Offensive Guard ~ Jermaine Eluemunor ~ Texas A&M Aggies ~ 6036/333
The Gutters are riddled with the Corpses of Teams that were built around so-called "skill" Players ~ teams that delighted their Fantasy FootBall Fans every Year, all the way until January...until The Only Games That Really Matter.
It is then, of course, that the Capacity ~ or lack thereof ~ to Move The Chains and protect the QuarterBack against PlayOff Caliber Defenses rears its ugly head. And another Team built for Fantasy FootBall bites the dust.
This is how I break things down, when I'm evaluating Offensive Guards:
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 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. 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 lurching around like FrankenStein.
Frame: Vertical Leverage, Hands, Arm Length, and WingSpan.
Combat Skills: Lateral Leverage, Paw Positioning, Paw Persistence, and FootWork.
Processing Speed: How quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to the Rapidly Roiling Tactical LandScape!!
Motor: Endurance and Drive: How much Work has been put into Conditioning, and how it manifests itself.
Run Blocking: Applying it all: Power, Agility, Frame, Combat Skills, Processing Speed, and Motor.
Pass Blocking: Power, Agility, Frame, Combat Skills, Processing Speed, and Motor.
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 in the Passing Game. The capacity to Stand One's Ground.
* Drive Power in the Running Game. The capacity to drive your man back.
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.
Processing Speed
* Reading & Reacting to Defensive Schemes & Stunts quickly and effectively.
* Field Vision: Finding Targets & approaching them effectively.
Motor
* Intensity.
* Duration.
Run Blocking
* Power ~ Drive Power to project Power in the Running Game.
* Agility ~ especially Acceleration DownField or to the Flank.
* Frame ~ especially Vertical Leverage.
* Combat Skills.
* Processing Speed.
* Motor.
Pass Blocking
* Power ~ Anchoring Strength to reject Power in the Passing Game.
* Agility ~ especially Fluidity to Mirror the Pass Rusher.
* Frame ~ especially WingSpan.
* Combat Skills.
* Processing Speed.
* Motor.
Power: Excellent and potentially Awesome. Eluemunor has only been playing FootBall for 6 Years and only 1 in High School, so transforming Intrinsic Power into Functional Power is still In Progress.
Agility: Impressive, all around: Launch Velocity, Fluidity, Acceleration, and Speed.
Frame: Sufficient Height for adequate Vertical Leverage and an adequate WingSpan.
Combat Skills: Marginal, yet with exceptional Potential. Eluemunor's Inexperience is evident in'is Lateral Leverage and his Paw Positioning, but he flashes Excellence in both Aspects, as well as in Timing and FootWork.
Processing Speed: Mediocre, which is actually a Compliment, considering his Inexperience, and potentially Excellent, keeping that in mind: To've attained Competency after only 13 Starts is remarkable.
Motor: Impressive Intensity and, remarkably, at 333 Pounds, Stamina.
Run Blocking: Competitive and potentially Tremendous, in any Scheme, given enough Time & Training.
Pass Blocking: Adequate and potentially Exceptional.
Mind you, he could certainly fall flat on'is Face: His Combat Skills suck, and if he turns out to be a Slacker who doesn't work his Ass off to develop his considerably raw Game, he could easily drift away without ever playing a Snap.
But Jermaine Eluemunor brings a Top 10 combination of Power and Agility to the Field of Battle, his Intensity is impressive, and the fact that he's managed to acquire a Competent level of Processing Speed and Field Vision despite having only taken up FootBall late in High School speaks highly of both his Intelligence...and his Drive.
Trajectory > A Philosophical Formula that calculates a Prospect's Potential & Risk, based on perceptions of Talent, Intelligence, Passion, and Work Ethic: Talent x Intelligence x Drive = Potential/Risk.
Jermaine Eluemunor is a Late Arrival to This Great Game ~ Blimey!! ~ but his Talent is Top Shelf, and his Intangibles, as Earthlings describe'm, are equally impressive. As always, I presume Nothing...but this is a Kid to bet on.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!
Market Value #159 | Yankee Grade 2nd Round!! |
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!