Justise Hairston Scouting Report - New England Patriots Forums

sebman2112 · 05-06-2007, 01:57 PM

From the Sports XChange Here is Hairston's scouting report, as listed on NFL.com:

"Positives: Has a well-built, V-shaped frame with broad shoulders, tight waist, good arm and leg-muscle definition and knotted calves … Classic power back who uses his size and strength to punish defenders in his path as he turns up field … Has good straight-line speed and shows patience waiting for blocks to develop … Picks the proper holes to run through and shows good hip swerve as he slides through traffic … Drives forward with force and shows excellent leg strength … Has the acceleration needed to cut around the corner … Willing blocker who can deliver crunching shots and is quick to pick up the blitz … Shows good separation ability and cuts sharply in the short-area passing game … Runs with good body lean and impressive short-burst balance … More comfortable moving the chains than going for the big play … Senses pressure well and is very adept in getting his hands up quickly to rock defenders back on the blitz … Has the frame that could add more bulk without any loss of speed … Runs inside at a low pad level and has a sharp burst past the line of scrimmage … Quick runner who can separate from the defenders after getting past the line.

Negatives: Not that protective of the ball, as he fails to distribute it away from the defender, resulting in a high amount of his fumbles coming when the opponent knocked the ball out of his grasp (only one of his seven fumbles in 2006 came when the ball hit the ground) … Shows good acceleration, but does not have the blazing speed to burst out of his stance in an instant and relies more on his power than quickness or head fakes to be a tackle-breaker … More of a straight-ahead runner, lacking the juking moves and quickness to consistently turn the corner … Lacks the lateral agility to avoid defenders when turning the corner … Has marginal hands, letting the ball absorb into his body rather than extend for the catch … A little stiff in the hips coming out of his breaks on routes, preventing him from weaving through the traffic and separating after the catch.

Compares To: Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants -- Jacobs is much bigger and more powerful, but both had to go to a lower level of competition during their college days in order to gain playing time … Hairston is a good inside runner, but despite his impressive senior season, there are holes in his game … He's had a high amount of fumbles, caused by poor ball distribution and lacks natural hands to be effective in the passing game … He can push the pile with his leg drive, but lacks the blazing speed to change the corner … With his nose for the end zone, he will be quite effective used in short-yardage situations … He also has a lot of similarities to San Diego's Michael Turner."

spacecrime · 05-06-2007, 02:09 PM

The pats have taken flyers on a lot of Day Two runnng backs. Sooner or later one will turn out to be a gem.

Personally, I liked Parick Cobbs, thoiugh he was more of a Faulk guy (5'10", 210#).

Hairsten is bigger. I just have no place on my roster for him.

His only shot is that the Pats keep Garrett Mills, and decide that with Mills o the roster, he and Hairston can combine to do what Evans does, with more potential down the line.

It will be an interesting cutdown.

***mgteich*** · 05-06-2007, 05:40 PM

You see no need for a short yardage back and see that somehow a TE makes the difference in the decision. Neither Mills nor Evans is a power runner. Evans is a fine blocker. Mills is a fine receiver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spacecrime

The pats have taken flyers on a lot of Day Two runnng backs. Sooner or later one will turn out to be a gem.

Personally, I liked Parick Cobbs, thoiugh he was more of a Faulk guy (5'10", 210#).

Hairsten is bigger. I just have no place on my roster for him.

His only shot is that the Pats keep Garrett Mills, and decide that with Mills o the roster, he and Hairston can combine to do what Evans does, with more potential down the line.

It will be an interesting cutdown.

sebman2112 · 05-06-2007, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgteich

You see no need for a short yardage back and see that somehow a TE makes the difference in the decision. Neither Mills nor Evans is a power runner. Evans is a fine blocker. Mills is a fine receiver.

Agreed, Evans is not the same type of Power runner Hairston could be, besides NE has been using him more and more at FB, and I don't expect that trend to change. People forget NE had Dillon, Maroney, Faulk, Pass, Evans, and Mills last year. Both Pass and Mills ended up going on injured reserve, though.

Also, as you pointed out Mills was a college TE, and NE is trying to use him more as a TE/H-Back than a traditional FB.

zippo59 · 05-06-2007, 05:52 PM

Seven fumbles in one season?

***fgssand*** · 05-06-2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgteich

You see no need for a short yardage back and see that somehow a TE makes the difference in the decision. Neither Mills nor Evans is a power runner. Evans is a fine blocker. Mills is a fine receiver.

His tendency to fumble scares me.....the report mentioned 6 out of his 7 fumbles in 2006 were a result of defenders knocking the ball out and not from the ground.

Other than that, seems like there could be a role, unless we go with a vet.?