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RSP Futures: QB Bryce Young (Alabama)by David Igono
RSP analyst David Igono illustrates why Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has met the lofty expectations that today’s college game demands of underclassmen starters while also showing the promise to develop into an NFL prospect. Thanks to the transfer portal and NIL — name, image, and likeness compensation — we now have a college football environment […]
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Futures: 2015 Time Capsule Mock (Open Again in 2018)
Thanks and Goodbye Today’s column is my last at Football Outsiders. I have enjoyed my three-year run with the site and I appreciate the opportunity to write here. It’s a fine staff of writers and I especially wish to thank past and present writers Doug Farrar, Tom Gower, Rivers McCown, Ben Muth, Mike Tanier, […]
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Futures: Washington DT Danny Shelton
Shelton comps to Dontari Poe and Haloti Ngata? Waldman explores some of the data and poetry involved and doesn’t see it. By Matt Waldman Scouts have a love-hate relationship with player comparisons. Get them right and your audience gains a true understanding of a particular player. Get them wrong and it’s like playing the wrong […]
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Futures: Winston, Hundley, Mariota, and Footwork
Futures: Winston, Hundley, Mariota, and Footwork by Matt Waldman More film analysis forthcoming at Futures, especially on the Big Uglies, the island inhabitants on the perimeter, and the rovers and enforcers of the defense. In the meantime, indulge me one more week on offensive skill players. After all, I finished a 220-page skill position draft […]
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Futures at Football Outsiders: The Knife, the Pencil, and Rookie Rankings
I hate rookie rankings. You love rookie rankings. It’s a beautiful relationship. Seriously, I hate rookie rankings. It’s a black-and-white expression of 18 to 24 months of research and analysis that has more than 500 shades of grey. Why in the hell would I want to distill it to a “yes-he’s-good”/”no-he’s-not” proposition? Because as much […]
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Futures: Deep Diving for Small-School Sleepers
TE James O’Shaughnessy, WRs Darius Davis and Dezmin Lewis, and RB Zach Zenner are small-school players worth monitoring. By Matt Waldman In his recent article on CSU-Pueblo quarterback Chris Bonner, Mike Tanier referred to me and Optimum Scouting’s Eric Galko as “deep divers” of the draft analyst community. With my caps and “seafarer” grooming, I […]
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Futures: Two Non-College Prospects
Two tight ends on the Denver roster show that talent isn’t always evident at first glance. Futures: Two Non-College Prospects by Matt Waldman Some players are out of sight from NFL fans and media, but they aren’t out of mind for many NFL teams. Every new draft class may seem like the terminus of football […]
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Futures: RB Jay Ajayi, Wild Horse or Thoroughbred?
Boise State RB Jay Ajayi has the talent to have the best career of any back in this stacked 2015 draft class of runners. But he’ll need at least one firm boundary before he runs free. By Matt Waldman Jay Ajayi is a wild horse. Watching him gallop about the field, his gait and […]
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Futures: Kentucky Edge Men Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith
By Matt Waldman Football is simple. It’s a game of running, hitting, throwing, and catching. And in this simple worldview of the game, Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith are incredibly similar football players. Both are big, strong athletes with the job of protecting the edge of a defense while threatening the edge of the offense. […]
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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 […]