|
Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Tough and highly competitive, Madsen consistently plays to the limits of his ability. A true leader, he takes command of the offensive line and makes all the protection calls. Quick out of stance and set to block, this enables him to "get a good fit" on DT, which helps him to consistently play strong at the POA. Although he looks thin on film, he consistently is able to anchor and hold ground versus aggressive power rushers. His smarts and awareness help him to see DL stunts/games/blitzes coming and he is able to switch off with the guards well. Quick getting through the LOS to the second level, Madsen can deliver a good initial blow to LB. While he does not show ability to drive DL and get movement on in-line run blocks, he does show the strength to tie up and torque DL off feet.
WEAKNESSES - Stiff and limited athletically, Madsen struggles when he has to move his feet a lot. In pass protection he cannot bend knees and sink hips to block with leverage and this limits his ability to slide well side to side to adjust to quick pass rush moves. While he can get to the second level easily and delivers a good initial blow to defender, he is upright and lacks the agility to adjust and block a moving target well out in space. He lacks the foot speed to pull and get outside to lead block effectively on outside runs. Although he plays strong at the POA at West Virginia, I think his inability to block with leverage will hinder his ability to play as strong in the NFL. Madsen has very short arms and will not be able to jolt or lock-out consistently vs NFL DT's.
SUMMARY - A highly decorated college center, Madsen is a much better college player than athlete, but will not be able to carry over his production to the NFL. Although he has good height/weight, he looks smaller "on the hoof" and will struggle with playing strength in the NFL if he doe snot improve his ability to block with good leverage. Additionally, his short arms will be a great hinderance to his ability to tie up and control DL. What disappointed me most was how poorly Madsen played during the three padded practices at the Senior Bowl - Not only did his limited athleticism show up, but he ended up on the ground way too often. Overall, I would not draft Madsen because centers with limited athleticism, that struggle to block with leverage and have very short arms rarely make it in the NFL. His best chance to make it in the NFL is to stick as a backup center/guard.
|
|
Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Freeman shows the ability to get off the line quickly enables him to get to the 2nd level well. Solid footwork and punch in the pocket to fend off smaller DL. Footwork also enables him to slide well in the pocket. Freeman is physical and shows very good blocking technique without penalty.
WEAKNESSES - Freeman is small in the legs and lacks the strength to move the bigger DL off the LOS. He lacks awareness and reacts slowly in picking up blocks both at the LOS and in the 2nd level. Needs to get more leverage/strength in his legs as he is unable to explode into his block allowing the defender to gain more leverage.
SUMMARY - Freeman shows that he possesses the athleticism to get off the snap quickly, get into the 2nd level quickly, and has the footwork in the pocket to slide well and stay with his man in pass pro. He has very good blocking technique and shows the ability to move guys off the LOS against the smaller defenders. Freeman will struggles against the bigger defenders in the NFL. He lacks the strength in the legs to be able to explode to gain leverage and lack of strength will cause him to be over powered. Freeman needs to improve his reaction time on picking up blocks inside the pocket after fending off his assignment. Overall, Freeman does not have the size or strength to contribute in the NFL now, so he is not a player I would draft. However, because he is quick and technically sound he would be worth signing as a free agent to see if he can add weight and improve strength enough to be a backup center.
|
|
Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Pocic's aggressive blocking style and rare competitiveness help him to block to the limits of his ability. Blessed with excellent height and long arms for a center, if he can get hands on DL first and "gets a good fit" he can usually keep man tied up on the line. Highly intelligent, Pocic consistently makes the correct protection calls. In addition to being smart, Pocic has good football instincts, which help him to anticipate what is coming during the play. He works well with the guards to switch off and handle DL stunts/games easily. Able to get through the line quickly, if he does not have to adjust and come off his track he can tie up linebacker and keeps him sealed out of the play. On in-line run blocks Pocic does a good job of getting ahold on DL, works around man and can pin and seal man out of the play.
WEAKNESSES - Limited athletically, Pocic struggles when he has to move his feet a lot. While he is an effective blocker on second level when he does not have to adjust off track, he struggles greatly to adjust to block a moving target out in space. He lacks the agility to slide quickly side to side to handle quick change of direction pass rush moves. He tends to block upright and without leverage, which limits his playing strength. He lacks the strength to get movement on in-line run blocks and struggles to hold ground vs "bull rushers" if he does not get hands on pas rusher first. He does too much bending at the waist, leaning and reaching to make blocks, which leads to him falling off and losing blocks too often.
SUMMARY - Despite receiving national attention as a premier center and potential All American, Pocic was greatly disappointing to evaluate. While he has good height and long arms, he lacks good playing strength, struggles to block with base/leverage and is a limited athlete. He has the smarts, toughness, intangibles and leadership to handle the mental side of the game and will never be out-worked, on or off the field, which definitely increases his value. Overall, I would not draft Pocic because I do not believe he has what it takes to be a productive starting center in the NFL. He would be a solid free agent signing because offensive linemen like Pocic often make it as backups because of their size, competitiveness, smarts and versatility. He could be a roster spot saver on game day as he could be the fourth guard, backup center and because of his height and long arms he could even be the emergency tackle.
|
