[washingtonismoney]

I kid, I kid, but "anonymous scout" season is always -- simultaneously -- the most revealing and eye-rolling part of the draft process. Here's the anonymous guys on Stanford players:

Blake Martinez:

Two-year starter inside in a 3-4, leading the Cardinal in tackles each season. "I really like him," one scout said. "I'm just afraid he's playing as good as he can right now. He's a thick-built guy all the way up. Very smart player. Lacks speed and quick hip flip in coverage. Very solid against the run. He hustles, but speed is limited." Finished with 255 tackles (13 ½ for loss), 6 ½ sacks and 10 big plays. "He's OK," said another scout. "A lot of his production was downfield. He's not an impactful, behind the line of scrimmage guy. He did play hard." From Tucson, Ariz.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...20691.html

Kevin Hogan:

Posted a 36-10 record, winning three Pacific-12 Conference titles and starting in three Rose Bowls. "He's more ready than Brissett is," one scout said. "He is accurate. He does pretty much everything well. He has a funny release. Doesn't Philip Rivers have a funny release?" His passer rating was 104.2 and his record was 16-6 against AP top 25 opponents. "That (delivery) doesn't bother me," said a second scout. "Sonny Jurgensen had a really weird release. Throws it like Philip Rivers. He's cerebral, smooth." From McLean, Va. "He's your old-time pro QB," said a third scout. "Takes most of his snaps under center. He's good but not anything special." Wonderlic of 38.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...08321.html

Austin Hooper:

Redshirted in 2013, started 27 games in 2014-'15 and then renounced final two years of eligibility. "Comes from a great athletic family," said one scout. "Measures his words when he talks. He tries to be like the smartest guy in the room, and he could be." Wonderlic of 29. From San Ramon, Calif. "He's OK," said another scout. "He's a low-end starter. He blocks well, he catches well. He just doesn't have any extra gears after the catch and no extra dominance after the block." Caught 74 passes for 937 (12.7) and eight TDs. "Very much more of a receiver," said a third scout. "He's a little undersized but he's a good receiver. He's an off-the-line tight end, which is the thing in the NFL now." Hands (10 5/8) were largest among TEs.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...90661.html

Devon Cajuste:

Started 18 of 32 games as a slot WR. "Kind of my sleeper," one scout said. "That son of a guy is talented talented. Now he's a weird kid but he's talented. Not a tight end. He'd be a big slot. Excellent athlete." Ran the fastest three-cone drill (6.49 seconds) of anyone at the combine. "He's that new breed of receiving tight end," another scout said. "Put him in the slot. I like him to a point." Had 63 receptions for 1,206 (19.1) and 11 TDs. "Tough, hard-nosed blocker," said a third scout. "Boy, this guy likes to sneak up on 'em. He (hit) a couple guys from UCLA and turned 'em thistle end up, I'll tell you. ... He's one of those gliders and sliders in that you don't have to be real fast but you time where you pop open in the seam. He'd be that fourth or fifth wide receiver who comes in on third down because he can block and catch in traffic." From Seaford, N.Y. Wonderlic of 28.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...90661.html

And Garnett:

First Outland Trophy winner in school history. "He's the best guard," said one scout. "Little bit like (Mike) Iupati. Little stiff but real physical. He's big enough to hang in there against those big 3-techniques." Two-year starter at LG. "He's not perfect by any means but you can see the power," another scout said. "He's a better athlete than I anticipated. He wouldn't be a good fit in a zone scheme." Father, Scott, was an NFL DT from 1984-'87. "I just don't think he moves very well," a third scout said. "Just upper body. Very similar to the guy there a couple years ago that didn't make it. David Yankey." From Puyallup, Wash. "What makes him is he's the emotional, vocal leader," a fourth scout said. "Powerful, strong hands (10 1/8), nice feet on pulls. Will overextend at times."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...28371.html

[washingtonismoney]

I kid, I kid, but "anonymous scout" season is always -- simultaneously -- the most revealing and eye-rolling part of the draft process. Here's the anonymous guys on Stanford players:

Blake Martinez:

Two-year starter inside in a 3-4, leading the Cardinal in tackles each season. "I really like him," one scout said. "I'm just afraid he's playing as good as he can right now. He's a thick-built guy all the way up. Very smart player. Lacks speed and quick hip flip in coverage. Very solid against the run. He hustles, but speed is limited." Finished with 255 tackles (13 ½ for loss), 6 ½ sacks and 10 big plays. "He's OK," said another scout. "A lot of his production was downfield. He's not an impactful, behind the line of scrimmage guy. He did play hard." From Tucson, Ariz.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...20691.html

Kevin Hogan:

Posted a 36-10 record, winning three Pacific-12 Conference titles and starting in three Rose Bowls. "He's more ready than Brissett is," one scout said. "He is accurate. He does pretty much everything well. He has a funny release. Doesn't Philip Rivers have a funny release?" His passer rating was 104.2 and his record was 16-6 against AP top 25 opponents. "That (delivery) doesn't bother me," said a second scout. "Sonny Jurgensen had a really weird release. Throws it like Philip Rivers. He's cerebral, smooth." From McLean, Va. "He's your old-time pro QB," said a third scout. "Takes most of his snaps under center. He's good but not anything special." Wonderlic of 38.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...08321.html

Austin Hooper:

Redshirted in 2013, started 27 games in 2014-'15 and then renounced final two years of eligibility. "Comes from a great athletic family," said one scout. "Measures his words when he talks. He tries to be like the smartest guy in the room, and he could be." Wonderlic of 29. From San Ramon, Calif. "He's OK," said another scout. "He's a low-end starter. He blocks well, he catches well. He just doesn't have any extra gears after the catch and no extra dominance after the block." Caught 74 passes for 937 (12.7) and eight TDs. "Very much more of a receiver," said a third scout. "He's a little undersized but he's a good receiver. He's an off-the-line tight end, which is the thing in the NFL now." Hands (10 5/8) were largest among TEs.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...90661.html

Devon Cajuste:

Started 18 of 32 games as a slot WR. "Kind of my sleeper," one scout said. "That son of a guy is talented talented. Now he's a weird kid but he's talented. Not a tight end. He'd be a big slot. Excellent athlete." Ran the fastest three-cone drill (6.49 seconds) of anyone at the combine. "He's that new breed of receiving tight end," another scout said. "Put him in the slot. I like him to a point." Had 63 receptions for 1,206 (19.1) and 11 TDs. "Tough, hard-nosed blocker," said a third scout. "Boy, this guy likes to sneak up on 'em. He (hit) a couple guys from UCLA and turned 'em thistle end up, I'll tell you. ... He's one of those gliders and sliders in that you don't have to be real fast but you time where you pop open in the seam. He'd be that fourth or fifth wide receiver who comes in on third down because he can block and catch in traffic." From Seaford, N.Y. Wonderlic of 28.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...90661.html

And Garnett:

First Outland Trophy winner in school history. "He's the best guard," said one scout. "Little bit like (Mike) Iupati. Little stiff but real physical. He's big enough to hang in there against those big 3-techniques." Two-year starter at LG. "He's not perfect by any means but you can see the power," another scout said. "He's a better athlete than I anticipated. He wouldn't be a good fit in a zone scheme." Father, Scott, was an NFL DT from 1984-'87. "I just don't think he moves very well," a third scout said. "Just upper body. Very similar to the guy there a couple years ago that didn't make it. David Yankey." From Puyallup, Wash. "What makes him is he's the emotional, vocal leader," a fourth scout said. "Powerful, strong hands (10 1/8), nice feet on pulls. Will overextend at times."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/r...28371.html

[2 for 2028]

In the category of things that are somehow important to me, but probably shouldn't be: it's nice to see that Hogan (38) bested Goff (36) on the Wonderlic.

[2 for 2028]

In the category of things that are somehow important to me, but probably shouldn't be: it's nice to see that Hogan (38) bested Goff (36) on the Wonderlic.

[needle]

Blake "OK" Martinez
Kevin "Old-time Pro" Hogan
Austin "No Extras" Hooper
Devon "Weird" Cajuste
Joshua "Little Stiff" Garnett

[needle]

Blake "OK" Martinez
Kevin "Old-time Pro" Hogan
Austin "No Extras" Hooper
Devon "Weird" Cajuste
Joshua "Little Stiff" Garnett

[fullmetal]

If the scouts are okay with Hogan's release, I guess I'm okay with it now.  Interesting.

Glad to see scouts bullish on Cajuste!

Funny to see scouts dinging Garnett.  Seems everyone wants a little contrarian bent to their opinions to hedge against the possibility of draft bust-itis, especially when it comes to near-sure things.

[fullmetal]

If the scouts are okay with Hogan's release, I guess I'm okay with it now.  Interesting.

Glad to see scouts bullish on Cajuste!

Funny to see scouts dinging Garnett.  Seems everyone wants a little contrarian bent to their opinions to hedge against the possibility of draft bust-itis, especially when it comes to near-sure things.

[terry]

Scouts have no real incentive to gush with praise about guys their team wants to pick. They don't want to raise their favorite players' stock because somebody else might start to get interested in him.

[terry]

Scouts have no real incentive to gush with praise about guys their team wants to pick. They don't want to raise their favorite players' stock because somebody else might start to get interested in him.

[Phogge]

Hogan's brains are too much for some organizations to deal with. Some really smart GM will draft him and be very happy down the road.

[Phogge]

Hogan's brains are too much for some organizations to deal with. Some really smart GM will draft him and be very happy down the road.

[JJJ]

Hogan's Wonderlic score looks pretty phenomenal, but this is coming from someone who knows very little about the test. Can anyone add any insight? How did Luck do? Thanks for any input!

[JJJ]

Hogan's Wonderlic score looks pretty phenomenal, but this is coming from someone who knows very little about the test. Can anyone add any insight? How did Luck do? Thanks for any input!

[BostonCard]

Hogan's Wonderlic score looks pretty phenomenal, but this is coming from someone who knows very little about the test. Can anyone add any insight? How did Luck do? Thanks for any input!

The scores are supposed to be confidential, so don't put too much stock into it, but Luck reportedly had a 37.

http://wonderlictestsample.com/nfl-wonderlic-scores/

You can follow the link and take a sample of the test yourself.

BC

[BostonCard]

Hogan's Wonderlic score looks pretty phenomenal, but this is coming from someone who knows very little about the test. Can anyone add any insight? How did Luck do? Thanks for any input!

The scores are supposed to be confidential, so don't put too much stock into it, but Luck reportedly had a 37.

http://wonderlictestsample.com/nfl-wonderlic-scores/

You can follow the link and take a sample of the test yourself.

BC

[Treebound]

Thanks BC,
I had to laugh going down the list.  I saw an entry for "Walt Harris - 21" that gave me pause.  I'm guessing it's a different person, but funny none the less.  :P

[Treebound]

Thanks BC,
I had to laugh going down the list.  I saw an entry for "Walt Harris - 21" that gave me pause.  I'm guessing it's a different person, but funny none the less.  :P

[JJJ]

Thanks BC. I read the Andrew Luck entry and was impressed that his score was higher than the average electric engineer, chemist, and system analyst. I couldn't make myself take a practice test because I know the result would be too depressing...  :-[

[JJJ]

Thanks BC. I read the Andrew Luck entry and was impressed that his score was higher than the average electric engineer, chemist, and system analyst. I couldn't make myself take a practice test because I know the result would be too depressing...  :-[

[oman]

Huh.  My wife's nickname for me is "Little Stiff".

Go figure.

[oman]

Huh.  My wife's nickname for me is "Little Stiff".

Go figure.

[FarmBoy]

Istn't there an element of CYA in this as well? Scouts need to make sure enough negatives are highlighted such that if a pick goes sideways, they have plausible deniability.

[FarmBoy]

Istn't there an element of CYA in this as well? Scouts need to make sure enough negatives are highlighted such that if a pick goes sideways, they have plausible deniability.

[Hey]

I'm really surprised and happy to see the positive comments for Cajuste.  I thought scouts were down on him.

Has anyone noticed his unusual way of catching the ball?  I think he should patent it. 

[Hey]

I'm really surprised and happy to see the positive comments for Cajuste.  I thought scouts were down on him.

Has anyone noticed his unusual way of catching the ball?  I think he should patent it. 

[rudruff]

Istn't there an element of CYA in this as well? Scouts need to make sure enough negatives are highlighted such that if a pick goes sideways, they have plausible deniability.

I have always wondered about this. If you have to write dozens of these and being wrong can get you fired, don't you get better at writing reports that won't get you fired rather than trying to accurately reflect the player's abilities?

[rudruff]

Istn't there an element of CYA in this as well? Scouts need to make sure enough negatives are highlighted such that if a pick goes sideways, they have plausible deniability.

I have always wondered about this. If you have to write dozens of these and being wrong can get you fired, don't you get better at writing reports that won't get you fired rather than trying to accurately reflect the player's abilities?

[cardfan09]

I'm really surprised and happy to see the positive comments for Cajuste.  I thought scouts were down on him.

Has anyone noticed his unusual way of catching the ball?  I think he should patent it.

Cajuste had a fantastic combine - he had the best 3-cone of any player, at any position.

[cardfan09]

I'm really surprised and happy to see the positive comments for Cajuste.  I thought scouts were down on him.

Has anyone noticed his unusual way of catching the ball?  I think he should patent it.

Cajuste had a fantastic combine - he had the best 3-cone of any player, at any position.

[ColoradoTree]

I dunno, I didn't see anything outrageous in those scouting reports.  I was pleasantly surprised by the Hogan and Cajuste ones and a little less pleasantly surprised at the Hooper, Garnett, and Martinez ones, but nothing crazy.  And again, opinions differ.  Hard to complain about the scout who thought Garnett was the best guard, even if we complain about the scout that "doesn't think he moves very well," which is insane given how great of a pulling guard Garnett was. 

I wonder if Hooper could have boosted his draft stock with another great year.  My hunch is yes, though he's supposed to be the #2 TE off the board, so it may be difficult to improve on that. 

Idle thought: it frustrates me to see a player that we've grown to love as a fierce competitor described as merely "OK," but I suppose we have to take the context into account.  These guys are studying all of the best potential NFL rookies out there, so to be described as just OK isn't that bad of a ding.  It has to be hard to truly differentiate between hundreds of players every year, all of whom are really good.  And obviously, the NFL system and coaching staff the player goes into will either make these scouts look very smart or very silly, and the crazy part is that it doesn't mean the scout whose opinion looks bad in hindsight was wrong.  Those flaws could well be there, but the coaching staff worked around them to develop a terrific NFL player. 

[ColoradoTree]

I dunno, I didn't see anything outrageous in those scouting reports.  I was pleasantly surprised by the Hogan and Cajuste ones and a little less pleasantly surprised at the Hooper, Garnett, and Martinez ones, but nothing crazy.  And again, opinions differ.  Hard to complain about the scout who thought Garnett was the best guard, even if we complain about the scout that "doesn't think he moves very well," which is insane given how great of a pulling guard Garnett was. 

I wonder if Hooper could have boosted his draft stock with another great year.  My hunch is yes, though he's supposed to be the #2 TE off the board, so it may be difficult to improve on that. 

Idle thought: it frustrates me to see a player that we've grown to love as a fierce competitor described as merely "OK," but I suppose we have to take the context into account.  These guys are studying all of the best potential NFL rookies out there, so to be described as just OK isn't that bad of a ding.  It has to be hard to truly differentiate between hundreds of players every year, all of whom are really good.  And obviously, the NFL system and coaching staff the player goes into will either make these scouts look very smart or very silly, and the crazy part is that it doesn't mean the scout whose opinion looks bad in hindsight was wrong.  Those flaws could well be there, but the coaching staff worked around them to develop a terrific NFL player. 

[washingtonismoney]

I dunno, I didn't see anything outrageous in those scouting reports. 

These are mostly fine. I'm referring to the scouting reports that speculate about players' personal lives/personal characteristics based on zippo information.

[washingtonismoney]

I dunno, I didn't see anything outrageous in those scouting reports. 

These are mostly fine. I'm referring to the scouting reports that speculate about players' personal lives/personal characteristics based on zippo information.