Category: The All-22

2024 NFL Draft: Michigan CB Mike Sainristil scouting report

Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil may be limited to the slot, but don’t box him out — he’s a plug-and-play star at a vital position in today’s NFL.

A composite three-star prospect out of Everett High School in Everett, Massachusetts, Mike Sainristil was a star receiver and cornerback who chose Michigan and totaled 37 catches on 69 targets for 541 yards and five touchdowns in his time with the Wolverines. Sainristil brought that receiver’s understanding to his role as a primary slot defender, capping out in Michigan’s national championship season of 2023 with 29 catches allowed on 50 targets for 412 yards, 206 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, six interceptions, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 71.8. He also had 29 solo tackles, 18 stops, two sacks, and 11 total pressures.

In today’s NFL, you need at least one slot defender if you want your defense to work, so don’t pass Sainristil by just because he’s limited to the inside. He’s a smart, tough, aggressive, scheme-transcendent player who can work into an NFL roster right away.

PLUSES

— Quick closer to the receiver, and has a better eye for the ball than a lot of receivers do.

— Can lay in the weeds and jump routes with excellent timing and ball skills. Six INT and six PBU in the 2023 season.

— Matches the receiver through the route in press and off coverage, and has the easy speed to work through them.

— Understands and responds to switches and route combinations. Very heady in the open field.

— Outstanding hitter for his size; he’ll come down and lay the wallop, and a lot of his pass deflections come as a result of that.

— Great blitzer who shoots gaps like a running back, and is quick enough to get to the quarterback at an angle from the slot.

MINUSES

— Size (5′ 9½”, 182 pounds) will limit him to the slot at the next level.

— Has a tendency to leave too much cushion on angular routes, leading to easy completions he has the talent to prevent.

— Not a run defender of note; he gets blocked out too easily and his tackling is more made for receivers than running backs.

— Frenetic play style will have him biting on movement and action in the backfield.

— Will lose physical battles with tight ends and bigger receivers off the snap and up the seam.

We’re past the eras in which slot defenders were thought of in a pejorative sense; in a time when nickel is the new base defense, if you don’t have at least one good slot guy against a plethora of 3×1 and empty sets, your defense is going to be in trouble. Sainristil projects as a plug-and-play slot man with some hybrid safety potential, and I think that gives him second-round juice.

2024 NFL Draft: Florida State DL Braden Fiske scouting report

Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske had an amazing scouting combine, but his NFL team had better have a clear plan for his on-field success.

There are those draft prospects who show up at the scouting combine ready to demolish every test, forcing NFL evaluators to go back to their tape with a new eye for things. Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske was one such prospect at the 2024 combine, as he put up testing numbers among the best for any interior defensive lineman in recent memory.

Fiske did destroy the 2024 combine in a positive sense, but what does that mean for his NFL future? After four seasons at Western Michigan, Fiske transferred to Florida State in time for the 2023 season, amassing six sacks, 28 total pressures, 29 solo tackles, and 26 stops against stronger competition. His athleticism on tape absolutely aligns with what we saw at the combine, but Fiske’s deployment at the next level will be crucial to his success — whoever drafts him had better have a very clear plan.

PLUSES

— Preposterous combine numbers show up on tape when he has to chase down quarterbacks and running backs in the open field.

— Has a great move to cross the face of the blocker and slip in to pressure.

— Shoots out of the gate right off the snap; less reactive blockers could get beaten before they get their hands up.

— Can be dynamite on stunts and games with the ability to cross multiple gaps with ease.

MINUSES

— Really short arms (31″, third percentile for IDL), and he’ll get negated by power and double-teams without more of a plan with his hands.

— More of an immediate speed-rusher than a guy who will win leverage battles.

— Might be maxed-out physically; not sure if you can add more than his 292 pounds without making him look more like a guard.

Fiske is an interesting prospect — a tweener in a lot of ways. His height may preclude him from winning leverage, and his weight gets in the way in power situations.

His NFL team will need to have a VERY clear plan for him. I’d put him on the edge more often than the Seminoles did, just to take advantage of his unusual athleticism, and he could be a real boss in a stunt-heavy front.

2024 NFL Draft: Florida State CB Renardo Green scouting report

Florida State cornerback Renardo Green has every attribute you want in an outside defender… except for ideal size. Where does that put him in the NFL?

A three-star prospect out of Wekiva High School in Apopka, Florida, Renardo Green chose Florida State over Ohio State and had 164 snaps as a true freshman in 2019. Green’s first prominent season was 2021, when he allowed an opponent passer rating of 46.5 on 121 coverage snaps. That put him in line for more opportunities both outside and in the slot (especially outside), and in 2023, he gave up 31 catches on 60 targets for 290 yards, 103 yards after the catch, one interception, three touchdowns, 13 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 75.0.

Green has just about every attribute you want in an outside cornerback except for prototypical size. I will be fascinated to see how his NFL team deploys him.

PLUSES

— Green is a complete pain in the ass when he’s pressed up on the receiver and follows to the boundary on anything vertical; he’ll glue himself to his guy, and he’s very tough to shake. Ask Malik Nabers about that re: the video below.

— Very smart in his transitions in man/match; he’ll move foot-for-foot with the receiver.

— Has a good sense of landmark switches in zone coverage. — Brings some value as a free blitzer in open space.

— Played just 18% of his snaps in the slot last season, but absolutely has the movement skills to deal with choice and option routes inside.

MINUSES

— Size (5′ 11⅞”, 186 pounds) shows up on contested balls downfield; Green had 13 pass breakups last season, but if he can time those better and use what height he does have, there could be more interceptions.

— Savvier receivers at the NFL level might have him in a box to start with their foot feints; Green can be led the wrong way with the right look.

— Not a run defender to any degree; Green will get blocked out pretty easily and his tackling is more gnatty than anything else.

— Physical style could lead to more penalties in the NFL, especially if he keeps face-guarding as much as he does now.

The Seminoles trusted Green to be a boundary corner at his size, and he responded very well for the most part. At the NFL level, I think he’d excel with a team that has multiple coverage concepts demanding that their corners see more of the field. He’s ideally an inside/outside defender with a lot of potential, especially as a press defender who can adjust after the snap.

2024 NFL Draft: Washington State safety Jaden Hicks scouting report

Washington State safety Jaden Hicks brings size and aggressiveness to the equation; he’ll excel in the right NFL defense.

A three-star prospect out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Hicks got a bit of action as a true freshman for the Cougars in 2021, and really started to make an impact as a box/slot player in 2022 with 60 solo tackles, 18 stops, one sack, eight total pressures, and one tackle for loss. Hicks was a work in progress as a coverage defender that season (33 catches allowed on 41 targets for 410 yards, 188 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, one interception, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 122.6), but he saw improvement in that department in 2023, when he allowed 20 catches on 31 targets for 170 yards, 129 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 73.3.

Hicks isn’t your traditional deep-third safety, but he could make a lot of noise in an NFL defense where he isn’t penalized for that, and he can roam as a downfield weapon in big-nickel looks and dime stuff.

PLUSES

— Box/slot enforcer with great size (6′ 1⅞”, 211 pounds) who comes down with bad intentions.

— Has the straight-line and match speed to work with receivers from the flat to up the seam.

— Has a nice sense of how to work through blocks to create tackles for loss from between the tackles to the boundary, and he can come down from the deep third quickly to erase run plays and pressure quarterbacks.

MINUSES

— Change of direction is an issue; Hicks can be stiff in his transitions and is much better as a guided missile where he can get a bead on his target and go.

— Will get over-exuberant as his target gets near, leading to some whiffs in the open field.

— Needs to adjust more quickly to changing responsibilities in zone coverage.

— Hicks will need a better plan against blocks in the open field if he wants to be a consistent stopper in the box.

— Recovery speed is average, and this shows up too often when he’s on the move or in deep-third coverage.

Hicks isn’t what I would call a traditional deep-third safety in coverage, but if you need a guy to come down and rock it in the box, he is absolutely that. A good player for heavy big-nickel teams, and he can work as a dime linebacker, too.

2024 NFL Draft: Texas IDL T’Vondre Sweat scouting report

Texas IDL T’Vondre Sweat is an intriguing combination of battleship size and motorboat short-area speed. How can he maximize it for his NFL future?

An all-state and multi-year all-district defensive lineman at Huntsville High School in  Huntsville, Texas, T’Vondre Sweat started making an impact in his freshman season, and that never really stopped. Over time, the mammoth Sweat refined his pass-rushing acumen, and in conjunction with fellow interior defensive lineman Byron Murphy, he was one half of a truly dominant duo.

The winner of the 2023 Outland Trophy, given to the NCAA’s best interior lineman, Sweat was also named 2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and he was a unanimous All-American. He did all that in a season in which he totaled two sacks, 31 total pressures, 28 solo tackles, and 26 stops. Over five seasons at Texas, Sweat had nine sacks, 69 total pressures, 82 solo tackles, and 70 stops.

For Sweat and his NFL transition, the question is simple — while not many people can get done what he can get done at his size, is there more to unlock once he’s been in a next-level training situation for a while?

PLUSES
— Played at 365 pounds in 2023 (6′ 4½”, 366 at the combine), but this is no block-sucking stationary fat dude — Sweat is quick and mobile off the snap and can do real damage in short areas.
— Arm-over move might be his best weapon; he uses it like a club to stun and edge through blockers.
— Uses his hands to stack and shed through traffic; he’s very disruptive with his upper body and is always looking to penetrate.
— Strong enough to just push blockers aside to the ballcarrier.
— Can just cut through the line with the Stunt 4-3 technique, aligned at a 45-degree angle to the blocker.
— Startlingly fast to the pocket for a guy his size, and Sweat can really move in space.
MINUSES
— Never had more than 503 snaps in a season for the Longhorns; size may limit him to rotational status.
— Late-in-game tape shows him getting doubled and limited more often.
— Impact is up-and-down as a power player; this may be due to scheme to a point.

— Has some flexibility as a defensive tackle, but he’s really best at nose, where he can disrupt in a straight line.

I’d like to see what Sweat could do in the NFL at around 350 pounds, but even so, he projects well as a highly disruptive battleship in the Dontari Poe mold. I’m fascinated to see if he can escalate that to the Haloti Ngata department.

2024 NFL Draft: Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner scouting report

Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner has one speed — all-go, all the time. With the right NFL team, he could be a disruptive superstar.

Dallas Turner played for played for head coach Roger Harriott at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, helping his school to back-to-back Florida 7A State Championships and the High School National Championship in 2019. He was a consensus five-star prospect, and he chose the Crimson Tide over Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon, and any other major program you’d choose to mention.

Turner had nine sacks and 25 total pressures as a freshman in 2021, upping the ante to 37 total pressures in 2022. But 2023 was Turner’s real breakout season, as he exactly tied his count of 647 snaps from the previous season, but got 11 sacks and 55 total pressures this time around.

Turner is one of the most dynamic athletes in this draft, regardless of position. The question here is whether he’ll find the right NFL team to make the most of his attributes, and build on the things that still need work. If that’s the case, watch the heck out for this guy.

PLUSES

— Twitched-up, hyper-athletic ball of fury who moves off the snap with a killer first step and great acceleration to and through the pocket. And his spin move should be illegal.

— Has no problem flattening his rush path with the dip-and-rip and working under the tackle’s hands around the arc.

— Absurd quickness in open space; he can re-set from flat coverage to take the quarterback down at the boundary. He has the closing speed of a fast linebacker, and you, Mr. QB, are not safe running away from him. 

— Short-area speed extends to stunts and gap games; Turner will cross a gap or two to work pressure inside.

— Not a power player per se, but the speed-to-power moves are just fine.

MINUSES

— Turner is so good at running around (and occasionally through) enemy blockers that he will need to expand his hand work to be similarly successful at the NFL level. He’ll get negated more than he should. Tight ends should not be able to woodshed him.

— Oversells to create pressure at times, which leads to some “cat on a freshly waxed kitchen floor” moments where he’ll whiff at a huge level. He’ll also bite hard on fakes and counters.

— Not much of a plan against double-teams.

— Could stand to deal better with power; right now, if you strike the first blow, you have a great chance of winning the rep.

— Not a run defender of note, though you don’t want to debit him too much for this and miss out on the blinding attributes.

Turner might be your EDGE1 if you need a preposterous athlete to embarrass opposing blockers with every possible speed attribute. If your preferences lie elsewhere, you may just have to deal with him beating your tackles over and over.

It’s vitally important that he be placed in a defense where his special skills are maximized, and the things he’s not really built to do don’t matter as much.

2024 NFL Draft: Duke IOL Graham Barton scouting report

Duke’s Graham Barton was a pretty good left tackle in college. Will a move inside cement his NFL future in a positive sense?

A three-star recruit out of Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee, Barton was named a Second team Freshman All-America pick by The Athletic, and worked his way up through 40 career games and 39 career starts with the Blue Devils to first team All-ACC honors in 2023. Barton switched from center to left tackle in 2021, and he allowed 10 sacks and 50 total pressures during his time at Duke.

The question is not how Barton will fare in the NFL as a left tackle; he’s certainly going to move inside. His body type doesn’t support staying at the edge, and the tape backs that up. But can he be a credible guard or center at the next level?

PLUSES

— Nasty technician on gap and inside zone runs; Barton gets low and under a defender’s pads to deliver a quick blow off the snap, and he’s got some formidable knockdown blocks. 

— Quick enough to cross the defender’s face and seal the edge. 

— Keeps his speed and balance on pulls; he’s accurate to his target on the move. 

— That target accuracy extends to the second level when he has to go up and take a linebacker out. Barton has outstanding contact balance in space. 

— Can move bigger defenders on the track even if he gets bent back in the rep. He’s got a recovery plan if things don’t go well right away. 

— Center tape from 2020 shows an easy mover with good power at that position.

MINUSES

— We’re not going to get into Barton’s issues as a left tackle, because it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be a left tackle in the NFL, but… his wingspan, arm length, and hand size are low percentile for tackles, and they’re even low for guards/centers. He’s moving inside.

— Can be easily shocked by speed rushers to either side; he’ll need to work on trapping defenders when they move outside of his vision. 

— Barton is hit-and-miss in power situations when he’s not striking the first blow; he really needs that quick aggression to succeed. 

— Has the vision and understanding to pick up stunts and games, though he’ll let some leakage through. 

I’ve seen some first-round talk with Barton, and while he’s got a lot to offer, I’m not so sure. If I’m selecting a guard or center that high, I would want to see obvious dominance at those positions, and Barton (while very good) really doesn’t do that.  

Most likely, someone’s going to get him early second day, firm up his IOL assets, and get a plus starter for the next 10 years. Nothing wrong with that.

2024 NFL Draft: Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson scouting report

Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson isn’t just a plug-and-play NFL prospect; he has All-Pro potential right from the start.

A consensus four-star recruit out of Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, Jackson Powers-Johnson chose Oregon over BYU, Liberty, Missouri, Nebraska, Utah, Utah State and Washington State. He played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2021, adding a bit of time at defensive tackle. Powers-Johnson’s first start for the Ducks didn’t come until November 19, 2022, against Utah, but Powers-Johnson was more than ready for that, and he continued to prove it in 2023.

Powers-Johnson became the first Pac-12 player in conference history to win the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation’s best center, and he received First-Team All-American honors from  the AFCA, the Associated Press, the FWAA, the Sporting News, and Walter Camp.

In 2023, Powers-Johnson allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and one quarterback hurry in 497 pass-blocking snaps. Over his three seasons with the Ducks, Powers-Johnson gave up no sacks, one quarterback hit, and three quarterback hurries in 758 pass-blocking reps. Add that to his run-blocking tape and his work on the move, and Powers-Johnson isn’t just plug-and-play for the NFL; he could well display All-Pro potential from his first step on the field.

PLUSES

— Powers-Johnson’s combine weight of 328 pounds is 98th percentile for centers, and he carries it well, Big frame, wide butt, and no wasted pounds. It’s all coming right at you off the snap, Slappy.

— Looks to exert physical dominance on every snap in the run game; that’s his default mechanism. He doesn’t just want to take you out of the play, he wants to embarrass you.

— Good movement skills to get upfield; keeps his head on a swivel and doesn’t seem overmatched in space.

— Upper-body strength is impressive; Powers-Johnson can take a defender by the pads and just shake him into oblivion.

— Aggressive hands allow him to deflect and defeat rushers; Powers-Johnson can take a head-over nose tackle and just obliterate him.

— Mobile and agile enough to win on pulls and at the second level.

MINUSES

— While Powers-Johnson moves well in space, he isn’t going to make anybody forget Jason Kelce as a move center. He can be pre-determined with his landmarks and will occasionally let a defender through.

— Needs to work on moving with defenders crossing his face and stunting; tends to attack what’s right in front of him. More of a lunger and grabber when he’s challenged laterally.

As I said in a more pejorative sense in my Graham Barton evaluation, if I’m taking a guard or center in the first round, I need to see obvious physical and mental dominance at the position(s).

No issue here — Powers-Johnson is a plug-and-play center in any scheme, and that tape is fun to watch. Let’s get nasty!

2024 NFL Draft: Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton scouting report

Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton has a surprising level of polish to his game despite a lack of starting experience. That should play well for his NFL transition.

Tyler Guyton was a second-team All-District 11-5A selection for Manor High School in Manor, Texas, where he played primarily defensive line. He chose TCU, but barely got on the field over two years… though he did bag a #THICCSIX touchdown for the Horned Frogs.

Guyton transferred to Oklahoma before the 2022 season, and that’s when things came into focus for him. He allowed two sacks and four total pressures that season in 191 pass-blocking reps at both left and right tackle, and in 2023 with his move to right tackle ensured, he allowed no sacks and 12 total pressures in 355 pass-blocking reps.

Guyton’s relative lack of big-school starting experience may put some NFL evaluators off, but when you watch the tape, there’s a whole lot to like. Guyton has pro-level potential at either tackle spot, and given how polished he is already, I don’t think the transitional issues will be tough to fix.

PLUSES
 
— Athletic mover with a really nice kick-step and turn around the arc. He has left tackle feet if you want him there.
— Understands stunts and games and will adjust his body on the fly to pick up the second defender.
— Keeps his feet under and aligned for the most part; this allows him to use his leverage optimally in power situations.
— Mirrors comfortably through the rep; it’s tough to get by him to either side because he recovers quickly.
— Has no issue driving defenders out in the run game, and he’s a headbanger in the pit when he needs to be. Perfectly capable of inflicting knockdown blocks and throwing linebackers around.
MINUSES
— Guyton is more of a catcher than an aggressor with his hands, and he’ll lose battles as a result when he could fire out. This might be a product of how the Sooners wanted him to do it; I’m not sure.
— Can get overpowered in two-point stances when he brings his upper body up too early in the rep.
— Guyton’s blocking isn’t… passive per se, but I would like to see him be a tick quicker to engage at times.
— If you want a tackle who clearly shows a will to dominate every rep, Guyton is more of a technician… but good luck getting his technique with some of the more dominant run-drivers.
Guyton is one of my favorite tackle prospects in this class, and I’m at a bit of a loss as to why he isn’t talked about more as a high-end (first-round) guy. I think he’s a plug-and-play RT in the NFL who can switch to the left side if need be. Yes, there is a relative lack of experience, but that makes his technique even more impressive.

Maybe the “blow your face up” blockers get more attention. Guyton just does everything really well. If that’s relatively boring, I’ll take boring 10 times out of 10. If he played with about 10% more Metallica, he might climb into OT 1/2 territory.

2024 NFL Draft: Georgia OT Amarius Mims scouting report

Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims is one of the freakiest prospects we’ve seen in years. How much development will he need for his ultimate NFL success?

A composite five-star recruit out of Bleckley County High School in Cochran, Georgia, Mims stayed close to home by committing to Georgia, and he saw action in 2021 and 2022 as a reserve with 121 snaps at right tackle in 2021, and 383 in 2022.

Mims worked through injuries in 2023 that limited his snaps to 297, but when he was on the field, he allowed no sacks and one total pressure in 168 pass-blocking reps.

Why is Mims talked about as a first-round prospect with such limited experience? Athletic traits. At 6′ 7¾” ad 340 pounds, Mims brings a size/speed/agility profile to the position we don’t often see.

Mims’ NFL team will need to work with him on several foundational constructs before he’s able to fully realize that amazing potential, but as raw as his tape can be, you can also see why he’s prized as a prospect, and why he could be utterly amazing over time.

PLUSES

— Pure “Planet Theory” human being whose spider chart looks like science fiction; there just aren’t many people this big who can move like he does.
— Can move just about anybody in a straight line against their will.
— Shockingly agile on the move; Mims can get upfield quickly on screens and pulls and just bulldoze anybody in his way.
— Upper-body strength is comical; he’ll latch onto a defender and wind up just pushing and throwing the poor guy out of the octagon.
MINUSES
— Lack of experience shows up in limited technique; Mims needs work on his hands to latch and maintain through the block. He’s too leaky to either side to give up pressure.
— Also needs work on taking vision to execution, because he’s far too vulnerable to speed rushers crossing his face and zapping him with inside counters.
— Pass set is a work in progress; he’s more of a catcher than a fluid mover through the arc.
— Stunts and games might be a problem until he gets the hang of reading things through the play.

Mims is unquestionably a developmental prospect, but when you watch his tape, you understand exactly why some NFL team is highly likely to throw that first-round flier in. Over time, and with the right coaching, he has the athletic potential to be a rare prospect at right or left tackle.