Tag: scouting report

Chiefs scouting report: Ohio State Buckeyes RB Quinshon Judkins

The Kansas City #Chiefs could add Ohio State #Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins in the 2025 NFL draft.

The injury to Isiah Pacheco revealed that the Kansas City Chiefs lack multiple explosive playmakers in their backfield. The team should address this issue in the 2025 NFL draft by investing in at least one new running back.

Ohio State Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins is a young prospect with the speed to gash defenses. He’s fast enough to turn the corner on off-tackle runs before stressing pursuit angles with his acceleration. Judkins’ quick feet string together sharp cuts that make defenders miss in one-on-one situations.

Judkins patiently presses close to the offensive line while in the backfield before exploding through the hole. His vision helps him locate openings and prevents him from running into dogpiles. His contact balance is average, which prevents him from creating between the tackles at a high level.

Judkins isn’t known for his power, but he drops his shoulder going into contact when he finds himself isolated with cornerbacks on the perimeter. His stiff arm is one of the best in the 2025 class. Judkins also deploys a spin move to shake defenders. Unfortunately, he’s not twitchy, and his elusiveness falls short of elite.

Judkins’ value on third down remains murky. He has the speed to stack linebackers as a route runner, but neither Ole Miss nor Ohio State asked him to catch passes. Judkins makes passable blocks in pass protection but lacks the power and enthusiasm to succeed as a blocker consistently.

Judkins receives plenty of praise from evaluators but could fall as far as the third or fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

The Buckeyes play three Big Ten games to end their regular season, starting with a matchup against the Northwestern Wildcats.

Chiefs scouting report: Ohio State Buckeyes RB TreVeyon Henderson

Ohio State #Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson could be a 2025 NFL draft target for the Kansas City #Chiefs.

Several running backs on the Kansas City Chiefs enter free agency after the 2024 season. The team must replace its depth in the backfield and add some more explosive options who can shoulder the load if Isiah Pacheco suffers another injury in 2025 or beyond.

Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson faces an uphill battle as a prospect because of his size and injury history. He missed significant time in 2022 and 2023. According to Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy, Henderson’s verified height and weight are 5’9 7/8″, 206 lbs., which rank on the smaller and lighter side for an NFL running back.

Henderson’s play often overcomes his measurables. He possesses true track speed that, even on a very fast Ohio State offense, puts him in a class of his own. Henderson is an explosive athlete who demolishes pursuit angles and runs so fast that he naturally breezes through some arm tackles.

Henderson’s footwork pops on tape. His light feet easily spring through sudden cuts and help him cover significant ground horizontally on jump cuts. He weaves through tight spaces with natural footwork but lacks the power to create between the offensive tackles.

Henderson doesn’t break tackles with power. He makes subtle but sharp adjustments to make defenders miss in space but lacks a deep bag of jukes. Henderson is a one-cut running back with light footwork and impressive explosiveness but limited twitch.

Henderson offers plenty of value on third down. Ohio State doesn’t use him as a pass catcher much, but he knows how to stem routes and manipulate leverage. Linebackers don’t have the speed to keep pace with Henderson, making him a mismatch creator in space.

He’s an enthusiastic pass protector who quickly identifies threats and seeks out contact. Henderson’s surprising proficiency as a blocker and untapped potential as a pass catcher make him a three-down option for teams at the next level.

Ohio State is currently facing off with the Northwestern Wildcats. A few weeks ago, the Wildcats surrendered three rushing touchdowns to Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson. This could be a great confidence-building game for a Buckeyes team that hasn’t run the ball well this year.

Chiefs scouting report: Ohio State Buckeyes OL Donovan Jackson

The Kansas City #Chiefs could beef up their offensive line by selecting Ohio State Buckeyes guard Donovan Jackson in the 2025 NFL draft.

Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Smith becomes a free agent after the 2024 season. Smith’s massive value on the open market could push Kansas City to let him walk in favor of a cheaper option through the 2025 NFL draft.

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Donovan Jackson is a left guard who needs to gain experience operating on the right side of the line if he lands in Kansas City. The Buckeyes asked Jackson to finish this season playing left tackle after superstar Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending injury. Unfortunately, this means Jackson won’t be at his natural position in any of his games in the College Football Playoff.

Jackson’s thick frame sports arms with elite length for a guard. Jackson sits low in his pass set and absorbs power rushers with a wide base. Defenders struggle to play through his frame and can’t escape his grasp once he latches onto them. He channels nice power through his hands, which makes him a nightmare for undersized defensive tackles and second level blitzers.

Jackson lacks the agility to redirect and cut off twitchy pass rushers. He bends at the waist a little, which makes him vulnerable to swim moves. Defensive tackles with powerful upper bodies like Nebraska’s Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson knock him out of his stance with club moves. This weakness appeared on Jackson’s tape in previous seasons too.

Jackson is a versatile run blocker with the power to generate vertical displacement and the mobility to lead block on the perimeter. He showcases nice speed in the open field. Jackson uses his burst to execute reach blocks and has the power to strain and finish through the whistle.

Jackson is a well-rounded prospect with physical upside because of his length and power. He projects as a second or early third-round selection.

Ohio State is currently facing off against Northwestern at the Wildcats’ temporary stadium on Lake Michigan. The game kicked off at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Northwestern only has two wins against Big Ten opponents this year, but pass rusher Anto Saka could provide a challenge for Jackson as he fills in at left tackle.

Chiefs scouting report: TCU Horned Frogs WR Savion Williams

The Kansas City #Chiefs could target TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Savion Williams in the 2025 NFL draft.

Trading for DeAndre Hopkins added some fangs to a depleted Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver room, but the defending Super Bowl champions still need to attack the position this offseason.

TCU Horned Frogs wideout Savion Williams offers the elite athletic traits and unique alignment versatility to add a new dynamic to Kansas City’s offense.

Williams possesses one of the most unique athletic profiles in the 2025 NFL draft. According to Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy’s verified measurements, Williams is 6’3 3/4″ and 228 lbs. with arms that extend past 33 inches. The Horned Frogs recently found success lining Williams up in the backfield for handoffs and routes.

Despite his size, Williams is an explosive athlete with elite speed. According to Reel Analytics, he reached a top speed of 21.7 miles per hour on a 75-yard receiving touchdown against Texas Tech earlier this year. Bruce Feldman for The Athletic claimed several of Williams’ top athletic feats include hitting 22.5 miles per hour, squatting 600 lbs. and posting 40 inches in the vertical jump.

Williams’ fluidity pops for an athlete with his size. He makes some sharp cuts in his routes with impressive deceleration and tight turns. He dominates at the catch point, hauling in more than 70% of his contested catch attempts. Williams’ vertical, catch radius and ball tracking make him a red zone menace.

Williams makes his best contributions with the ball in his hands, which is why TCU moved him to a hybrid role. His route tree needs development, and he struggles to stack corners downfield despite his blazing top speed. Williams is a better pure athlete than true receiver at this point in his development.

TCU plays 3-6 Oklahoma State at home on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 6:00 p.m. CST. The Cowboys dropped their last six games after starting the season 3-0. TCU’s last three games all came down to single-score differentials.

Chiefs scouting report: UCF Knights RB R.J. Harvey

The Kansas City #Chiefs should look to target a player like UCF #Knights running back R.J. Harvey in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs must add some talent to their running back room in the offseason. Three of their five running backs hit free agency at the end of the season, and the current room lacks the diverse skill sets to maximize the offense’s potential.

UCF Knights running back R.J. Harvey is 5’9″, 208 lbs., which puts him in the same range as former Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon. Harvey is a fleet-footed runner with the long speed to score from anywhere on the field. According to Reel Analytics, he reached 20.8 miles per hour on a touchdown against Colorado earlier this year.

Harvey lacks the traditional size to create between the tackles, but his sudden and explosive footwork helps him exchange gaps in an instant and evade defenders in the backfield. Most defenders lack the agility and burst to match his jump cuts and acceleration.

Harvey shakes and jukes past defenders in one-on-one situations as he races to bounce runs outside. Once he turns upfield, Harvey accelerates to erase pursuit angles and put linebackers and safeties in chase mode.

Harvey’s combination of track speed, explosive agility, instant acceleration and controlled footwork makes him an ideal change of pace back in the NFL.

UCF goes on the road to face the 6-2 Arizona State Sun Devils at 6:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, Nov. 9. Harvey rushed for 507 yards and seven touchdowns in his last three appearances. He enters Week 11 of the college football season with the third-most rushing yards in the nation.

Chiefs scouting report: Iowa State Cyclones CB Darien Porter

Iowa State Cyclones cornerback Darien Porter could be a target for the Kansas City #Chiefs in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs retain most of their cornerbacks for next year, but two become unrestricted free agents following the 2025 season. Kansas City should prepare for those eventual departures and the costly extension of Trent McDuffie by adding developmental corner depth in the 2025 NFL draft.

Iowa State Cyclones redshirt senior Darien Porter is a tall and lean corner with verified measurements from Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy that put him at 6’2 3/4″ and 192 lbs. He sports long arms that help him dominate at the catch point. This is Porter’s first season seeing significant defensive snaps, but he possesses the athletic tools and flashes to warrant a top-100 selection.

Porter ran a 46.99 400-meter dash in high school and won a state title in the 200-meter dash. That speed translates to the field. Even though his high hips cause some leggy transitions, Porter flashes the speed to carry receivers vertically out of press coverage. Wide receivers lack the speed to stack him on downfield routes or separate on crossers.

Porter decelerates with his quick feet to match more complex routes but faces some limitations in man coverage because of his tall frame and high hips. He triggers downhill from zone coverage to attack short routes and reads the quarterback’s eyes to anticipate throwing lanes.

At worst, Porter offers impressive special teams versatility. He played more than 860 total special teams snaps across five different units in college and blocked a punt in four consecutive seasons.

The Cyclones plan to rebound from their first loss of the season when they go on the road to face Kansas at 2:30 p.m CST. on Saturday, Nov. 9. The Jayhawks feature a talented trio of receivers to complement quarterback Jalon Daniels.

Chiefs scouting report: Ohio State Buckeyes LB Sonny Styles

The Kansas City #Chiefs should consider selecting Ohio State #Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs need linebacker help. The positions group struggled through several games this season and loses some of its top contributors to free agency in the next two years. The 2025 NFL draft doesn’t feature many quality linebackers, but some prospects offer developmental upside.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles needs another year to develop, which makes him the ideal draft and stash candidate for the Chiefs. Styles transitioned from safety to linebacker for the 2024 season. His block deconstruction skills and run fits lack consistency, but his raw athletic traits hint at significant long-term upside.

Styles, who turns 20 years old this month, plays with terrific closing speed. He’s an explosive athlete with the burst to fire through gaps and light up ball carriers. Styles turns into a human missile working downhill in the run game and uses his agility and bend to dip around blockers on his way to the ball.

Styles arrives with force. The pop he delivers on contact knocks running backs off their feet. The force of his hits jars the ball loose when he contacts tight ends at the catch point.

Styles needs to develop a better feel for coverages at his new position. He gains good depth in zone drops but suffers from lapses in man coverage against tight ends and running backs.

Ohio State welcomes Purdue to Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. CST. Only one ranked team remains on Ohio State’s schedule before the Big Ten Championship Game.

Chiefs scouting report: Ohio State Buckeyes CB Davison Igbinosun

Ohio State #Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun would be a great target for the Kansas City #Chiefs in the 2025 NFL draft.

The injury bug bit the Kansas City Chiefs hard this season, forcing backup cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams into larger roles. Kansas City’s defense is still one of the league’s best, but the Chiefs should consider upgrading the depth in their cornerback room.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Igbinosun maximizes his size and length as one of the nation’s premier press-man corners. He deploys one-armed stabs and two-handed jams to stall or re-route receivers at the line of scrimmage. Igbinosun destroys outside releases by driving receivers out of bounds. He allows limited to no separation on slants and crossers.

Igbinosun’s playstyle comes with risks. He grabs and hand checks receivers throughout their routes. This aggressive coverage approach led to more than a dozen penalties since the start of the 2023 season. Igbinosun lacks elite vertical speed but is quick enough to carry most receivers downfield. He suffers from some hip stiffness that limits him against twitchy athletes.

Igbinosun’s vision and closing burst make him effective in zone coverage. He reads the quarterback’s eyes and tries to bait passers into poor throws. Igbinosun uses his arm length to play the ball at the catch point from odd angles and rake the receiver’s hands without fouling.

The Buckeyes come off their win against Penn State with a home game against the 1-7 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday at 11 a.m. CST. No Purdue wide receivers have more than 230 receiving yards this season.

Chiefs scouting report: Alabama Crimson Tide DE L.T. Overton

The Kansas City #Chiefs could target Alabama Crimson Tide defensive end L.T. Overton in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs took a swing on defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah late in the 2023 NFL draft. Anudike-Uzomah’s early struggles suggest Kansas City needs to select another young edge in 2025.

Alabama defensive end L.T. Overton is a rising star, and there’s a chance he could fall to the Chiefs in the first round this coming spring.

Overton is a massive 6’5″, 283 lb. defensive end with long arms and a well-built frame. Alabama occasionally asks him to reduce inside as a 3-tech, but his long-term fit is in a traditional defensive end role. Overton explodes off the line and uses his lightning-quick hands to attack offensive linemen.

Overton’s pass rush plan includes two-handed swipes, long-arms, rips, inside swims, and a wide array of rip counters working off clubs, swims, and swipes. He lacks impressive bend to win around the corner but channels plenty of power through his arms and leg drive to walk back offensive tackles into the quarterback’s lap.

Overton’s run defense instincts are still developing, but he knows how to maximize his power and length at the point of attack. He locks out blockers with his long arms and easily separates from blocks to pursue the football. His base is strong enough to anchor and halt climbing linemen and clog run lanes, but he lacks the mass to combat double teams consistently.

Overton is a ferocious and high-level athlete who still needs to refine his pass-rush skills. He has the tools and motor to develop into one of the most disruptive defenders in the 2025 draft class.

Alabama faces a season-defining test in their next game. The Crimson Tide go on the road to face LSU at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9.

Za’Darius Smith: What the Lions are getting in their new EDGE

Breaking down new Detroit Lions EDGE Za’Darius Smith and what the Lions are getting in the veteran pass rusher

The Detroit Lions traded to bring in veteran EDGE Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns. Adding Smith helps stabilize a Detroit defensive line that has lost both starting EDGEs for the season and also other key reserves at times in recent weeks, leaving the Lions pass rush anemically thin.

Smith is probably a familiar name to Lions fans after he spent the 2019-2021 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and then also played the 2022 season in Minnesota. He hit double-digit sacks in all three seasons where he played, missing all but one game of the 2021 campaign with a back injury.

Smith openly chastised the Packers organization for how they handled his injury, going so far as to sign with the Vikings specifically to play against Green Bay twice a year. That’s a good peek at the mindset Smith brings into Detroit.

What the Lions are getting in Za’Darius Smith

Smith is an ideal athletic fit for what the Lions covet in an EDGE. The 32-year-old is 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds and can play either standing up or with a hand in the dirt on either side of the formation. In Cleveland the last two seasons, with Jim Schwartz as his defensive coordinator, Smith has primarily played standing up on the side opposite Myles Garrett.

Smith can still “crush the can” as a pass rusher, blasting off the line into the tackle and driving into the backfield. His powerful arms allow him to push off the tackle and make a secondary move to either side. Similar to now-injured Lions starter Marcus Davenport, Smith has enough lateral quickness to help lure a blocker off-balance with a step or a shoulder feign and then the strength to capitalize off it.

He’s probably lost a half-step of quickness and closing burst in the last couple of seasons. That could be more of an issue in Detroit than it was in playing with Myles Garrett, because the Lions lack the finisher to terminate a pressure Smith creates but can’t finish on his own. This play from Week 8 is a good example; Smith (No. 99 at LDE) creates the sack for a teammate:

 

Still, Smith has five sacks on the season, including one of Chargers QB Justin Herbert on Sunday. If he gets a paw on the QB (or RB in the backfield), the play typically ends. It is worth noting that his missed tackle rate has spiked up in the last two seasons; per PFF it’s currently above 21 percent in 2024.

He’s been lauded for his leadership at every stop along the way, going back to his time with the Baltimore Ravens. Smith began his career in Baltimore as a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Like current Lions EDGE Josh Paschal, Smith played collegiately at Kentucky.

Expect Smith to start right away and play full-time reps as the new primary EDGE pass rusher in Detroit. As a side benefit, that means players like Paschal and Al-Quadin Muhammad are going to be relied upon for less.