Tag: Cameron Sample

What scouting reports said about Bengals draft pick Cameron Sample

Here’s what experts said about Cincinnati Bengals draft pick Cameron Sample.

The Cincinnati Bengals doubled-dipped on the pass-rush in the 2021 NFL draft.

To start their trip to the fourth round, the Bengals drafted Tulane defensive end Cameron Sample, which came right on the heels of adding Joseph Ossai in the third round.

While he’s not as big of a name, the scouting reports say quite a list of encouraging things about this new addition to Lou Anarumo’s defense.

Tulane DL Cameron Sample worked out by Saints assistant Ryan Nielsen

New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen got a close look at Tulane’s Cameron Sample during a 2021 NFL draft pro day workout.

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Saints coaches and scouts are busy hitting the road for this year’s pro day circuit ahead of the upcoming 2021 NFL draft, but Ryan Nielsen didn’t have to travel far. The Saints hosted Tulane’s football team to their indoor facility to host draft prospects and attendees from around the league in a recent workouts session.

And Nielsen, the Saints’ defensive line coach, personally ran Tulane’s Cameron Sample through drills. Sample is a good athlete for the position, though undersized at 6-foot-3 and just 267 pounds. He’ll benefit from an NFL strength and conditioning program. In the meantime, he offers help as a disruptive presence up front with 10.5 career sacks and 7 pass deflections in his career, with 20.5 tackles for loss in 41 games played. That would be a welcome addition to a defensive line that has lost several pieces this offseason.

Sample is projected to be picked in the later rounds during the draft’s third day, so he’d be a solid pickup if the Saints aren’t able to add a high-end prospect early on. They’ve done their homework on him; Sample told WWL’s Amos Morale III that he met the team at the Senior Bowl, where he won Defensive MVP in the all-star game, and followed up later with further conversations. Nielsen has done a great job rebuilding the New Orleans defensive front since arriving in 2017. Maybe Sample ends up staying in the city after turning pro.

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2021 NFL draft: Chargers could benefit from pair of versatile defensive linemen

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley puts a big emphasis on players being able to line up at multiple spots, especially on the defensive line.

One of the things that Chargers head coach Brandon Staley puts a big emphasis on is his players being able to line up at multiple spots.

Los Angeles has the likes of star edge defender Joey Bosa and the massive Linval Joseph, along with Jerry Tillery and Justin Jones. However, they lack versatile defensive linemen.

Luckily, this year’s draft will present a few players that are capable of making an impact from different dimensions.

Let’s take a look at two that have really stood out to me so far:

Payton Turner, Houston

After spending the majority his career for the Cougars as an interior defender, Turner slimmed down to 270 pounds prior to the 2020 season, where he enjoyed arguably his most productive yet, totaling 25 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, and a forced fumble in just five games.

Showing on tape he can play a variety of roles on the defensive line, Turner is a long-bodied, high motored athlete who moves well for his size, displaying first-step quickness, ankle flexion and closing burst. Turner also possesses plus power and strength in his upper and lower body.

At Houston, Turner was primarily a five-technique in their 3-4 hybrid front. He would also stand up as an outside rusher or slide in as a 4i-technique position. At the next level, Turner can play standing up or in a three-point stance on the outside, and he can also kick inside to the 4i position.

From a stylistic standpoint, Turner is very reminiscent of Bears’ Roy Robertson-Harris, who was coached by Rodgers since the beginning of his professional career.

Cameron Sample, Tulane

In 2020, Sample amassed career-highs in every notable statistical category at the position, with 52 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks en route to being named first-team All-AAC.

Per Pro Football Focus, Sample posted a 90.4 pass-rush grade (3rd), 48 quarterback pressures (4th), 22.6% win percentage (1st), 16% pressure percentage (4th) and 8.8 pass-rush productivity (7th) this past season.

The 6-foot-2 and 274 pounder moves like he’s 35 pounds lighter, winning with upfield explosion, great agility and speed in space to make plays away from the line of scrimmage. On top of that, Sample shows quick hands and upper body strength at the point of attack.

Sample played as both an outside linebacker in Tulane’s 3-4 defense and in the 4i-tech position in a 3-3-5 scheme. He two-gapped and stunted to rush the quarterback. At the next level, he has the juice to be a mismatch, with his best play coming from the 4i spot.

2021 All-Senior Bowl team

Who were the best prospects at each position in this year’s Senior Bowl?

Every year, the Senior Bowl provides prospects with an opportunity to test their mettle against some of the top competition in college football, hoping to impress NFL decision-makers heading into the draft.

Here are my picks for the best players I saw at every position throughout this year’s event in Mobile:

8 Senior Bowl players who helped their potential Browns draft stock

8 Senior Bowl players who should have impressed the Browns during practices

The annual Senior Bowl week took on extra importance in 2021 with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the scouting combine and pro days. The week of practices, interviews and the Senior Bowl itself played out last week in Mobile, and there are a few NFL draft prospects who should have caught the attention of the Cleveland Browns staff in attendance.

Here are a few of the standouts from the week and an eye for how they could help the Browns as a draft pick or priority free agent.

6 potential Chargers who stood out in Senior Bowl game

Which players caught the attention of the Los Angeles Chargers in the Senior Bowl game?

After a trio of practices, the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl concluded on Saturday with the annual all-star game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Here are six potential Chargers targets who stood out in the showcase:

Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State

I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Radunz just a couple of days ago. I spoke to him after three great practices. He carried that over to today, showing why he’s worthy of a top-40 selection in the game. Radunz was a brick wall in pass protection, displaying outstanding footwork, balance and anchor to handle both speed and power. In the running game, he executed multiple reach blocks and a high motor when working to the second level.

Creed Humphrey, OC, Oklahoma

Like Radunz, Humphrey carried the momentum of dominance into Saturday. After being used as a center and a guard, Humphrey exclusively played center, which is where he projects best at the next level. The former All-American showed great power and patience in pass protection and country strength in the running game, where he bulldozed defenders off the line to clear lanes. I wouldn’t be surprised if Humphrey doesn’t reach the third-round.

Cameron Sample, EDGE, Tulane

Sample didn’t receive a lot of buzz coming into this week, but based on how he performed in the practices and the game, I wouldn’t be surprised to be him be a top-100 selection. The 6-foot and 274 pounder was moving like he was 35 pounds lighter, winning with quickness and making plays away from the line of scrimmage, displaying great change of direction and a high motor. Not only that, but he showed great technique and power with his hands. Sample lined up both on the outside and inside. That versatility would come in handy for the Chargers.

Elerson Smith, EDGE, Northern Iowa

When I interviewed Radunz, he said one of the toughest pass rushers that he faced in college was Smith. The 6-foot-6 and 272 pounder put together a performance, showing why he was a challenge for Radunz. Smith used all of the necessary traits at the position to be disruptive; length, flexibility and athleticism. It carried over when rushing the quarterback and in the run game, where he made a nice play in open space for a tackle of loss.

Keith Taylor, CB, Washington

Taylor was one of the most consistent corners during the week of practices and he was today, too. Even though he allowed a short touchdown, displayed the athleticism, competitiveness and length to stay attached to receivers throughout the afternoon. He was stellar at turning and locating the football. As a result, Taylor had a couple of passes defensed. Given the fact that the NFL covets, long corners that can play press and run, he’s going to go high.

Benjamin St-Juste, CB, Minnesota

Another corner who is going to go a lot higher after today is St-Juste. St-Juste showed good play strength at the line of scrimmage, jamming receivers and consistently staying on their hip throughout the route, which led to two passes defensed. The 6-foot-3 corner was lock down and he utilized his 80¼-inch wingspan to his advantage. Both St-Juste and Taylor are capable of playing early on for the Bolts.

6 potential Chargers prospects who stood out from Day 2 of Senior Bowl

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez updates you on the prospects he believes received attention from Los Angeles on Day 2 of the Senior Bowl.

Day 2 of practices at the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl have officially come to an end.

After experiencing some rain, the weather held up a lot better in Mobile, AL.

There were a handful of prospects that stood out today, some of which capitalized on yesterday’s performance and a few that made their first cases.

With that being said, here are six players that shined who could be on the Chargers’ radar:

IOL Quinn Meinerz, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

The Senior Bowl is notorious for bringing in small-school prospects who show that the competition is not too big for them. This year, it’s Meinerz. The former Division III has lined up both at center and guard, where he’s been a wall in pass protection and a road-graded in the run game, putting defenders on the turf. Projected as a sixth/seventh-round pick coming into the event, Meinerz is making his case to be selected within the top-100 picks. Given the Chargers’ need up front, the team could benefit from Meinerz’s services.

OT James Hudson, Cincinnati

After not allowing a single sack and only giving up six total pressures this past season, Hudson has still gone under the radar. However, he’s making his case to be a solid mid-round selection come April. In the one-on-one drills, the former defensive lineman is showing off lower body athleticism, a wide base, aggressive hands and competitive temperament to stay square to rushers. Hudson’s technique is still a work in progress, but he has potential to be a high upside starter at tackle.

EDGE Elerson Smith, UNI

While Hudson and Meinerz shined, there were a few defensive linemen that got the most out of the guys up front, including Smith. Smith has all the necessary traits at the position; length, flexibility and athleticism. Today, he showed great usage to work inside of offensive linemen’s frames and the burst off the line of scrimmage. In 2019, Smith had 14 sacks, 22 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles. The 6-foot-7 and 255 pounder is a guy that’s likely going to go on Day 3, but will exceed expectations early on.

DL Cameron Sample, Tulane

If the Chargers want someone who can affect the quarterback from multiple alignments, Sample is the guy. Lining up outside and inside, Sample was in the backfield on a consistent basis. He came in at 6-foot-2 and 274 pounds, Sample was moving like a guy 30 pounds lighter. Sample showed great change of direction, explosiveness and quickness off the line of scrimmage and quick hands to clear his frame. Sample is a player who could rise into the top-100 picks.

CB Keith Taylor, Washington

I’ve mentioned before, head coach Brandon Staley covets good defensive back play in his system. Taylor, the 6-foot-3 and 195 corner is someone who could intrigue. At his best in zone coverage, Taylor has also shown a great understanding of technique and understanding of routes in man coverage, sticking to some of the top wideouts down the field. Taylor didn’t produce any interceptions in college, but while Taylor has inconsistent ball skills to create turnovers, he displays the athleticism, competitiveness and length to stay attached to receivers.

CB Aaron Robinson, UCF

Robinson was another defensive back who made some eyebrow-raising plays. Coming in at at 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds, Robinson locked up receivers in one-on-ones, playing tough and physical at the line of scrimmage to affect the release and timing of routes. He also showed the speed and hip fluidity to turn and run with receivers after the initial press. Overall, he was super sticky all day. Robinson has shown the versatility to play outside corner, nickel corner, strong safety and outside linebacker.