NFP Prospect Focus: Su’a Cravens and Romeo Okwara

[RS12]

Su’a Cravens – OLB/DS – USC

Cravens is a third-year junior and three-year starter who has already stated that he will enter the 2016 NFL Draft. He is a former 5-star recruit who played safety his first year at USC. In 2014 he was switched to a hybrid safety/linebacker position and this season he played as an outside linebacker.

Size –

6’1″ – 222 – 4.50 (all estimates)

Strong Points –

Exceptional athlete with excellent body control and very good speed. Excellent space player who gets in on a number of plays. Plays the run well and is also a good pass defender. Can line up in man or zone coverage. Great range. Very productive within the USC defensive scheme

Weak Points –

Size to play linebacker. Not a point of attack player. Not show top strength at the point of attack and can be slow off blocks. Will miss some tackles. More of a reactor than an instinctive player (three different positions in three years)

Summation –

Cravens is a special athlete but not necessarily a special player. He has some rare tools and can become an excellent NFL player if used the right way and if he plays in the right scheme. He is not for everyone. With some teams like Arizona looking for that hybrid linebacker safety, he would be a great fit for one of them. If a team drafts him as a linebacker, he will have to get bigger and stronger and also develop his shed skills. Some teams may even look at him as a strong safety. He has experience at the position and easily has the speed and athleticism. Overall, he will be a “Wildcard” type pick in the draft. Some teams will have him very high on their board, others will have him rated lower. It will be interesting to see where he goes.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/nfp-prospect-focus-sua-cravens-and-romeo-okwara/

 

[BAT]

Su’a Cravens – OLB/DS – USC

Cravens is a third-year junior and three-year starter who has already stated that he will enter the 2016 NFL Draft. He is a former 5-star recruit who played safety his first year at USC. In 2014 he was switched to a hybrid safety/linebacker position and this season he played as an outside linebacker.

Size –

6’1″ – 222 – 4.50 (all estimates)

Strong Points –

Exceptional athlete with excellent body control and very good speed. Excellent space player who gets in on a number of plays. Plays the run well and is also a good pass defender. Can line up in man or zone coverage. Great range. Very productive within the USC defensive scheme

Weak Points –

Size to play linebacker. Not a point of attack player. Not show top strength at the point of attack and can be slow off blocks. Will miss some tackles. More of a reactor than an instinctive player (three different positions in three years)

Summation –

Cravens is a special athlete but not necessarily a special player. He has some rare tools and can become an excellent NFL player if used the right way and if he plays in the right scheme. He is not for everyone. With some teams like Arizona looking for that hybrid linebacker safety, he would be a great fit for one of them. If a team drafts him as a linebacker, he will have to get bigger and stronger and also develop his shed skills. Some teams may even look at him as a strong safety. He has experience at the position and easily has the speed and athleticism. Overall, he will be a “Wildcard” type pick in the draft. Some teams will have him very high on their board, others will have him rated lower. It will be interesting to see where he goes.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/nfp-prospect-focus-sua-cravens-and-romeo-okwara/

Cravens is everything Church already is plus what we want him to be. Similar size and nose to ball but Cravens is much faster and much better in coverage. Unlike Church, Cravens can cover man to man and becomes a playmaker when ball is in the air.

This player should be great fit on Marinelli defense.