re: NFL Analysis of LSU Invites

WR BRANDON LAFELL
OVERVIEW LaFell is a big receiver that has a huge upside but still needs to refine his game if he wants to excel at the next level. He has adequate speed for the position but with his size and stride length he can sneak up on and run by a lot of defenders. He has soft, natural hands but will drop some balls due to lapses of concentration. He is competitive to the ball over the middle and in traffic and can use his size and leaping ability to high point the ball over the top of defenders. While he will initially have a bigger impact with the short passing game against zone coverage he has enough going for him to eventually become an effective downfield target.

STRENGTHS LaFell has the height and build of a starting NFL wide receiver. Has been a productive player. Has soft hands and flashes the ability to catch the ball away from his body. Is an athletic receiver. Exhibits the willingness to catch the ball in traffic over the middle. Is a competitive performer who is tough to take down after the catch and will go up and fight for the jump ball.

WEAKNESSES LaFell possesses good top end speed but isn’t a true burner to consistently get deep at the next level. Suffers from lapses of concentration which lead to drops. Is not precise route-runner, is susceptible to press-coverage, and occasionally struggles to gain separation.

LB PERRY RILEY
OVERVIEW Riley has been a productive linebacker for LSU over the past two seasons. He has adequate size and athleticism for the position with better straight-line speed than change-of-direction and burst in space. Leverages the ball well with good run fits inside-out to the pile. He is a solid open-field tackler, keeping proper body positioning as well as wrapping up on contact. He has a feel for reading route progressions but lacks the agility and quickness to be effective in man coverage. Riley is a good football player with the size, strength and athleticism to develop at the next level, but he likely will only contribute on special teams in his rookie season.

STRENGTHS Riley is strongly built with enough height and good speed. Follows the ball carrier well and rarely over-pursues. Solid form tackler who wraps on contact. Has good instincts and can anticipate route progressions when dropping in pass coverage. Very productive and durable in the SEC.

WEAKNESSES Lacks good lateral agility and burst which prevents him from being a true sideline-to-sideline player. Loses speed when he changes direction and struggles to keep up with receivers in man coverage. Does not display good ball skills due to a lack of body control and overall agility.

RB CHARLES SCOTT
OVERVIEW Scott is a big, powerful back that is more of a raw power back that can move piles than an explosive punishing type of ball carrier. He is a no-nonsense ball carrier that does not dance around in the backfield and is not apt to have many negative plays in the course of a game. He missed the last three games of his senior year with a broken collarbone but it should not affect his draft status. Scott can be a punishing blocker but needs a lot of technique work for the next level. He is an adequate receiver out of the backfield but won’t be much of a factor in the downfield passing game.

STRENGTHS Scott’s game is all about size and power. He’s an effective inside runner. Shows good balance on contact and will consistently break tackles. Is a productive player who can get stronger as the game wears on. Displays good body control for a power back. Is a high-effort guy.

WEAKNESSES Scott does not possess the speed to make big plays at the next level. He lacks the elusiveness to make defenders miss in the hole or be a true threat on the perimeter. He missed last three games of his senior year. His overall receiving skills are questionable.