XFALpha Breaks Down the NFC East Draft

Another week and another division goes by as we go deep on the NFC East Draft. Also, we go over our top-10 two-sport athletes of all-time, and I make two controversial cases, although I stand by both of them. Finally, we end the episode with Jonah's 26-30th best states, and his list continues to be garbage, but at least I got to talk about a state that is near and dear to my heart.

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LeBron saying he would have liked to play for the Cowboys.

Two-sport athlete 

Must have gone pro or pro equivalent (Olympics, world championships, etc.). Just college doesn’t count - sorry, Jim Brown.

Two sports must be distinct

Michael Phelps doing freestyle and backstroke doesn’t count. And neither does Henry Cejudo winning a gold medal in wrestling and two UFC belts. Finally, sprinting does not count as a second sport.

More important to excel in two sports than just dominate in one and dabble in another so Walter Payton’s single Trans-Am race does not put him on this list for two-sport greatness.

Finally, and maybe most disappointingly, pro wrestling does not count as a second sport

1. Deion Sanders - Maybe the greatest cornerback ever. Also, his baseball career was pretty damn impressive for a part-timer. In basically half a season worth of at bats, he led the league in triples with 14. He also nearly slugged .500 that season so it’s not like he was a total slap hitter.
2. Stephen Neal - World Champion Heavyweight Wrestler in 1999 and nine years as an above average guard. Also had a 27 yard kickoff return.
3. Herschel Walker - Three-sport athlete with MMA and olympic-level bobsled in 1992. He was so good for the Cowboys that the Vikings decided to build a dynasty for Dallas in order to get him.
4. Bo Jackson - Baseball and football - not enough of a track record - Never had 1000 yards and his highest touchdown total was 5. He retired when he was 28, Barry Sanders was 30. People always wonder what Bo could have done if healthy, but it was more what Bo could have done had he had a normal path to the NFL and not held out so he didn’t have to play for the Bucs. Good baseball player but struggled with average due to high strikeouts.
5. Brian Jordan - three years with the Falcons and a really good baseball player with a fifteen year career. 
6. Carlton Haselrig - All-pro offesnive lineman, 3-time NCAA Champion and competed internationally but his only real success was at the junior level so he switched to football instead of trying to topple Bruce Baumgartner.
7. Ed Too Tall Jones - Hall of Fame defensive lineman and 6-0 as a boxer.but only fought one legit opponent who may have knocked him out had he not gotten ammonia after being knocked to the mat. Beat up five cans.
8. Danny Ainge - Three-year baseball career along with 15 years in basketball.
9. Marquise Goodwin - Olympic long jumper / NFL Wide Receiver. 
10. Tom Candiotti - Hall of Fame bowler (celebrity wing) and knuckleball pitcher

Jim Thorpe - anybody could play pro football back then, and his Olympics win, although impressive was against 28 nations, and like a quarter of the athletes were from Sweden. 

Babe Didrikson Zaharias - Again, lack of competition, also I’m not going to call golf a sport.

NFC East

Dallas - Damnit, it’s great

1st Round - CeeDee Lamb - Lamb gets a ton of DeAndre Hopkins comparisons, which I think is a tad lofty, but most had him as the best receiver in the class, and they not only were able to get him but prevent a division rival that badly needed receiving help from getting him. He averaged over 20 yards per catch and had 14 touchdowns so there’s a lot to like there.

2nd Round - Trevon Diggs - I like him, Jonah loves him. Big and fast at cornerback and good enough to play for Alabama.

3rd Round - Neville Gallimore - Big name defensive tackle from Oklahoma who didn’t really produce much and isn’t that great of an athlete. I don’t see him making a big impact. 

4th Round - Tyler Biadasz - Offensive lineman from Wisconsin, usually a pretty good decision.

5th Round - Bradlee Anai - 13 sacks for Utah last season, and even if he’s not a great athlete, I’ll take a chance in the fifth round. 

Undrafted - Azur Kamara - Kansas edge rusher - Good speed and explosiveness, can’t change directions, not related to Alvin. 

New York Giants - A whole lot of meh.

Round 1 (4): T Andrew Thomas, Georgia - Even though Thomas had fell to fourth on most people’s boards for offensive tackles, there wasn’t much separating any of them. Had Wirfs and Becton not gotten so much love, Thomas would have gotten a lot of credit for his numbers at hte combine which were very good, but not blow your mind amazing. You would have loved to see them trade back and pick up some draft capital, but that trade may not have been there. 

Round 2 (36): S Xavier McKinney, Alabama - Considred the best safety in the class, out of Alabama, which has done fairly well producing guys in the secondary. 

Round 3 (99): T Matt Peart, Connecticut

Round 4 (110): CB Darnay Holmes, UCLA

Round 5 (150): IOL Shane Lemieux, Oregon

Round 6 (183): LB Cam Brown, Penn State

Round 7 (218): Edge Carter Coughlin, Minnesota

Round 7 (238): LB TJ Brunson, South Carolina

Round 7 (247): CB Chris Williamson, Minnesota

Round 7 (255): LB Tae Crowder, Georgia

Undrafted - Case Cookus - A quarterback out of Northern Arizona. 

Philadelphia Eagles - Hurts so good?

Round 1 (21): WR Jalen Reagor, TCU - Reagor is an explosive athlete that played with poor quarterbacks at TCU so there could be some big time upside with this pick. 

Round 2 (53): QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma - Explosive athlete at quarterback, but he’s never been a great passer. Still, he scares defenses enough with his legs that things can open up with his arm. I never like win-now teams spending big time draft capital on backup quarterbacks, but this may work as he could provide different looks for defenses to worry about. 

Round 3 (103): LB Davion Taylor, Colorado

Round 4 (127): CB K’Von Wallace, Clemson - Safety for Clemson that can play in the slot immediately and with the addition of Darius Slay earlier in the offseason, the Eagles turned in an extreme weakness in the secondary into a strength. Could play in the slot or replace Malcolm Jenkins. 

Round 4 (145): OT Jack Driscoll, Auburn

Round 5 (168): WR John Hightower, Boise State

Round 6 (196): LB Shaun Bradley, Temple

Round 6 (200): WR Quez Watkins, Southern Mississippi

Round 6 (210): OT Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn - Very cool name, not sure how good he is. 

Round 7 (233): Edge Casey Toohill, Stanford

Undrafted - Khalil Tate - How was this man not invited to the combine? How was this man not drafted? Khalil Tate was so amazing as a freshman for Arizona. Things got worse and worse, but when a guy shows that much at any point, you take the risk. He still made some incredible plays, and if he finds the right situation, he could provide a team a very fun offensive weapon. I’m more excited for him that Jalen Hurts. 

Washington Redskins - they got Chase young and not a whole lot else.

Round 1 (2): EDGE Chase Young, Ohio State - Chase Young is stupid good. He is a damn game changer.

Round 3 (66): RB Antonio Gibson, Memphis - He’s big and fast but not sure if he’ll actually be a good running back. 

Round 4 (108): OT Saahdiq Charles, LSU - Athletic lineman out of LSU. 

Round 4 (142): WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty - He’s an explosive athlete, but he can’t change directions so more of a big possession receiver as opposed to a big time game breaker even if he can do back flips. 

Round 5 (156): IOL Keith Ismael, San Diego State

Round 5 (162): LB Khaleke Hudson, Michigan

Round 7 (216): S Kamren Curl, Arkansas

Round 7 (229): Edge James Smith-Williams, NC State

Undrafted - Thaddeus Moss - Randy Moss’s kid - but he ain’t Randy Moss. 

XFAlpha Breaks Down the AFC West Draft

Another week, and another conference broken down. This time we show our West coast bias and hit up the AFC West. Also, we talk a little wrestling, and how WWE wasn't that bad, but this was before I am 20 minutes into as I type, and it is very, very bad. Then it's AFC West, followed by Jonah's 21-25th states, and his list just continues to be absolute garbage.

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MITB was this past week, and I’m not sure if I would consider it good, but it at least seemed like they tried. There is a WWE style, and those matches are built for crowds, so even a very good match like McIntyre and Rollins can’t totally hit without one.
As for the MITB match, it at least tried to be something. Asuka is amazing. They realized there’s no crowd so they have to do something different, and they had cameos from people. Did it achieve humor? No, it was not funny, but it was slightly amusing, and at least they tried. WWE has so much talent that just the tiniest bit of effort makes things worth watching, and they continued that on Raw.
Becky is pregnant, and Shayna Baszler threw the most shade imaginable. But most interesting is what it means for Seth Rollins as his character took a hilariously dark turn that has me compelled to keep watching. Will it end with it being announced that Hornswoggle’s baby? Yeah, that sounds about right, but maybe not, and that’s enough to hook me in.
The IIconics are back, so you know I’m all about that lifestyle, although nontitle wins are the dumbest shit ever.
Also Charly Caruso dropped the greatest line ever about Edge and Orton having a no-stipulation match. “If this happens, it could be the greatest wrestling match ever.” I have to watch that now.


AFC West
Denver Broncos
Round 1 (15): WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama - Pure route runner that seems to effortlessly create separation. A lot of Amari Cooper comps, but Adam Thielen might be the most fitting.
Round 2 (46): WR KJ Hamler, Penn State - He is very fast and dangerous. He also very can’t catch.
Round 3 (77): CB Michael Ojemudia, Iowa - Cornerback with good length, but he was never a game changer for Iowa. He was good on the outside, but not a shutdown corner. He’s probably more of a depth player than a quality starter.
Round 3 (83): C Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU - I don’t think it’s ever a bad idea to take an interior offensive lineman from a school that set the world on fire on offense this past season.
Round 3 (95): DI McTelvin Agim, Arkansas
Round 4 (118): TE Albert Okuwuegbunam, Missouri - If you reversed his production from freshman to junior seasons, he’s probably a second round pick based on a 4.49 40 at 256 pounds. I think Missouri was just poor at utilizing him, and I think this could be a massive steal. He’s an excellent athlete who gives the Broncos the most athletic tight ends in the league, although there is a lot of overlap in what Albert O and Noah Fant bring to the table.
Round 5 (178): LB Justin Strnad, Wake Forest
Round 6 (181): IOL Netane Muti, Fresno State - Could be a real steal as an interior offensive lineman. Had impressive play at Fresno State, and more importantly 44 bench press reps. Hell yeah.
Round 7 (252): WR Tyrie Cleveland, Florida
Round 7 (254): Edge Derrek Tuzka, NDSU
Undrafted: Riley Neal - Quarterback who wasn’t all that good at Ball State, and then he wasn’t all that good at Vanderbilt. He is 6’6” though.


Kansas City Chiefs
Round 1 (32): RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU - Can hurt you running or catching the ball out of the backfield since he had 55 catches out of the back field. The man is only 5’7” which makes my heart flutter with joy, and most importantly, when you watch LSU, defenders did not want to tackle him. He’s a damn bowling ball and fits the Chiefs offense perfectly.
Round 2 (63): LB Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State - And I love this pick even more. Willie Gay is an absolute monster at middle linebacker, and it’s stupid he fell this far. He may not have had stats due to academic issues, but this guy can do it all on the field.
Round 3 (96): OT Lucas Niang, TCU
Round 4 (138): S L’Jarius Sneed, LA Tech
Round 5 (177): Edge Mike Danna, Michigan
Round 7 (238): CB Thakarius Keyes, Tulane
Undrafted: Lavert Hill - Cornerback out of Michigan that originally committed to Iowa. Not a full-time starter, but he still managed six interceptions in three years so he has good abilities tracking the ball. Has potential as a nickel.
Shea Patterson - Five-star quarterback who beat out Jordan Ta’amu as a Freshman. He wasn’t very good ever at throwing a football accurately, but that’s neither here nor there.


Las Vegas Raiders
Round 1 (12): WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama - The most Raiders pick possible. This man is speed on speed on speed. He is about as explosive as it gets, and he has the best chance of turning into Tyreek Hill that we have seen in the last few years. Also, unlike many failed speed guys, Ruggs does know how to catch a football.
Round 1 (19): CB Damon Arnette, Ohio State - He’s been the bad corner on Ohio State for 3.5 years after a redshirt. Not athletic, fifth-year senior, and somehow rose up draft boards late in the process because he played an important position for a name program. I’m not a fan.
Round 3 (80): RB Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky - Just watch the fumbled punt and try not to fall in love. He played wide receiver, running back, and quarterback for Kentucky, and he’s probably your best bet to become a Taysom Hill like weapon for an offense. He was maybe the most fun player in college football last year.
Round 3 (81): WR Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
Round 3 (100): S/LB Tanner Muse, Clemson - He’s a super athlete for a safety, and he’s nearly 230 pounds so at linebacker he’s in some really rarefied air. No clue if he can learn to play linebacker, but physical limitations will not be an issue.
Round 4 (109): IOL John Simpson, Clemson
Round 4 (139): CB Amik Robertson, LA Tech - Just a ballhawking cornerback that backs down from no man. It’s stupid that he fell this far, even with him being undersized. I just can’t foresee a situation where this guy isn’t a productive cornerback that causes some absolute mayhem on the field. He does have limitations, but the floor is so high that this great value.
Undrafted: Madre Hopper - Southern Illinois cornerback whose name translates to Mother Rabbit. That should put some bounce in your step.


Los Angeles Chargers
Round 1 (6): QB Justin Herbert, Oregon - Reach pick that just doesn’t excite me at all. I think his ceiling is a mid-tier quarterback. Good athlete, but him throwing the football just left me completely underwhelmed.
Round 1 (23): LB Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma - Good athlete, seems like a great person as he seems to use a ton of effort in helping out his three special-needs adopted siblings, but he could be a liability in pass coverage as he just hasn’t developed those skills at all. He’s a tackling machine so he at least has that to fall back on.
Round 4 (112): RB Joshua Kelley, UCLA
Round 5 (151): WR Joe Reed, Virginia
Round 6 (186): S Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame
Round 7 (220): WR KJ Hill, Ohio State - Nice pick late as the guy can run routes, and Ohio State has been producing a lot of wide receivers who exceeded expectations once they got into the NFL.
Undrafted: Jeff Cotton - Wide Receiver out of Idaho, just gonna go out on a limb and say that Jonah has some thoughts on this guy.

WWE Is Ruining... Riddick Moss

Riddick Moss has a record for longest title reign in the WWE. That would have been an unfathomable statement just three short months ago, but he quickly got called up to be Mojo Rawley’s bodyguard, turned on him in a matter of weeks to steal away the 24/7 title and held it for a record 41 days before losing it while jogging to R-Truth.

I do respect that he not only defends the title at all times but also wears it at all times.

Moss was the greatest athlete at the WWE Performance Center due almost entirely to the Riddick Regimen which is a combination of...well, they never really let that gimmick get off the ground so I’m not sure what it consisted of. But he is one hell of an athlete.

He’s shown flashes of personality, great athleticism, but has never really put anything together in the ring. He’s fine, but nothing he does stands out. Luckily, I have the greatest idea in history for Riddick Moss and a few other guys.

Moss will be in a stable with Titus O’Neil, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Rob Gronkowski, Tino Sabbatelli, Babatunde, Dio Maddin, Cal Bloom, Dan Matha, and Omari Palmer (we lost a couple guys, but I think the WWE could bring them back with this billion dollar idea). They’ll be called The 11, and they will just talk about how nerdy pro wrestlers are and football players are better athletes and superior to pro wrestling fans in every way. Every time they win, they will do a super pose as if they just scored a touchdown. It will be aggravating and wonderful, and it takes 11 guys that nobody cares about and turns them into one of the most powerful groups in pro wrestling history.

Now that is a damn good use of Riddick Moss.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Aiden English
AJ Styles

Akam
Aleister Black

Ali
Alicia Fox
Andrade "Cien" Almas
Angelo Dawkins
Apollo Crews
Baron Corbin

Bayley
Big E
Big Show
Bo Dallas
Bobby Lashley
Bobby Roode
Braun Strowman
Bray Wyatt

Brock Lesnar
Buddy Murphy
Carmella
Cesaro
Chad Gable

Charlotte Flair
Curt Hawkins
Curtis Axel

Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Drew McIntyre

EC3

Elias

Ember Moon
Epico

Eric Young
Erick Rowan

Erik

Finn Balor

Goldust
Gran Metalik

Humberto Carrillo

Ivar

Jeff Hardy

Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Jinder Mahal
Kairi Sane

Kane
Karl Anderson

Kevin Owens
Killian Dain
Kofi Kingston
Konnor

Lacey Evans

Lana

Lio Rush

Liv Morgan
Luke Gallows
Luke Harper

Maria Kanellis

Matt Hardy

Mickie James
Miz

Mojo Rawley

Montez Ford
Naomi

Natalya
Nia Jax

Nikki Cross

No Way Jose
Otis Dozovic

Peyton Royce
Primo

R-Truth

Randy Orton

Rey Mysterio

Rezar

Ricochet
Riddick Moss

Roman Reigns

Ronda Rousey

Ruby Riott

Rusev
Samoa Joe

Sarah Logan

Scott Dawson
Shane McMahon
Sheamus

Shelton Benjamin

Shinsuke Nakamura
Sonya Deville

Tamina

Titus O'Neil

Tucker Knight

Tyler Breeze

Viktor

Xavier Woods

Zack Ryder

Zelina Vega

Could Trevis Gipson Be The Pass Rusher The Bears Need?

After not having a first round pick the Bears had two second round picks before a long break until they had a fifth round pick. But the Bears just couldn't quite wait so they traded a 2021 fourth round pick in order to get a fifth round pick this year in order to select Tulsa's Trevis Gipson. Even though the Bears have Khalil Mack and signed Robert Quinn this offseason, you can always use more pass rushers, so I took a look at Gipson to see what he could provide for the team.

Gipson is a long athlete that may have been misused at Tulsa as a 3-4 defensive end where he is probably best standing and rushing the passer, and that potential for an explosion in production is what made him so alluring to the Bears. He still had eight sacks and fifteen tackles for loss, so it's not like he was unproductive during his senior season.

Since there is no game to break down for Gipson, let's just look at this video that I'm sure shows the good and bad of Gipson produced by YouTube user, GipsonBros.

On the highlight reel, there is a lot of hustle sacks. But one thing that was really good to see is how he was able to rush from the inside.

The nice thing about this is that it allows the Bears a ton of versatility in their pass rush. They can consistently give different looks with a variety of athletes rushing the quarterback from different spots along the line, and I am sure this was a big reason why the Bears were so excited to acquire him.

Overall, I like the pick. I don't expect Gipson to be a starter, but he should add immediate value as a situational pass rusher. There is potential for him to evolve into more if the switch to a more natural position unlocks more skills. Even if he doesn't show anything more than what he showed in college, it's still good value for the fifth round.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa

Ahmad Wagner - 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Ahmad Wagner is a wide receiver out of Kentucky that has managed to get a little NFL Draft buzz despite not putting up big numbers in college. The first reason that he didn’t put up big numbers is that he did not make it to Kentucky until 2018. The other reason is that he didn’t play football in college until transferring to Kentucky as he was originally a basketball brute for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He didn’t play in 2018, and in 2019, he didn’t exactly set the world on fire as he had just 15 catches. It’s not like he geared up as the season went on as over the last eight games of the season, he managed three catches for six yards. But once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye, so let’s take a look at everything I can find on Ahmad Wagner.

You want a big time touchdown catch against a top level defense like Florida? Well, here you go.

With the tight coverage, he does make a bit of a bobble, but he continues with his concentration and manages to secure the ball as he hits the ground for the touchdown.

And that’s it for his football highlights. Here he is on the basketball court though.

There’s a big time drive and dunk that shows off some impressive athleticism.

I would have loved to see Wagner get a combine invite, or at least have a pro day, because at 6’5” 240 lbs, I think his athleticism could have impressed a lot of teams. Kentucky used him at wide receiver, but he’s likely a tight end that often lines up away from the tackle. Considering the only highlight he has is him bobbling a ball before catching it, he’s probably an undrafted free agent, but if that’s the case, I’d love to see the Bears bring him in as their 11th tight end to see if he can at least offer something different than the other ten guys hanging around.

Previous Scouting Reports
1. Tua Tagavailoa - Alabama
2. Joe Burrow - LSU
3. Jordan Love - Utah State
4. Justin Herbert - Oregon
5. Nate Stanley - Iowa
6. Tristan Wirfs - Iowa
7. AJ Epenesa - Iowa
8. Geno Stone - Iowa
9. Michael Ojemudia - Iowa
10. Willie Gay - Mississippi State
11. KJ Hamler - Penn State
12. Amik Roberson - Louisiana Tech
13. Laviska Shenault - Colorado
14. Trevon Diggs - Alabama
15. Antoine Winfield Jr. - Minnesota

Antoine Winfield Jr. - 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report

I remember how sad I was when I heard that Antoine Wifnield Jr. had signed with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. I mean, it made sense, but Antoine Winfield was such an awesome player on the field that it only made sense that his son would also be a terror in the secondary. And it turned out that he more than lived up to the hype. When he was on the field, chaos ensued, the only issue was staying on the field as he did struggle with injuries during his career as a Golden Gopher. But he was healthy last season and productive as hell. I took a look at his game against Penn State to see what kind of player he might become in the NFL and whether he would make sense to solidify the Bears secondary in the second round.

Before we get into the game tape, let’s take a look at the measurements.

Oh man, you know I am just salivating when looking at that height. A perfectly average 5’9” is really what all ladies crave. On top of that, he ran an excellent 40 yard dash at 4.45 and has a strong broad jump which is a good indicator of explosiveness. He didn’t do any change of direction drills, but looking at his play, this is not an area of concern for me.

With him pulling down seven interceptions this past season, his ball skills should not be put in question, but he does some really great things here.

Usually, this is a matchup that a quarterback is going to love. Just having a wide receiver on a safety is a positive, but having a 5’9” safety makes it even more salivating. Winfield makes him pay. It’s an underthrown ball, and Winfield adjusts before the wide receiver, so when the receiver tries to slow up for the ball, Winfield gives him just a bit of a nudge in order to give himself more space to leap in front and make the play.

Although he is great at reading plays in the secondary, his run reads could use some improvement.

On this play, it’s almost like he’s trying to get blocked by the guard as he runs right next to the linebacker so the guard is able to take care of two guys without having to do a whole lot of work. On the positive side, Winfield continues to hustle and does make the tackle 40 yards downfield.

This pass is really bad, but it’s still a nice job by Winfield.

The key here is that Winfield starts moving to his left the second that the Penn State quarterback opens his hips up in that direction. Because there is no hesitation, he’s able to take advantage of the bad pass and create a turnover.

Winfield has a good understanding of leverage and the importance of it when facing off against larger receivers (which is almost always).

Here, he is guarding a 6’5” tight end in the slot, but he stays right on the tight end’s inside hip and gives him no room to even attempt to make the catch even if it was a better thrown ball.

Overall, I really liked what I saw from Winfield. He’s a guy who can clearly see the field and knows how to make plays by anticipating throws. He’s a good prospect who I would be good with the Bears taking, but I just never saw anything jaw dropping. Adding in the injury concerns, I’m only good with Winfield but not enamored with him. Hopefully he is able to stay healthy, because he definitely has the potential to be an impact safety in the pros.

Previous Scouting Reports
1. Tua Tagavailoa - Alabama
2. Joe Burrow - LSU
3. Jordan Love - Utah State
4. Justin Herbert - Oregon
5. Nate Stanley - Iowa
6. Tristan Wirfs - Iowa
7. AJ Epenesa - Iowa
8. Geno Stone - Iowa
9. Michael Ojemudia - Iowa
10. Willie Gay - Mississippi State
11. KJ Hamler - Penn State
12. Amik Roberson - Louisiana Tech
13. Laviska Shenault - Colorado
14. Trevon Diggs - Alabama
15. Antoine Winfield Jr. - Minnesota

Laviska Shenault - 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Laviska Shenault is a guy who entered the season with a lot of hype as possibly the top receiver who would be in the 2020 draft. Unfortunately, he struggled with some nagging injuries and his production diminished from his 2018 season. But until a poor combine performance, most people still had him as a late first-round pick. Now, he seems firmly implanted in day two, so I wanted to take a look at him to see if he would make sense for the Chicago Bears. I took a look at his game against Oregon to get a better idea of how he stacked up as a receiver.

Here is how that combine performance stacked up.

The only speed drill he did was the 40 where he managed a very pedestrian 4.58. After the combine, he did get surgery to repair a core muscle issue that he was having. That likely altered his training quite a bit. I still don’t think Shenault is a speed demon, but as you can see from that size, he has the build to power through defenders.

On this first play, Shenault shows good awareness by finding a hole in the zone and settling in for an easy throw for his quarterback.

He has space, but he still attacks the ball with his hands, catching it away from his body, and then he turns up field and puts his shoulder down to plow into the defenders and pick up an extra four yards after contact.

Power is the name of Shenault's game as he shows insane physicality for a receiver.

Again, he attacks the ball in traffic to make the catch, and despite getting hit while facing backwards, he still manages a churn and turn where he churns his legs and turns his body to pickup three yards despite having zero leverage at the contact point.

Sometimes you don’t need to make the catch to make a big play.

Here, he gains deep leverage on the cornerback, and the quarterback badly underthrows the football. Still, Shenault is able to adjust his body and speed to put himself in position to make the catch, and the defender interferes out of desperation and Shenault draws the flag.

This is one of those plays where I’m bummed that I couldn’t see a replay, because this Shenault created some incredible distance between himself and a defender.

This was in man coverage, and Shenault must have shook his defender bad, because he had five yards of space, and then follows it up by nearly breaking the defender’s ankles after the catch. That’s good shit.

Again, Shenault gains major distance from his defender.

ORE448-455
If the quarterback throws something decent, this is a touchdown. Shenault had at least two yards of separation and possibly more as he had already started slowing down by the time the camera got on him. Instead, the quarterback throws it as poorly as possible as it is just underthrown enough for the defender to time his defense perfectly. Had it been more underthrown, he at least could have gotten pass interference.

As for the downsides, Shenault was fairly inconsistent in his blocking. His physicality is a strength so I think that’s something he can develop fairly easily. He also had a drop on a screen pass, but it wasn’t technique, he just tried to turn up field before securing the ball. Nothing to be concerned about.

I looked up the stats for the Oregon game and wasn’t sure what I could really tell as he only had four catches for 70 yards. But he also had two pass interference calls drawn which makes him responsible for 100 yards, and with NFL rules, it would have been closer to 140. If he had a decent quarterback, we’re looking at 180 and a touchdown. This was against the ninth best scoring defense in the nation. It’s pretty clear that I think Shenault is a stud, and if he’s available for the Bears in the second round, they should be doing backflips. Even though I have some issues with Nagy as a head coach, he is somebody who thinks outside the box and finds different ways to get playmakers the ball which is the ideal system for somebody with Shenault’s skill-set. I not only think he'd be the best possible pick for the Bears but might prove to be the best receiver in this class.

Previous Scouting Reports
1. Tua Tagavailoa - Alabama
2. Joe Burrow - LSU
3. Jordan Love - Utah State
4. Justin Herbert - Oregon
5. Nate Stanley - Iowa
6. Tristan Wirfs - Iowa
7. AJ Epenesa - Iowa
8. Geno Stone - Iowa
9. Michael Ojemudia - Iowa
10. Willie Gay - Mississippi State
11. KJ Hamler - Penn State
12. Amik Roberson - Louisiana Tech
13. Laviska Shenault - Colorado

Nate Stanley - 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report

This one is near and dear to my heart as I have watched every snap of Nate Stanley's career as the quarterback of my beloved Iowa Hawkeyes. There were ups, there were downs, and there were truly some inexplicable moments during his three years as a starter, but overall Nate Stanley had more positives than negatives as a college quarterback. Still, I wanted to rewatch some of his games from this past season to see how some of those talents will translate to the next level. Since I wanted to be happy as opposed to getting angry at a game that happened six months ago, I chose his games against USC, Minnesota, and Purdue. 

Before we get into the passing, let's talk about the athleticism. It's not good, as the combine showed, but this man is likely the next Tom Brady in one area.

He's a master of the quarterback sneak. 

Don't believe me? Try topping this.

He gained eight yards sneaking the ball. EIGHT YARDS. This could work as an entire offense.

The thing that is going to stand out most about Stanley is his arm strength.

This is really what scouts are going to love with Stanley. He has a big arm and can rifle the ball into small areas. 

The most frustrating thing about Stanley is that although he can make all the throws, he never put together the consistency you would want to see from a starting quarterback. This especially showed up when he is on the road and with his deep balls.

This has been the most painful part of the Nate Stanley experience. His first year as a starter, I think he completed like 1 of 25 deep balls. I would stand up in anticipation every time he let it rip, and every time I would quietly sit back down while cursing under my breath. It's gotten better since his sophomore season, but it's still not good.

His accuracy is inconsistent on all levels, including screen passes.

He completes the pass, but the tight end has no momentum to gain yards after the catch because of where the ball was placed. He has to stop his route, catch, and turn before heading up field to gain yardage. 

Stanley will also struggle under pressure.

Here, the pressure is not overwhelming, and he still has plenty of space. Despite that, he tries to fire the ball while falling backwards, and it is hilariously off target for such a short throw.

Another issue he has under duress is trying to escape out of the pocket instead of stepping up into it.

He's not athletic enough to ever make this strategy work, but it can fail horribly at times as seen here. His running back does let him down on this play, but he often fails to find pockets to throw in and will run himself into more pressure than he gets out of.

I know this wasn't the most positive evaluation, but Nate Stanley is a sports writer's dream. He isn't the most physically gifted guy, but he always gives it 100% and will grind away any way that he can. Sure, he struggles under pressure and seems to get demonstrably worse on the road, but he's always there grinding and will always do just enough to at least keep his team in the game. Unfortunately, with the step up in competition, a lot of that grit just won't translate without more skills. He throws some great balls in the intermediate game, but his accuracy at all levels is a tick below where you would like to see it, and he doesn't have the awareness or athleticism to make up for that. Nate Stanley was a good quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but his ceiling is probably just a good backup in the NFL.

2020 Quarterback Rankings:
1. Tua Tagavailoa - Alabama
2. Joe Burrow - LSU
3. Jordan Love - Utah State
4. Justin Herbert - Oregon
5. Nate Stanley - Iowa