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Senior Bowl Practice Wrap: Offense – 2017 NFL Draft Prospects
Conclusions from this week of practices. As someone who studies film yearlong, the Senior Bowl has a different purpose for me than those in the media who are just getting acquainted with prospects. While I haven’t studied every player before traveling to Mobile, I’ve usually seen 85-95 percent of them. The Senior Bowl offers a…
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RSP Boiler Room NO.75: Christian McCaffery (Stanford) – Runner
I value plays that go off script when studying prospects. Here’s one with Stanford’s star runner. Christian McCaffery is growing on me. In terms of ranking, I don’t know exactly what that means yet. What I can tell you is that I like him and if subsequent viewings help me answer remaining questions in a…
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Senior Bowl Day 2: Offense – 2017 NFL Draft Prospects
It was an action-packed day for both teams. Continuing the theme that players are on different development tracks and coaches recognize it, there’s no better place to begin on Day 2 than with the South wide receivers and Al Saunders.The work that the venerable receiving coach of the Browns revealed great intel on each of…
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RSP Boiler Room No.74: Christian McCaffery (Stanford) – Blocker
It’s a play like this that illustrates how promising a rookie RB’s chances will be to make an early impact in the NFL. Want to know if a rookie runner will see the field? After you determine he has the basic skills to contribute with the ball in his hands, you better examine what he…
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Senior Bowl Day 1: First Impressions, Offense
Matt Waldman shares his notebook on the weigh-in and Day 1 of practice. Prologue The first day of practice is both the most and least important of the week. It’s the least important when considering the results. Day 1 winners and losers are for pop media consumption and as forgettable as a sugary snack that…
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RSP Film Room NO.94: RB Joe Mixon (Oklahoma) – Extended Look
A deeper look at Mixon’s footwork and on-field decision-making. My business is about the evaluation of NFL talent at the skill positions. The scope of that business isn’t the evaluation of that prospect’s character. I’ll write editorials about it. I’ll share my life experiences as it relates to character. And I’ll philosophize about leadership, the…
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A Senior Bowl Primer
What I’ve learned about these practices and events and how I approach them. [Matt’s Note: I originally wrote this in 2017. With minor updates, these thoughts still apply.] Whether you’re a writer attending the Senior Bowl for the first time or you’re new to the all-star game as a fan, I’m sharing my perspective here.…
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RSP Film Room RB/WR Samajie Grant (Arizona)
Watch a 5-8 (-ish), 175-pound ballcarrier channel his inner Barry and Walter—on the same play. Good football players come in all shapes and sizes. The three things that most have in common are toughness, effort, and creativity. Arizona slot receiver and part-time running back Samajie Grant has these three qualities and pound-for-pound, he’s one of…
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RSP Boiler Room No.71: RB Stanley “Boom” Williams (Kentucky)
If the back from Kentucky known as Boom doesn’t want have an NFL career that fizzles, he’ll need to step up his pass protection. Pass protection begins with attitude. It’s true. An aggressive mindset is the root of good blocking from the running back position. It’s only one game, but Stanley Williams lacked this quality against…
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RSP Film Room No.87: RB Dalvin Cook (FSU)
An extended look at the FSU star. Despite the 20-plus minutes on Dalvin Cook in this RSP Film Room, there’s more that I want to see from the FSU back before I feel comfortable with my overall assessment of him. I’m sold that he’s one of the safest bets in this class of runners, but I’m…