ERod in Optimum Scouting's "Prospects at Each Position that I Love"

Courtesy of Optimum Scouting  Written by Eric Gelko

In the Valentine's Day spirit, I wanted to return the "Scout's Notes" section of the site on a high note: prospects I "love".

While the next Scout's Notes may not be as "loving" as these (actually quite the opposite), we'll stay with prospects who have been the ones that I'd stick up for in the mid to late rounds of the draft.

Tight End: Evan Rodriguez, TempleThe role of the tight end has increased and become THE position that adds versatility to the offense. Rodriguez has development as a fullback blocker, fullback route runner, tight end second-level blocker, and tight end seam and outside routes. That completeness plus his versatility in how many different spots he's played over his career at Temple makes him a likely coveted mid-round addition because of how many spots he can fill, and fill well.

Quarterback: Russell Wilson, Wisconsin-While at NC State, Wilson seemed to run a more helter-skelter offense, utilizing his athleticism, quickness in and out of the pocket, and his vision on the move to be successful. While at Wisconsin (for one year), he showed more control in the pocket, a consistently high release point, and balance in the offense. And at the Senior Bowl, he showed a mixture of both, along with making multiple reads from the pocket. His combination of football IQ, craftiness as a running QB, and check down ability as a pocket passer has me excited, as to me he seems like a much better version of Colt McCoy.

ERod meets Dickie V @ Athletic Edge Sports

Legendary hoops announcer Dick Vitale dropped in at Athletic Edge Sports to meet all the NFL Combine athletes and to share a few words of wisdom, and ERod took the opportunity to introduce himself. Prime Time baby!

Bunting Puts ERod on "NFL Draft: All Underrated Team"

Pre-game warm-up: East-West Shrine Game

Courtesy of National Football Post, Written by Wes Bunting

With only a couple weeks left until the NFL Combine, the NFP looks at which offensive prospects aren’t getting the kind love they should at this time and who could be poised for a rise up draft boards over the next couple weeks.

H-Back Evan Rodriguez: Temple (6-3, 250)
Rodriguez isn't a guy who's going to get drafted high. However, he's got the potential to fill a number of roles on an NFL offense in both the run and pass game, can create some mismatches as a pass catcher and develop into a core special teams guy early on.

QB G.J. Kinne: Tulsa (6-2, 234)
Kinne has a little Jeff Garcia/Bruce Gradkowski to his game. He will fall on draft day because of his size, but is your typical gritty QB prospect who is the son of a coach and in my view will find a way to make a roster and potentially fight for playing time down the line. I like him more as a prospect than Boise State’s Kellen Moore.

RB Robert Turbin: Utah State (5-10, 216)
Physically, he reminds me some of New York Jets RB Shonn Greene. But as a runner, he looks more natural as a zone guy who he can use his cut back ability to pick his way through traffic, square his shoulders and then attack daylight. Has the skill set to mature into a starter at the next level, but because of his lack of a great burst, he doesn't strike me as a guy who is ever going to have a real gaudy yards per carry average. Nevertheless, he should be able to keep you ahead of the chains and create the tough yards through contact.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: ERod's Strong Performance vs. Miami

Many thanks to Jimmy O'Brien (@phillyjimmy on Twitter) for putting this game highlghts reel together. It certainly shows the versatility for which ERod is known.

 

National Web Site ranks ERod #4 TE

Here's what Walter Football has to say on the 4th ranked TE:

Evan Rodriguez, TE, Temple  Height: 6-3. Weight: 250.  Projected 40 Time: 4.70.  Projected Round (2012): 3-4.   

1/24/11: Rodriguez was Temple's leading receiver this year, catching 35 balls for 479 yards and two touchdowns. He was reasonably consistent this season. Rodriguez is a fluid receiver who picks up yards after the catch. He was used in the same manner that Florida used tight end Aaron Herndandez under former Gators assistant Steve Addazio, the first-year Owls head coach. Rodriguez looked good in that role as he is a quality blocker and good athlete as a receiver. The biggest knock on Rodriguez is a lack of foot speed. He had a quality week at the East-West Shrine.   

8/19/11: Evan Rodriguez started out his collegiate career at West Virginia before he left for Temple. In 2009, Rodriguez caught 13 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, he recorded 21 receptions for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

Full Walter Football TE rankings, 1/24/12

ESPN: ERod on "Shrine Game Stock Up"

Temple TE Evan Rodriguez
 

Rodriguez is an H-back type who showed natural hands and a good feel for the deep seams. He knows how to find open spots in zone coverages and can separate from man-to-man coverage, and he did a good job opening his hips to snag a ball thrown behind him. He also looked smooth when transitioning upfield after catches. And while he's not an overpowering blocker, Rodriguez competes well, has some toughness and thickness in the lower half, and works hard to cover up defenders. He also has the versatility to play some fullback, and some intriguing film combined with his showing during Shrine week has helped him get into the mid to late rounds. 
 

-- Kevin Weidl

ESPN's Full Report 

East Team Practice #4: Tom Melton's take on ERod

Tight Ends:

Chase Ford (Miami) continued to catch the ball well today, but I don’t think he offers much as a blocker. He’s got impressive size and length for a tight end along with some athleticism, so he has range as a receiver. His hands are solid and he has definitely helped himself this week, but I don’t think he has a ton of upside. Evan Rodriguez (Temple) looked solid today as he has all week and made a couple nice catches. He’s not a flashy guy, but he’s reliable. Emil Igwenagu (Massachusetts) has gotten an invite to the Senior Bowl which surprised me, but I have a feeling it will be as a fullback, not as a tight end. He missed a couple blocks the last couple days when I was watching him though, so we will see how he does.

Read Tom Melton's full review of the East Team on Day #4

2012 East-West Shrine Game: Breakdown of Top Draft Prospects

 

Courtesy of bleacherreport.com, written by Dan Hope

Evan Rodriguez, Temple, East, Grade: Round 5-6 

The West roster is the home for most of the tight-end talent in the Shrine Game, but the top prospect at the position in the game is on the East squad. Temple’s Evan Rodriguez is an H-back who can play both tight end and fullback. He is a solid blocker both on the line of scrimmage and as a lead-blocking fullback, and is a good receiver.

Although not nearly as athletic, Rodriguez compares to Aaron Hernandez in terms of his versatility, receiving skill and how he can be used on the field in various ways. He will not be the big playmaker that Hernandez is, but can be a solid, productive player for the team that drafts him.

East Team Practice #3 Notes: ERod "Polished as a blocker..."

Courtesy of Optimum Scouting's Eric Galko

Day three for the East roster, I got a great chance to look at the receivers and defensive backs especially today, with also focus on how the linebackers and running backs did in team drills.


The big winners today were Tauren Poole, Chase Ford, AJ Jenkins, Josh Norman, and RJ Blanton, but see who did well at each position here.

Tight End-Similar to yesterday, Chase Ford of Miami stole the show. He's not overly athletic, gets high in blocking, and doesn't get separation in man coverage well, but he's been tracking the ball outstandingly well in both practices with full pads, grabbing the ball away from his body and looking the ball well in. I'll be surely watching more on him after the event, but he looks like at the very least, a red zone option for an NFL team.


-Evan Rodriguez of Temple and Emil Igwenagu of UMass were once again a bit overshadowed by Ford today, but both got more chances out of the backfield. Rodriguez once again looked polished as a blocker from the fullback position, as well as getting off the line and vertical in traffic from the tight end position. Igwenagu still doesn't looked developed as a fullback receiver, needs more polish as a run blocker, and overall seems like a project compared to the other two.

East-West Shrine Game makes kids the stars

Courtesy of Tampa Bay Online, written by Martin Fennelly

You probably haven't gobbled up tickets to Saturday's East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. There are plenty of seats there for the gobbling.

College football all-star games aren't much to see unless you're a kid with an NFL dream in your head or a scout with a stopwatch in your hand. This will be the 87th East-West game. It's tryout time. It's business.

That's not the biggest reason why it matters.

"Let me tell you something," said BJ Coleman, a quarterback from Tennessee-Chattanooga who'll play for the East on Saturday. "We dream NFL dreams. But these kids right here — they're my heroes."

On Sunday, buses pulled up to the Shriners Hospital on the USF campus in Tampa. East-West players rumbled off. The children were waiting. This had nothing to do with mock drafts — it was the real deal.

East Practice #2: ERod Stuggles, Still Impresses with His Blocking

Courtesy Optimum Scouting, written by Eric Galko
 
It was day two for the East Roster on the practice field, but day one for them for their pads. While I focused heavily on the offensive and defensive lines (always fun to see the one on ones), I got a good feel for almost every position.

The biggest winners today seemed to be RB Tauren Poole, TE Chase Ford, DT Akiem Hicks, DT Travian Robinson, and LB Shawn Loiseau, but see how each position players did at today's East practice.

Tight Ends-Evan Rodriguez of Temple didn't flash as much today as a receiver, but he seemed comfortable and effective blocking from the fullback position, and as I saw on film over the course of the season, he's developed into a multiple-system/set tight end.

-Miami's Chase Ford may have had the most surprisngly impressive day, as he wasn't noticable yesterday. But he showed concentration and receiver skills off the line, adjusted his hands and vision to the ball in traffic, and flipped his hips to turn and run well. Still needs to show a quicker get-off and a more effective in-line blocker, but I'm intrigued for tomorrow for sure.                   

ERod's East Team's First Practice Reviews Very Positive

 

 ERod's been quick to make an impression on National media. Here's a few comments that have been piece together from the 87th East-West Shrine Game's first East Team practice.

Optimum Scouting's Eric Galko practice notes and Tweets: 

"To me, Temple's Evan Rodriguez was the clear leader of the tight ends, also not overly surprising to me. He showed tight, smooth routes in the seam, and used sutler hand placement, route definition down the field to show some separation ability, including one deep pass over the head of Penn State safety/linebacker Nick Sukay. He, as well as the other tight ends, played some full back, but overall, Rodriguez looked the part of the best tight end at the game."

@optimumscouting Seems BJ Cunningham, Thomas Mayo, and Tim Benford getting most consistent seperation. Of TEs, Evan Rodriguez getting lots of passes his way

@optimumscouting PSU's Nick Sukay working in some safety. (listed as LB), but couldn't stick w/ #Temple TE Evan Rodriguez deep. Looking out of place man-man

The Sports Exchange/CBS Sports' Dan Brugler practice notes:

"Teams looking for a poor man's Aaron Hernandez should take a long, hard look at Temple's Evan Rodriguez. He showed his versatility in practice, lining up outside the tackle on the line of scrimmage and also in the backfield. Rodriguez isn't very impressive physically, measuring a hair over 6-1 1/2 and 242 pounds, but he put his reliable hands on display with very good vision and focus to reel in tough catches. He is a smaller target and struggled in blocking drills, but Rodriguez is an intriguing pass-catcher."

NFL Draft Blog's Tom Melton practice notes:

"Evan Rodriguez, TE, Temple: Rodriguez looked like the best tight end on the East roster today. He showed good burst and speed to threaten down the seam and absolutely burned Jerrell Young down the seam as he used good suddenness in his route to catch him flat footed and literally fly right by him. Young recovered though and managed to get up and deflect the pass which was lucky for him because Rodriguez was 5+ yards away from him down the field. Regardless, Rodriguez impressed me today and I will definitely be paying more attention to him as a blocker the rest of the week."

Bleacher Report's Michael Schottey  Tweets: 

@schottey Another nice play from Rodriguez gettin vertical and making a nice grab on an overthrow...lumbers a bit but nice athlete for his size

@schottey Evan Rodriguez (FB Temple) just made a nice grab on a late ball from Brantley ... Great late round Hback type