All of Greg Cosell’s 2022 rookie scouting reports — along with dozens of devy reports from Wes Huber — are available in our Fantasy Points Prospect Guide. We have recently discounted the guide by 60%, to a lowest-ever price of $10. It’s an invaluable tool for dynasty and devy players, or just people who love football. You can order it here.
At Fantasy Points this season, we’re going to be posting the Raw Film Notes from NFL Films legend Greg Cosell each and every week, as we have in the past. These are quite literally Greg’s scribblings and observations he throws on his notepad as he watches all-22 tape.
As Greg is just one man, he can’t get to everything each week, but we’ll be bringing you everything he sees in raw — and unedited — form. This is something all-22 nerds will love, and certainly something fans who want to learn more about their teams should read.
TENNESSEE TITANS OFFENSE
Petit-Frere started at LT and Radunz started at RT, Radunz still showed a glaring tendency to reach and lunge in pass protection resulting balance and body control issues
First play of the game was play action boot out of straight I formation, Willis impatient on the boot throwing in the flat to Carter when he had Fitzpatrick on the out route; Willis threw the ball too hard resulting in incompletion
Titans started second possession with shot play concept with Willis deep drop off play action, Willis had no throw and faced quick inside pressure; He left the pocket and scrambled for 2 yards
3rd + 5 on second possession Willis too quick to break down in the pocket, Never planted his back foot and then dropped his eyes resulting in him leaving the pocket – Big arm on the move
Titans coaching staff got Willis comfortable to start third possession with a screen to Chestnut 12 yards, Give Willis an easy completion to settle in
Haskins outstanding stiff arm on LB Harrison on 18 yard reception that set up Willis TD
Willis needs to become more settled in the pocket with less unnecessary movement, That should come with experience
Willis 7 yard TD showed his playmaking dimension but we knew he had that trait from college tape so that was not a surprise
Titans came back to a shot play on first play of their fourth possession: Play action off outside zone with deep sail (McMath) - cross (Malone) combination, Willis went to McMath on the deep sail with an excellent throw by Willis
Means sack in the high red zone resulted from Willis not turning it loose to boundary x Burks on the fade, Burks had the size advantage over Seymour but Willis poor footwork did not have him ready to deliver on time so he broke down and started to move
3rd + 7 late in 2nd quarter Willis had Kinsey open on the crosser for a 1st down but he broke down too early in the pocket and ran out to his right with the result an incompletion
Willis good ball to Kinsey late in the 2nd quarter on intermediate out route in flood concept – Burks from boundary x ran the dig route and was open but it was a front side trips read for Willis
First play of the 3rd quarter was shotgun bang play action off inside zone run action, Willis had Fitzpatrick wide open on the in-breaker but did not turn it loose; Willis ran for 17 yards but he would get a minus from the coaching staff on that play
There were snaps in which Willis had too much head movement and was clearly uncertain where the ball should go within the timing and structure of the play design, Needs to be quicker with his eyes and his elimination and isolation
Willis will always have the ability to make the spectacular play: TD run, sidearm pass to Hudson, The question will be the development of the details and nuances and subtleties of the position from the pocket
Petit-Frere played well getting snaps at both OT spots (he played 28 total snaps), He was strong in pass protection showing the athleticism that was there on his college tape
Burks snaps to the field in trips and snaps at boundary x on the back side of trips, There were some routes in which Burks was open and others in which his route speed and play speed was not what you want it to be
TENNESSEE TITANS DEFENSE
Farley played 24 snaps at left corner with a good mix of press coverage and off coverage, Titans played a good percentage of man coverage
Farley predominantly played mirror match press man, There were some snaps in which Farley would lose contact with the receiver at the top of the route stem
Farley showed plant and drive quickness from off coverage, He showed physicality as a tackler
Farley beaten over the top on a stutter-go by Polk early in the 2nd quarter but the ball was thrown to the other side of the field
KYLE TRASK
Trask limited arm strength lacking the velocity to drive the ball, In addition his deep balls showed a tendency at times to lose energy on the back end
Trask is a timing and rhythm pocket QB with above average arm strength but nothing more who needs a clean pocket to be successful, He does not possess second reaction movement ability
Trask well-thrown slot fade on Sterns 19 yard TD: Proper trajectory and touch and precise ball placement; That was Trask’s kind of throw: Defined read, decisive with timing and rhythm based on the route
Geiger 26 yards late in the 3rd quarter was Trask at his best: Route concept (flood) versus coverage (man) defined the read and throw allowing Trask to deliver with timing as soon as he hit back foot on his drop
Trask will have issues working out of contested pockets late in the down, He cannot sit on his back foot and make tough intermediate throws
CARSON WENTZ / SAM HOWELL
Dotson snaps outside and in the slot; McLaurin snaps at boundary x, #1 to twins and trips, and in the slot; Samuel used as the motion receiver
Washington coaching staff kept it simple for Wentz re: reads and throws, They took a shot to McLaurin on sluggo from boundary x alignment and Wentz slightly underthrew it
Overall Wentz executed what he was asked to do with precision and consistently precise ball placement on the short throws
Howell gives an offense an effective play action boot pass game: Milne 23 yards on his second possession
Washington gave Howell post-cross with back side dig off shotgun play action on his second possession, Howell had Mcgowan open on the post but quick pressure resulted in a sack
Howell a beat late to Harmon on the out cut on 3rd + 12 on first play of the 4th quarter, Allowed the corner Barnes to drive and make a play on the ball
Mcgowan 27 yards on 3rd + 9 in 4th quarter was higher-level quarterbacking by Howell: Trips read on flood concept with Howell coming back to Mcgowan on the back side within timing and structure of the full field route design
Howell showed some poise and patience in the pocket allowing route concepts to develop versus zone coverage: Michel 17 yards in 4th quarter
Howell gives you second reaction playmaking dimension: 17 yard TD run beating safety in space, Erickson 40 yards
Overall a strong first game for Howell, He threw the ball well and he showed his second reaction ability; He saw the field well and did not play fast, Calm helmet with poise in the pocket
KENNY PICKETT / MITCHELL TRUBISKY
Steelers gave Pickett play action boot and quick game to get him comfortable, They also featured WR screen to start second possession
Pickett has the look and feel of a pocket QB: Strong in the pocket, decisive with his reads and throws, consistently precise ball placement
Pickett is a good athlete with strong second reaction movement ability, There are times he breaks down in the pocket too early
There is a mental and physical toughness to Pickett’s game that continually shows up on film
Olszewski 13 yard TD was great example of Trubisky not getting a clear picture to his read side where Sims was wide open on the curl route and then Pickens open on the shallow crosser from the back side, Trubisky broke down with no pressure and left the pocket to his left hitting wide open Olszewski versus Seahawks busted coverage
Trubisky showed a tendency to be impatient in the pocket, He was too quick to break down and move
DESMOND RIDDER
Ridder delivery is tighter and more compact than it was on his college tape, Less range of motion which will likely lead to more consistent ball placement over time
Falcons gave Ridder some shotgun play action concepts that he was comfortable with having run those in college, They also gave him play action boot from under center (just missed TD to TE Hesse on ball that was inches overthrown and could have been caught)
Play action was featured with Ridder both under center and in the shotgun, Play action boot was also featured; Falcons gave Ridder a lot of designed movement snaps
Ridder showed second reaction movement ability scrambling for big gains, That is a trait he possesses and he is very calculated in his decision making to leave the pocket
Game winning TD pass also came off second reaction movement, Ridder is a poised and composed mover who never looks hurried or frenetic
Falcons coaching staff gave Ridder basic route concepts-combinations: Dagger, curl-flat-seam seal; Defined reads and throws – Overall a solid performance by Ridder, You saw the traits he showed in college
JORDAN LOVE
Love settled into the game after some poor throws early, Packers got Love on the move with boot helping to define the reads and throws
A continuing question with Love is his ball placement, It is too inconsistent, He needs to be more precise
Love second interception came versus 49ers 2 man coverage, He looked to Rodgers on the in-breaker but Womack had outstanding coverage and Love’s throw was a little off-target
Love was inconsistent both in his reads and throws, He has a good arm with the ball coming out with juice but his ball location must become more consistently precise
Doubs looked quick and explosive off the ball into his routes, 33 yard TD came from the lot to twins and his quickness off the ball on the slot fade got him on top of Moore right away; Excellent throw by Love
Doubs lined up in multiple locations in the formation including snaps at boundary x on the back side of trips
Doubs needs to improve getting in-and-out of breaks, He showed a tendency to lean forward telegraphing his cuts
BUFFALO BILLS OFFENSE
Khalil Shakir 5-92 on 5 targets: 1) Corner route from slot to the boundary off play action boot; 2) Hitch from plus split to the field in 2x2 set; 3) Stop right from plus split to the boundary in 2x2 set; 4) Wheel route from slot to the field in 2x2 set; 5) Seam from the slot to the boundary in 2x2 set
Shakir lined up both outside and the slot (just as he did at Boise State), Multiple splits and different routes; Shakir caught the ball well with hands
Isaiah Hodgins 9-77 on 11 targets: Hodges lined up both outside and the slot including some snaps at boundary x
Hodgins nice catch on fade for 27 yards, Clean release versus press man clearing space to the outside and getting a step on top of the corner
Hodgins was featured late in the 4th quarter on a lot of quick game short routes
BUFFALO BILLS DEFENSE
Settle first play of the game from 1-technique showed hand strength to control and displace OC Kelly and react laterally to tackle Hines 1 yard
Settle had some physically dominant snaps versus OC Kelly, He controlled Kelly with strong hands and then displaced him to make tackles in the run game
Settle only played 11 snaps predominantly aligning at 1-technique but a few snaps at 3-technique, He had a dominant bull rush snap versus OG Nelson on 4th + 4 late in the 1st quarter (Benford play on Pittman)
Elam 3rd + 3 on Colts first possession press man on Pierce: Physicality to disrupt release off the LOS then drive and make a play on the ball on the slant route – Textbook press man coverage
Elam left corner and Benford right corner played significant snaps of press man coverage, Both showed physicality disrupting routes off the LOS
Elam strength is press man coverage (that was his calling card as the boundary corner at Florida) but he showed good route recognition and eye discipline in zone coverage versus the Colts
Benford 4th + 4 late in the 1st quarter strong play out of press man on Pittman slant route: Physicality on the release then driving on the throw getting inside arm on the ball – Big-time play
Lewis strong man-to-man coverage on Campbell out route from the slot on 4th + 4 early in the 2nd quarter
Benford excellent play on 3rd + 2 in the 2nd quarter: Closed formation to the boundary so Benford was aligned tight on the ball as a primary run defender, Tackle on Lindsay for 1 yard
Basham sack-forced fumble resulted in Bernard 69 yard TD, Basham beat RT Murray off the edge; Bills press cover 1 with Bernard the free underneath lurk defender
Spector some good snaps in the run game in which he played off OL climbing to the second level and made tackles, Overall Spector played well in the run game: Strong key and diagnose with decisive reactions
Benford got beat on drive route by Granson on 4th + 8 late in the 2nd quarter: 1x3 set for the Colts with Granson the boundary x, Bills cover 1 with safety McCloud playing as a robber
JUSTIN FIELDS
Jones sack on 3rd + 6 to end Bears first possession was on Fields, Fields had the timing throw to Mooney on the quick out off the stack release but he came off it and then got sacked
Mooney 26 yards on 3rd + 4 on second possession came on wheel route off natural rub with St. Brown, Schemed one read throw versus single high coverage
Fields still showed a tendency to break down and leave the pocket too early: Sack on second possession a good example
Sharpe 19 yards on 3rd + 9 late in the 1st quarter was good quarterbacking by Fields: He read the pressure front pre-snap and adjusted the protection then went to Sharpe one-on-one outside the numbers to the field
Fields still showing a tendency to play too fast mentally, He needs to continue to try to play with more poise and patience from the pocket
TREVOR LAWRENCE
Jones 32 yards, 15 yards, Engram 9 yard TD all came on play action boot; Lawrence is excellent with designed QB movement, Strength of his game
Lawrence still needs to get quicker with his elimination and isolation, It is not yet where it needs to be; There were snaps he did not see it within the timing and structure of the play design
Lawrence missed Jones on a deep over TD in the 1st quarter, His footwork was unsettled and he was not in position to turn it loose within timing and then threw it late for an incompletion
DREW LOCK / GENO SMITH
Ball comes out of Lock’s hand with some juice, He is an easy thrower who can drive the ball with velocity
Young 3 yard TD on 3rd and goal came on an excellent throw by Lock: Timing, anticipation, needed velocity and precise ball placement in a tight window that was closing fast
I don’t think Lock read the Homer 17 yard TD correctly but the result compensated, My sense was Lock did not get a clear picture but stayed poised and went to the check down
Lock can be a little scattershot at times with a tendency to be wild high, That is a concern when throwing in the middle of the field
Smith has always had second reaction movement ability and he showed it on his first drop back: Fant 17 yards
Smith still struggles working through progressions cleanly and delivering the ball to secondary options, He has shown a tendency to get stuck in the pocket then break down and leave
Smith has always had a good arm, He is an easy thrower who can generate velocity when needed
Smith outstanding seam throw to Johnson 21 yards late in the 1st half, Smith read the split safety coverage and drove the ball right into Johnson’s hands
Smith missed open Parkinson for a TD late in the 1st half, He never planted his feet and he threw off-balance getting the ball too far out in front of Parkinson
