Casey Matthews and other Lber Notes Vol. I

Casey Matthews and other Lber Notes Vol. l

LB: Mason Foster (Washington) – 6011, 241. Had a good week of practice
and impressed in most areas. Very good motor and hustle. Athletic, shows
some explosiveness on contact. Inconsistent with shed, at times got locked
onto a block by losing leverage. Sometimes plays high and lacks power to
consistently defeat blocks. Good downhill player who tracks well getting to
the ball. Good instincts, showing outstanding initial quickness. Will get
caught up reacting too quickly at times as play action hurt him some. Normally
takes good angles but will overrun at times. Good coverage ability and ability
to play in space. Takes good drops and reacts well on the thrown ball.
Looked the best of the linebackers in man to man and showed good zone
awareness. Solid tackling skills in drills and consistently tracked backs on the
perimeter. Good range in pursuit and consistently hustled to get to the ball.
Showed well in pass rush drills with an explosive first step and the ability to
turn the corner on the edge. Should be a good blitzer as he is relentless with
effort along with his quickness. In the right scheme he can play inside or
outside. Mark Herzlich (Boston College) – 6035, 250. Hands 10 1/8”.
Good size for a 3-4 outside linebacker, but could play the Sam in the right 4-
3 scheme. Decent initial quickness and toughness taking on a block. Flashes
good shed technique using his hands well to separate. Occasionally locked up
with a block. May lack top upper body power and strength. Hustles in
pursuit and gives a good effort. Showed up well in pass rush drills, with a quick
move around the corner. Takes good drops in coverage and shows good zone
awareness. Good relation to receivers in zone. Plays up to the short route
while getting under the deep one. Struggles in space at times on the perimeter.
Has good range and with a clear path to the ball can chase sideline to sideline.
A good athlete who needs more strength to consistently play off a block. He
has a lot of good qualities that would allow him to fit in the right scheme.
Ross Homan (Ohio State) – 6003, 229. Inconsistent with read and react.
Somewhat mechanical in movements but overall is athletic and has a burst in
pursuit. Decent change of direction and range, hustles in pursuit. Struggles to
get off a block and spent way too much time on the ground. Tends to get
caught up in the traffic instead of getting downhill and to the ball. Lacks
power to take on a block and will get covered up. While active and aggressive,
did not make a lot of plays in practice. He needs to be in a scheme that will
keep him from getting blocked. He is at his best in pursuit on the edge. Has
the characteristics of a Will linebacker in a 4-3. Greg Jones (MichiganState) –
5117, 240. Hands 10 1/8”.
Good initial movement. Read and react
versus the run is excellent. Can be explosive taking on blocks. Bends knees
and gets good leverage. Good intensity and nose for the ball. He does a good
job wading through the traffic and avoiding blocks while taking a good angle
to the ball. Very instinctive, fits the hole well and shows sudden change of
direction. Tracks well moving downhill. Gets to the off tackle hole on a
scrape extremely well. Effective as a blitzer and was good in pass rush drills
when he beat the blocker initially. Locked up at times and ridden out. He has
the tools and athletic ability to play in coverage but was below average in this
area. Jones has outstanding tools but has some definite holes as he makes too
many mistakes in coverage. Casey Matthews (Oregon) – 6006, 232.
Smooth, athletic linebacker who does most things well. Good techniques
with no wasted steps. Quick change of direction and the ability to redirect off
a block. Explosive taking on a block. Good technique as he uses his hands
well to get separation and shed. Shows good strength at the point of attack
and can be physical for his size. Active in pursuit, gets through the traffic well
taking good angles to the ball. Smart player with good instincts. Consistently
takes a good path to the ball. Always around the ball with good hustle. Fits
well in gaps and gets downhill filling inside or outside. Plays well on the
backside taking a good “L” angle that gets him in on the cutback. Has the
range to track a back on the perimeter and plays well in space. Solid tackler
in drills and angles to the ball keep him in good position to make a play.
Solid in coverage in both zone and man. Good reactions on the thrown ball.
Overall a solid player with good instincts and technique