2015 NFL Draft #76 - Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can.

Find all the profiles here.

Click here for an interactive breakdown of the top wide receivers in the draft.

Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida - 6'3, 214 - Junior - 4.25 40 (Pro Day)

As someone who tries to stay on top of the draft game all year long, we sometimes get suspicious of the guy who arrives out of nowhere in the final few weeks.  There are many reasons why people who try to know everything miss a guy, but, when it happens you want to look a bit more into the player.  Why is everyone talking about Breshad Perriman in April when nobody mentioned him in January or November?

Well, sometimes, it is because he went to an off the radar school (scouts knew about him, but us media draft nerds were simply late to the party).  Sometimes, it is because he is young and nobody expected him in the 2015 draft pool.  Sometimes, it is because he had a spring workout that dropped jaws.  And, yes, sometimes, it is all of the above.

Perriman is the son of Brett Perriman, the long-time Detroit Lions WR, and is a young player still figuring things out.  He was very productive as a true sophomore with his QB Blake Bortles, and then somehow actually had a better junior season this year, despite his QB play falling off the table pretty substantially.  To examine his talents, we looked at the East Carolina, Penn State, and NC State games from 2014.

Perriman is #11 for UCF.

What I liked:   He is another large receiver with both a tall build and a muscular frame that makes him a real handful for most corners he faces.  Then, you drop in that idea that he has absurd speed which was timed at his pro day somewhere in the 4.22-4.25 range, and you have a potential beast on your hands.  His game tape showed that he had the ability to routinely kill teams over the top, but also an impressive handle on the route tree which demonstrated an all-around threat who has crossers and slants and outs that are equally damaging in total.  He has a really impressive catch-radius and natural hands which snag the ball out of the air in a very convincing fashion.  He had to over-come many under thrown balls, but generally kept a good posture and attitude and then bounced back for the next play.  He sure looks the part of a guy who will fill highlight tapes out for years to come.

What I did not like:  Well, first, he will drop a ball on you that he has no business dropping.  That is the weird issue with certain receivers who have good hands, but then also drop 5-10 balls a season that hit them right where they want it.  Is it concentration or bracing for a hit?  Not sure, but he needs to clean that up.  He also does look at times like he is in self-preservation mode over the middle, but again, I don't sound the alarms because sometimes he is running through traffic daring guys to hit him.  It is inconsistency, but that is not uncommon for a young player.  He just needs to be his best all of the time rather than most of the time.  Other than that?  He looks the part of a #1 WR who can play the X.

Summary:  The more you look at the WRs in this class (and in 2014), the more you realize that there is no spot on the field with a greater depth of talent than the WR group.  It really looks like there are 6-8 really fantastic prospects and that should drive the urgency to get one down a bit because it is tough to separate the 4th best WR from the 8th best.  They are all really good players.  Perriman is better than I first thought and I am convinced this is not all about a 40 time.  However, 40-times will get him picked very highly because 4.22 is insane for a man this size.  With that type of long speed to go along with the hands, the leaping, and the underneath work he can do, you can see why this guy has gone from out of most Top 100 lists last fall to now a guy that most expect to go in Round 1.

Sometimes, a late riser is proof that the draft process works.  The more rocks you turn over, the more gems you find.  I wouldn't place him up with White, Parker, and Cooper, but that next tier with Green-Beckham, Agholor, and Strong have some company here with Perriman.

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.

And, if you don't mind, please check out the Bob and Dan (BaD) Radio show in Dallas-Fort Worth, from 12p-3p, Monday-Friday, on Sportsradio 1310 and 96.7fm, The Ticket.  www.theticket.com 

2015 NFL Draft #73 - Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can.

Find all the profiles here.

Click here to see an interactive of how Williams compares with the top TEs of the draft.

Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota - 6'4, 249 - RS Sophomore - 4.78 40

Maxx Williams #88 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates after scoring a one yard touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on September 27, 2014 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Each position group will have some ups and downs to say the least with regards to the relative strength on a draft to draft basis.  Some years a group is loaded and other years it is pretty thin.  Well, at the Tight End spot, you would call this the thin side of things as there might only be one player (possibly two) in the Top 100 prospects.

But, let's not let that overall view of the group cloud our vision when it comes to the belle of the ball.  Maxx Williams, the very young prospect from Minnesota - he was 20 until last week - has risen into the mix for Round 1 after a year that saw him on the All-American team and the highlights on Sportscenter for his ability to turn in catches that dazzled.  He is not ideal height or weight for the tight end spot, but he has a skill set that is based on the overall ability to catch anything and everything close to him.

He is from a football family as his grandfather and his father both played in the NFL and his father Brian also went to Minnesota and was drafted in Round 1 of the 1989 draft by the Giants.  He could join a very select class of the Mannings (Archie and Eli) and the Matthews (Clay and Clay) to both be selected in Round 1 from the same school.  So, is he a 1st rounder?  We looked at the Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri games (Citrus Bowl) to examine.

Williams wears #88 for the Gophers:

What I liked:  When you look at the great tight ends in the NFL, they all have the ability to combine power and finesse in a way that makes them difficult to deal with.  They can block and they can run.  They can get underneath or down the seam.  Williams has great hands and good separation skills, even though he is not a burner by any stretch of the imagination.  But, his best trait is his hands.  He is just so good at catching the ball that you only have to get in the relative vicinity.  That is good, by the way, because he has never really played with exceptional QB play.  If he is matched up with a solid NFL passer, you can really imagine how productive he can be.  He is fantastic downfield, although he is not going to run away from anyone.  But, this guy looks like a very young version of Dallas' hero, Jason Witten.  Witten also entered the league at a very young age and is still going.  Below, see Williams show the needed athleticism to put a dazzling play in the end zone in his bowl game.  He can play in the slot, in the backfield, or inline.  He is a willing blocker, but he may never be great there.

What I did not like:  Witten was 6'6.  Williams is 6'4.  He also ran a 4.78 which did not make any jaws drop (Witten ran a 4.65, if you are curious).  He also barely weighs 250 so we have to imagine what he might become by age 23 after some time in a NFL weight room.  He just doesn't have the ideal traits in today's NFL where the tight ends are absolute physical freaks, Maxx might be one that still is going to have to deal with people wondering if his ceiling is not high enough to spend a 1st round pick on.  Average blocking and average speed will be the two knocks on him that bring out the doubters.

Summary:  There may not be many elite tight end prospects this year, but this one in particular is a real impressive kid who looks like he can be a red zone threat and an open field issue.  The idea of balancing up your offense is what makes teams target versatile threats like Williams at this spot and the lack of tight ends in this draft could move him off the board relatively early in the mix.  He sure appears to be the type of talent that can grow into something pretty special as his career moves on.  He is not the "can't miss" type that requires Top 10 consideration like Vernon Davis, but he surely is a guy most observers would have to expect to play a decade in the NFL as a very strong starter.  I think he has put enough stunning moments on tape that he should be comfortable sitting in the green room at the draft if he chooses.

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.

And, if you don't mind, please check out the Bob and Dan (BaD) Radio show in Dallas-Fort Worth, from 12p-3p, Monday-Friday, on Sportsradio 1310 and 96.7fm, The Ticket.  www.theticket.com 

2015 NFL Draft #21 - Carl Davis, DT, Iowa

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can.

Find all the profiles here.

Click here to see an interactive of how Davis compares with the top DTs of the draft.

Carl Davis, DT, Iowa - 6'5, 321 - RS Senior

Iowa defensive lineman Carl Davis warms up before an NCAA college football game against Ball State, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

One of these days, we need to discuss the issues about what positions are considered worthy of what rounds and more importantly, why that is the case.  But, to explain how that entire discussion pertains to Carl Davis, we simply look back at the 2013 draft and the argument that ensued in the war-room between the Cowboys brass when it was time to pick or trade down.  Scouts wanted the 1-technique (the inside defensive tackle that lines up over the center and gets double teamed each play) Sharrif Floyd from Florida because they had him as a Top 5 player overall falling all the way to #18 where the Cowboys were on the clock.  But, Rod Marinelli - just the new DL coach at the time - said not to take him in Round 1 because 1-techniques aren't valued high enough to take in the 1st round.  I honestly don't recall a coach ever arguing against taking a player in his own positional group, but it should give us an indication of how seriously they would take this big 1-tech from Iowa.  For this study, we looked at his games this season against Pittsburgh, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

What I liked: The problem with 1-techniques in general is that they don't offer much in the backfield and they also don't have much for a pass rush.  I think Davis is better than that and it is clear that Iowa thought they could use him as a part time 3-technique, as well. He has very good tight-space quickness and can lose a center or guard right at the snap with a jump that is most impressive.  He is also as stout as they come, and you aren't moving him unless you have a real solid double-team block on him.  So, you have the best of both worlds in that he is both an anchor against the run, but also a guy who can penetrate and get into the backfield to shut down a play in a hurry.  He really controls the middle of the line and also has a swim move and a club that is very useful.  This guy is going to be an impressive 1-tech for many years.  Very difficult to deal with in short yardage spots.  Sometimes he is very good with his hands at keeping people off him, other times he is inconsistent and easily occupied.

What I did not like:  I do have a tough time with his consistency and his motor.  In both cases, it seems that we are talking about not just flashing a time or two in a game, but rather we want to see excellence over and over.  I am also looking for him to swarm to the ball and not just run when he thinks the play is at him.  Unfortunately, he is slow to swarm.  I know the Cowboys want 11 to the ball, so I have to point down that issue.  He is a very big man, so I am looking for quickness outside his circle and to be able to get down the line on a zone stretch and I am not a huge fan of his mobility and quickness from side to side.  He is active, but plodding and looks like he is just not very affective if he has to move to make a play (aside from charging forward).  There are long stretches of non-productive play.

Summary:  So, on one hand, I expect him to be a factor for many years, but I also want to be clear that I don't fancy him as a 1st round pick who is A) without any clear flaws or B) a major upgrade over what the average NFL team has at that spot.  He is a very good potentially-starting player who will help the team and improve the rotation quite a bit, but I watched him this week after being asked quite a bit how I feel about taking him at #27.  I don't think he is a 3-technique in the NFL and therefore as a 1-technique, he better be pretty special to be a candidate to get into Dallas' 1st round.  Eddie Goldman is that type of guy, but from the games I watched of Carl Davis - despite his week at the Senior Bowl that impressed so many - I would value him a round or two later.

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.