SpeedBack ~ Daniel Lasco ~ California Golden
Bears ~ 6003/210
I've come to believe that any HalfBack that doesn't bring a Passing Game element to the BattleField is...incomplete.
Hence, the term "FlexBack" ~ although quite cool, I believe!! ~ short-circuits the Evaluation Process.
As to how I break them down, I expect that the terms are pretty self-explanatory:
PowerBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work between the Tackles..
SpeedBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work outside the Tackles.
The PowerBack prototype would be about 5115/220 or so.
The SpeedBack prototype would be about 5010/200 or so.
Those are gross oversimplifications, of course, and many HalfBacks will manifest Attributes of both styles. Indeed, Power and Speed ~ better yet: Agility ~ are crucial to the Success of either kind of HalfBack. But I believe that it advances the discussion and better serves my Fellow FootBall Fanatics if I make an effort to distinguish between types.
This is how I break things down, when evaluating all HalfBacks:
Power: Above all: Core Power. Upper body Power is important, but lower body Power, from the Knees to the Ribs, is absolutely crucial. An HalfBack's Capacity to break Tackles is more about Core Power than anything else.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Fluidity, Acceleration, and Ricochet. Long Speed is all well and good, but at the end of the day, it is Gravy. What wins Championships is Moving The Chains. And Moving The Chains is accomplished far more consistently by the guys who exhibit the Agility ~ and the Focus ~ to consistently pick up 5 and sometimes 10 Yards at a time.
Processing Speed: Diagnostic Velocity. Field Vision. That ethereal Capacity to Rapidly Read & React to the Rapidly Roiling & Boiling Tactical LandScape...and to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking: Having an HalfBack who doesn't Block effectively is like having 10 Men on the Field of Battle. Most HalfBacks just coming out'f College are mediocre Blockers, but this is a crucial Aspect of the Game that they'll need to master.
Receiving: Whether he be a PowerBack or a SpeedBack, an HalfBack that can effectively present a genuine Threat in the Passing Game dramatically increases his Team's Options on any given Play. The more dynamic the Threat, the more valuable to'is Team on the Field of Battle, whether he's just slipping out'f the BackField or splitting out Wide.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Power
* Core Power is most of it. Tyrannosaurus Rex would've made an Hell of an HalfBack.
* Torso Power doesn't hurt, though.
Agility
* Launch Velocity
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Long Speed
Processing Speed
* That ethereal Capacity to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
Receiving
* Separation
* Catch Point Capacity
* Navigation
Agility: Excellent, and potentially extraordinary. The Difference lies in the Difference between his Combine Numbers and his Tape. Lasco hasn't had much Time as a Starter, and it takes Years of Time & Training to convert all of one's Intrinsic Talent into Functional Skill. Lasco boasts a tremendous Fusion of Intrinsic Acceleration, Fluidity, and Ricochet and impressive Long Speed, and if he can convert them effectively to The Field of Battle, he would become terrifying.
Field Vision: Impressive. Usually anticipates Lanes quickly and correctly.
Blocking: Exceptional. Lasco's got a Bad Build for Blocking ~ an high Center of Gravity ~ but remarkably impressive Core Power, impressive Field Vision, an exceptional Appetite for Contact, and tremendous Combat Skills,
Receiving: Exceptional and with tremendous Potential. Impressive Routing, excellent Agility, and excellent Hands.
Daniel Lasco's an intriguing Prospect. He seemed clearly ascendant a Year ago, but got hit with Injuries, coughed up a few scraps of Production, and got forgotten. To me, it's astonishing how often this happens in such a lucrative Industry.
Lasco is by no means a Sure Thing, but a 7th Rounder??? You've got to be kidding.
Lasco's Speed and Fluidity is undeniable, his Power is startlingly competitive, despite his elevated Center of Gravity, because he's obviously dedicated thousands of Hours in the Weight Room and elsewhere, developing both his Core Power and his Core Agility, and he's also invested the Time & Training into developing his Blocking, his Receiving, and his Field Vision to the point where he's a potential Impact Player in every Aspect of this Great Game!!
And yet he went in the 7th Round, evidently because he didn't rack up 1500 Yards last Year!!
Sounds good to me. Daniel Lasco has the Potential to dominate at the next level, preferably on a Zone Scheme Team, and there won't be any need to rotate'm in or out: He's a 3 Down Player right now, and a potential SuperStar.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Sleeper!!
Market Value #237!!! | Yankee Grade 1st/2nd Round |
None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!!