Kevin Avery

4MR Draft Profiles – Aaron Banks

NFL Draft

Aaron Banks (OG #69)

6’5  330 lbs

21 y/o Senior University of Notre Dame

(Credits:onefootdown.com)

Games watched: vs. Clemson ‘20, vs. Alabama ‘20, vs. Georgia ‘19

 

Summary:

Aaron Banks played as a two-way player for four years at El Cerrito High School in Northern California, where he spent three years playing OT and one year playing OG. Banks was a four-star member of the PrepStar Top 300 Dream Team, ranked as the 127th player in the class of 2017 and the 19th OT.

In 2017 he enrolled at Notre Dame and began taking classes in January.

Banks spent his freshman season on the scout team. In the following season, Banks got playing time in the first seven games. He started his first game at LG vs. Navy and remained in that role for the remaining six games.

Banks’ junior season in 2019 saw him start all 13 games, which resulted in him only giving up two sacks on 844 snaps played.

At the end of his final collegiate season, Banks received 1st team All ACC and 1st team Associated Press All American honors. His efforts on the field also made him a Joe Moore finalist for best offensive line unit and a spot on the Outland Trophy watch list for “best interior lineman.”

Banks received an invitation to the 2021 Senior bowl, where he was a National team player.

 

Strengths:

  • Has ideal NFL size to play left guard and right guard
  • Plays with exceptional raw natural power
  • Comes off the snap with low pads
  • Has very violent hands that consistently delivers disruptive blows
  • Quickly gets vertical to block LBs on 2nd level
  • Plays with a wide base which allows sunken hips to maintain leverage.
  • Good athleticism for his size but not elite.
  • Has a very nasty mauler mentality which left several defenders down
  • Always look for extra defenders to block on every play.

 Weaknesses:

  • Struggles to block moving targets in open space.
  • Lateral footwork is below average
  • Plays with heavy feet too often
  • Can be knocked off balance if defenders beat him to the punch.
  • Slow recovery time if his blocking angles are not on point
  • Needs to be more consistent with good knee bend

 

Conclusion:

Aaron Bank’s natural abilities are evident when he plays either in a power-run or gap blocking scheme. If he could drop his weight down to around the 315 – 320 pound range, it would help elevate his athleticism from average to above average. His physical style and power will allow him to contend for a starting job if he goes to the right team. The correct position coach can elevate him to becoming one of the top guards in the NFL in a few years.

 

 

 Overall Grade: 5.5 (Day 1 starter in power run scheme or starter in 1-2 years with zone blocking scheme )

 

 

 

 

 

 

4MR Draft Profiles – Deonte Brown

NFL Draft

Deonte Brown (#65)
6’4” 350 lbs
22 y/o Senior Alabama

(rolltidewire.usatoday.com)

Games watched: vs. Ohio State (‘20), vs. Auburn (‘19) vs. LSU (‘18)

 

Summary:

Deonte Brown came out of high school as a four star prospect who was
ranked as the 6th best offensive guard nationally. He chose Alabama over
Auburn and Tennessee.
He redshirted his first year in 2016. In 2017, he played in all 14 games, but
only on the field goal block unit and as an extra lineman in some offensive
formations.

During the 2018 season he started five games at left guard but was
suspended for the two BCS playoff games.
After missing the first four games of the 2019 season due to suspension
he started the nine remaining games at right guard. He more than held his
own in the much hyped battle between him and Auburn All American
Derrick Brown. In that game he only allowed 1.5 hurries, no sacks with no
penalties.
His senior season in 2020 saw him be named preseason 1st team All
American, 1st team All SEC and named to the Outland Trophy Watch List.
Overall he played 843 snaps but missed only two assignments, committed
four penalties, allowed 0.5 sacks, one QB pressure and five QB hurries.

 

Strengths:

● Can effectively play both LG and RG.
● Extremely powerful functional strength.
● Plays with a great balanced anchor in both run and pass plays
● Very solid quickness with arms and feet movement.
● Very consistent with hands making the initial contact
● Good awareness level and solid football IQ.
● Dominant run blocker that can get to the 2nd level
● Effective pass blocker that stops inside rushes.

 

Weaknesses:

● Needs to maintain blocks a little longer
● Below average flexibility and average athleticism.
● Can struggle to readjust when defender beats him off the snap
● Can struggle with agile and athletic defenders
● Needs to maintain good leverage while blocking on extended plays.

 

Conclusion:

Deonte Brown’s natural abilities are at their best at power man blocking
schemes. His ability to move for his size will allow him to open up huge
holes wherever he goes. Brown plays with that nasty mean streak that can

set the tone. Still can use some coaching up to refine some fundamentals
to elevate him to the next level, But definitely in short yardage situations
he is the one to run behind.

 

Overall Grade: 6.0 (Solid Day-1 Starter)

 

4MR Draft Profiles – Josh Myers

NFL Draft

Josh Myers (#71)
6’5” 312 lbs
21 y/o Junior Ohio State

(photo credits: theozone.net)

Games watched: vs Northwestern (‘20), vs Michigan (‘19), vs Penn St (‘19)

 

Summary:

Josh Myers is a two year starter for the Ohio State Buckeyes offensive line.
In 2018 he was the backup center behind All American Michael Jordan.
He started in 2019 and ended up being named 2nd team All Big Ten.
Played in eight games in 2020 including the BCS championship game.

Strengths:

● Exceptional lateral ability to reach block from 0T to 3T DTs.
● Above average functional strength and power.
● Plays with consistent low pad level.
● Maintains good hand placement while blocking defenders.

● Gets great bend with his hips.
● Consistently able to get to the 2nd level to block LBs.
● Very good at pull blocking to get out on the edges.
● Excels at the inside zone blocking schemes.
● Above average run blocker.

Weaknesses:

● Improve reaction time to defensive line stunts and blitzes.
● Improve short area quickness to engage single blocks on DTs.
● Needs to maintain better balance while engaged with defenders..
● Needs to improve his overall athleticism

Conclusion:

Josh Myers natural abilities are at their best at zone blocking schemes. He
has the strength to be effective in power blocking but needs to improve his
balance significantly. Although he has only played center in college he has
the tools and football IQ to play guard as well. He will be a very solid NFL
starter who could potentially become a Pro Bowler.

 

Overall Grade: 6.5 (Day 1 Solid Starter with Pro Bowl potential)

 

 

 

 

4MR Draft Profiles – Rashawn Slater

NFL Draft

Rashawn Slater (OT, OG, C #70)

 

6’3 310 lbs
21 y/o Senior Northwestern

(Picture by: ESPN.com)

Games watched: vs Mich St (‘17), vs Wisconsin (‘18), vs Ohio St (‘19)

Summary:

A three-year starter on the offensive line who opted out of his senior season in
2020.
His freshman year in 2017 at RT resulted in him being named to the All-
Freshman Big 10 team.
His sophomore year in 2018 ended up with him being named the 4th best OT by
Pro Football Focus.
His junior year he switched to LT and he dominated with giving up zero sacks,
one QB hit, and five QB hurries in 11 games played.
Before opting out, he was a preseason All American and on the Outland Trophy
watch list.

Strengths:

● Natural knee bender
● Consistent hand placement
● Exceptional footwork and balance
● Extremely athletic and agile
● Plays with low leverage
● Gets quick depth in his drops
● Anchors his hips down properly
● Excels at combo blocks
● Easily gets to 2nd level blocks
● Sustains block until the whistle blows
● Best at zone blocking schemes
● Can play both sides of the offensive line with the same efficiency
● Very high football IQ

Weaknesses:

● Does not have a long wingspan for typical NFL OT.
● Needs to improve functional strength
● Does not blow DL off the line of scrimmage
● Does not possess heavy hands

Conclusion:

Rashawn Slater’s natural abilities are at their best in an inside/outside zone
blocking scheme. However, he is capable of being effective in any blocking
scheme. He can play all five positions effectively.
Due to having shorter arm length preferred at the NFL level, some may see him
better as a center or a guard. He is more than capable of performing at a high
level at left tackle. His ability to be fundamentally sound, awesome athleticism,
and extremely versatile makes him NFL ready on Day 1.

Overall Grade: 7 (Perennial Pro Bowler)

 

 

Hot Takes w/Monty: Week 11 Rush Review vs. Detroit Lions

Hot Takes with Monty

Boy doesn’t it feel good to get a big decisive win?

Waking up this morning celebrating a 20-0 victory, after coming off a five game losing streak, truly does the soul some good and was right on time too. With Thanksgiving just a couple of days away Sunday’s game gave us a lot to be thankful for. Sure there are still a lot of things that need to be fixed with this roster. We likely aren’t playing for any type of playoff positioning this season. That being said there are three very winnable games still left on our schedule. This team is looking like they are starting to finally click. We could end the 2020 season on a high note with a couple of late season victories. No need to beat around the bush here so let’s jump right in to things.

Week 11’s Hot Takes w/ Monty

• Next Man Up

The quarterback position is and has always arguably been the most talked about position in the NFL. They receive the most praise when their teams win and they receive the most blame when their team loses. So it’s only right that coming into this week’s game with Teddy Bridgewater coming off of a knee MCL sprain, that whoever would be named the starter at QB, was going to be the hot topic of Week 11. The decision to sit Teddy came one hour before kickoff and was a good one to make. So with Teddy out, PJ Walker was named the starter which would be his 1st ever in the NFL. Walker might not have been perfect in his debut, but he sure did play a very important role in helping Carolina coast to an easy victory over Detroit. Walker finished the game completing 70.5% of his passes. Some of his best highlights were beautiful throws down field to DJ Moore that resulted in gains of 52 yards, and a 17 yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel. However as I said earlier, Walker wasn’t perfect by any means. He threw  costly interceptions in our own end zone that prevented us from extending the lead to an even larger margin in both the first and second half. Walker also at times made this offense look a tad bit stagnant, while staring down receivers throughout the game. This was also a big reason for his turnovers. That being said, Walker did his job and never lost his composure which is all you really can ask for. We all should be very proud and happy as fans to know we potentially have found our new backup QB moving forward.

• A Defense We All Have Been Waiting For

I think it’s fair to say for the most part we as fans have all been a tad bit critical of Phil Snow and this new look defense as a whole. We’ve all at one point or another been critical of this “bend but don’t break” philosophy we currently play by in 2020. We’ve all had questions about this young core of defenders and about how they would actually adjust to the speed of the NFL. Or just how well would we play as a unit with no real off-season or preseason to go by. All of which are good reasons might I add. For a large portion of the season, our defense as a whole has looked subpar at best. Sunday’s contest felt a lot like this teams coming out party on the defensive side of the ball and I absolutely loved every second of it. Now let me start by saying, I recognize Detroit isn’t a playoff contending team and that they too have a laundry list of issues that needs fixing on their roster. I also say that to say our defense played lights out in Week 11 and I’m happy to see it. We held a Matthew Stafford led offense to 185 total yards for the day while also forcing them to punt the ball off a defensive season high six times. It’s also worth noting that all season we’ve struggled on defense with getting off of the field on 3rd downs and with getting pressure on the QB. We saw this defense excel at both at a very high level. Detroit was actually 3 for 14 on 3rd downs, and we sacked Stafford a total of 5 times along with 11 QB hits with Brian Burns leading the way. Burns simply had a monster day with 2 sacks, 4 QB pressures, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup and 5 total tackles. Match that with solid performances from Marquis Haynes, Efe Obada, Yetur Gross-Matos and Shaq Thompson and you can see why we pitched a shut-out yesterday. I could talk all day about this defense, but I’ll end it short with this. If we can get a full season of games like yesterday on the defensive side of the ball then 2021 looks to be a very promising year.

• Moore Life

I’m keeping this segment short sweet and simply. DJ MOORE IS CAROLINA’S #1 WR. That’s it. That’s the point. After 11 weeks of football, Moore has quietly become one of the better WRs throughout the entire NFL. He’s currently ranked 4th overall in receiving yards and has done that with less targets and catches than Carolina’s team leader in Robby Anderson. Moore is currently leading the team in receiving yards (863), receiving TDs (4) and is also currently ranked 1st overall in yards per catch with 18.7. To make this sweeter, DJ is also on pace to break 1200+ yards receiving, on 60+ catches and will finish anywhere between 4-6 TDs on the year. This really isn’t even up for debate anymore. DJ Moore is a stud WR with elite upside and it’s about time we gave him that respect as fans.

• Offensive Game Ball(s): DJ Moore

• Defensive Game Ball(s): Entire Defensive Unit

With Minnesota next up on our schedule, it’s going to be fun watching Teddy going back to the team that drafted him and potentially watching him compete.
I myself and all the fellas at the #4ManRush would also like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and to stay safe out here.
#KeepPounding Carolina fans

Week 9: Teddy Bridgewater Film Review vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Justifications with JaDarius

This past week the Carolina Panthers suffered a close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. A continuing narrative amongst national media and Panther nation alike is that starting QB Teddy Bridgewater hurts the offense by not pushing the ball downfield. In this article I will take a closer look at some of Teddy’s missed deep balls as well as some of his best throws.

Missed deep balls:

1st and 10: 0:15 in the 1st quarter (intended for Robby Anderson)

 

-Panthers are in 12 personnel with twin TEs. Robby gains leverage after an inside release and climbs the middle,then breaks to the corner.

-Chiefs are blitzing, leaving man coverage with a single high safety (Mathieu).

 

-Blitz is picked up by the OL with help from McCaffrey (excellent pass pro rep) and Manhertz. Mathieu sees Teddy eyeing Robby and anticipates the break, therefore closing the gap.

-The result of the play is an incompletion but Teddy did a good job of placing the throw down and away from the trailing defender and Mathieu. Robby was able to get a hand or two on the throw but unable to secure a tough catch. 

 

Good Play Call [CAR]

Good Execution (pre throw) [CAR]

Good Defensive Play [KC]

OK decision by Teddy (aided by throw).

 

2nd and 10: 1:00 in 2nd Quarter (intended for Ian Thomas)

-Panthers are using 11 personnel WR with trips right. Ian Thomas is matched up against a LB and takes the outside leverage given and stacks quickly (nicely done). Curtis Samuel and Robby Anderson both end up having a window around the 30 yard line thanks to what looks like a rub concept.

-Chiefs are playing a Cover 2 man look with off-man coverage over the bunch formation. LB Ben Niemann (#56) is playing lined up over the inside shoulder of Thomas. Safeties gain no depth which leaves them prepared to jump on intermediate breaking routes.

-It looks like Thomas breaks his route off towards the front pylon and this is where the play devolved. In my opinion, Teddy threw the pass way too flat. If he would have placed more air under the throw he could have totally cleared the nearest defenders head (he never turned around).

-Trust Ian Thomas to make the adjustment to the throw with more air under it. At worst, it could be a pass interference penalty with 1st and Goal to go. So at best it’s six points.. I am comfortable to call this a missed throw.

 

Great Play Call [CAR]

Good Execution (pre throw) [CAR]

Poor Defense [KC]

Bad throw by Teddy.

 

3rd and 27: 1:34 in the 3rd Quarter

-Panthers again in 11 personnel with twin WRs to the left. Robby has a deep out, Curtis has a post route.

-Chiefs come out in what looks like a single high look pre snap (could be Cover 3 or Cover 1 man coverage to the offense) It’s a disguised look. All the defenders run almost immediately and gain depth. They protect the sticks on third and long.

-Thomas is open after he chips the edge defender along with Mike Davis is open on the right side. However it’s 3rd down. The coverage is perfect in this situation, and the Chiefs DL got pressure with a stunt off the right side.

-Teddy put the pass out of bounds, which is not the wrong decision necessarily. But he still could have gotten some yardage back by hitting Mike Davis in the flat. They would not have picked up the 1st down, but it would have given the punt team a better chance at pinning them deep.

 

OK play call [CAR]

Poor Blocking [CAR]

Excellent Defense [KC]

OK decision by Teddy.

 

2nd and 14: 13:40 in the 4th quarter 

–Panthers come out in 12 personnel.  2 TEs (Thomas split out wide) and one RB. WRs both lined up on the right. Four verticals concept. Everybody runs streaks.

-Chiefs come to the line in a disguised Cover 2. Corners pressed up on the boundary, but it could be man or zone pre snap. They end up blitzing with six rushers. No safety help. Man coverage across the board.

-Because the Chiefs blitzers out number the Panthers blockers (6 vs 5), one rusher gets home free. Teddy did not anticipate the blitz before the snap.

-It is likely he anticipated that there was some form of man coverage because of how the defenders were lined up on the boundary, which is why he did not audible.

-Robby did have vertical leverage on his defender, but Teddy was hit on the throw resulting in an incompletion. This is a dangerous throw, but I like that he trusted his guy Robby to give him a chance one on one.

 

OK play call [CAR]

Great Defense [KC]

OK decision by Teddy.

 

Made deep balls:

1st and 10: 14:25 in 4th Quarter (Curtis Samuel 28 yard reception)

-Panthers come out in a singleback 11 personnel with DJ and Pharoah Cooper lined up on the left side. Pharoah runs a post, DJ runs a go, and Curtis has the deep over. It’s a play-action pass.

-Chiefs are in zone coverage, and the play-action fake keeps the LBs from gaining depth. The post and go route on the left side of the Panthers formation opens a hole in the coverage for the deep over route.

-The throw is a little behind Curtis.

-First read is the deep over. Many say DJ is wide open for a TD, and he did stack the CB. But if the first read is there, then that is the throw most QBs will take. This is not a missed opportunity for that reason.

-The reason why this is not necessarily a bad throw on Teddy’s end is because he is throwing to a spot. Curtis almost overran the gap in the zone. But the ball is still placed fine. 

-There is a flat defender on the left side as well as a hook zone from the middle. Teddy had to throw it before the flat defender could carry underneath the route. It’s more obvious from the end zone view.

-Probably the toughest deep ball throw Teddy made all day. He anticipated where the hole in zones would be and threw to that spot. Great grab by Curtis.

 

Excellent play call

Good Execution

OK Defense

Good throw and decision by Teddy.

1st and 10: 12:54 in the 4th Quarter (Christian McCaffrey 24 yard reception)

-Panthers line up with11 personnel shotgun formation with 2 WRs on left. Christian runs vertically out of the backfield, splitting the LBs and breaking to the front pylon at around the 25 yard line.

-Chiefs shows blitz pre snap, but drops back their LBs. Looks like Cover 1 man coverage as Zylstra gets chased across formation. One deep safety and an underneath zone by a linebacker.

-Chiefs LBs too late to regain depth when CMC goes vertical and are out of position for the throw after his break.

-Teddy makes a great throw from a muddy pocket, and CMC shows his WR-like ability to track the ball deep and make the grab.

Excellent play call [CAR]

OK Execution [CAR]

Poor Defense [KC]

Excellent Throw.

 

1st and 10: 4:42 in 4th quarter (Robby Anderson 22 yard reception)

-Panthers use 11 personnel look, two WRs to the right. Curtis is running a 5 yard curl, Robby looks to be running a flag route.

-Chiefs are in a man coverage with two deep safeties.

-Teddy trusts Robby to beat his man in coverage and leverages the throw away from the safety and towards the sideline. Classic pitch and catch in a hurry up situation.

 

 

Good play call

Good Execution

Good Defense

Great Throw.

 

3rd and 5: 0:25 in the 4th Quarter (Curtis Samuel 23 yard reception)

-Panthers are in 11 personnel once again with Robby and Curtis on the right side of formation. Verticals with an underneath crosser by DJ.

-Chiefs shows and brings a five man blitz. The flat defender both jump the crosser and stop gaining depth leaving Curtis open in between zones.

-Gave Carolina the ball at the 50 in crunch time. Great awareness by Curtis to look for the ball when he got behind the two defenders. Routine pitch and catch in the 4th Quarter.

 

OK play Call [CAR]

Good Execution [CAR]

Poor Defense [KC]

Good throw by Teddy.

 

FINAL VERDICT:

The idea that Teddy did not push the ball enough in this game is slightly overstated. I think his ability to get the ball to his playmakers in the intermediate game is extremely valuable to the offense, as it helped them sustain drives and keep Mahomes off the field. I find it hard to blame Teddy for missing some deep throws too harshly, as they scored more TDs this game than the season average, capping sustained drives with Touchdowns, which was pleasing to watch. With that being said, the deep balls started being completed in the 4th quarter. There were chances that were missed for bad throws, and bad protection. I want to see the deep ball become a bigger threat at any point in the game, but from this film it’s obvious that Teddy and Joe Brady use the intermediate and underneath game to produce deep shots.

 

TEDDY GRADE: ABOVE AVERAGE