Yeti Tackle ~ Foley Fatukasi ~ Connecticut Huskies ~ 6036/320
Old Roles are getting dramatically transformed, and virtually every Front 7 ~ or Front 6!! ~ Defensive Job Description is transitioning into an Hybrid Role where the Defender is asked to excel in multiple Roles and in multiple Fronts.
For that reason, and in order to offer NomenClature that speaks not to archaic, obsolete "Positions", but rather to Skill Sets that accurately reflect the dynamic Changes of the 21st Century Game and the Roles they have spawned, I have undertaken to craft Terminology that is designed to break Skill Sets down as they really are.
Defensive Coordinators have, since Time Immemorial, employed highly creative terminology in devising Defenses and in designating Assignments. In that Spirit, I have admittedly indulged myself considerably in devising the following NomenClature. It is undeniably colorful, but I like to think that there's an underlying Logic, as well:
Yetii ~ Yetis have the Size of Nose Tackles but the WingSpan of Defensive Ends. As such, they are genuine Hybrids, and can conceivably line up anywhere from Tackle to Tackle, across from the Offensive Line.
The Prototype would be somewhere around 6050/325 or so.
Of course, where and how any given Coach chooses to deploy his Players is his Business. Players that I characterize as Yetis may often or even routinely do line up anywhere, on any given Down. My only purpose is simply to identify what I perceive as Skill Sets, to distinguish types, if you will, and perhaps create a universal Point of Reference.
When evaluating Yetii, this is how I break down the Attributes to which I pay most particular attention:
Power: Above all: Core Power. Torso Power is important, but Core Power, from the Knees to the Ribs, is absolutely crucial. All the Torso Power in the world will still fail if you simply can't dig in your Heels. But Core Power enables an Offensive Lineman to project Power in the Running Game and to reject Power in the Passing Game.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Acceleration, and, above all: Fluidity or Core Agility, which, I believe, is even more essential to sustained good Health ~ and to sustained good FootBall ~ than Core Power. The ability to react with Serpentine smoothness is a tremendous Asset in all Aspects of the Game, and certainly in the Hand to Hand Combat that characterizes Trench Warfare. All the Power in the World goes only so far if you're lurching around like FrankenStein.
Frame: Vertical Leverage, Hands, Arm Length, and WingSpan.
Combat Skills: Vertical Leverage, Paw Positioning, Paw Persistence, and FootWork. Above all: Pass Rush Repertoire.
Processing Speed: How quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to the Rapidly Roiling Tactical LandScape!!
Motor: Intensity and Stamina: How much Work has been put into Conditioning, and how it manifests itself.
Run Defense: All the Above, applied.
Pass Rush: Ditto.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Power
* Core Power ~ lower body Power. Core Power trumps Torso Power. Tyrannosaurus Rex had exceptional Core Power.
* Torso Power ~ upper Body Power. Important, but not crucial. T Rex had lousy Torso Power...yet was King.
* Anchoring Strength against the Run.
* Drive Power, Rushing the Passer.
Agility
* Fluidity, above all things: Core Agility & Flexibility makes everything possible.
* Launch Velocity ~ Speed into Contact off the Snap.
* Acceleration ~ Short Speed or Quickness.
Frame
* Vertical Leverage. Height is crucial, but it's actually better, I believe, to be an Inch shorter than an Inch Taller.
* Hands. The larger the better, generally, but compact is never a bad Attribute in The Trenches.
* Arm Length. Absolutely crucial. He who boasts the longer Arms initiates Combat.
* WingSpan. Arm Length + Torso Width. A more complete Measurement.
Combat Skills
* Lateral Leverage. Angles. Getting Square or better with the Target.
* Paw Positioning ~ It's all about Angles & Leverage.
* Paw Persistence ~ RPMs: Activity & Persistence.
* FootWork ~ RPMs: Activity & Persistence.
* Pass Rush Repertoire: Variety.
Processing Speed
* Reading & Reacting to Offensive Blocking Schemes with Speed & Precision.
* Field Vision: Finding Targets & approaching them effectively.
Motor
* Intensity.
* Stamina.
Power: 90. Absolutely outstanding Core Power and Torso Power, and he can Anchor or Drive equally well.
Agility: 40. Impressive Launch Velocity. Marginal Fluidity. Effective Acceleration and Closing Speed.
Frame: 100. He's the perfect Height for a Tackle/End Hybrid, and his WingSpan is magnificent.
Combat Skills: 40. Flashes of Brilliance, but generally pretty raw in all aspects.
Processing Speed: 66. Played multiple positions and in multiple Fronts, and played them well.
Motor: 90. Exceptional Stamina and sensational Intensity.
Run Defense: 60, with excellent Potential. Potentially dominant at the Point of Attack and effective in Pursuit. His marginal Fluidity limits his Range in Pursuit, but if he develops his Combat Skills he will destroy anything run near'm.
Pass Rush: 33, because of his lack of Fluidity and Combat Skills, but if develops a Pass Rush Repertoire, he's got the Launch Velocity, Power, WingSpan, and Closing Speed to demolish many a Pocket.
Ceiling? Beast!! 1st Rounder!! His marginal Fluidity and Speed will probably put a cap on his Range in Run Defense, but his awesome Power, should he develop those raw Combat Skills of his, gives him dominant Potential at the Point of Attack, and that same Power, combined with that phenomenal WingSpan and his terrific Launch Velocity and Closing Speed, also give'm, I believe, far more Pass Rushing Potential than is generally attributed to'm.
Floor? Reserve. 6th/7th Round. He's ready to compete as a Point of Attack Run Defender right now, but in order to earn significant Snaps, he's going to have to develop the Combat Skills to get off'f Blocks more consistently quicker, to compensate for his limiting lack of Fluidity in Pursuit. And of course to earn any Snaps on Passing Downs, his Pass Rushing Repertoire will need to expand significantly. If not, he's scrapping just to make the roster.
Risk/Reward Ratio? Excellent. Fatuskasi's Reputation, not only as a Worker, but as a Leader and an enthusiastic one, is top shelf, and his Tape supports that. He lacks Combat Skills, which I sometimes interpret as supporting evidence of a lack of Commitment to Craft, but when it's accompanied by superior Processing Speed, Field Vision, and Motor, I'll generally attribute it to Coaching or simply not understanding its importance...And Fatukasi exhibits exceptional Processing Speed and phenomenal Intensity and Stamina on the Field of Battle, aside from his Reputation.
I am very confident that he'll do whatever it takes to develop those Combat Skills to their maximum capacity and thus unleash the enormous Potential that his awesome combination of Power and Length offer.
Furthermore, I believe that he'll have a tremendous impact on the Locker Room.
Pay the man!!
Thank you so very much, Draft BreakDown, without whom my Work would be virtually impossible.
Market Value #180 | Yankee Grade 2nd Round |
Please also note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: These CyberScouting Reports are not intended as predictions of success or failure, but as assessments ~ ludicrously amateurish assessments ~ of potential success. FootBall is a rough and often unfair business, and many a worthy Prospect has fallen far short of his potential, sometimes not because of his own failings, but because of those of coaching, scheme, timing...or because huge investments were made on other Prospects.
In other words: If any of my Super Dooper Deeper Sleepers ever fail to fulfill their vast potential, I’m confident that it goes without saying that it wasn’t their fault…or mine!!...Yes, I think that I'm being funny.
In other words: Caveat Emptor, Fellow FootBall Fiends!!
Enter at your own risk!!