Category: Uncategorized

“A two-year starter at Missouri, Hopper played Will linebacker in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s 4-2-5 base scheme. After struggling to find a regular role at Florida, he transferred and averaged 5.8 tackles per game in two seasons with Missouri, earning All-SEC honors as a senior. With his initial quickness and rangy speed, Hopper aggressively responds to ball carriers and pass catchers and closes in a hurry. However, he lacks the play strength desired for an every-down role and needs to improve his block awareness. Overall, Hopper needs to be more consistent at the point of attack and as a finisher, but he is a fast-flowing athlete with the pursuit skills and blitzing talent to find a home in the NFL. He projects as a run-and-chase rotational linebacker with the skill set for special teams.”

“An off-ball linebacker with length, speed and agility, Hopper is lacking in field vision and instincts. He can be a step late to diagnose play design and has moments where he looks lost in coverage. Hopper has sideline-to-sideline range and plenty of physicality to hit what needs to be hit. There are holes in his game that can be exploited, but he has traits and should get a chance as an NFL backup with special teams value.”

“Hopper is a roaming middle linebacker who plays with ideal play speed. He has good explosiveness and natural athleticism. However, his lack of arm length and overall weight will raise the question as to whether he can take on blocks consistently at the next level. He has good a rip move when trying to get by blockers in pass-rush situations. In coverage, he moves well enough to have some responsibility there, but he is too overaggressive, which can lead to bigger throwing windows against him.”

“At a high level, Ty’Ron Hopper is a solid coverage linebacker who could contribute on special teams in the NFL. He has impressive speed and movement skills which show up the most in man coverage against running backs and tight ends. He can also close in a hurry and can be an asset as a blitzer on third downs.

Against the run, Hopper has impressive sideline-to-sideline range against outside runs and is physical when coming downhill, but he lacks the size and strength to hold his ground against offensive linemen. That leads to him having to work around blocks, which will be more difficult against more athletic linemen in the NFL.

Overall, the Missouri product can be a solid rotational linebacker as a “Will” in even fronts for a team that runs a lot of man coverage. His speed and willingness to throw his body around can be an asset on special teams, which he has experience doing at Florida, but he didn’t participate on many special teams over the last two seasons after transferring.”

“Missouri’s Ty’Ron Hopper has been one of the most productive linebackers in college football over the last few years. Hopper originally started his career at the University of Florida, where he excelled before transferring to Missouri for his final two years. Hopper aligned as an off-ball backer in Missouri’s even front defense. He is primarily used as the weak-side backer to the field where he can utilize his speed and range. Hopper is an excellent athlete with very good quickness, speed, and change of direction. He has good length and height overall but could stand to get stronger in his lower half. In the run game, Hopper displays very good eyes and instincts. He is quick to read and key run and has the speed and burst to beat blockers to the spot and make a play on the ball-carrier. Hopper is very much a run-and-chase linebacker who has excellent sideline-to-sideline speed rather than a downhill thumper. Hopper has just average take-on strength and struggles to shed blocks. He gets driven back when ensuing linemen reach the second level and connect with him. Hopper’s burst and closing speed allow him to make a ton of plays behind the line of scrimmage and he can knife through the line of scrimmage with ease. Hopper is a high-energy player who plays with an outstanding motor and never gives up on a play. Hopper’s athleticism really stands out in the pass game as well. He is a smooth and fluid mover when dropping into zone coverage and has the quickness to close on receivers entering his zone. He has an excellent feel in zone coverage and can play the football as well. In man coverage, Hopper displays the speed and quickness to stick with most tight ends and has the length to be competitive at the catch point. Overall, Hopper is what you want in a linebacker in today’s NFL and can excel in both the run game and pass game.”

“Ty’Ron Hopper has true WILL/MIKE potential, but his athleticism and ability in coverage projects him better as a WILL full-time. However, he has enough willingness to take on blockers, stoutness, and shed ability to work in the trenches as a MIKE if asked, especially for his size. He needs to improve his overall tackling ability, but he can make plays all over the field with his range, speed, and pursuit. In coverage, Hopper flows around the field fluidly. In zone, he gets width and/or depth easily, and covers ground quickly. He can pick up backs out of the backfield with effectiveness, but shows sufficient ability in true man coverage on tight ends. On 3rd downs, his ability as a blitzer can be used to get pressure on the quarterback. His traits and extensive ST experience lend itself well to his ability to contribute at the next level.”

“A one-year starter at USC, Lloyd was the top back on the depth chart in head coach Lincoln Riley’s RPO, spread (multiple-run) scheme. After three years at South Carolina, he transferred to the Trojans and had a productive 2023 season (led the team in rushing in 11 of 12 regular-season games), finishing as one of only five FBS running backs to average more than 7.0 yards per carry. With his vision and dynamic cutting skills, Lloyd is a shift runner with the short-area explosion and lateral agility to leave defenders diving at air (20.87 percent of his carries resulted in a 10-plus-yard gain). He frequently springs free because of the creativity he shows with the ball in his hands, although he relies too much on his east-west options and needs to be more consistent finishing runs. Overall, Lloyd doesn’t have the profile of a high-volume back, but he can spark an NFL offense with his mix of patience, burst and promise as a pass catcher. His tape gives me flashbacks of a thicker version of Duke Johnson when he was coming out of Miami.”

“Lloyd’s flashes on tape could lead a team to envision a more expansive role for him in its offense, but based on his play, he feels more like a good complementary option with big-play potential. Frankly, some of his South Carolina tape from 2022 felt more exciting than his 2023 USC film, despite the higher yardage-per-carry mark in 2023. While he ran with improved patience and set up blockers more diligently in ’23, he ran with a greater sense of urgency the year prior and proved he could create explosive plays without as much help from his offensive line. Lloyd runs with slightly below-average vision but has the juice to play the role of “chunk-play slasher” and dangerous open-field pass catcher. Lloyd is a low-mileage prospect, and the scope of his role will obviously depend on scheme fit.”

“Lloyd’s calling card is his athletic ability. His burst, agility and long speed are all well above average for the NFL level. He’s the kind of back who he can take it to the house if he gets to the sideline. His vision for finding those running lanes is still inconsistent, as he often fails to see cutback lanes in zone-blocking schemes. However, when running gap schemes, he does seem more patient. As a third-down back, he wasn’t used much as a receiver, but he does have good hands and an electric after-the-catch ability. He is also one who takes pride in his blocking game to help other teammates.”

“Marshawn Lloyd is a bundle of explosive traits who has not yet channeled that into a complete running back profile.

Lloyd plays with serious burst. To and through the line of scrimmage, Lloyd kicks into top gear instantly. He has the speed to break away and finish those runs in the end zone as well. Lloyd not only ripped off a handful of long runs at USC, but he managed to do the same on a few screens in limited opportunities.

Lloyd also has burst and wiggle at the second level. He isn’t as smooth or creative as other backs, but he boasts a raw explosiveness that helps him force missed tackles.

However, Lloyd struggles at the line of scrimmage. He often hesitates when color flashes in a gap, and he does not read the leverage of blocks very well. As a result, Lloyd often takes a beat too long to get upfield or runs himself into his own blockers.

Additionally, it’s rare to see Lloyd plunge forward through contact for a safe, efficient gain rather than hunt for the big play on the perimeter. Lloyd’s upright rushing style makes it difficult to do that anyway, which may be why he avoids it.

On passing downs, Lloyd is kind of a mystery box. He showed unbelievable explosive potential on screens and flashed solid pass-catching traits otherwise, but he was rarely thrown the ball at USC. He feels like someone with untapped potential in the passing game. Lloyd was also rarely used in pass protection, so he will have a lot to learn there.

Lloyd is a gamble on explosive ability. His adequate size, blazing speed and nimble feet are a combination of traits worth swinging on. At the same time, Lloyd may need time to adjust to pro running schemes and develop his vision as a runner, as well as his third-down skills.”

“MarShawn Lloyd is a well-rounded running back that shows plus attributes running the football while also being utilized in the passing game out of the backfield. In the running game from the snap, Lloyd shows off good vision and does a good job scanning for any creases. Once Lloyd has found the crease, he is a back that understands “slow to and fast through” as he can accelerate through the hole and pick up significant yardage. When creases are not immediately available, Lloyd can string together an array of jump-cuts and lateral maneuvers to create his running opportunities and turn potentially negative plays into positives. As a runner in the open field, Lloyd has straight-line speed to accelerate away from defenders and also has an element of elusiveness to condense his frame just enough that defenders whiff on tackles and usually have to make contact with an arm tackle that he can run through. In the passing game, Lloyd can be utilized as a receiver out of the backfield and in pass protection. In pass protection, Lloyd is a high-IQ player who can quickly identify blitzers and effectively pick them up. Lloyd’s size is a concern against bigger defenders, but he shows toughness and a willingness to pick up blitzers. Lloyd’s biggest concern as a player is ball security. In back-to-back seasons, multiple times throughout the season, the ball has come loose, which could be from Lloyd carrying the ball too loosely or defenders having great strip attempts. Either way, this is something that defenders will identify and they’ll continue to try and strip the ball away from Lloyd. This is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately or it will significantly negatively impact his opportunities in the NFL.”

“Lloyd projects as a versatile change-of-pace back who could see usage on all downs thanks to his balanced skill set. His route running and explosiveness could pave a path to a 3rd down role at the next level, though his size might be a limited factor in terms of pass protection. Though he has limited special teams experience in college, his effort level and overall athleticism should allow him to be a contributing member.”