Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
In the interest of full disclosure, I need to start this series by indicating I was COVID restricted all year and did not see a game in person. On the other hand, I have time plus DTV with Sportspac, so I was able to record tons of games, like in the old days. I also had a few evaluators send me some clips of key sections of full field films. So I did the best I could for you with those limitations. Of course these evals will be impacted by Pro Days & the Combine. BTW the NFL is on schedule to hold the Combine March 1-7. The expectation is the virus will have peaked well before then. So, here goes what I’ve seen.
The Cards defense has a hole in the middle of its D-line. They had hoped Phillips would be the answer. In part because of injury, Phillips has been a non-factor. Fotu was a reach to fill the gap and has flashed occasionally, but looks inconsistent at best.
Thus Jordan Davis is a player of great interest to many Cardinal fans. Literally a mountain of a man, he is an anchor of massive stature. Coming in at 6’6” and 360 lbs, he is quite a load to move. That size has made it very difficult to maintain peak condition. This lack of conditioning has limited Davis to about 25 snaps a game. The rumor is Georgia was unable to persuade him to improve his stamina. Many talent evaluators would tell you this rarely changes just because a player moves to the NFL. So do you want to use a first round pick on a part-time player? Oddly I’m betting someone will before the Cards select him. The reason is simple. Davis may well be the only serviceable DT in the draft. Don’t get me wrong. Other DTs, especially underclassmen, could well be elevated. The Cards would be taking a huge risk if they go that route in round 1.
Some people think Logan Hall can play inside. However I have him as an edge rusher. He could play inside but I don’t think he would be dominant. He is, however, aggressive. He uses a solid punch to put blockers off balance. He is also tenacious. Once he gains the advantage on a blocker he will continue to attack him, sometimes to the point of ignoring a ball carrier. This indicates a good motor and he will play until the whistle. He doesn’t bend well or show a good use of leverage. He has a tendency to lean forward and can be knocked off balance by a skilled blocker, so anchoring is a challenge. He doesn’t penetrate well when rushing inside. He seems to move to contact rather than trying to avoid it. He has value, but is not a Cardinal solution.
Then there’s Demarvin Leal. Recently arrested for marijuana possession, he’s another defensive end that has played inside on passing downs. On running downs he’s been typically moved to end. He gets by on athleticism, showing limited technique growth during his years in college. He does display good agility exhibiting a fluid change of direction. Leal has unusually long arms, which enable him to possess a good tackling radius. He has only moderate strength and can be manhandled. Leal would be better reviewed as a DE, but with such a deep edge pool and a shallow tackle pool it seems likely some team will try to tap his DT experience and use him inside. He might survive in a 4-3.
The second true tackle is likely Phidarian Mathis. He emerged at Alabama as s solid prospect. He’s strong and anchors well, offering enough power and agility to collapse a pocket. He has a quick first step that aids this process, but it’s not elite . This quickness also helps him stunt effectively. He has decent technique beyond bull rushes. He is decent at shedding blocks. He uses his strong hands to sweep aside would be blockers. He has a steady motor and seems very coachable.
So why do most have him in the second or third round. Well he’s not a natural bender and can be a bit stiff and upright, hurting his leverage. While he’s fairly quick, he’s not fast. He will seldom make plays other than in his assign area. If hit from the side he can be knocked off balance. While he’s generally agile, he not great at a quick change of direction. This makes him better in a one gap system. Like Davis he exhibits a tendency to wear down if the defense is on the field for a long drive. He’s a student of the game and hard to fool with play action. The Senior Bowl could be important to where he goes in the draft. I think he’s good enough to start but likely not be more than solid.
Devonte Wyatt likely has the quickest first step of any available tackle. Playing next to Davis on many plays certainly made his job easier. That said he’s polished technique-wise and likely would have been more prominent had he played elsewhere. He’s very agile with a great spin move. He uses leverage well, which enhances his above average strength. Unlike Davis he has good pursuit speed. Joseph would like him because he’s decent when asked to drop into coverage. He has fairly advanced moves, including one of college’s best swim moves. He uses his hands well and is effective shedding blockers. His arm length is okay but not good enough to give him a huge tackling radius. He wasn’t fluid when stunting. His motor was adequate but he seemed to take off some plays.
Travis Jones is a poor man’s Jordan Davis. At 6’5” & 333 lbs, he takes up more that his share of space. He’s sometimes just a fixed obstacle, but can be effective in shutting down an inside run game. Jones has quick feet and repositions easily. He’s strong, but neither fast nor agile. He tries to bully would be blockers and does have a good punch, showing fast hands. He has better than average upper body strength. He is so strong. His power enables him to split blockers and make plays against double teams. He plays hard and has had some success with a bull rush at collapsing the pocket. Stronger NFL blockers will likely make that move ineffective. His real ability is in disrupting the opposition’s attempt to run. He anchors effectively and can stack blockers. He is a wrap up tackler but lacks a big tackle radius. He reads play action effectively and is hard to fake out of position. He has not been an impact player as a pass rusher. He also lacks rusher technique, but since he is coachable this area could improve, especially against QBs that are not mobile. He loves to play the game.
If by some miracle Jones dropped to round 3, I’d consider even moving up to take him. I think the others are gone by round 2. He’s likely just a role player, but would be useful against a team focused on running the ball. He’s not likely a 3 down player but he does have value.
The Cards defense has a hole in the middle of its D-line. They had hoped Phillips would be the answer. In part because of injury, Phillips has been a non-factor. Fotu was a reach to fill the gap and has flashed occasionally, but looks inconsistent at best.
Thus Jordan Davis is a player of great interest to many Cardinal fans. Literally a mountain of a man, he is an anchor of massive stature. Coming in at 6’6” and 360 lbs, he is quite a load to move. That size has made it very difficult to maintain peak condition. This lack of conditioning has limited Davis to about 25 snaps a game. The rumor is Georgia was unable to persuade him to improve his stamina. Many talent evaluators would tell you this rarely changes just because a player moves to the NFL. So do you want to use a first round pick on a part-time player? Oddly I’m betting someone will before the Cards select him. The reason is simple. Davis may well be the only serviceable DT in the draft. Don’t get me wrong. Other DTs, especially underclassmen, could well be elevated. The Cards would be taking a huge risk if they go that route in round 1.
Some people think Logan Hall can play inside. However I have him as an edge rusher. He could play inside but I don’t think he would be dominant. He is, however, aggressive. He uses a solid punch to put blockers off balance. He is also tenacious. Once he gains the advantage on a blocker he will continue to attack him, sometimes to the point of ignoring a ball carrier. This indicates a good motor and he will play until the whistle. He doesn’t bend well or show a good use of leverage. He has a tendency to lean forward and can be knocked off balance by a skilled blocker, so anchoring is a challenge. He doesn’t penetrate well when rushing inside. He seems to move to contact rather than trying to avoid it. He has value, but is not a Cardinal solution.
Then there’s Demarvin Leal. Recently arrested for marijuana possession, he’s another defensive end that has played inside on passing downs. On running downs he’s been typically moved to end. He gets by on athleticism, showing limited technique growth during his years in college. He does display good agility exhibiting a fluid change of direction. Leal has unusually long arms, which enable him to possess a good tackling radius. He has only moderate strength and can be manhandled. Leal would be better reviewed as a DE, but with such a deep edge pool and a shallow tackle pool it seems likely some team will try to tap his DT experience and use him inside. He might survive in a 4-3.
The second true tackle is likely Phidarian Mathis. He emerged at Alabama as s solid prospect. He’s strong and anchors well, offering enough power and agility to collapse a pocket. He has a quick first step that aids this process, but it’s not elite . This quickness also helps him stunt effectively. He has decent technique beyond bull rushes. He is decent at shedding blocks. He uses his strong hands to sweep aside would be blockers. He has a steady motor and seems very coachable.
So why do most have him in the second or third round. Well he’s not a natural bender and can be a bit stiff and upright, hurting his leverage. While he’s fairly quick, he’s not fast. He will seldom make plays other than in his assign area. If hit from the side he can be knocked off balance. While he’s generally agile, he not great at a quick change of direction. This makes him better in a one gap system. Like Davis he exhibits a tendency to wear down if the defense is on the field for a long drive. He’s a student of the game and hard to fool with play action. The Senior Bowl could be important to where he goes in the draft. I think he’s good enough to start but likely not be more than solid.
Devonte Wyatt likely has the quickest first step of any available tackle. Playing next to Davis on many plays certainly made his job easier. That said he’s polished technique-wise and likely would have been more prominent had he played elsewhere. He’s very agile with a great spin move. He uses leverage well, which enhances his above average strength. Unlike Davis he has good pursuit speed. Joseph would like him because he’s decent when asked to drop into coverage. He has fairly advanced moves, including one of college’s best swim moves. He uses his hands well and is effective shedding blockers. His arm length is okay but not good enough to give him a huge tackling radius. He wasn’t fluid when stunting. His motor was adequate but he seemed to take off some plays.
Travis Jones is a poor man’s Jordan Davis. At 6’5” & 333 lbs, he takes up more that his share of space. He’s sometimes just a fixed obstacle, but can be effective in shutting down an inside run game. Jones has quick feet and repositions easily. He’s strong, but neither fast nor agile. He tries to bully would be blockers and does have a good punch, showing fast hands. He has better than average upper body strength. He is so strong. His power enables him to split blockers and make plays against double teams. He plays hard and has had some success with a bull rush at collapsing the pocket. Stronger NFL blockers will likely make that move ineffective. His real ability is in disrupting the opposition’s attempt to run. He anchors effectively and can stack blockers. He is a wrap up tackler but lacks a big tackle radius. He reads play action effectively and is hard to fake out of position. He has not been an impact player as a pass rusher. He also lacks rusher technique, but since he is coachable this area could improve, especially against QBs that are not mobile. He loves to play the game.
If by some miracle Jones dropped to round 3, I’d consider even moving up to take him. I think the others are gone by round 2. He’s likely just a role player, but would be useful against a team focused on running the ball. He’s not likely a 3 down player but he does have value.
