Pro Scouts Authority Sports Blog Logo 1

Author: admin

Posted on

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

admin

August 18, 2025

Jalen Carter
 
  • Position: DT
  • School: Georgia
  • Class: Junior
  • Height: 6-3
  • Weight: 310
Background
 
  • Former 5 Star recruit out of High school
  • Recorded (12) Sacks and (64) tackles as a senior
  • Second Team All-SEC (2021)
  • National Champion (2022)
  • Under Armour All-American
Strengths
 
  • Quick and powerful hands at the point-of-attack
  • Impressive athleticism and first step for his size
  • Has a strong anchor, plays with a solid base and can hold up at the point
  • Displays uncanny instincts in the run game can shed blockers and locate the ball in a hurry
  • Play strength is legit and has a mean bull rush, keeps his hands inside and routinely gets Guards off balance in pursuit
  • Agility and short area quickness are outstanding, closes ground and gaps quickly
  • Disruptive interior pass rusher that lives in the opponent’s backfield
  • Versatility along the line as Carter can pressure the QB from multiple gaps
  • Good ability to see through blocks and stay intune with what’s going on in the backfield
Weaknesses
 
  • Lateral mobility is a concern! Has straight line speed but range wise will struggle to make plays on the backside from time to time
  • Virtually unblockable one on one, but once he sheds he has a tendency to get caught up in traffic too often for a talent with his feet and agility
  • Out of (172) defensive snaps so far this season only (50) were in run defense which may draw concerns as to whether or not Carter can hold up in a 3-4 heavy scheme.
Overview
 
Jalen Carter from an overall interior dominance standpoint is the most talented defensive tackle I’ve seen coming out of college since Chris Jones in (2016). He possesses a rare combination of size/athleticism/power that makes him a nightmare to gameplan for considering he can show up over center, 1-tech, or 3-tech, and at the next level i can even see him getting pass rush snaps at the 4 & 5 as well; Carter’s just that impressive of an athlete on the field! He’s a real difference maker on the inside and creates a lot of opportunities for his teammates to make plays. While I do believe Jalen Carter has some value within a 3-4 odd, I believe his best situation could be lining up at 3-tech in a 4-3, or 2i in a 4-6

Latest Articles

Posted on

Jalen Carter

Jalen Carter

admin

August 18, 2025

Jalen Carter
 
  • Position: DT
  • School: Georgia
  • Class: Junior
  • Height: 6-3
  • Weight: 310
Background
 
  • Former 5 Star recruit out of High school
  • Recorded (12) Sacks and (64) tackles as a senior
  • Second Team All-SEC (2021)
  • National Champion (2022)
  • Under Armour All-American
Strengths
 
  • Quick and powerful hands at the point-of-attack
  • Impressive athleticism and first step for his size
  • Has a strong anchor, plays with a solid base and can hold up at the point
  • Displays uncanny instincts in the run game can shed blockers and locate the ball in a hurry
  • Play strength is legit and has a mean bull rush, keeps his hands inside and routinely gets Guards off balance in pursuit
  • Agility and short area quickness are outstanding, closes ground and gaps quickly
  • Disruptive interior pass rusher that lives in the opponent’s backfield
  • Versatility along the line as Carter can pressure the QB from multiple gaps
  • Good ability to see through blocks and stay intune with what’s going on in the backfield
Weaknesses
 
  • Lateral mobility is a concern! Has straight line speed but range wise will struggle to make plays on the backside from time to time
  • Virtually unblockable one on one, but once he sheds he has a tendency to get caught up in traffic too often for a talent with his feet and agility
  • Out of (172) defensive snaps so far this season only (50) were in run defense which may draw concerns as to whether or not Carter can hold up in a 3-4 heavy scheme.
Overview
 
Jalen Carter from an overall interior dominance standpoint is the most talented defensive tackle I’ve seen coming out of college since Chris Jones in (2016). He possesses a rare combination of size/athleticism/power that makes him a nightmare to gameplan for considering he can show up over center, 1-tech, or 3-tech, and at the next level i can even see him getting pass rush snaps at the 4 & 5 as well; Carter’s just that impressive of an athlete on the field! He’s a real difference maker on the inside and creates a lot of opportunities for his teammates to make plays. While I do believe Jalen Carter has some value within a 3-4 odd, I believe his best situation could be lining up at 3-tech in a 4-3, or 2i in a 4-6

Latest Articles

Posted on

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Hutchinson/Goff/Brown take over, Lions improve to (1-1)

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Hutchinson/Goff/Brown take over, Lions improve to (1-1)

admin

August 18, 2025

This past Sunday the Detroit Lions set out to prove that their week 1 rushing performance in a hard fought defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles was no fluke. They managed to gash the Washington Commanders for (191) yards on just (24) attempts, that’s an average of (8.0) yards including a (58) yard run from Amon-Ra St.Brown. Star RB D’Andre Swift, who was hampered by an ankle issue throughout the week managed to chip in with 2 huge plays including a (50) yard run and a (22) yard TD reception despite being on a noted snap count.

 

The Commanders on the other hand had major issues offensively just getting their run game ignited for a couple of drives. RB Antonio Gibson never was allowed to get started from the first drive. The Lions defensive front 7 played their best on Sunday holding Gibson to just (28) yards on (14) Carries. The lack of overall touches were primarily due to the 22-0 deficit  Detroit placed them in early. Washington had a dreadful 1st half offensively with only (56) total yards on (27) plays run, and giving the Lions short fields leading to big plays.

 

Rookie Aidan Hutchinson bounced back from a rough first career game with a performance that showed exactly why he was taken 2nd Overall. The edge rusher racked up (3) sacks, (8) pressures, and (6) tackles for a defense that held the Commanders scoreless in the first half, and rendered their downfield attack obsolete for the majority of the game outside of  3 plays. QB Carson Wentz was under duress all game, against a Lions pass rush that were given the opportunity to pin back their ears and go hunt, due to Washington’s inability to generate any threat on the ground; not to mention Safeties Deshon Elliot, and Tracy Walker were sniffing around the line of scrimmage routinely.

 

Amon-Ra St.Brown and QB Jared Goff did most of the heavy lifting on the offensive side of the ball for the most part by starting and closing the show. St.Brown was a thorn in the Commanders side to the result of (9) catches for (116) yards and (2) tds on just (12) targets. He and Jared Goff have had an excellent connection since day 1 so it’s no surprise that Amon-Ra set an NFL record recording (8+) catches, and a TD in (6) straight games. It wasn’t completely clean nor pretty but when the bell needed to be answered Goff and the passing game came through. The Commanders were able to make a second half run that would eventually reach a 29-21 score with 7:08 remaining in the 4th, until Goff found St. Brown on a quick out for a 12 yard TD pass with 7:00 minutes on the clock pushing Detroit ahead 36-21 after the extra point and applying more pressure to the Commanders offense. They would score another td later but it wasn’t enough as the Lions would stage off the late rally and defeat the Commanders to improve their record to (1-1) on the short season.

 

Inside the Numbers  

 

Commanders

  • (6) Rushing First Downs
  • 1st Half Possessions: (6) Punts, (1) Fumble/Safety
  • Avg. Starting field Position: Own 23
  • Carson Wentz (46) Attempts
  • O-Line Surrendered (5) sacks, (11) Hurries, & (11) QB Hits
  • Defense gave up (3) Plays of 50+ Yards



Lions

  • Jared Goff Rating 121.1
  • DJ Chark (0) Catches
  • 4/4 XP, 2/2 FG, 1 Penalty 5 yards
  • Avg. 7 yards per play
  • Avg. Starting field Position: Own 35
  • (0) Turnovers

Latest Articles

Posted on

Christian Gonzalez NFL Draft Profile – Oregon Cornerback Breakdown

Christian Gonzalez NFL Draft Profile – Oregon Cornerback Breakdown

admin

August 18, 2025

Christian Gonzalez

  • School: Oregon (Via Colorado Transfer)
  • Conference: Pac-12
  • Position: CB
  • Class: Junior
  • Home State: Texas
  • Age: 20
  • Scheme Type: Versatile/Man Press/Off Man
  • Position Ranking: #1

NFL Combine Results

  • Height: 6’1”
  • Weight: 197 lbs
  • Arms: 32”
  • Hand Size: 9 ½
  • 40-Yard Dash: 4.38
  • Vertical: 41.5”
  • 10-Yard Split: 1.54
  • Broad Jump: 11’1”
  • Bench Press (225 lbs): 14 Reps

2022 Stats (Via PFF) + (Sports Reference CFB)

  • Games Played: 12
  • Tackles: (50) Total/(35) Solo
  • Ints: (4)
  • TD’s: (3)
  • Targets: (64)
  • Catches: (39)
  • Opposing QB Rating: (74.7)
  • Forced Incompletions: (9)
  • Int Return Yards: (118)
  • Missed Tackles: (3)
  • Dropped Interceptions: (1)

Games Watched: (2022) @ Georgia, (2022), (2022) @ Colorado, (2022) @ Washington State, (2022) vs Utah, (2022) vs UCLA, (2022) vs Washington.

NFL Comparison: Jimmy Smith

 

SIZE/ATHLETICISM

  • Rare combination of size & physical traits
  • Nearly 6’2” and almost 200 lbs paired with disreputable reach
  • Has the prototypical stature and fluid athleticism to compete with bigger or smaller receivers
  • Possesses elite and effortless long speed to cover deep routes
  • A bit of a long strider, but has the ability to quickly flip his hips, comfortably shuffle, an transition left or right
  • Outstanding leaper with impressive body control
  • Despite his size and athletic profile he’s not the strongest nor most physical corner

GRADE 9.2

 

RECOVERY SPEED

  • Former track athlete sticks his foot in the ground and gets straitline in no time
  • Does a good job of staying in phase but when he does lose hold of his man he has the burst to close space immediately
  • Playing speed matches the 40 time, has the ability to cheat more often due to the confidence he has in his ability to make up ground
  • Has really sound and efficient footwork which helps him along with his natural speed to stay in hip pockets
  • Reaches top speed in a hurry with limited steps
  • Knows how/when to put a kick step into play to gain easier acceleration

GRADE 8.6

 

TACKLING

  • Willing tackler in run support but doesn’t play as physical as his size & athletic profile would lead to expect
  • Won’t always wrap up more of a shoulder tackler, sometimes (Just does enough)
  • Only was tagged for 3 missed tackles over this past season, but has a tendency to allow ball carriers to bring the collision to him to often and will find himself committing to many drag down tackles
  • Will get the job done, but needs to get stronger and more physical at the point of attack against blockers when it comes to disengaging and making plays. (Could find himself in a Cover 2 Scheme)

GRADE 8.4

 

INSTINCTS/BALL SKILLS

  • Intelligent Corner that does an overall solid job of read & reacting
  • Routinely gets his head around and plays the ball, knows when to play the receiver and when to play the ball. (difference between a PBU and a PI Call
  • His athletic patience as well as eye discipline give him more opportunities at making plays
    Soft hands, and highpoints the ball very well
  • Height blended with long arms, agility, and 41 + inch vertical allows Gonzalez to always be in position to take the ball away
  • Technically sound when going up with the receiver to break up the pass gets his hand between the receivers hands and bats the ball down as taught
  • Needs to go after the football more
  • Will play for the pbu when he has just as much opportunity to take the ball away
  • Will watch and bait the QB better than any corner i’ve seen coming out of College in sometime
  • Seems to have issues (instincts wise) with playing the underneath routes as well as he does everything else in regards to the boundaries, perimeter, and deep quarters of the field

GRADE 8.8

 

MAN COVERAGE

  • Possesses all of the physical traits of a shutdown man corner and utilizes them all well
  • Plays the receiver to the boundaries with good body lean all while avoiding penalties and still being in phase to disrupt the catch
  • Hard to beat as a QB with a bad throw or late! Recovers well and is too physically gifted, will find the football.
  • Very patient and technically sound within 5 yards, plays with impressive balance, stays even, keeps the gate closed, and will ride the receiver where he needs to in order to disrupt the timing of the route
  • Very seldom out of phase and always within arms and speed reach of the man he’s covering
  • Will occasionally allow receivers to cross his face (cardinal sin in man coverage) and give up plays he really shouldn’t

GRADE 8.7

 

ZONE COVERAGE

  • Struggles with consistently reading/diagnosing, making a timely decision and breaking downhill
  • Can move a little clunky when playing too far off. Could be indecisiveness on what’s going on in front of him, not comfortable out of phase, or he could just have an issue with planting and exploding forward
  • Not as patient in Zone has a tendency to open up too early, lose route leverage and give up easy completions
  • Has the quick twitch and hip fluidity to become better in
  • Short Zone responsibilities

GRADE 7.7

 

POSITIVES: Size, athletic profile, rare combination of both/ natural ability to mirror and play the receiver/ instinctive player

NEGATIVES: Zone limitations? Physicality in run support, underneath coverage, 1 year of decent ball production

 

OVERALL GRADE 8.5

Latest Articles