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Prospect profile: Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
.Russ Lande
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Login or register to post commentsPrinter-friendly versionWednesday, Mar. 24, 2010 - 8:35 a.m. ET
Sporting News' Pro Football War Room has hundreds of player evaluations in preparation for the 2010 NFL draft. Here is a capsule look at prospect Brandon LaFell.
Brandon LaFell doesn’t have outlandish speed, but he makes up for that with hard running and leaping ability.School: LSU
NFL position: WR
Height: 6-2 1/2
Weight: 211
40 time: 4.62
Current projection: Second-round pick
Hands: Shows strong hands to reach out and pluck the ball nicely. Does not peek at the defense or flinch when catching passes in traffic. Absorbs hard hits and holds on to the ball. His height, leaping ability and hands enable him to catch high passes consistently -- as long as he does not have to twist his body much. Also can reach down and catch low passes with surprising ease without slowing down much. Grade: 6.5
Patterns: Once moving, accelerates to full speed quickly. Rounds off cuts a bit, which is common for big receivers, but shows a burst out of cuts to separate. Uses long arms, size and strength to fight tight coverage and create space. Shows good awareness to read zone coverage and find open spots. Does not sell fakes well to turn cornerbacks around. Grade: 6.5
Run after catch: Is a strong runner who consistently runs through arm tackles, stays up after hard hits and gains yards after contact. Keeps legs churning after the hit to drag the tackler for extra yards. With his size and strength, should break more tackles. Lacks the explosiveness to shoot through cracks and run away from the defense. Grade: 7.0
Release: Is a long strider who does not explode off the snap and into routes, limiting his ability to beat press coverage. Once moving, accelerates to close the cushion on the cornerback. Uses long arms and strength to fight through jams. Grade: 5.0
Blocking: Has the size and strength to dominate defensive backs. Generally gives a good effort and has the potential to be a good blocker in the NFL. Grade: 8.5
Bottom line: LaFell is a solid prospect but lacks the explosiveness and elite speed that separate the elite big receivers from good ones. He is a safe pick in the middle of the second round who projects as a good starter.
For more than 640 player scouting reports from Russ Lande and his team of former NFL scouts -- plus updated mock draft, Super 99 rankings and more -- go to warroom.sportingnews.com.
.Russ Lande
Archive|Email Russ LandeComments (0)More
Login or register to post commentsPrinter-friendly versionWednesday, Mar. 24, 2010 - 8:35 a.m. ET
Sporting News' Pro Football War Room has hundreds of player evaluations in preparation for the 2010 NFL draft. Here is a capsule look at prospect Brandon LaFell.
Brandon LaFell doesn’t have outlandish speed, but he makes up for that with hard running and leaping ability.School: LSU
NFL position: WR
Height: 6-2 1/2
Weight: 211
40 time: 4.62
Current projection: Second-round pick
Hands: Shows strong hands to reach out and pluck the ball nicely. Does not peek at the defense or flinch when catching passes in traffic. Absorbs hard hits and holds on to the ball. His height, leaping ability and hands enable him to catch high passes consistently -- as long as he does not have to twist his body much. Also can reach down and catch low passes with surprising ease without slowing down much. Grade: 6.5
Patterns: Once moving, accelerates to full speed quickly. Rounds off cuts a bit, which is common for big receivers, but shows a burst out of cuts to separate. Uses long arms, size and strength to fight tight coverage and create space. Shows good awareness to read zone coverage and find open spots. Does not sell fakes well to turn cornerbacks around. Grade: 6.5
Run after catch: Is a strong runner who consistently runs through arm tackles, stays up after hard hits and gains yards after contact. Keeps legs churning after the hit to drag the tackler for extra yards. With his size and strength, should break more tackles. Lacks the explosiveness to shoot through cracks and run away from the defense. Grade: 7.0
Release: Is a long strider who does not explode off the snap and into routes, limiting his ability to beat press coverage. Once moving, accelerates to close the cushion on the cornerback. Uses long arms and strength to fight through jams. Grade: 5.0
Blocking: Has the size and strength to dominate defensive backs. Generally gives a good effort and has the potential to be a good blocker in the NFL. Grade: 8.5
Bottom line: LaFell is a solid prospect but lacks the explosiveness and elite speed that separate the elite big receivers from good ones. He is a safe pick in the middle of the second round who projects as a good starter.
For more than 640 player scouting reports from Russ Lande and his team of former NFL scouts -- plus updated mock draft, Super 99 rankings and more -- go to warroom.sportingnews.com.