Wolf ~ Gabriel Wright ~ Auburn Tigers
6025/300
Regarding Wolves
Throughout the FootBall World, Defenses are in the process of undergoing spectacular Disruption and Revolution. 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 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:
Wolves ~ Wolves are the smaller, faster Defensive Tackles. Whereas Grizzlies will generally be counted on to command Double Teams and stop the Inside Run, Wolves will usually be asked to penetrate the Pocket and disrupt, especially against the Pass. The Prototype would be somewhere around 6015/300 or less, and they're getting smaller.
Of course, where and how any given Coach chooses to deploy his Players is his Business. Players that I characterize as Wolves may often or even routinely 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 Wolves, 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 upper body strength in the world still fails if you can't dig in your heels. But Core Power enables a Defensive Lineman to project Power in the Passing Game and to reject Power in the Running Game.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Acceleration, and above all: Fluidity or Core Agility. Core Agility 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 stiff and lumbering out there.
Combat Skills: Paw Power, Mechanics ~ Hand Speed & Positioning ~ and of course: Frame.
Intangibles: Processing Speed and Motor. Processing Speed or Diagnostic Velocity is about how quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to how the Rapidly Roiling Tactical LandScape effects Blocking Schemes, and Motor is about Endurance and Drive: How much Work has been put into Conditioning, and how it manifests itself.
Run Defense: Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and Processing Speed.
Pass Rush: Power, Agility, and Combat Skills.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this: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 in the Pass Rush.
Agility
* Fluidity, above all things: Core Agility & Flexibility makes everything possible.
* Launch Velocity ~ Speed into Contact off the Snap.
* Acceleration ~ Short Speed or Quickness.
Combat Skills
* Paw Power ~ The Power & Speed of the initial Punch.
* Paw Velocity ~ How active the Hands are.
* Paw Positioning ~ It's all about Angles & Leverage.
* Frame ~ Above all: WingSpan.
Intangibles
* Processing Speed ~ Field Vision. Rapidly Reading & Reacting to the Offense.
* Motor ~ Intensity and Duration.
Run Defense
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
Pass Rush
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
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:
Wolves ~ Wolves are the smaller, faster Defensive Tackles. Whereas Grizzlies will generally be counted on to command Double Teams and stop the Inside Run, Wolves will usually be asked to penetrate the Pocket and disrupt, especially against the Pass. The Prototype would be somewhere around 6015/300 or less, and they're getting smaller.
Of course, where and how any given Coach chooses to deploy his Players is his Business. Players that I characterize as Wolves may often or even routinely 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 Wolves, 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 upper body strength in the world still fails if you can't dig in your heels. But Core Power enables a Defensive Lineman to project Power in the Passing Game and to reject Power in the Running Game.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Acceleration, and above all: Fluidity or Core Agility. Core Agility 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 stiff and lumbering out there.
Combat Skills: Paw Power, Mechanics ~ Hand Speed & Positioning ~ and of course: Frame.
Intangibles: Processing Speed and Motor. Processing Speed or Diagnostic Velocity is about how quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to how the Rapidly Roiling Tactical LandScape effects Blocking Schemes, and Motor is about Endurance and Drive: How much Work has been put into Conditioning, and how it manifests itself.
Run Defense: Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and Processing Speed.
Pass Rush: Power, Agility, and Combat Skills.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this: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 in the Pass Rush.
Agility
* Fluidity, above all things: Core Agility & Flexibility makes everything possible.
* Launch Velocity ~ Speed into Contact off the Snap.
* Acceleration ~ Short Speed or Quickness.
Combat Skills
* Paw Power ~ The Power & Speed of the initial Punch.
* Paw Velocity ~ How active the Hands are.
* Paw Positioning ~ It's all about Angles & Leverage.
* Frame ~ Above all: WingSpan.
Intangibles
* Processing Speed ~ Field Vision. Rapidly Reading & Reacting to the Offense.
* Motor ~ Intensity and Duration.
Run Defense
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
Pass Rush
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
Gabriel Wright Scouting Report
Power: Mediocre. Impressive Torso Power but mediocre Core Power.
Agility: Impressive. Exceptional Launch Velocity. Impressive Fluidity. Mediocre Acceleration.
Combat Skills: Mediocre. Sufficient Persistence, but marginal Mechanics.
Intangibles: Excellent Field Vision and excellent Motor.
Run Defense: Competitive. Mediocre at the Point of Attack: Mediocre Power and Combat Skills. Frequently disruptive in the BackField, though, and impressive In Pursuit, despite mediocre Acceleration: Excellent Field Vision and Motor.
Pass Rush: Competitive. Exceptional Launch Velocity and impressive Fluidity, but mediocre Power and Combat Skills.
Agility: Impressive. Exceptional Launch Velocity. Impressive Fluidity. Mediocre Acceleration.
Combat Skills: Mediocre. Sufficient Persistence, but marginal Mechanics.
Intangibles: Excellent Field Vision and excellent Motor.
Run Defense: Competitive. Mediocre at the Point of Attack: Mediocre Power and Combat Skills. Frequently disruptive in the BackField, though, and impressive In Pursuit, despite mediocre Acceleration: Excellent Field Vision and Motor.
Pass Rush: Competitive. Exceptional Launch Velocity and impressive Fluidity, but mediocre Power and Combat Skills.
Gabriel Wright Prospectus
Gabriel Wright is a candidate to be elected Most Average Defensive Tackle in the Draft.
There are whispers about possibly deficient and casual Preparation during the week, which would certainly speak badly about his Drive and hence his Long Term Prospects...But I'm just acknowledging that. His Motor on the Field is very impressive, as is his Field Vision, which speaks to Preparation...and he was elected a Team Captain.
His Field Vision and Motor are in fact his most impressive Attributes, from my Perspective. His exceptional Launch Velocity certainly gets my attention, but his mediocre Power and Combat Skills dampen my enthusiasm.
He looks like a Mid Level Prospect to me: A guy who has a reasonable Chance of making a big Impact but just as good a Chance of flopping, and who's most likely Career Path lies somewhere in between.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
There are whispers about possibly deficient and casual Preparation during the week, which would certainly speak badly about his Drive and hence his Long Term Prospects...But I'm just acknowledging that. His Motor on the Field is very impressive, as is his Field Vision, which speaks to Preparation...and he was elected a Team Captain.
His Field Vision and Motor are in fact his most impressive Attributes, from my Perspective. His exceptional Launch Velocity certainly gets my attention, but his mediocre Power and Combat Skills dampen my enthusiasm.
He looks like a Mid Level Prospect to me: A guy who has a reasonable Chance of making a big Impact but just as good a Chance of flopping, and who's most likely Career Path lies somewhere in between.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Yank Rank: Contender ~ Par Value!!
| Market Value 4th/5th Round | Yankee Grade 4th/5th Round |
Please do Note: This and all Evaluations issued by this Site are produced by a ludicrously unqualified Amateur, privy to not even the tiniest fraction of Coach's Tape, Scouting Expertise, Face to Face Interviewing, Experience, or Inside Information enjoyed by the Professionals. As such, anything put forth is certainly misinformed, euphonious, derivative Tripe, and should be rejected out'f hand and indeed shunned by all men and women of Good Will!! I'm trying to discern Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and far more abstract, esoteric Concepts such as Processing Speed and Motor, and I'm trying to do so based almost entirely on a fascinating fusion of Tape, Combine Numbers, and Pro Days, while trying to attenuate my findings based on Allowances for Competition Level, Scheme, Concept, Context, and, above all: Trajectory!!
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!
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