Scout’s Eye: North Carolina
Despite a season of turmoil North Carolina football fans have a lot to cheer for heading into the draft.
This is a new series we call scout’s eye where I take the notes of one of our writers, Mackenzie Pentoja. These are unedited and unfiltered notes. I’ll leave some of my own thoughts, but we thought it would just be a nice look into the life of an amaetur scout, and how he prepares for the NFL Draft season.
Some notes might seem contradictory…they are loosely organized from different games and years so that’s why they are like that, this shows a progression if it goes from poor tackler to average tackler to good tackler for instance.
North Carolina Offense
TJ Yates #12
-finally been decent for once this season really struggled in past season
-mediocre height bulk and speed throws a lot of interceptions doesn’t get many yards
Bartolis Quick thought:
I agree with Mackenzie here I”ve never been impressed with T.J. Yates. Some team might take a late flier on him, but I’ll be surprised if he ever becomes a starting N.F.L. Quarterback.
Shaun Draughn #20
-solid height solid bulk
-somewhat slow
– doesn’t carry much of a workload but he as an okay yards per carry
-pretty good receiver statistically
– a fair amount of injury issues last season
-excellent toughness as a runner
Bartolis Quick thought:
I thought Draughn looked like a really solid all around back with true NFL athletic ability in his bowl game vs Tennessee in the (…) Music City Bowl, but where was that his entire career? He was catching footalls, running all over the place…I’d be surprised if he’s drafted, but maybe there’s more to Draughn then meets the eye.
Ryan Houston #32
-runs a lot but with absolutely no production
– horrible yards per carry
-poor receiver statistically
-tough to find blocking footage of him
– good height solid bulk decent speed
-pretty tough runner
-good hands
-goes down pretty easily
-plays very hard
-not very shifty doesn’t block much very good vision
– did fumble
-excellent toughness poor speed best as an inside runner
Greg Little #8
-another 2011 receiver with great size mediocre stats
very slow 4:59 40 yard dash is an issue
– immaturity issues evidenced by unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after punting ball into stands
-good hands not a real home run threat
-solid football speed
– great hands
– excellent football speed
– good body control
-unbelievable body control and hands
– gets unbelievably high in the air
-outstanding hands tremendous talent and athleticism
-poor stats are a result of horrific quarterback play
-poor route runner doesn’t finish plays seems lazy and immature on the field doesn’t always finish routes good hands used on a lot of wide receiver reverses
– good hands
Bartolis Quick Thought
Little could be a very nice addition to a team in the fourth round, he plays like an Anquan Boldin/Hakeem Nicks/Brandon Marshall type of player. A player that makes up for his lack of speed with positioning and physical play. I guess of all of those he reminds me most of Brandon Marshall (Im’ not saying he’ll become as good as Brandon Marshall, just a similar style of his game) because of his height and ok hands.
Zack Pianalto #17
-slightly short
-solid bulk and speed
-a little underrated due to excellent numbers when healthy (Bartolis: he has excellent numbers when healthy)
– injury issues
– balanced tight end statistically
-ridiculous hands and body control
-good hands good not great hands
-good athleticism
-excellent at reading coverage schemes to find holes in zone defenses
-good hands excellent route runner
– good quickness in and out of breaks for a tight end
-excellent footwork in route running uses deceptive head fakes to get open
-tough blocker that plays with good intensity
-average as a blocker due to lack of strength
-very thin frame could add bulk
-takes excellent angles in a zone blocking scheme
Bartolis Quick Thought
Pinialto is one of my favorite sleepers in the draft. He is a good solid fundamental player who’s stock is completely ruined by a slew of different injuries in college. Will probably be drafted in the 6th or 7th round because of injury history and because he’s not a dynmaic athlete, but he’s a very good solid football player who can be productive as a blocker and receiver at the next level, which could make him ideal as a #2 TE to start his career.
North Carolina Defense
Robert Quinn #42
-could add a little bulk and be 4-3 defensive end could lose bulk and become 3-4 outside linebacker
– great prospect very very fast
-great physical tools Eversen Griffen like tools unlike Griffen he has good numbers
-great pass rusher pretty good run stopper
– had brain surgery in high school
-not a lot of strength great speed and quickness off the ball good fundamentals with the speed rush actually looks overrated because all of his 11 sacks were against The Citadel East Carolina Virginia Boston College Duke Georgia Southern
– good tackler can be a little immature punching Orlando Franklin after a dirty play
– no pass rush moves
Bartolis Quick thought:
What a fantastic athlete, but Mackenzie brings up a good point about his production not being great vs the better players in college. Quinn is super athletic, but with the year of missed football he’s one of the most compelling pre-season draft stories to follow. A huge off-season could vault him well into the top 10, but bad interviews or if he looks out of shape and overweight he could fall down in the first round.
Marvin Austin #9
–where did my notes on him go?
– excellent speed and athleticism
– real underachiever
-slightly below average sack production and tackle production once very highly recruited
– solid height and bulk
Tydreke Powell #91
– solid height bulk and athleticism
– a backup with no stats but he was productive in the LSU game in which every player on the team except him was suspended
-best as a pass rusher statistically
Zach Brown #47
-pretty thin
-very fast
-decent height good tackle numbers
-no sack production
– stats suggest he is poor in coverage
-very fast very good tackler not extremely aggressive or physical
-solid tackler with good strength for size
Charles Brown #12
– good tackle numbers
– shorter than ideal
-another North Carolina defender stats suggest he is good in coverage and he has mediocre hands
-good bulk solid speed
-pretty poor hands
– somewhat quick to react
– short arms
-excellent physicality
-very smart
– plays hard
-excellent on field awareness
-seems very fast on field
-takes excellent angles to the ball carrier
– good at shedding off blocks
-excellent tackler
-great instincts
-outstanding tackler
-looks really good and physical
– excellent tackler
-good upper body strength
-slightly above average route recognition skills
Deunta Williams #27
-good size good bulk
– solid tackle numbers
-stats suggest he is great in coverage and he has outstanding hands
-good speed looks
– a little underrated looks good had pass interference but it was a smart penalty
– pretty good in coverage
-excellent physicality
– excellent use of hands and size
-good coverage technique
-consistently in great position in man coverage will occasionally be out of position in zone coverage
– very aggressive plays with excellent intensity
– pretty effective tackler
-terrifyingly hard hitter
-plays hard
-average in coverage over the middl
-e good strength and toughness
– fast
Bartolis Quick thought
Right now it seems Williams stock is in the 3rd or 4th round range which would make him excellent value at that point. Williams, like a lot of the North Carolina players has to do very well in the interview process to move up, but he has the ability to be a second round pick in the draft. I like a lot of the North Carolina players this year because of the unique circumstances which pushes their value down
Da’Norris Searcy #21
-poor numbers
– poor tackle numbers
-deflects some passes but he has very poor hands
-solid size bulk
-slightly below average speed
– looks really overrated
– good football speed
-solid recovery speed
-can play punt returner
-excellent tackler
– average tackler
-lacks a lot of strength
– poor in coverage
– not suspended
Bruce Carter #54
-good size and speed
-stats are a little down
-not a great pass rusher
-hard hitter
-good at shedding off blocks
-outstanding athleticism
-talented player
-slight under performer
-fine instincts
-fine effort all over the field
-great tackler
-agile smart aggressive
-not great in coverage
-great speed
-consistent tackler
-excellent angles
-good impact creates a fine amount of pressure
-good in pursuit
-good awareness in coverage
– fast in pursuit
-great in coverage
-good upper body strength
Bartolis Quick Thought:
Bruce Carter reminds me of Jason Pierre Paul last year in the way that people will describe him as a great ahtlete, but not a great football player, but something I learned from last year moving forward is this: Great athleticism is good, but the two more important things are Instincts, and hustle. Bruce Carter has average instincts, which is acceptable with his tremendous athleticism. And he also hustles. Hustling is much more important than anything else in the N.F.L. I think if Carter shows he’s over his injury, or that it won’t be a long term problem he’ll have a good chance of booming as opposed to busting because of his great hustle and fine instincts.
Kendric Burney #16
-tackles are down interceptions are up
-very short
-great speed
-poor not physical tackler
– high effort
-good run stopper statistically
-poor balance
– pretty good instincts
-football speed is a liitle worse than track speed
– not really physical or aggressive
– decent tackler
-takes good angles
– good in pursuit
– very fast effort
– is a little inconsistent
-can be pretty explosive
-inconsistent tackler in traffic but can be good overall
– starting to seem like a better tackler
– average at getting around blocks
-seems more physical at end of game played better in the more important clutch time
-excellent hands
-quick to react
-always in good position
-good hands
-good vision when returning interceptions
Bartolis Quick Thought
I like Kendric Bruney a lot, even though he is undersized which is going to be the biggest thing he’s going to have to overcome. I think at his best though he can be Asante Samuel. Samuel is not a great run stopper, but he’s a very willing run stopper. Samuel also gets by with great awarness, good hands, great timing and a understanding of the nuisances of the game like Bruney. Bruney’s not going to blow anyone away with his measurables because he is shorter and not really strong. I think his talent should be a second round, but will probably be drafted in the 3rd or 4th.
Quan Sturdivant #52
-excellent overall tackle numbers but they are down
– fine size
– very good speed
– decent at reading the quarterback’s eyes
– good awareness in coverage
-plays pretty hard
-above average at blitzing for an inside linebacker
-good instincts
-good at diagnosing plays
– good tackler
-hard hitter
-pretty good in pursuit
-hard hitter
– hustles on special teams
-very aggressive
-not a lot of strength not great at disengaging from blocks
-takes good angles can be driven off the ball
-good range
– pretty good athlete
-good tackler
– excellent instincts
Quinton Coples #90
– looks underrated
-actually isn’t suspended
– excellent height good bulk for 4-3 defensive end position won’t be a 3-4 outside linebacker or defensive end
-no numbers prior to this year (except for a surprising sack total in limited playing time)
-finally getting outstanding production now that everyone in front of him is suspended
-excellent sack production
-solid tackle numbers
This wraps up our Scout’s eye for the North Carolina Tar Heels. We have now done two scout’s eye’s so far: North Carolina and Alabama.
Leave a message and let me know if there are any teams you would like to see next and let us now what you think of the series.