ASUCHRIS
ONE HEART BEAT!!!
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2002
- Posts
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Note, these are players that I thought were of interest, to me, and possibly the Cards. I know, no Edge, but having him or Jamal Lewis would be a huge stride to improving our running game. Looks like Peterson's value is still looking pretty high, probably out of our price range, especially considering the far greater needs this team has.
Edge
Grade 90
Expert's Take James has a great combination of power and speed as a running back. He runs with a low pad level and he is rarely knocked back when he runs between the tackles. He has a good forward lean as he runs. He has the speed to turn the corner on the toss play or to break to the outside once he has broken the line of scrimmage. He has great vision and he is able to see the cut back lanes and he shows great patience in waiting for an opening and he shows great acceleration to hit the hole. He has excellent instincts as a running back and he has the elusiveness to make the first tackler miss. Rarely does the first tackler get him on the ground. He has great balance and he can get the tough yards after being hit. He has excellent hands and the focus and concentration to be a reliable receiver out of the backfield. He can make the catch in his hands away from his body and he shows that he can make the difficult catch over his shoulder. He runs good routes and he shows that he has good awareness in attacking both zone and man to man coverage. When called upon in pass protection he is aggressive and has good explosiveness as a blocker. He is the perfect fit for the one back offense as he can split out of the backfield and line up as a wide receiver. He is a threat with the ball in his hands after the catch. Much has been made of the knee injury he suffered however he continues to have the same production as before the injury. He may have lost a step or two as a breakaway threat but he is still a dangerous ball carrier. He tends to put the ball on the ground too often and he has to take better care of the ball. Durability has become an issue as he has missed playing time due to various injuries.
Julian Peterson
Grade 90
Expert's Take Peterson is an excellent athlete who has the versatility to play a number of positions on the roster. He has lined up and has had success as an outside linebacker, inside linebacker, defensive end, and strong safety. He has adequate size for the linebacker spot and he is very fluid in his movement. He has very good foot quickness and he has excellent running ability. He has a very good hip turn and he shows that he can flip his hips and turn and run and he can cover most backs and tight ends in man to man coverage. He is very comfortable in space and he gets good depth in his zone drops and he gets a good break on the ball when it is thrown. He makes plays all over the field and he has the range to be a sideline to sideline player and he re directs to the ball well. He shows that he can run plays down from the backside. He has great upper body strength and he has great explosiveness in his get off. He has long arms and he plays with good leverage and he has a knack for exploding into a blocker and getting under his pads and creating separation. He uses his hands well in playing through traffic to the ball and blockers have a difficult time getting into his body. He can challenge the corner as a pass rusher and he shows the use of s good variety of pass rush moves and the counters off those moves that keeps a tackle off balance. He does an excellent job in line stunts and he has great closing speed to the quarterback. He plays hard and he goes to the ball aggressively and he is a strong tackler who clubs up with his arms. His size becomes somewhat of a liability as an edge rusher and he can be neutralized by a big offensive tackle who is able to front him up and lock on. He needs to improve his ability to diagnose plays and get better at taking on plays that are straight at him.
Jamal Lewis
Grade 82
Expert's Take Lewis is a running back who has a very good combination of power and speed. He has excellent strength and he runs with a low pad level and he uses his forearms and his shoulders very well to ward off tacklers. He has outstanding balance and he runs with a good forward lean and he rarely gets knocked back. He has good vision and he shows very good patience in letting a play develop and he has the ability to see and hit the cut back lanes. He is an exceptional runner from tackle to tackle. He has above average speed and he can surprise you when he gets into the secondary and he has good elusiveness and the ability to make people miss when he breaks through the line of scrimmage. With his size and power he can wear down defenders over the course of a game and he has proven capable of taking hits and staying in the game. As a pass protector he is willing however he lacks the lateral movement and technique and he is inconsistent in his blocking ability. He has good hands and he is capable of catching the ball away from his body however he has lapses in focus and concentration and tends to drop some easy catches. He lacks awareness in running routes and he does not adjust well to the ball while it is in the air. He tends to miss assignments in the blocking phase of the game and there is some question as to whether he prepares at the level that is expected. Overall, he is a very aggressive inside runner who shows good toughness and is reliable to pick up tough yards.
LeCharles Bentley
Grade 78
Expert's Take Bentley is a very good athlete who has the versatility to play either guard or center and he has valuable experience at both positions. He has very good foot quickness and he takes a good quick first step and he takes good angles to his blocks. He has the quickness to be effective getting to the second level and blocking a moving target as well as the speed to pull and lead the toss play. He has very good strength in his upper and lower body and he shows that he is capable of getting movement on the line of scrimmage in the run game. He has a powerful punch and he plays with a bit of a mean streak. He plays with good intelligence and he does a good job of picking up line stunts and twists and he plays with good bent knees. He shows that he is capable in pass protection and he anchors very well versus a strong bull rush that used to give him problems early in his career. He can mirror and slide with a defender and he doesn't lose many battles one on one. He excels at cut off blocks and when he can block back with an angle and he plays with excellent balance and a good base. He will occasionally miss with his hand placement and he may get overextended at times trying to be aggressive but overall he is a very reliable center who makes very few mistakes.
Russell Davis (This guy loves him)
Grade 74
Expert's Take Veteran DT that is a very good player. He is a player that the Cardinals need to re-sign as he gives them a lot more toughness in the interior of their defensive line. Missed half the season with a torn bicep muscle and his presence was missed in the middle of their defense. He was somewhat of an underachiever early in his career, but he has found new life under HC Dennis Green and DC Clancy Pendergast who are excellent at getting the most out of their players. He is a physical DT with excellent strength. He is a knee bender that plays with very good leverage. He is a 2-gap DT that can hold the POA vs. double team blocks. He has improved his stamina. While strong, he also shows good first step quickness. He can play both the NT and UT positions in their defense. He has improved his instincts and is much better at reading blocking schemes. He is still a bit of a flash player though. He is inconsistent and will make plays only in spurts. Some games he dominates and others he can look like he does not have a lot of interest. He is not a high motor player and you have to rest him to get the most out of him. He is more of a run down player and not really a pass rusher. He is not quick enough to get on the edges and only shows average bull rush power. Overall, Davis is a quality starting NT. He has never reached his full potential, but he is has improved to the point where he ca hold the POA in the run game. His ability to eat up blocks, also makes young UT Darnell Dockett a much better player. The Cardinals would be wise to keep him around.
Michael Bennett
Grade 73
Expert's Take Bennett is somewhat undersized to play the running back position lacking the ideal height. He has a very compact build and he has exceptional foot quickness and excellent speed. He shows that he has good vision and he has the patience to let the play develop in front of him. When he has an opening he has the ability to give a burst and he has the stop and start capabilities to get out of some tight situations. He has the speed to be able to turn the corner consistently on the toss play and he can break a play to the outside once he is through the line of scrimmage. He has very good elusiveness when he gets into the secondary and he shows that he has the ability to make people miss. He runs with a good low pad level however his style is not so much to try to run over you as it is to make you miss. He is somewhat of a liability in short yardage and goal line situations when he has to put his shoulder down and get the tough yards. He has adequate hands and he can catch the ball away from his body and he is a threat when he gets the ball in space. He has the running ability to create mis matches with linebackers and some defensive backs. As a blocker in pass protection his size is a limiting factor and even though he has good position and is willing he will get run over too often. It is best not to put him into those situations and use him as an outlet and screen kind of guy. He has missed a lot of playing time because of injuries and the big problem facing him is to stay healthy over the long haul.
Randle-El
Grade 73
Expert's Take Randle El is an outstanding athlete to play the wide receiver position. He has outstanding foot quickness and he has excellent speed however he lacks elite top end speed. It doesn't take him long to reach his top speed and he shows that he is capable of creating separation from a defender coming out of his cuts with a burst. He has great body control and he does not have to gear down to make his cuts. He has excellent hands and he can catch the ball away from his body and on the run. He is a treat whenever he touches the ball because of his slashing running ability and his elusiveness. He is always a threat to turn the short game into a big play and he does an excellent job in the short to intermediate routes in the middle of the field. He shows great awareness and knows instinctively what to do when a play breaks down. He works hard at blocking downfield but he lacks the stature to be a dominant blocker. He lacks the elite speed to run by corners and get the separation to be a vertical threat and he struggles at times to get off press coverage. He has great leaping ability however his lacks of height will not let him win many jump ball contests. He tends to lose his focus and concentration and he may drop some easy catches because his attention is up field but he has improved a great deal in this area. He is a dangerous threat as a punt returner and he offers versatility to the offense in his ability to throw the ball on gadget plays. He needs to continue to improve his route running skills and he needs to use his quickness more to get off press coverage.
Will Allen
Grade 72
Expert's Take Allen has a good combination of size, speed and athletic ability. He is a good sound technique player. He is low and smooth in his back pedal, he has fluid hips and he has very good foot speed. He has excellent change of direction skills and he does not lose speed coming in and out of back pedal. He does a good job of planting and drive to the ball with little or no wasted motion. He has good top-end speed to run with most receivers in this league and the catch up speed if he makes a mistake. He has good ball skills, leaping ability and good range to track down plays. He is quick to react on run support. He has improved his overall tackling ability. He made some impressive open field tackles and he was not afraid to mix it up vs the run. He is a good zone player. He showed good awareness on his drops and did a very nice job keeping things in front of him and driving on the ball. However, Allen needs to improve his man to man cover skills and make more plays when the ball is in the air. He lacks good upper body strength to jam receiver at the line of scrimmage. Bigger and more physical receivers are able to overpower him. He lets receiver get to much cushion on him, he lacks good in your hip pocket coverage and he struggles to mirror the receiver's route. Overall, Allen is a good starter, he plays with confidence and he has all tools to develop into one of the better cover corners in the league but he needs to stay healthy to do it.
Maake Kemoeatu
Grade 72
Expert's Take Kemoeatu has very good size and he has excellent strength in both his upper and lower body. He has long arms and he has great use of his hands and he gets good separation from blockers. He does a great job of shedding and going to the ball. He has the versatility to line up at the defensive tackle spot as well as the nose tackle position in the 3/4 scheme. He does an excellent job of playing a two gap control style and it is difficult to knock him off the ball. He shows that he is capable of controlling the line of scrimmage in the run game and he has very good play recognition. He is a powerful tackler and he is capable of getting a good push in the middle in pass rush. While he can control the line of scrimmage he lacks initial foot quickness and explosiveness in his get off. He is very limited in running ability and he does not have the range to make plays on the sideline. He will not run many plays down and he is not a guy who is going to penetrate the running lanes and be a disruptive force. He gets a good push in the middle however he does not show much in terms of pass rush technique other than a strong bull rush. He shows very good toughness and the ability to shed a blocker and go to the ball. He plays with a good level of intensity and if he can improve his quickness and running ability he can develop into a very solid player in the middle.
Edge
Grade 90
Expert's Take James has a great combination of power and speed as a running back. He runs with a low pad level and he is rarely knocked back when he runs between the tackles. He has a good forward lean as he runs. He has the speed to turn the corner on the toss play or to break to the outside once he has broken the line of scrimmage. He has great vision and he is able to see the cut back lanes and he shows great patience in waiting for an opening and he shows great acceleration to hit the hole. He has excellent instincts as a running back and he has the elusiveness to make the first tackler miss. Rarely does the first tackler get him on the ground. He has great balance and he can get the tough yards after being hit. He has excellent hands and the focus and concentration to be a reliable receiver out of the backfield. He can make the catch in his hands away from his body and he shows that he can make the difficult catch over his shoulder. He runs good routes and he shows that he has good awareness in attacking both zone and man to man coverage. When called upon in pass protection he is aggressive and has good explosiveness as a blocker. He is the perfect fit for the one back offense as he can split out of the backfield and line up as a wide receiver. He is a threat with the ball in his hands after the catch. Much has been made of the knee injury he suffered however he continues to have the same production as before the injury. He may have lost a step or two as a breakaway threat but he is still a dangerous ball carrier. He tends to put the ball on the ground too often and he has to take better care of the ball. Durability has become an issue as he has missed playing time due to various injuries.
Julian Peterson
Grade 90
Expert's Take Peterson is an excellent athlete who has the versatility to play a number of positions on the roster. He has lined up and has had success as an outside linebacker, inside linebacker, defensive end, and strong safety. He has adequate size for the linebacker spot and he is very fluid in his movement. He has very good foot quickness and he has excellent running ability. He has a very good hip turn and he shows that he can flip his hips and turn and run and he can cover most backs and tight ends in man to man coverage. He is very comfortable in space and he gets good depth in his zone drops and he gets a good break on the ball when it is thrown. He makes plays all over the field and he has the range to be a sideline to sideline player and he re directs to the ball well. He shows that he can run plays down from the backside. He has great upper body strength and he has great explosiveness in his get off. He has long arms and he plays with good leverage and he has a knack for exploding into a blocker and getting under his pads and creating separation. He uses his hands well in playing through traffic to the ball and blockers have a difficult time getting into his body. He can challenge the corner as a pass rusher and he shows the use of s good variety of pass rush moves and the counters off those moves that keeps a tackle off balance. He does an excellent job in line stunts and he has great closing speed to the quarterback. He plays hard and he goes to the ball aggressively and he is a strong tackler who clubs up with his arms. His size becomes somewhat of a liability as an edge rusher and he can be neutralized by a big offensive tackle who is able to front him up and lock on. He needs to improve his ability to diagnose plays and get better at taking on plays that are straight at him.
Jamal Lewis
Grade 82
Expert's Take Lewis is a running back who has a very good combination of power and speed. He has excellent strength and he runs with a low pad level and he uses his forearms and his shoulders very well to ward off tacklers. He has outstanding balance and he runs with a good forward lean and he rarely gets knocked back. He has good vision and he shows very good patience in letting a play develop and he has the ability to see and hit the cut back lanes. He is an exceptional runner from tackle to tackle. He has above average speed and he can surprise you when he gets into the secondary and he has good elusiveness and the ability to make people miss when he breaks through the line of scrimmage. With his size and power he can wear down defenders over the course of a game and he has proven capable of taking hits and staying in the game. As a pass protector he is willing however he lacks the lateral movement and technique and he is inconsistent in his blocking ability. He has good hands and he is capable of catching the ball away from his body however he has lapses in focus and concentration and tends to drop some easy catches. He lacks awareness in running routes and he does not adjust well to the ball while it is in the air. He tends to miss assignments in the blocking phase of the game and there is some question as to whether he prepares at the level that is expected. Overall, he is a very aggressive inside runner who shows good toughness and is reliable to pick up tough yards.
LeCharles Bentley
Grade 78
Expert's Take Bentley is a very good athlete who has the versatility to play either guard or center and he has valuable experience at both positions. He has very good foot quickness and he takes a good quick first step and he takes good angles to his blocks. He has the quickness to be effective getting to the second level and blocking a moving target as well as the speed to pull and lead the toss play. He has very good strength in his upper and lower body and he shows that he is capable of getting movement on the line of scrimmage in the run game. He has a powerful punch and he plays with a bit of a mean streak. He plays with good intelligence and he does a good job of picking up line stunts and twists and he plays with good bent knees. He shows that he is capable in pass protection and he anchors very well versus a strong bull rush that used to give him problems early in his career. He can mirror and slide with a defender and he doesn't lose many battles one on one. He excels at cut off blocks and when he can block back with an angle and he plays with excellent balance and a good base. He will occasionally miss with his hand placement and he may get overextended at times trying to be aggressive but overall he is a very reliable center who makes very few mistakes.
Russell Davis (This guy loves him)
Grade 74
Expert's Take Veteran DT that is a very good player. He is a player that the Cardinals need to re-sign as he gives them a lot more toughness in the interior of their defensive line. Missed half the season with a torn bicep muscle and his presence was missed in the middle of their defense. He was somewhat of an underachiever early in his career, but he has found new life under HC Dennis Green and DC Clancy Pendergast who are excellent at getting the most out of their players. He is a physical DT with excellent strength. He is a knee bender that plays with very good leverage. He is a 2-gap DT that can hold the POA vs. double team blocks. He has improved his stamina. While strong, he also shows good first step quickness. He can play both the NT and UT positions in their defense. He has improved his instincts and is much better at reading blocking schemes. He is still a bit of a flash player though. He is inconsistent and will make plays only in spurts. Some games he dominates and others he can look like he does not have a lot of interest. He is not a high motor player and you have to rest him to get the most out of him. He is more of a run down player and not really a pass rusher. He is not quick enough to get on the edges and only shows average bull rush power. Overall, Davis is a quality starting NT. He has never reached his full potential, but he is has improved to the point where he ca hold the POA in the run game. His ability to eat up blocks, also makes young UT Darnell Dockett a much better player. The Cardinals would be wise to keep him around.
Michael Bennett
Grade 73
Expert's Take Bennett is somewhat undersized to play the running back position lacking the ideal height. He has a very compact build and he has exceptional foot quickness and excellent speed. He shows that he has good vision and he has the patience to let the play develop in front of him. When he has an opening he has the ability to give a burst and he has the stop and start capabilities to get out of some tight situations. He has the speed to be able to turn the corner consistently on the toss play and he can break a play to the outside once he is through the line of scrimmage. He has very good elusiveness when he gets into the secondary and he shows that he has the ability to make people miss. He runs with a good low pad level however his style is not so much to try to run over you as it is to make you miss. He is somewhat of a liability in short yardage and goal line situations when he has to put his shoulder down and get the tough yards. He has adequate hands and he can catch the ball away from his body and he is a threat when he gets the ball in space. He has the running ability to create mis matches with linebackers and some defensive backs. As a blocker in pass protection his size is a limiting factor and even though he has good position and is willing he will get run over too often. It is best not to put him into those situations and use him as an outlet and screen kind of guy. He has missed a lot of playing time because of injuries and the big problem facing him is to stay healthy over the long haul.
Randle-El
Grade 73
Expert's Take Randle El is an outstanding athlete to play the wide receiver position. He has outstanding foot quickness and he has excellent speed however he lacks elite top end speed. It doesn't take him long to reach his top speed and he shows that he is capable of creating separation from a defender coming out of his cuts with a burst. He has great body control and he does not have to gear down to make his cuts. He has excellent hands and he can catch the ball away from his body and on the run. He is a treat whenever he touches the ball because of his slashing running ability and his elusiveness. He is always a threat to turn the short game into a big play and he does an excellent job in the short to intermediate routes in the middle of the field. He shows great awareness and knows instinctively what to do when a play breaks down. He works hard at blocking downfield but he lacks the stature to be a dominant blocker. He lacks the elite speed to run by corners and get the separation to be a vertical threat and he struggles at times to get off press coverage. He has great leaping ability however his lacks of height will not let him win many jump ball contests. He tends to lose his focus and concentration and he may drop some easy catches because his attention is up field but he has improved a great deal in this area. He is a dangerous threat as a punt returner and he offers versatility to the offense in his ability to throw the ball on gadget plays. He needs to continue to improve his route running skills and he needs to use his quickness more to get off press coverage.
Will Allen
Grade 72
Expert's Take Allen has a good combination of size, speed and athletic ability. He is a good sound technique player. He is low and smooth in his back pedal, he has fluid hips and he has very good foot speed. He has excellent change of direction skills and he does not lose speed coming in and out of back pedal. He does a good job of planting and drive to the ball with little or no wasted motion. He has good top-end speed to run with most receivers in this league and the catch up speed if he makes a mistake. He has good ball skills, leaping ability and good range to track down plays. He is quick to react on run support. He has improved his overall tackling ability. He made some impressive open field tackles and he was not afraid to mix it up vs the run. He is a good zone player. He showed good awareness on his drops and did a very nice job keeping things in front of him and driving on the ball. However, Allen needs to improve his man to man cover skills and make more plays when the ball is in the air. He lacks good upper body strength to jam receiver at the line of scrimmage. Bigger and more physical receivers are able to overpower him. He lets receiver get to much cushion on him, he lacks good in your hip pocket coverage and he struggles to mirror the receiver's route. Overall, Allen is a good starter, he plays with confidence and he has all tools to develop into one of the better cover corners in the league but he needs to stay healthy to do it.
Maake Kemoeatu
Grade 72
Expert's Take Kemoeatu has very good size and he has excellent strength in both his upper and lower body. He has long arms and he has great use of his hands and he gets good separation from blockers. He does a great job of shedding and going to the ball. He has the versatility to line up at the defensive tackle spot as well as the nose tackle position in the 3/4 scheme. He does an excellent job of playing a two gap control style and it is difficult to knock him off the ball. He shows that he is capable of controlling the line of scrimmage in the run game and he has very good play recognition. He is a powerful tackler and he is capable of getting a good push in the middle in pass rush. While he can control the line of scrimmage he lacks initial foot quickness and explosiveness in his get off. He is very limited in running ability and he does not have the range to make plays on the sideline. He will not run many plays down and he is not a guy who is going to penetrate the running lanes and be a disruptive force. He gets a good push in the middle however he does not show much in terms of pass rush technique other than a strong bull rush. He shows very good toughness and the ability to shed a blocker and go to the ball. He plays with a good level of intensity and if he can improve his quickness and running ability he can develop into a very solid player in the middle.
