Scouts quotes from Mcginn
Christian Barmore, Alabama (6-foot-5, 310 pounds): The Crimson Tide have had seven defensive linemen drafted among the top 56 picks in the last five years. The three first-round choices (Quinnen Williams, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen) all were better prospects than Barmore, according to several scouts. “Alabama, big, hype,” one scout said. “Someone will take him (in the first round). Just a big, slow-footed guy. Stiff lower body. Nonproductive. Plays in-line and tries to fight you. No pass rush at all. No range. Upright. Just a grunt type guy.”
Third-year sophomore had eight sacks in 2020. “Not a perfect plug-and-play guy,” said a second scout. “He’s talented, but super raw. We really like his upside. He’s got inside pass rush. That’s what he’s really good at. He would be a really good sub rusher. You have to start him out slow because he doesn’t have a ton of experience and there’s a level of rawness to him.” Immaturity is an issue for several teams. Said a third scout: “He’s talented, but I think he’s going to fall. He’s a part-time starter for them because he’s so inconsistent.”
Jaylen Twyman, Pittsburgh (6-foot-2, 300 pounds): Posted 10½ sacks in 2019, becoming the Panthers’ first interior defensive lineman to lead the team in sacks since Aaron Donald had 11 in 2013. Both wore No. 97. “Very productive,” said one scout. “He’s got power, hands, body control. He’s got all the things you want to see from those top DTs. His style is more like Grady Jarrett than anything else. Probably a 3-technique.”
Explained his decision to opt out of 2020 as “meeting my family’s needs, now and in the future,” rather than the coronavirus. Redshirted in 2017, played sparingly in ’18. “He’s an inside rusher — that’s what he does best,” said a second scout. “He’s not a powerful guy. He’s a total movement guy. You just have to make sure he fits because he is not a big man. He doesn’t ever get flat-out blown out, but he’s just not a big guy. I could see somebody reaching on him in the second or third (round). It might be a little bit irresponsible.”
Pete Werner, Ohio State (6-foot-2½, 240 pounds): Three-year starter in a linebacking corps with three other prospects in the draft. “I wasn’t that high on him coming into the fall,” said one scout. “The more I watched him, I said this is exactly what you want. Smart, active, quick. He can tackle and he can cover. There’s nothing he can’t do. I’ve got him in the second half of the first round.” Never intercepted a pass but broke up 13. “He’s got speed to carry routes, he can match up with tight ends and he’s a good blitzer,” a second scout said. “He’s got really good run fits. Really good kid. Everybody there loves him. One of those guys who will knock the **** out of you.”
Ex-Buckeye MLB James Laurinaitis, a second-round pick in 2009, played almost every snap for St. Louis for seven seasons. “I think Werner is better,” a third scout said. “Laurinaitis was almost like another coach on the field, but was a below-the-line athlete. This kid is a good athlete. He’ll run 4.6. He’s very similar to (Logan) Wilson from last year. This guy’s a little better even.” Said a fourth scout: “He’s limited. Try-hard guy.”
Trevon Moehrig, Texas Christian (6-foot-2, 202 pounds): Three-year player, two-year starter. “Not a great group of safeties,” one scout said. “He’s the best guy. He’s the most versatile of all the safeties. Good run defender. Good tackler. He’s fast. Really good cover skills. Second-round guy. Good, solid player. Don’t know if he ever goes to a Pro Bowl.” Voted special-teams MVP by his teammates as a true freshman in 2018. “At first I didn’t like him, but as I watched him more, he kind of grew on me,” a second scout said. “He’s got burst and close. Gets his hands on a lot of balls in man coverage. He is a little late when he has to transition. He’s a really good communicator. He can play dime linebacker for you. He likes to be physical. He’s deceptively better than you think in the passing game, but I don’t think he’s a first-round pick.”
Intercepted seven passes and broke up 21 in his college career. “I thought the guy was just excellent,” a third scout said. “That (Big 12) Conference probably is the best passing conference in football, and he was really good. I don’t have one weakness on the guy. It will get down to what he runs. I estimated at least a 4.5.” A fourth scout remained unimpressed. “I don’t see anything to him,” he said. “You can see he knows how to play. He’s not really fast, he’s not really athletic, he’s not a knock-you-out tackler or anything. He’s just OK.”
Elijah Molden, Washington (5-foot-10½, 192 pounds): Often compared to Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker (5-foot-9½, 193 pounds, 4.50 40), the Cardinals’ second-round pick in 2017 from Washington. “The Washington staff talks about the kid like he’s Baker,” said one scout. “He doesn’t have that kind of movement. Quicker than fast. He’s small, and he isn’t flat-out fast for being that small. He is a scrappy little guy. We see him as a nickel.”
Backed up for two seasons before starting for the final two. “His greatest strength is his instincts,” said another scout. “He’s got twitch and body control. He can play nickel or safety. He’s similar to Taylor Rapp (of the Rams). He’s a special kid. He’ll play on special teams. Second round.” Elijah’s father, Alex, was the Saints’ first-round draft choice in 1996. He played cornerback for three teams in an eight-year career. “He’s a little Honey Badger,” a third scout said in reference to Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu. “He’s like a safety-nickel. I have him top of the third round.”
Had five interceptions and 19 passes defensed. “He’s a good, good player,” said a fourth scout. “He is tough. He runs around and gets to the ball. He’d be a really good cover guy for a safety, not for a corner. If you’re looking for the Budda Baker-type guy and you ignore the size, this is your guy. Somebody might get desperate and go first (round).” Had a history of injuries in high school, including surgery to repair a skull fracture in 2015.
