oblomo wrote:
Arriva un Free Safety a me sconosciuto. E nemmeno dai report su nfl.com si riesce a capire il valore...
He can jump!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0P-22hhrW4
GM jr Russ Lande thinks he should be moved to CB:
" John is a very tall defender with good size and speed to play cornerback. His coordination, body control, size and speed remind you of Jason Seahorn. He is a good hitter and tackler but not a game breaking tackler, which is why he makes sense to move to cornerback. He is a well coordinated big man with the speed and natural instincts to play corner in the Nfl. Overall, he will be an excellent cover two corner and bump cover corner. I really like this kid and his ability to make football plays. He could be an adequate safety in the NFL, but due to his questionable instincts at safety we believe he is best suited top playing cornerback in the NFL and are confident he will become a good starting NFL cornerback."
ANALYSIS
Positives: Has a lean, tall frame with good muscle development, broad shoulders, tight waist and thick thighs …
With another 10 pounds of bulk, he could possible convert to a weakside linebacker in a Cover-2 scheme … Tough and aggressive playmaker with an excellent work ethic and a keen desire to win … Very coachable and team oriented, as he not only made a position switch as a senior, but took on additional duties on special teams, performing capably in any role the coaches placed him in …
Shows steady foot speed and acceleration throughout his running stride … Flashes a quick closing burst, agility, balance and body control closing on plays in front of him … Very instinctive and intelligent player, with a high amount of academic awards … Easily takes plays from the chalkboard to the playing field … Has the range to make plays along the sidelines and plays with good alertness, as he is not apt to bite on pump fakes or play action … Even though he's a bit high-cut, he has the loose hips to mirror receivers throughout the route in man coverage … Shows ease of movement and good plant-and-drive agility coming out of his backpedal … Has a good grasp of route progression and keeps his head on a swivel to track the ball in flight …
Can close on the ball in a hurry and shows the leaping ability to compete for jump balls … Built and plays like a linebacker, taking a "search and destroy" attitude as he simply crashes into blockers … Quick and active in run support, but needs to do a better job of using his hands to shed … Meets the opponent head-on when covering in the short-range passing area, daring the receiver to try and run with the ball … Suited to play "the box" in an eight-man front … Fills the holes with aggression and has the speed to cover runners coming out of the backfield … Decisive in recognizing the plays and is rarely caught out of position …
Maintains position in man coverage, often keeping a hand on his assignment to prevent separation up field … Excels at covering the underneath passes while playing in the zone … Has explosiveness when changing directions, flying to the line of scrimmage to stuff the run … Plays off blocks with force and strikes low at the legs going for the tackle … Has the hands to catch the ball outside the frame work and shows good hip snap to change direction and get back into the play when he out-runs it … Shows good speed and timing getting down field to break up the wedge on the special team coverage units … Quick to recognize the play and will not take false steps in pursuit … Hits bigger than his size indicates and makes sound decisions coming up in run force.
Negatives: Needs to use his hands more efficiently in attempts to shed blocks … Plays with good intensity, but seems to taper off later in games (possible stamina issues) … Good collision type tackler, but needs to wrap with better consistency, as he tends to take a side, resulting in the ball carrier being able to slip off some hits … Needs to do a better job of protecting his feet working near the pile (susceptible to low blocks) … Has very good timed speed, but lacks that explosive second gear or burst to get back into the play … Can't be relied upon as anything more than an emergency fill-in on kickoff returns, as he lacks the hip swerve or wiggle to elude heading up field … Good at making plays in front of him, but does struggle a bit with his speed when having to recover (takes false steps when his cushion is absorbed) … Must make better use of angles when closing on the ball.
Compares To: Kerry Rhoees, New York Jets -- Wendling is a tight coverage defender with good speed and keen field instincts … Like Rhodes, he has a knack for always being in position to make the plays in front of him … He shows ease of movement in his backpedal and natural hands for the interception … He needs to use those hands more effectively in attempts to shed blocks and, while he shows good force behind his hits, his wrap-up tackle technique needs refinement … With his ability to play both safety positions, he should see immediate action in nickel and dime schemes.
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