Cincinnati Bearcats
2020 NFL Draft Prospects
Josiah Deguara, TE
Career Snapshot: Two-year starter who was named First Team All-AAC after he made 39 catches for 504 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior in 2019. Earned Second Team All-AAC honors in 2018, when he caught 38 passes for 468 yards and five TDs.
Positives: Smart, hard-working tight end with limited physical upside. Fires off the snap into blocks and pass routes, starts with excellent knee bend and plays with proper pad level. Fluid, nicely adjusts to the errant throw and makes the reception with his hands in stride. Snatches the ball away from his frame, displays good hand-eye coordination and works hard to make himself an available target.
Finds the open seams in the defense, works his hands to separate from opponents, and follows his quarterback across the field. Displays soft and strong hands and plucks the ball from the air. Keeps the play in bounds. Effective after the catch. Uses his frame to shield away defenders and protect the pass.
Negatives: Gives effort as a blocker but possesses poor strength at the point of attack and rarely finishes off opponents. More of a one-speed tight end and despite his forty time from the Combine, lacks the ability to stretch the seam.
Analysis: Deguara was a consistent tight end for Cincinnati, and despite being graded as a street free agent entering the season, he now ranks as a potential late-round pick. He lacks great upside but possesses all the tools necessary to make an NFL roster as a third tight end.
Morgan James, G
Career Snapshot: Two-year starter at right guard. Earned First Team All-AAC honors as a senior in 2019. Played professional hockey after he graduated high school and never played football until he arrived at Cincinnati.
Positives: Nice-sized, high effort blocker with limited athleticism. Stays square, keeps defenders in front of him and plays fundamentally sound. Fires his hands into opponents, fights throughout the action and jolts defenders with terrific punch. Keeps his feet moving and keeps his head on a swivel.
Negatives: Stiff and only effective in a small area. Cannot slide in space.
Analysis: James is a size prospect who blocks with proper fundamentals, but he lacks athleticism and agility. He’s worth stashing on a practice squad for future development.
Rashad Medaris, WR
Career Snapshot: Two-year starter who caught 51 passes for 826 yards during his junior and senior seasons. Averaged over 18 yards per catch as a junior in 2018. Sat out the 2016 season after he transferred from Western Illinois and suffered a season-ending injury five games into the 2017 campaign.
Positives: Smoothly releases off the line of scrimmage, quickly gets into breaks and snatches the ball away from his frame. Displays a sense of timing, gets vertical against defenders and gives effort to come away with the difficult catch. Lays out to make the reception and displays solid hand-eye coordination and focus. Tracks the pass in the air and comes over the middle of the field to make the difficult catch.
Negatives: Minimally productive the past two seasons. Possesses average size.
Analysis: Medaris was a reliable pass catcher for Cincinnati the past two years and has enough physical skills to make a roster should he show any semblance of return ability during camp this summer.
Michael Warren II, RB
Career Snapshot: Two-year starter who earned Second Team All-AAC honors in both of those seasons. Finished second in the AAC with 1,329 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2018. Rushed 261 times for 1,265 yards and 14 TDs in 2019. Combined to catch 46 passes for 385 yards in his final two seasons.
Positives: Powerful interior grinder who was very productive the past two seasons. Patient while displaying terrific short-area quickness and does not go down without a fight. Keeps his feet moving, picks up the difficult yardage and breaks tackles. Possesses outstanding vision, effectively uses blocks all around the field and immediately finds the cutback lanes.
Solid pass catcher out of the backfield who makes the reception with his hands away from his frame. Shows ability as a downfield receiving threat, adjusts to the errant throw and makes the reception in stride.
Negatives: Lacks the speed and quickness to turn the corner. Not a creative ball carrier.
Analysis: Warren was a powerful ball carrier and great red-zone threat at Cincinnati the past two seasons. He possesses the skills necessary to be a No. 3 back and occasional spot starter at the next level.
Bryan Wright, ILB
Career Snapshot: Two-year starter who was named First Team All-AAC as a senior in 2019 after he made 100 tackles (13.5 for loss) with three sacks and four forced fumbles. Moved to middle linebacker before his junior season and made 55 tackles (8.5 for loss) with five sacks. Started six games in 2017 before he suffered a season-ending injury.
Positives: Tough, instinctive linebacker who plays nasty football, is forceful up the field and sells out to make plays. Is explosive and forces the action and works hard to get through blocks. Quickly reads and diagnoses the action, plays heads-up football and effectively quarterbacks the defense. Remains disciplined with assignments.
Negatives: Lacks the quick, smooth change of direction. Lacks pursuit speed. Struggles to get depth on drops.
Analysis: Wright is a hard-nosed, two-down run defender with size and speed limitations. He could back up on the inside of a 3-4 alignment, but he must stand out on special teams.
Perry Young, ILB
Career Snapshot: Three-year starter who earned First Team All-AAC honors in each of his final two seasons at Cincinnati. Made a career-high 101 tackles (nine for loss) as a first-year starter in 2017. Played eight games as a junior in 2018 before he tore his ACL. Made 81 tackles (8.5 for loss) with four pass breakups in 2019.
Positives: Slightly undersized, explosive linebacker who stands out in pursuit. Is athletic and quickly drops into coverage and covers a large amount of area on the field. Effective in pursuit, flows well laterally to the action, and runs ball carriers down from the back side. Can cover tight ends and running backs across the field. Breaks down well and uses his hands to protect himself.
Negatives: Undersized, has growth limitations and struggles to get off blocks. Missed time with a knee injury as a junior.
Analysis: Young was a productive run-and-chase linebacker at the college level and has enough speed to do much the same at the next level.
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