In 2017, the Oklahoma State offense was a machine that marched up and down the field at will. Quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receivers James Washington and Marcel Ateman are gone this year. However, a key cog to the machine remains this year. Running back Justice Hill exploded onto the scene in 2016 by leading all FBS freshman in rushing with 1,142 yards. He would follow that up in 2017…
Throughout the remainder of the off-season, I will be previewing the best returning offensive line units in college football. These previews will give us the opportunity to scout some of the top offensive line prospects for the 2019 NFL Draft, while also highlighting those whose names we will likely see in 2020 and beyond. I…
Pass rushers are like money. Having some is good, having more is better. Possibly the highest commodity in the NFL, after quarterbacks, are those that create pressure on the QB. Ben Banogu is just such a player. Background Lightly recruited coming out of high school due to a leg injury, he started his collegiate career…
Sinking the hips is a commonly used scouting term to help describe the ability of players to lower their hips and center of gravity in order to execute their assignment. For a receiver, it allows them to decelerate quickly and to aid in generating distance between themselves and a defender when running routes that require…
Want more info on the Eagles Draft? Buy our team-specific guide! What do we do for an encore? The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in February, with an improbable victory over the defending champion New England Patriots. The team had to weather not only the Patriots, but injuries to star quarterback Carson Wentz,…
The NFL’s top wide receivers have been evolving in recent seasons and it’s currently having an impact on how we evaluate and value certain traits at the position. Two drafts ago, Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell was considered the next Dez Bryant due to his inability to create consistent separation and strong ball skills, highlighted…
Baker Mayfield might perhaps be one of the more polarizing QB prospects for evaluators this Draft season. His comfortability to play off structure amongst chaos is phenomenal. While his improvisational skills are off the charts by creating angles and passing lanes to throw to his receivers, I wanted to outline aspects of Mayfield’s arm talent…
The Strength in Space I’ve studied and opined on just about everything, from split field coverage to the value of draft picks. One tenet I’ve maintained throughout my time as a blogger, is that the truth becomes clear as you trim away the ‘fat’, or the inefficiencies in our processes and hypotheses about what makes…
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…
The 4-0 Texas Christian University Horned Frogs are in prime position to contend for the Big 12 Championship and a potential playoff berth. Head Coach Gary Patterson returns to his winning pedigree following a losing season: Gary Patterson after losing years: 2004: 5-6, 2005: 11-1 2013: 4-8, 2014: 12-1 2016: 6-7, 2017: — Dan Wolken…
Labor Day brings the return of the school year, and the return of football. Now that games are upon us, of course it’s time to think about the 2018 NFL Draft. In part 1 of this, we looked at 10 rising seniors, in part 2, we looked at 10 more seniors, and in part 3…
Click here for a full explanation of methodology and categories used in the chart above. Head of the Class Western Kentucky left tackle (and friend of the #PylonU podcast) Forrest Lamp highlights the interior offensive line class. Lamp, a left tackle for the Hilltoppers, could play the position at the next level, but he best translates…
Declined invitations from Tim Williams, Jonathan Allen, Takkarist McKinley, Taco Charlton and DeMarcus Walker have severely dampened the enthusiasm for what could have been on of the best edge groups the Senior Bowl has ever seen. While the absence of those five and Carl Lawson, who didn’t graduate on time to make the Senior Bowl…
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 any terms…
The college football season is fast approaching and while some of us would like to look back at better times, we must look ahead to 2017. Sean Cottrell explains how Justin Fuente will use jet motion to help the Virginia Tech Hokies offense get back on the map. After 29 seasons of “Beamer ball,” Virginia…
#1 best-selling author Mark Schofield reveals his list of the top quarterback prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft. Schofield, who wrote 17 Drives – a chronicle of the 2015 college football season – has ranked Trevone Boykin as his 8th ranked prospect. Click here to look at all of his work on the 2016 QB class. A standout,…