YEARBOOK '01 SCOUTING REPORTS

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<strong> RUNNING BACKS
LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON - 5'10" 220 LBS. - TEXAS CHRISTIAN </strong>
     Powerful compact tailback completed a record setting career with an impressive senior season which included rushing for over 2000 yards. LaDainian set numerous TCU and WAC rushing marks over his career in addition to a new NCAA single game mark as a junior. He lead the nation in rushing as both a junior and senior totaling over 4000 yards rushing in the process. He is a strong compact runner with quick feet and the natural running skills necessary to be an NFL feature back. He displays natural running instincts including vision, decision making and balance. He gets into a rhythm over the course of the game and wears down a defense with his relentless combination of power, quickness and toughness. He is very strong and has a recorded 600 lb. squat displaying the lower body strength to run through tacklers consistently. He has the ability to find the soft spots in a defense and get the most of every rushing attempt. As a senior, he rushed for a TCU record of 2158 yards on an amazing 369 carries for a 5.8 yard average and 22 TDs. His rushing yardage was the 4th highest in NCAA history as only the 8th runner to gain over 2000 yards on the ground. What's amazing in this performance is that he fumbled only once as a senior despite the 369 carries and being keyed on virtually every play. He also caught 10 passes for 40 yards which brought his career total to 40 receptions. He does need further development in the passing game after playing in the TCU veer offense. He does show sure soft hands as a receiver and the ability to follow his  blockers in the openfield. He needs more reps in his route running and reading zone coverage to become more comfortable in that role. During his junior season, he rushed for 1850 yards on 268 carries and 18 TDs and lead the nation in the process. He set a new NCAA record for rushing in a single game with an unbelievable 406 yards on 43 carries vs UTEP. He is a fine cutback runner showing the quick feet, vision, balance and speed to break an ordinary play for a big gain. Once on the perimeter, he combines power and speed with sound running decisions. He gets excellent use of a strong straight arm that allows him to finish each attempt with a powerful close. He has the quick burst to the hole and the change of direction and lateral movement skills to turn an ordinary carry into a big play. He follows his blockers exceptionally well where he sets up defenders often, with his swivel moves and quick footwork. He is an excellent goal line runner with 54 TDs over his career most as a junior and senior. He has deceptive speed with the ability to separate from tacklers in the openfield. At the Senior Bowl practices and game, he showed the ability that made him one of the premier runners in the nation. He displayed the ability to run inside and also showed sure hands as a receiver and the ability to pick up things quickly in the passing game. He had a strong combine and ran a 4.44 time with a 40.5" vertical leap and a 10'1" broad jump. He is a tough durable back who is not afraid take on LBers as a blocker and more than held his own in that role. He is a high character athlete, with the leadership qualities teams want in their feature back; combined with the natural and well developed running skills to be a fine pro and a player who is ready to perform in that role as a rookie. He had an impressive March workout catching the ball and solidified the first overall runner chosen. Early 1st round player and a player you want to go to war with. Bears have him as their guy with the 8th overall selection. Chiefs and Panthers are interested and are trying to move up into the top five picks to select him.
                                                                  Draft Projection: 1st Round- Top 10 pick

DEFENSIVE ENDS
ANDRE CARTER - 6'4" 255 LBS. - CALIFORNIA
     Quick athletic defensive end completed a record setting stay with the Bears, setting new career and season sack records as a senior. Andre is a talented athlete who flashed big play ability right from his true freshman year during the '97 season. He has a strong wiry frame and long arms with the growth potential to get bigger and stronger. He has excellent footwork and agility, combined with linebacker type speed and the intangibles to make it all happen. As a senior, he recorded 60 tackles with a 20 TFLs and 13.5 sacks, on his way to his second consecutive first team Pac 10 honors. He won the Morris Trophy, symbolic of the best lineman in the Pac 10 during the '00 season. He set a new single sack mark as a senior and also established a new career sack record with 31. His TFLs as a senior brought his career total to 55 tackles for losses, which was good for second all-time in Cal history. He has performed brilliantly against some of the best tackles in the nation over his career. As a senior, he had his best game against Illinois' Marques Sullivan when he registered 9 tackles including 6 unassisted with 2 TFLs and also causing a holding penalty by Sullivan. He also had huge games vs. USC, UCLA and Oregon. Despite his lean frame, he has been a very durable defender over his career, playing virtually every play his final two seasons. As a junior, he made 53 tackles with 20 TFLs and 10 sacks. The tackles for losses were the best by a Pac 10 lineman over the season. He plays with sound leverage on a consistent basis, that allows him to more than hold his own against much bigger players. He has the good upper body strength that allows him to neutralize more powerful players, though he could use improved lower body power to hold the point of attack better in matchups. He has been double teamed since early in his career and has lined up mainly on the strongside, where he gets constantly chipped by the tight end. He has developed fine hand and arm technique that allows him to keep blockers off his body. He has outstanding speed that allows him to pursue from the backside and run down backs from behind. He has shown a fine work ethic both on the field, in practices, or in the weight and film rooms. He is flawless in carrying out his assignments, displaying the ability to stay at home vs the reverse and the agility and quickness to drop in coverage. He failed to play in any postseason all-star action which did not help his cause. At the combine, he checked in at a lean 249 lbs. after playing between 255 and 260 lbs. during the '00 season. At the combine, he did not run, 38.5" vertical leap, 10'5" broad jump and 20 reps. At the Cal workout, he ran a 4.51 time. There are real concerns about his ability to hold up against the run in the NFL, despite a nice showing in that part of defense. His best asset is his speed off the corner where his fine footwork and hand use frees him up to flash his big play ability. He can be slow on the snap at times which has to be corrected for him to succeed in that role as a pro. The fact that he did not play in the postseason and was undersized at the combine will hurt his draft status, despite a rigorout workout schedule. He could fall to the middle of the 1st round and behind the top two prospects - Smith and Reynolds. He has a similar body type as Simeon Rice, though he has played the run much toughter as a collegian. Talented playmaker with the tolls to become a Pro-Bowl player.
                                 Draft Projection - 1st Round - Top 10 picks

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