Category: The All-22

2024 NFL Draft: South Carolina WR Xavier Legette scouting report

South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette was a late bloomer in the NCAA, but he’s ready to be an explosive target in the NFL.

It took South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette a while to stand out, but when he did, he really did. Legette caught 71 passes on 97 targets for 1.255 yards and seven touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ 2023 season after totaling 42 catches on 76 targets for 423 yards and five touchdowns in his previous four seasons… combined.

But when it hit for Legette, he showed characteristics on the field that put him right up there with the NCAA’s best receivers in terms of productivity and explosiveness. Legette had 13 catches last season of 20 or more air yards for 554 yards and four touchdowns, and there’s more meat on that bone at the NFL level as Legette continues to refine his route palette.

“The coaches put me in place for those routes, man,” Legette said at the scouting combine of his breakout season. “Just working on those things. I had ways that I worked on those things all throughout the week. I’d go out there and work on the stuff I feel like I needed to work on Monday through Thursday, and that’s what helped me build my route tree.”

Legette is also close with 49ers receiver (and South Carolina alum) Deebo Samuel, whose play style he clearly favors.

“I’ve been talking to him since I got to South Carolina. Oh, man. Deebo, man, he ain’t taking it easy on me. He tells me, ‘If you don’t do this,’ then he’s going to be mad at me. I just try to keep him happy.”

Legette might take a second to get the hang of NFL defenses, but he’s already shown that he’s worth consideration as a late bloomer who brings a lot to a passing game.

PLUSES

— 6-foot-1, 221-pound frame, and plays bigger on the field. He’s a nightmare to cover on contested targets because he’ll just Godzilla his way over the defender.

— Nice get-up speed and acceleration downfield; can turn a drag route into a house call. Uses his stride length as a weapon.

— Can easily detach from man and match coverage; with some footwork development, he could be a real bear against press coverage.

— Has a good sense of how to get under zones to make timing and rhythm catches.

— Tackling him with anything but a square-up is a bad idea when he’s downfield; arm-tackles aren’t going to do it.

MINUSES

— One-year star who totaled 1,255 receiving yards in his 2023 season, and 423 the four seasons before. Some of the rawness comes from there.

— Needs development in his route nuances, though he does have nice short-area movement for his size. There’s an extra tick on a lot of his routes that will need to be squared off.

— Tends to fall apart on screens and swing passes that should be gimmes for someone of his stature.

— The Deebo Samuel comps are instructive, but he’s not that type of runner just yet.

I absolutely love the high points of Legette’s tape. Yes, he’s a somewhat raw prospects, but the athletic profile comes in somewhere between Deebo and A.J. Brown. He’s a more than worthy investment.

2024 NFL Draft: Oregon State safety Kitan Oladapo scouting report

Oregon State safety Kitan Oladapo is one of the best multi-position defensive backs in this draft class, and he’s peaking at the right time.

A star at Central Catholic High in Portland, Kitan Oladapo stayed close to home with Oregon State. He took a redshirt freshman year in 2018 after helping his high school team win a state championship in 2017, started to put things together as a redshirt sophomore, and started to make a real impact in 2021, when he allowed 21 catches on 36 targets for 172 yards, 99 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, one interception, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 86.8.

Last season, his fifth on the field with the Beavers, Oladapo again allowed 21 catches on 36 targets for 212 yards, 58 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, and a career-best opponent passer rating of 61.3.

The timeline projects Oladapo as a player who had his best season at the right time, and the upside is quite interesting on tape.

PLUSES

— Oladapo has true positional versatility; he’s effective everywhere from the box to the slot to free to outside corner.

— Outstanding pass defender in tight man coverage, especially in the red zone.

— Short-area closing speed is excellent and consistent.

— Excellent man/match skills throughout the route; Oladapo can easily and consistently carry receivers from the snap to the whistle.

— Has the wherewithal to come down and blow up screens and run plays… from time to time.

MINUSES

— As good as he is at matching routes, Oladapo can be hesitant in diagnosis at times, and that’ll leave him a step late.

–Transitions are better in press/bail than backpedal and turn. NFL receivers could tie him in knots for a while. — Recovery speed is good, not great; he needs to stay on point to avoid getting burned upfield.

— Oladapo struggles to work through progressions in zone coverage and can be caught in the middle more often than you’d like.

— A repeated theme in the safeties I’ve watched so far this year… at times, he squares up and tackles like a cat trying to run on a freshly waxed kitchen floor.

2023 was Oladapo’s breakout season to a point, so it makes sense that he’s still putting a few things together transitionally. Over time, he could be a top-tier multi-position pass defender. Short term, he’ll be an asset in any man/press-heavy defense.

2024 NFL Draft: Georgia safety Javon Bullard scouting report

Georgia safety Javon Bullard put just about everything he could on tape in the last two seasons, in radically different ways.

Georgia’s defense in 2023 under Kirby Smart wasn’t quite the historic unit it was in 2022, but it was still pretty darned good, and one reason it was pretty darned good was the work of safety Javon Bullard, who allowed just 14 catches on 26 targets last season for 119 yards, 68 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 34.0.

This in a season where he went from a primary box/slot/blitz player the season before to an outstanding free safety and slot defender. That’s not exactly easy to do, but Bullard did it, and this speaks highly to not only his NFL transition, but also his versatility within that transition.

The 5-foot-11, 198-pound Bullard should also be an asset in any defense where coverage switches are the order of the day, and that includes just about any intelligently-designed defense these days.

PLUSES

— Underwent a radical change in deployment last season from 14% deep in 2022 to 83% in 2023 (from 12 to 362 reps at free safety) and didn’t miss a beat.
— Has the transitions, trail ability, and downfield speed to hang with quick receivers on vertical routes.
— Can erase receivers over the middle and in short areas; his quickness to adjust is fine. The tape example below of Bullard shutting Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall down in press slot is really impressive; press slot is tough for most defensive backs to get right. 
— You have to go back to 2022 to see it, but he’s a highly effective blitzer from the edge with speed off the snap, and determination to get home.
— Brings true sideline-to-sideline speed to the field, and the acceleration to close shows up over and over.
MINUSES
— Bullard has far too many “Ole” tackles on his tape where he flat-out misses his target. Seven missed tackles last season.
— Has good recovery speed in space, but tends to need it too often. He’ll need to be more aware of his landmarks in the NFL.
— Struggles at times with his backpedal and turn, though he’s got the athleticism to tie that up.
— Ball skills are inconsistent; if he gets that going, he could be a major interceptor.

Bullard is a guy where you really have to watch his last two seasons because what he was asked to do was so different. As much as any safety in this class, he brings a full array of skills, and it’s all on tape. I’ll be fascinated to see how his NFL team uses him.

2024 NFL Draft: Texas Tech safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson scouting report

Texas Tech safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson flies around the field like few others, but he’ll need to shore up a couple things in his NFL transition.

The Oklahoma 5A Player of the Year following his senior season at Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma City, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson moved from running back to safety following his commitment to Texas Tech over Air Force, Army and Utah State. He had limited snaps in his first two collegiate seasons, and he really came around in 2022, when he allowed 27 catches on 46 targets for 394 yards, 124 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 59.5.

Last season for a Red Raiders defense that rose in efficiency, Taylor-Demerson gave up 20 catches on 35 targets for 221 yards, 112 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, five interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 65.0.

PLUSES

— Functional field speed is singularly impressive; Taylor-Demerson can get from Point A to Point B as quickly as any defender in this draft class. It’s hard for quarterbacks and receivers to get a bead on his positioning in the open field.

— True multi-position versatility; he can win as a slot cover man and blitzer, and as a single-high and two-deep safety.

— Converges to cover like a bat out of hell, and can create chaos with well-timed hits and deflections.

— Smooth, instructive match and man defender with the athleticism to lock turn-for-turn with most any receiver.

— Can work 10-15 yards in an instant to break up and intercept passes; he’ll bait a lot of quarterbacks at the next level.

MINUSES

— Tackling is a real mixed bag; part of that daredevil style. He had 44 missed tackles in five seasons for the Red Raiders. His style is basically getting on someone’s back and waiting for the cavalry.

— Will lose his landmarks and spots at times in zone coverage; he’s more of a man/match guy at this point.

— As much as he’ll fool your quarterback with his speed and closing ability, Taylor-Demerson can be deceived right out of his socks by action and late movement.

— Speed covers up some transitional issues; it’s impressive to watch him turn and run with a second receiver off his first assignment, but you’re not always sure what the plan is.

From a pure physical tools perspective, Taylor-Demerson is flat-out ridiculous. I’d take him in the late second/early third round just to get the benefit of all that flash, and build everything around him over time. He’s got a lot of stuff you can’t teach, and the rest seems coachable.

2024 NFL Draft: Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin scouting report

Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin has just about every attribute required for NFL success… if he can just clean up a few rogue elements.

After Antoine Winfield Jr. left Minnesota and became a star safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL draft, it was eventually up to Nubin to be the tone-setter in the back of the Golden Gophers’ defense. Nubin really started to live up to that in the 2021 season when, in 341 coverage snaps, he allowed eight catches on 26 targets for 128 yards, 35 yards after the catch, one touchdown, three interceptions, three pass breakups, and an absurd opponent passer rating of 21.5.

In the two seasons since, the 6-foot-1, 191-pound Nubin has been one of the NCAA’s most efficient coverage safeties. In 2023, he gave up six catches on 20 targets for 90 yards, 38 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, five interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 39.6.

There are a few things about Nubin’s NFL transition that cause a bit of concern that don’t show up in the metrics, but are obvious on tape. He’s got the capacity to be a top-tier deep-third safety at the next level if he works those things out. He’s not at Winfield’s level when Winfield came out of college, but the tools are impressive, and the development curve could be highly rewarding.

PLUSES
 
— Smart, aggressive defender in coverage when he’s got the target in front of him and can use his smooth backpedal to match and cover.
 
— Very quick to hide in the weeds and jump routes for pass breakups and interceptions; Nubin has a great sense for that.
 
— Will use that sense of timing to break to receivers and prevent receptions with hits.
 
— Has the open-field speed and lateral agility to credibly cover sideline-to-sideline when he’s in single-high, or half the field when in two-high.
 
— Comes down like a shot from the box and deep third to tackle at the line of scrimmage; when it works, it’s great. When it doesn’t, well…
 
MINUSES
 
— Recovery speed at the turn of the route is inconsistent; there are times when he’s on his target, and other times, he’ll be a step behind.
 
— Needs to work over the receiver too often and can run into trouble in tight spaces.
 
— Can be waylaid from the box to the deep third by receivers running quicker, more angular routes.
 
— Needs to process run fits more accurately; reads can be predetermined and he’ll hit the wrong gap.

— Similarly, he’s not always accurate with his tackling angles, and it shows up pretty clearly on tape. He had 35 missed tackles through his career at Minnesota.

Nubin has a ton of talent, and I’d love him in a quarters-heavy defense, but his NFL team will have work to do with run fits, tackling, and decisiveness in coverage. He’s not a project per se, but I’d struggle a lot with a first-round grade. I’d also like to see him in the box more often so he’s not trying to get to running backs from 20 yards upfield all the time.

 

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: What does the scouting combine really mean?

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into what the scouting combine really means for NFL teams and top draft prospects.

Once the scouting combine is over every year — and this year’s version concluded last week — NFL scouts, coaches and personnel executives are left with reams of new information to deal with, and to add to their previous evaluations.

So, what does that really mean? And what can a great combine performance really do for a draft prospect? For example, Texas receiver Xavier Worthy broke the combine record with a 4.1-second 40-yard dash. If he already plays extremely fast on the field, what does that add to his evaluation? Or if a player like Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu aces all his drills and crushes it in the meeting rooms with NFL teams, how does he really come out the other side in the minds of the people who are set to select him in the 2024 NFL draft?

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into what the scouting combine really means, their individual experiences at this year’s event, and how drill work really matches up to game tape and NFL transitions for multiple top prospects.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

2024 Scouting Combine: Nine receiver prospects detail their favorite college plays

The 2024 scouting combine was the right place to ask nine receiver prospects for their favorite college plays, and what they will mean in the NFL.

INDIANAPOLIS — Unless you are somehow able to gain access to one of the rooms in which NFL teams meet with draft prospects during the week of the scouting combine, there’s no way to know what’s really discussed. One thing that is almost always happens is a tape-watching expedition in which the NFL people will have play examples dialed up that hopefully show what the prospects can do.

Here at Touchdown Wire, we do not possess the required juice to crash those rooms, but we are able to ask these prospects during their combine media sessions which plays from their college careers best typify their potential.

We’ve already done this with five quarterbacks, six tight ends and seven cornerbacks here at the combine, and now, it’s time to get into the favorite plays of nine receiver prospects of all shapes, sizes, and talents.

The full lineup:

  • Washington’s Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk
  • Alabama’s Jermaine Burton
  • Tulane’s Jha’Quan Jackson
  • Florida State’s Johnny Wilson
  • Pitt’s Bub Means
  • Michigan’s Roman Wilson
  • South Carolina’s Xavier Legette
  • Texas’ Jordan Whittington

Xavier Worthy isn’t just track-fast… he’s ridiculously fast on the field

Xavier Worthy’s record-breaking speed didn’t just happen at the scouting combine — it also shows up on the field.

INDIANAPOLIS — Texas receiver Xavier Worthy blazed his name all over the field at Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2024 scouting combine, when he ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, setting the all-time record. Of course, when the excitement of that wears off, everybody will ask the same question: Does that kind of speed actually show up on the field?

In Worthy’s case, the answer is a resounding “Yes.” Though he caught just six passes of 20 or more air yards last season on 23 targets, he also had a lot of drops on those deep passes, which he tried to explain this week at the podium.

“I feel like I had really good hands,” he said. “I feel like it’s just kind of focus drops for me. It’s not a technique thing or a hands thing. I feel like it’s focus.”

If he can get his focus together, Worthy might be just about unstoppable at the NFL level. because that speed does indeed show up on the field, in multiple ways.

We could start with this 45-yard banger against TCU, in which Worthy gave his defender a nasty foot fake before going off to the races and winding up with a two-yard cushion against press coverage…

…or this 44-yarder against Alabama, where the deep safety had no shot in Cover-3.

How about this 54-yard catch against Oklahoma State that was 53 yards after the catch, and Worthy just caterwauling his way through the entire defense?

So yes, Worthy’s speed does show up on the field, and if he wasn’t a first-round pick before, he probably is now.

2024 Scouting Combine: Five quarterbacks detail their favorite college plays

The 2024 scouting combine was the place to ask five quarterback prospects for the best plays of their collegiate careers.

INDIANAPOLIS — Unless you are somehow able to gain access to one of the rooms in which NFL teams meet with draft prospects during the week of the scouting combine, there’s no way to know what’s really discussed. One thing that is almost always happens is a tape-watching expedition in which the NFL people will have play examples dialed up that hopefully show what the prospects can do.

Here at Touchdown Wire, we do not possess the required juice to crash those rooms, but we are able to ask these prospects during their combine media sessions which plays from their college careers best typify their potential.

We’ve already done this with six tight ends and seven cornerbacks here at the combine, and now, it’s time to get into the favorite plays of five quarterback prospects — Oregon’s Bo Nix, Kentucky’s Devin Leary, Florida State’s Jordan Travis, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, and Tulane’s Michael Pratt.

2024 Scouting Combine: Six tight end prospects detail their favorite college plays

We asked six big-time tight end prospects for their favorite college plays, and we have the All-22 to go with all of them.

INDIANAPOLIS — Unless you are somehow able to gain access to one of the rooms in which NFL teams meet with draft prospects during the week of the scouting combine, there’s no way to know what’s really discussed. One thing that is almost always happens is a tape-watching expedition in which the NFL people will have play examples dialed up that hopefully show what the prospects can do.

Here at Touchdown Wire, we do not possess the required juice to crash those rooms, but we are able to ask these prospects during their combine media sessions which plays from their college careers best typify their potential.

Today, we asked six tight end prospects — Texas’ Ja’Tavion Sanders, Kansas State’s Ben Sinnott, TCU’s Jared Wiley, Washington’s Jack Westover, Minnesota’s Brevyn Spann-Ford, and Penn State’s Theo Johnson for their favorite college plays. We’ve included the All-22 for all examples, and we hope you find their answers as enlightening as we did.