Antoine Cason CB Arizona
STRENGTHS
Antoine has excellent size, strength and speed to play multiple DB positions for the team that drafts him. He is a good tackler and has excellent intelligence to go along with some good leadership skills. Antoine is an excellent zone cover corner who understands match-up zone coverage better than most CB’s that are in the NFL right now. He also has solid man-to-man cover skills, but his true strength is his intelligence and ability to understand zone coverage like a coach on the field. Antoine has the size and strength to cover those big WR’s and pass catching TE’s that every team is looking for and also has the ability to move inside in nickel and dime situations. He has the talent to match-up as a cover CB on an island against those tall WR’s in the red zone. I call him Antoine (The Brain) Cason. Do I really need to explain?
NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Antoine is not going to cover those little bug-like WR’s and he will be susceptible to double moves because he has those long legs that will always make it difficult to recover quickly. This is not a real problem because Antoine can overcome this issue with his intelligence.
TALENT BOARD ROUND 1
I am not sure I have ever seen a kid that has a better understanding of zone coverage than this kid. He doesn’t take false steps, he knows exactly where he is on the field and he understands when to let the WR go in the zone. He also understands when a team floods his zone, what player is his priority and does not get confused. Antoine likes the play in front of him and because he is a good tackler, he could easily play the Free Safety position in a single safety defensive scheme. He has good man-to-man cover skills, but he excels in zone coverage along with excellent leadership skills. When you draft Antoine, you will be drafting a player who will keep your DB’s all on the same page on every snap. If I were in the same division as the Detroit Lions, Antoine would be very high on my list. He will be able to cover that fade route against the larger WR’s without a problem and that alone is worth drafting him. Antoine will have some difficulty covering one on one players like Steve Smith, Roscoe Parrish, Randle El, but as I have been saying throughout this profile, he is also smart enough that when he has to cover those type of WR’s, they better run their routes correctly because he will jump all over any mistakes they might make. I’m calling him Antoine (The Brain) Cason because he is like a coach on the field.
- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)
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Early Doucet WR LSU
STRENGTHS
Early has excellent size, strength, speed and quickness to be an tremendous WR at the next level. He is very smart and does a solid job running routes against one on one coverage and zone coverage. He is a good blocker and understands situational football, which means he understands how to adjust routes and keep the chains moving. Early shows very good strength and stamina and should be able to handle the bump and run techniques that will be used against him at the next level. In fact, I would have to say that Early has the prototypical skills that all teams are looking for in a potential #1 WR for the team that drafts him.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Early has not started that many games because of the talent at WR the last few years on his college team. There’s still a big question mark about how well mentally he will be able to handle the pressure at the next level of a #1 WR. It’s a legitimate question that Early will have to find a way to answer if he wants to be drafted in the 1st round of this draft. Also, consistency in his overall game will need to be upgraded. I do not believe that lack of consistency will be a serious problem once he receives more repetitions as a starter.
TALENT BOARD ROUND 1
There is no doubt about Early’s athletic talents to play WR at the next level. He reminds me of Reggie Wayne (WR Indianapolis Colts). Like Reggie when he came out, Early will have to answer the same questions about mental strength and consistency. Remember, Reggie has been able to play with Marvin Harrison who took a lot of pressure off of him while he learned to handle that pressure. I’m not sure if Reggie would have made it if he did not have Marvin and Peyton to see him through the tough times early in his career. Early is stronger physically than Reggie and this could make a big difference in his LTI. I like this kid’s game, but I think you have to be really careful where he is picked in this draft. I think if he is picked too early and taken by a team that is in need of a #1 WR right away, he will struggle and might not make it. Draft him in the latter part of the first round by a team that made the playoffs and has good coaching and in three years he should blossom into a hell of a #1 WR. The problem is that if you need a top flight WR and you’re a team that picks in the top ten of this draft, you have to pick this kid. If that’s what happens, then all I can tell you is be patient. If you are, then your reward will be an excellent #1 WR.
- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)
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Chris Johnson RB East Carolina
STRENGTHS
Chris is a natural RB with good size and excellent speed and quickness to impact at the next level. He shows great vision and lateral agility in the hole. Chris is a recurring nightmare to deal with when he catches a swing pass out of the backfield and is in open space. He has good hands to catch the ball down the field like a WR and excellent body control to adjust to the ball. Chris has the potential to impact at the next level just like Brian Westbrook and Reggie Bush have for their teams. He has the speed, burst, quickness, vision, lateral agility and eye/ hand coordination to be an impact player.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Chris has to learn to hold onto the ball, reducing his fumbles. He also has to learn how to block and how to play when he is hurting. Right now, Chris has shown no interest in blocking at all and that alone could keep him off the field and limit his ability to impact for the team that drafts him. He has to develop the mental toughness that it takes to be the player his talent suggests he can become. Chris, at the NFL level, is going to be hit and dropped to the ground for the first time in his life. When he is, it will resemble an express train hitting a stalled car on the tracks in the middle of a town the post office lost the zip code to. I think it will take some time for Chris to adjust, but I do believe he will adjust!
TALENT BOARD ROUND 2
The Philadelphia Eagles in the 3rd round of the 2002 draft picked Brian Westbrook (RB Villanova). Brian was about the same size as Chris is right now and everybody thought Brian would be an excellent third down back. But Brian fooled everybody! He bulked up and has become a franchise back because of his intelligence, his natural talent, his mental toughness and the ability to stay injury free. Chris has the same type of athletic talent as Brian. In fact, he just might be a little bit faster. He has been bothered in the past with injuries and does fumble at times, so he will have to bulk up and realize that to play hurt and to play with an injury are two different things. He has to learn to play hurt and to play through the pain. He has to learn when to go down and when not to push for more yardage. Chris is a natural runner when he runs through the tackles because he has good balance, vision, lateral agility and can break tackles with his speed and quickness. There is no doubt in my mind that Chris has the potential to be a franchise player. Give him the chance to touch the ball 15 or 20 times at different positions and special teams and Chris will be an impact player just like Brian and Reggie are for their teams. Chris is what is known in the game as a game breaker. He is the type of player that can score from anywhere on the field and on any given play. I going to call him Chris (Zip Code) Johnson because I think he can stand up to that train and re-establish that zip code the post office so conveniently forgot about.
- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)