2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: South Dakota
Jack Cochrane NFL Draft Scouting Report | Linebacker
Positives: Tough, slightly undersized linebacker who breaks down well, uses his hands to protect himself, and gives effort in all areas. Sells out upfield to defend the run, is rarely off his feet, and stays with coverage assignments. Gets depth on drops and immediately picks up tight ends over the middle of the field. Moves well and covers a good amount of area.
Negatives: Inconsistent and inefficient. Too quick up the field at times and takes himself from the action. Lacks playing strength and gets blocked from the action by fullbacks.
Analysis: Cochrane is a relatively athletic pursuit linebacker who sells out to make plays. He comes with average upside and has not shown a lot of development in his game the past two years.
2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: South Dakota State
Wes Genant NFL Draft Scouting Report | Offensive Line
Positives: Wide-bodied, small-school blocker with marginal upside. Fires into blocks, stays square, and starts with good knee bend. Keeps his head on a swivel and works well with linemates. Anchors at the point and does not give up an inch to opponents.
Negatives: Does more leaning on opponents than actual blocking. Heavy-footed and plays to his 40 time. Average athlete.
Analysis: Genant offers possibilities as a backup guard or center at the next level, but he comes with limited upside and will only be effective in a small area.
For information on South Dakota State wide receiver Cade Johnson, check out his 2021 NFL Draft Profile.
2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: Southeastern Louisiana
Cole Kelley NFL Draft Scouting Report | Quarterback
Positives: Large pocket passer with a next-level arm and good upside. Patient in the pocket, quickly locates the open wideout, and takes the underneath receiver if nothing else is available. Senses the rush, steps up to avoid defenders, and takes a big hit in order to get the throw away.
Knows where receivers are on the field and effectively commands and controls the offense. Quickly locates the open wideout, puts touch on throws, and delivers a catchable ball. Natural looking off the safety. Does not force passes to covered targets.
Negatives: Must do a better job delivering corner and fade patterns. Not an elusive quarterback. Was never able to win the starting job at Arkansas before transferring to Southeastern Louisiana.
Analysis: Kelley is a natural pocket passer with the size and arm strength to play on Sundays. He had marginal production on the field until this spring and is seemingly a late bloomer who will need time to develop his game. Even in a worst-case scenario, Kelley is worth stashing on a practice squad for future development.
2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: Southeast Missouri State
Ja’Chai Baker NFL Draft Scouting Report | Offensive Line
Positives: Nice-sized, small school tackle who is best in a small area. Stays square, jolts defenders with terrific hand punch, and controls opponents at the point. Strong and large enough to engulf opponents and completely seal them from the action.
Negatives: Lacks footwork in space. Sets with a narrow base and does not block with leverage. Marginally effective blocking in motion.
Analysis: Baker is a sized prospect with good upside, but he must significantly improve his techniques to have any chance at the next level.
Bryant Pirtle NFL Draft Scouting Report | Linebacker
Positives: Aggressive two-down defender who breaks down well, effectively uses his hands to protect himself, and disengages from blocks getting to the action. Displays a terrific head for the ball in run defense, stays with assignments, and fires upfield to fill gaps. Squares and wraps up tackling.
Negatives: Possesses average size and play speed. Marginally effective in pursuit. Does not display awareness in coverage.
Analysis: Pirtle is a hard-working, small-school prospect with limited upside. His only chance is backing up on the inside of a 3-4 alignment, which will only happen if he plays well on special teams.
2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: Stony Brook
Sam Kamara NFL Draft Scouting Report | Defensive Line
Positives: Quick, explosive defensive lineman who gets the most from his ability. Fires off the snap, plays with terrific pad level, and fluidly moves about the field. Displays good change-of-direction skills and smoothly gets down the line of scrimmage or out in space pursuing plays. Keeps his hands active and slices between blocks to get behind the line of scrimmage and make plays on the ball handler. Keeps his feet moving and gets a lot of momentum going up the field. Resilient.
Negatives: Lacks size as well as bulk. Easily disrupted from the action or knocked back by blocks. Has growth limitations.
Analysis: Kamara is a hard-working defensive line prospect who comes with size limitations. His quickness off the snap and ability to move laterally project him to the 3-technique spot at the next level, where Kamara could make a roster as a backup.
Augustus Contressa NFL Draft Scouting Report | Safety
Positives: Nice-sized safety who also saw action at linebacker for Stony Brook. Aggressive, displays a closing burst of speed, and sells out to make plays. Gives effort against the run, wraps up tackling, and drives his shoulders through ball handlers. Keeps the action in front of him and does a nice job diagnosing plays.
Negatives: Shows minimal quickness in his game and plays to one speed. Possesses average ball skills.
Analysis: Contressa possesses solid size, but his long speed is a concern. He’s a traditional strong safety who comes with a special teams’ mentality.
Terrell Morrison NFL Draft Scouting Report | Safety
Positives: Undersized safety with solid ball skills. Fluid flipping his hips in transition, displays solid range, and quickly gets out to the flanks in pursuit of the action. Explosive, displays a burst to the ball out of his plant, and flashes on the scene. Tracks the pass in the air, runs downfield with opponents, and has a nice move to the throw. Quickly picks up assignments in center field and shows solid ball skills. Aggressively attacks opponents and does not back down to a challenge.
Negatives: Bites on ball fakes and makes his first move up the field, which results in Morrison getting caught out of position. Not a stout defensive back, gets outmatched by bigger receivers, and has tackles broken.
Analysis: Morrison possesses the athleticism and ball skills necessary to line up in dime packages and can be used over the slot receiver on Sundays.
2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: Texas Southern
Donnie Corley NFL Draft Scouting Report | Wide Receiver
Positives: Michigan State transfer who also spent time at cornerback. Quickly gets off the line and immediately gets to top speed, runs solid routes, and fights with his hands to separate from defenders. Competitive, uses his frame to shield away defenders, and has a nice build. Tracks the pass in the air, displays focus as well as concentration, and consistently extends his hands to make the catch away from his frame.
Gets up in a crowd, goes over the middle of the field, and takes a big hit, yet holds onto the throw. Possesses soft hands. Keeps the play in bounds to pick up yardage after the catch.
Negatives: Lazily comes off the line when he’s not involved in the action. Plays to one speed and lacks burst. Bounced around from college to college early in his career before having a breakout season with Texas Southern in 2019.
Analysis: Corley possesses the size and pass-catching hands to be a fifth receiver and possession wideout at the next level if he makes football a priority.
2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: Villanova
Forrest Rhyne NFL Draft Scouting Report | Linebacker
Positives: Hard-working middle linebacker who remains disciplined with assignments, doesn’t bite on ball fakes, and moves well laterally. Displays good change-of-direction skills as well as the ability to redirect to ball handlers. Tough run defender who is effective in the box.
Negatives: Lacks quickness and long speed. Ineffective in pursuit. Doesn’t get much depth on pass drops. Marginal size.
Analysis: Rhyne is a hard-working, two-down run defender who lacks the athleticism and measurables for the next level.
Daniel Smith NFL Draft Scouting Report | Quarterback
Positives: Smart, tough quarterback who does a good job commanding the offense. Remains poised in the pocket, senses pressure, and steps up to avoid pass rushers. Natural looking off the safety, quickly locates the open wideout, and spreads the ball around. Sells ball fakes, goes through progressions, and takes the safe underneath outlet rather than forcing the ball downfield. Flashes the ability to beautifully place throws into the receiver’s hands.
Negatives: Lacks pocket size as well as stature and does not have a big arm. Passes lack velocity. Cannot drive downfield throws. Doesn’t pick up much yardage with his legs.
Analysis: Smith is a solid short and intermediate passer who lacks the size and arm strength for the next level.
2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: Weber State
Ben Bos NFL Draft Scouting Report | Center
Positives: Fundamentally sound center with nice size. Effective with his hands and works them throughout the action. Turns defenders from plays and seals them from the action altogether. Keeps his feet moving.
Negatives: Lacks quick and fluid footwork in space. Occasionally gets stood up by opponents at the point.
Analysis: Bos possesses solid size as well as growth potential, and he has enough ability to get consideration for a practice squad next fall.
Jared Schiess NFL Draft Scouting Report | Defensive Line
Positives: Nice-sized interior defensive lineman who gets the most from his ability. Fires off the snap with a quick first step, keeps his feet moving, and uses his hands very effectively. Attracts a lot of double-team blocks yet displays a solid spin move and gets free. Plays with proper pad level and gets leverage on opponents.
Negatives: Lacks great power at the point. Gets driven off the line by opponents or washed from the action. Shows stiffness in his game.
Analysis: Schiess is a nice-sized gap occupier who comes with limited upside. His approach to the game and nonstop motor will be appealing to coaches this summer.
2021 NFL Draft | FCS Scouting Reports: Western Illinois
John Brunner NFL Draft Scouting Report | Wide Receiver
Positives: Smart, tough pass catcher who gets the most from his ability. Comes back into the clearing to make himself an available target, adjusts to the errant throw, and snatches the ball away from his frame. Possesses eye/hand coordination, goes over the middle of the field, and nicely makes the reception in stride. Uses his frame to shield away opponents and takes a big hit, yet holds on to the throw. Keeps the play in bounds after the catch and works to pick up positive yardage. Terrific downfield blocker who turns defenders from the action.
Negatives: Displays marginal quickness in his game and lacks any sort of burst. Has an injury history that must be checked out.
Analysis: Brunner is a nice-sized receiver with reliable hands and enough skill to get looks in camp this summer as an underneath possession wideout.
Dennis Houston NFL Draft Scouting Report | Wide Receiver
Positives: Dependable pass catcher with solid measurables. Quickly releases off the line into pass routes, makes the difficult catch in a crowd, and displays terrific focus and concentration. Possesses soft hands and effectively times receptions. Uses his frame to shield away opponents and protect the ball.
Negatives: Struggles in battles despite his size. Plays to one speed and lacks burst.
Analysis: Since transferring to Western Illinois from Fullerton College, Houston has shown a lot of progress in his game. He possesses enough physical skills to make a roster as a fifth receiver, though he must improve his consistency.
Clint Ratkovich NFL Draft Scouting Report | Running Back
Positives: Nice-sized downhill ball carrier with outstanding football intelligence. Sturdy, breaks tackles, and picks up a lot of yardage off initial contact. Effectively helps the quarterback sell ball fakes. Picks up blitzes, squares into defenders, and takes opponents from the action. Dependable and productive pass catcher out of the backfield. Works to get a pad on defenders blocking.
Negatives: Lacks quickness and speed. Almost a slow player.
Analysis: Ratkovich was a solid small-school ball carrier but lacks the speed and athleticism necessary to play on Sundays.
Want more 2021 NFL Draft prospect news? Want to do your own mock draft?
Dive into PFN’s Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator and test your own drafting acumen. Continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@PFN365) to stay in the loop on all things college football and the NFL Draft landscape.