NFL

Strengths: Ball skills Absolute ballhawk Dangerous with the ball in his hands Elite, rare hands for a cornerback Takeaways Splash plays Great at jumping routes Reaction skills Should be a good zone corner Straight-line speed Can be physical with offensive players Good run defense Potential to develop some man-coverage skills Upside Weaknesses: Bites on double…

Career Recap: Thomas has been an impact defender for the Cardinal since his freshman season. He started his career in 2009 as a defensive end and made eight starts at the position. The freshman had 36 tackles and four sacks. Thomas was moved to outside linebacker in 2010 in Stanford’s 3-4 defense, and that position…

Strengths: Consistently gets separation Route-running Quickness Sudden out of his breaks Beats defensive backs for contested catches Quick feet Can work as a possession receiver Has some strength Makes plays downfield Good body control to make tough sideline catches Adept at finding soft spots in zone Effective operating in all levels of the defense Third-down…

Strengths: Elite run-blocker Absolute road grader, and devastating on the ground Tremendous short-area quickness Great at hitting blocks on the second level Excellent pass-protector Mirrors speed-rushers Anchors well Stonewalls bull rushes Powerful drive-blocker Great at pulling Intelligent Great technique with hand placement Textbook knee bend Rock-solid pass-protector Winner at collegiate level Excellent in short yardage…

Strengths: Natural pass-rush ability Phenomenal in pursuit Repertoire of pass-rushing moves Enough speed to get around the corner Decent bull rush Ability to shed blocks Active hands Agility to sink his hips/shoulders Splash plays Fantastic motor, goes balls to the wall for 60 minutes Plays with good pad level Does well as a pass-rushing defensive…

Strengths: Elite athleticism Explosive speed Extremely fluid Phenomenal playing in space Dangerous pass-rusher Extremely fast rushing off the edge Excellent ability to drop in coverage Very fast Quick twitch; sudden athlete Good tackler Excellent in pursuit Closes quickly Great length Frame to get bigger Has some ball-skills in pass coverage Intelligent; can learn multiple positions…

Strengths: Road-grading run-blocker Very powerful Ability to sustain blocks Extremely physical Has a mean streak Bullies defenders Raises his level of play in big games Athletic Has good length Has some quickness to the second level Perfect for a man-blocking scheme Lots of experience against first-round talents Fiery leader Weaknesses: Poor pass-blocking technique Heavy feet…

Strengths: Cover corner who rarely allows separation Excellent in bump-and-run Can run with receivers in and out of breaks Plus speed Has some ball skills and slaps lots of passes away Play-maker; the capacity to make clutch game-changing plays Can flip his hips to turn and run Good tackler Quality height, bulk Not a gambler…

Strengths: Very powerful defender Extremely strong hands Excellent run-defender Can overwhelm linemen with his power Very physical Stout at the point of attack Controls his gap Steady motor Experience against double-teams Disruptive Causes havoc at the line of scrimmage Uses hands well Plays with good leverage Pad level Quickness Hard worker Dedicated to weight room…

Strengths: Dual-Threat Quarterback Powerful arm Excellent mobility Size & strength Escapability Experienced Quick release Weaknesses: Not a natural passer Decision-making Field vision Struggles to work through progressions Runs to quickly Spotty accuracy Can panic at times Didn’t play as well against good defenses Summary: Entering Manuel’s senior season, there were some that were projecting him…