One of the questions I keep getting asked is not so much about the best players, but guys with some red flags or concerns.
As I work my way through these players for the upcoming NFL Draft, there are always several highly thought of prospects that if I were running a draft for a club that I would not consider for one reason or another.
I am going to start with Louisville quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater. My biggest concern with Bridgewater is despite the fact that he is an early out junior, I am not really sure how much more he can physically able to develop? Bridgewater is rail thin throughout his body and at 6-3, he does have the height but there is no definition to him at all. The club that selects him is going to need to figure out a way to add more mass to his frame, he looks frail and this scares me. I do not question his ability to accurately work the ball underneath but to make the deeper, NFL throws, those are lacking.
I have my serious doubts about Kony Ealy from Missouri and I have a chance to really be wrong about him. There are games where he does flash the ability to make plays and be disruptive off the edge. If you only had the chance to watch the Auburn game, you would think, he is a top five selection but watch him against Texas A&M and you would never know he is on the field.
I see a player that if he doesn't beat you right off that first step, he is going to struggle to get around the corner. Have seen where he has played with really good technique, then others where didn't show the technique nor the strength to generate any type of pressure. There were snaps where he didn't react near quick enough off the snap and that got him in trouble.
His best trait in my opinion is his ability to fall into plays. There were times where he was clearly blocked, than somehow, he ended up making the tackle. In the running game, there are snaps where he really struggles when the ball comes right at him which is surprising because I have seen him show some shock in his punch to control the blocker.
I thought in his Florida game, he did a much better job of playing with his hands but he can be inconsistent too. Have [embedded_ad] heard some whispers from scouts around the league that you might consider adding weight to him and trying to make him a three technique in a four man line. These thoughts are most likely coming from scouts that have seen him play inside in the nickel.
What scares me the most about Ealy, is that there will be stretches during the game, where you don't see him on the field and that is for four or five plays at a time. For me it's hard to commit to a player that is as inconsistent as him but is out of the lineup as much as he is.
Another player that I would steer clear of for the draft is Florida State wide receiver, Kelvin Benjamin.
His best trait is his impressive size but he doesn't have a great get off from his stance nor does he have much quickness out of his break. This is not a fast moving guy when you watch him on tape.
Really doesn't separate when going down the field. If he didn't have size, he would struggle to make plays. Liked him as a player in the red zone because I thought he had an understanding of how to push off to buy space and then he was able to adjust to the ball.
Has the ability to make some outstanding, adjusting catches on balls I thought he had no chance to get, then next two plays, drop balls right in his hands. Is scary how hit-and-miss he can be catching the ball.
Poor effort as a blocker, wants nothing to do with it. For his size he should be more dominate but he is not. I guarantee that people will fall in love with his size and potential but I do not see a mean, nasty receiver that you can rely on down after down so I will let some other team be a hero and draft him. There are others in this draft that are much more NFL ready.
