Big Cat weeknd visitors ESPN evaluations - 2nd half

[AUSportTalk 4]

JONATHAN MINCY

Mincy is a well-rounded, athletic cornerback prospect who can simply find the football in coverage and make plays. Does not show elite skill set in one particularly area but is versed in zone and man schemes. Has just adequate height but a longer, rangier body. Is high-cut aiding his good acceleration and makeup speed but often hindering his ability to stop-start and mirror in off-man. Excels in deep man-to-man coverage; soundly tracks the throw, adjusts his body and goes up to attack the football. Shows good leaping and high-pointing skills. Opens and turns smoothly for a longer corner and flips his hips fluidly when transition to run vertical in man-to-man. Displays good recovery burst. Equally impressive anticipating the pass, and breaking quickly underneath in zone schemes. Shows above average explosiveness and strong plant and drive skill closing the cushion and jumping underneath routes. However, he does need some polish in technique as he's relied on a lot of natural abilityand speed in high school. Can be high and a bit rigid in his pedal and does not play with a lot of bend in his knees hindering sharpness out of breaks as well as redirection skill. Shows wasted motion at times transitioning out of his pedal underneath due to lack of hip sink. Has desired arm length to press but not the upper-body strength yet to jam /reroute bigger receivers at the next level. Shows he can be physical when collisioning routes but can struggle at times setting the edge on run support and wrapping up soundly as a tackler without lunging. Overall, Mincy brings a lot of natural ability to the table as defensive back. He has good very speed, ball skills and athleticism. Good range and deep coverage skills may garner a look at safety as well if he can continue to physically develop. Return skills add to his upside.

LADARIUS OWENS

Owens is a bit of tweener outside linebacker/defensive end but a very talented prospect from a physical standpoint. Has smaller size if projected as an end but has a longer wingspan/frame and is really well-built and put-together. Comes off the ball fast with good get-off and does a good job attacking half the body and getting an upfield push. Shows good short-area power and explosiveness jolting blockers back at the point of attack and separating. Very difficult to seal off with his good blend of quickness, power and body length on the edge. Excels as a pass-rusher. Works half the blocker's body, keeps good separation and can get under the blocker's pads and bend. Collapses the pocket quickly. Shows good backside chase speed and range making outside linebacker, particularly in a 3-4 a good possibility. Strong, high-impact tackler but can overrun the ball and cutback at times. He is better attacking vertically than laterally and can struggles breaking down sharply/fluidly in space. Marginal coverage skills are a concern. Shows good short-area redirection skill but hips can appear stiff in space and displays wasted motion opening to turn and pursue or get back in coverage. Mobile but not a great space player and may have difficulty playing on the outside in a prototypical 4-3 defense. That said, Owens can close on the football and cover a lot of ground with his good length, motor and straight-line acceleration; may develop into a strong side %u2018backer with some polish and put his hand on the ground on 3rd downs. A tweener but should offer his future defensive coordinator good scheme versatility and a disruptive presence on the edge. Great upside; a defender with a lot of room for both physical and positional development.

TROVON REED

Reed is one of the most explosive and sudden prospects this class has to offer. He plays as a wing/slot in a run oriented option scheme when he is asked to carry the ball far more than he receives it, but his open field run skills are in the elite category. He has good size and a lean build that will continue to bulk up and mature. Has experience as a safety and return man, but his playmaking skills should keep him on offense as a wide receiver. Reed gets from zero to 60 in a hurry and can wiggle and cut with the best of them. Possesses tremendous vision and lateral agility-- has eyes in the back of his head when he gets to the second level. His top end speed is outstanding and he is a homerun threat every time he catches the football. He is the type of player that is capable of making multiple defenders miss in a short area of space and has a great feel for what is going on around him. His feet, hips and ability to accelerate could make for a great corner prospect, but much like Andre Debose in the 2009 class it is likely he will end up on offense where you can get the ball in his hands on a consistent basis. Reed is a guy that will create mismatches and you better know where he is lined up when the huddle breaks. He is going to have to develop as a true wide receiver in terms of route running techniques and experience, but the learning curve won't take long. Overall, Reed from a pure talent level standpoint could be a guy that contributes right away and he could do so at more than one position. Outstanding prospect.

JEREMY RICHARDSON

Richardson is a mammoth prospect that we feel may actually be a better fit on defense somewhere as opposed to wide receiver. We are not sure he is quite as tall as his listed measurables, but nonetheless he has great size, range and athleticism. He is not a quick-twitch athlete, but more of a lumbering, speed builder as he goes. He looks like a hybrid RB/H-back in his stature with good overall strength as a runner. Is a huge target in the underneath passing game with long arms and big hands. Uses his frame to muscle and position himself against smaller DB's as a route runner. He is not afraid to go up and attack the ball in the air. He shows good movement skills and has a nice feel for finding the open areas in zone. He is effective in the open field and runs with good body lean and can side step defenders in space. He also has a physical side to him and will make tacklers have to drag him down. However, Richardson lacks polish as a route runner. He tends to round off routes and doesn't always explode out of the break. He must work to become more explosive off the line and down field when attempting to get separation. Lacks overall burst and suddenness as a ball carrier and route runner. Has extensive and productive experience as a return specialist, but against top level competition would likely not have the same success he has at this level due to a difference in speed closing in on him. He has the look of a linebacker both athletically and in his demeanor, but as far as being a game-breaker at the next level on offense we just don't see the explosiveness or change-of-direction necessary at the highest level. Overall, Richardson has range, ball skills and very good awareness. He is just a great athlete that may need to switch positions for the next level to maximize his upside as a football player.

LACHE SEASTRUNK

Fast, explosive, electric, either way you slice it, Seastrunk is arguably one of this class' biggest game-breakers at the running back position. He lacks ideal size but is very well-built, defined and his tight, quick twitched body allows him to run and play much bigger. Is very sudden through the hole and reaches top speed by just his second or third step. Displays great feet and quickness picking and darting his way through the initial traffic. Knows how to make himself thin and demonstrates excellent body control and balance. Runs with his eyes seeing the small creases open quickly. Has loose hips, great stop-start skill and can cut/change direction on a dime making him very slippery to wrap up cleanly. Flashes excellent speed, burst and acceleration when he finds a north-south seam. For a shorter back, he has a longer, smoother stride when he breaks free in the second level and shows he can switch gears and pull away from faster pursuing defensive backs. While he shows great perimeter speed and lateral quickness bouncing the zone play outside, we would like to see him get north more decisively as a runner. Can have a tendency to waste lateral east-west steps and won't be able to take those unnecessary lateral cuts at the next level versus faster pursuing defenders. We question his in-line running strength and potential for yards after contact production in college. Struggles at times breaking initial tackles; overall running power is not a strong area and does not project well as a high carry, durable back. That said, Seastrunk is a playmaker with the ball in his hands and we expect him to get touches in a variety of ways at the next level. Should make an ideal "space player" in the spread if he can polish up his receiving skills. An imediate threat in the return game.

JAMES STONE

Stone is a tough and athletic offensive lineman that loves the physical contact. He has very good size and carries his nearly 300 pound frame with ease. Extremely quick out of his stance and gets into the defensive lineman immediately. Must be careful to not be too elongated in stance; at times over-strides and gets hurt with inside slant move. Has quick hands and does a good job of delivering a powerful first punch on the defender. Really works the hands throughout the block but must be careful with hand placement; sometimes hits a little high with initial blow and finds in tough to lock the hands into the body of the defender. At times is a little high but his churning leg drive and outstanding effort makes up for it. Shows the ability in short yardage to really come off the ball with a flat back and completely dominate the man across from him. Very solid reach and zone blocker that can secure the edge and also climb to the second level with no loss of balance or body control. Does a very good job of picking up second level defenders in the openfield and can adjust well in space due to quickness and agility. A very sound pass protector that uses his hands and long arms weapons to stop and control the pass rusher. Athleticism is shown by running a speed rusher well overtop allowing the quarterback to step up in the pocket. Also adjusts to inside slant move by flattening down and burying the rusher to the inside. Stone has great potential and can develop into a difference maker at the offensive tackle position. He simply needs to fine tune some basic skills in relation to hand placement and stance consistency. He has exceptional athletic talent, outstanding mobility and gives great effort every play. Has a real chance to play early at the next level.

MICHAEL THORNTON

Thornton is a bit lacking in ideal measurements. He is though a physical kid with solid size and hopefully he can still pack on some more good bulk as he gets into a college weight program. He is a tough run defender. He displays good explosiveness out of his stance and consistently comes off the ball with good pad level. Flashes the ability to combine that leverage with the use of his hands. When he brings his hands he can create some separation and hold his ground. He does a good job of being able to attack half-a-man and get into his gap and is then able to shed and attack the ball. He needs to be a bit more consistent with the use of his hands as he can tend at times to be a banger and want to lead shoulder first and try and deliver a pop. Will flash the ability to find his weapons and still separate, but is more likely to get caught up and not be able to come off the block. He is a solid wrap-up tackler. He really seems best against the run at this point. As a pass rusher he will engage and create some space. He is a bull rusher who displays the able to shed his man once he gets back to quarterback depth. You wish Thornton had a little more natural size, but the kid is a productive player who could be tough versus the run.

JAWARA WHITE

White is a very active outside linebacker with great size and overall physical tools for a program to mold. Has an impressive frame with good bulk, length and the body structure to continue adding size. Diagnoses the play soundly and shows good reactive athleticism. Can run well and flashes good athleticism despite being a bit straight-lined. Displays good range on both run and pass support but his short-area burst, power and overall tools may be his best attribute. Closes quickly in space on the football and is difficult to outflank to the perimeter. Not going to reach this guy often on outside with his quickness, body length and strong lockout skills. Shows good physicality at the point of attack and holds his ground. Snaps back blockers with his good short-area power and upper-body strength. Plays with good overall leverage but does need to play with consistent sink in his hips. Redirects and recovers very quickly even when he loses outside leverage on the ball. Makes very solid contact as a tackler and drives through ball carriers limiting second efforts; does need to avoid leaving his feet. Far from just a physically superior defender, this guy can turn and get depth in coverage. Shows good mobility mirroring, vertical closing speed blanketing his underneath zone and ball skills. While very disruptive and difficult to block off the edge, he is a much better vertical attacker than lateral. We question his ability to slip fluidly under the cutoff block and pursue laterally through the wash. Struggles at times reading, reacting and getting off blocks quickly when stacking from normal linebacker depth. Appears straight-lined at times and occasionally looks a bit raw, but he has very good vertical speed and attacking skills. If he can continue to physically develop he may be an ideal fit for a 3-4 scheme with his experience and comfortable level playing on the edge. Good under the radar prospect with a lot of upside and tools to mold.

Evaluations not available for Ken Adams, Victor Beasley, Antonio Goodwin, Nigel Terrell.