Tag: scouting report

Scouting Report: 2022 OL/DL Deone Walker

Name: Deone Walker
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 340 lbs.
Position: Offensive lineman/defensive tackle
Class: 2022
Offers: Akron, Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo, Virginia Tech
Commitment: Uncommitted

Notes: Rivals 4-star, 5.8 grade, #23 DT, #8 in MI…247 Sports 3-star, 88 grade, #66 DL, #14 in MI…Unranked by ESPN…Played for former Michigan RB Thomas Wilcher at Cass Tech, though Wilcher was recently hired by Michigan State…Announced a top five of Arizona State, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, and Missouri

Hit the jump for more.

Scouting Report: 2021 OG Drew Kendall

Name: Drew Kendall
High school: Dedham (MA) Noble and Greenough
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 255 lbs.
Position: Offensive guard
Class: 2021
Offers: Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina State, Penn State, Stanford, Syracuse, UMass, Virginia, West Virginia
Commitment: Uncommitted

Notes: ESPN 4-star, #13 OG, #256 overall…Rivals 4-star, #4 OG, #65 overall, #1 in MA…247 Sports 4-star, #12 OG, #154 overall, #1 in MA…Teammate of Michigan linebacker commit Casey Phinney…Son of former Boston College offensive guard Pete Kendall, who was a 1st round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 1996…Pete played 13 years total with the Seahawks, Cardinals, Jets, and Redskins

Hit the jump for more.

Scouting Report: R.J. Moten

I started this scouting report on a beach vacation and (surprise!) didn’t finish it. But with Moten committing later today, it’s now or never.

Name: R.J. Moten
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Delran (NJ) Delran
Position: Running back/safety
Class: 2020

Notes: Offers from Boston College, Buffalo, Duke, Kent State, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Tulane, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin…Plans to announce commitment on July 27, 2019…Claims a 4.61 forty, 4.31 shuttle, 40.9″ vertical…Son of Ron Moten, who played linebacker for Florida and the Philadelphia Eagles…ESPN 4-star, 81 grade, #16 S, #247 overall…Rivals 3-star ATH, 5.5 grade…247 Sports 4-star, 94 grade, #6 S, #93 overall

Stats: As a junior in 2018, Moten rushed 149 times for 1,305 yards (8.8 yards/carry) and 16 touchdowns. He caught 16 passes for 298 yards (18.6 yards/catch) and 4 touchdowns. And he even completed 6/13 passes for 157 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Defensively, he made 44 tackles and 5 interceptions.

Hit the jump for the rest of the scouting report.

Scouting Report: 2018 Quarterbacks

Dorian Thompson-Robinson (image via USA Today)

Since quarterback is such an important position in the game of football, I like to take a hard look at whom Michigan is recruiting in each class. I actually started this post a couple weeks ago, but with all the film watching and such, it took me a while to complete it. When I evaluate quarterbacks for this piece, I think about how well they would fit in the offense that I expect Michigan to run. With that being said, there’s some uncertainty going forward with talk that Jim Harbaugh wants more athletic quarterbacks and an offense that employs more wide receivers than we have seen in the past. Harbaugh did have success with a more spread-oriented offense as the San Francisco 49ers head coach, so I tried to keep that in mind when putting together this list.

Below is an in-depth look at the eleven quarterbacks Michigan has offered in the 2018 class, in order of my preferenc:

1. Trevor Lawrence – QB – Cartersville (GA) Cartersville: Lawrence is a 6’6″, 196 lb. prospect who committed to Clemson in December of 2016. He’s also a U.S. Army All-American and the #1 overall player in the country. Lawrence is probably the most “college ready” quarterback on this list. A pro-style guy, he has the size, footwork, arm strength, and accuracy to be deserving of his ranking. The thing that probably sets him apart is his intelligence and pre-snap reads. Lawrence does a great job of identifying coverages and getting rid of the ball quickly when he has an opportunity. In that sense I think he has a little bit of Peyton Manning in him; he’s a very cerebral quarterback. Lawrence isn’t a great athlete and I’m sure the Clemson offense will look different with Lawrence than it did with Deshaun Watson, but he still should be able to command that offense well.

Hit the jump for the rest of the list.

read more

Scouting Report: Ifeatu Melifonwu

Ifeatu Melifonwu (image via Community Advocate)

Name: Ifeatu Melifonwu
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Grafton (MA) Memorial
Position: Safety
Class: 2017

Notes: Committed to Syracuse . . . Offers from Massachusetts, Navy, and Syracuse . . . ESPN 3-star, 75 grade, #80 ATH . . . Rivals 2-star ATH . . . Scout 2-star WR . . . 247 Sports 3-star, #69 S, #874 overall . . . Claims 4.58 forty . . . 4.43 shuttle . . . 35″ vertical . . . 265 lb. bench . . . 365 lb. squat

Strengths: Good size . . . Long arms . . . Solid frame . . . Good short-area quickness for his height . . . Excellent feet . . . Tough runner with ball in hands . . . Runs behind pads . . . Good vision . . . Drives feet through contact . . . High-points ball on defense . . . Breaks well on balls thrown in front of him

Weaknesses: A little loose in upper body when carrying ball . . . Not a blazing runner . . . Limited experience against elite competition . . . Needs to work on route running . . . Needs to catch ball away from body more consistently

Projection: Strong safety. Melifonwu has the size and build to play wide receiver or safety at the next level, and we have even seen a team like Michigan play big cornerbacks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up at any of those positions in the right situation. He has the vision to be an effective offensive player, but his explosiveness isn’t ideal for a wide receiver and he’s too tall and reedy to be a running back. I think his best future position is as a safety playing mostly in the box.

Reminds me of: Raymon Taylor. Taylor was a good offensive player in high school, but he ended up playing cornerback at Michigan. I always thought his skills would suit him to be a solid free safety, but he was shorter than Melifonwu and therefore lighter. I see some similarities in the way they move, but if Melifonwu continues to fill out, he could easy be in the 205-210 lb. range in a couple years. I also see some shades of Delano Hill, a guy you might not want to put in the deep middle of the field but who can cover the flat, some tight ends, and an occasional slot guy.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Melifonwu has not yet been offered by Michigan, but he is planning to visit on January 24, 2017. Defensive coordinator Don Brown recruited his older brother at UConn. While Melifonwu has been committed to Syracuse for half a year, the fact that he’s taking an official visit means he would probably seriously consider flipping.

Highlights:

read more