The Rookie Scouting Portfolio (RSP)

Category: 2015 NFL Draft

  • RSP Film Room No.17: Clemson DE Vic Beasley

    RSP Film Room No.17: Clemson DE Vic Beasley

    Seeking an edge rusher to end a quarterback’s world? Some say there are few finer in this 2015 NFL Draft class than Clemson edge man Vic Beasley. The 6-2, 235-pound former high school running back is atop many a draft board because of his explosive play off the line, the ability to run the arc,…

  • Performance In Context: Play Design Matters

    Performance In Context: Play Design Matters

    You don’t need to be an X and O’s genius to develop a good eye for talent. However,  a solid understanding of basic play design is an integral part of developing perspective and context.  A carry of Florida running back Matt Jones in the Gators’ contest with Kentucky offers a simple, but compelling example. First, watch the…

  • Jameis Winston: Leadership (On Stage and Behind the Curtain)

    Jameis Winston: Leadership (On Stage and Behind the Curtain)

    I find it wholly appropriate that I’m writing about Winston two years to the night that a FSU freshman accused the quarterback of rape, because the man’s off-field behavior requires analysis within the context of evaluating his NFL prospects. I could pretend to be objective about Winston, but I won’t. His off-field behavior disturbs me. I…

  • Trick Shot Hero: WR Ezell Ruffin

    Trick Shot Hero: WR Ezell Ruffin

    This week’s Boiler Room isn’t on a top prospect, but the Aztecs’ Ruffin often makes his position look E-Z.  I don’t know if he will be fast enough for the NFL. And as soon as he has a serious block of time to devote to routes, he better hit the practice field with an expert. What I…

  • No-Huddle Series: Have You Seen WR Sean Price?

    No-Huddle Series: Have You Seen WR Sean Price?

    Do you know the whereabouts of this talented wide receiver who has been missing since booted from his team in October 2013?   Kinks in the “Draft Is a Good Predictor of Talent” Model I don’t buy the argument that the NFL Draft does a good job of predicting talent. If you look at the…

  • RSP Film Room No.15: A Duo of WR Devantes

    RSP Film Room No.15: A Duo of WR Devantes

    Matt Harmon and I review two receivers by the name of “Devante” and if we had our druthers, it’s the lesser-known one we’re more excited about.  Batman and Robin. Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens. DeVante Parker and Devante Davis. When I think of the comic book duo Johnson and Owens come to this football writer’s…

  • Futures: Six Memorable Lessons About Talent Evaluation

    Futures: Six Memorable Lessons About Talent Evaluation

    This week’s Futures makes a visit to the past. Matt Waldman lists the 10 most influential prospects in his development as a talent evaluator. This will be the tenth season that I publish the Rookie Scouting Portfolio. One of the most frequent questions readers ask is, Who were your greatest hits and misses? It’s an…

  • RSP Film Room No.14: QB Jameis Winston w/Sigmund Bloom

    RSP Film Room No.14: QB Jameis Winston w/Sigmund Bloom

    Sigmund Bloom returns to the RSP Film Room for a first look at Jameis Winston and the FSU quarterback makes it look easy under difficult circumstances. Say what you will about the Florida State quarterback off the field, but when he dons the pads and helmet he’s impressive. Bloom and I studied the 2014 Notre…

  • No-Huddle Series: Rice WR Jordan Taylor

    No-Huddle Series: Rice WR Jordan Taylor

    Who is Jordan Taylor and why should you keep tabs on him?  Seeing what others don’t when scouting a player often means you’re either equipped with pixie dust or the gunpowder. Get it right and it’s magic, get it wrong and it can blow up in your face.  That’s the dramatic, bottom-line story you’ll see in…

  • Futures: Dorial Green-Beckham

    Futures: Dorial Green-Beckham

    Futures: Oklahoma WR Dorial Green-Beckham By Matt Waldman In the end, we’re going to overcomplicate the simple, and they’re likely to oversimplify what’s complicated. “We” are the media and fans, “they” are the NFL, and wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham embodies both “simple” and “complicated.” The ridiculously talented football player with a hyphenated last name (which…