This will more than likely be a long post so bear with me. Lots of things I noticed and I wanted to share with the rest of you guys.
So today I am spending the day hopping flights back to Alaska after a wonderful 3 week stay in the good life. I had four hours to kill on my layover so I thought that I would really sit down and watch the highlights of both Nathan Tilford and Jamari Peacock in their entirety. Before, as we often do, I only watched the first minute or so as opposed to the entire reel. Here are some of my observations...
Right off the bat I will say that I see these both as incredible prospects with different aspects to their game that make them unique. We would be lucky to have either of them in our class.
Jamari Peacock: 5'11 245 lbs
I must say the first time I watched his film what stood out was he didn't get tackled by the first guy. This second time around of actually analyzing the film I tried to find plays where he did get tackled by the first guy or only one guy for that matter. It didn't exist save for getting caught from behind. It usually took the 3rd and 4th man to bring him down. He turned 3 yard plays into 10 yarders. Every single play he somehow managed to find a crease and barrel forward. A few plays, which were played in slowmo to help see what he saw, I thought there was no choice but run into the back of his lineman. At the very last moment, he would find a hole and bust through. He has extremely quick feet to help cut into the right lane and bulldoze past defenders.
One thing that I noticed was he has good hands. He caught 5-6 balls in the flats or in check down routes in the middle of the field and did a nice job of securing the ball quickly before trying to get yards after the catch. One play looked to be a generic passing play that he was primarily supposed to pass block. The play broke down and the QB scrambled. Nearly got sacked but Peacock broke into the midfield and was able to catch a quick lob and turn a potential 5 yard loss into a 5 yard gain.
In terms of blocking, he did show off his blocking skills midway through the highlight reel, both pass pro and run blocking. In both he did well. He definitely can play fullback if need be, but I believe he is best at runningback.
He does have decent speed for a RB. He can rip off 40-50 yards after breaking tackles but will almost always get caught from behind. At times he does look very slow once he gets into the open field. Keep in mind this is a nearly 250 lb kid who could probably shred 15-25 lbs and gain a couple steps of speed. Definitely needs to redshirt and cannot play immediately.
He had a few plays where he played MLB and rush end. He displayed good athleticism and the ability to really thump a guy.
Conclusion: I like Peacock even more after fully watching and analyzing his film. He displays good hands with very good awareness of where defenders are after he turns around for the catch. His blocking is good, but needs to brush up on pass pro. Wont light the world on fire with speed. What sets him apart from other RBs is his vision, feet, and ability to find/make the hole. He can make the first guy miss, but makes the second guy get out of his way.
Nathan Tilford: 6'1 205 lbs
This guy is one electric and athletic dude. Right off the bat you notice his ability to change direction and get himself out of trouble. He hurdles several guys in his highlight reel. He has good speed but not elite track speed like some on here have thought him to have. However, speed only matters after the first 5 yards for a runningback, and that's where this kid excels.
He does a whole lot of cut backs, which at times I believe could prove negative. He tends to back step and try to make it to the edge so he can beat them with his speed. This is definitely going to get him in trouble at the next level. He needs to make sure he is constantly going forward while making his cuts. Regardless, it's pretty crazy seeing a man that size being able to change directions and explode into that new direction.
His strength is definitely an asset. He stiff armed multiple guys and was able to gain an extra 5 yards if not throw them away entirely and keep on running. He likes to discard defenders quickly, and is very aggressive with his stiff arm. Very rarely was he brought down by one guy, but it did happen a few times. He does not like to truck guys, however. I did not see him try and barrel through tackles at all during his highlights. Definitely prefers to juke, spin, stiff arm, or hurdle them. He has an impressive assortment of moves to use besides trucking, and is very good at them all.
As I said above, he likes to hurdle guys. A lot. Too much. I get that that is a show of his overall athleticism, but that is a fantastic way for a RB to blow out a knee. He had successful hurdles, probably 7-8 of them total, except for one. He was at the five yard line and the safety knew what he was going to do. He tackled him high and if the safety was a college athlete he would have destroyed him. Definitely made me cringe.
Conclusion: This guy is a phenomenal athlete. Some of the plays he makes are electric and leave you wondering how he made something out of nothing. When he steps on the field it's unlikely many can match his overall athleticism. His change of direction, speed, agility, and feet are something to behold. Definitely reminds me of a bigger version of Abdullah. The only thing holding him back is his vision. He missed a few holes, and runs east and west waaaay too much. He tries to back up to creat space from defenders so he can sprint away from them or get them one on one. If he is one on one with a guy it's a battle he almost always wins, which is something you want to see in your RB.
My Comparison:
Both are excellent prospects, but are raw in their own ways. Tilford is ready physically but just doesn't have the mindset of a RB yet. He needs to read the holes better, and not dance around hoping something opens up. Peacock has much better vision and finds ways to make his own holes. However, he is a year or two from being ready physically to play. He needs to lose that bad weight in order to reach his potential.
My opinion has definitely changed after watching the two prospects thoroughly. As you watch, Peacocks physicality and vision jump out at you. Unfortunately...so does his lack of speed. I'm not a big believer in RBs needing to have track speed. But even so Peacock does look slow in a few plays.
Tilford is definitely the superior athlete. He is one of those guys who lights the world on fire in testing. However, he just relies on his athleticism too much instead of making reads. If coach Davis can help him with this, he will be a star no doubt.
Finally, I have to say after all of this I still prefer Peacock and even more so now. He can catch the ball out of the backfield well. He can block. His vision and ability to squeeze into small creases is just amazing. Add the fact that he really can't be tackled by one guy and that's a deadly combo. He simply needs a year or two to mold his body. The other traits are there.
I know several people people will disagree with me and that's fine. This board is supposed to be for debates, and this is definitely one of our major ones. These are the two RBs at the top of our boards, and I think it's good to scrutinize just what they can bring to the teams. Now, I am definitely not claiming to be a RB savant. I am a line coach through and through, but I do understand blocking schemes. I understand where a back is supposed to go, and I can appreciate when a back can make a play when his line blew their assignments.
I love discussion so feel free to point out flaws in my report. Lord knows I'm not perfect, and there are probably things I missed. Also, apologies for the length. There were numerous points I wanted to make and expand upon. Thanks for reading my couple of pennies on the subject gents!
So today I am spending the day hopping flights back to Alaska after a wonderful 3 week stay in the good life. I had four hours to kill on my layover so I thought that I would really sit down and watch the highlights of both Nathan Tilford and Jamari Peacock in their entirety. Before, as we often do, I only watched the first minute or so as opposed to the entire reel. Here are some of my observations...
Right off the bat I will say that I see these both as incredible prospects with different aspects to their game that make them unique. We would be lucky to have either of them in our class.
Jamari Peacock: 5'11 245 lbs
I must say the first time I watched his film what stood out was he didn't get tackled by the first guy. This second time around of actually analyzing the film I tried to find plays where he did get tackled by the first guy or only one guy for that matter. It didn't exist save for getting caught from behind. It usually took the 3rd and 4th man to bring him down. He turned 3 yard plays into 10 yarders. Every single play he somehow managed to find a crease and barrel forward. A few plays, which were played in slowmo to help see what he saw, I thought there was no choice but run into the back of his lineman. At the very last moment, he would find a hole and bust through. He has extremely quick feet to help cut into the right lane and bulldoze past defenders.
One thing that I noticed was he has good hands. He caught 5-6 balls in the flats or in check down routes in the middle of the field and did a nice job of securing the ball quickly before trying to get yards after the catch. One play looked to be a generic passing play that he was primarily supposed to pass block. The play broke down and the QB scrambled. Nearly got sacked but Peacock broke into the midfield and was able to catch a quick lob and turn a potential 5 yard loss into a 5 yard gain.
In terms of blocking, he did show off his blocking skills midway through the highlight reel, both pass pro and run blocking. In both he did well. He definitely can play fullback if need be, but I believe he is best at runningback.
He does have decent speed for a RB. He can rip off 40-50 yards after breaking tackles but will almost always get caught from behind. At times he does look very slow once he gets into the open field. Keep in mind this is a nearly 250 lb kid who could probably shred 15-25 lbs and gain a couple steps of speed. Definitely needs to redshirt and cannot play immediately.
He had a few plays where he played MLB and rush end. He displayed good athleticism and the ability to really thump a guy.
Conclusion: I like Peacock even more after fully watching and analyzing his film. He displays good hands with very good awareness of where defenders are after he turns around for the catch. His blocking is good, but needs to brush up on pass pro. Wont light the world on fire with speed. What sets him apart from other RBs is his vision, feet, and ability to find/make the hole. He can make the first guy miss, but makes the second guy get out of his way.
Nathan Tilford: 6'1 205 lbs
This guy is one electric and athletic dude. Right off the bat you notice his ability to change direction and get himself out of trouble. He hurdles several guys in his highlight reel. He has good speed but not elite track speed like some on here have thought him to have. However, speed only matters after the first 5 yards for a runningback, and that's where this kid excels.
He does a whole lot of cut backs, which at times I believe could prove negative. He tends to back step and try to make it to the edge so he can beat them with his speed. This is definitely going to get him in trouble at the next level. He needs to make sure he is constantly going forward while making his cuts. Regardless, it's pretty crazy seeing a man that size being able to change directions and explode into that new direction.
His strength is definitely an asset. He stiff armed multiple guys and was able to gain an extra 5 yards if not throw them away entirely and keep on running. He likes to discard defenders quickly, and is very aggressive with his stiff arm. Very rarely was he brought down by one guy, but it did happen a few times. He does not like to truck guys, however. I did not see him try and barrel through tackles at all during his highlights. Definitely prefers to juke, spin, stiff arm, or hurdle them. He has an impressive assortment of moves to use besides trucking, and is very good at them all.
As I said above, he likes to hurdle guys. A lot. Too much. I get that that is a show of his overall athleticism, but that is a fantastic way for a RB to blow out a knee. He had successful hurdles, probably 7-8 of them total, except for one. He was at the five yard line and the safety knew what he was going to do. He tackled him high and if the safety was a college athlete he would have destroyed him. Definitely made me cringe.
Conclusion: This guy is a phenomenal athlete. Some of the plays he makes are electric and leave you wondering how he made something out of nothing. When he steps on the field it's unlikely many can match his overall athleticism. His change of direction, speed, agility, and feet are something to behold. Definitely reminds me of a bigger version of Abdullah. The only thing holding him back is his vision. He missed a few holes, and runs east and west waaaay too much. He tries to back up to creat space from defenders so he can sprint away from them or get them one on one. If he is one on one with a guy it's a battle he almost always wins, which is something you want to see in your RB.
My Comparison:
Both are excellent prospects, but are raw in their own ways. Tilford is ready physically but just doesn't have the mindset of a RB yet. He needs to read the holes better, and not dance around hoping something opens up. Peacock has much better vision and finds ways to make his own holes. However, he is a year or two from being ready physically to play. He needs to lose that bad weight in order to reach his potential.
My opinion has definitely changed after watching the two prospects thoroughly. As you watch, Peacocks physicality and vision jump out at you. Unfortunately...so does his lack of speed. I'm not a big believer in RBs needing to have track speed. But even so Peacock does look slow in a few plays.
Tilford is definitely the superior athlete. He is one of those guys who lights the world on fire in testing. However, he just relies on his athleticism too much instead of making reads. If coach Davis can help him with this, he will be a star no doubt.
Finally, I have to say after all of this I still prefer Peacock and even more so now. He can catch the ball out of the backfield well. He can block. His vision and ability to squeeze into small creases is just amazing. Add the fact that he really can't be tackled by one guy and that's a deadly combo. He simply needs a year or two to mold his body. The other traits are there.
I know several people people will disagree with me and that's fine. This board is supposed to be for debates, and this is definitely one of our major ones. These are the two RBs at the top of our boards, and I think it's good to scrutinize just what they can bring to the teams. Now, I am definitely not claiming to be a RB savant. I am a line coach through and through, but I do understand blocking schemes. I understand where a back is supposed to go, and I can appreciate when a back can make a play when his line blew their assignments.
I love discussion so feel free to point out flaws in my report. Lord knows I'm not perfect, and there are probably things I missed. Also, apologies for the length. There were numerous points I wanted to make and expand upon. Thanks for reading my couple of pennies on the subject gents!
