Draft Insiders' Digest Premier NFL Draft and Free Agency Publication
NFL Rookie Players of the Week –
Vikings’ Running Back Adrian Peterson & 49ers LB Patrick Willis
Frank Coyle
The NFL ’07 season started off with several impressive performances by rookies in the inaugural awards by DraftInsiders.com Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had an excellent effort with 163 total yards and 1 TD from scrimmage. He rushed for over 100 yards in his first pro game after being selected in the 1st round by the Vikings with the 7th overall selection. His scouting report by Draft Insiders Yearbook from last March is below. LB Patrick Willis had an impressive rookie debut for the emerging 49ers defense. He made 11 tackles with 1 forced fumble giving the San Fran 3-4 scheme a playmaker in the middle.
We attended Willis's postseason workout last spring at Ole Miss and gave the report below to subscribers in March '07. His Scouting Report from the Draft Insiders’ Yearbook last March is also below.
The fastest rising prospect of the NFL Draft ’07 is Ole Miss’s linebacker Patrick Willis after a terrific postseason. Willis is a prospect we interviewed in August ’06 and ranked at the top of our Senior Bowl recommendation list we provide to the All-Star classic. We interviewed him again at the Senior Bowl in Jan. ’07 and have followed him through the postseason at the NFL Combine in Feb and his individual workout in late March.
He is a prospect with rare speed for the inside and registered a tremendous sprint at his Ole Miss workout in March ’07. He ran two sub 4.4 times at 237 lbs. with one NFL scout having him at a 4.35 time, an incredible number for the position. That speed performance is superior to both Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis workout numbers during their senior seasons. His incredible speed translates well to the playing field where he combines power and instincts to rank as the #1 linebacker prospect this spring. His production was amazing over his career, both in big plays and levels of consistency. After viewing game tape on over 7 games, there were two plays that stood out. He track down Arkansas running back sensation Darren McFadden on the perimeter, outrunning him through traffic to make the stop on the outside for a loss. He also chased down LSU wideout on a flanker reverse after flowing with the play, displaying incredible recovery speed to outrun the speedy receiver down for a loss and covering the wideth of the field twice. At the Senior Bowl, he had a terrific week and during the game once again displayed the consistency that makes him a blue chip prospect. He made both the first and last tackle of the game to complete an outstanding career. Ole Miss coaches rave about him combining leadership toughness and dedication over his career.
Willis (6-1, 237 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 and 4.38. He also had a 4.37 short shuttle and 7.10 three-cone drill. He stood on his numbers from the Combine for the rest. He had a phenomenal workout and clearly made several seven-figure increments in his rookie contract.
Yearbook Scouting Report - March '07
1. Patrick Willis #49 - 6’1� 240 lbs. - Mississippi - Sp. 4.5 Rating 87 Hindu Theory - Al Wilson
Speedy savvy Mike linebacker has been one of the premier defenders in the SEC over the past three seasons. Patrick earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior for another excellent performance. He combines all the physical skills physically and mentally to be a rookie starter at the Mike spot. He has been a top playmaker from the inside since his sophomore season when he posted 5 sacks and 11 TFL in the tough SEC. He started for the past three seasons for Ole Miss, earning SEC honors each year with first team mention over his final two campaigns. He displays very good speed, instincts and the quickness to read and react to plays and finish with fine tackling technique. He keeps defenders off his body, relying on his quickness and good hand technique to stay clean and on his feet. His superior instincts and toughness should allow him to compete for a pro starting job immediately in his career. His speed and instincts gives him the versatility to also play outside at the SAM spot where he has the COD, agility and size to match up with tight ends. He is best suited for the Mike spot though, where he excelled over his late career. He is a very active defender who is quick to diagnose the play and takes proper angles to the ball with the ability to get through traffic and the speed to get sideline to sideline. He finishes with strong tackling that allowed him to total over 350 career stops with the great majority coming in the last three seasons. Despite his big tackling totals, he overran and missed more tackles than you would expect from a blue chip prospects. Most of the mistakes were out of being over aggressive and being out of control at times. Many of the ’06 missed tackles can be attributed to the fact that he played with a huge club on his broken hand, similar to what the Geico Caveman uses. He failed to wrap up properly and consequently fell off more runners than ever before in his career. In pass coverage, he gets fine drops with the ability to move laterally, read the QB’s eyes and break on the play. His fine leaping skills help him deflect many passes and his talent will allow him to be an every down defender and also line up over tight ends. As a pass rusher, he has shown the ability to sack the QB and is especially adept at the delay blitz, showing fine timing and the burst of speed to make the play. He totaled 11 career sacks and has a big upside in that role. His speed allows him to make plays at the sideline with the read and react skills to finish the play with power. He has top recognition skills that allow him to use his quickness and speed to get into position to consistently make the stop. He needs to develop better hand use to keep blockers off him and stay clean sifting through traffic. As a senior in 12 starts, he made 137 tackles with 11.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 0 picks and 7 PBU, earning 1st team SEC honors. During the ’05 season, he made 128 tackles with 9.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 4 PBU, 2 FF, 1 FR and 1 pick in 10 starts while earning 1st team SEC honors. As a sophomore, he made 70 tackles with 11 TFL, 5 sacks, 0 interceptions and 1 PBU for some SEC honors. He has good size for the inside with the instincts, hitting power and toughness to move at the snap and find the football quickly. He can defeat blockers with fine strength and quickness usually keeps good pad level and stays on his feet to stay alive between the tackles despite a size disadvantage. He has fine sideline to sideline range to be a playmaker but needs to be protected from bigger blockers. He has the size and quickness to consistently take on blockers and stack and shed, but would best be suited behind some big linemen that keep him clean to run to the ball. He is a fierce competitor that has good awareness in his pass drops and can make plays on the ball. He had only 1 career interception, again with the Caveman club a big hindrance on his broken hand. He works hard to attack the inside run and will improve further with better hand usage. His strengths are as a run stuffer with the speed to chase to the sidelines and as a blitz defender. He is an aggressive savvy bPrototypical acker, best suited for a scheme that protects him and allows him to flow to the ball, maximizing his talents. He is similar to Mike man Al Wilson in AA, speed, instincts and versatility, though a bigger prospect. He has very good closing speed and fights through trash to finish well. At the combine, he ran a 4.52 time, did 22 reps, 39� VJ and 9’11� BJ in an excellent workout. He has the package to start in either the standard 4-3 or 3-4 sets in the middle as well as the outside on the strongside. Athletic versatile playmaker with strong tackling ability, instincts and the quickness and speed to succeed in the NFL. Prospect with well developed skills in all areas and a probable rookie starter in the right setting. 1st round bubble player with a top 35 grade. Browns, Colts and Texans are very interested.
Draft Projection: 1st Round