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Futures: The Inner Game & the 2015 Class
I host a weekly show on YouTube called The RSP Film Room. I suppose this is an indirect promo, but that’s not the intent. There’s a larger point to broaching it here. Typically 60 to 80 minutes long, the show is a Google Hangout where two football analysts watch a prospect’s cutups. We comment on […]
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Futures: Michigan TE/WR Devin Funchess
Futures: Michigan WR/TE Devin Funchess By Matt Waldman (Beginning today, Matt Waldman’s Futures column moves to Wednesdays through the 2015 NFL Draft.) Is Devin Funchess a wide receiver or a tight end? The easiest answer is It depends on the team and scheme. NFL.com quoted an anonymous NFL personnel executive who compared Funchess to Jimmy […]
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Futures at Football Outsiders: FSU TE Nick O’Leary
Need a player who will do the dirty work to keep your quarterback looking and playing clean like Heath Miller does for Roethlisberger? Nick O’Leary is your man. A pervasive theme of this year’s Futures is the profiling of football players who transcend the typical boundaries of their position. Hines Ward comes to mind as […]
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Futures: UCLA LB-RB Myles Jack
Futures: UCLA LB-RB Myles Jack By Matt Waldman “Myles Jack once took a knee in a victory formation . . . it was a 38-yard gain.” This is the lead comment to describe a collection of Myles Jack highlights on YouTube. The nod to the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in The World ad campaign […]
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Futures at Football Outsiders: Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah
Abdullah could get lost in a strong class of running backs with size and speed, but good, all-round football players are just as hard to find. What is your favorite position to watch? I get this question a lot. Originally it was running back. It’s the most intuitive and improvisational role on a football field. […]
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Futures: My Expansion Franchise
You’ve just been awarded an NFL expansion team and must build your personnel department. Go. Futures: My Expansion Franchise By Matt Waldman When the writer of Smartfootball.com suggests that, “you should storify that series of tweets,” it’s a take on a subject worth further exploration. The topic came courtesy of Luke Easterling (@NFLDraftReport) who, on […]
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Futures – Intuition and Process: FSU RB Karlos Williams
Futures: FSU RB Karlos Williams by Matt Waldman People love the idea of being one step ahead of everyone else. It’s why the question, “Who is a player you like in next year’s draft?” is one of the most common I receive. I spend so much time studying the prospects most likely to declare for this year’s […]
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Futures at Football Outsiders: UCLA RB Malcolm Jones
Futures: Buy One, Get Three Free? by Matt Waldman “Fit” is a recurring theme in this year’s Futures. Talent plus fit can create a superstar. The stories about LaRoi Glover and John Randle’s career births are prominent examples. Drew Brees was a Pro Bowl performer in San Diego, but his fit with Sean Payton in New Orleans helped Brees […]
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Futures: Arizona State DT Will Sutton
The Arizona State defensive tackle’s story is turning into another example of where the system is focused on spotting flaws more than serious consideration of how to maximize available talent. Futures: Arizona State DT Will Sutton By Matt Waldman Unusual. Not typical. Uncommon. Extraordinary. These are all meanings of “exceptional”. The best talent evaluators create […]
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Futures at Football Outsiders: Venric Mark, Offensive Weapon?
Venric Mark: Offensive Weapon? by Matt Waldman A couple of months ago, an employee from an NFL player-personnel department asked for preliminary input on a project he’s undertaking. He asked me to relay things I watch when I study offensive skill players that he could quantify. One of the things I shared pertains to running backs. What […]