Tag: Utah Utes football

Strengths

What stands out immediately is his ability to play with physicality. He is a hard hitter that can separate ball carrier from the ball with his jarring hits. He can fly downhill quickly and will lay the wood when he gets theres. Not a shoulder tackle safety, Blackmon does well to wrap up and bring down his target.

Former cornerback who you can feel comfortable with in one on one situations. Physical at the line and can play press coverage with a good ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. Shows the high football IQ to understand situational routes and uses those instincts to close on the ball.

Blackmon has tremendous ball skills with nine interceptions in three seasons as a starter. He is a long defensive back who will use that length to high point the ball. Has some long speed that will help him recover. A guy who isn’t a one spot in the secondary player, he can win from many different spots.

Weaknesses

Blackmon is a bit raw as a safety prospect in terms of moving over from cornerback. He will need work on better spacing and proper angles. Proper technique will be vital for his success at the position. Can lose track of receiver at times.

The health of Blackmon will need to be monitored. A knee injury late in the season forced him to miss the Alamo Bowl. Teams will need to make sure that he is fully healed up with no longstanding concerns. Non-contact knee injuries are ones to be fearful about.

Projection: Day 3

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2020 NFL draft: Terrell Burgess scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Utah safety prospect Terrell Burgess

Terrell Burgess | S | Utah

Elevator Pitch

Burgess is one of the lesser talked about safety prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft class. He didn’t become a starter until his final year for Utah but he is a good option later in the draft for rotational piece. He can play special teams, safety and some nickel corner at the next level.

Vitals

Height | 5-11

Weight | 202

Class | Senior

Strengths

Burgess has done really well with the mental preparation in his game. Despite not having a huge number of interceptions for Utah, he shows off his instincts. During the Senior Bowl week, Burgess was able to make plays on the ball at a high rate. A great sign for where his mental processing is at.

#Utah DB Terrell Burgess has low key had a productive week. Really natural in a nickel role.

I gave him a late 3rd round grade based off his 2019 tape and he’s lived up to that this week. #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/UfbrvFPxUu

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 24, 2020

You love the versatility that he will bring to the NFL level. He lined up at cornerback, nickel corner, box safety and free safety according to Pro Football Focus. He can be a chess piece for a defense that can provide a way to counteract matchups. In coverage he can be very sticky to receiver and that allows him to make plays on the ball.

He does well when coming downhill despite not being a thumper. Does well to recognize flow and can close on ball carriers. When factoring his ability to diagnose plays and his situational awareness, he is showing the play of a top six safety in this class.

Weaknesses

The biggest negative regarding his game is going to be the lack of size and length at the position. Competing at the catch point and in jump ball situations will be an issue for Burgess. He is under six foot and has 29″ arms that will be a detriment for him at the NFL level. Adding strength to his frame will also be key for his development and to become a starter later in his career most likely.

More physical tight ends will give him trouble in the NFL.The physical strength will be key for Burgess. Add muscle to his frame will help alleviate some of the weaknesses in his game. Needs to do a better job of wrapping up on tackles.

Projection: Day 3

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2020 NFL draft: Jaylon Johnson scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Utah cornerback prospect Jaylon Johnson

Jaylon Johnson | CB | Utah

Elevator Pitch

Johnson is a press man corner who can really become CB1 at an early point in his career. His physical play can be a difference maker when dealing with wide receivers at the NFL level. While being physical, he shows the speed to recover when he needs to . Should be a top target on day two.

Vitals

Height | 6-0

Weight | 193

Class | Junior

Strengths

Johnson is the prototypical cornerback for teams who like physicality and length. With his 31 3/8″ arms, he can use that length to really impact completed passes thrown his way. Not to mention the physical aspect when playing press man. Will jam receivers and knock them off their timing and routes. This is where he wins most often.

Johnson shows good ability to mirror receiver down the field, no loss of speed when flipping his hips to turn and run. He is very much a sticky corner in that he stays with his guy in coverage. With good short area quickness, Johnson can click and close to make a play in the secondary.

Due to his size and length to go along with his leaping ability, jump balls won’t always go in favor of the offense. Shows adequate hands and ball skills for the position. He intercepted seven passes in three years, with two coming all the way back for scores. As he continues in his development, that area should improve as well. No slouch as a tackler either.

Weaknesses

Johnson can be aggressive, but that also can come back to bite him. Peeking back at the quarterback can also give the receiver opportunity to separate from coverage. His technique will require some work as he can get a bit grabby down the field and those yellow hankies will soon follow.

While he is physical as a tackler, there are often times you will question his effort levels. He will become a spectator or make business decisions on the field. When he stays engaged this doesn’t seem to be an issue.

Projection: Day 2

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2020 NFL draft: Leki Fotu scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Utah defensive line prospect Leki Fotu

Leki Fotu | DL | Utah

Elevator Pitch

Fotu is a mountain of a man that can clog the interior of a defense. Don’t let his size fool you, despite being 330 pounds, Fotu has a bit of quickness to his game. He likely falls into the latter part of day two but he can make strides to be a focal point inside for man teams looking for a nose or one-technique defensive tackle. A penetrating defensive tackle who needs to develop more as a pass rusher.

Vitals

Height | 6-5

Weight | 330

Class | Senior

Strengths

The first thing you notice is the size of Fotu. He uses that size and strength well at the point of attack. He can also use his length against offensive lineman when engaging. One on One blocking against Fotu seems very ineffective, teams will need to use double teams against him more often than not.

Uses his hands well in fighting with interior lineman. Uses that quickness off the line to his advantage. When engaged, uses lower body power well to drive blockers into the pocket. Despite his size, shows off motor in pursuit. Given his abilities up front, Fotu is a perfect player in a two-gap defense.

Weaknesses

Leki Fotu is a work in progress in terms of pass rush. He is fairly limited in giving anything on passing downs so he will likely be a two-down tackle early on in his career. He really struggles with leverage due to playing with a narrow base. Lineman are able to get under his pad level to control him in passing situations.

If he doesn’t beat the lineman off the snap, he can be swallowed up by blocking. His inability to counter is another reason that Fotu is in the latter portions of day two conversations. Late in games he seems. to get gassed so conditioning will play a factor.

Projection: Day 3

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2020 NFL draft: Bradlee Anae scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Utah edge defender prospect Bradlee Anae

Bradlee Anae | EDGE | Utah

Elevator Pitch

Anae is another one of the Utes that will be looking to make the jump to the pros, and one of five on defense. Anae isn’t a speed rusher but is one of the more technically sound edge defenders for the upcoming class and could make an immediate impact as a rotational player with opportunity to work his way into a starting role. His best fit is in a 4-3 with his hand in the dirt.

Vitals

Height | 6-3

Weight | 257

Class | Senior