NFL Draft Notebook: Peyton Manning scouting report coming out of college
By John Blair
- The next great Ohio State defensive end might be Zach Harrison. While Harrison has not produced at an overly high level he has all the skills to be a high first-round pick. The first trait he possesses that is a major plus for him is his outstanding speed. He has been timed at 4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash and definitely flashes this speed on the field. In addition to his speed he has the size the NFL likes coming in at 6-foot-6 and 268 pounds and this size allows him to hold up vs. the run fairly well. If he can come close to double-digit sacks and continues to improve vs the run it would not be a shock if Harrison was a top ten pick next April.
- Despite posting 10 tackles for loss including 6.5 sacks North Carolina State defensive end Daniel Joseph is being overlooked. While Joseph lacks ideal size and speed he could be a perfect fit in a 3-4 defense. He has the ability to play this position in the NFL due to his outstanding hand use which consistently allows him to keep defenders off him. He also has a quick short burst as a pass rusher which is all you need from a 3-4 defensive end.
- Minnesota’s Boye Mafe is one of the better athletes in this year’s defensive end class. According to Bruce Feldman, Mafe has posted some impressive testing numbers a 4.57 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical jump and a 400-pound power clean. He has also produced on the football field when healthy leading the Gophers with four sacks in just six games last season. The concerns come with him supporting the run. He is routinely overpowered in this area and will have to improve in this area to be anything more than a late-round draft pick.
- When looking at purely his ability on the field Florida’s Brenton Cox has the look of a first-round pick. Cox plays a combination of outside linebacker and defensive end for the Gators and is one of the most athletic defensive ends in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has a knack for making plays as well, leading Florida in hurries with 18 and tied for first with 9.5 tackles for loss. However, the big concern with him might be off the field. He was arrested for marijuana as a freshman and was later kicked off the Georgia football team which led to him transferring to Florida.
- One of the more interesting stories in this year’s draft class is that of Missouri defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat. Jeffcoat had a promising freshman season playing all 13 games and going into his sophomore season was likely to start. Unfortunately, though he suffered an elbow injury that kept him out of fall camp and it was later announced in the season that Jeffcoat had unenrolled from the University of Missouri. Jeffcoat decided to return to school last season just ten days before the team’s season opener and it may have been the best decision of his life. He went on to be named All-SEC and finished the year with six sacks. If Jeffcoat can improve on those solid numbers this year and answers the question of why he left school he could be a mid-round draft pick.
- While it would not be a surprise to see Ohio State’s Tyreek Smith move up the draft board this year his lack of production does not match up to his top 10 defensive end ranking by both Mel Kiper and NFL Draft Scout. In his three seasons with the Buckeyes he has only had five sacks and last season was only able to account for nine tackles and two sacks. Part of his lack of production can be attributed to his poor hand use and his inability to get off blocks.
- It will be interesting to see how Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson fits in new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s scheme. The Wolverines will look to use Hutchinson in a similar way to the Ravens use their defensive ends including lining him as a linebacker at times and asking him to drop into coverage. This might not be the best fit for Hutchinson as the best part of his game is his strength and ability to stuff the run. It also doesn’t help that Hutchinson is only an average athlete and lacks the fluid hips to hold up in coverage.