WingBack ~ Jordan Akins ~ Central Florida Knights ~ 6030/250
Regarding WingBacks
I've decided to splice Tight Ends completely and introduce the term Power End, because applying "Tight End" to only a part of the overall Population of Tight Ends might cause Confusion, which is precisely what I'm trying to eradicate.
Power Ends will be how I refer to the Players with a Frame built for the classic "In Line" Tight End ~ an Hybrid Player who serves as a combination Blocker and Receiver. There'll be Exceptions: I'd previously categorized Jimmy Graham as a Power End, but while his Frame is certainly that of one, his 40 Time ~ 4.53 at 260 Pounds!!! ~ trumps that.
The Prototype for a Power End would be about 6050/260 or so.
The "Tight Ends" whose Frames are better suited to be deployed in running Routes from all over the Formation, and who aren't especially renowned for their Blocking ~ though many are adept Chippers ~ I refer to as Flex Ends.
The Prototype would be about 6030/240 or so.
Those of either type who present legitimate Dual Threats ~ who can make a genuine Impact either as a Blocker or as a Receiver ~ are impossible to predict from Snap to Snap, and this renders them extraordinarily dangerous.
Conceivably even more dangerous and dynamic than either of these two types is one of my pet Positions: The WingBacks.
I employ this ancient FootBall Term, one still in active use in many High Schools and Colleges, to refer to a Role so ethereal as to be almost imaginary: an Hybrid FullBack & Flex End ~ a Super Hybrid, if you will.
The Prototype would be about 6000/240 or so.
The WingBack, optimally, would be a guy capable of Lead Blocking in the Run Game, Pass Blocking in the Passing Game, or splitting out and running Pass Patterns from SlotBack, Slot End, Split End, or Flanker. He could line up at any of those spots, or on either Wing, on the Line, or in the BackField. He could even go In Motion or run the Ball!!
Such a versatile, dynamic Player could have an explosive Impact on the Competitive LandScape.
The Game has reached a point in its Tactical History that is perfect for such a Player.
It awaits only for the NFL to realize the Opportunity.
***
Because Flex Ends operate as an Hybrid's Hybrid ~ part Tight End and part WideOut, with Blocking ~ the occasional Chip ~ being but a tertiary part of their Game ~ I break down their Attributes pretty much like I would those of a WideOut:
Separation: Getting Open. This encompasses Combat Skills & Fluidity to beat Press, Acceleration or Short Speed, Fluidity and Ricochet in navigating Traffic, Route Running Precision, Deception of Defenders, and Processing Speed and Field Vision for Timing Seams and Open Zones. The way I see it, Separation dwarfs All other Aspects of a WideOut's Job Description in Importance. I consider Separation more important than the other WideOut Aspects combined.
Catch Point Capacity: In Transition or Contested: Hands, WingSpan, Vertical Agility, Combat Skills, and Timing. Timing is of course derivative of Processing Speed and Field Vision, and affects both Transitional Catches and Contested Catches, the latter both in terms of timing one's Jumps and in employing Combat Skills to work free at the right Moment.
Chunk Yardage: An highly overrated Aspect of the Game, I believe, so much so that in fact I didn't even include it in 2016. It is not a negligible Aspect of the Game, so I'm bringing it back, but getting open, catching the Ball, and Moving the Chains are far more crucial to a Team's Success, I believe, than making Splash Plays and getting on ESPN HighLights Reels. Power, Fluidity, Ricochet, Speed, Combat Skills, and Processing Speed/Field Vision all play into Chunk Yardage.
Blocking: It was a Mistake to leave this Aspect ~ my very favorite Aspect of FootBall ~ out'f 2016's Flex End Reports, and I'm very happy to correct that Mistake, evermore. Blocking of course comes down to Power, Agility, Frame, Combat Skills, Processing Speed, and Motor, and further breaks down into In Line Blocking and Open Field Blocking.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Separation
* Combat Skills
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Routing
* Deception
* Field Vision
Catch Point Capacity
Catch Point Capacity
* Timing
* Combat Skills
* Vertical Agility
* Hands
* WingSpan
Chunk Yardage
* Power
* Fluidity
* Ricochet
* Speed
* Combat Skills
* Field Vision
Blocking
* Power
* Agility
* Frame
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
Power Ends will be how I refer to the Players with a Frame built for the classic "In Line" Tight End ~ an Hybrid Player who serves as a combination Blocker and Receiver. There'll be Exceptions: I'd previously categorized Jimmy Graham as a Power End, but while his Frame is certainly that of one, his 40 Time ~ 4.53 at 260 Pounds!!! ~ trumps that.
The Prototype for a Power End would be about 6050/260 or so.
The "Tight Ends" whose Frames are better suited to be deployed in running Routes from all over the Formation, and who aren't especially renowned for their Blocking ~ though many are adept Chippers ~ I refer to as Flex Ends.
The Prototype would be about 6030/240 or so.
Those of either type who present legitimate Dual Threats ~ who can make a genuine Impact either as a Blocker or as a Receiver ~ are impossible to predict from Snap to Snap, and this renders them extraordinarily dangerous.
Conceivably even more dangerous and dynamic than either of these two types is one of my pet Positions: The WingBacks.
I employ this ancient FootBall Term, one still in active use in many High Schools and Colleges, to refer to a Role so ethereal as to be almost imaginary: an Hybrid FullBack & Flex End ~ a Super Hybrid, if you will.
The Prototype would be about 6000/240 or so.
The WingBack, optimally, would be a guy capable of Lead Blocking in the Run Game, Pass Blocking in the Passing Game, or splitting out and running Pass Patterns from SlotBack, Slot End, Split End, or Flanker. He could line up at any of those spots, or on either Wing, on the Line, or in the BackField. He could even go In Motion or run the Ball!!
Such a versatile, dynamic Player could have an explosive Impact on the Competitive LandScape.
The Game has reached a point in its Tactical History that is perfect for such a Player.
It awaits only for the NFL to realize the Opportunity.
***
Because Flex Ends operate as an Hybrid's Hybrid ~ part Tight End and part WideOut, with Blocking ~ the occasional Chip ~ being but a tertiary part of their Game ~ I break down their Attributes pretty much like I would those of a WideOut:
Separation: Getting Open. This encompasses Combat Skills & Fluidity to beat Press, Acceleration or Short Speed, Fluidity and Ricochet in navigating Traffic, Route Running Precision, Deception of Defenders, and Processing Speed and Field Vision for Timing Seams and Open Zones. The way I see it, Separation dwarfs All other Aspects of a WideOut's Job Description in Importance. I consider Separation more important than the other WideOut Aspects combined.
Catch Point Capacity: In Transition or Contested: Hands, WingSpan, Vertical Agility, Combat Skills, and Timing. Timing is of course derivative of Processing Speed and Field Vision, and affects both Transitional Catches and Contested Catches, the latter both in terms of timing one's Jumps and in employing Combat Skills to work free at the right Moment.
Chunk Yardage: An highly overrated Aspect of the Game, I believe, so much so that in fact I didn't even include it in 2016. It is not a negligible Aspect of the Game, so I'm bringing it back, but getting open, catching the Ball, and Moving the Chains are far more crucial to a Team's Success, I believe, than making Splash Plays and getting on ESPN HighLights Reels. Power, Fluidity, Ricochet, Speed, Combat Skills, and Processing Speed/Field Vision all play into Chunk Yardage.
Blocking: It was a Mistake to leave this Aspect ~ my very favorite Aspect of FootBall ~ out'f 2016's Flex End Reports, and I'm very happy to correct that Mistake, evermore. Blocking of course comes down to Power, Agility, Frame, Combat Skills, Processing Speed, and Motor, and further breaks down into In Line Blocking and Open Field Blocking.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Separation
* Combat Skills
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Routing
* Deception
* Field Vision
Catch Point Capacity
Catch Point Capacity
* Timing
* Combat Skills
* Vertical Agility
* Hands
* WingSpan
Chunk Yardage
* Power
* Fluidity
* Ricochet
* Speed
* Combat Skills
* Field Vision
Blocking
* Power
* Agility
* Frame
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
Jordan Akins ~ Scouting Report
Separation: 72. Impressive Acceleration and Ricochet and exceptional Fluidity. Impressive Route Running, as well.
Catch Point Capacity: 66. Exceptional Tracking & Timing. Impressive Vertical Agility. Impressive Hands.
Chunk Yardage: 72. Impressive Acceleration and Speed, and exceptional Fluidity and Field Vision, though mediocre Power.
Blocking: 40. I've read horror stories about Akins' Blocking, but I thought while his Power is mediocre, his Combat Skills are decent ~ which is pretty impressive for a guy who's only been at this a few years ~ and that his Motor was good.
Red Flag: Old as dirt!! Turned 26 2 months ago!! Half his Prime is already gone, and he's still raw!!
Jordan Akins ~ Prospectus
Jordan Akins is ancient ~ already 26 in April ~ having labored for years in BaseBall's minor leagues, so you best believe that I'll be assessing a severe Senior Discount on my Grade & Rank on'm when I tally things up!!
Still, there's enough to intrigue.
Akins has the Agility to develop into a Player who separates consistently, and the Route Running Repertoire to enhance that skill, which is awfully impressive, considering that even though he's 26, he's been away for a long time.
He's also intensely impressive and improving at the Catch Point.
Even his Blocking, while hardly an Asset, is far better than I expected to find, after all the horror stories I read, and his Drive and Intelligence ~ the former evident in the Blocking itself and the latter evident in his remarkably well-developed Route Running Repertoire and Tracking & Timing ~ strongly suggest that he'll improved considerably in this regard.
He's got the Talent to become a dangerous Weapon as a Receiver and a solid Blocker...And if he attains that Potential, he will, as a WingBack, bring enormous tactical Advantages to his Team, because his genuine Versatility ~ whereas he's competent or better in both regards ~ give the opposing Defense no clue what the Offense is about to do.
Ceiling? Warrior. 2nd Round, though with him at 26.5 Years, I have got to discount this one!!
Floor? Contender. 4th/5th Round. Too talented not to play, if he develops.
Risk/Reward Ratio? Excellent. But 26.5 means a severe discount.
Thank you so very much, Draft BreakDown, without whom my Work would be virtually impossible.
Still, there's enough to intrigue.
Akins has the Agility to develop into a Player who separates consistently, and the Route Running Repertoire to enhance that skill, which is awfully impressive, considering that even though he's 26, he's been away for a long time.
He's also intensely impressive and improving at the Catch Point.
Even his Blocking, while hardly an Asset, is far better than I expected to find, after all the horror stories I read, and his Drive and Intelligence ~ the former evident in the Blocking itself and the latter evident in his remarkably well-developed Route Running Repertoire and Tracking & Timing ~ strongly suggest that he'll improved considerably in this regard.
He's got the Talent to become a dangerous Weapon as a Receiver and a solid Blocker...And if he attains that Potential, he will, as a WingBack, bring enormous tactical Advantages to his Team, because his genuine Versatility ~ whereas he's competent or better in both regards ~ give the opposing Defense no clue what the Offense is about to do.
Ceiling? Warrior. 2nd Round, though with him at 26.5 Years, I have got to discount this one!!
Floor? Contender. 4th/5th Round. Too talented not to play, if he develops.
Risk/Reward Ratio? Excellent. But 26.5 means a severe discount.
Thank you so very much, Draft BreakDown, without whom my Work would be virtually impossible.
Yank Rank: Contender ~ Par Value
| Market Value #98 | Yank Rank 3rd/4th Round |
Please do Note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: This and all CyberScouting Reports 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 with even reasonable levels of intelligence or Good Will!! I'm trying to discern Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and far more abstract, esoteric Concepts such as Processing Speed and Motor, and Intelligence and Drive, 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 making Allowances for Competition Level, Scheme, Concept, Context, and, above all: Trajectory!!
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!!
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!!
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