Chad Pennington, QB, Marshall

Jordan: His arm is no stronger than the average high school quarterback's; at least not when he's having shoulder problems. He doesn't have a lot of zip on his passes, nor is he a threat to throw the deep out. But he makes up for it with consistent, outstanding accuracy. A lot of his problems in recent years stemmed from his shoulder injuries, though, so it's tough to evaluate him. If he's back to full health this year, expect him to return to being an upper-tier quarterback. He's intelligent, he's cool and collected. Even in the game where he threw FIVE interceptions a few years ago, you never got the sense he was flustered. He picked up their offense quickly and transformed it into a top notch unit. He shows good pocket presence, enough mobility to get to safe ground with his ability to sense the rush well, and he's as competitive as they come. He breaths that competitive fire, although you had to shake your head when he was smiling and laughing with Roethlisberger after losing the playoff game to the Steelers in a close, heated battle. I really just love the way he fits that classic "West Coast Offense" quarterback mold. He throws a beautiful deep ball in spite of a weak arm, his accuracy is as good as you'll see, and he's got all the intangibles...or at least most.
Set Up-6
Delivery-5-
Read Coverages-7
Throw Short-7+
Throw Deep-6+
Mobility-6
Leadership-7-
Overall Rating: 6.9^
Jay Fiedler, QB, Dartmouth, 6’2” 220 LBS, 40 time: 4.99

Jordan: Looks like a better athlete on the field than he really is. He can move outside the pocket, throw on the run, and he provides a little bit of an added dimension as a runner. He's a decent game manager. He can be a pretty safe, reliable QB in a conservative offense. I’ve seen worse arms, though not many. The problem is he’s not much of a leader or a true difference maker. He’s not very accurate and doesn’t hit receivers in-stride very often. What’s worse, he’s in a system where you need to have a good arm and some big-play flair in order to succeed. In an ideal situation, he’d be a good backup.
Set Up-5
Delivery-4+
Read Coverages-5
Throw Short-5
Throw Deep-5-
Mobility-6
Leadership-4+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Curtis Martin, RB, Pittsburgh

Jordan: Still can be a very productive back, but his durability and stamina just aren’t what they were….or maybe they are, but the talent of Lamont Jordan is forcing the team into an unwanted dilemma. Jordan is too good to just leave on the bench, but Martin clearly is still a guy capable of 1400 yards rushing and being one of the league’s top 10 running backs. So they rotate them…but that just isn’t having the same effect. But as far as Martin is concerned, I don’t think he has lost much. He’s never been a big speed guy, but he’s smooth, he has outstanding vision, he runs with superb balance and leverage, and he bleeds yards and finishes runs. He’s slippery and an excellent receiver out of the backfield. You give this guy 25, 30 carries, and you’re a playoff contender. It’s that simple.
Instincts-7+
Inside Running-7-
Outside Running-6+
Hands/Receiving Skills-6
Block-5+
Overall Rating: 6.2v
Laveranues Coles, WR, Florida St, 5’11” 185 LBS, 40 time: 4.38

Jordan: It's unreal how much his quarterbacks held him back last year. He was reduced to one touchdown and a yards/catch average in the 10's. But make no mistake about it, this guy has some sick talent. He has great playing speed and quickness--he scares the shit out of you on reverses--and he will make the tough catch. If anything, last season really showed that. He played with a hand injury and kept going over the middle/into traffic and making difficult third down grabs. That, to me, shows he's willing to pay the price to become a great one. Heading back to play with Chad Pennington is really the best thing that could happen to him. I expect him to return to his big-play ways with that lethal acceleration.
Hands-7
Patterns-5+
Receive Short-6
Receive Deep-7
Catch In Traffic-7
Run After Catch-7-
Block-5
Overall Rating: 7.0
Justin McCereins, WR, Northern Illinois, 40 yard dash: 4.44

Jordan: Big, athletic receiver with good speed and great shield-defenders-off-the-ball ability. Has the ability to go up and snatch the ball like an offensive rebound. Will never be confused with Randy Moss or Brandon Lloyd—he’s not anywhere near the timing genius Moss is nor the acrobat Lloyd is—but he’s going to be a big factor in Chad Pennington’s upcoming MVP caliber season. He can make big catches and he provides another type of target for Pennington to use.
Hands-6
Patterns-5
Receive Short-6
Receive Deep-6+
Catch In Traffic-7
Run After Catch-6-
Block-5
Overall Rating: 6.4
Anthony Becht, TE

Jordan: Not as good a receiving tight end as they hoped he was coming out when they took him in the first round. Above average athlete, but certainly nothing special, and he has inconsistent hands. That’s what’s got to be so frustrating for them. He supposedly had all of this potential but he looked like a much better athlete in college than he does on an NFL field. He’s a solid blocker who shows good strength at the point of attack and can get movement, but I wouldn’t quite call him a third tackle. He doesn’t have a whole lot of pop, he’s more of a drive blocker who can get solid movement and is a plus for their running game, but he’s not going to devastate someone like Tony Gonzalez or Kellen Winslow. He’s a solid tight end, but a major disappointment and now the kind of guy who’s going to provide Chad Pennington with the kind of weapon that could allow him to really compete with Peyton Manning statistically (although Pennington should put up the more impressive stats to ME, as he’ll have a better QB rating).
Hands-5+
Patterns-5+
Receive Short-6-
Receive Deep-5
Catch In Traffic-5+
Run After Catch-6-
Block-6
Overall Rating: 6.0
Doug Jolley, TE

Jordan: He’s a big target with big, soft hands. He has a tremendous knack for finding the soft spots in a zone. He’s the prototypical West Coast tight end. He’s a decent in-line blocker with underappreciated strength, but he’s not really a third tackle. But this is a talented young guy with a bright future.
Hands-7
Patterns-6
Receive Short-6+
Receive Deep-6-
Catch In Traffic-5
Run After Catch-5
Block-6-
Overall Rating: 6.4
Kevin Mawae, C

Jordan: Hasn’t lost a thing. Still the quickest lineman in the league. Pure, unadulterated finesse skills to just get out and run and hit his blocks on pulls. Matt Birk is the best technician in the game, but Mawae just has this extra speed and quickness to get out and lead on certain types of plays that even Birk isn’t capable of. Is strong and tenacious in-line, but won’t drive anyone off the ball like a Jeremy Newberry. He’s a second-level blocker, and an outstanding one at that. He keeps his hands inside yet engulfs and drives.
Run Block In Line-6
Run Block On Move-8
Pass Block-8
Ability to Adjust-8
Overall Rating: 7.4
Pete Kendall, G

Jordan: Tremendous pulling guard; smooth, strong, outstanding technique. He was arguably the best player on the Arizona Cardinals a couple of years ago. Always a tremendous pulling guard. He’s outstanding in pass protection, he anchors, he has an outstanding, strong hand-punch, and he can come off the line and get movement and then get to the second level and take out a linebacker. He's just one of the best guards in the game—WHEN HE'S WAS HEALTHY.
Run Block In Line-6
Run Block On Move-7+
Pass Block-6+
Ability to Adjust-6
Overall Rating: 6.8X (Injury concerns)
Jason Fabibi, OT, 6'7" 304 LBS

Jordan: Despite average measurables, he has generally gotten the job done. He’s a big, scrappy left tackle who knows how to hold and get away with it. Having the wide body that he does, it’s already difficult to get around him, which means he can get away with having below average athletic ability. He has some nastiness to him too, and not just because of that bar fight. He’s not Runyan, but he’ll hit you after the whistle blows and he’s just an all-around angry sort of guy. It’s always nice to have linemen who have that kind of attitude, but you’d prefer that they’re good…this guy’s all right, he’s solid, but he’s no Tony Boselli.
Run Block In Line-6+
Run Block On Move-4+
Pass Block-6
Ability to Adjust-6-
Overall Rating: 6.0
Scott Gragg, OT, Montana, 6’8” 325 LBS, 40 time: 5.24

Jordan: I swear this guy was paid off to suck. If you watch him on tape, he absolutely looks like he is throwing the game. He literally would stand around and let linemen push him back. I even saw the unthinkable happen with him--defensive ends would push him back on running plays, he'd back up even more, and they'd stuff the run like defensive tackles. People reading this report think I'm using hyperbole here--I'm not. I SERIOUSLY THINK HE WAS PAID OFF. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind. It's not just a "nobody could be this horrid" thing. Yes, that's true--but it's also just the WAY he was horrid. This asshole was doing it on purpose. Conspiracy "theory" my ass--it's fact. Call it the "Scott Gragg" scandal. No joke. Don't think that it is.
Run Block In Line-2
Run Block On Move-2
Pass Block-2+
Ability to Adjust-2
Overall Rating: 0.4
Greg C: Positives: Gragg has very long and strong arms, paired with a 6-8 frame that makes it easy for him to dominate defensive ends at the point of attack. Uses his long arms and powerful frame to completely dominate power left ends like Michael Strahan in pass protection.
Negatives: Gragg had a lot of trouble against speed rushers last season, far more than usual. If Gragg gets his hands on you, it’s over. He’s way too powerful and his arms are far too long. But if you have the speed to run around him, chances are Gragg won’t be able to do much about it. But fortunately, there aren’t a lot of left-end speed rushers in the NFL that can expose Gragg like this.
Run Block In Line - 7
Run Block On Move - 6
Pass Block - 6
Ability to Adjust – 5
Overall rating: 6.0
Shaun Ellis, DE, Tennessee

Jordan: I always liked this guy since he had an outstanding rookie season. He’s big, strong, quick, and has the Tennessee background—they have produced a lot of damn good NFL linemen, you know. He isn’t Michael Strahan, obviously, but he has very good power and can drive right tackles back and power his way to the QB. He has a quick first step and his upper body strength allows him to fight off strong hand punches. He uses his hands extremely well and has an extremely strong bull rush move. He plays the run extremely well, by keeping a good base and standing up tackles and tight ends at the point of attack. If so many top ends wouldn’t have moved to the left side, and Michael Strahan weren’t in the league, he’d be by far and away the best left end in the game. But right now, he’s only in the top 10.
Recognition-6
Pursuit-6
Run Defense (POA)-6+
Pass Rush-7-
Overall Rating: 6.8
Dewayne Robertson, DT/DE, Kentucky

Jordan: Amazing how raw this guy is considering they took him #4 overall. I realize he ran a 4.7 40 at over 300 LBS and flashed dominant abilities, but somebody had to know he was going to be as soft as he is. The way he played this past season, he looked like he was playing football for the first time, at least the first time since high school. He was active, and he got in on a lot of plays, but he was also weak at the point of attack and just an overall liability for them. Much more of a liability than an asset, and that’s got to be frustrating, but I think they’re hoping that if they run the 3-4, he will be better using his skills at the defensive end position.
Recognition-3
Pursuit-6+
Run Defense (POA)-4+
Pass Rush-5+
Overall Rating: 5.2^
John Abraham, DE/LB, South Carolina

Jordan: When healthy, I still rank him as a top five defensive end. He has ungodly explosiveness off the line and is incredibly strong for a guy who can also line up at OLB. He neutralizes the tackle with leverage, then disengages and explodes into the backfield. He has a variety of moves for just an OLB/DE flex position player. He can counter inside, or he can twist and turn and beat you with a swim move or a rip.
Recognition-7
Pursuit-7+
Run Defense (POA)-4+
Pass Rush-7+
Overall Rating: 7.1
Victor Hobson, MLB, Michigan

Jordan: I don’t know what they like about him. He made a lot of tackles at Michigan but so have so many other MLBs that went UNDRAFTED. He’s very stiff, he doesn’t have great speed, and while a strong, solid take-on guy, he’s not a destroyer in there like Levon Kirkland or Junior Seau in his prime (well, nobody’s like Seau in his prime). He struck me as a special teams caliber player coming out of Michigan, and then they took him in the second round. We shall see if they saw something I didn’t. They apparently knew they needed a big playmaking MLB, though, which is why they took Vilma.
NOT RATED
Jonathan Vilma, MLB, Miami

Jordan: Undersized but he's one of the game's hardest hitters. He absolutely EXPLODES into you. He has legitimate 4.5-4.6 speed and is an extremely intelligent, hard working, dedicated football player. He has the ability to drop off in coverage and make big plays there. He's got everything you're really looking for in a middle linebacker. Sure, he's not one of those rare guys who can really take on a lead blocker and cause major problems, and it's much better if he's somewhat protected from blockers (which is the case for everyone anyway, even the good take-on guys), but there's no way you would want to face this guy. He should be a top-notch player for years to come.
Read and React-7-
Pursuit-7+
Blitz/Rush-6
Run Defense (POA)-4+
Pass Coverage-6
Tackle-7-
Overall Rating: 6.9^
Ty Law, CB, Michigan, 5'11" 200 LBS, 40 time: 4.46

Jordan: Has always been a top-notch cover corner. With his Michigan background, he got to cover some damn good receivers when he went up against Ohio State…you know. He’s strong, physical, quick, and has outstanding ball instincts. It’s like he and the opposing QB are on the same wavelength or at least he is and the opposing QB can’t get him out. He has outstanding hands, he breaks on the pass so smoothly, and he is a big hitter who will lay your ass out. Before Belichick got there and turned him back around, he had been a slacker—he was out of shape, he got hurt, and he seemed to have just grown fed up with losing—remember, he was a great corner under Bill Parcells too. And he remained competitive under Pete Carroll…but eventually his patience just ran out. They lost that Super Bowl after he played a big part in getting them there, and he just didn’t have that dedication anymore. This guy is arguably the best cover corner in football, truthfully. I think Terrence Newman is the most fluid, and DeAngelo Hall right behind him, but this guy is one of the best physical corners I’ve ever seen. He really knows what he’s doing and Belichick has just helped him take full advantage of the skills he’s always had. He sticks to receivers like glue…or like Jeff Garcia’s penis to teammates in the showers. He will step in front of a pass and snatch it away in a flash. He’s a strong, intense, aggressive, physical corner with a knack for the spectacular because of his trust in his athletic ability.
Key and Diagnose-8
Man Coverage-8-
Zone Coverage-7
Hands-7+
Run Support-7
Tackle-7
Overall Rating: 7.4
Doug Brien, K, California

Jordan: From 35 and in, money. He was very solid in San Francisco but missed two potential game winning FGs which led to his release. He signed with New Orleans and was outstanding—not a surprise considering he was in a dome. Now, he’s just a rock solid kicker for the Jets and quietly hits everything 40 and in. He has a solid leg (though certainly nothing spectacular) and exceptional accuracy.