Since 2000, every franchise had selected a wide receiver in the first round—except the New England Patriots. That streak ended Thursday night, when New England tabbed Arizona State wideout N’Keal Harry with the 32nd selection. The Patriots’ spotty track record choosing receivers, along with concerns about elements of Harry’s game, raises some interesting questions. In…
One of the most prolific wide receivers in school history, Arizona State receiver N’Keal Harry (#1) has left his mark in the record books. His career got off to a fast start as he finished with 58 catches, which led all freshman receivers in the nation. That total was also good enough to break former…
One of the top teams in the country entering the 2018 season, and the preemptive favorite to win the Pac-12, the Washington Huskies have boasted one of the best run defenses over the past few seasons and should continue to do so into 2018. They led the Pac-12 in points per game allowed, total yards…
Recently in a piece about Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins, I wrote this: Studying and evaluating football players is a continual exercise in uncovering actions, methods, and processes in the players themselves that are repeatable and bear out well for their future development and advancement at their position of choice. Scout the process, and not…
Want more info on the Patriots Draft? Buy our team-specific draft guide! The New England Patriots allowed 41 points in a disappointing Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles – so they used their top two picks on offense. Starting quarterback Tom Brady turns 41 in August and they traded away his heir apparent, Jimmy…
Studying and evaluating football players is a continual exercise in uncovering actions, methods, and processes in the players themselves that are repeatable and bear out well for their future development and advancement at their position of choice. Scout the process, and not the results. Often times you may find that even though a play or…
Kalen Ballage impressed at the NFL combine. The 6’ 1’’, 227lb Arizona State product ran a 4.46 second 40-yard dash and 6.91 second 3-cone drill, leaping 33.5” on the vertical and 122” on the broad. That solid 6.91 3-cone (a nice 69th percentile) shows up when he is stringing cuts together and one-cutting to get…
We were waiting for a really weird weekend in college football and, boy did we get it! We always get it. It’s always lying in the weeds waiting to sneak up on us and it never fails. Every year. Here are my thoughts on the week that was. One Loss is Not a Death Sentence…
Christian McCaffrey was a massive loss for the Stanford Cardinal offense. There’s no doubt about it. But Bryce Love is making the loss a little more palatable for Stanford coaches and fans, as the true junior has been a dominant force for the Cardinal run game. He’s averaged over 215 rushing yards per game through…
The UCLA Bruins had an uncharacteristically poor season in 2016, going just 4-8 with a 2-7 Pac-12 record for their first losing season under head coach Jim Mora. Star quarterback Josh Rosen appeared in just six games before an injury against Arizona State ended his season. Rosen has been the Bruins offense through his two…
The Arizona State Sun Devils have been one of the most blitz heavy teams in college football under head coach Todd Graham . According to ESPN Insider Phil Steele, author of the best college football preview on the market, Arizona State “blitzes more than any other school.” While they blitz more than other teams, and…
Matty Brown looks at how two Big 12 teams, Baylor and Texas Tech, have used Run Pass Option plays in the redzone this college football season. Baylor Bears In Baylor’s more than comfortable 55-7 win against Northwestern, the Bears ran what was essentially the same play twice in the red zone, leading to touchdowns on…
College football means wild scoring drives and hot prospects. Ryan Dukarm shows us both in breaking down Arizona State Sun Devils‘ Kalen Ballage’s 8 TD day. Eight touchdowns. In one game. Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage tied a Football Bowl Subdivision record against Texas Tech with eight all purpose touchdowns, seven on the ground and…
Facing both player and coaching personnel changes, the Missouri Tigers’ defensive line dominance is officially threatened. But, as Mark Schofield writes, they still have the roster and the schemes to continue to dominate if they execute. In this piece, Mark analyzes the different schemes the Tigers use to fluster opponents. Over the past few seasons,…
Football is littered with specialized terminology. From punt gunner to climbing the pocket, commentators rarely get to explain everything you need to know before the next play. Inside The Pylon’s glossary was developed to give fans a deeper understanding of the game through clear explanations, as well as image and video examples. Please contact us with…
The 2016 NFL season begins now, with 32 teams scheming to knock off the reigning champion Denver Broncos. The NFL Draft is just around the corner, but the first step in any offseason plan is to assess a team’s needs. Here we look at what the Green Bay Packers team needs are. The Green Bay Packers…