High school scouting reports 31-40
by Flynn Hill
31. Chris Davenport
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height: 6’4
Weight: 310
School: Mansfield (LA)
Considering: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Louisiana State, Southern Cal, Tennessee
Positives: Davenpo? rt is a big and physical interior defensive line prospect. He can play nose in a 3-4 or tackle in a 4-3. In either scheme, he’s a two-gap player who will force coaches to change a game plan because of the disruptive manner of Davenport. He shows he has the size, quickness and disengaging skills to line up either head up or play in a gap. He uses his brutish strength to dominate the competition right now and is able to run over everyone including opposing linemen. He uses a very long wingspan to create separation from linemen. He has good initial explosiveness and really does a good job of using his hips to generate power when he does get too close to linemen. He has very good top-end speed and shows he has a nice burst, especially for such a big player. He gets good penetration and has great recognition skills, showing the ability to sniff out who has the ball. He has a motor that is constantly running, which is evident by his tremendous production. He shows that he can make plays in pursuit, especially when it’s a run to the outside to the other side.
Negatives: He’s able to dominate now because he bigger. How will he be affected when everyone he plays against is just as big as him? There’s no way he can simply run over linemen as he does right now. He doesn’t keep leverage and he doesn’t always line up in a good stance. He may just be a product of the lower level of competition, as he is playing in 2A football. He arm tackles too much and he won’t be able to just stick out and throw a ball carrier to the ground, as he has done.
Overall: Davenport will be able to contribute in either a 3-4 or a 4-3. He is very strong right now and with time spent in the weight room, he can become a dominant player, either head up or in a gap, as he has excellent quickness. Davenport has the physical tools to play early in college.
Best Case Scenario: DT Haloti Ngata, Baltimore Ravens
Worst Case Scenario: DT Gerard Warren, Oakland Raiders
Junior year statistics: 120 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries
32. Donte Moss
Position: Defensive End
Height: 6’4
Weight: 235
School: Northside (NC)
Committed to: North Carolina
Positives: Moss is a very athletic defensive end prospect. Like DaQuan Bowers a year ago and Everson Griffen two years ago, Moss has the athleticism to play running back for his high school team. While he does not project as being a college running back, it’s just a tribute to his overall athletic ability. He’s an explosive leaper who is disruptive in the pass game when he simply spies the quarterback and plays the line of scrimmage. He changes the way quarterbacks throw because of the amount of passes he deflects. Moss is a complete end and is a true strong-side end. He’s one of the few ends who plays the run better than pass. He shows he can hold his ground against a double team. He’s fundamentally sound when he takes on blockers and can string out plays to outside or dispose of blockers when he wants to. He uses his wingspan nicely, keeps blockers at bay and never lets them get inside on him. He shows he has good recovery speed and changes direction nicely. He uses his hands very well and does a good job of controlling blockers and where they move. He possesses the physical tools to be a dominant pass rusher.
Negatives: He doesn’t get leverage enough and it all starts with his stance. He’s not very explosive out of his stance and he takes a bit of time to get to top speed. He has the tools to be a pass rusher, but he’s not a true pass rusher because of his lack of elite burst and closing speed. He will need a ton of coaching in terms of technique. At this point, he mainly uses a speed rush and will need to develop a wider array of both power and finesse moves. How much weight can he add onto his frame will be key.
Overall: Moss is a physical specimen who should be able to be a stand out in as a strong side 4-3 defensive end. He may also be able to play as an outside linebacker in a 3-4. No matter where he plays, Moss is a solid prospect and should prosper under the tutelage of John Blake at North Carolina
Best Case Scenario: DE Adewale Ogunleye, Chicago Bears
Worst Case Scenario: DE N.D. Kalu, Houston Texans
Junior year statistics: 90 tackles, 6 forced fumbles, 600 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns
33. Shaquelle Evans
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’1
Weight: 205
School: Inglewood (CA)
Considering: California, Louisiana State, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, UCLA
Positives: Evans a tremendous physical talent. He’s built like a running back and is extremely muscular and chiseled. He shows the versatility to be used in a number of ways. He can be an X or Z receiver, but is used mainly right now in the slot, which is where he projects to be the most productive as the next level. He shows he has the quickness in and out of cuts to be effective on slants, ins and outs. He has the awareness on short routes and cuts to get his hands ready for the catch. When in the slot, he shows he does a nice job of splitting the safeties in cover two and is also too fast for most to deal with. He can be used in screens and swing passes to receivers in the slot and will usually outmuscle most corners to pick up extra yards. When he’s played as a split end, Evans is a tremendous deep threat and routinely beats corners down the sideline for the ball. Unlike most slot receivers, he has tremendous size and will cause the traditional “too big for a safety or corner but too fast for a linebacker problem.” He has the explosive athleticism coveted in receivers. He has strong enough hands to go up for a jump ball and come down with it.
Negatives: He’s not a shifty slot receiver, especially after the catch. His movements are fluid, but are mechanical at the same time. He appears to leave his feet unnecessarily at times. He’s a little bit sloppy at times and can’t round off routes as he does now. Evans isn’t as good over the middle as you’d like, especially when linebackers are present. He takes a little bit of time to get moving once he gets off the line.
Overall: Evans is a dangerous playmaker either in the slot or on the perimeter. He can definitely hurt teams on screens, reverses, or in the traditional use of a slot receiver. Of all the receivers in this class, nobody has as much versatility as Evans, and he can hurt teams as much as anyone.
Best Case Scenario: WR Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts
Worst Case Scenario: WR Demetrius Williams, Baltimore Ravens
Junior year statistics: 30 catches, 608 yards, 3 receiving touchdowns
34. Thomas Ashcraft
Position: Offensive Tackle/Offensive Guard
Height: 6’5
Weight: 280
School: Cedar Hill (TX)
Committed to: Texas
Positives: Ashcraft is a mobile offensive line prospect with the versatility to play right tackle or guard. He’s got the best feet in the class of any linemen regardless of tackle, guard, or center. He’s tremendous pulling and really sees the field well. He’s got a great football IQ and diagnoses the correct block in space very well. When he pulls, he demolishes anything in his path. Ashcraft is well versed in both pass and run blocking. He’s a very good drive blocker and shows that he can push someone head up on him ten or so yards off the ball. He displays adequate strength, both in the upper and lower body. He has surprising flexibility and shows the ability to maintain leverage against significantly shorter opponents. He has extremely long arms and at times shows that he can easily keep opponents at bay with his reach advantage. He’s lean and has good weight on right now. His frame can support plenty of added weight to get to about 315 without the loss of any athleticism.
Negatives: While his flexibility is a very good asset, his stance doesn’t maximize his power. His upper body is too stretched out from his lower body. He’d be better off compacting his stance. It’d give him extra explosion from the point of attack. The times he doesn’t dominate his opponent, he doesn’t keep his hands to the inside. He’s able to outmuscle his opponents now, but poor technique like that will not get it done at the next level.
Overall: Ashcraft’s combination of size and athleticism are very impressive. He’s best used at either guard or right tackle because of his outstanding mobility and better run blocking than pass blocking. With time, Ashcraft will become a dominant lineman for the Longhorns and beyond.
Best Case Scenario: OL Shawn Andrews, Philadelphia Eagles
Worst Case Scenario: OL Adrian Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
35. Chris Whaley
Position: Running Back
Height: 6’3
Weight: 220
School: Madisonville (TX)
Committed to: Texas
Positives: Whaley is a big and powerful runner who rarely goes down on first contact. While other backs in this class project as being able to be an every down running back, Whaley is a sure thing when it comes to being able to carry the ball for 25 or 30 carries a game and still be fresh. He’s very well built and has appears to have a very thick lower body. He’s a load to bring down, especially when he gets a bit of momentum and gets to the second and third levels. He sheds arm tackles with ease and generally there has to be at least two or three guys to bring down him down. He has surprising speed and has a good burst. He accelerates through the hole very well and gets to top speed quickly. Whaley has good vision and does a nice job of reading blockers and seeing where the hole opens up. Uses patience on runs to the outside. Shows that he can catch the ball out of the backfield on screens and can be used in the vertical passing game in the event he outgrows the position and has to move to an H-back type of role.
Negatives: He’s not a very elusive runners and won’t shake a defensive back. He has good but not great speed and isn’t a home run threat. While he is able to break arm tackles, he’s not a downhill runner. He doesn’t break contact very well at the line of scrimmage. Also, he’s a very upright runner and will take a ton of punishment when he runs. He runs like an Eric Dickerson and we all saw the toll it took on his body in the long run.
Overall: Whaley is a promising running back prospect who is definitely going to make a major impact at Texas when he arrives. There simply aren’t that many big backs in this class and even fewer who are his size and have his athleticism. He can certainly be the thunder in any backfield that has a smaller, quicker back.
Best Case Scenario: RB Chris Wells, Ohio State Buckeyes (less explosive)
Worst Case Scenario: RB Najeh Davenport, Pittsburgh Steelers
Junior year statistics: 261 carries, 2,119 yards, 28 touchdowns, 5 catches, 143 yards, 3 touchdowns
36. Frankie Telfort
Position: Outside Linebacker
Height: 5’10.5
Weight: 200
School: Gulliver Prep (FL)
Considering: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Louisiana State, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Tennessee
Positives: Telfort is an outstanding athlete and has rare speed for the position. He closes extremely well and, while he plays outside linebacker, shows sideline-to-sideline ability. Not many running backs are able to turn the corner on Telfort, but even then, he still has the recovery speed to catch most of them. He doesn’t just have tremendous straight-line speed, as with his 4.41 40-yard dash. His speed translates to the game, showing he has tremendous lateral speed. He’s explosive and is very quick, showing the ability to change direction easily and fluidly. He’s best used on the blitz, as he is very elusive. He’s very instinctual and times the snap very well, giving slower linemen even more trouble with him. He’s rarely picked up and is going to be able to use his outstanding speed to run around linemen. He’s an explosive hitter who can change games with his ability to cause fumbles. He shows that he’s more than capable to defend the pass.
Negatives: His size is a big negative. If he were a tad taller, he’d be one of the two or three best linebackers in the class. He relies too much on his speed right now, as he just runs around blockers more than properly taking on linemen and shedding blocks properly. He’s going to have problems against bigger ball carriers. He generally needs help on run plays between the tackles. He needs to keep his feet moving after first contact. That could definitely help him with some of his tackling problems. How much weight he can put on his small frame will definitely be important.
Overall: Telfort is an exciting prospect who needs to be accounted for when he’s on the field. Depending on how he develops in pass coverage, Telfort could be able to make a transition to either a true strong safety or a hybrid rover. Either way, he will make an impact immediately at nothing less than a special teams standout.
Best Case Scenario: LB Jon Beason, Carolina Panthers
Worst Case Scenario: LB Corey Mays, Cincinnati Bengals
Junior year statistics: 66 tackles, 4 forced fumbles (only played half a season due to a thumb injury)
37. Edwin Baker
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’10
Weight: 200
School: Oak Park (MI)
Committed to: Michigan State
Positives: Baker is a very well put together running back. He’s got a thick build, and at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, Baker has a good weight distribution, and has a very solid lower body. He shows that he is a complete runner and can take it between the tackles or off tackle, as he does have breakaway speed. He’s a tremendous north-south runner who picks a hole, sticks with it, and puts his shoulder down. He always hits the hole hard and doesn’t question where the play is intended to go. He squares his shoulders and is a downhill runner, usually falling forward to scrape for that extra yard or two. His lack of height does work well for him because he has great balance and a low center of gravity. He does not go down easily and defenders do need to make certain he the whistle has blown. Even when he’s wrapped up, Baker has shown the uncanny ability to spin out of a tackle, keep his balance, and run down the sideline for a touchdown. He shows he has a good variety of moves to evade defenders including jukes and a very powerful stiff arm. He really gets the tough yards and doesn’t need a running back to take the ball for a third and one or in a goal line situation.
Negatives: His hands are unproven, as his offense only threw him four passes a year ago. He doesn’t have the shiftiness you would typically find in a back of his stature. He does not translate to being able to play in a spread offense because he doesn’t find the cutback lane very well. He needs to work on his blitz pickups, as most players need to. He was injured for a good part of his junior year. His health is something that has to be watched carefully.
Overall: Baker is a true home run threat, but by no means is a one trick pony. He has shown that he can run it inside or outside, and pick up plenty of yards either way. When healthy, he can be a very dangerous weapon on any team, especially Michigan State.
Best Case Scenario: RB Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
Worst Case Scenario: RB Chris Perry, Cincinnati Bengals
Junior year statistics: 113 carries, 1,295 yards (11.5 yards per carry), 8 touchdowns (6 games)
38. Kraig Appleton
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’3
Weight: 190
School: East Saint Louis Sr. High School (IL)
Considering: Illinois, Louisiana State, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State
Positives: Appleton is a big and fast vertical threat. He’s a track star right now playing wide receiver and is extremely athletic. He’s a legitimate sub-4.5 40-yard dash runner, but appears to get faster as he goes further down the field. He’s a long strider, but still appears to be running at a very fast speed. He has the ability to stretch the field and get separation from defensive backs. He will win jump balls not only because he is an explosive leaper, but because he has very long arms. Also, he displays a good football IQ when it comes to using his body to box out on a jump ball. He shows he can grab balls that should be out of bounds, however have the body control to land in bounds. He shows good burst out of cuts and really accelerates well on deeper routes like the post and corner. He’s not afraid to come over the middle or to catch the ball when jumping with defenders near him. He shows good strength and does a nice job of breaking tackles after the catch.
Negatives: He’s not a shifty or elusive receiver. His lack of quickness, as shown by his 4.57 pro shuttle, is really evident on film. He may power through and break a tackle, but he won’t shake a defensive back. He’s not extremely quick into cuts and he tends to round off routes like slants, ins and outs. Appleton needs to work on his route running to really help him on double moves down the field like a post corner and a stop and go. Will his lack of sudden quickness change how he can deal with press coverage?
Overall: Appleton, a state champion in the 300-meter hurdles, uses his athleticism to dominate the competition. While he needs to refine his game, he does have tremendous potential. With time and seasoning, Appleton can become a feature receiver for any D1 team.
Best Case Scenario: WR Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
Worst Case Scenario: WR Drew Carter, Oakland Raiders
Junior year statistics: 59 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns
39. Abry Jones
Position: Defensive Line
Height: 6’3
Weight: 250
School:Northside School (GA)
Committed to: Georgia
Positives: Jones has excellence versatility for a defensive lineman. He could play end in a 3-4 or be a strong-side end or defensive tackle in a 4-3. He has the top-end speed of a strong side end, but will add on weight and may outgrow the position. Already at 250 pounds, Jones certainly has the frame to get much stronger and put on enough weight to play on the inside. He can definitely get in the 280-pound range with time spent in the weight room by his sophomore or redshirt freshman year. He has outstanding quickness and does a tremendous job of disengaging blockers. His hand quickness is great and does a very good job of getting separation from linemen because of his wingspan. He shows a very nice repertoire of pass rushing techniques and really tries to vary from using power moves and finesse moves. His motor is constantly running and he can chase plays down from the back side. He has very good initial explosiveness and a good closing burst.
Negatives: He’s not a fluid athlete. His movements seem as though his upper half doesn’t listen to his lower half. He’s a sloppy tackler and needs to work a bit on wrapping up. Too often he will try to finish a play by just tripping up a back but ends up whiffing. He needs to stop diving at ankles and jumping for tackles. He loses leverage too often after winning the initial battle. He needs to get much stronger if he’s going to move to the inside.
Overall: Jones is a bit of a tweener prospect at this stage, but when his physical maturation is complete, he can dominate games because of his outstanding blend of quickness and power. Few interior linemen will be able to deal with Jones’s speed and he will create problems. Overall, he’s a very promising player who has tremendous untapped potential.
Best Case Scenario: DT Ty Warren, New England Patriots
Worst Case Scenario: DT Shaun Cody, Detroit Lions
Junior year statistics: 72 tackles, 13 sacks, 22 tackles for loss
40. Morgan Moses
Position: Offensive Tackle
Height: 6’7
Weight: 347
School: Meadowbrook (VA)
Considering: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Positives: Moses is one of the few true bonafide bookend right tackle prospects in this year’s class. Mammoth doesn’t really describe size. He’s easily four or five inches taller than any end he goes against and at least 50 pounds bigger than any player he blocks on film. He’s one of the best run blockers in the class and is an absolute road grater. When he pulls, he mauls anything that stands in his way. Moses displays good awareness as to finding the right player to block and picking him up properly. He really does a nice job of rolling his hips into the defender and finishing the block to the ground. Despite his height, he still shows that he can win the fight to the inside and he has good hand placement. He displays more than adequate strength and the weight room measurables (380-pound bench press and 460-pound squat) do translate nicely to the football field. He’s got incredibly long arms that will be a nice asset in pass blocking. He’s got a terrific motor that is constantly running. He plays to the whistle and does need to be pulled away from players because he wants to finish every play to the ground.
Negatives: He will have trouble with elite speed rushers and finesse edge rushers at the next level because he lacks top lateral quickness. Teams may have to play a tight end to his side to help with those kinds of players. His feet are average. He needs to work on pushing a player out of the play, rather than going to the ground with the player. He’s not very flexible and has trouble getting low and maintaining leverage. Moses tends to play too high, but gets by with his brutish strength at this point and simply being able to extend his very long arms and controlling defenders. He will probably need to lose about fifteen pounds, as with any 347-pound player, most of the weight is not “good” weight.
Overall: Moses is a dominating run blocker who can become a very good pass blocker with time. He certainly has the physical tools to be on the two deep by the time he’s in his second year wherever he is. Without a doubt, Moses is a player to keep an eye on.
Best Case Scenario: OT Willie Anderson, Cincinnati, Bengals
Worst Case Scenario: OT Mike Williams, Jacksonville Jaguars