Scout- Cody Manning
College: Alabama
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 235
40-Time: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical: 30
Athleticism: 7.75
Q.A.B./C.O.D. 8.00 He can move laterally with easy which allows him to move himself around blockers to fill run gaps Flexibility 7.50 He keeps his knees nicely bent so he can get underneath the blockers shoulder pads to make a play Explosiveness 8.00 Once he see where he wants to go he explodes in the direction to use his speed to close the space. Playing Speed 8.00 He plays fast and looks like one of the quicker linebackers on the field. Doesn’t slow down often. Coordination 7.00 He does a nice job at keeping his body balanced but can take bad angles at times. Position Versatility 8.00 He can line up as MLB and can be used on pass rush situations and put his hand on the ground.
Pass Rush Ability: 7.50
Initial Quickness 8.00 His burst allows him to explode towards the quarterback to get an edge to get around the blocker. Rush with Leverage 7.00 He can get underneath the blockers shoulder pads to dip past them to get pressure on the QB. Pass Rush Moves 8.00 He has a variety of moves that he can do to get pressure, does a nice job with his spin move. Pressure/Sack Consistency 7.00 He does have times where he will lose in to the blockers, needs to be more consistent with pressure.
Coverage: 7.00
Pass Drops 7.50 His speed allows him to fall back in his coverage quickly, gives him time to read the quarterback. Coverage Awareness 7.00 He can be slow at times diagnosing plays and that allows receivers to get past him in coverage. M/M Coverage 6.50 He can be flat footed so receivers will get by him with a simple double move. Needs some work here. Zone Coverage 7.00 More effective in zone coverage as he is more of a read and react player, just needs to read faster
Against The Run: 8.10
Play with Leverage 8.00 He excels at keeping his pads low so he can get under the blocker to move around or stack and shed Stack and Shed 8.50 Wonderful at fully extending his arms so he can get rid of the blocker to make the tackle on the runner Run at Him 8.00 He will react to the run play to fill the gap so he can be in position to make the tackle or bounce it. Runs Away 8.00 Speed allows him to run down running backs, he does have the ability to be a sideline to sideline guy Tackling/Hitting 8.00 He brings the wood and will run through runners, he does a great job at wrapping up the ball carrier.
Competitiveness: 7.67
Toughness 8.00 Very tough player and wants to do what it takes to end the play. He likes to hit the ball carrier. Production 7.00 74 tackles, 13 TFL, 6 sacks, 1 FF, Not uberly productive for senior year, but on talented defense. Consistency/Motor 8.00 He does bring his best every play, hardly saw anything that it look like he was off on a play.
Intelligence: 7.17
Instincts 7.00 He does have times where it takes him awhile to diagnose plays, it takes him out of position. Learn/Retain 7.50 He showed on tape that he can learn blockers tendencies to change things around during the game. Concentration 7.00 It could be his lack of concentration on the ball is why some plays take him time to diagnose.
STRENGTHS
He is a monster in the run stopping game. He does a nice job at using his lateral quickness to fill gaps by getting himself around the blocker. He also keeps himself below shoulder pad level so he can dip himself around on the blockers to stuff the run or get pressure on the quarterback. He is an effective pass rusher, his initial burst allows him to win the early battle so he can get to his move, and get to the quarterback. He can put his hand on the ground and still get that quickness with his first step.
WEAKNESSES
He does diagnose plays slowly at times which ends up taking him out of position on the play. This will result on a bad angle on the runner or he will find the receiver running past him. He can be flat footed in coverage, and a tight end can run a simple double move to get by him, and get the necessary separation. He will need to find a way to read plays faster, and how to keep his feet ready to turn and run with receivers in coverage. He has the speed to do so, but if he doesn’t fix it, then he could be a liability in pass coverage which is why I believe Alabama used him as a pass rusher in situations.
BIG PICTURE
Evans will come into the league with the right athleticism that a team will want from the linebacker position. He will help a team that wants their backers to stop the run. He has the ability to be a sideline to sideline player and his speed allows him to close space to make plays on the runner. He will need to work on his coverage skills but can be effective on passing situations by putting him in position to rush the quarterback. He can come in and be effective for a team that does need a run stuffer, his lateral quickness, and how he keeps his shoulder pad low, will allow him to win battles at the next level. He can stack and shed to get to the ball carrier. If he can become faster at diagnosing plays, and can improve his coverage skills then I believe he has the skills to eventually become one of the top backers in the league. I would say my pro comparison for Evans would be Navarro Bowman because of the run stuffing abilities.