-
Matt Waldman’s RSP Flashback: DeAngelo Williams Scouting Report vs. Ole Miss
Matt Waldman’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio shares its 2006 game report on DeAngelo Williams facing Patrick Willis and Ole Miss. 2006 was the first year I published the Rookie Scouting Portfolio. One of my favorite backs in this rich class of talent was DeAngelo Williams, my No. 2 option behind Reggie Bush, who, like most, captured…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens Falcons RB Devonta Freeman: What a Finisher Looks Like
Look up “finisher” in the football encyclopedia of slang and Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens reveals why Falcons running back Devonta Freeman should be one of the examples pictured. It’s startling that Devonta Freeman and Leonard Fournette have something in common as running backs with two different styles. Freeman is one of the best zone…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens: What Makes LeVeon Bell So Good?
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens shows why Steelers Le’Veon Bell is among the best runners in the game today and what young backs should notice. Don’t come here looking for an editorial about Bell’s contract; just let me know when the Days of Our Lives has its reconciliation scene. I’m here for the football, and Bell’s…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens Carolina RB Christian McCaffrey: This Is Good Footwork
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens shares a Christian McCaffrey run that illustrates why mature footwork involves keeping the feet on the ground as much as possible. This is Christian McCaffrey running downhill in the Carolina Panthers offense. Yes, this was a rare sight last year in Charlotte, because the coaching staff got gadget-happy with the rookie…
-
RSP Boiler Room No. 150 RB Patrick Laird (Cal): Footwork vs. Penetration And A Lesson From Chris Johnson
Matt Waldman’s RSP Boiler Room shows how NFL Draft prospect Patrick Laird and former NFL running back Chris Johnson approach the same scenario. NFL players offer an abundance of lessons for college players and would make them instantly more productive. Patrick Laird is a productive college back but he could take his game to another level…
-
RSP Sample Scouting Report: Titans RB Dion Lewis
Matt Waldman’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio shares its pre-draft scouting report on Titans running back Dion Lewis. Patience, Grasshopper. That’s the best phrase to encapsulate the running backs from the 2011 NFL Draft class. I thought 13 backs where draftable talents: Mark Ingram: An intelligent runner with as high of a floor as any running back prospect…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens: The Tyreek Hill Template for 2018 Tarik Cohen
Matt Waldman’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio examines how Bears head coach Matt Nagy could transition Tarik Cohen into a Tyreek Hill role. An excellent NFL weapon, Tyreek Hill was not remotely the caliber of running back that Tarik Cohen was when both were in college. Hill’s transition to the wide receiver position made sense. Cohen lacks Hill’s…
-
Matt Waldman’s NFL Lens RB Tarik Cohen’s 2017 Review and 2018 Preview
Matt Waldman’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio NFL Lens examines Chicago Bears weapon Tarik Cohen, noting the successes in 2017 and the opportunities for more in 2018. Cohen was my top situational running back in my 2017 pre-draft publication of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio: An electrifying player, Cohen is a slippery athlete with phone booth quicks and…
-
RSP Boiler Room No. 146 RB Karan Higdon (Michigan): Quality Over Quantity
Michigan running back Karan Higdon doesn’t see a lot of targets in the passing game. Matt Waldman’s RSP Boiler Room examines one of those rare opportunities for the 2019 NFL Draft prospect. Michigan. Jim Harbaugh. Big offensive linemen. Power football. If we were sitting in a candle-lit room with incense and a crystal ball while chanting…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens: How RB Derrius Guice Enhances the Short Passing Game
Matt Waldman’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio illustrates how Derrius Guice will enhance pass plays from run-heavy looks. The influx of rookie running back talent into the NFL is the most promising I’ve seen since publishing the first Rookie Scouting Portfolio in 2006. Washington’s Derrius Guice is one of the headliners. A physical back with excellent footwork…