1(1)- Calvin Johnson
Positives: Has a tall, thick
frame with long arms, large hands, thick thighs and calves and a big
bubble … His long legs let him ride up on the defender quickly while
looking effortless in his stride … Shows good closing speed running
under sideline throws and the quickness to get into his routes without
being impeded … Good power receiver on crossers and sideline throws,
using his strength and size to shield the ball from defenders … Has
strong hands to secure the ball before running (no fumbles) and the
second gear to turn a short pass into a long gainer … Very physical in
his initial step off the ball, but he also has the quickness to
immediately defeat the press … Best when operating along the sideline
where he can build to top speed and maintain it throughout his route …
Knows how to use his body and has a knack for finding the open spots in
the zone … In man coverage, he is very adept at using his burst to
separate consistently … Has the long arms and body control to go over
people to get to the ball and did it with more regularity in 2006 than
in the past … Knows how to get open and understands sticks and
boundaries, doing a nice job of keeping his feet in bounds … Big target
who can't be rerouted by a strong hand push and is learning how to use
his long arms to go over defenders (did not have any passes deflected
through five 2006 games, compared to 21 during the first 24 games of
his career) … Can be very explosive in his rise and shows natural hand
extension to reach and pluck away from the frame … Generates a strong
jolt with them to defeat the press and works hard with his hands to
sustain when blocking in-line … It is rare to see him use his body to
field the ball, as he is perfectly capable of extending for the pass at
its high point … Terrific load to bring down after the catch … Strong
open-field runner who will drag defenders when fighting for extra
yardage … Even though there is not a lot of shake in his hips and he is
a bit of a long strider, he runs with the power needed to break tackles
consistently … Uses his hands with force to lock on and sustain and can
generate devastating cut blocks in the open … Can dominate smaller
defensive backs and shows good angles getting out to neutralize
second-level defenders … Stays low in his pads and shows good intent
when delivering his hand punch vs. the bull rush … Has that deceptive
burst that lets him gobble up the defender's cushion in an instant …
Has excellent body control for a player his size, contorting and
adjusting to get to the off-target throws with ease … Has the second
gear needed to separate after the catch and demonstrates very good head
fakes and spin moves to leave defenders grasping at air … Will not
hesitate to stretch out and sacrifice his body to make the catch …
Knows how to use his long legs to turn on the extra gear to get under
the ball in a hurry … When he times his leaps and catches with fingers
extended, he can reach and pluck the ball in jump-ball battles.
1(3)-Patrick Willis
Positives: Has a muscular upper-body frame with good
shoulder and chest definition and the potential to add at least another
10 pounds of bulk without having it affect his overall quickness … Has
a lean waist, good bubble, muscular legs with good bulk … Tough athlete
who played all of 2005 with a cast to protect a broken right hand and
performed in the final two 2005 games with a broken bone in his foot …
Moves very well operating in space and has the loose hips to change
direction fluidly … Shows good acceleration, balance and body control
working his way down the line … Aggressive taking on multiple blockers,
using his leg drive and power to stack single blocks at the line of
scrimmage … Instinctive and quick reactor who won't get fooled by
play-action and is quick to recognize blocking schemes … Stays square
when facing-up to offensive guards, getting enough leverage with his
strength and shedding quickly thanks to active hand swipes … Hard
worker in the training room who won Lifter of the Year honors at Ole
Miss in 2006 … Looks natural reading plays and also seems to be in
position to make the tackle … Keeps his feet on the move and shows good
urgency closing on the ball … When he makes proper reads coming off the
snap, he is instant in attacking the ball … Has the hand strength to
take-on and shed blocks and it is rare to see him get pinned when he
stays low in his pads and keeps his hands inside his frame and active …
Makes proper body adjustments to bring down the ball carrier in the
open … Takes on the lead blockers with force, sinking his weight to
push the opponent back and clog the rush lanes … Comes off blocks
cleanly to redirect and make the play working in-line … Shows good
explosion taking-on the ball carrier through the holes … Keeps his
balance when he extends his hands to defeat cut blocks and has the
sudden burst to close when chasing ball carriers along the perimeter …
Has the speed to reach and make the cut off, showing good balance to
shut down the cutback lanes … Is more of a hit-and-run type working
toward the outside running plays, as he has the chase acceleration and
takes proper angles to close … Has great ease of movement flowing to
the ball from sideline-to-sideline … Does not need to gather,
maintaining acceleration when trying to redirect … Slippery enough to
get through traffic and can play the trail and adjust to the quick cuts
by tight ends in man coverage … Has a good feel for the pass, getting
to the flats with good urgency and gets a good jump on the ball working
in the zone … Uses his lateral agility to bull rush into the backfield
… Explosive hitter who wraps well and comes under with good control
when playing in space … Will jolt an opponent on contact and plays with
very good leverage when attempting to blitz, as he is quick to locate
the quickest running lane to close on the quarterback … Makes every
effort to collapse the pocket, but must keep his hands active to
prevent from getting stacked on his inside charge … Has good speed for
man coverage (just lacks a feel for where he should position himself) …
Smooth in his backpedal and has good plant-and-drive agility to mirror
backs and tight ends in the short area … Has the range to make plays
away from his area and is very good at sifting through traffic.
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