-
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…
-
RSP Film Room No.22: DE Shawn Oakman (Baylor)
Shawn Oakman will surely earn serious consideration on physical potential alone. See what he’ll need to address at the next level. He’s built like the ultimate professional wrestling heel and plays that positional equivalent in football. However, when does having a comic book body become an asset or liability for a player like Baylor defensive…
-
Boiler Room: Michigan State WR Tony Lippett
Who does your quarterback dial-up when he needs a play? Free agent Nate Washington isn’t at the top of most teams’ shopping lists when it comes to primary starters on the open marker. However, Washington has been the Titans receiver most likely to answer the phone on the first ring. Washington’s speed, timing, and aerial prowess…
-
WR Tony Jones: Economy of Movement
Recently, I profiled what can happen when a receiver leaves the ground too willingly. Let’s look at Northwestern’s Tony Jones, a receiver who understands economy of movement with a high target. “Eyes to the Sky, Feet on the Ground” has its own specific display on a 20-yard reception, a target not even intended for Jones on…
-
Seeing Two Games In One: Projecting College Performance to the NFL
Effective personnel evaluation requires a little bit of time travel, seeing double, and a rich imagination. See below. I’m among the football writers you’ll read or listen to on a podcast explain that it’s important to know the difference between “college” accuracy and “pro” accuracy. When described, it often means tighter passing lanes against zone…
-
RSP Film Room No.21: Auburn QB Nick Marshall
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn says Nick Marshall can become an NFL quarterback. Alex Brown of Optimum Scouting and I watch the QB and discuss. As quick as I’m offering you a chance to study Nick Marshall, I’m asking you to forget him for a brief moment. Watch this film room session because you’re going to…
-
2015 RSP Early Bird Discount!
Pre-order the 2015 Rookie Scouting Portfolio Until February 10 for $17.95! “Best thing I’ll buy this year . . .” -Bob Harris, Fantasy Football Hall Fame inductee and editor of Fantasy Sports Publications, Inc. For the past four years, I’ve had readers ask me to make the RSP available for pre-order. My first thought three…
-
RSP Film Room No.20: Nebraska WR/KR Kenny Bell
There are six plays from Odell Beckham’s LSU tape that made me a fan of his game. Bell isn’t Odell Beckham, but the reasons I like his game aren’t much different on tape. I’m a fan of quick, physical, technically sound, smart, and versatile football players. Kenny Bell hits these marks. I’ve seen three games of…
-
What I’ve Learned: Context and Perspective Trump Technique
A football writer called me up yesterday morning and broached a topic that I believe separates the savvier talent analysts from the less nuanced: quarterback mechanics. “How important are quarterback mechanics and what do you make of analysts that cite them as critical cause-effect issues with the development or lack of development of a passer?”…
-
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…