The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets may have more 2022 NFL Draft prospects than you thought, or so their scouting reports say. Georgia Tech’s secondary alone could produce several future NFL players, while offensive tackle Devin Cochran made his presence known at the 2022 Shrine Bowl. Joining him in the NFL could be S Juanyeh Thomas, S Tariq Carpenter, and CB Tre Swilling, among others.
Georgia Tech 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
The Yellow Jackets’ secondary could very well produce multiple draft picks. Thomas and Carpenter were as talented as any safety duo in America a season ago. Swilling locked down at times during his career. And we haven’t even mentioned Cochran, who produced some highlight-reel moments in Vegas during the Shrine Bowl weekend.
Devin Cochran, OT
Positives: Massive, relatively athletic offensive tackle who can dominate the action when he wants to. Strong, explodes into run blocks, and turns defenders from the line. Keeps his head on a swivel, displays good awareness, and sees the blitz. Flashes footwork off the edge and the ability to slide laterally. Possesses an NFL build.
Negatives: Has lapses and misses assignments. Lacks balance sliding off the edge. Cannot adjust and gets beaten by outside speed rushers and blitzers.
Analysis: Cochran has flashed ability going back to his days at Vanderbilt, yet he played inconsistent ball and never elevated his game. If he’s focused on the task at hand and decides he wants to play NFL football, Cochran has the ability. Otherwise, he will quickly be looking for a new line of work.
Jordan Mason, RB
Positives: Physically gifted ball carrier who does not meet expectations on the field. Runs with good lean and displays solid short-area quickness as well as excellent vision. Turns it upfield, runs with authority, and consistently finds open lanes. Patient and waits for blocks to develop. Does a terrific job helping the quarterback sell ball fakes and remains disciplined with blocking assignments.
Negatives: Doesn’t improvise when things break down. Marginally productive carrying the ball the past two seasons. Never caught more than 10 passes in any single season.
Analysis: Mason is a talented athlete who burst onto the scene at Georgia Tech, turning in terrific seasons as a freshman and sophomore. His production has regressed the past two years. Despite being graded as a mid-Day 3 pick coming into the season, Mason will go undrafted. He possesses the size, speed, and football skills to make an NFL roster, but Mason must quickly produce in camp this summer.
Juanyeh Thomas, S
Positives: Nice-sized safety with next-level athleticism. Effectively diagnoses plays, flows laterally to the action, and stays within the system. Plays disciplined football, keeps the action in front of him, and possesses a closing burst. Fires up the field and gives effort defending the run. Works well with cornerbacks to bracket receivers and shows cover skills in the short field.
Negatives: Lacks great range in center field. Must become a more secure tackler. Not quick flipping his hips in transition and struggles in man coverage.
Analysis: Thomas showed a lot of skill the past two seasons and possesses the size as well as the speed to play on Sundays. He’s more of a traditional strong safety who can be used in a zone system.
Kyric McGowan, WR
Positives: Underrated receiver with solid pass-catching skills. Quickly releases off the line of scrimmage, shows good route discipline, and stays low exiting breaks. Uses the sidelines well and comes back to the ball to make himself an available target. Adjusts to errant throws and grabs the pass from the air. Consistent hands catcher who works across the middle of the field and runs solid crossing patterns.
Negatives: Struggles tracking the ball in the air. Never super productive on the college level.
Analysis: McGowan possesses the size, speed, and pass-catching skill to develop into a fifth receiver, yet he has an unpolished game. He’s a practice-squad prospect who should be kept around with the hopes of future development.
Quez Jackson, LB
Positives: Hard-working linebacker who gets the most from his ability. Breaks down well, quick and fluid pedaling in reverse, and gets depth on pass drops. Covers a lot of area on the field, immediately alters his angle of attack, and redirects to the action. Fires up the field to defend the run and sells out making plays.
Negatives: Undersized. Gets caught up in the trash. Lacks great pursuit speed.
Analysis: Jackson possesses poor testing numbers, yet he’s an instinctive linebacker who plays bigger and faster than his measurables. Lacking upside, he comes with a special-teams mentality that gives him an advantage.
Ryan Johnson, OL
Positives: Hard-working, small-area blocker who keeps his head on a swivel, shows outstanding blocking vision, and plays through the whistle. Outstanding position blocker who stays square and seals defenders from the action. Strong at the point and fights hard to take opponents from the play.
Negatives: Gets upright blocking and isn’t a leverage lineman. Lacks footwork, cannot slide in space, and is ineffective in motion. Must improve his blocking balance. Limited upside.
Analysis: Johnson is a size prospect but comes with short arms, marginal athleticism, and a very unpolished game.
Tariq Carpenter, S
Positives: College safety who projects to outside linebacker at the next level. Quick to read and diagnose, athletic, and can flip his hips in transition. Fires upfield to defend the run, squares into ball handlers, and gives effort defending screen passes. Displays a burst to the action. Effectively picks up coverage assignments in the middle of the field. Solid open-field tackler.
Negatives: Doesn’t show much explosion in his game. Lacks top speed to the flanks. Better making plays up the field than in reverse.
Analysis: For four years, Carpenter was a solid run defender for Georgia Tech and possesses the size and substance to play outside linebacker in the NFL.
Tre Swilling, CB
Positives: Once-highly rated cornerback who is athletic, has good size, and runs step-for-step downfield with opponents. Physical and engages receivers throughout routes. Quick pedaling in reverse and flips his hips in transition. Fires up the field, breaks down well, and squares into tackles.
Negatives: Rarely gets his head back around in coverage. Does a lot of clutching and grabbing that results in penalties. Has a lot of breakdowns and is constantly getting beat. Watched his game fall off the past three seasons.
Analysis: Swilling looked like a legitimate next-level cornerback prospect after his freshman season, but his game has since leveled off and regressed in many ways. He possesses the size and athleticism teams want in a starting corner, but Swilling may not make it out of camp this summer.