CORNERBACKS: Jalen Collins: "They all have holes, but Collins is what you are looking for in an NFL cornerback with his length and speed. He isn't there yet, but he has the traits and ability to become a high-end starter and maybe the best cornerback from this draft." -- NFC director of personnel Marcus Peters: "I wouldn't take him inside the first two rounds. He's good, but he's not that good that I would be willing to deal with his emotional issues." -- NFC personnel director Senquez Golson: "He has that love of football we look for. He turned down big money as a baseball player to lock in on football, and he plays with passion and with explosive talent." -- AFC South regional scout Ronald Darby: "I worry about his toughness against the run. He's just fine in coverage, but he will have teams running at him every chance they get until he proves he's willing to step up and be tough." -- ACC assistant coach D'Joun Smith: "The word that comes to mind when I watch him on tape is 'spunky'. He competes hard and he wants to make plays, but his workout is going to be big for him because I'm not sure he has the top-end speed." -- NFC director of pro personnel Ifo Expre-Olomu: "He's tough and has ball skills. He's just being asked to go play right now but he'll get the right technique work in our league and watch how good he becomes then. He's going to be great." -- AFC South area scout Steven Nelson: "He loves to compete and get at receivers to test their toughness, but he's got to get under control and be more disciplined to start in the league." -- Pac-12 offensive assistant coach Ladarius Gunter: "He was good at Senior Bowl practices, but that's just a tool. You have to try and find what he did over there on tape. It didn't always match up." -- AFC West scout Craig Mager: "I wanted to make him a safety because of how physical he is, but after seeing him in person, he may not be big enough. He's not as fast as you want, but he's a player and he's really, really tough." -- NFC director of player personnel Josh Shaw: "I know about the issues he had this year, but I did plenty of background work on Shaw and I had no problem giving him a passing character grade when I turned in my report." -- NFC North area scout JaCorey Shepherd: "He gets sloppy with his feet and technique, but I think he can play. You don't make that many plays on the ball because of luck. You make that many plays because you have a great feel for it." -- NFC college director of scouting Troy Hill: "When you go back in his history you find out that he's always had a chip on his shoulder and that is what fuels him. He uses it to be a better football player. There are some maturity issues with him that concern me though." -- NFC director of scouting Garry Peters: "He wasn't challenged very often really stayed in his guy's pocket but he’s one of these college corners who are in for a rude awakening when they find out just how quickly the flags come flying in when they start grabbing people downfield." -- NFC personnel director Byron Jones: "High-character player with the vision and instincts you want from an NFL cornerback. I'm not sure I like him in man coverage but there is a place for him in our league. Really nice young man who you cheer for." -- NFC North scout Quandre Diggs: "He's got draftable qualities and he showed great improvement this year. I'm just not sure what to do with him because he's too small to play outside, and teams in our division are good at slot corners. He's short and slow and that makes him matchup-deficient." -- NFC South area scout Deshazor Everett: "I've always liked his toughness and aggressiveness, but he's just way too reckless. On tape you see him bust his coverage just to try and peek in on another receiver's route." -- Scout and former NFL wide receiver Cariel Brooks: "He's a good football player. His biggest issue is that he's not freakish with his balls skills and doesn't have freakish deep speed. If you are a short corner, you need to have one of those traits." -- NFC South area scout Cam Thomas: "Their secondary had some issues stopping the deep ball on the other side of Thomas, so he wasn't really challenged as much as he should have been. If offenses would have gone after him, I think his speed issue would have shown up more often." -- AFC East scout Curtis Riley: "He can run okay and has man cover ability, but he has no clue about what he sees. He just doesn't really understand how to play the position yet." -- AFC area scout Greg Henderson: "I don't see a draftable talent. He's got some quickness, but I don't see coverage traits, instincts or toughness cornerbacks need to have." -- NFC East scout Julian Wilson: "He's got the size and speed to make you give the tape a second look, but once the tape starts running, you see all you need to. Can't play." -- NFC West regional scout
SAFETY: Eric Rowe: "He's a long-strider with limited deep speed, so I see him as a Tampa-2 guy or maybe fitting with a defense similar to Seattle's where he has a good free safety helping over the top." -- AFC directer of college scouting Detrick Bonner: "He's OK. I just can't find any part of his game that I think is starter quality. He might be able to be a backup." -- NFC North scout Ibraheim Campbell: "When you first start watching him, you think he can play high or down (in the box), but he just gives up too many plays over the top to trust him on top." -- NFC North scout Kyshoen Jarrett: "Doesn't check all of the boxes we want out of our safeties, but I gave him a draftable grade. He's the type of player that DB coaches hate on paper but love on the field." -- NFC North scout Durell Eskridge: "No question he should have stayed another year. He thinks he's ready but he needs to define the type of player he is. Right now, he's just a guy to me. I don't know how to define him yet." --- AFC scout Justin Cox: "We have him as a draft reject based on character and his overall tape." -- NFC East scout LINEBACKERS: Dante Fowler: "He's had to play at different weights and different spots on the field, and I think he's finally understanding how to use his athleticism to dominate a game. He will be way better in the pros than what he is now." -- AFC East college director of scouting Randy Gregory: "He's super raw, but those physical tools are through the roof. That's why you pay coaches." -- NFC scouting director Vic Beasley: "I know everyone will have him pegged as a 3-4 edge guy, but I think 4-3 defenses would be crazy not to consider him as a WILL or SAM who can bump down as an edge rusher in third downs. Denver does it with Von Miller, so why not consider it?" -- NFC East scout Paul Dawson: "He's an early round player without any question, but you don't have to dig around very deep or very long to realize that his personal character is going to be a major issue for some teams. My grade will be two rounds later than just the talent grade. It has to be factored in." -- AFC West regional scout Shaq Thompson: "He was 219 pounds when I visited late in the season. I'm concerned about whether he will be able to keep enough weight on to be a 4-3 WILL. Until I see him actually play deep as a safety, I'm not sure that is a projection I'm comfortable making." -- AFC North scout Bud Dupree: "He's a little slow to diagnose, which causes him to get a late start on plays. I would ask him to drop into space in zone dog looks and that's about it. To me, he's a pure see 'em, get 'em 3-4 rush end." -- NFC East regional scout Eric Kendricks: "His production and character makes it easy for a scout to bang the table for him. The only blow-back I anticipate in my room is regarding his size, but if you stick him at the WILL spot, I don't think it matters." -- NFC West regional scout Lorenzo Mauldin: "He'll get pegged as a 3-4 rush 'backer, but a 4-3 team could look at him as a situational pass rusher if he is there late second day." -- AFC area scout "He overcame a tough childhood and developed a mindset that nothing is going to stop him. He works his butt off and he wants to be great. I'm cheering hard for this kid and I'll bang the table for him when the time is right." -- NFC North scout Denzel Perryman: "He's physical and plays angry at the point of attack. He's the type of guy you like having on your team because he brings toughness to practice. He's going to lay the wood to ball carriers when he gets a chance but college teams were already finding ways to go after him in the passing game." -- AFC East regional scout "I have a little higher grade on Perryman than I probably should, but we like thumpers and badasses inside and he's both." -- AFC director of scouting Jordan Hicks: "He'll probably be a coach after he's done with football. He loves it that much. His problem is that it's hard to project the player fitting into his traits because he struggles to make plays outside of the scheme." -- AFC area scout "Hicks needed the discipline that Charlie Strong brought with him. I saw enough improvement this year to give him a much higher grade than I had on him back in September." -- NFC East scout Max Valles: "He's an athlete and not a football player right now. If it starts to click for him and he starts to put the tape work together with the talent -- look out, buddy. If it doesn't click, you've got a backup defensive end." -- AFC defensive line coach Ramik Wilson: "I think he can play inside in a 3-4 as long as he's not the 'take on' linebacker. In a 4-3, I think the SAM then WILL are his best spots in that order. I'm a little worried that he could get picked on in coverage in our league." -- NFC area scout Kwon Alexander: "He's got the play speed you want and he will step in and be a core special-teamer, too. What you don't love is his height and lack of length. When you dig around on him you find out that he has high character and that he's good in the locker room." -- NFC director of college scouting Mike Hull: "If he had more athleticism you would like to stick him at WILL backer, but I see him as a MIKE only and depth player with enough talent to step in and fill for an injured starter." -- Big Ten scouting consultant Ben Heeney: "I'm not saying he doesn't have instincts or work hard, but he guesses way too much. He's always around the ball, but he's also missing too many tackles to play in our league." -- NFC area scout Aaron Davis: "Not big, strong or fast, but he's productive because he's smart and willing. He's a much better player than many of the guys who are going to get drafted ahead of him at that position." -- AFC North scout Mark Nzeocha: "He has no instincts, but he will test really well when healthy. Those testing numbers should get him into somebody's camp for sure, but I don't think he can be anything but a practice squad guy for now." -- NFC scout Bryce Hager: "The only way I could see him playing inside is if a team is 2-gapping up front and keeping him clean. I think he has to be a 4-3 outside 'backer. I might want to see if he can catch the ball at all because he could have some fullback potential." -- NFC area scout James Vaughters: "Go watch his tape and check how many of his sacks have come when he is unblocked or because he was around the play long enough to get a sack. He's strong, but that's about it." -- Pac-12 regional scout
nfl.com I will try to add some from other positions when I have the time and energy. It is kind of cool to see them bunched together rather than moving from page to page one at time. A couple of years ago, I bought one of the last PFW newsstand mags that has comments like that and being maybe a little obsessive/compulsive, I transcribed them each manually. That took some time. If you scroll back two years you will probably see the thread. It was for the 2013 draft as I recall. The one that Gio Bernard was in.
WIDE RECEIVERS Amari Cooper "Amari is super athletic, very fluid and highly skilled as a route runner and hands catcher. Because of his reserved demeanor and similar ability, I compared him to Marvin Harrison during the season." -- Former NFL GM and current Reese's Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage Jaelen Strong "He's not going to run fast, but it won't matter because any team who drafts him is going to have a plan for him. When he has a quarterback who can throw him open, his speed won't matter much. I love him." -- NFC West scout Dorial Green-Beckham "I think the consistent problems for Josh Gordon are going to leak over and hurt his draft stock. He couldn't keep himself out of trouble, had no structure growing up and didn't take coaching at Missouri. He's tall and fast and has good hands, but he can't be trusted. Why would you take a guy like that before the third day?" -- NFC director of personnel Stefon Diggs "I've preached to him to always practice like a pro and that is something he has worked on. I can tell you this -- get the ball in his hands and he's a different kind of football player." -- Keenan McCardell, Maryland WRs coach and former NFL receiver. Nelson Agholor "Right off the bat, his draft value has a ceiling because he's a slot receiver. At least that is how I see it. I don't think he has the speed to get open outside. He's a good value in the middle rounds, though, because of his return=game potential." -- NFC South scout DeAndre Smelter "I hate that he tore his ACL. We throw the phrase 'athlete' and 'competitor' around quite a bit in this business, but he embodies that. If he hadn't had a shoulder problem, I think we would be talking about him as a major leaguer right now." -- NFC Area scout Mario Alford "He has some retention issues with information, so whoever takes him needs to have a plan for him. I like him personally. I would keep him outside and use him like the Colts use (T.Y.) Hilton." -- NFC East scout Rannell Hall "I was kind of hoping he wouldn't look very good at the Senior Bowl so I can keep him under the radar." -- NFC East area scout Deon Long "He could have shut it down after his leg injury, but he kept pushing on even after all of the moving he's done. He's got a one-year-old son now, and I'm hoping that will help him mature and take this opportunity seriously." -- NFC North scout Deontay Greenberry "You expect him to be able to win the deep stuff, but he doesn't have that second gear. He needs to get way better with his routes and hands to find a place in the league." -- AFC North scout
Missed this one among the safeties. Erick Dargan "He's 'Johnny on the spot' with all those plays he makes. I don't think he can run at all. I think he'll run a 4.7, but his football IQ is off the charts." -- NFC Pac-12 scout
Some more being added: "I didn't think anyone had a better combine than (Trae Waynes). He was faster than I thought and looked great in the drills. He's the top corner and I don't think it's close." -- NFC director of personnel
Mel said today on his radio show that Trae might fall to us, possibly go to the Vikes at 11. Man I hope we get him. He mentioned a couple of other guys he thought would be 2nd round guys. One was Rove and I don't remember the other name. I thought he said both guys played some safety and corner. I'm half tempted to do that ESPN insiders for just the draft. I wonder if it's worth it?
There is no Rove in the draft. Probably means Eric Rowe, another large corner out of Utah who could project to safety for some teams.
yeah after doing some research and listening to him at the combine i said a few weeks ago that i couldn't draft him in the first or 2nd..he seems like he might have a short fuse..
Per Abramson, the Phins have worked out Stephone Anthony and Vic Beasley, and have met (again) with Devante Parker.
I'm just gonna repeat it but whoever drafts Mike Hull will get a quality player. He's a guy who plays with instincts, which I always covet at that position.
OL DJ Humphries: "What made me really take notice was the way he handled Shane Ray when they played. If you can block that guy, you can play in the league." -- NFC scout in charge of SEC La'el Collins: "I love the guy on tape. Big-time finisher in the run game and we need that. What I don't like is that his hands are bad as a pass blocker right now and I'm not sure he gets that fixed right away. Other than that, he's pretty clean." -- AFC offensive line coach AJ Cann: "I see him as a left guard only prospect who overcomes lack of height with athleticism. I like the kid and the player." -- SEC East offensive coach Tre' Jackson: "Honestly, I liked him much better last year. I definitely had him ahead of (teammate Josue) Matias) coming into the season, but not anymore." -- NFC Director of Scouting Cameron Erving: "He plays tough, but I wouldn't call him an intimidator out there. He's a work in progress, but he's going to keep getting better as he learns how to play center." -- ACC defensive line coach Laken Tomlinson: "Some scouts see upside with him, but I think what you see is what you get. Clunky in a phone-booth type." -- NFL director of scouting "He was really impressive matching up against true power players at the Senior Bowl. He made Danny Shelton quit on a couple of reps when he couldn't get any push against Tomlinson." -- AFC general manager Jarvis Harrison: "I believe he has Pro Bowl caliber talent, but his work ethic is a major concern for me. I know he loves basketball, but not sure if he feels the same about football. The talent? That's a given. He's really, really talented." -- AFC scouting director BJ Finney: "I'm worried about his change of direction, and his legs getting too stiff after a couple of years in the pros. I see him as a good backup or very average center." -- NFC North scout "What you see is what you get. Plays hard and is reliable. I don't know if he's great at any one thing, but he's solid at most of them." -- NFC offensive line coach Josue Matias: "I think he'll test well, but he's more tight-hipped than you expect. It really bothers me that he has issues with counter-moves considering his tackle experience and length." -- NFC North regional scout Mark Glowinski: "I don't hear many scouts talk about him on the road, but he's got feet and some power so I'll bet that the line coaches jump on him when they get to see the tape." -- NFC East national scout Mitch Morse: "Looks like he's tough, but limited on tape." -- AFC offensive line coach Sean Donnelly: "I liked Donnelly, and went to bat for him and got crushed in our meeting room. We will see if I'm right or the big boys in the room are right." -- AFC South scout Trenton Brown: "That staff didn't feel like he was always reliable as a player. He's got a good ceiling, but you have to factor in that low floor too." -- SEC defensive coach Tayo Fabuluje: "His body language can be deceiving. When you watch him at a practice he looks like this oafish kid who doesn't care, and then when you talk to him and watch the tape you see that's not the case. I would love to see what he could do at about 335 pounds." -- NFC East area scout Arie Kouandjio: "Not a fan. I've always thought he was bad. Name only, can't play." -- SEC defensive coordinator Austin Shepherd: "He's a big, tough kid and he understands how to play the game. He's not the most talented player but he's the kind of player you love to coach." -- NFC North scout Jamil Douglas: "He's got to get tougher and stronger. Everyone sees things differently so maybe another team will be sold on his athleticism, but I gave him a late grade based on what we want from our guards." -- AFC west scout Quinton Spain: "Size and length are what you want. What you won't find out until you get him is if he can correct those hands." -- AFC offensive line coach Cole Manhart: "He has to move to guard to have a shot, but he's not a bad football player. I just don't know if he's going to be strong enough to play in the league." -- AFC South scout Malcolm Bunche: "He thinks he's way better than he actually is. I know this staff (UCLA) was really disappointed with what they got from him this year." -- AFC West scout.
DL Leonard Williams: "You can't over-think this one. It doesn't matter how raw he is because he's got freakish qualities that are rare for men his size. I think he has a chance to be as good as Kevin Williams. That's his comp." -- NFC Director of Scouting Shane Ray: "He's not like other guys from Missouri that we've seen. He's got serious speed to get over the top of tackles and those other ends didn't have it. You just wish he was a little longer." -- NFC outside linebackers coach Arik Armstead: "I see the power in his hands and all of his tools, but I don't see the production or the consistent push that I feel like I should see from him. He could end up being a monster, but you have to understand that what you get right now is just a big athlete with some upside." -- Pac-12 area scout Danny Shelton: "Shelton is a bully. If you let him walk all over you early in the game, he's going to keep doing it. But watch how he kind of fades into the background when he goes up against guys who stand up to him. I want to see him show up all the time." -- NFC area scout Jordan Phillips: "He has the body type and length to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 front, but there is no reason to move him from the nose. If he gets that motor going, he could be a dominant pro." -- AFC North scout Grady Jarrett: "Grady will take you on a ride when he gets into you. I think grades on him will really vary since the only real fit for him is in a 1-gap 4-3 defense on the nose. Teams will beat him up over his size, but someone is going to get a good football player with him." -- NFC North scout Owamagbe Odighizuwa: "He's not Courtney Upshaw, but he could be used kind of like that. I can see him playing in both 4-3 or 3-4, but he can't be counted on as a pass rusher and you have to know that he will be limited to just being a run stopper." -- AFC national scout Nate Orchard: "When I'm on the road, I hear other scouts tell me they think he's tough enough but his tape doesn't show it. He's a finesse player with some a high ceiling as a pass rusher, but he could easily bust out." -- NFC director of college scouting Bobby Richardson: "He's a good prospect and with those long arms, that makes him a taller player than his listed height the way we do things. I don't worry about his fit because everyone runs so many sub-packages now. Just go get a guy with athleticism who can be disruptive. That's him." -- AFC area scout Dannielle Hunter: "If he walked into your living room, your eyes would pop out of your head. He looks that good on the hoof. He's going to blow up the combine, and then ace all of the interviews and NFL teams are going to fall in love with him. He still needs someone to unlock all that talent, though." -- Former LSU coach Marcus Hardison: "Really, really quick for a big man. If you would have told me in October that he would end up with all that production and showing out at Senior Bowl practices, I would have thought you were crazy. It just started click for him." -- NFC area scout Frank Clark: "I don't think he gets past the 4th round at the latest. Our team felt like he gave honest answers regarding previous incidents and we came away feeling much better about him after speaking to him." - NFC Personnel Executive Henry Anderson: "He plays hard like Trent Murphy did at Stanford, but Murphy was a better athlete. He's not explosive enough to be a reliable pass rusher and I don't see him as a run stuffer." -- Pac 12 regional scout Mario Edwards, Jr.: "I think conditioning and desire are a big problem for him and they go hand in hand. He just looks content to stay blocked by lesser players, and it is so frustrating to watch because you know he has the talent to be so much better." -- AFC West scout Za'Darius Smith: "He will play hard for you and has a chance to be a tone-setter in camp, but I don't think he's going to be more than just a worker bee and depth player." -- AFC national scout Tyeler Davison: "He plays too laterally to me. I know he's strong and all that but I want to see him up the field more and not just against the weakest parts of the schedule." -- NFC West scout "When I study him, I see a disruptive tackle-splitter. He can't play in an odd front, obviously, but when he gets technique work, I think you could see him really take off." -- NFC area scout Christian Covington: "I thought Christian was an early third-day selection, but could have really improved his status if he had stayed another year. With that said, all bets are off until he gets medical clearance because of that knee." -- AFC South scout Markus Golden: "He plays hard and he's very tough, but where is the productivity? Usually with big effort guys we have to sift through big production numbers and figure out how much of it is translatable. With Golden, there just isn't as much production as you expect. I had a higher grade on him last year." -- AFC national scout Geneo Grissom: "He has to rush with his hand in the ground and he's not above average at that as a defensive end. His best spot is probably as a 4-3 strong-side end who can rush from inside on third downs." -- AFC North scout Leterrius Walton: "I have a feeling he's going to be one of those guys who ends up being an NFL player that nobody sees coming. He was a baseball and basketball player, which means he has good hands and feet. More coaching might be able to unlock an NFL player." -- AFC West scout Obum Gwacham: "This guy is going to blow some people away with his explosion numbers and teams will love him in interviews because he's a genuinely good guy. As a player, he still needs a lot of time to develop and you better set aside time for that and have a plan for him." -- NFC South area scout. Anthony Chickillo: "He doesn't have a position as far as I can tell. I don't think he projects inside or outside. He's just caught between positions and there isn't anything that he does really well." -- NFC director of scouting Cedric Reed: "He was a really boring guy to study. There just isn't anything on tape to get excited about until the end of 2014 when he started playing better than I had ever seen him play." -- NFC North scout Ray Drew: "He came into that program with so much hype and never came close to living up to it. I'm not sure he has that overwhelming desire to be great. He might be too content." - SEC regional scout Kaleb Eulls: "Hard worker and I know that he's well thought of at that school. He's a rotational guy at most." -- NFC South scout Leon Orr: "I think they had enough of him by the end. Will (Muschamp) was under so much pressure over the last few years that he just wasn't going to put up with this guy's selfishness. He's not good enough to put up with that complaining. He's trying to do damage repair through the media but that ain't going to work." -- NFC director of scouting Joey Mbu: "The coaches at Houston can't stop talking about how good the kid is and what kind of leader he is." -- AFC defensive line coach Travis Raciti: "I think he's been caught up on a defense that hasn't been able to find an identity, and he's paid the price for it in terms of his production. He may need a position switch." -- NFC personnel director Ellis McCarthy: "He was supposed to be all-world, and when he got to UCLA, I don't think he had the discipline he needed. He got too big, and then had knee issues and he never looked like the player he was supposed to be when he came in." -- AFC North scout Chucky Hunter: "If you put Chucky's skill set on a bigger man, then you've got a draftable player. I hear the media pump up Chucky, but the scouts I see on the road aren't as high on him." -- NFC North regional scout
