Tag: scouting report

Scouting Report: Corey Holmes

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Corey Holmes (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Corey Holmes
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 166 lbs.
High school: Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas
Position: Wide receiver
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Florida, Florida State, Houston, Michigan, Notre Dame, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, UCF, and Wisconsin . . . Scout 3-star WR, #48 WR . . . 247 Sports 4-star WR, 90 grade, #36 WR . . . Claims a 4.48 forty yard dash . . . Claims 35.5″ vertical . . . Teammate of 2013 DE target Joey Bosa (Ohio State)

Strengths: Already operates like college receiver . . . Slippery route runner . . . Sets up routes well . . . Shows good timing getting in and out of breaks . . . Uses hands well to catch ball away from body . . . Good but not great speed . . . Shows good field awareness to find open spots in zones and avoid big hits . . . Willing and able to go over the middle and catch balls above his head

Weaknesses: Willing blocker but needs to add strength . . . Generally needs to add some size to increase durability and help him run through tackles . . . Gets brought down a little too easily upon contact

Projection: Wide receiver.  It’s tough to find weaknesses in Holmes’s game.  He’s not the biggest, fastest, or most explosive receiver, but he’s very polished and looks like he’s already prepared for college.  He’ll need to add some size to deal with the pounding that comes with playing major college football, but Holmes should be able to contribute early wherever he plays.

Reminds me of: Roy Roundtree

Scouting Report: Dionte Sykes

Dionte Sykes (image via East Valley Tribune)

Name: Dionte Sykes
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Gilbert (AZ) Williams Field
Position: Wide receiver
Class: 2014

Scouting Report: Jonathan Hilliman

Jersey City (NJ) St. Peters Prep running back Jonathan Hilliman (image via NJ.com)

Name: Jonathan Hilliman
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Jersey City (NJ) St. Peters Prep
Position: Running back
Class: 2014

Notes: Has offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, UCF, West Virginia, Wisconsin . . . Claims a 4.52 forty . . . As a sophomore in 2011, had 58 carries for 426 yards and 4 touchdowns . . . As a junior in 2012, had 113 carries for 1,400 yards and 21 touchdowns . . . Scout 3-star RB, #27 RB . . . 247 Sports 3-star RB, 87 grade, #30 RB

Strengths: Good straight line speed . . . Strong north-south runner who likes to run downhill . . . Keeps shoulders square to line of scrimmage . . . High effort runner . . . Shows ability to run through arm tackles . . .  Hits hole hard . . . Not afraid of contact

Weaknesses: Always carries ball in right hand, even when going left . . . Not very shifty . . . When forced to cut, takes too long to accelerate . . . A bit of a long strider . . . Not a particularly creative runner . . . Decent but not great vision

Projection: Running back.  I’m a little surprised that Hilliman is ranked as low as he is by 247 Sports and Scout, but I don’t see a dynamic runner at the next level.  He seems like a solid between-the-tackles runner, a guy who could make a real name for himself in the Big East.  He’s a bit of a slasher, but if defenses get in his way to slow him down, I don’t know that he has the acceleration, vision, or agility to still make teams pay.  In a normal year, I would expect to see a player like Hilliman somewhere between the #11 and #20 running back nationally.  The player comparison below is more because of his build and stride than overall athletic ability.

Reminds me of: Chris Perry

Scouting Report: Cameron Hunt

Corona (CA) Centennial offensive lineman Cameron Hunt

Name: Cameron Hunt
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 267 lbs.
Class: 2013
Position: Offensive tackle
High school: Corona (CA) Centennial

Notes: Committed to Cal since July 7, 2012 . . . Also holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Cincinnati, Colorado, Duke, Fresno State, New Mexico State, Oregon State, San Diego State, UCLA, Utah, Washington, and Washington State . . . Plays left tackle in high school . . . Selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game . . . Claims a 5.35 forty, a 4.73 shuttle, and a 23″ vertical . . . ESPN 4-star OT, #13 OT, 83 grade, #220 overall . . . Rivals 4-star OT, #33 OT . . . Scout 4-star OG, #15 OG . . . 247 Sports 3-star OT, #54 OT, 87 grade

Strengths: Thick lower body . . . Good initial punch . . . Good body lean and knee bend . . . Fits well on defensive linemen . . . Gets extension and controls defenders with his hands . . . Shows solid footwork in run game . . . Finishes blocks . . . Looks for second block when possible . . . Shows a bit of a nasty streak

Weaknesses: Decent athlete but not outstanding . . . Lacks some foot speed . . . Undersized right now and will need to add weight

Projection: Offensive guard. Hunt lacks the wingspan to play tackle at the Big Ten level, but he has good height and length for the guard position, and he could even play center if necessary.  I really like his on-the-field demeanor and the way he finishes blocks.  With pretty good technique, it seems like the biggest obstacle will be putting on sufficient weight and strength; he will also have to adjust to playing against talented defensive lineman who might be quicker than him.  If he can gain 30-40 pounds over the next couple years and improve his foot speed a little, he should be a good interior blocker.

Reminds me of: Erik Magnuson, albeit a smaller version

His senior highlights are on Hudl, and here are his junior highlights:

Scouting Report: Kenny Lacy

Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe offensive tackle Kenny Lacy

Name: Kenny Lacy
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 270 lbs.
Class: 2013
Position: Offensive tackle
School: Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe

Notes: Currently committed to UCLA as of September 10, 2012 . . . Holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Boise State, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, South Carolina, Texas A&M, UCLA, Utah, Vanderbilt, Washington, Washington State, and West Virginia . . . Officially visited UCLA, Arkansas, and Nebraska . . . Will visit Kansas State this coming weekend . . . ESPN 3-star OT, #40 OT, 79 grade . . . Rivals 4-star OT, #17 OT, #175 overall . . . Scout 4-star OT, #15 OT . . . 247 Sports 3-star OT, #48 OT, 87 grade


Strengths: Lanky, athletic body . . . Room to add weight . . . Active feet . . . Athletic enough to pull and block in space . . . Agile enough to help block on screens and reach block defensive ends occasionally . . . Understands footwork and body positioning

Weaknesses: Lacks fire . . . Seems to lack aggression . . . Plays high at times . . . Can get knocked off balance . . . More of a finesse pass blocker than a drive blocker . . . Needs to bend knees more . . . Lacks a great initial punch . . . Needs to strengthen lower and upper body


Projection: Offensive tackle or offensive guard.  Lacy could end up at either position, depending on how his body develops.  He has the body of an offensive tackle right now, and his lower body really needs to get stronger if he’s going to play offensive guard.  I think the biggest obstacle in the way of playing time will be his on-field demeanor.  He seems to give up on too many blocks and doesn’t show the dominance you would expect of a high-level prospect.  Some of his opponents get pancaked immediately, but it appears to be more because of the sheer size differential than unrelenting dominance on Lacy’s part.

Reminds me of: Patrick Omameh