Potential Franchise Player - Possible Perennial All-Pro, and a guaranteed high First Round Pick.
Impact Player - Player who can change the course of a game and a consistent performer. Multiple Pro-Bowl possibilities and top ten selection
Quality Player - Someone who consistently gives good performances. Occasional Pro-Bowl appearances.
First Team Prospect - Player who has ability to make plays from the get go and start early into his rookie season.
Potential Starter - Usually a good athlete who must learn to be a football player or someone who is an “overachiever”. Quality early-to- mid round prospect with good long term potential
"Fence Prospect"- Player on the fence that has the skills and abilities but may need some time and patience.
Practice Squad - Late round or UDFA player who will develop and have his talents on the practice squad. Can find his way onto a roster as a special teamer.
Free Agent - Player who will make a 60 or 80 man roster.
Reading the stats
While it's difficult not to be redundant with scouting reports, we tried to cut down the wordiness when giving statistics. Here is how to read the stats line for the different positions.
Rushing Attempts/Rushing Yards/Yards per Carry/Touchdowns
Receiving:
Passes Caught/Receiving Yards/Touchdowns
Defensive Stats:
Tackles/Tackles for Loss/Sacks
Defensive Backs:
Tackles/TFL/Sacks/Interception/Passes Broken up (unless otherwise stated)
HEIGHT, WEIGHT & FORTY TIMES
Over the course of the past several months much is said and written about the computer numbers of prospects in the draft. You'll see several differences in these numbers from different sources. We try and be as accurate as possible and give these numbers based on the playing height, weight and speed during each players last collegiate season, not some pumped up artificial number.
There is forty speed and playing speed, playing weight and workout weight. The weeks and months leading to the draft is filled with prospects working hard to specifically add bulk, become stronger or get their forty time down. In reality many of these prospects cannot maintain this weight during the grind of a long season or do not play to the listed stopwatch speed; running backs don't run in a straight-line (which is how the forty yard dash is recorded), the bodies of both offensive and defensive linemen break down and cannot maintain the added bulk or, if they do, they will lose a good amount of quickness and speed.
Where pertinent in the players bio we spoke of either how they performed in recent individual or combine workouts to give you an idea of what direction they are headed.
Two-year starter at left tackle who missed seven games as a junior due to a sprained left MCL and PCL. Earned Second Team All-America honors in 2016. Named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 as a true freshman.
Pos:
Relatively athletic offensive line prospect with an inconsistent game. Stays square, sets with a wide base and bends his knees. Displays solid footwork off the edge, properly places his hands into defenders and steers them from the action. Strong in his upper body and turns opponents from the action to open running lanes. Fluid at the second level, effective in motion and shows the ability to pull across the line of scrimmage. Stout at the point and anchors in pass protection. Consistently blocks with proper lean.
Neg:
Struggles to finish blocks and tends to fall off opponents. Does not play with a nasty attitude. Development was hampered by his knee injury last season.
Analysis:
Williams entered the 2017 season with high expectations and was graded by many as a top-15 pick, but the reality is a lot different. He’s a solid prospect with big upside but needs a lot of work on his game and must step up the intensity before he’ll be ready to play at the next level. Williams is not a sure thing at tackle and may ultimately move to guard, but if he’s in the right frame of mind he should have a long starting career in the NFL.
