Official 2017 Visit Thread

**calmkiller** · 03-02-2017, 06:22 PM

Rumored Vists and Pro Days

Pro Days

#	Name	School	POS	H/W	Round
1	Reuben Foster	BAMA	LB		1
2	Tim Williams	BAMA	LB		2
3	Ryan Anderson	BAMA	LB		2-3
4	O.J. Howard	BAMA	TE		1
5	Eddie Jackson	BAMA	S		3
6	Jonathan Allen	BAMA	DT		1
7	Dalvin Tomlinson	BAMA	DT		2-3
8	Marlon Humphrey	BAMA	CB		1
9	Cam Robinson	BAMA	OT		1-2
10	Dakota Ball	BAMA	FB		7-FA
11	ArDarius Stewart	BAMA	WR		2-3
12	Chidobe Awuzie	CU	CB		1-2
13	Ahkello Witherspoon	CU	CB		2-3
14	Tedric Thompson	CU	S		7
15	Sefo Liufau	CU	QB		7-FA
16	Haason Reddick	TEMPLE	LB		1
17	Dion Dawkins	TEMPLE	G		2
18	Nate Hairston	TEMPLE	CB		7
19	Jahad Thomas	TEMPLE	RB		FA
20	Joe Mixon	OU	RB		3
21	Samaje Perine	OU	RB		3-4
22	Dede Westbrook	OU	WR		4
23	Jordan Evans	OU	LB		5
24	Ahmad Thomas	OU	S		7-FA
25	Charles Walker	OU	DT		5-6
26	Wade Jordan	OU	DT		FA
27	Dakota Austin	OU	CB		FA
28	Geno Lewis	OU	WR		FA
29	Carl Lawson	AU	DE		1-2
30	Montravius Adams	AU	DT		2-3
31	Johnathn Ford	AU	S		7-FA
32	Alex Kozan	AU	G		FA
33	Robert Leff	AU	OT		FA
34	Joshua Holsey	AU	CB		FA
35	Tony Stevens	AU	WR		FA
36	Marshal Taylor	AU	CB		FA
37	DeAngelo Yancey	Purdue	WR		FA
38	Domonique Young	Purdue	WR		FA
39	Derek Rivers	YSU	LB		2-3
40	Avery Moss	YSU	LB		7-FA
41	Jordan Willis	KSU	LB		2
42	Elijah Lee	KSU	LB		6-7
43	Glen Antoine	Idaho	NT		5-6
44	Buck Cowan	Idaho	TE		FA
45	TJ Watt	WIS	LB		2
46	Vince Biegel	WIS	LB		4
47	Ryan Ramczyk	WIS	OT		1
48	Corey Clement	WIS	RB		4-5
49	Dare Ogunbowale	WIS	RB		7-FA
50	Bart Houston	WIS	QB		7-FA
51	Shelton Sojourn	WIS	CB		7-FA
52	DeShaun Watson	CLEM	QB		1
53	Mike Williams	CLEM	WR		1
54	Artavis Scott	CLEM	WR		5-6
55	Cordrea Tankersley	CLEM	CB		2
56	Jay Guillermo	CLEM	C		7-FA
57	Wayne Gallman	CLEM	RB		4
58	Jadar Johnson	CLEM	S		5-6
59	Jordan Leggett	CLEM	TE		3
60	Carlos Watkins	CLEM	DT		3-4
61	Ben Boulware	CLEM	LB		7-FA
62	Chris Godwin	PSU	WR		2
63	Garrett Sickels	PSU	DE		7-FA
64	Brandon Bell	PSU	LB		7-FA
65	Michael Roberts	Toledo	TE		6-7
66	Kareem Hunt	Toledo	RB		3-4
67	TJ Logan	UNC	RB		5-6
68	Elijah Hood	UNC	RB		7-FA
69	Nazair Jones	UNC	DE		4
70	Ryan Switzer	UNC	WR		4-5
71	Bug Howard	UNC	WR		7
72	Mack Hollins	UNC	WR		5
73	Mitch Trubisky	UNC	QB		1
74	Marlon Mack	USF	RB		3-4
75	Rodney Adams	USF	WR		7-FA
76	Nigel Harris	USF	LB		FA
77	Obi Melifonwu	Uconn	S		1-2
78	Adam Shaheen	Ashland	TE		2

**calmkiller** · 03-02-2017, 06:23 PM

Prodays Continued.

#	Name	School	POS	H/W	Round
79	Marshon Lattimore	OSU	CB		1
80	Pat Elflien	OSU	C		2-3
81	Malik Hooker	OSU	S		1
82	Raekwon McMillion	OSU	LB		2
83	Cameron Johnston	OSU	P		FA
84	Samuel Curtis	OSU	WR		2
85	Gareon Conley	OSU	CB		1-2
86	Noah Brown	OSU	WR		4
87	Charles Harris	MIZZ	DE		1-2
88	Penton Aarion	MIZZ	CB		6-7
89	DeShone Kizer	ND	QB		2
90	Isaac Rochell	ND	DE		7
91	Jourdan Lewis	MICH	CB		3
92	Jabrill Peppers	MICH	S		1
93	Ben Gedeon	MICH	LB		6
94	De'Veon Smith	MICH	RB		7
95	Chris Wormley	MICH	DE		2-3
96	Taco Charlton	MICH	DE		1
97	Quincy Wilson	FU	CB		2-3
98	Teez Tabor	FU	CB		2
99	Alex Anzalone	FU	LB		3
100	Caleb Brantley	FU	DT		2
101	Jarrad Davis	FU	LB		1-2
102	Marcus Maye	FU	S		3
103	D'Onta Foreman	Texas	RB		4
104	Brad Kaaya	Miami	QB		3-4
105	Corn Elder	Miami	CB		4-5
106	Rayshawn Jenkins	Miami	S		4
107	Stacey Coley	Miami	WR		5
108	David Njoku	Miami	TE		1
109	Devonte Fields	LU	LB		7
110	Josh Harvey-Clemons	LU	S		6
111	Cameron Sutton	TENN	CB		3
112	Josh Dobbs	TENN	QB		6
113	Jalen Reeves-Maybin	TENN	LB		7-FA
114	Derek Barnett	TENN	DE		1
115	Patrick Mahomes	TTU	QB		1-2
116	Dan Feeney	Indiana	G		2
117	Rasul Douglas	WVU	CB		3-4
118	Shelton Gibson	WVU	WR		5
119	Noble Nwachukwu	WVU	DE		7-FA
120	Tyler Orlosky	WVU	C		3
121	Rushel Shell	WVU	RB		FA
122	Daikiel Shorts	WVU	WR		FA
123	DJ Jones	Ole Miss	NT		7-FA
124	Chad Kelly	Ole Miss	QB		7
125	TreDavious White	LSU	CB		1-2
126	Duke Riley	LSU	LB		2
127	Kendell Beckwith	LSU	LB		3-4
128	KD Cannon	BU	WR		6
129	Kyle Fuller	BU	C		4
130	Seth Russell	BU	QB		7-FA
131	Jake Butt	MICH	TE		2-3
132	Jamal Adams	LSU	S		1
133	Davon Godchaux	LSU	DT		4
134	Leonard Fournette	LSU	RB		1
135	Tashawn Bower	LSU	LB		FA
136	Malachi Dupre	LSU	WR		3
137	Treyvon Hester	Toledo	DT		6-7

Reported Pro Day Dinners

NT Glen Antoine � Idaho
OLB TJ Watt � Wisconsin
OLB Vince Biegel � Wisconsin
DE Carlos Watkins � Clemson
TE Michael Roberts � Toledo
DE Chris Wormley � Michigan
DE/OLB Taco Charlton � Michigan
S Marcus Maye � Florida
QB Brad Kaaya � Miami (FL)
TE David Njoku � Miami (FL)

Alabama (RB Coach James Saxon)
Temple
Oklahoma (Mark Bruener)
Colorado
Auburn (Mike Tomlin, Joey Porter, Kevin Colbert)
Purdue (Richard Mann WR Coach)
Idaho
Youngstown State (Joey Porter)
Kansas State
Wisconsin (Joey Port, Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin)
Clemson (Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert)
Penn State (Todd Haley)
Toledo (TEs coach James Daniel)
UNC (Kevin Colbert, QB coach Randy Fichtner)
South Flordia (RB Coach James Saxon)
Pitt (Kevin Colbert, Todd Haley)
Uconn
Ashland (TE Coach James Daniel)
Ohio State (Tomlin)
Missouri (Joey Porter)
Notre Dame (Haley)
Michigan (Kolbert, Tomlin)
Flordia (Colbert, Olsavsky)
Texas
Miami (Colbert)
Louisville
Tennessee (Tomlin, Butler)
Texas Tech (Fichtner)
Indiana
WVU (Carnell Lake)
Ole Miss
LSU (Tomlin, Carnell Lake)
Baylor (Mike Butler)

**Rara** · 03-03-2017, 08:18 PM

I'm always excited to see this thread up! Thank you, dude!

**steelerkeylargo** · 03-03-2017, 09:29 PM

Pat Mahommes
Cooper Rush
David Njoku
Adam Shaheen

**calmkiller** · 03-04-2017, 09:01 PM

Combine Meetings:

#	Name	School	Pos	H/W	Round
1	Patrick Mahomes	Texas Tech	QB	6-2 225	1-2
2	Brad Kaaya	Miami	QB	6-4 214	3-4
3	CJ Beathard	Iowa	QB	6-2 219	7
4	Josh Dobbs	Tennessee	QB	6-3 216	6
5	DeShone Kizer	Notre Dame	QB	6-4 233	1-2
6	Cooper Rush	Central Michigan	QB	6-3 228	FA
7	D�Onta Foreman	Texas	RB	6-0 233	4
8	Wayne Gallman	Clemson	RB	6-0 215	3-4
9	Jahad Thomas	Temple	RB	5-10 190	FA
10	Marlon Mack	South Florida	RB	5-11 213	3-4
11	Samaje Perine	Oklahoma	RB	5-11 233	4
12	Josh Reynolds	Texas A&M	WR	6-3 194	5
13	Greg Ward	Houston	WR	5-11 186	FA
14	Shelton Gibson	WVU	WR	5-11 191	4-5
15	Chris Godwin	Penn State	WR	6-1 201	2
16	John Ross	Washington	WR	5-11 188	1
17	Ryan Switzer	UNC	WR	5-8 181	5-6
18	Roderick Johnson	FSU	T	6-7 298	2-3
19	Ethan Cooper	Indiana of PA	OG	6-2 322	FA
20	Jordan Morgan	Kutztown	OG	6-3 309	4
21	Dion Dawkins	Temple	OG	6-4 314	2
22	Evan Engram	Ole Miss	TE
23	Gerald Everett	South Alabama	TE
24	Pharoh Brown	Oregon	TE
25	Adam Shaheen	Ashland	TE
26	Jeremy Sprinkle	Arkansas	TE
27	Scott Orndoff	Pittsburgh	TE
28	Michael Roberts	Toledo	TE
29	Jordan Leggett	Clemson	TE
30	Tanoh Kpassagnon	Villanova	DL
31	Elijah Qualls	Washington	DL
32	Chris Wormley	Michigan	DL
33	Davon Godchaux	LSU	DL
34	Derek Rivers	Youngstown State	LB
35	Haason Reddick	Temple	LB
36	Ejuan Price	Pittsburgh	LB
37	Tim Williams	Alabama	LB
38	DeMarcus Walker	Florida State	LB
39	Tarell Basham	Ohio	LB
40	TJ Watt	Wisconsin	LB
41	Duke Riley	LSU	LB
42	Carl Lawson	Auburn	LB
43	JoJo Mathis	Washington	LB
44	Tashawn Bower	LSU	LB
45	Fadol Brown	Mississippi	LB
46	Ryan Anderson	Alabama	LB
47	Devonte Fields	Louisville	LB
48	Nate Hairston	Temple	CB
49	Cameron Sutton	Tennessee	CB
50	Marquez White	FSU	CB
51	Tre�Davious White	LSU	CB
52	Shaquill Griffin	Central Florida	CB
53	Desmond King	Iowa	S
54	Marcus Williams	Utah	S
55	Lorenzo Jerome	St. Francis	S
56	Montae Nicholson	Michigan State	S

**calmkiller** · 03-05-2017, 09:51 PM

Updated 3/5/17

**calmkiller** · 03-09-2017, 09:28 AM

Steelers were at the following Pro Days:

Alabama (Steelers RB Coach James Saxon)
Temple
Oklahoma (Mark Bruener)
Colorado

Alabama
LB Reuben Foster
LB Tim Williams
LB Ryan Anderson
TE O.J. Howard
S Eddie Jackson
DT Jonathan Allen
DT Dalvin Tomlinson
CB Marlon Humphrey
OT Cam Robison
FB Dakota Ball
WR ArDarius Stewart

Colorado
CB Chidobe Awuzie
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
S Tedric Thompson
QB Sefo Liufau

Temple
LB Haason Reddick
G Dion Dawkins
CB Nate Hairston
RB Jahad Thomas

Oklahoma
RB Joe Mixon
RB Samaje Perine
WR Dede Westbrook
LB Jordan Evans
S Ahmad Thomas
DT Charles Walker
DT Wade Jordan
CB Dakota Austin
WR Geno Lewis

**calmkiller** · 03-13-2017, 12:06 PM

Updated with Auburn pro day, Some house keeping and the first rumored visit.

**calmkiller** · 03-22-2017, 11:33 AM

Updated Pro days and some formatting changes.

**calmkiller** · 04-03-2017, 01:55 PM

Updated with first official visits.

**RuthlessBurgher** · 04-06-2017, 04:38 PM

Steelers announce five pre-draft visits
Posted by Josh Alper on April 6, 2017, 3:00 PM EDT

Reports about prospects visiting teams abound at this time of the year, but sometimes the teams just go ahead and make an announcement about which players were at their headquarters.

The Steelers did that on Thursday by announcing that five players visited with the team. There were three defensive players on the list, including a pair of safeties.

Washington’s Budda Baker and North Carolina State’s Josh Jones were the prospects in at that position. Baker is on the small side at 5’10” and 195 pounds, but was productive enough at Washington that he’s got a chance to go in the first round of the draft. Lance Zierlein of NFL Media compared Jones to current Steelers safety Mike Mitchell in a draft profile, which may explain Pittsburgh’s interest.

Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis rounded out the defensive prospects. Neither of the offensive prospects had far to travel for their meetings.

Wide receiver Chris Godwin caught 59 passes for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns at Penn State last season and running back James Conner scored 20 times for the University of Pittsburgh. Conner’s performance was made more impressive by the fact that he returned from battling lymphoma that was diagnosed early in the 2015 season before his big year.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/04/06/steelers-announce-five-pre-draft-visits/

**calmkiller** · 04-09-2017, 12:28 PM

Matt Miller‏Verified account @nfldraftscout (https://twitter.com/nfldraftscout)

Samson Ebukam is on his 3rd of 12 visits. So much interest teams are flying him from team city to team city. Today is Pitt, tomorrow is GB

**RuthlessBurgher** · 04-09-2017, 01:47 PM

Originally posted by calmkiller

Matt Miller‏Verified account @nfldraftscout (https://twitter.com/nfldraftscout)

Samson Ebukam is on his 3rd of 12 visits. So much interest teams are flying him from team city to team city. Today is Pitt, tomorrow is GB

2017 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Samson Ebukam; sometimes the unknown talent is worth a second look

Every year there is a player or two who comes out of nowhere and proves worthy of recognition heading into the NFL Draft. This year it could be a man by the name of Samson Ebukam.

by Nicholas Martin
Feb 14, 2017, 6:00am

There are prospects every single year that seem to escape even the most well versed draft analysts out there. I’ll be honest, I had no clue who this player was until the NFLPA collegiate bowl. While watching that game, I kept noticing number 91 getting a lot of pressure, almost every snap, and eventually I learned who he was.

Samson Ebukam seems to be that guy this year that not many know about, and I am here to introduce the public to this unknown edge defender from Eastern Washington.

Without further ado, let’s dive in into this.

Samson Ebukam, Edge defender, Eastern Washington
Combine/pro day results and measurables (*Note these will be updated when available.)

Height: 6-1, 3/10

Weight: 248 LBs

Age: 21

Arm Length: 32, 3/8

Hand Size: 9, 5/8

40 yard dash: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

20 yard shuttle: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Overview:
2016 Statistics

Tackles: 71

Tackles for loss: 14.5

Sacks: 9.5

Forced Fumbles: 2

Samson Ebukam has quite an interesting background. Ebukam was born outside of the United States in Nigeria. He also has a very interesting story that ranges from being bullied, to soccer, throwing Javelin and how Eastern Washington felt they got a steal, according to this great article from their spokesman.

Perhaps Ebukam thrives in space because he had so little as a child. One of seven children, he grew up in Nigeria, which is slightly larger than Texas but holds 188 million people.

It holds them uncomfortably. Ebukam, who lived there until age nine, recalls the overcrowded markets in his home town. The schools were even worse, though he didn’t know it yet.

But his father knew. Tobias Ebukam, a businessman, had seen enough of the United States to seek a better life for his family – whatever the cost. Settling in Portland, he scrimped and brought the rest of his family across the Atlantic child by child, a heart-wrenching project that lasted eight years.

When Samson was six, his three older siblings departed for America. Three years later, Samson and the younger children made their way west – without their mother, Stella, because there wasn’t enough money.

Even while Stella lived half a world away, “She was the glue that was holding it all together,” said Ebukam, who leaned on his mother via cell phone during the tough times in Oregon.

There were many. Smart enough to be bumped up a grade in Nigeria, he was pushed back down in America because he didn’t speak English. His first four months in Portland were spent in front of a television.

“I was watching movies, trying to repeat what they said,” said Ebukam, whose favorite flick was “Friday After Next.” He bought or borrowed any CD he could find, trying to catch up.

Meanwhile, the schoolyard bullying followed him from Nigeria. Scrawny when he left his homeland, he appeared even more vulnerable to American kids. “I was in a lot of fights,” Ebukam recalled.

The bullying stopped in the eighth grade, thanks to a growth spurt that also opened up the world of sports. Until then, “football” was the game they played back in Nigeria, 11-a-side kicking a ball.

Ebukam played soccer with more abandon than grace, racking up so many red cards that he was invited to try American football.

By the end of his career, he’d played most positions on offense and special teams: running back, fullback, tight end and returned punts and kickoffs. On defense he was a natural at end “because I could play free and not worry about the rules and be more physical,” he said.

At David Douglas High, he was a state runner-up in the shot put and javelin, but flew under the football recruiting radar. Eastern coaches spotted him at a summer camp, offering him a scholarship.

“We felt like we maybe got a little bit of a steal in recruiting, “because he was one of those guys who could have gone to a higher level,” EWU coach Beau Baldwin said.

Ebukam’s only other offer came from Portland State.

“But when I came here for a visit, I said there’s no way I’m going to PSU,” Ebukam said with a smile.
According to that same article from the spokesman, Ebukam has a tremendous work ethic.

“He came in here with a lot of tools,” Baldwin said. “But he takes every offseason and every summer and works to keep getting better mentally and physically.”

“He’s become that difference-maker because of the extra things he does,” Baldwin said.
No doubt because of his work ethic, Ebukam was a 2016 first team All American as voted by coaches in the FCS. He was also a member of the Big Sky All academic team every year, pretty impressive for somebody who couldn’t even speak English when he came to America. He also finished 6th all time among Eastern Washington's sack leaders with 24.

Ebukam is tremendous talent on the field, who this season played somewhat of hybrid role between LB and DE (essentially a 3-4 OLB). Ebukam, for his listed size, looks quite built for being only 248 LBs.

What immediately sticks out about him is his tremendous ability to dip and bend nice and tight around the edge, while also being able to flatten to the QB. Of course his get off of the snap is pretty explosive too. What really helps him though is the natural leverage he has because of how low to the ground he’s built, often offensive tackles can’t get their hands on him without holding him. Ebukam has also shown flashes of good technical hand usage but what really stuck out was his motor.

A lot of times his motor is running hot a lot of the game. He’ll chase down plays he has no business making and he’ll finish plays. He shows signs of developing a pretty good spin move as well.

When it comes to how he works in space, Ebukam can make tackles in space and has shown the ability to effectively drop back into coverage. He also shows flashes of being able to set the edge against the run.

However, Ebukam is a bit undersized and can get engulfed sometimes against the run, particularly due to his undisciplined mentality against the run. Often times I see him shoot inside and lose outside contain, allowing some decent sized runs to come through on his side. His get off is also a bit inconsistent which is very reminiscent of Yannick Ngakoue from last year’s draft. He also struggles to really generate power, often looking a bit more like a finesse/speed rusher. He also plays in FCS which he’ll no doubt get knocked for his lack of competition.

**RuthlessBurgher** · 04-09-2017, 01:47 PM

So let’s take a closer look at Ebukam.

Positives: Explosion, Dip and Bend
These are three key elements that help define Ebukam and his style of pass rush. His explosion off the line can be inconsistent but when he gets a really explosive get off, it’s a sight to behold.

This is a really nice get off at the line but what is really impressive is the bend and flexibility he shows as he dips and flattens to the QB. This really is a flat out speed rush and we’ll look at it frame by frame by his first, third and fifth step.

Now look where he is by his third step. The offensive tackle has his butt facing away from the QB and then by the fifth step he clears past the shoulder. The reason he’s able to get the sack though is because he shows the flexibility to be able to keep his balance as he dips, bends, tightly turns the corner and flattens to the QB.

Textbook example of why a good burst and ability to bend are such wanted traits in an edge defender.

His ability to bend is really a great asset and by far one of his biggest signatures as a pass rusher. It often resulted in many offensive tackles having to blatantly hold him so he didn’t kill the QB.

These are the kind of plays that the boxscore doesn’t tell you about. The offensive tackle from my novice mind looks to be in a good position but the problem is that Ebukam does a nice job of putting his shoulder into the tackle and showcasing a nice rip move that may have led to a sack if he was not held on the play.

A big reason why he was able to pull this off was no just his bend but it was his natural leverage due to his height. The offensive tackle couldn’t really get his hands on him and when he did it was outside the shoulder pads and Ebukam had already won the edge.

Positives: Relentless pursuit
I talk a lot about the intricacies of pass rush and the ability to bend around the edge but motor is something you should never overlook in a front seven player. Ebukam in particular is absolutely relentless with his pursuit. When he sees a chance to make a play, he goes right after it.

This play isn’t even to his side of the field but he sees the ball carrier and even though there are defenders on that side, he doesn’t wait for someone else to make a play, he makes the play.

This is important because it measures a prospects on field character at the least and how much desire he has to make a play.

Positives: Developing hand usage and counter moves
Ebukam doesn’t always uses his hands as a pass rusher but the light is starting to come for him more when it comes to using his hands. When he does use them, he can become an even deadlier pass rusher.

This is excellent hand usage, the tackle gets his hands on him but Ebukam does a great job of getting a good punch on the tackle’s right hand and eventually getting inside, creating pressure on the QB. Again this doesn’t really show up on the stat sheet and as he continues to get better with his hands, he will become more disruptive.

Here’s another example of good hand usage vs Washington State.

His initial rush got stalled and the tackle had good positioning to stop him from getting the edge. Ebukam though does an excellent job of trying to execute the one arm stab to prevent the tackle from getting his hands on him. Though it fails, he does an even better job using his outside hand to throw the tackles outside hand off of him, leading to him winning the edge.

Here’s a frame by frame look of the play.

One Arm Stab fails

Engages with the tackles outside hand

Throws it down, wins the edge

As Ebukam continues to develop, so will his growing repertoire of pass rushing moves. Have good hand usage is one thing, knowing when and where to use a counter is another.

The design on this play is clearly to have all the defensive linemen to flow to the right side of the field (or left depending on where you are viewing it from). What this does is help free up the blitzing DB #10 and as Ebukam gets doubled, the TE leaves the outside open due to his positioning.

Ebukam sees this and he throws a nice tight outside spin move as a counter to his inside rush being absorbed and the TE leaving the outside open.

Now the problem with a play like this is that it opens up a lane for the QB to run through and you could say it was a bit of an undisciplined play by Ebukam.

Positives: Coverage ability and playing in space
Ebukam as I said before, played in a bit of hybrid role similar to a 3-4 OLB and as a result, he dropped into coverage quite a bit and he showed the ability to make plays in space.

Ebukam recognizes the screen play, avoids the blocking the offensive linemen and heads straight for the running back, tackling him for a loss of yards on 3rd and 10.

Ebukam at points got thrown a lot of cut blocks his way during the season but his ability to avoid those blocks in space showed up.

Ebukam doesn’t lose his balance, keeps his eyes on the QB and is able to deflect the pass. This is a player who can play in space and stays aware of the situation around him, he’s an excellent 3-4 OLB candidate in the NFL because of this.

Negatives: Lack of discipline against the run
I’lll go ahead and get this one out the way, Ebukam isn’t bad against the run because he doesn’t have the size to set the edge. No, that is in fact a lie.

He shows the ability to do this a lot throughout a game and yes it will be a big jump to the pros in terms of competition, problem is that his discipline can kill him against the run.

A lot of playing the run is discipline and doing your job. Don’t be caught out of position, don’t get overaggressive and stop abandoning your gap.

What does Ebukam do on this play? He gets completely washed out of the play because he funneled inside, abandoning his gap which led to a TD.

Plays like this were consistent throughout his film and while he showed the ability to be more disciplined, I saw way more undisciplined run integrity than disciplined.

Negatives: Fails to generate power/push
I noticed this a lot throughout his film and while there aren’t very many specific examples of where he uses a flat out power rush, you can notice that he doesn’t generate much of a push when it comes to his pass rush.

Not very much push at all and even though he’s got a TE helping, I don’t think that had much to do with it. Ebukam struggles to really generate power with his rushes and while I’d like to say that could improve in the NFL, it’s no guarantee.

That’s not where he’ll make his money rushing the passer though. Where he’s going to succeed is by winning with speed, hands and bend.

Conclusion
Samson Ebukam is an underrated pass rusher in this draft. Not many know who he is and it has a lot to do with where he played. He played in the FCS at Eastern Washington and while he clearly has scouts and coaches attention considering he got invited to the NFLPA collegiate bowl, the public draft community has very little clue who he is.

A lot of his strengths are things you can’t teach like his ability to bend and get a good burst off the line. His hand usage and counter moves are improving and while he may never be a pass rusher who generates very much power, he has other methods of getting to the QB. His discipline against the run is infuriating but can be fixed.

To sum up, he’s a damn good football player who I believe could come in immediately as a pass rush specialist on certain downs, with the capability of developing into a 3 down player in the future. What round he goes in is still a mystery but wherever he goes, the team that picks him is getting someone who’s going to work their butt off and help their pass rush.

NFL Comparison: Yannick Ngakoue

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2017-nfl-mock-drafts-profiles-video-clips-highlights-steelers-analysis-breakdowns-news/2017/2/14/14555366/2017-nfl-draft-scouting-report-samson-ebukam-sometimes-the-unknown-talent-is-worth-a-second-look

Official 2017 Visit Thread

Official 2017 Visit Thread

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