Scouting Report

Broderick Jones 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Chris McGlynn Draft, NFL, Scouting Reports , , , ,

Name: Broderick Jones
Position: Offensive Tackle
School: Georgia
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 311 lbs
Games watched: vs. South Carolina (2022), vs. Georgia Tech (2022), vs. Oregon (2022), vs. Tennessee (2021)

Broderick Jones heads to the NFL as one of the most accomplished offensive linemen in this class, with two national championships to his name. You didn’t hear about Jones too much, which is usually good for an offensive lineman. He started 19 games at left tackle for Georgia, the final four of 2021 and all 15 of 2022. He did not allow a sack in his redshirt sophomore campaign. The Bulldogs also finished second in the voting for the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in the country.

At this point, Jones seems like a lock for the first-round and could even wind up coming off the board in the top 15 of the 2023 NFL draft. He will be the latest in-state prospect to move from Georgia to the pros. With 1st-team All-SEC honors this past season, the former five-star recruit seems to be hitting his stride at the right time. It is easy to think of progression as linear for young athletes, while in reality player development is wildly unpredictable. That being said, there is a lot to like about Jones’ long-term potential.

Pros

Jones is a fluid mover. He has an excellent first step off the line and looks very comfortable in his pass block slide kick. A lot of that boils down to his polished footwork. He has very heavy hands to control opposing linemen. He handles pass rush stunts well and does a nice job getting out into space on screen plays. One of the small things that really stood out to me was his ability to locate defenders while he was out in space. So often, linemen will simply run downfield and hit anyone in their path. Jones will actively seek out trailing defenders. For a player that has fewer than 20 career college starts, he is a pretty savvy blocker. He handles overly aggressive edge rushers well, especially against the run. Jones also does a nice job setting the edge on outside zone plays. He is a natural athlete with room to add to his frame. His upper body strength is apparent when you watch him play, often dominating quality competition.

Cons

For as powerful as Jones already is, he needs to spend more time in the weight room. There is room to add weight to his frame, particularly in his lower body. He will need that added mass to anchor against the best the NFL has to offer. While he does a nice job as a pass blocker, he is susceptible to inside rush moves. Much of that can come down to his hand usage and coaching. It is something that you see with a lot of college tackles. He has room to improve pad level in the run game, sometimes playing a bit too upright. He will need to clean up his hand usage a bit as well.

Synopsis

Jones checks every box when it comes to the intangibles you want in an offensive tackle prospect. He has great length (34.75-inch arms) and a great frame to build around. He is a little bit light at 311 pounds for a 6’5″ left tackle, but I think he will be able to add to that. He has really strong technique as a pass blocker and the makings of a good run blocker. He went up against some great competition in the SEC. I believe he will be capable of competing for a starting job from Day 1 and that he has the potential to be a perennial All-Pro with the right coaching. He played in a pro style offense at Georgia under Todd Monken. It would be the best fit for him, but he can definitely be scheme versatile. The only place I could see him struggling up front would be in a power run scheme.

Ideal scheme fit: West Coast or Outside Zone-heavy offense

Grade: 87.5

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Hendon Hooker 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Chris McGlynn Draft, NFL, Scouting Reports , , , ,

Name: Hendon Hooker
Position: Quarterback
School: Tennessee
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 217 lbs
Games watched: vs. Pittsburgh (2022), vs. Florida (2022), vs. Alabama (2022), vs. LSU (2022)

For a while, it felt like the conversation around the quarterback position in the 2023 draft was only going to feature four names. Hendon Hooker changed all of that at the Senior Bowl and the combine, wowing teams with his demeanor, work on the board and football IQ. Hooker is one of the toughest players in this draft class to evaluate. On one hand, he is coming off a Heisman-worthy campaign playing the SEC and has tons of starting experience under his belt. On the other hand, Hooker is already 25 years old and coming off a torn ACL suffered in November. Opinions on him are wide-ranging, with some folks banging the table for him to be the third quarterback off the board and others maintaining that he should be drafted in the third round.

Hooker, like so many others in this class, is well-traveled by this stage in his career. He spent his first four collegiate seasons at Virginia Tech, starting the final two. He transferred to Tennessee in 2021 and turned in a pair of impressive seasons for the Vols. He wasn’t even the starter when he arrived in Knoxville, taking over the starting job in Week 3 from Joe Milton and never looking back. He will get knocked for playing in Josh Heupel’s spread system, which is very quarterback-friendly and does not require signal callers to make the same post-snap reads that are expected at the NFL level. To his credit, he still had to carve up opposing defenses and he made a habit of it. Hooker amassed 6,080 yards passing, 58 touchdowns and just five interceptions while completing 68.8 percent of his passes at Tennessee. That type of productivity gets you noticed quickly.

Pros

Hooker is a very consistent passer. His throwing motion is clean and his release is the same just about every time he releases the ball. He has the ability to push the ball down the field and has above average zip on his passes. He climbs the pocket well when given time. Hooker’s deep ball is one of the best in the class and he threw a ton of them this past season at Tennessee. He has great size, including massive hands, for the position. He also rarely turned the ball over in his college career. While he draws more attention for his throwing ability, Hooker is a much better runner than I anticipated. He accounted for over 2,000 rushing yards in his career, displaying good straight line speed and the ability to make defenders miss in the open field. His mobility allows him to extend plays and makes him an asset in zone read and RPO sets.

Cons

Despite the high completion percentage, accuracy is not Hooker’s strong suit. His ball placement is spotty and he is guilty of missing open looks. He certainly hits more than he misses, but the misses are noticeable on his film. Those issues make me think he is not a great fit for a West Coast style offense. Additionally, his throwing motion is a bit longer. I would love to see him tighten that up at the next level. Hooker was rarely asked to go through his progressions or throw into tight windows at Tennessee, both things he will need to do a lot of at the next level. He has a tendency to take off running when his first read is not there or he feels pressure rather than rolling out of the pocket to extend the play. I believe that can be fixed in time. His internal clock has room for improvement. Hooker is also guilty of having his footwork fail him. He will need to clean up his lower body mechanics. At his age, he has to be considered close to a finished product development wise. No telling how he will rebound from his major knee injury, which will likely cost him at least a part of his rookie season.

Synopsis

Hooker definitely has the arm talent to compete in the NFL, but the question remains if he can perform consistently enough to be an NFL starter. His physical traits and mental makeup make him an intriguing prospect. If he was a bit younger, I think he would have a stronger case for being the top quarterback taken in this draft class. He might take a little bit of time to adapt to the speed of the NFL and playing in a pro-style system, but the intangibles are there for him to become a solid NFL starter in the right situation.

Ideal scheme fit: Zone-read/RPO heavy scheme or spread offense

Grade: 84.5

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Peter Skoronski 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, Scouting Reports , , , ,

Name: Peter Skoronski
Position: Offensive Lineman
School: Northwestern
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 313 lbs
Games watched: vs. Penn State (2022), vs. Duke (2022), vs. Wisconsin (2022), vs. Ohio State (2022), vs. Purdue (2021), vs. Michigan (2021)

He has the physical skill, technique and experience to be an elite tackle prospect, but Peter Skoronski will inevitably draw criticism for his below-average length. NFL offensive tackle have an average arm length around 34 inches. Skoronski measured in with 32.25-inch arms at the scouting combine last month. That is three-quarters of an inch shorter than his former teammate Rashawn Slater. It raises questions about his ability to play the position at the NFL level.

Skoronski was originally recruited as a center when he was coming out of high school, but he never actually played the position for Northwestern. With Slater opting out of the 2020 season, he started at left tackle as a true freshman and never gave the position up. Over the past three years, he faced top talent in the Big Ten, including Aidan Hutchinson, George Karlaftis and Zach Harrison. He has good moments on tape against each of them. He is a talented run blocker with room to improve in the passing game.

Pros

Skoronski is an elite run blocker. He can fit into a variety of schemes thanks to his movement skills and strong base. He finishes blocks well and shows the ability to reach the second level. While he does not do it too often, he can be an asset as a pulling blocker and he does well getting out to block for screen plays. His hand usage is impressive and his footwork is fairly clean. I was really impressed with his ability to flip his hips to seal off defenders in the run game and he clearly understands angles of attack. He handles bullrushes well for the most part. He also does an excellent job handling stunts from the defensive line, passing off pass rushers and getting himself into position to take his next assignment.

Cons

The biggest knock on Skoronski is his below average arm length. It is an uncontrollable, but length is vitally important to playing tackle at the NFL level. It contributes to his struggles against speed rushers. He got beat around the outside by speed moves too often for my liking. For as impressive as he looked in the run game, Skoronski will whiff on blocks on occasion. It is usually a product of him dropping his head and not seeing what he is hitting. His hand usage is good, but he does not have the heavy hands you are used to seeing from tackles at the pro level. He has some room to clean up his footwork in pass protection as well.

Synopsis

While some will want Skoronski to play guard right away, I think his technique and athleticism could be enough to overcome the lack of ideal length. His tape is impressive enough for me to at least give him a shot at playing tackle. He will need some help when facing bendy speed rushers like Von Miller and Maxx Crosby. However, he will be an asset in the run and screen game immediately. He is a fairly polished tackle who could slot inside at guard and excel as well if needed.

Ideal scheme fit: Zone run, RPO-heavy offense or West Coast offense

Grade: 87.5

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Will Levis 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, NFL, Scouting Reports , , , ,

Name: Will Levis
Position: Quarterback
School: Kentucky
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 229 lbs
Games watched: vs. Ole Miss (2022), vs. Mississippi State (2022), vs. Georgia (2021), vs. Tennessee (2021), vs. Missouri (2021), Florida (2022)

Which version of Will Levis do you believe is the real one? The 2021 version that led Kentucky to a strong 10-3 season surrounded by decent NFL talent and playing in a better offensive scheme is what pushed Levis into the first-round conversation. The 2022 season plagued by injuries with a worse supporting cast and a new offensive scheme is why there is still discussion about where he will land.

Levis is unquestionably talented. However, his stats are far from eye-popping. He had 43 passing touchdowns over the past two seasons along with 23 interceptions. He makes up for some of the turnovers with his production on the ground. He had nine touchdowns on the ground in 2021. His two in 2022 can likely be chalked up to injuries to his lower body. For as much as we penalize Levis for his 2022 campaign, there really was not too much statistical drop off. At 23 years old, Levis is a bit further along in his development than several of the other quarterbacks in this class, but there is still some untapped potential in his game.

Pros

Levis has one of the strongest arms in this class. He has great zip on his throws and is capable of hitting every spot on the field. His throwing motion is also very fluid. The release is clean and consistent. His mobility is a huge plus in his game. He does an excellent job flipping his hips out of a rollout to get himself in position to throw downfield. Some of the window throws he makes on the run are absolutely ridiculous. As a runner, he has good straight line speed and decent wiggle. He will make defensive linemen miss in the pocket with his agility. Levis is known for finishing runs as well with power. At roughly 230 pounds, he is not an easy player to bring down.

Cons

Unfortunately, Levis’ accuracy does not match the rest of his arm talent. He really struggles to make throws over the middle and is guilty of throwing behind his receiver. The ball placement is just not there consistently enough, with Levis missing high a bit too often for my liking. His deep ball accuracy is a bit spotty as well, but he will dial up a gem every once in a while. His footwork needs some cleaning up, especially when he is forced off his spot. You could tell he trusted his offensive line less in 2022, which led to him dropping back too far or drifting out of clean pockets. His post snap progression is decent, but he will need to speed up his decision making at the next level. His anticipation on timing routes definitely needs to be faster as well. I do worry a little bit about his durability given how reckless he is with his body as a runner.

Synopsis

Levis dazzles with his arm talent and physicality, but he is still a bit raw given how much experience he had in college. His 2021 tape is much better than the 2022 tape. He definitely has a turnover problem that he will need to address. I do believe he will look more like the 2021 version we saw if he can get healthy and play in a better offensive scheme. There is a reason Kentucky brought back Liam Coen, who was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. It will take some time to see Levis reach his full potential. If he can stay healthy, I think he can be an above-average starter in the NFL.

Ideal scheme fit: RPO-heavy offense

Grade: 81.5

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C.J. Stroud 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, NCAAF, Scouting Reports , , , ,

Name: C.J. Stroud
Position: Quarterback
School: Ohio State
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 218 lbs
Games watched: vs. Penn State (2022), vs. Iowa (2022), vs. Wisconsin (2022), vs. Michigan (2022), vs. Michigan (2021), vs. Georgia (2022)

Heading into the national championship game, the narrative around C.J. Stroud was heading in the wrong direction. He had struggled at points during his junior season. There were a number of questions around his mobility and his completion percentage was down from the year before. Then, he quieted the critics with a masterclass performance against Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Stroud’s incredible showcase of pocket awareness, scrambling ability and playmaking outside of the pocket. It pushed Stroud back into the QB1 conversation once again.

When it comes to evaluating Stroud though, it is hard to separate what he accomplished from the supporting cast he had in Columbus. During his two years as a starter, he threw to Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Ebuka. Two of them were already first round picks. Smith-Njigba figures to be one this year. Harrison Jr. and Ebuka likely will be in 2024. On top of that, he had a good offensive line and a strong stable of running backs. Can Stroud manage to perform without that elite supporting cast? That is the question NFL teams will have to answer before draft day.

Pros

Stroud has some fantastic tape to showcase his arm talent. The throwing motion is effortless. He has above average zip on passes and some really impressive deep accuracy. His touch on short and intermediate throws is impressive as well. His ball placement is strong, but could be even better. He does a nice job spreading the ball around, which is easier with the depth of receiver talent, but it would be easy for him to target Harrison Jr. on every play. As I already mentioned, that mobility he displayed in the Georgia game answered a lot of questions about his ability to make plays outside the pocket. Stroud does not have elite speed or quickness, but his physical skills are definitely in line with the requisite athleticism to play the quarterback position in the modern NFL where quarterbacks need to use their legs in order to be successful.

Cons

For as great as Stroud played against Georgia, he has several maddening moments on his tape. He routinely took sacks after holding the ball in the pocket for too long. I would love to see him throw the ball away when it isn’t there. Prior to facing the Bulldogs, Stroud did not display much ability to create outside the pocket. He started slow against a number of Big Ten opponents this season, but wound up finishing strong. You can slice that any way you like, but the inconsistency is a bit of a concern for me. He has a strong enough arm to make most plays, but his lack of elite arm strength will show up if he is asked to fit passes into small spaces downfield.

Synopsis

Of the quarterbacks projected to go in the first round this season, Stroud feels like the safest prospect. He is close to pro ready and seems to be trending in the right direction. He has the prototypical size of an NFL quarterback without the turnover concerns of players like Anthony Richardson and Will Levis. Stroud had 85 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions over the past two seasons. He might not have all the elite physical traits, but I think he checks enough boxes to be a quality NFL starter. I think there is Pro Bowl potential for Stroud, but he might never crack All-Pro status.

Ideal scheme fit: Vertical passing offense

Grade: 88

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