Geno Stone: 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report

The Iowa Hawkeyes had three underclassmen to this year’s NFL Draft. The first two, Tristan Wirfs and AJ Epenesa, were no brainers and likely first round picks. The third was a borderline decision in Iowa safety Geno Stone. I say borderline, because he is unlikely to be picked on the first two days of the draft, but I almost always think it’s the right move to leave college and get paid so good on him for getting closer to actually being compensated for putting his body on the line. I took a look at his games against Michigan, Iowa State, and USC to get a better idea of how he could make an impact for an NFL team.

Before we get to the film, let’s take a look at how he tested athletically at the combine.

That is...not ideal. 

Geno is clearly looking to jump the route on this play.

He hangs back just enough to give the quarterback a window, knowing that he can break downhill to either tip the ball or get an interception. Since the linebacker remained fairly close as opposed to going to a zone more outside, the Michigan quarterback checks off the route before throwing a really bad pass in the opposite direction.

That play may seem like nothing, but it hints at what can happen when he makes a quarterback believe there is an opening that isn’t actually there.

Here he stays underneath the Michigan wide receiver while still staying close enough to the tight end where it will only lead to a short gain. He knows he has help behind him on the receiver but gives Patterson just enough of a window to make the throw. He doesn’t play the receiver, he plays the path of where the throw has to go and it leads to him making the interception.

He also has great instincts in the run game.

He looks like he has a rocket attached to him as he emerges on the screen and darts directly to the ball carrier to turn what looked like a first down into a play that comes up five yards short.

I will say that tackling could use some work. I don’t think it’s a big issue, but he isn’t a guy that really laid the wood on his hits, and there were times where he was desperately diving for legs instead of wrapping up.

Last year, I was absolutely enamored with Amani Hooker. He played in the box and at safety and excelled at both roles because his instincts were always right. Geno Stone has great instincts, and the only reason I can’t put him quite on Hooker’s level is that he wasn’t given the opportunity to play anywhere but safety. Still, he was very good at what he did. Analytics sites like Pro Football Focus love him, but anyone who loves raw athleticism isn’t even going to have him on their board. Hooker fell to the fourth round, so I would say that is about as high as we could expect Stone to go. I think he’s likely a fifth round pick who ends up being very valuable as a starting safety in the league. I don’t think he’s an All-Pro guy, but he’s a football player who will be in the right place at the right time and knows how to make big plays. If the Chicago Bears got him in the fifth round, I’d be ecstatic.

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

What The Chicago Bears Need To Do In Free Agency

The Bears head into the 2020 offseason coming off a very disappointing year that saw them fall from playoff team to non-contender, and the guy they hoped would be their franchise quarterback took a massive step backwards and basically took a massive dump on the field as Mitch Trubisky was just terrible. I still love Mitch, and I have made that very clear on this website, so my free agent plans do not include a quarterback, not that the Bears have enough money to get one anyway.

In fact, the Bears have such little money that we first need to focus on finding more cap space. The easy one is Kyle Long retired, so his money is no longer tied up. After that, I feel like Trey Burton is a pretty obvious cut. I think the only obvious other cut would be Buster Skrine. According to Over The Cap, that puts them at just under $13 million which still ain’t much, but it’s something. They also released Prince Amukamara and Taylor Gabriel which definitely adds to the breathing room but also leaves two more holes on the roster. I think they have to go with somebody in free agency for the former but probably address the latter in the draft.

The good news for the Bears is they don’t have many holes to fill. They obviously need a guard, tight end, and slot corner, but outside of that, they are only losing Clinton-Dix at safety and Trevathan at middle linebacker where they can probably depend on Nick Kwitakoski to take that spot over.

With that limited cap space, they probably are going to have to look to the draft to fill some of those holes, but I do think they have enough wiggle room to strengthen the team in the free agent market. Here are the guys I would target for the Chicago Bears.

First off, they should bring Greg Olsen home. He was originally drafted by the Bears but then traded for nothing because he didn’t fit into Mike Martz’s scheme. That is probably more of an indictment of the scheme than of the player as Greg Olsen has been and still is awesome. (Note: I wrote this weeks ago but didn't find the right time to publish it, so not great by me)

Uh, I heard Jordan Reed might be available. If he's healthy, that could be just what the Bears need. Tyler Eifert would be in the same boat. Neither guy has much of a chance of being healthy the whole year, but IF they do manage to stay healthy, it could be a hell of a deal for the Bears.

The next guy to target is Austin Blythe, because unfortunately, Brandon Scherff ain’t gonna happen with this limited cap space, and the Bears still need as many Iowa boys as possible along the line. Put a Whitehair in the middle of two Hawkeyes and you’ve got yourself a nice little interior line.

For that corner hole that they have, the choice is obvious. I have an obsession with brothers, especially when they play with each other. If the Bears united Kyle and Kendall Fuller as their starting corners, they probably won't give up a passing touchdown all season long. It will be fantastic.

And that’s it. They can make some late moves with guys that fall through the cracks, but they just don’t have the resources to be aggressive in in free agency. The Bears have to draft well. They may not have a first rounder, but luckily for them, the positions they are looking to fill are not premium positions. The biggest necessity is help in the secondary. Geno Stone in the fifth round sounds mighty enticing to me. Their tackles are still below average, but all the Bears can do is pray somebody falls to them. Hopefully Tristan Wirfs gets caught with a gas mask bong before the draft?