hoops
Tua time!
this begins my draft evaluation process with a series i started last year called tale of the tape and will run thru in more detail and depth prospect wise this 2015 draft process...for the last 2 years i've been saying how much this team needs a true mike lb fit...i make no bones that is the biggest need in this defense as it stands...i think this season kinda played out to show it as well...the need for a read and diag run defender is paramount at the mike and ideally a every down athlete although miami does have sub package options to work with...so is denzell perryman that fit and if so what is his value...as always i do not grade draft prospects relative to the current class value wise i grade them relative to what i think i should expect from a round grade prospect in any class...this is also all tape evaluation...miami has plenty of outside lb options in house my focus at the position is purely mike...i hope you enjoy this and get something from it and i will not be wasting any time on qbs in it cause we have a boss in the making already 
with that let's begin...
the first answer i need is is this prospect in fact a mike or ilb fit??? well yes denzell perryman is a mike lb all the way...it's obvious what his best fit at the next level is gonna be...if it wasnt i would have cut the tape off after i figured it out...
so now that that's established what does the tape say...
the first thing that stands out is the athlete...very average...hips look average as does the change of direction not necessarily straight linish but doesn't open his hips and change direction on a dime either...pretty average athlete by nfl lb terms...6 ft 242 lbs listed i can believe it...that 242 allows for some added pop on contact and also when engaged by lineman he doesnt get run over he handles himself relatively well...has some shock on contact and provides some heavy hitting on plays when he can get there...there's some presnap recognition and diagnosis going on here and he has a feel for the inside running game...best work looks to be between the tackles to me...seems to not get to the perimeter of the field all that well although his read and diag helps with some of the off tackle stuff...still i think the athlete limits his effectiveness
strengths i see are inside run game read and diag he has a knack for filling properly and for taking on lead blockers and some pop on contact...shoots gaps relatively well as a result can make some tackles in the backfield...gets caught up in traffic more than he should considering his solid not great read and diag skills...instincts are not top notch this isnt a luke kuechly in that department...late at times and as a result gets caught up and held up on plays he should get to...once he sees it though he fires to the ball and packs a punch it's just a matter of will he get there or not...
effective blitzer stop start and close is pretty good to the backfield...hard hitter...tackles relatively well pretty good form drives thru with the hips and wraps up pretty well...misses some tackles in the hole he should make when clean i think that's about the hip athlete and not being able to redirect all that well to short area lateral quickness...if he was a better athlete he'd make more splash plays...misses tackles in space he needs to finish on...
effort to the ball is there he's on his huff and looks like all out in pursuit to the ball especially wide he just doesnt have the foot speed to get to things way out on the perimeter unless it gets held up or has to redirect or he starts early...this is a concern for sure...the athlete to the perimeter of the field looks like a 2 down lb and that's before we get into the coverage aspects of play...
i sure hope you like zone coverage cause the canes tape is riddled with it...i wonder if all that zone i see is about hiding the mike lb in coverage and the athlete...i will say this his awareness in the passing game is flat not there...i didnt see one ounce of route recognition or awareness his zone work which is probably 95 plus percent of the tape i saw says pitch and catch opportunities for the opposition...looks like an easy 8 yards in his area...doesnt read qbs eyes well doesnt flow into passing lanes or have a feel or concept for pass receivers invading his area and is flat out of position or flat footed as a result an awful lot...i see zero ball skills here...he's a drop and rally to the ball post completion lb all the way
miami under coyle plays a lot of zone with the lbs so perryman fits that it's just dont expect this guy to go jump a slant route or read a qbs eyes and make a play on the ball cause it's just not there...the little bit of man coverage i saw he covered the flats never once carried coverage down the seam i have no doubts man coverage carrying coverage with this player is a major problem and will wear a target...qbs will throw the ball right by his ear and he will never even know it was there...i did see him come across the formation from a presnap and to the snap gap blitz look and pick up a back down the field on a wheel route man coverage that was interesting and unexpected but it would be more element of surprise type stuff then me expecting him to cover guys in man work off what i see on tape...his zone drop as a result of the athlete will probably struggle to get proper depth on deep drop coverages...
everything about this guy as a player screams 2 down mike lb to me...i just dont see how it can be valued as a every down nfl mike lb and the tape is so riddled with zone and no awareness or feel in it and the athlete to the perimeter of the field lacking that it has to be drafted as such...this does not project to be a sub package lb unless you are asking him to cover the flats or rush the passer in a blitz capacity...really what you have is a 2 down mike lb inside you pull off the field in the sub package and play a lot of under or drop zone with coverage wise when he is out there...
so what's the value for miami??? the mike lb play vs the run which is the major miami need if we can't get a every down mike with the gap fill and the read and diag he does show is probably a 2nd round value even as a 2 down guy...he can help us i don't doubt that...but when i add in the athlete in space and the fact that i pretty much have no choice but to play a zone or flats coverage with him and i think he's gonna run around a 4.8 i think it becomes more a pick 50-75 value...and if i'm miami my thoughts would be 3rd round target...provided he doesnt go out and run a very poor number at the combine...don't go out there and post a 5.0 or something and tell everyone why you stayed in school...regardless i'd like to get more with a top 50 pick...pick #14 though oh hells no...would it surprise me if he went in the 2nd round running a say 4.8 no it wouldn't...
with that let's begin...the first answer i need is is this prospect in fact a mike or ilb fit??? well yes denzell perryman is a mike lb all the way...it's obvious what his best fit at the next level is gonna be...if it wasnt i would have cut the tape off after i figured it out...
so now that that's established what does the tape say...
the first thing that stands out is the athlete...very average...hips look average as does the change of direction not necessarily straight linish but doesn't open his hips and change direction on a dime either...pretty average athlete by nfl lb terms...6 ft 242 lbs listed i can believe it...that 242 allows for some added pop on contact and also when engaged by lineman he doesnt get run over he handles himself relatively well...has some shock on contact and provides some heavy hitting on plays when he can get there...there's some presnap recognition and diagnosis going on here and he has a feel for the inside running game...best work looks to be between the tackles to me...seems to not get to the perimeter of the field all that well although his read and diag helps with some of the off tackle stuff...still i think the athlete limits his effectiveness
strengths i see are inside run game read and diag he has a knack for filling properly and for taking on lead blockers and some pop on contact...shoots gaps relatively well as a result can make some tackles in the backfield...gets caught up in traffic more than he should considering his solid not great read and diag skills...instincts are not top notch this isnt a luke kuechly in that department...late at times and as a result gets caught up and held up on plays he should get to...once he sees it though he fires to the ball and packs a punch it's just a matter of will he get there or not...
effective blitzer stop start and close is pretty good to the backfield...hard hitter...tackles relatively well pretty good form drives thru with the hips and wraps up pretty well...misses some tackles in the hole he should make when clean i think that's about the hip athlete and not being able to redirect all that well to short area lateral quickness...if he was a better athlete he'd make more splash plays...misses tackles in space he needs to finish on...
effort to the ball is there he's on his huff and looks like all out in pursuit to the ball especially wide he just doesnt have the foot speed to get to things way out on the perimeter unless it gets held up or has to redirect or he starts early...this is a concern for sure...the athlete to the perimeter of the field looks like a 2 down lb and that's before we get into the coverage aspects of play...
i sure hope you like zone coverage cause the canes tape is riddled with it...i wonder if all that zone i see is about hiding the mike lb in coverage and the athlete...i will say this his awareness in the passing game is flat not there...i didnt see one ounce of route recognition or awareness his zone work which is probably 95 plus percent of the tape i saw says pitch and catch opportunities for the opposition...looks like an easy 8 yards in his area...doesnt read qbs eyes well doesnt flow into passing lanes or have a feel or concept for pass receivers invading his area and is flat out of position or flat footed as a result an awful lot...i see zero ball skills here...he's a drop and rally to the ball post completion lb all the way
miami under coyle plays a lot of zone with the lbs so perryman fits that it's just dont expect this guy to go jump a slant route or read a qbs eyes and make a play on the ball cause it's just not there...the little bit of man coverage i saw he covered the flats never once carried coverage down the seam i have no doubts man coverage carrying coverage with this player is a major problem and will wear a target...qbs will throw the ball right by his ear and he will never even know it was there...i did see him come across the formation from a presnap and to the snap gap blitz look and pick up a back down the field on a wheel route man coverage that was interesting and unexpected but it would be more element of surprise type stuff then me expecting him to cover guys in man work off what i see on tape...his zone drop as a result of the athlete will probably struggle to get proper depth on deep drop coverages...
everything about this guy as a player screams 2 down mike lb to me...i just dont see how it can be valued as a every down nfl mike lb and the tape is so riddled with zone and no awareness or feel in it and the athlete to the perimeter of the field lacking that it has to be drafted as such...this does not project to be a sub package lb unless you are asking him to cover the flats or rush the passer in a blitz capacity...really what you have is a 2 down mike lb inside you pull off the field in the sub package and play a lot of under or drop zone with coverage wise when he is out there...
so what's the value for miami??? the mike lb play vs the run which is the major miami need if we can't get a every down mike with the gap fill and the read and diag he does show is probably a 2nd round value even as a 2 down guy...he can help us i don't doubt that...but when i add in the athlete in space and the fact that i pretty much have no choice but to play a zone or flats coverage with him and i think he's gonna run around a 4.8 i think it becomes more a pick 50-75 value...and if i'm miami my thoughts would be 3rd round target...provided he doesnt go out and run a very poor number at the combine...don't go out there and post a 5.0 or something and tell everyone why you stayed in school...regardless i'd like to get more with a top 50 pick...pick #14 though oh hells no...would it surprise me if he went in the 2nd round running a say 4.8 no it wouldn't...
Last edited by a moderator:
