Tag: scouting report

Scouting Report: Chris Williamson

Gainesville (GA) Gainesville cornerback Chris Williamson (image via 247sports.com)

Name: Chris Williamson
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Gainesville (GA) Gainesville
Position: Wide receiver/cornerback
Class: 2015

Notes: Holds offers from Auburn, BYU, Cal, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, Iowa State, Kentucky, Miami-OH, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Purdue, UCF, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest . . . ESPN 3-star, 79 grade, #57 ATH . . . Rivals 4-star, #36 ATH . . . 247 Sports 3-star, 89 grade, #39 ATH . . . Claims a 4.4 forty . . . 36″ vertical . . . 315 lb. bench press . . . 465 lb. squat . . . 10.83 time in 100 meters . . . “Big Play Ray” Buchanan called Williamson a “poor man’s Champ Bailey” (LINK)

Strengths: Adjusts well to ball in air . . . Good body control . . . Capable of making acrobatic plays . . . Able to high-point the ball . . . Very good leaping ability . . . Transitions well out of backpedal to break on ball . . . Fluid hips lead to good recovery speed . . . Excellent in zone coverage . . . As a receiver, consistently works to get open . . . Tough to jam off line of scrimmage due to lateral movement . . . Finds holes in defensive coverages . . . Good balance . . . Very good acceleration . . . Able to cut at full speed

Weaknesses: Needs to get stronger . . . Willing tackler but lacks proper technique and strength . . . Does not run feet through contact . . . Film does not show abilities in press man coverage . . . Appears to be holding back at times, but that may be due to playing both ways

Projection: Cornerback. I say this largely because of his size and body type, but he could easily play receiver in college. Williamson shows enough awareness and potential to slot in wherever a team needs him most. He has short legs, which lend themselves to good short-area quickness and change of direction, but he also has very good long speed. Williamson could also be one of those guys who becomes a multi-purpose returner, because he has the vision and quickness to return punts with the straight-line speed to do kickoff returns.

Reminds me of: Chris Davis from Auburn. I can’t think of a great equivalent with respect to Michigan, so I’ll go with the corner from Auburn who made his name with the 109-yard field goal return for a touchdown against Alabama in 2013 (LINK). I think they have similar physical skills, although I see Williamson having better ball skills.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Analysts have stated that it will be tough to pull Williamson away from the home-state Bulldogs, and Auburn also jumped into the picture with an offer a few weeks ago. He has visited Cal and North Carolina, he’ll be in Michigan this weekend, and then he’s going to Florida the last weekend in January. It seems to be kind of a crap shoot right now, but Michigan is right in the thick of it due to former Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin leading the charge.

Highlights:

Scouting Report: John Kelly

Name: John Kelly
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 194 lbs.
High school: Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Position: Running back
Class: 2015

Notes: Holds offers from Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Miami-OH, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Tennessee, Western Michigan . . . Claims a 4.38 forty . . . 37″ vertical . . . ESPN 3-star, 78 grade, #55 running back . . . Rivals 3-star, #28 athlete . . . 247 Sports 3-star, 88 grade, #38 athlete

Strengths: Solidly built . . . Strong lower body and leg churn . . . Runs with good body lean through line of scrimmage . . . Runs like a sprinter, getting more upright in open field . . . Good acceleration in and out of cuts . . . Excellent vision and patience as a runner . . . Very good top-end speed . . . Runs through contact . . . Looks for cutbacks instead of going out of bounds . . . Aggressive blocker both in run and pass game . . . Also an aggressive tackler on defense

Weaknesses: Does not have a great deal of highlights on defense . . . Questionable ball skills . . . Seems to make more plays on offense than defense . . . Gives and takes a pounding, so durability may become an issue

Projection: Running back. I’ve had my eye on Kelly for a couple years now, and while he’s being recruited by some schools to play defense, I just don’t see the playmaking on that side of the ball. He has been dynamic on offense, and the skills I’ve seen displayed translate to running back more than any other position, in my opinion. Other than great size, he has a good dose of everything you want in a running back: speed, vision, strength, toughness, a willingness to block, etc.

Reminds me of: T.J. Yeldon from Alabama. Yeldon is obviously significantly larger, but the way Kelly runs – low through the line, good vision, cutting back to avoid going out of bounds, upright in the open field, etc. – reminds me of the Crimson Tide running back.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Tennessee supposedly leads, but Michigan is a strong possibility, too. Right now Michigan State leads the 247 Sports Crystal Ball with 39% of the votes, followed by 32% for the Wolverines. Right now Kelly has visits set for Tennessee, Minnesota, and Michigan. Things are pretty up in the air.

Scouting Report: Osa Masina

Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton linebacker Osa Masina (image via Deseret News)

Name: Osa Masina
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton
Class: 2015

Notes: Holds offers from BYU, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Washington, Washington State, and Wisconsin . . . ESPN 4-star, #13 athlete, #127 overall, #1 in Utah . . . Rivals 4-star, #5 athlete, #53 overall . . . 247 Sports 4-star, #10 OLB, #159 overall, #2 in Utah . . . As a junior in 2013, had 222 carries for 1,643 yards and 25 touchdowns, along with 87 tackles and 4.5 sacks . . . As a sophomore in 2012, had 108 carries for 706 yards and 9 touchdowns, along with 37 tackles

Strengths: Plays with a whatever-it-takes mentality . . . Good speed . . . Takes good angles toward ball carriers . . . Shows quality sportsmanship . . . High motor player . . . Wades through trash well . . . Good enough athlete to be effective in pass coverage . . . As a running back, churns legs through contact

Weaknesses: As a running back, really lacks smooth athleticism and balances . . . Just looks uncomfortable with the ball in his hands . . . Effective as a high school runner because of his athleticism, but clearly a defensive player at the next level . . . On defense, tends to drag guys down instead of driving through them

Projection: Outside linebacker. While the 6’4″ that’s listed at some websites looks to be an overestimate of at least an inch, perhaps two, Masina does look like an outside linebacker at the next level. He has the speed and length to be a blitzer off the edge, and he has the quickness and athleticism to fold inside as an interior blitzer. He does a good job of tracking ball carriers but seems to be more of a downhill player than a read-and-react type of guy. The most impressive thing about Masina is his motor. Offensively and defensively, the guy just seems to be determined to get the endzone, take down the ball carrier, and make a play, regardless of what’s in his way. That bodes well for his future.

Reminds me of: Jake Ryan. I thought about this comparison for a while, and I couldn’t think of a great one for overall body type, athleticism, and playing style. I finally settled on Jake Ryan because of the motor and desire to make a play.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Masina recently named a top eight that included Arizona State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, and Wisconsin. He has an older brother at Utah, and 90% of his Crystal Ball predictions are for the Utes. However, Michigan is right in the thick of his recruitment and could probably be included in a top three.

Scouting Report: Grant Newsome

Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School offensive tackle Grant Newsome (#70, image via NJ.com)

Name: Grant Newsome
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 280 lbs.
High school: Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: 2015

Notes: Attends private school at Lawrenceville but originally from McLean, VA . . . Holds offers from Alabama, Boston College, California, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Old Dominion, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, West Virginia, and Wisconsin . . . ESPN 3-star, #26 OT, #275 overall, #14 in Virginia . . . Rivals 4-star OT, #30 OT, #8 in New Jersey . . . Scout 4-star, #20 OT . . . 247 Sports 4-star, #19 OT, #181 overall, #5 in New Jersey

Strengths: Tall with good length . . . Thick upper body, narrow from waist down, which is how I like tackles . . . Good athleticism . . . Good straight-line running speed . . . Quick enough to be an effective blocker on second level . . . Shows enthusiasm for blocking small, quick guys . . . Shows ability to run feet after contact and finish blocks . . . Good lateral quickness . . . Should be an effective zone blocker

Weaknesses: Lacks aggression when pass blocking . . . Keeps hands low and lacks punch in pass sets . . . Opens up hips too quickly against pass rushers . . . Does not show consistent enough motor in finishing blocks . . . Plays high in run game . . . Can get off balance when he chooses not to move his feet . . . Does not use hands effectively control defenders

Projection: Left tackle. Newsome has all the physical skills anyone might want in a tackle – length, size, power, quickness, etc. The mental aspects are where he struggles. I think ESPN has him woefully underranked as a 3-star, but they may be judging him based on his refinement at this stage. Newsome will require some coaching, and not just a little. He needs to lower his pad level, especially in the run game, and he really needs to show more aggression on first-level blocks. For being such a big guy, he doesn’t blow people off the ball like he should. That’s a concern to me, but I think it has a lot to do with technique and a need to get into a college strength program.

Reminds me of: Logan Tuley-Tillman but without as much aggression. The two have similar body types and similar technique issues in high school, but Tuley-Tillman was a nastier player.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Newsome is pretty quiet on the recruiting trail, but he thinks highly of LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and Virginia. Both of 247 Sports’ Crystal Ball picks are in Michigan’s favor, and other analysts have suggested that Michigan has edged out in front, too. Michigan has done a good job of recruiting both New Jersey and Virginia lately.

Highlights: Newsome’s highlights are available on Hudl.

Scouting Report: Michael Weber

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Michael Weber (image via Detroit News)

Name: Michael Weber
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Running back
Class: 2015

Notes: Holds offers from Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Wisconsin . . . ESPN 4-star RB, 80 grade, #20 RB, #227 overall . . . Rivals 4-star, #10 RB, #123 overall . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 96 grade, #7 RB, #73 overall . . . Claims 4.47 forty . . . Benches 305 lbs. . . . As a sophomore in 2012, had 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns . . . As a junior in 2013, had 1,659 yards and 24 touchdowns . . . Has numerous former teammates playing college football, including Damon Webb (Ohio State), David Dawson (Michigan), Jourdan Lewis (Michigan), Delano Hill (Michigan), and Deon Drake (Michigan State)

Strengths: Good size/build for a running back . . . Not too big or too small . . . Shows an ability to get north and south without a lot of wasted time . . . Slashing style of runner . . . Doesn’t take a lot of big hits . . . Good long speed . . . Accelerates quickly . . . Runs behind shoulder pads . . . Catches ball well out of the backfield . . Shows good patience in waiting for hole to develop . . . Drives feet after contact . . . Shows a physical attitude when blocking

Weaknesses: May struggle to create on his own . . . Does not have lightning speed . . . Could pick up knees higher through traffic . . . Tendency to carry ball in left hand when going right

Projection: Running back. Weber seems to do a lot of things well, and while he’s not the fastest, shiftiest, or most powerful running back in the class, it’s hard to find glaring weaknesses. Most of his “weaknesses” are either nitpicks or coachable. Cass Tech is a magnet school that consistently produces good linemen, so it’s tough to judge Weber’s vision when most of his highlights include his linemen blowing holes wide open. However, if his college team can open holes with any regularity, Weber hits the hole hard and will fall generally forward after contact.

Reminds me of: Emmitt Smith. Of course I’m not suggesting that Weber will one day be the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, but the slashing style combined with Weber’s gait and the way he waves his off hand while cutting just reminds me of the former Dallas Cowboy (and Arizona Cardinal). Additionally, Smith was never the speediest, most elusive, or strongest guy, but he found a way to churn out the yards.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Michigan State and perhaps Tennessee had lurched ahead of Michigan when Al Borges was the offensive coordinator and Damien Harris was committed to the Wolverines, but Harris’s decommitment and the hiring of Doug Nussmeier have re-energized Michigan’s pursuit of the Cass Tech product. There are some who believe that Michigan has a tentative lead over MSU, and I think his favorites in order would be Michigan, Michigan State, Tennessee, and then Wisconsin.