* 05/13/17 Update ~ Unchanged!! The Market soured on'm, but not I!! *
Flanker ~ Chad Hansen ~ California Golden Bears ~ 6016/201
Regarding FlankerBacks
Most Fans don't know that WideOuts can generally be broken down into 3 Categories, based on traditional Roles, and that those Roles naturally enough call for 3 distinctive Skill Sets, based on the classic X, Y, and Z Positions:
Split Ends are usually the bigger, taller WideOuts who line up in the X Position, on the Line of Scrimmage.
SlotBacks are usually the quicker, smaller WideOuts who line up at the Y Position, off the Line.
FlankerBacks are usually the faster WideOuts who line up at the Z Position, off the Line.
The Split End prototype would be about 6030/225 or so.
The Flanker prototype would be about 6000/200 or so.
The SlotBack prototype would be about 5010/195 or so.
And I'm adding a 4th: The Slot End.
The term may make some Readers cringe, for the same reason that the term "Jumbo Shrimp" might.
And it's a term, as far as I know, entirely of my own Invention.
But it is of course the perfect Tactical term for a WideOut lined up in the Slot yet on the Line of Scrimmage.
And it strikes me as an excellent term to describe a WideOut who's not necessarily tall ~ like a Split End ~ not necessarily fast ~ like a FlankerBack ~ and not necessarily spry ~ like a SlotBack ~ and is often a bit Beefy. Not necessarily beefy enough to take on a Flex End's Blocking Responsibilites, but beefy enough for a Split End's.
I'm talking about WideOuts who're well suited to catch Balls in Traffic, and Move The Chains.
However a given Coach chooses to deploy the Soldiers at his disposal is of course entirely up to him, and most WideOuts will see Snaps at multiple Positions and in multiple Alignments, but I believe that it is valuable to categorize WideOuts in terms of classic Skill Sets, to better define the differences in the kind of Impact they might wield at the next level.
This is how I break things down when I'm evaluating all WideOuts:
Separation: Getting Open. This encompasses Combat Skills & Fluidity to beat Press, Acceleration out'f the Blocks, Fluidity and Ricochet in navigating Traffic, Route Running Precision, the capacity to deceive Defenders, and Field Vision for Timing Seems and Open Zones. All other Aspects of a WideOut's Job Description are dwarfed by this one.
Catch Point Capacity: In Transit or Contested: Hands, WingSpan, Vertical Agility, Combat Skills, and Timing.
Yards After Catch are well and fine, but it seems to me that 90% of the Value of a Flex End and any WideOut is getting open and catching the Ball. Anyone who's read my Work extensively knows that I consider Blocking to be the Heart & Soul of FootBall, but that is a philosophical position, and I recognize that with most Philosophies, where it comes to Wide Receivers and Flex Ends...it's just Gravy. And so is Yards After Catch: Moving The Chains is What Wins.
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
Split Ends are usually the bigger, taller WideOuts who line up in the X Position, on the Line of Scrimmage.
SlotBacks are usually the quicker, smaller WideOuts who line up at the Y Position, off the Line.
FlankerBacks are usually the faster WideOuts who line up at the Z Position, off the Line.
The Split End prototype would be about 6030/225 or so.
The Flanker prototype would be about 6000/200 or so.
The SlotBack prototype would be about 5010/195 or so.
And I'm adding a 4th: The Slot End.
The term may make some Readers cringe, for the same reason that the term "Jumbo Shrimp" might.
And it's a term, as far as I know, entirely of my own Invention.
But it is of course the perfect Tactical term for a WideOut lined up in the Slot yet on the Line of Scrimmage.
And it strikes me as an excellent term to describe a WideOut who's not necessarily tall ~ like a Split End ~ not necessarily fast ~ like a FlankerBack ~ and not necessarily spry ~ like a SlotBack ~ and is often a bit Beefy. Not necessarily beefy enough to take on a Flex End's Blocking Responsibilites, but beefy enough for a Split End's.
I'm talking about WideOuts who're well suited to catch Balls in Traffic, and Move The Chains.
However a given Coach chooses to deploy the Soldiers at his disposal is of course entirely up to him, and most WideOuts will see Snaps at multiple Positions and in multiple Alignments, but I believe that it is valuable to categorize WideOuts in terms of classic Skill Sets, to better define the differences in the kind of Impact they might wield at the next level.
This is how I break things down when I'm evaluating all WideOuts:
Separation: Getting Open. This encompasses Combat Skills & Fluidity to beat Press, Acceleration out'f the Blocks, Fluidity and Ricochet in navigating Traffic, Route Running Precision, the capacity to deceive Defenders, and Field Vision for Timing Seems and Open Zones. All other Aspects of a WideOut's Job Description are dwarfed by this one.
Catch Point Capacity: In Transit or Contested: Hands, WingSpan, Vertical Agility, Combat Skills, and Timing.
Yards After Catch are well and fine, but it seems to me that 90% of the Value of a Flex End and any WideOut is getting open and catching the Ball. Anyone who's read my Work extensively knows that I consider Blocking to be the Heart & Soul of FootBall, but that is a philosophical position, and I recognize that with most Philosophies, where it comes to Wide Receivers and Flex Ends...it's just Gravy. And so is Yards After Catch: Moving The Chains is What Wins.
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
Chad Hansen ~ Scouting Report
Separation: Impressive, and with excellent Potential.
Press Coverage: Mediocre. Excellent Combat Skills and tremendous Fluidity, though with marginal Power.
Agility: Excellent. Impressive Speed, but with average Acceleration. Impressive Ricochet, though, and tremendous Fluidity.
Routing: Impressive and with outstanding Potential. Right now, Hansen's got a mediocre Route Running Repertoire, as he's only started for 1 Year at California, and lined up almost exclusively at Split Right End. His level of Deception is excellent, though, and he consistently, quickly, and effectively anticipates Seems and Open Zones.
Hansen's mediocre Acceleration out'f the Gate, combined with marginal Power, impose serious Challenges to'is ability to Get Open and indeed could potentially render'm ordinary...But he is a remarkably savvy Route Runner, blessed with tremendous, serpentine Fluidity and outstanding Processing Speed and Field Vision. He'll need Time & Training to develop his Route Running Repertoire, but when he does, I'm thinking that he'll get open early and often.
Catch Point Capacity: Impressive, and with excellent Potential.
Contested Catch Combat Skills: Impressive. Marginal Power, but tremendous Paw Positioning and outstanding Motor.
Tracking & Timing: Excellent, in Transition, at the Catch Point, and DownField. Made a number of Plays where he adjusted his Speed or his Route perfectly on Long Balls. Made a 4th Quarter Catch against Texas that was magnificent.
Hands: Competitive. Inconsistent, but has made some real Beauties. I think that I should note that "Hands" encompasses Focus and being in Sync with one's QuarterBack, of course, and with Hansen and Davis Webb having had only the one Campaign to play together, I strongly suspect that, with a little Time, Hansen's Hands will improve significantly.
This Game is of course highly mental. Despite what appears to be marginal Power, Hansen is very tough on Contested Catches, and flashes enough Excellence, catching the Ball, that I'd be very surprised if a little more Time & Training at California would've seen the consistency of the quality of his Hands catch up with the Speed of his Mind.
Chunk Yardage: Tremendous, especially In Transition. Marginal Power, but tremendous Fluidity, impressive Ricochet, and outstanding Processing Speed and Field Vision. And once he gets into 5th Gear, he can take it to the House.
Blocking: Marginal. Decent Motor, but mediocre Combat Skills for blocking, and that marginal Power.
Chad Hansen ~ Prospectus
For whatever reason, I tend to like Golden Bear WideOuts, so be warned!!
I certainly like Chad Hansen. He erupted onto the College FootBall Scene out'f nowhere in 2016, which of course means that he's got very little starting Experience at the top levels of College, being a previous Junior College Transfer.
There's lots of Work to be done in developing his Route Running Repertoire, exactly as you'd expect.
His Power appears marginal, so he's not only gonna have to deal with that against Press Coverage, he's also gonna have to compound his Routing Challenge by developing a Flanker's Skill Set, despite playing Split End at Cali.
And his Acceleration of the Line is pedestrian, a lack of Explosiveness that's further going to impede his Getting Open.
Having written all that, I believe that Hansen's remarkably well-developed Field Vision speaks loudly both about his having invested Tons of Time & Training into mastering his Craft, and about his possessing the Intelligence to make the most of his Efforts, translating them into Success on the Field of Battle. Talent x Drive x Intelligence is of course my Formula for Success, and I believe, based on the Evidence of my Eyes, that Hansen's tremendous Fluidity is Talent enough, considering his evident Drive and Intelligence, to develop into a successful Starter at the next level.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Yank Rank: Warrior ~ SemiSleeper!!
| Market Value 3rd/4th Round | Yankee Grade 2nd 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!!
None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!!
None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!!
RSS Feed