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FROM DAVE TE-SAMSON EBUKAM -EWU-SCOUTING REPORT

nflscouting : 4/25/2017 6:23 pm
Several have asked on this talented, yet reckless linebacker candidate. The kid reminds me a lot of Bruce Irvin. Yes, he can impact as an edge rusher, but does he have the IQ to play linebacker? As a Day Three Guy, he might be worth looking into. Here are a few excerpts from my scouting report;

Body Structure Ebukam has good muscle development, but lacks the length and bulk you look for in a defensive end. He needs further body tone in his lower frame, but possesses very good upper body muscle definition. He added over fifteen pounds to his frame during the last two seasons in order to compete better at defensive end, but outside of rush end duties, he may be better suited as an outside linebacker, if he can generate enough foot speed and learn to play with better discipline.

Athletic Ability Ebukam is an undersized defensive end, despite the recent weight addition. He might have to project to outside linebacker in the pros, but may not have the quick reactionary skills required from second level opponents, bringing to mind Atlanta’s Bruce Irvin as a comparison format. He is quicker than fast and has good lateral agility to handle those assignment, but all too often, he will get reckless and out of control trying to make the classic hit. He has good straight-line quickness and the ability to plant and change direction fluidly. He does a good job of giving a shoulder and flattening working down the line, but needs to learn how to use his hands better to stave off low blocks when attacking in the backfield. While he has good weight room strength, he does not have the bulk to consistently stack and control when working inside at the first level. He is best when given the ability to run and pursue down the line of scrimmage, or making plays coming off the edge vs. a clean release.

Football Sense Ebukam plays as if his hair is on fires and while he has a high amount of big plays, that reckless nature shows that he does not have the patience for letting the plays develop. He knows how to play within the defensive scheme and does a good job of flowing to the ball, but there are times when he will be easily fooled by play action, taking too many extra steps in attempts to recover. He has enough agility to stay tight with the short area receivers, but does struggle some to locate the ball when dropping off in zone coverage. Still, questions remain about whether he is smart enough to deal with the mental side of the game. He shows good alertness to plays in front of him, but is best when getting a clear lane off the edge, as he is slow to recognize side blocking schemes

Competitiveness Ebukam is a good competitor who plays with intensity and aggressiveness. For the possible move to the linebacker position, he has above average playing strength and can be explosive in his hits, but you wonder if he will stay disciplined or revert to reckless nature. He is not the type to take plays off and shows good effort until the whistle. He is a physical take-on type of tackler who consistently fights through the play, but must keep hands active to fend blockers attacking his legs.

Work Habits Ebukam is still a tweener type, lacking ideal size to be a down lineman and might not be instinctive enough to play linebacker. He could prove to have good value as a Rush end or weak-side linebacker in a 3-4 defense. He has the physique that shows a good power base and is very accountable for his actions. From the look at his upper body, he knows how to put the extra hours into his weight training and has developed a violent punch to help him compensate for a lack of bulk when battling bigger blockers in the trenches

Key and Diagnostic Skills Ebukam excels at sifting through and avoiding trash to locate the ball. He has good eyes coming from the backside and the lateral range to flow with the ball. He does a nice job of waiting for the action to come to him, but when he gets impatient, he is prone to over-commit. He can be effective handling the job of neutralizing the bootleg, but he needs to demonstrate good snap anticipation (several costly off-side penalties the last two years). Still, he has the ability to dip his shoulder and explode past blockers en route to the quarterback. He is reckless on the field, though and is just starting to understand that he will have much better success by showing patience. He is alert to the option, but can bite and be fooled by misdirection or play action fakes. When he is able to locate the ball, Ebukam plays with good urgency, but with his obvious lack of bulk, his problems arise when he has to work in-line, as he spends a lot of time trying to disengage and loses sight of the play. When he finds the ball, there is no hesitation in his moves to pursue the play. He is better coming off the edge than when having to deal with in-line reading responsibilities

Playing Strength and Explosion Ebukam has a developing frame with good upper body strength, but lacks the “sand in his pants” to hold up to NFL type offensive linemen as a defensive end. He is not the type that can anchor well at the line of scrimmage and is generally washed out by double teams when trying to work in-line, despite impressive weight room strength. He has a quick straight-line burst to disrupt the back-field activity, and does a good job of redirecting on the move, demonstrating valid foot speed to simply fly to the ball. While his weight room numbers are good, he often struggles to shed once a blocker latches on to his jersey. He does not have the lower body strength to hold his ground at the Xs and at times, his lack of size prevents him from generating enough force to work across blocks in pursuit and can be overmatched at the line of scrimmage vs. the bigger offensive tackles. He relies mostly on hand placement to gain separation and his burst and arm-over action to slip blocks. While his weight room numbers do not always translate to the football field, he is a take-on type that might struggle vs. the bigger blockers, but will give them a battle until the whistle

Lateral Pursuit/Range Ebukam does a nice job of flowing to the ball, making him at least a two-down linebacker candidate. He can run long distances to chase down the play and shows good balance on the move that makes a scout feel that he could to adjust to linebacker at the next level, as he generally played upright, especially on stretches and screens. He needs room to operate, as he is more effective as a pass rusher coming off the edge when standing up than with his hand on the ground. He has the top-end speed you look for in a linebacker, just losing points for inexperience and over-aggressiveness. Even though he has lateral agility, he does have upper body stiffness trying to turn and run out of his backpedal and might have trouble mirroring in pass coverage. He does a nice job of planting his foot and redirecting when chasing down screens. He has the backside pursuit ability to slip and work around blocks to get penetration (ranks sixth in school annals for sacks and tackles for losses). He shows urgency and explosion chasing to the perimeter and above average acceleration working down the line

Tackling Ability Ebukam is a classic wrap-up tackler who does a good job of keeping his hands inside his frame. He plays at a good pad level and is conscious of attacking the ball carrier’s outside leg to impede forward momentum. He uses his hands well to push back the lead blocker and clog the rush lanes, but needs to be more alert to side blocks and not try to get into too many one-on-one battles in the trenches, as he is better served making plays on the move that operating at the line of scrimmage. When he stays low in his pads, Ebukam can string plays out, but when he gets high in his stance, he leaves his body too exposed. He has the strength to hold ground on the edge, but lacks bulk to maintain position working inside

Run Defense Ebukam is best when making tackles on the move, but needs to show better angle concept, as there are times he simply runs right into the blocker rather than trying to avoid. He keeps his hands active in attempts to shed and knows how to use his punch to temporarily stun a lineman, but has to rely more on quickness rather than power to defeat double teams, as he does not have the strong anchor to beat them otherwise. He has his best success coming off the snap with a low pad level, as he can be rocked back when he’s too tall at the point of attack. He has had decent success using his arm length to play off blocks in order to chase down plays from the backside. Against the run, Ebukam is a one-gap player who can be productive to slip blocks, shoot the holes and be disruptive. He is best when using making plays off the backside, as he does show enough hand strength to shed in on-on-one situations. He just lacks the bulk and leg drive to stack and control and can be run at as a defensive end, where he can get covered up too much to be effective taking on blocks. He has the speed to pursue and cut off the edge, showing adequate redirection agility. He will get caught up in trash, but has the burst to escape

Pass Defense Ebukam showed adequate ability dropping back in the short area to pick up tight ends and backs. He has good explosion and adequate quickness to penetrate off the edge when given a free lane, but was generally removed in obvious passing situations. He shows decent hip snap to turn and run with the tight ends and backs in the short area, but is rarely used in man coverage. Until he can learn to play linebacker, it is not recommended using him much in pass coverage

Pass Rush and Blitz There is no question that Ebukam had good success coming off the edge, but it was generally vs. lower level type of offensive tackles and due to bulk issues, he will not be able to play as a down lineman at the next level. While he has a good short area burst, unless he is in a 3-4 alignment, he might not be able to blitz as often from the weak-side linebacker position as he did as a rush end. He is not the type that will have great sucvcess shooting the gaps on the blitz, as bigger blockers had good success engulfing him. He uses his rip moves with good success and knows how to get “skinny” to slip off blocks. When he plays at a low pad level, he can get his hands underneath the blocker to drive his man back into the pocket. The thing you notice on film is his ability to gear down and change speeds to get the offensive lineman off balance. As a pass rusher, he is the type that will explode and burst through traffic. He is more of a collision-type pass rusher, but he uses his hands to gain separation and his extra effort in pursuit allows him to get pressure. He does a good job of dipping his shoulder to slip off blocks and has the quick twitch moves needed to make plays coming from the backside. He seems to get soft when engaging the offensive tackle, as he knows he will get stonewalled in a power battle, though. As a linebacker, I feel he will be much more productive as a pass rusher, as he can gain acceleration and get a better feel for the ball when he won’t have to engage the bigger blockers on in-line battles.


From  
AcidTest : 4/25/2017 6:28 pm : link
what I've seen, he's going to have to be a LB. Whole different set of responsibilities than a DE. Where do you think he's going? Would he be a good pick in the fourth round, or will he be gone by then? He seems to have a lot of "upside," and has visited many teams. Thanks Dave.
DAVE TE TO ACID TEST  
nflscouting : 4/25/2017 6:37 pm : link
Yeah, I would say round 4. I think the success Bruce Irvin had as a situation type is the way teams are looking at him, unless that crazy Cowboys scout gets everybody in Dallas to drink his bug juice. When I bumped into him, he said Samson was just like Anthony Spencer. Come on now! I only had one pair of clean undies left, so I tried to not pee in my pants laughing.
But seriously - good kid, hard worker, not really instinctive & that could limit him to a two-down affair
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