however, when I look at a QB video on the High School level I tend to look at things like his footwork in the pocket and his release. I know sometimes its tough because the QB in HS is most times your best athlete and they run around, but I try to look at the little things they do when they pass. For instance, can they look someone off, set their feet when they throw, or get rid of the ball quickly.

As for your comment on Gio, I posted a while back that I was unsure whether he was a product of a superior program and O-line rather than a pure running back. I saw the power to break tackles, but never saw the burst or ability to run away from other high school athletes. It initially scared me and I admit that I was never a huge fan of him. Over the last couple weeks I have heard comparisons to Maurice Jones-Drew and now I honestly feel like this is a fair comparison. If you watch his video carefully you will see that he follows his blockers very well, has very good strength, and can cut back. All of those factors play into him fitting into our system and the fact that we will feature more than one back means that he may not be used as a home run threat back but rather more of what he is: a smart, powerful, instinctive runner.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of seeing anything other than the highlight reel.

I was convinced Gainer > Lattimore after watching the original films of the 2, then Lattimore had newer film that was very impressive.

I shrug my shoulders at the Gio video also…it doesn’t blow me away by any means.

Highlight videos are great, but obviously don’t tell a great story. Sometimes you can actually get game film, and some schools set up databases of game film or will send you a copy if you are an insane obsessed fan, not that I would know. I have added some examples so you can see what I mean on some of it.

Speed: look for seperation, instead of just outrunning people, is the person seperating from others quickly, also if a defender has a natural angle and is still beaten that is a big indicator. Same goes for defense, can they get a guy even when they don’t have an angle.

There are different types of game speed. Some corners have natural “closing speed” which is when the ball is in the air/ just caught (Merrill Noel’s best quality). This is measured by the mid 20 yard split of the 40 yd dash. Others have great straight line speed (40 dash time), and others yet have quickness without great topend speed(Tai Easterling).

Burst/ Explosiveness:Watch for when a player takes off, do they look to accelerate quickly for their size. This is a good indicator of athleticism on the next level.

Playmaking ability: Does the player make plays that just don’t seem possible (the Noel Devine corallary), or do they just make good plays consistently. A great player will make plays at the HS level that just don’t seem possible at the college level.(Bridgewater)

Vision: Does the player find the right spot on the field no matter what (Gio Bernard), or are they happy “taking what the other team gave them” the latter is great at higher levels but in HS there is almost always a play to be made if the player can see the field.

Technique: To start QB. You might have seen I wrote this about Christian LeMay in the WORT

“Needs to work on repeating his delivery or will have accuracy issues on the next level.”

He throws the ball with different mechanics in different situations, and with the tighter passing lanes and larger OL in college that can be a problem. But this goes for all positions. Do lineman understand pad level (Not Tavaris Barnes)? Do DB backpedal well, and flip and run (Terrance Brooks)? Do QBs have good footwork? Are LB able to shed blockers to make tackles. Think back to Pop Warner or HS ball here.

Competition: What team does the player play for, and who does he play against? Not all 1800 yd backs are equal, do that in FL 5A is more impressive than doing it in 1A. Not that players can’t be good and play in these divisions, but it should be taken into consideration. I.e. Damien Jacobs.

Size: Self explanatory. Used for projectability.

WR- Two things. (1) watch when they run there routes, they should be crisp and not rounding them out. They shouldn’t have to turn their whole body to make good cuts, the hips should turn smoothly and lead them on their new path (Kelvin Benjamin). (2)Body control: does the person use his body effectively to get in good position around defenders, go up and catch the ball in the air, use their hands instead of their body to recieve it (Avis Commack has elite body control).

DL: Two other things here. (1) hands- does the DL get his hands out in front of him and use them actively to deflect blockers (Jacobbi McDaniel !). Active use of hands is a great quality. (2) first step- down in the trenches the first step can be extremely crucial, and a guy who gets off the ball well is something they have to have to move up and be a contributor eventually( Ray Drew, Tavaris Barnes, DeMonte McAllister).

QB-arm strength: Instead of the plays over the middle of the field, see if there are any throws outside the hash marks, if there are, can he make the throws without the WR coming back to the ball and without it “dying” near the end.

Tackling- Does the person make good tackles? When I say that I mean breaks down the lower half, drives through defenders, wraps up, takes them to the ground. Big shoulder hits are popular but I want to see a kid who can do it this way consistently (Jeff Luc). Another thing to look for in tackling is pursuit. The player shouldn’t be over running the play and getting themselves out of position, they should understand the flow of the play and follow it. Jajuan Harley will be awesome if he can get this idea down.

There are other things, but sometimes forgetting to look for these types of aspects and just looking at results can be a problem. This isn’t everything to look for, but the first things I look for. remember highlight videos are only 2-6 minutes of a playeres play so they should be taken with a grain of salt, but you can get an idea of athletic ability and possible contributions if you look for the right things.

Try to find out the competition in the film too. (5A, ect.)

One of the reasons I didn’t go crazy over Rodney Smith’s highlight video is because I knew the competition.

Using SWFL’s list:

Speed: look for seperation, instead of just outrunning people, is the person seperating from others quickly, also if a defender has a natural angle and is still beaten that is a big indicator. Same goes for defense, can they get a guy even when they don’t have an angle.

Andre Debose , though the competition was suspect, shows it in his highlights. Take them with a grain of salt though, just shows what you are looking for.

There are different types of game speed. Some corners have natural "closing speed" which is when the ball is in the air/ just caught (Merrill Noel’s best quality). This is measured by the mid 20 yard split of the 40 yd dash. Others have great straight line speed (40 dash time), and others yet have quickness without great topend speed(Tai Easterling).

Burst/ Explosiveness:Watch for when a player takes off, do they look to accelerate quickly for their size. This is a good indicator of athleticism on the next level.

Lamarcus Joyner. has the best burst/explosiveness I have seen since Eric Berry. He just explodes through people.

Playmaking ability: Does the player make plays that just don’t seem possible (the Noel Devine corallary), or do they just make good plays consistently. A great player will make plays at the HS level that just don’t seem possible at the college level.(Bridgewater)

Bridgewater is a good example here.

Vision: Does the player find the right spot on the field no matter what (Gio Bernard), or are they happy "taking what the other team gave them" the latter is great at higher levels but in HS there is almost always a play to be made if the player can see the field.

Marcus Lattimore., outstanding vision. Watch his cuts.

Technique: To start QB. You might have seen I wrote this about Christian LeMay in the WORT

"Needs to work on repeating his delivery or will have accuracy issues on the next level."
He throws the ball with different mechanics in different situations, and with the tighter passing lanes and larger OL in college that can be a problem. But this goes for all positions. Do lineman understand pad level (Not Tavaris Barnes)? Do DB backpedal well, and flip and run (Terrance Brooks)? Do QBs have good footwork? Are LB able to shed blockers to make tackles. Think back to Pop Warner or HS ball here.

Clint Trickett, Jaccobi McDaniel (pad level), Brooks (DB)

Competition: What team does the player play for, and who does he play against? Not all 1800 yd backs are equal, do that in FL 5A is more impressive than doing it in 1A. Not that players can’t be good and play in these divisions, but it should be taken into consideration. I.e. Damien Jacobs.

DT Marcus Fortson in 6A Florida football was dominant and is now showing it at Miami.

Size: Self explanatory. Used for projectability.

Things to look for are wrists and ankles. Both skinny? Player might have trouble putting on weight.

WR- Two things. (1) watch when they run there routes, they should be crisp and not rounding them out. They shouldn’t have to turn their whole body to make good cuts, the hips should turn smoothly and lead them on their new path (Kelvin Benjamin). (2)Body control: does the person use his body effectively to get in good position around defenders, go up and catch the ball in the air, use their hands instead of their body to recieve it (Avis Commack has elite body control).

I don’t worry as much about running routes because that can be taught. Body control — Dez Bryant is a perfect example.

DL: Two other things here. (1) hands- does the DL get his hands out in front of him and use them actively to deflect blockers (Jacobbi McDaniel !). Active use of hands is a great quality. (2) first step- down in the trenches the first step can be extremely crucial, and a guy who gets off the ball well is something they have to have to move up and be a contributor eventually( Ray Drew, Tavaris Barnes, DeMonte McAllister).

McDaniel is unnatural for the way he used his hands in high school. McAllister has the best get-off I’ve seen in a long time. His explosion is unreal.

QB-arm strength: Instead of the plays over the middle of the field, see if there are any throws outside the hash marks, if there are, can he make the throws without the WR coming back to the ball and without it "dying" near the end.

Matt Barkley.

Tackling- Does the person make good tackles? When I say that I mean breaks down the lower half, drives through defenders, wraps up, takes them to the ground. Big shoulder hits are popular but I want to see a kid who can do it this way consistently (Jeff Luc). Another thing to look for in tackling is pursuit. The player shouldn’t be over running the play and getting themselves out of position, they should understand the flow of the play and follow it. Jajuan Harley will be awesome if he can get this idea down.

Jeff Luc has perfect form.

There are other things, but sometimes forgetting to look for these types of aspects and just looking at results can be a problem. This isn’t everything to look for, but the first things I look for. remember highlight videos are only 2-6 minutes of a playeres play so they should be taken with a grain of salt, but you can get an idea of athletic ability and possible contributions if you look for the right things.

And I’ll add a few:

Hips — Can a CB flip his hips and run? How fluid of an athlete is he? Does he look natural when he runs?

CB Patrick Johnson/Peterson. PJ is the best athlete I’ve seen at CB since Cromartie. He will be a top 5 pick.

Instincts — Does the player have it? Does he seem to know where the pass is going before the QB throws it? Does he sniff out a reverse?

S Phillip Thomas and S Willie Downs Thomas really showed it in Dade. Downs showed it in the Army game.

I’ll try to think of some more. I hope the video helped.

I think I’m already better at this than mike Farrell!

Like MegaVideo or something that could be “private.” I am a poor graduate student with $10/month cable and no TiVo. Alms! Alms!