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'Canes Scouting Reports from NFL.com

Our talent level sucked on defense. No matter the scheme we were not gonna put out a decent defense. That doesn't excuse our defensive coaching staff from doing things like playing shayon Greene like he is some super athletic NFL OLB. Combine poor talent with poor coaching and you get the 500 yard club.
 
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The defense declined with the offense as the schedule became more difficult and duke/Dorset got hurt... The whole team sucked at the end, the offense just had at least a few players with a heartbeat to semi-compete even though they were being carried for the most part by a true freshman phenom scoring on screens reverses and punt returns
 
ssj4cane said:
Our talent level sucked on defense. No matter the scheme we were not gonna put out a decent defense. That doesn't excuse our defensive coaching staff from doing things like playing shayon Greene like he is some super athletic NFL OLB. Combine poor talent with poor coaching and you get the 500 yard club.
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So golden is a poor recruiter and coach. Not good.
 
I enjoyed the reports. It'd be nice if we could have some of this insight as to our current players. Dmoney, after spring you should write one up with our top prospects and key guys.
 
Not getting into the overall scheme/coaching debate above.

I read those evaluations and one thing jumped out at me that I have not seen mentioned directly in the thread. The commentary seemed pretty uniform in the area of strength/power development. We continue to have a problem on the Strength & Conditioning side of the house. I know that some players felt they were overworked during the week and didn't have enough left in the tank on Saturdays. Anyway, while it was apparent on gameday anyway, the evaluations further support the observation that S&C is a problem that continues to require attention.
 
DMoney said:
For those of you who remember the Pro Football Weekly draft preview, the same guy now does scouting reports for NFL.com. Some of it is his opinion, and some he gets straight from his old buddies in the scouting community. I think he did a pretty accurate job with our guys:

Seantrel Henderson (Rounds 2 or 3)

STRENGTHS Looks every bit the part with a rare-sized body that will make offensive line coaches drool -- broad-shouldered, big-boned, well-proportioned and thickly built. Athletic bender. Light-footed kick slide. Is a day trip to get around -- long arms aid recovery and enable him to push rushers wide of the pocket. Thwarts rushers with a heavy punch and sturdy base. Locks on and controls. Walls off and seals. Widens the hole. Gets to the second level with ease. Passes off stunts.

WEAKNESSES Weight-room strength is not special given his size. Needs to strengthen his core -- affects body control, contact balance, sustain and finish. Spends too much time on the ground. Technique lapses -- needs to play with more consistent bend and leverage. Gets in trouble when his feet stall and is slow to shift his weight. Labors to execute reach blocks and is stressed by quick inside moves -- occasionally lets defenders cross his face. Struggles adjusting to moving targets in space. Should be more powerful than he is. Uneven performance. Underachiever traits. Suspect maturity, dependability and decision-making -- is easily led astray and was suspended multiple times.

BOTTOM LINE Massive, strong-bodied, long-armed specimen with the physical gifts to be a dominant NFL right tackle in a power or slide-protection blocking scheme. However, he failed to live up to expectations in Coral Cables thanks to a tumultuous career marred by tragedy, suspensions, injuries and benchings. High-risk, high-reward, high-maintenance wild card who must convince decision-makers he’s worth gambling on. Interview process will go a long way in determining his trustworthiness.

Stephen Morris (Rounds 4 or 5)

STRENGTHS Very good arm strength and athletic ability. Can move around the pocket and buy a second chance. Throws with velocity and can rifle the ball into tight spots. Can drill back-shoulder throws. Can adapt his arm and throwing platform and release it from a variety of angles under duress with ease. Has natural leadership traits.

WEAKNESSES Average overall size with a relatively thin build. Sporadic accuracy. Sprays the ball and struggles to hit receivers in stride (best with stationary targets). Does not throw his receivers open. Marginal timing, anticipation and rhythm. Struggles to handle pressure and presses to create plays -- eyes drop to the rush very quickly and vacates the pocket prematurely. Makes too many head-scratching decisions. Birddogs his primary target and will force the ball. Career 57.7 completion percentage is indicative of accuracy at all layers even with a clean pocket. Makes his receivers consistently work for the ball.

BOTTOM LINE Will tease evaluators with his arm and athletic talent, but has yet to prove he can throw with the precision needed to sustain a starting job in the pros. Has clear starting-caliber traits, but is still learning what it takes to direct an offense and make good decisions and is still very much a work in progress. Has talent worth molding in a backup role and will pique the interest of QB coaches who work him out in the spring and view his raw tools. Will require a strong offensive line and a full supporting cast of weapons to function in a starting role.

Brandon Linder (Rounds 4 or 5)

STRENGTHS Terrific size. Engages with urgency and works to gain positioning. Can lean and seal. Good hand placement. Functional anchor when his base and posture are technically sound. Ideal makeup to battle in the trenches. Plays with his head on a swivel -- alert to threats. Nasty finisher. Outstanding personal and football
character. Smart vocal leader. Tough, durable and experienced (42 career starts).

WEAKNESSES Adequate athlete. Limited explosion -- cannot overpower defenders. Plays short-armed (average sustain). Tends to lunge and slip off blocks. Body control and contact balance wane in space and on the move. Is late to cut off linebackers and struggles the farther he has to go.

BOTTOM LINE Big, experienced, highly competitive, short-area base blocker at his best in a phone booth. Lacks ideal power and athleticism, but has football intelligence, leadership traits and a bulldog’s mentality. Should earn a spot as an interior backup initially, but brings grit to the line and has the makeup to outplay his draft position.

Allen Hurns (Rounds 6 or 7)

STRENGTHS Good length and competitive speed. Runs hard after the catch. Adjusted well to frequent errant throws.

WEAKNESSES Narrow-framed and non-physical. Struggles to separate against tight man coverage. Lacks polish and precision in his routes. Average burst out of his breaks. Is not a burner -- limited long speed. Soft blocker.

BOTTOM LINE An underneath, zone receiver, Hurns emerged as the Hurricanes' top go-to receiver as a senior. Runs a lot of simple, stationary, short-to-intermediate routes and could have a more difficult time shaking NFL cornerbacks.

Pat O’Donnell (UDFA)

STRENGTHS Very good leg strength to drive the ball. Experienced four-year starter. Handles kickoffs and served as the holder on PATs. Dedicated to his craft and the game is important to him.

WEAKNESSES Inconsistent hang time. Can improve placement and accuracy. Average athlete. Overly analytical and outthinks the game. Could stand to hone his mental toughness and learn to handle pressure.

BOTTOM LINE Outstanding-sized, right-footed, two-step punter transferred from Cincinnati upon graduation to be closer to home and hone his own technique. Has the leg strength to compete for a job, but must continue to hone his control and improve his directional punting.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/tracker/by-name#dt-by-name-input:h
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Very impressive write-up. Really nailed the strenghts and weaknesses we've observed with all these players.

My only caveat is that I'll be shocked if Morris is drafted before the 6th round, and I think UFA is more likely. I know he has a strong arm, but that's not enough to carry him in the NFL. And while i wish him the very best, i don't see him making it, even as a back-up.
 
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Jacory and Morris have a lot of the same negative characteristics. Stationery receivers, don't work the middle of the field, love the long ball to their detriment at times, make head scratching decisions, erratic accuracy and overall inconsistency. I'd be surprised if Morris makes it far IMO.
 
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SevenNSeven said:
I don't understand why it has to be 'the players' or 'the scheme' when it's pretty obvious it was both. Coaches were obviously trying to do too much with too little.
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I agree. My main problem with the defensive scheme is that it appears to be largely predicated on sitting back and watiing for the offense (primarily the QB) to make a mistake, rather than dictating the aggession and causing mistakes. The few games where we had some success on defense resulted from the QB missing an open receiver on 3rd down, a receiver dropping a pass, or a turnover in the redzone (ie UF).

While you can win against lesser teams with this passive approach, you can also just as likely lose. A prime example is the VT QB, who could do nothing when he was pressured against other teams, but would pick us apart, as we allowed him to sit in the pocket.

I still have this faint hope that they'll change things up. But hope is not a plan, and until they show otherwise, the defense scheme we've seen is what we should expect.
 
Why should the 2 and 3 star guys Randy brought in be better than dukes 2 and 3 star guys?
 
canestim said:
I'd take Hurns before Seantrel's lazy ***. Kid is underrated in my opinion.
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I cringed when I saw the "soft blocker" comment to end his report.. When you are trying to make an NFL roster, things like blocking & special teams ability make the difference between making the 53 man or the practice squad.
 
Al is messing my team up... his next move is to turn Duke Johnson into Christian Okoye.. SMH...
 
It is difficult to project when Hurns will be drafted. I think this comes down to straight 40 time.

As for Linder, if he is around in the 4th round that team is getting a steal.
 
I actually expect Linder to have a solid NFL career. I think once he gets some good coaching he'll play a long time barring injury. As another Cane said it's not necessary to draft punters, and no surprise with what we've read about the others. I do think Hurns' drive to excel will earn him a roster spot on somebody's team. He had a knack for making tough catches in our big games. They are right that he's not a burner, but you can still make a descent living and have a nice NFL career without jets.
 
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RBhurricane87 said:
So, this will make it 6 years straight without one of our players going in the first round?

That says a lot.
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during those 6 years, who was the highest drafted?
Franklin and Harris, 2011
I mean, look at this list since 2009
to see the lack of high profile talent is amazing

2013 5 149 Brandon McGee CB St. Louis Rams
2013 6 189 Mike James RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2012 3 72 Olivier Vernon DE Miami Dolphins
2012 3 86 Sean Spence LB Pittsburgh Steelers
2012 4 97 Lamar Miller RB Miami Dolphins
2012 4 100 Travis Benjamin WR Cleveland Browns
2012 6 198 Tommy Streeter WR Baltimore Ravens
2012 6 200 Brandon Washington G Philadelphia Eagles
2011 2 46 Orlando Franklin T Denver Broncos
2011 2 60 Brandon Harris DB Houston Texans
2011 3 79 Leonard Hankerson WR Washington Redskins
2011 3 81 DeMarcus Van Dyke DB Oakland Raiders
2011 3 86 Allen Bailey DE Kansas City Chiefs
2011 4 109 Colin McCarthy LB Tennessee Titans
2011 6 181 Richard Gordon TE Oakland Raiders
2011 6 192 Matt Bosher P Atlanta Falcons
2010 3 95 Jimmy Graham TE New Orleans Saints
2010 4 102 Darryl Sharpton OLB Houston Texans
2010 4 128 Jason Fox T Detroit Lions
2010 7 235 Dedrick Epps TE San Diego Chargers
2009 6 176 Spencer Adkins LB Atlanta Falcons
 
As mentioned above it will be interesting to see what Golden does this year. I think last year Golden expected progression and got none and it burned him big time.

Morris is tricky because despite all of his flaws, he occasionally flashed game-winning talent and is good enough to get drafted. It is tough to ignore that as a coach. Watch, some NFL team will fall in love with what he shows in his workouts and give him a shot, just like Golden. With Williams and Morris, it is tough to bench an incumbent when he and the backup are close in practice. Once you get into the season it is even more difficult because of the reps the starter has done with the first team. I think a completely reasonable coach could draw the conclusion that Morris gave us the best chance to win late season despite his regression. I think Golden was wrong and got burned by it, but that happens.

With the defense (and I am certainly out of my element here), how hard is it to change schemes mid-year given limited practices? I would think it would be very hard. I realize people will go on about adjustments and alignment, but if you have a **** scheme with **** players (who actually did a decent job at the beginning of the season), then you are pretty much **** out of luck mid-season when things break down. No time for an overhaul, you just have to hunker down and try to stop the bleeding. We weren't able to do that.

Again, we will see how he responds next year, but I haven't completely given up hope.
 
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