One thing I want to do after signing day is put out a review of each of the players with stills showing what they're doing well and things that are cause for concern, or more coaching. I just got around to watching the kids film and if it wasn't in the title, I wouldn't have a clue what his star ranking is/was beforehand. I generally do not read the thread before posting my thoughts so as not to be influenced by the knowledgeable posters on this board.
Strengths:
Quickness- It's quite rare for a player of this size to have a first step quickness on the level of this kid. He isn't just a snap jumper, as I paused his tape several times right after the snap and he was moving in-sync with a player reacting, rather than guessing. He moves like a player that is 260 pounds.
Awareness- It's unusual for a NT to have the awareness of the ball that this player does. I'd want to watch a full game of his to see his bad plays as well, but there were several highlights of him identifying the ball, or a screen in impressive fashion. This is very important in today's game with read-option, inside zone, and jet sweeps.
Size- This isn't a kid that you're going to have to put 25 pounds on him before he can play the position. His frame is pear-shaped, but that's really what you want in a NT. His legs and butt are gigantic and powerful. Anytime a player of his size moves the way he does, he is going to have explosive legs. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a very good basketball at his size.
Skinny- This kid can make himself skinny to split a double-team like the truly elite DT's. To have the balance to turn, explode, take the hits, and still keep his eyes on the ball are outstanding qualities. I saw him explode through a double-team and had to rewind it and watch it again because it was teaching tape.
Motor- You can just see from this kids' on-field play he cares a great deal about the sport. This kid is giving nothing away and pursues like a top-notch DT. He understands angles, but he also made a few plays where he wasn't going to be the hero and he gave full effort nonetheless. I'm big on this particular attribute showing up any time I watch a player, and especially if I'm just looking at highlights. Think about it...the kid is telling you exactly what he thinks is important. These are his highlights (or at least with the help of others) so what he puts out to coaches to see tells us something about the person.
Coaching:
Tells- He gives away what technique he's going to be in at the snap. If he's going to two-gap, he stands straight up immediately and gives away his chest. He really needs to learn to bend his knees the same way at the snap or college OL will explode into him with their punch when they see his tells at the snap. It doesn't matter if you're the strongest guy on earth, if you give away your chest and your momentum is going upright and the OL is bending and exploding into your chest, you are losing leverage.
Arm usage- There were a few snaps where he used one arm to control the blocker and get out to make a tackle and I was excited. "One arm is longer than two!" He uses that locked out arm to control the blocker and get off quickly. But there were other times when he was engaged and couldn't get off the block. That will improve when he learns to use one arm to control the blocker and the other one is free to take his momentum where he wants to go. The good news is Coach Kool is one of the best in the nation at teaching this technique.
Weaknesses
Strength- I don't think it's a weakness of upper-body strength necessarily, but he needs to develop more explosiveness in his upper body. Some of his tackles were of the lunging/tripping variety, and since this was a highlight tape, I imagine they would've included more powerful hits if they had them to show off. He locks out and bull rushes well, but I still think he's underdeveloped in this area.
Stamina- You can see that he tires pretty easily. This isn't a criticism, he's just a kid and he's carrying a lot of mass around. As he gets into a college strength program he'll improve in this area. It needs to improve though to keep the same effort and motor when he's dog tired in the 4th quarter of the Miami heat.
Lateral agility- He's dynamite in a straight line, but when asked to change directions he struggles. Some of that could be due to lack of stamina above, but he definitely needs a strength coach to unlock some of the natural athletic ability from an agility standpoint.
Overall:
I watch these kids when they become Miami targets or commits, and this kid is a stud. I would take him over second to any DT prospect that we are looking at currently due to his size, on-field motor, quickness, and desire. He has a clue how to use his hands, as you saw a one-arm lockout, and you saw an arm-over swim to get free, but there is a lot to learn for this young man. His tools are obvious and if someone had him as a 2-star player after evaluating him, you should stop listening to that person because they are not seeing what they think they are seeing.
He's a legitimate 4-star prospect just because of the physical tools that he has that you can't teach. This is not a sloppy 310-pound kid. This is an athlete that carries his weight very well and will end up at 320 pounds and will be built into a player within two years.
Before anyone asks, Coburn is the one DT we are chasing that I would take over him. Not Briggs. Not Chatfield. Not Carson.
