Marc Bulger, QB, Virginia

 

 

Jordan: The man in the right place at the right time. He’s tall, he has very good mobility within the pocket, he can elude rushers, he sometimes is calm, cool, and collected. But he has a mediocre arm and by no means is he an exceptional athlete. What he is is a guy who has confidence in himself and the system he’s in, and he’s just a good fit for one of the greatest offensive schemes ever created. He has the confidence in his arm that is necessary to take the shots down the field that are wide open that some other quarterbacks (Jamie Martin) don’t have. There are always at least two options on each play in this scheme; one of them is a short dump off type of pattern, and guys like Martin always chose that option instead of the downfield one, thereby not succeeding in the offense. The other is a deeper pattern, usually a deep in. What you’re looking at with Bulger a guy who can succeed given the right system, which is really all you can ask for. In the past I was really angry at the Rams and Kurt Warner for all of this hype, but I have since come to the realization that the system makes the quarterback in nearly every situation. I never held it against Mark Rypien, so I don't think I should be completely ornery towards anyone who's having success with the Rams. Still, I evaluate a quarterback based on their individual passing skills. Bulger throws some nice deep ins in-stride, but he tends to float the deep ball/put excessive air under it. Luckily, he's in a dome so the elements don't usually play a factor and blow his deep balls off course. However, he doesn't consistently throw the most accurate deep ball in the league, and that's where he can get into trouble. He also rarely throws the deep out with any precision. As far as his other aspects are concerned--he holds the ball low on his set-up and he REALLY drops down on his release. His delivery isn't the nicest in the world. He doesn't have the quickest release in the world. One thing I definately like about him, though, is that he has a cool demeanor. You might use the overused "icewater" term when describing him.

 

Set Up-5

Delivery-5

Read Coverages-7

Throw Short-6

Throw Deep-6

Mobility-6

Leadership-6

 

Overall Rating: 6.2

 

Marshall Faulk, RB, San Diego St. 40 time: 4.45

 

 

Jordan: The knee injuries basically took all the steam out of him. He was truly a great talent when he was healthy, although definately overrated as a result of wide open running lanes in St. Louis. Still, as far as rushing/receiving combination backs are concerned, he's one of the three or four best ever. At this time, he no longer has the same ease in movement with his lower body and isn't able to make the same kinds of cuts as he used to. One thing that's also noticably absent is his power between the tackles. While he was never the most powerful runner in the world, he'd extend his usefulness by breaking a few tackles here and there. He no longer has that, and he no longer has that "plant-and-go" gear. He's really just relying on the scheme to create wide open holes for him so that he can have any success these days. And of course, he still has excellent hands; he won't scare you much after he catches it anymore, though.

 

Instincts-8

Inside Running-5

Outside Running-5+

Hands/Receiving Skills-6

Block-5

 

Overall Rating: 5.5v

Brandon Manumaleuna, TE, Arizona, 40 time: 4.88

Jordan: Let me tell you--this guy has BAD hands. Not just bad--HORRIBLE. It's like he's never caught a football before. They're just big blobs of uncontrollable body mass or something. The Rams got tired of waiting for him to develop as a pass receiver to replace Ernie Conwell, so they brought Roland Williams back and plan on using his blocking skills to full advantage as a fullback. I think it's an extremely wise decision--teams are figuring out that you don't really lose much by taking a guy with offensive lineman-type size and putting him at fullback. Obviously, you want a little more quickness into the hole, but the size/strength advantage those types provide you over most of the classic 240-LB ones is a remarkably simple concept. It's a wonder more coaches haven't tried this full-time. Anyway, I think Manumaleuna will give them more of a James Hodgins-type presence, but unlike Hodgins, Manumaleauna can REALLY block. He will come out of his stance and HIT YOU. Hodgkins came in high and was stiff and demonstrated no real technique. I think this guy is going to be their best blocking fullback in some time. .

 

Instincts-5

Inside Running-3

Outside Running-3

Hands/Receiving Skills-4

Block-6+

 

Overall Rating: 5.4^

 

Torry Holt, WR, NC St., 6’0” 190 LBS, 40 time: 4.51

 

 

Jordan: Superb hands and body control. Unbelievable at adjusting to the ball. This guy has one of the top 10 pairs of hands in the NFL. They're soft-yet-strong, and he is able to attack the football and come down with it 95/100 times. He can pluck it or snatch it out of the air and even catch it overhand. In the system he’s in, he’s going to get separation. He doesn’t really have to run routes, and he’s not exceptionally sudden in anything he does, mind you. He gets an awful lot of production off "decoy" routes and against zone coverage. He’s really just a great pass catcher, that’s it. But in that offense he’s going to be more dynamic, as it gives him all sorts of space to catch the ball and then slide like he likes to do. But he’s not truly in the elite class of receivers. He’s in another category with the pure pass catchers, a good deal behind Marvin Harrison. He has slightly above average speed and he is really fluid kicking it into gear on the deep route and can get great, sudden separation when he gets a chance on those types of plays, but he really only gets two or three of those arching bombs a season.

 

Hands-7+

Patterns-5

Receive Short-6-

Receive Deep-6

Catch In Traffic-6+

Run After Catch-4

 

Overall Rating: 6.5

 

Isaac Bruce, WR, Memphis, 6’0” 188 LBS, 40 time: 4.62

 

 

Jordan: I still fear him the most of any of the Ram receivers just because he’s so slippery as a runner. He's the guy who truly is a great route runner. He's sudden in everything he does. He does a great job of playing small, and he is very shifty and fluid in breaking his routes across the field. He has always had excellent hands and hand-eye coordination and he has very fluid all-around athletic ability. He can still close the cushion and he catches the deep ball beautifully over his shoulder. He knows how to break down coverage to get deep and make up for his average straight-line speed. What’s best about him is he plays the game hard and is just a quiet, hard worker who you know is someone that at any minute can make a huge catch for you. But he seems to be the forgotten man at this point, perhaps because he’s just not really much of a talker or leader. Torry Holt has the big mouth and has overshadowed him, but Isaac is still incredibly reliable and, if they wanted to go that route, they could use him as a legitimate 1200 yard go-to guy again. And it's funny--over the years he has been the "Queen of Slide" with his pussy-style of play after the catch in which he heads to the ground, even if he has plenty of space to pick up yardage. But since Torry Holt has become the go-to guy and picked up the pace on HIS sliding, Bruce has cut back on that somewhat and seems a little less likely to hit the deck than in the past.

 

Hands-7-

Patterns-7+

Receive Short-7-

Receive Deep-6+

Catch In Traffic-6-

Run After Catch-4+

 

Overall Rating: 6.6

 

Roland Williams, TE

 

 

Jordan: A pretty good, reliable pass receiver. They know they can count on him to make the catch most of the time, unlike with Manumaleauna. What they lose in blocking in-line they gain as a decent outlet receiver in the passing game. He can be a pain in the ass, as you try to defend all their other players and he ends up making a crucial catch. Still, he's been kind of phased out of the league the past couple of years, and you wonder if he still has it in him to contribute the way he did for them during their Super Bowl years. I've never been particularly impressed with him as a blocker--he's not the strongest guy, and he has a tendency to get called for a lot of holding penalties.

 

Hands-6-

Patterns-6-

Receive Short-6

Receive Deep-5

Catch In Traffic-6-

Run After Catch-5+

Block-4+

 

Overall Rating: 5.3

 

Orlando Pace, OT, Ohio St.

 

 

Jordan: With the regression of Willie Roaf and Jonathan Ogden (well, his might have just been a case of Freeney painting him in a bad light for me), he may have now claimed the throne. He's nearly impossible to beat up-field. His athleticism is unbelievable for any offensive tackle, much less a 330-LB man. He has the classic left tackle big, strong, powerful hands, and he has textbook fundamentals. He has ease and slide in movement, he sets low and "punches," and he maintains leverage all the way through. The only way to beat him is to get a strong up-field charge and get him off-balance, and with his technique, that's nearly impossible. He'll ride you into the ground or just engulf you as you try to head inside. As a run blocker, I've never been entirely impressed by him, as I don't see any of the "pancake" blocks he supposedly posted at Ohio State. But he sure as hell isn't a guy I'd want to face in the running game if I were a starting end. His footwork is still flawless, and he has made some devastating blocks at the second level over the years, when it really comes down to it.

 

Run Block In Line-6

Run Block On Move-7

Pass Block-8-

Ability to Adjust-7

 

Overall Rating: 7.4

 

Andy McCollum

 

 

Jordan: Below average strength, below average athlete. At least tries to play with leverage but is quite easy to defeat. He’s always been mostly a space filler and chest-to-chest type of blocker even with the leverage, but the scheme they have is effective pretty much regardless of the linemen, the problem is Martz has a propensity to abandon the running game and focus exclusively on throwing the ball around as much as possible to prove his point.

 

Run Block In Line-4+

Run Block On Move-5-

Pass Block-5

Ability to Adjust-5

 

Overall Rating: 5.0

 

Adam Timmerman

 

 

Jordan: Blue collar, consistent. Nothing great but you can pull him and he’ll make a the easy blocks. He understands the scheme he’s in extremely well and is consistent. Pass blocking, he keeps people in front of him most of the time and there really aren’t many DTs these days who are big pass rushing threats anyway. He’s a chest to chest blocker at all times but as long as he keeps people out of plays he’s doing his job. But when you need to run the ball up the middle in short yardage, he’s not the guy you’re going to run behind. That’s why blocking schemes are the most important aspect of an offensive line. You can have any group of mediocre blockers but if they know what they’re doing and you have a great scheme that gets them to move around and trap defenders and cut them and confuse them and just find ways to open up holes, you’re going to have a great line. Anyway, Timmerman plays extremely high and with poor functional strength as a result, which he can't afford since he doesn't have great weight room strength either.

 

Run Block In Line-4

Run Block On Move-6

Pass Block-6

Ability to Adjust-4+

 

Overall Rating: 5.8

 

Leonard Little, DE, Tennessee, 40 time: 4.54

 

 

Jordan: Converted linebacker with 4.5 speed. Absolutely unbelievable first step, can just blow off the edge and straight to the QB. His natural talent is incredible, but it’s his stupidity that has been his downfall. He doesn’t seem to realize that when you get hammered, you call a cab to pick you up. For that reason, he may be the next Leon Lett. A tremendously talented defensive lineman who can do things that very few can, but an in-and-out presence as he’s gonna be taking it up the ass in prison quite a few times in the future.

 

Recognition-6

Pursuit-7+

Run Defense (POA)-4+

Pass Rush-7+

 

Overall Rating: 7.1 X (for being an idiot)

 

Tyoka Jackson, DT/DE, Penn St.

 

 

Jordan: Strictly a rotational guy in most schemes, but in the cover II, he fits the DT position perfectly. A DT/DE tweener with good power and a great motor. Works his ass off to get to the QB and will get underneath a guard’s pad level and stuff the run. But the guy isn’t a superior athlete nor does he possess the kind of strength to hold his ground against powerful interior linemen and that hurts them in the running game, although that can also be attributed to teams figuring out that if you run right at cover II defenses they can’t do a damn thing about it.

 

Recognition-6+

Pursuit-6

Run Defense (POA)-5

Pass Rush-6

 

Overall Rating: 5.9

 

Ryan Pickett, DT, Ohio St.

 

 

Jordan: Doesn’t stack very well. A good fit in a cover II and yet fewer and fewer DTs in that sort of a system are getting by because opposing offenses have figured out how to beat finesse with power. Now this guy has power, but he doesn’t play with very good functional strength because he doesn’t use his hands well. Athletically, he can be one of the premier DTs, but he’s been an underachiever since he was at Ohio St. and that seems to have continued into his NFL career, but he’s not bad by any means. Kinda like Sean Gilbert, all of that potential, but only flashes it. Of course, Gilbert was a lot more dominating in the flashes he showed and they were more common.

 

Recognition-5

Pursuit-6-

Run Defense (POA)-5+

Pass Rush-5

 

Overall Rating: 5.8^

 

Will Witherspoon, LB, Georgia, 40 yard dash: 4.51

 

 

Jordan: Real up-and-coming linebacker with great speed. When shielded from blockers and allowed to run to the ball, a lethal threat to the running game. Will charge through the line and blow a play up before it even begins. His game really depends on his ability to read keys. When he guesses correctly as to where the play is headed, he can time and determine the place of his pursuit to perfection and destroy the run. He is of that classic modern day natural athlete mold that we’ve seen at the linebacker position.

 

Read and React-6-

Pursuit-7+

Blitz/Rush-6-

Run Defense (POA)-4+

Pass Coverage-5

Tackle-6

 

Overall Rating: 6.0^

 

Pisa Tinoisamoa, LB, Hawaii 40 time: 4.61

 

 

Jordan: Terrific short area burst and explosiveness. Closes with a fury. Will hit you squarely and packs a punch. Excellent athlete, can run sideline-to-sideline. Very impressive rookie season, but you still have to wonder whether he’s going to play MLB or WLB. With his ability to drop into coverage and get into passing lanes, you’d think he’d be a little more natural as a “will,” but the Rams really seem to like him in the middle of the defense running to the ball with Tommy Polley playing on the weak side, but then Robert Thomas is purely an ILB. Anyway, this guy is going to be a good one…he already is very solid.

 

Read and React-5

Pursuit-7-

Blitz/Rush-6+

Run Defense (POA)-5

Pass Coverage-6-

Tackle-6

 

Overall Rating: 6.1^

 

Dexter Coakley, OLB

 

 

Jordan: Fast, intense, intelligent, instinctive. Take one of the smartest linebackers in the league and make him one of the fastest linebackers in the league, and you have this guy. Now, you want to let him roam free, because while he’s not the weakest guy at the point of attack (he’ll hold his ground), he will usually just get swallowed up and won’t be able to give blockers any problems, he’ll just neutralize it. But when he’s roaming free, he can blow up plays all by his lonesome, and he has always been a superb blitzer and in coverage because of his speed, agility, intelligence, and timing. In the 3-4, you might just see him top 10 sacks for the first time in his career.

 

Read and React-7+

Pursuit-7+

Blitz/Rush-7

Run Defense (POA)-5

Pass Coverage-7-

Tackle-6

 

Overall Rating: 7.0

 

Chris Claiborne, OLB

 

 

Jordan: Active, energetic. An effort player. Runs pretty well, a solid tackler and came out of college a good blitzer. Doesn’t hit particularly hard, won’t make too many memorable plays, but is a solid linebacker if you support him with at least another linebacker who is better than he is by a fair margin. I personally think he’s more suited for the outside simply because he doesn’t really have the playmaking flair you want in a MLB. He’s at his best making tackles from the weak side position.

 

Read and React-6

Pursuit-6-

Blitz/Rush-6

Run Defense (POA)-5

Pass Coverage-5

Tackle-6-

 

Overall Rating: 5.9

 

Travis Fisher, CB 40 time: 4.35

 

 

Jordan: Great speed but sometimes takes bad angles. He can run with just about anyone but he lacks the recognition skills required to be a top cover corner in this league. He struggles with balls thrown over his head and with bigger receivers in general.

 

Key and Diagnose-4+

Man Coverage-6

Zone Coverage-5+

Hands-5

Run Support-5

Tackle-5

 

Overall Rating: 5.7^

 

Corey Chavous

 

 

Jordan: Nobody works harder at the safety position than he does. He’s got his own film library and he studies tendencies. Safety has always been his most natural position—he lacks the speed and athleticism to run with most wide receivers, but he can read and recognize passing plays extremely well and play the ball. He has good hands and is very comfortable in centerfield, both getting the ball and making a big hit. Will always be that liability when he plays the deep third; can be beaten over the top fairly easily. But if you’re the quarterback and you’re not careful, he could ruin your day.

 

Key and Diagnose-7+

Man Coverage-4

Zone Coverage-6+

Hands-7

Run Support-6-

Tackle-6-

 

Overall Rating: 6.2

 

Jeff Wilkins

 

 

Jordan: Solid leg strength, extremely confident kicker. Has had a tendency to lose concentration and miss one at a crucial moment, but as far as a combination of leg strength and accuracy is concerned overall, he’s one of the five or six top guys in the game.

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