Scouting Reports- MLB

A-H / I-P / Q-Z

Darrell Acrey                                                                                                                                   Boise St

    Thick player who lacks athleticism.  Lacks speed and quickness.  Is a little stiff.  Doesn't get much depth in pass coverage.  As an upperclassmen he was never able to get full control of the reigns as a starter.

Stephen Anderson                                                                                                                                Army

    Team captain.  Is really undersized.  Has good instincts and recognition.  Does a pretty good job of getting off blocks and avoiding blockers.  Is a decent tackler and makes a ton of plays.  Is an aggressive player who at time is a little overaggressive.  Really lacks size and speed.  Is a little stiff.  Good college LB who might lack the athleticism needed for the next level.

Tressor Baptiste                                                                                                    Texas A&M- Kingsville

    Has marginal size.  Dominated his level of competition.  Is a physical player who makes a lot of plays.  Decent instincts.  Doesn't have real great athleticism and will be making a huge jump in competition.

Nick Bellore                                                                                                                      Central Michigan

    Has good size and instincts.  Is tough and does a decent job sifting through traffic.  Is a solid tackler and does a good job taking on blockers.  Has had a highly productive career.  Is more of an in the box type player because he really lacks speed.  Struggles to get to the sideline.  His instincts make up for it on this level but might be more of an issue on the next level.  Played through various injuries this past season.  High effort player who will be a fixture on a roster and could develop into a starter down the road.

Matt Berning                                                                                                                    Central Michigan

    Has decent size.  Is tough and physical.  At times he can really stone blockers.  Has decent but not great speed.  Is around the ball a lot and is a good tackler.  Sometimes avoids blocks by drop stepping backwards which causes some of his tackles to be made downfield.  Is a little stiff in coverage and doesn't look totally comfortable dropping back.  Is much better against the run versus the pass.  Could be a good special teams player.  Won't get drafted but might get a look.

Bront Bird                                                                                                                                   Texas Tech

    Has marginal size.  Is an active player and has decent speed.  Decent tackler.  Struggles some at the point of attack.  Has experience both inside and outside.  Could get a look at OLB as well..  Good college player who has marginal ability.

Josh Bynes                                                                                                                                         Auburn

    Has decent size but plays smaller.  Is aggressive and will make some big plays.  Also tends to be a little overaggressive which leaves him taking weird angles.  Will bite on play fakes and will get himself out of position.  Can get good depth in pass coverage but then struggles to close the gap on receivers underneath or scrambling QBs.  He struggles to get off blocks.  Is a good tackler and has a lot of experience.  Solid college player with limited upside but could help on special teams and as a backup.

Antwone Canady                                                                                                                            Louisville

    Is a little undersized.  High motor guy who is all over the field.  Has decent playing speed but doesn't always make the play.  Lacks discipline and will overpursue or bite on play fakes.  At times will struggle to get off blocks.  Was not able to wrap up the starting position this past season and was relegated to sharing the position.  Has some ability but is more of a developmental type and he doesn't have elite ability.

Darnell Carter                                                                                                                                  Virginia

    Has good size and average speed.  Two down back who comes out on passing situations.  Is physical and aggressive but doesn't make a lot of plays.  Is pretty stiff and struggles in the open field.  Has also lined up some at FB and could also get a look there.  Might have some versatility but might lack athleticism needed for the next level.

Chris Colasanti                                                                                                                                  Penn St

    Only had the opportunity to be the starter one year, backing up Sean Lee.  Came in and looked like the prototypical Penn St LB.  Has decent size with good instincts and marginal speed.  Is around the ball a lot and is a good tackler.  At times will struggle getting off blocks but does a decent job sifting through traffic.  Is a smart player and has special team experience but might struggle due to his limited athleticism.

Jonathan Cornell                                                                                                                         Mississippi

    Has decent size.  Has good anticipation and flows to the ball well.  Is physical and is willing to take on blockers.  Doesn't get moved at the point of attack despite not having great bulk.  Doesn't always get off blocks well.  Has decent speed and athleticism. Is decent at everything but not elite in anything.  Could make it as a special teams player and backup.

Akeem Dent                                                                                                                                     Georgia

    Has decent size but plays like he is really undersized.  Needs to be protected up front and improve his technique.  Really struggles at the point of attack and often gets bounced backwards when taking on blockers.  He gives good effort and is aggressive but someone with his natural leverage and good bulk shouldn't get consistently blown backwards.  When able to run free he makes a lot of plays.  Runs well and has a high motor.  Has the right mentality.  Could get a look outside but struggles a little changing direction and has more of a MLB mentality.  Developmental type who could eventually develop into a starter if he figures out how to deal with blockers.

Alex DiMichele                                                                                                                     Robert Morris

    Transfer from Temple.  Has decent size and instincts.  Didn't dominate as much as expected.  Lacks speed and is a little stiff.  Is a decent tackler but not elite.  Decent college player who is making a big jump in competition and has limited ability.

Brian Duncan                                                                                                                              Texas Tech

    Has good size.  Was moved around a lot during his college career and saw a lot of time at DE.  Could get a look as a situational pass rusher but looks more natural at LB.  He has good instincts and is always around the ball.  Has good hips and change of direction.  He is physical and is a good tackler.  High motor type player who lacks speed.  Struggles to get to the sideline.  Not real natural in coverage.  Might only be a two down player in the right system.  If he can contribute on special teams, he has good versatility.

Obi Ezeh                                                                                                                                         Michigan

    Has good size but never developed into the dominant player everyone thought early in his career.  Rotated at the position this past season.  Can be effective in the box but his play is inconsistent.  Has poor instincts and really lacks speed.  Can't get to the outside.  Lacks real good quickness which will put him in poor position at times.  Played with a back injury in 2009.  Big guy who might get a chance as an undrafted guy but is a long shot.

Grant Fleming                                                                                                             Louisiana- Lafayette

    Has good size.  Has really good instincts and takes good angles.  Has the right mentality and is tough and physical.  Is a good tackler who has been really productive.  Only has marginal speed but the biggest issue is durability.  Missed most of 2008 with a knee injury.  Missed time in 2009 and 2010 with a hand injury and also struggled with lower body injuries this past year.  Definitely worth bringing to camp but must impress to outweigh durability concerns.

Pete Fleps                                                                                                                                              SMU

    Undersized LB who lacks great speed.  Not athletic enough to move to the outside or to S.  Has good instincts and can sift through traffic.  Really struggles to get off blocks and struggles some at the point of attack.  Good college player who might lack the size and athletic ability to make it.

Chris Francis                                                                                                                                       Baylor

    Son of former NFL LB James Francis.  Unlike his father, he is really undersized.  Last year was his first as a starter.  Has good speed and athletic ability.  Really lacks recognition and struggles at the point of attack.  Could get a look at OLB.  Doesn't make many plays at all.  Has some ability but is a project who hasn't been productive at all.

Stephen Franklin                                                                                                                Southern Illinois

    Short LB with good bulk.  Can really run.  Has good lateral quickness and can get to the sideline.  Doesn't play to his times speed but still has good speed.  Really struggles taking on blockers.  Doesn't attack forward and tries to avoid blockers rather than taking them on, so he make a lot of tackles downfield.  Struggles to disengage from blocker and will get pushed backwards from time to time.  Could get a look outside but is a little stiff in the hips.  Inconsistent tackler because he doesn't always bring his feet.  Really good athlete who is a developmental type that will need to take on blockers better if he wants to see the field.

Mario Harvey                                                                                                                                 Marshall

    Is short and compact.  He is an aggressive player who flies around the field and likes to make big hits.  He is a great athlete and has great speed.  Has decent instincts and is always around the ball.  Shows closing speed against the run and pass.  Has decent awareness in coverage.  Could very well get a look at OLB.  Has been really productive throughout his college career and is a little under the radar for some reason.  At times will get caught running around blocks rather than taking them on.  Figures to be a really good special teams player and can fill a number of spots on defense.  Likely will be drafted late in the draft which will end up being really good value.

Hunter Haynes                                                                                                                         Wake Forest

    Has good size.  Is decent in the box but isn't elite.  Lacks speed and quickness.  Decent college player who probably lacks the ability to make it.

Zach Heller                                                                                                                               Pennsylvania

    Has marginal size.  Has decent instincts and is a good player on his level.  Is a physical tackler who makes a lot of plays.  Lacks speed and is pretty stiff.  Good college LB who might lack the athleticism for the next level.

Chance Henderson                                                                                                               Central Florida

    Has good size.  Missed 2009 with a knee injury and wasn't the starter this past season while he returned back to form.  Not sure why he wasn't the starter because he played a lot and outperformed the starter.  Has good instincts and is a solid tackler.  Is always around the ball when he is in the game.  Is decent in coverage but lacks speed.  Is really under the radar.  Won't be a starter but if given a chance he could be hard to cut as a backup and special teams performer.

Brandon Hicks                                                                                                                                   Florida

    Is a little undersized.  Kind of a tweener, lacks athleticism outside and size for inside.  Could get a look at either spot.  Has decent athletic ability, just lacks speed.  Struggles to get off blocks and really doesn't make many plays at all.  Isn't overly disciplined and will overrun plays.  Not as productive as you would like.  Figures to get a shot as an undrafted guy but might not impress enough to stick.

Michael Hodges                                                                                                                       Texas A&M

    Is undersized and lacks great athletic ability.  Needs to be protected up front because he lacks bulk and he struggles to get off blocks.  Has good instincts and is really smart.  Makes a ton of plays and is always around the ball.  Most of his tackles are away from him because he struggles some at the point of attack.  Has ok straight line speed but is not real flexible or quick.  Will miss some tackles from time to time due to his lack of athleticism.  Battles and has a good motor.  Could get a look outside but might not be athletic enough.  Really good college player who might lack the ability needed for the next level.

Jamon Hughes                                                                                                                                Memphis

    Has good size.  Has a little quickness but is a little stiff.  Doesn't make as many plays as you would think.  Is a decent tackler.  Transferred from Mississippi St.  Has consistently had little off the field issues throughout his college career.