snap recognition of play design.
weaknesses: Can be frenetic with false steps at the top of the route. Below-average body control and reactive agility. Lacks discipline & patience when defending the run. Reckless pursuit leverage creates open cutback lanes. Must come to balance and drop his entry point as an NFL tackler.
grade: 6.37 (Will eventually become a plus starter)
comp: Malik Hooker
S Jaylen Reed - Penn St 6', 211
2024: 2nd All-BIG 10, 98tckls, 2.5scks, 3INTs/1TD, 3PBUs, 1FF/1FR
combine: 4.49s 40, 33.5"vert, 19reps
strengths: Sees route developments from zone coverage. Trusts instincts & eyes for quick trigger on the throw. Does a good job of slipping blocks to find work as a tackler.
weaknesses: Misreads & mental mistakes were costly. Lacks play speed and range for single-high looks. Comes in hot and lacks agility to recover as an open-field tackler.
grade: 5.88 (Average backup/Special teamer)