Yearbook '04 - Scouting Reports | Draft Insiders' Digest

Yearbook '04 - Scouting Reports

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1. Eli Manning  #10 - 6'5" 225 lbs.  - Mississippi  - Sp.  4.8                                                 Rating 95
1 Talented senior passer completed an outstanding career in the SEC, earning numerous honors over his final season. Eli comes from a long family of pro QBs, including his brother Peyton the current NFL MVP and father Archie a Pro-Bowl performer from the â€˜70s. Eli followed his fathersâ€™ footsteps by attending Old Miss and shattered his dadâ€™s passing records over the course of his career. This fifth year senior will challenge for the first overall selection in the NFL Draft â€™04 whether the Chargers retain the pick or trade it. He has been one of the premier players in college football this past few seasons consistently putting up big numbers against a high level of competition. Over his first three starting seasons, he has developed nicely in all aspects of play and hopes to follow in his brotherâ€™s footsteps as the first overall selection in April. He developed nicely under the tutelage of head coach David Cutcliffe who ironically coached Peyton at Tennessee during the â€˜90s as offensive coordinator/QB coach. Over his five-year career at Old Miss, he made excellent progress in the finer aspects of the position, which is so critical in the development of a young passer. He is a good athlete with a strong arm, fine intangibles and good mobility to avoid the rush and run with the ball. He sets up smoothly, displaying excellent footwork and the ability to quickly read coverage. He has a fine delivery that is quick to release the ball and wastes little motion. He throws a tight spiral, combining both velocity and accuracy that allows receivers to catch the ball in stride and make plays after the catch. He is a well-developed passer who combines the athletic ability with the intangibles and maturity necessary to succeed in the NFL. He is a sturdy well-built athlete with quick feet that allow him to setup fast in three, five and seven step drops. He delivers the ball with outstanding timing and precision, displaying the ability to make the consistently sound decision and reads in coverage. His basic mechanics are very sound and he has learned to set his feet firmly before passing the ball with a good follow through. He is a fine ball handler and has learned to work the play action exceptionally well. He runs well for a QB of his size and can make a critical play as a runner, though he is not a great scrambler. He has shown both poise and courage in the pocket with the ability to hang in â€˜til the final moment and allow his receiver to break open. He has developed quick decision-making to go with the athletic talent to run or throw in or outside the pocket. As a passer, he has an outstanding arm with the strength to make all the throws and he has progressed in each aspect of that game. He uses the pump fake well and shows a fast trigger that allows him to bait cover men on the first move and then lay it out on a deeper throw. He can fire the quick out, seam or slant pass, in addition to the ability to use exceptional touch to make the fade, screen and deep plays work well. He throws the fade well, giving his receiver a chance to make a play on the ball. On the deep pass, he has progressed and learned to put just the right touch on his passes to allow his receiver to run under the ball. On the slant and crossing patterns, he displays a quick release with the zip, accuracy and timing to hit receivers in stride. Though not a great athlete, he is a self-made athlete who has worked hard in all areas of play to get the most out of his fine talent. He has developed a strong work ethic, nice intangibles and instincts through experience and following the advice of his dad, brother and coaches. He has excellent pocket presence and feels backside pressure quickly with the ability to make sound decisions to minimize negative plays. He uses his quick feet to avoid the pass rush with the toughness to fight off tacklers using his good strength and mobility to move outside the pocket and make plays. He throws fairly well on the move, displaying the ability to retain his accuracy and hit the open receiver. He made great strides over his career of reading defenses and has learned to pick up secondary receivers and find the best match up. As a senior, he was very impressive, displaying a strong, live arm with the touch and accuracy to make all the important throws. He has developed the courage, leadership and poise to lead an NFL offense. With five years to develop his talent, he has matured well in areas of football instincts and overall intangibles. He combines fine athletic talent with those intangibles to make him one of the most developed and refined QB prospects of recent years.
The Numbers:  He completed a terrific career with another big season that included throwing for 3341 yards on 253 completions of 410 attempts for 62% completion rate with 27 TDs and 9 interceptions. Along the way, he set several new SEC career passing records. As a junior, he threw for 3401 yards with 279 completions on 481attempts for a 58% completion rate and 21 TDs and 15 interceptions. As a sophomore, he threw for 2948 yards with 31 TDs on a 63% completion rate and 9 interceptions. As a freshman, he did not start one game and saw action in only six games with only a total of 33 thrown with just 16 completions and no TDs. Over his final three seasons, he was a model of consistency against a talented level of defensive competition.
The Skinny:  Talented well-developed passer with all the skills to succeed early in his NFL career. His level of development is very high and he is the type of passer who could start as a rookie in the right setting. His ability to make the proper read consistently and get the ball to the hot receiver while under heavy pressure will help his cause to become a first year starter. He goes through his progressions very well and his ability to pick up secondary receivers should allow him to compete for the starting job immediately. He is the most likely first overall selection in April by the Chargers who have struggled mainly because of inconsistency at the QB position. They should retain this pick and add a franchise caliber passer after making poor decisions on both Ryan Leaf and Michael Vick over recent drafts. At the combine, he did not workout. He has the talent to become an NFL star, if he gets into the right situation that allows him to succeed early in his career and does not ask him to carry an offense.  This guy reminds me of Peyton Manning when he stands in the pocket and makes decisions. Both were self-made athletes who spent extensive time on the other aspects of the position like film work, weight room development and understanding the system and game plan on a weekly basis.
              Draft Projection: 1st Round - First Overall Pick

2. Ben Roethlisberger   #7 - 6'5" 240 lbs. -  Miami (Ohio) - Sp. 4.9                             Rating 90
Huge, physical fourth-year junior QB finished an outstanding career with another terrific effort last fall that earned him MAC Player of the Year for the first time. Ben is a big pocket passer with a strong arm and rare accuracy for a thrower with his strength and power. He has directed the Miami offense for three years and performed at a high level from day one, both athletically and with the instincts the position demands. Despite being just a three-year starter, he has broken virtually every Miami and some MAC passing records over that period. Most MAC passing records are held by either Byron Leftwich or Chad Pennington and puts him in elite company as a pro prospect. He has a strong arm and compact delivery for an athlete of his size. He is very accurate and has the ability to consistently drill the ball into tight spots and hit receivers in stride. He has also learned to deliver the ball with touch and timing, throwing an excellent fade pass to the corner of the end zone consistently. He is a very strong athlete who will fight off pass rushers and has the quick feet to move well in the pocket and on the perimeter. On the move, he is a fine passer who sees the field well and retains his fine accuracy as a thrower. He has good pocket presence with the ability to feel backside pressure and know when to get rid of the ball and move up in the pocket. His senior season was very rewarding as he led Marshall to a MAC Championship and a victory over Louisville in the GMAC Bowl. He is a very competitive QB who displays leadership, poise and keen instincts, combined with top athletic skills that allowed him to become one of the most successful QBs in the nation. He displays great toughness and leadership in many games with the athletic ability to be a difference maker. He combines fine athletic skills with the instincts, intangibles and experience needed to play in the NFL. He is a very strong athlete who can hang in the pocket and take a hit and make the tough throw. He also stays in the game despite getting banged up and has a strong constitution that is critical to play the position as a pro. He delivers the ball with very good velocity and timing that rivals any recent NFL prospect. He has been very consistent as a passer, displaying tremendous game-to-game production over his career. He reads and understands pass coverage well and has the instincts to find the soft spot in coverage, in addition to the ability to find secondary receivers. He is a patient QB and waits until a receiver makes his cut before throwing, hanging in the pocket until the last moment.
The Numbers:  As a junior, he threw for 4486 yards with 37 TDs and 10 interceptions winning the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. He completed 69% of his passes during his final season and his career completion rate was an outstanding 65%. As a junior, he set new single season Miami marks in TDs, completions and yards. He is one of only three MAC passers to put together three straight 3000 yard+ passing seasons and only one of five conference QBs to go over the 10,000-yard mark passing. He topped the 300-yard passing mark in seven games as a senior. He was named MVP of the MAC Championship game. Over his final four games as a collegian, he threw 17 TD passes and 1 interception, leading Miami in each of them to key late wins. As a sophomore, he threw for 3238 yards on 271 completions of 428 attempts for 22 TDs and 11 interceptions. As a freshman, he threw for 3105 yards with a 63% completion rate with 25 TD passes and 13 interceptions.  Over his career, he threw for 10,829 yards on 854 completions of 1304 attempts with 84 TD passes and 34 interceptions.
The Skinny:  Excellent prospect and a QB with the package to become a big time winner in the NFL. He has great physical talent plus the key intangibles of leadership and courage to become a top flight pro passer. He is a very good athlete with a live strong arm and rare mobility for a passer of his dimensions. His ability to throw on the move makes him an even greater threat to a defense. He gets the ball down the field well, displaying both velocity and accuracy and the ability to read pass coverage consistently well. He displays excellent field vision with the courage and toughness to hang in the pocket and make the difficult throw. As a passer, he can throw the deep ball with some accuracy, but needs further work on his footwork to improve his deep completion pct. He is a mature person and athlete that is very open to coaching and learning. He has an excellent work ethic, which will help improve on overall skills and areas of need and advance his development quickly as a starter. At the combine, he threw the ball well, displaying both accuracy and power. He is a well-developed pocket passer with fine intangibles and instincts for the position and should start fairly early in the NFL after three years of play at Miami. He carries a definite starting grade and fairly early as a pro. Blue chip QB with the arm, smart and toughness to become an upper echelon NFL starter in time. Top five pick with several clubs considering him like the Raiders, Giants and Cardinals most interested. He possibly could fall to the Steelers at the 11th overall pick.
          Draft Projection: 1st Round- Top 5 selection

* Larry Fitzgerald  #1 - 6'3" 225 lbs. - Pittsburgh - Sp. 4.45                                      Rating 95
Gifted third year sophomore finished an excellent career in the Big East, setting a number of NCAA, school and conference receiving records in the process. Larry is a special athlete who was a dominant performer in the Big East over his two seasons as a collegian. He combines great size, quickness, speed and playmaking ability that should allow him to be the next impact receiver to enter the NFL. He won the Biletnikoff Award as college football's top receiver this past season, as well as first team Big East honors. He is a well-built athlete with fine speed and outstanding leaping skills that have allowed him to dominate any cornerback he has faced in college. He combines excellent hands and rare body control with outstanding separation speed and the fine running skills to break any completion. He makes the acrobatic catch look routine and several of his catches in the end zone were as good as any in recent memory. He displays a rare combination of speed, quickness, leaping skills and hands. He has the frame to out muscle any corner and the combination of his initial quickness and good functional strength should allow him to beat the jam consistently. He was not challenged often at the line of scrimmage with the bump-and-run and will have to prove he can escape at the line, but he has the talent to accomplish that. He understands the use of body positioning to shield off defenders when going up for the ball and his ability to hang in the air is â€œJordanesqueâ€?. He will make the tough catch in a crowd and hold on to the ball despite the big hit. He has outstanding leaping ability and is capable of out jumping any defender. He has top speed with the extra gear to get deep and make the big play without world-class speed numbers. He runs a great slip screen, fade pattern and skinny post that is virtually impossible to defend, sometimes even with double coverage. He ranks with Randy Moss as the premier receivers of the past decade. They combine all the talents to be special as an NFL receiver. He is very similar to Moss in many ways, though he lacks the special speed of the Viking Pro Bowl receiver. He also has elusiveness after the catch with the power and cutting skills to change directions quickly fast and maintain top speed. His big play ability and overall maturity may allow him to provide as much impact as any receiver over the past decade as Moss.
The Numbers:  Major impact receiver completed a great short two-year career. During the â€˜03 season, he caught 92 passes for 1672 yards with 22 TDs and a fine 18.2-yard average. He set a new NCAA record with a TD reception in 18 straight games, while making at least one TD catch in all 12 regular-season games which ended in his career finale in the Continental Tire Bowl loss to Virginia. As a freshman, he caught 69 passes for 1005 yards and 12 TDs with an average per catch of 14.6 yards. He scored a TD in his final six games that season and 8 of his last 9 contests.
The Skinny:  Premier blue chip prospect with the talent to be a major impact performer early in his career. He may be the rookie with the ability to make the fastest contribution next season. His well-developed tremendous receiving skills, including excellent body control, leaping ability and terrific hands will merit him an early NFL starting job. At the combine, he did not workout. His outstanding talent will fit into any type of offense, especially the vertical game where his ability to separate deep and outmuscle defenders give him a chance to become a top-flight performer almost immediately. He wants the ball in big situations and defies double coverage to consistently deliver in those situations. He will not get out of the top two to four picks regardless of any trades. Special talent with the rare level of development to be an early Pro-Bowler performer despite only two seasons at Pittsburgh.  He should be among the NFL's premier receivers within a short period. Best talent in this class with Raiders and Cards likely club.
                     Draft Projection: 1st Round -Top Two Pick

Jonathan Vilma  #51 - 6'1" 230 lbs. - Miami  - Sp. 4.6                                                      Rating 90
Fast undersized high motor inside â€˜backer has been a key performer for the talented Miami defense since his true freshman season. Jonathan is a fine athlete who combines speed, quickness and change of direction skills to overcome lack of size for the inside linebacker spot in the NFL. He has very good playing strength and excellent speed that translates well to the field. He is instinctive, very productive, and plays sideline-to-sideline. He is a sure tackler who plays with good pad level, but gets bounced around at times because of his lack of size. He is still a first day guy who could sneak up draft boards to the first round because of his great intangibles. He has good strength with a 365 lb bench, 500 lb squat, and a 328 lb power clean. He has good functional strength, plays low to take on blocks, has some pop when making contact, and has great initial quickness and acceleration to close and strike. He is an outstanding competitor, who plays with great toughness despite the lack the size, though he will take on blocks and stand in vs. big linemen. He plays with a non-stop motor and a go get it mentality â€“ passionate on the field. He has outstanding character, a great team leader and captain, an exceptional worker that plays and trains with 100% effort. He is more of an example leader, but will speak up and push others â€“ has the intangibles to become great. He is outstanding in his ability to key and diagnose, plays with great awareness and natural linebacker instincts to read and react quickly to jump plays. He has good playing strength and ability to shed blocks, has nice explosion on contact to make up for size, adequate with use of hands, best features are his athletic ability and quickness to slip blocks. He is outstanding vs. the outside run, runs the field well, has great speed to cutoff plays to the outside, and is able to cover sideline-to-sideline. He is a good, close to outstanding, tackler that is reliable in the open and inside, breaks down and fits well with good wrap up to secure. At times, he is so aggressive he will over run a play, but has learned to play more under control with experience. He takes good pass drops, is quick to get deep, has lose hips to turn and shows awareness to lock and pick receiver. He has good hands for the interception, can catch away from his body and secure the ball. He played in all 11 games at middle linebacker, as a true freshman in â€˜00, making 38 tackles, 5 TFL, and 1 PBU. He suffered a knee injury that required surgery that caused him to miss all but 2 practices of spring workouts, but still took over the MLB job vacated by Dan Morgan. In â€˜01, he started 10 games, missing the West Virginia game with an ankle injury and led the team in tackles, recording 79-5-3 with 2 FF, a FR and 1 pick. He really stood out in the National Title Game when he covered the Nebraska option like a wet blanket. In â€˜02, he started all 13 games and led the team in tackles with 133. He also had 8 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FF, 2 FF, and 5 PBU. Against Florida St., he recorded a career-high 20 tackles and also had a team best 14 tackles in the Fiesta Bowl vs. Ohio St. He was named one of 11 Butkus Award semi-finalists. League coaches voted him first-team All Big East the last 3 years. As a senior, he posted 101 tackles, 12 TFL and one sack. He did not workout at the combine, but at the Miami pro day he ran a 4.61 forty, did 23 reps @ 225 lbs, had a 37â€? VJ and a 10â€™1â€? BJ Mid first round player and capable of playing inside or outside in the 4-3 set. He will compete for a starting job as rookie and providing impact as an every down defender. Saints, Bucs and Vikings very interested.
                     Draft Projection: 1st Round

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