Along with OptimumScouting.com, Owner and Director of Scouting Eric Galko writes for a handful of other websites throughout the draft season. In an effort to put these articles under one roof, this weekly post will be all the articles of the previous week in one article.
Why Carson Wentz, Jared Goff weren’t worth trade up by Rams (Sporting News)
“Without a top-flight receiver, the Rams will likely be relying on their gadget weapon Tavon Austin and a heavy dose of Todd Gurley to stabilize the offense. While those weapons and that style of play lends itself to what Wentz was able to utilize within the North Dakota State offense, it also puts ample pressure on him to finish on the perimeter and in play-action with better consistency and anticipation than he showed at the FCS level.
And for Goff, a quarterback who thrived as a midfield thrower and in setting up downfield options, this supporting cast is something he certainly won’t be comfortable with to start. Goff worked best when he had a plethora of receiving options and three- or four-wide sets to spread defenses horizontally before splitting them with seam, post and dig route throws. He won’t get those windows with the Rams, at least not with their current supporting cast.”
Trade is exciting for Titans, but there’s pressure to turn picks into impact players (Sporting News)
“For fun, here’s two options of possible sceniors for the Titans at 15, 33, 43, 45 and 64:
— OT Taylor Decker, DT Jarran Reed, SAF Keanu Neal, CB Tavon Young and DT/DE Willie Henry
— DT/DE A’Shawn Robinson, SAF Darian Thompson, OT Joe Haeg, DT Austin Johnson and CB Maurice Canady”
Why Boston College Safety Justin Simmons Could Crash the NFL Draft’s 2nd Round (Bleacher Report)
But just because he hasn’t earned press clippings or rumored first-round interest doesn’t mean Simmons isn’t worthy of a top-100 pick. In fact, by my grading scale and evaluation, Simmons is well worth a second-round pick and could be an immediate nickel and free safety option for an NFL team.
NFL teams covet versatility, athleticism and ball skills in their defensive backs. Simmons not only offers all three of those traits, but every reason to expect him to continue to grow at the next level. While he may remain a sleeper at this point in the draft process, don’t sleep on Simmons meriting a top-100 selection and earning significant playing time early in his NFL career.
The Best Big-Play Tight Ends in the 2016 NFL Draft (Bleacher Report)
Following in the footsteps of past Stanford tight ends such as Coby Fleener, Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz, Austin Hooper may be the most receiver-like of them all. Earning Mackey Award consideration (the award given to the nation’s top tight end) in both of his two college seasons, Hooper has been the ideal safety valve and matchup nightmare for quarterback Kevin Hogan.
Hooper has seen work as an inline tight-end, slot/seam presence and split-wide receiver, utilizing efficient upper-half movement to separate at the catch point and box out every type of defender effectively. He primarily was used on quick hitches, short slants and quick perimeter throws, and he has flashed the type of edge and vertically working routes that gets teams excited about his potential NFL versatility. An effective high-pointing receiver, Hooper routinely wins in-air balls with plus-jump typing and strong hands at the catch point.
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