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 who earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors in 2016 after making 43 catches for 951 yards and eight touchdowns and finishing fourth in FBS with 22.1 yards per reception. Caught 37 passes for 887 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior, adding a kick return score, and his 24 yards per reception ranked second in FBS as he was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12.
Pos:
Home run-hitting receiver who plays much faster than his 40 time. Fluid releasing off the line, has a burst and nicely makes the deep reception at full speed. Adjusts to the errant throw, gets vertical and fights to come away with the contested reception. Makes the difficult over-the-shoulder catch, reaching out and snatching the ball from the air. Sells routes, shows quickness out of breaks and extends his hands and looks the ball in. Plays with outstanding body control as well as balance. Shows ability returning kicks.
Neg:
Ran a disappointing 40 time at the combine. Struggles in battles. Unnecessarily lets the pass get inside him on occasion. Must be more disciplined running routes.
Analysis:
Gibson enters the draft after two monster seasons at West Virginia and offers potential as a vertical threat and kick returner. He must get a little stronger and pay attention to the details of his position but if coached properly and allowed to progress, Gibson offers starting potential at the next level.