Donovan McNabb, QB, Syracuse, 6’2” 226 LBS, 40 time: 4.51

Jordan: Physically, he’s a thoroughbred. He’s big, strong, fast, elusive, and has a strong arm. He throws a nice ball. But the problem is he’s not an “efficiency” quarterback. He wants to freelance, he wants to make things happen with his athletic ability, and he’s not one to take the cerebral approach to the position. He lets his instincts take over and relies on his natural physical abilities. That’s fine in many schemes, but not the offense he’s in. The Eagles' system is predicated on precision, something that he doesn’t really have. As far as leadership is concerned, when he's not puking his guts out, he's amazing--players seem to really respond to him. But the guy seriously has to stop throwing balls at people's feet, and the number one thing he has to do is improve his body position when he throws. Too often he's off-balance.
Set Up-5
Delivery-5+
Read Coverages-6-
Throw Short-6
Throw Deep-7
Mobility-7+
Leadership-7+
Overall Rating: 6.5^
Jeff Garcia, QB, San Jose State 6’1” 195 LBS, 40 time: 4.79

Jordan: The guy is a decent backup quarterback who can win you a game or two by not turning the ball over and making the occasional deep ball, but he is not a starting-caliber QB in this league. Never was. A lot of people always wondered what it would be like if Jeff Kemp, Steve Bono, or Elvis Grbac had inherited the reigns for the 49ers offense. Well, Jeff Garcia was basically what would happen if Babe Laufenberg had taken over. He proved that the hollow surface numbers would come no matter who you are, but the offense would be one of the most underachieving units in football history. Because of his happy feet, he runs into blocked defensive linemen, or, his own offensive linemen. He'll run around with PERFECT PROTECTION, give defensive linemen perfect angles so they can disengage, and then let them chase him so he can get crushed and make it look like his o-line isn't protecting him. He’s just not a dependable quarterback. He lacks the ability to throw smoothly and consistently put the ball on the mark. But arm strength isNOT his problem. He throws a pretty good deep ball because he uses his legs well to drive the ball down field. The biggest problem, is his LACK OF PATIENCE and, as a result, timing and accuracy. He has an unorthodox set up and delivery, and they're awful. He never plants his feet…if you were to look up “happy feet” in the dictionary, his picture would be included. He runs around like a jackrabbit on crack...like a chicken with its head cut off. He has limited field vision because he's always breaking the pocket as soon as he completes his drop; then he goes into adlib mode. He is the most inaccurate short-game passer I have ever seen. He's so eager to get rid of the damn football and just basically slings it. He throws balls that skip at players' feet, bounce off his offensive linemen, hit targets in the back of their helmet, sail over their head, sail out of bounds, force them to head into traffic where they will get killed, force running backs to spin around to adjust to the football, etc. He throws hideous slants and crossing patterns--he never leads the receiver anywhere (aside from into the knockout hit of a defender). He just tries to drill it...and it either winds up sailing over someone's head, skipping at their feet, behind them, or forcing the receiver to make an adjustment and catch the ball and get down/tackled immediately. The bottom line is the guy is not and has never been a starting-caliber quarterback in this league, regardless of what the superficial statistics might suggest. He completed most of his passes with ugly checkdowns that either weren't necessary (the primary/secondary target was wide open) and/or were hideous and went for short gains when they could have gone for good yardage or big plays...like they did for the old 49er offenses with Montana/Young. One of the most important numbers to look at is yards/attempt--Garcia's 2001 "Pro Bowl" season was an unimpressive 7.02 yards/attempt average. That would be all right in some offenses even in this era, but in a variation of the West Coast Offense with the talent he had around him? Unjustifiable. His 2002 "Pro Bowl" season was a 6.33 yards/attempt average, which is absolutely dreadful no matter what scheme you're in. His best season was 2000, the year they went 6-10. He's really nothing more than a far less physically talented Doug Flutie.
Set Up-2
Delivery-4
Read Coverages-3+
Throw Short-3
Throw Deep-6
Mobility-7
Leadership-4
Overall Rating: 4.6
Brian Westbrook, RB

Jordan: He's a prime example of why it's helpful to be short when you're a running back. He's not particularly powerful...not exceptionally fast (though he's certainly not slow)...but it's simply very difficult to tackle a guy who is 5'8" in the NFL. He excels on draws and quick hitting run plays where he can use his quickness and leverage to better advantage. Once he gets going downhill/at the second level, he's difficult to stop...he's got very good open-field awareness/shiftiness and he knows how to make you miss in space. He has what I call "finishing desire"--he only thinks about the endzone once he gets to the open field...and he's determined to get there. That said, in a lesser scheme with a lesser offensive line, he'd be more of a third down back. But he'd play a valuable role on any team with his receiving skills. He catches the ball as well as most receivers and has the ability to split out wide and serve as an enormous threat in that regard--I believe he could be a starting receiver in the NFL if he weren't a running back...which is remarkable, given his lack of height and elite speed.
Instincts-6
Inside Running-5+
Outside Running-6+
Hands/Receiving Skills-8
Block-5
Overall Rating: 6.2
Todd Pinkston, WR

Jordan: He took a lot of flak for alligator arms...in large part because he's noticably skinny and people have this misconception that "big=physical" and "skinny=weak/not physical." Truth be told, he's one of the better blocking wide receivers in the league and isn't particularly shaky when it comes to catching the ball in traffic. He has excellent straight-line speed and is willing to do the little things. That said, he has inconsistent hands and his "raw" style of play is likely indicative of a guy without the best work ethic. He's a good receiver to have in your corps as a specialized deep threat...a good #2 for many teams...but you can't help but think he has been an underachiever and that he might not always show up.
Hands-4+
Patterns-5
Receive Short-5+
Receive Deep-6+
Catch In Traffic-5+
Run After Catch-5
Block-7-
Overall Rating: 5.8
L.J. Smith, TE

Jordan: Like most starting tight ends, he's more of a pass catcher than blocker. He shows farely good effort blocking, but he's obviously much more "athlete" than "power road grater." He has the body control/movement skills of a large wide receiver, though he doesn't have the most natural hands in the world. When he's in space, he's the rare tight end (I can't think of any others off the top of my head) who can actually ELUDE you. He'll juke defenders in the open field...and he has enough speed to break away. It's actually surprising to me he doesn't have a higher yards/catch average...but they do use him on more patterns designed to get fewer yards than most teams use their tight ends on.
Hands-5+
Patterns-6
Receive Short-6+
Receive Deep-6
Catch In Traffic-6
Run After Catch-7
Block-5
Overall Rating: 6.5
Tra Thomas, OT, Florida St.

Jordan: Flashes shutdown left tackle capabilities, but in recent years has taken huge steps back. Has gotten lazy and now only puts full effort in part of the time. Enormous and powerful, can be devastating when he locks on. Has the ability to just engulf edge rushers and anchor against a bull rush or stunts. Has the big, strong, Orlando Pace/Jonathan Ogden-like hands. He can get out on pulls and, just by virtue being huge, if he gets in position, the defender is history. He can lock on and destroy people at the point of attack when he’s focused. Basically, if you’re the Eagles, you just pray that he gets back to where he was a couple of years ago.
Run Block In Line-6+
Run Block On Move-6-
Pass Block-6-
Ability to Adjust-6
Overall Rating: 6.1v
Hank Fraley

Jordan: Effective in the system he's in. Not much of an athlete or a very natural football player, but he is a hard-working guy who clearly understands the technique involved in blocking for the Andy Reid offense. He gets good positioning, takes good angles into his blocks, and he shows solid enough all-around functional strength to maintain his blocks. He isn't anywhere near the Kevin Mawae/Matt Birk class, but they have no interest in ever replacing him.o:p>
NOT RATED
Shawn Andrews, OT/OG, Arkansas

Jordan: He truly has GREAT feet (not just great for a huge, fat guy). He has electric quickness for an offensive lineman...and snap into contact. He's a perfect fit at guard...especially in their scheme. His playing strength never was in question...really, his talent in general wasn't. The Eagles didn't waste time screwing around with him at one of the tackle spots and just made the move that made the most sense. He's clearly got the athleticism to be effective in all the forms of blocking they ask out of their guards...and his power is elite even for an interior offensive lineman. At this point, you're looking at a guy who will probably go to 5 or 6 Pro Bowls.
Run Block In Line-7+
Run Block On Move-7-
Pass Block-6+
Ability to Adjust-7
Overall Rating: 7.1
John Runyan

Jordan: Extremely overrated, marginal athlete who is basically known only because of how many late hit penalties he has received. Has been a pretty strong run blocker in the past but he’s not exactly a devastator…more of a wall off sort of mauler who can get out and knock a linebacker into the ground on a pull just because of the size mismatch. His pass protection is crap. He has no feet whatsoever and can not adjust. He's also one of the biggest assholes in football...a complete cheapshot artist/dirty player. I absolutely can not stand him. He's a talentless blob of horse shit.
Run Block In Line-6-
Run Block On Move-6-
Pass Block-4
Ability to Adjust-4-
Overall Rating: 5.1v
Jevon Kearse, DE, Florida, 6’4” 258 LBS, 40 time: 4.49

Jordan: The Ken Griffey JR of football. The most tightly-wound athlete in the NFL. Injured every other play. Never stops tweaking something. But unlike Griffey, he's actually been healthy enough to produce some decent numbers the last couple of years. When he started out as a left end, he was a terror for those right tackles to try to match up with. Naturally, you find the big, run blocking oriented strong side tackles at a loss to match up with Kearse’s athleticism. Then they sign Kevin Carter to play left end, going with more of a traditional, “he’s bigger and can stop the run” approach (which is stupid because Kearse is one of the best run stopping ends in football, although Carter at one point was the best, period). Kearse moves to right end, has to match up with the greatest era of left tackles in NFL history, and instantly his productivity diminishes and he’s no longer someone offensive coordinators shit their pants over. If the Eagles move him back to left end, he’ll re-emerge as a dangerous threat. If not, he could have the same impact for them that Hugh Douglas did for Jacksonville. The thing is, people assume that, because he’s traditionally undersized and thought of as more of a finesse player, he can’t play the run. But he CAN play the run. He is INCREDIBLY strong, he keeps his feet underneath him, and he gives blockers fits trying to open running lanes. He separates from blocks vs. the run about as well as anyone. He disengages from the block both directions and just closes laterally in an instant and wraps him up. His energy is just sublime.
Recognition-7
Pursuit-7
Run Defense (POA)-7
Pass Rush-6+
Overall Rating: 6.9v ^
Darwin Walker, DT, Tennessee

Jordan: Very quick big man. Gets a quick jump off the snap, gets underneath blockers and pushes the pocket. Has the quick upper body movement to separate once he gets into the backfield and collect sacks. With his size, you’d think he is a dominant run stuffer, and at times, he flashes just that. But at other times, he catches rather than initiates and that is just asking for trouble at the point. As a result, he’s never been the kind of upper-echelon player he could become.
Recognition-6
Pursuit-6+
Run Defense (POA)-6-
Pass Rush-6+
Overall Rating: 6.2
N.D. Kalu, DE, Rice

Jordan: They’ll miss him. He has a good first step and is very aggressive coming off the edge as a pass rusher. Has very good speed and quickness and can definitely pose problems. His weakness has always been his run defense. He is a pure finesse player and can be a real liability when teams run at him. He’s not a very strong player and just hasn’t ever really shown the interest to be anything but weak against the run.
Recognition-5+
Pursuit-6
Run Defense (POA)-4
Pass Rush-6
Overall Rating: 5.9
Dhani Jones, OLB, Michigan, 6'1" 240 LBS, 40 time: 4.59

Jordan: A playmaker. Very, very quick, good speed, has a nose for the ball. He is very smooth in pursuit and just shows a knack for making plays on defense. Can drop off in coverage, reads keys, diagnoses quickly, and takes good angles to the ball carrier or to potential receiver. A very disciplined player for a playmaking type. Can play either inside or outside and at a very high level. I think he’s one of the game’s most underrated players and generally plays at a borderline Pro Bowl level. As Michael Barrow’s play dropped off, Jones clearly emerged as the Giants’ best linebacker. But that trio they used to have was damn good—Barrow, Jones, and the really up-and-coming Brandon Short.
Read and React-6
Pursuit-6+
Blitz/Rush-6
Run Defense (POA)-5
Pass Coverage-6
Tackle-6+
Overall Rating: 6.5
Mark Simoneau, MLB, Kansas State

Jordan: He's kind of like Derek Smith, only not quite as horrible. He's a little better at guessing where the play is going. Like Smith, he actually runs pretty well. Also like Smith, he’s one of the softest tacklers in the league. Unlike Smith, however, he at least TRIES to tackle a guy on the spot. The problem is he is flat-out weak and can’t wrap up for the life of him. He just sucks. All I’ve got to say is that if you can’t tackle, you have NO BUSINESS playing fucking linebacker in the NFL. This guy and Derek Smith don’t belong out there. I don't understand how in football, you can play a position that requires you to tackle and not be able to tackle AT ALL...yet stick around for years. It would be one thing if these guys were defensive backs...but we're talking about LINEBACKERS. MIDDLE linebackers. It's unbelievable.
Read and React-7
Pursuit-6+
Blitz/Rush-6-
Run Defense (POA)-4+
Pass Coverage-5+
Tackle-3
Overall Rating: 5.0
NOT RATED
Shawn Barber, OLB, Richmond

Jordan: In terms of pure finesse abilities, he has everything you're looking for. He’s so fluid, so free in all of his motions for a linebacker. He has blazing speed and explosiveness. He can drop off into coverage and play like a 3rd safety, he can charge through the line and catch a RB while chasing. If you let him roam free, he’s going to make plays and be extremely disruptive. But the key is to let him roam free...otherwise, forget about it. He is a sprinter who could run 4.45 running sideways and diagonally, but he's not really a "football player"...the toughness and physicality isn't there.
Read and React-7-
Pursuit-8
Blitz/Rush-6
Run Defense (POA)-4
Pass Coverage-7-
Tackle-6-
Overall Rating: 6.7
Lito Sheppard, CB, Florida

Jordan: Always had the natural tools. Decent size and tremendous speed and quickness, plus the ability to change direction and fluid hips. I personally think he’s going to emerge as a very solid corner given the tremendous pair of safeties he has in the middle of the field and Jimmy Johnson’s brilliant blitz packages. He has FAR more talent than either Bobby Taylor or Troy Vincent and he’s definitely paid his dues by sitting on the bench the first couple of years of his career. He had a chance to study the playbook and learn the techniques and everything. My personal thought process is they wouldn’t have dismissed both Taylor and Vincent if they didn’t have confidence in the guys behind them, and this is one of their guys; a former first round pick, too.
NOT RATED
Sheldon Brown

Jordan: He might be more natural at safety, actually. He's a very physical player--a really hard hitter. He'll throw his body around...but he doesn't play as fast as he times. He is susceptible to the deep ball...luckily for him, he's got Brian Dawkins protecting him in centerfield, but that's not always enough. That said, when you see the kinds of hits he makes and the kind of player he is in run support, you still feel like you have to have him out there. When it's all said and done, he's not that bad a cover corner and gives their defense an extra element with his hitting.
Key and Diagnose-5+
Man Coverage-5
Zone Coverage-6-
Hands-4
Run Support-7
Tackle-7+
Overall Rating: 5.8
Brian Dawkins, 40 time: 4.40

Jordan: It's really all about intangibles with him. He's an extremely intelligent and aware football player. In terms of pass coverage, he might actually be the best safety in football. He's not the most athletic of the safeties in the league, but he understands what's going on so well and is so often in the right place at the right time. He is such an important player to them because he protects Sheldon Brown over on the weak side. That said, he's incredibly overrated as a tackler/hitter. He's not one of the elite hitting safeties in the league...and he's not really a big hitter in general. Every now and then, he'll show a mean streak, but he's more of a "sound wrap-up tackler" type of player. He can play in the box fairly well, though.
Key and Diagnose-8
Man Coverage-7-
Zone Coverage-7+
Hands-7
Run Support-6
Tackle-6
Overall Rating: 7.1
Michael Lewis, S, Colorado, 6'0" 211 LBS, 40 time: 4.44

Jordan: He's a huge hitter and a good athlete. He, like many safeties, is limited in the man-to-man coverage areas...and they became frustrated with him hurting them against the deep pass.
Key and Diagnose-6+
Man Coverage-5+
Zone Coverage-6+
Hands-7
Run Support-7
Tackle-8
Overall Rating: 7.0
Donald Strickland, CB/S, Colorado

Jordan: Has the tools—size, outstanding speed. Really came on strong for them last year when Doss went down. He has the range to be a star, but he’s still raw on the overall aspects of coverage and the cover II scheme. A solid tackler who will come up into the box and face up on his hits. Shows the ability to break down in space and make the tackle. He and Doss are definitely what they’re trying to build this defense around.
Key and Diagnose-6
Man Coverage-5+
Zone Coverage-6
Hands-6-
Run Support-6
Tackle-6
Overall Rating: 6.2^
David Akers

Jordan: Strong, accurate leg. Has extremely quick get off and gets good distance on kickoffs. What more can you ask for? Yes, he'll miss a few, but he kicks outdoors, so he might be better than Vanderjagt in reality...if you take that into consideration.