The Gut Check's RB Scouting Analysis

Name: Marshawn Lynch School California Opponent: Texas A&M Surface Grass Height: 5-11 Year: Junior Score: 45-10 Climate: Night Weight: 223 Date: 12/28/2006 Location: Temperature: Temperate

Overall Score: 93 Power Score : 13 Game Stats Leg power, drives through arm tackles [1pt]: Yes Effective stiff arm [1pt]: Yes Attempts: 20 Initiates contact, runs behind pads, and punishes defenders [1pt]: Yes Rush Yds 111 Good body lean/Finishes runs [3pts]: Yes 1st Downs 7 Gains yards after contact/second-third effort runner [7pts]: Yes Rush Td 2 Balance Score : 9 Target: 4 High performance in adverse conditions [1pt]: N/A Rec: 3 Maintains balance when hit head-on [1pt]: Yes Rec Yds 17 Maintains balance when it from an indirect angle [7pts]: Yes Rec Tds 0 BHandling Score : 15 Fumbles 0 Carries ball with either hand [1pt]: Yes Broken Tackles 7 Consistently handles QB/RB exchanges [3pts]: Yes BLKs Assigne 5 Demonstrates ball security [3pts]: Yes BLKs Made 5 Maintains control of ball when hit [7pts]: Yes Maintains control of ball in adverse weather conditions [1pt]: N/A Speed Score : 11 Effective short area burst [7pts]: Yes Separates from 1st and 2nd wave of defenders [1pt]: Yes Effective outside runner [3pts]: Yes Vision Score: 11 Makes good decisions with where to run [7pts]: Yes Patience in traffic (sets up blocks) [3pts]: Yes Takes good angles away from defenders in the open field [1pt]: Yes Elusiveness Score : 15 Effective lower body jukes while on the run [3pts]: Yes Effective upper body jukes while on the run [1pt]: No Avoids direct shots [7pts]: Yes Effective stop-start movements [2pts]: Yes Effective lateral movement [3pts]: Yes Blocking Score : 4 Correct diagnosis of blocking assignments [1pt]: Yes Effort with assignments [3pts]: Yes Willingness to block in the open field and on broken plays [1pt]: No Receiving and Routes Score : 5 Consistently makes receptions on catchable balls [3 pts]: No Makes difficult catch [1pt]: No Catches ball effectively with back to the [1pt]: Yes Consistently catches ball with hands and without juggling [1pt]: No Consistent target in the passing game [3pts]: Yes Runs precise routes [1pt]: Yes Durability Score : 10 Missed fewer than 10% of opportunities to play [1pt]: Yes Performs at high level while playing with an injury [1pt]: Yes No chronic injuries (Two or more injuries to same body part) [1pt]: Yes No injuries requiring extensive rehabilitation [7 pts]: Yes The Gut Check's RB Scouting Profile Name: Marshawn Lynch Date: 12/28/2006 Opponent: Texas A&M Lynch ran very hard in this game. He demonstrated good power and balance. He was not afraid of initiating contact and he possesses a good stiff arm and leg drive Overall between the tackles or when wrapped up. He'll actually make the most of his yardage rather than dance around when there is no space. He has the lateral movement, Strengths: but only once in this game did he try to reverse his field than plow forward for positive yardage. He generally catches the ball well and with his hands. Lynch has a very sudden first step and can accelerate to full speed within a short distance. He demonstrates good ball protection in the hole. Lynch also makes the effort as a blocker. He has potential to be an excellent all-purpose back in the NFL. He has the skills to play in any system and should become a lead back within a year or two. He'd be excellent in a West Coast system such as Seattle, Philly, or Green Bay.

Overall Lynch has very few weaknesses. He could use more work releasing from the backfield as a receiver and better technique as a blocker. He did drop an easy pass, but Weaknesses: demonstrated good hands technique and concentration on the other three targets. He could improve his pad level in the hole. Despite his power, he sometimes drives into the defenders a little high.

Power: Lynch got the first down on a 2nd and short with 10:00 left in the 1st QTR. He took a strong side formation run and pounded it between the LG and LT. There wasn't much of an opening, but he lowered his shoulders and burst into the pile and ran into and nearly over his guard to get the first down. He took an inside handoff out of the spread formation and once again demonstrated good body lean and leg drive into an area where he needed to make a hole rather than find one--he got 4 yards on the play. On a draw play where the offensive line pushed back the defensive line nearly 6 yards off the ball, Lunch was not touched until he got 12 yards downfield, but he displayed a good stiff arm to ward off the LB on a tackle attempt and gain another 2 yards on the play. He's not afraid to take on a DB at the end of a run. He lowered his shoulder and drove into a DB on a run off tackle to begin the 2nd QTR. He ran through an ankle tackle on a direct snap out of the shotgun for the score with 14:14 left in the half. Excellent job driving the pile forward on an inside handoff for a gain of 7 and the first down. He moved the pile at least 2-3 yards on this run. Despite losing yardage on a play that was strung out very well by the defense, the defense could not push him backwards. Good leg drive against two DBs on a 3rd down reception near the end of the half, but did not get the first down. Despite the big openings at the defensive line, Lynch routinely stayed upright until the whistle blew versus LBs and DBs on his runs. On a run he bounced to the right side, Lynch shook off a DT's arm tackle at the corner and accelerated down the sideline for a first down and a 16-yard gain. The DT was of the size that most RBs would fall down if dragged down with his grip, but Lynch was too quick and strong. Excellent stiff arm in traffic on a run with 9:38 left in the game. He Ball Good job covering the ball with both arms on his 3rd attempt, a 1st down run up the middle with 10:00 in the 1st QTR. Lynch kept the ball under his sideline arm on the Handling: draw play with :14 left in the 1st QTR. He consistently kept the ball

Elusiveness: On the draw play with :15 left in the 1st QTR, Lynch showed the quickness to elude a DB with a head-on angle on a stop start move to the left despite just warding off an LB's tackle attempt as he was veering to the right sideline. A very quick move that made the DB miss him completely. On his 16-yard gain in the 3rd QTR with 5:19 left, he nearly broke it for a score when he made a quick dip away from the sideline to nearly elude a DB facing him. Excellent cut in the hole on a 10 -yard run between the tackles. He made the LB miss with a sharp cut to the left and then veered back to the right to finish the run.

Balance: He's very difficult to bring down. On 7 of his carries in the first 3 QTRS, Lynch did not go down even as the whistle blew and there were multiple defenders attempting to knock him off his feet. He muscled through traffic for 9 yards despite encountering contact for 4-5 of those yards.

Speed: Lynch has a very quick first step. On his first attempt of the game he took a hand off from a strong side formation headed between the LT and LG and he displayed a really sudden acceleration. He didn't find a hole, but the quickness was evident on the play. His quick first step is excellent on draw plays. Cal had a 2nd and 6 with 10:56 in the 3rd QTR where Lynch waited for the draw (the blocking was excellent on the play, clearing a 4 yard radius around the RB) and burst up field for 6 yards before encountering opposition.

Blocking: Lynch made a nice effort on his first block as a single back out of a 3-WR set. He drifted to the left of the formation after the snap and delivered a block to the DE. He got into the body of the DE and delivered a blow. It didn't push the DE backwards, but it temporarily stopped the defensive player's progress. He assisted nicely on two double teams and in the 3rd QTR inside the 5 yard line, Lynch did a nice job standing up the LB on the edge on Cal's touchdown pass to the WR to Lynch's side.

Vision: He did a decent job weaving through the traffic on a draw play for 7 yards on his second attempt of the game. Lynch had three runs on Cal's second possession where an A&M defender wasn't within reach of him until he got 5-6 yards downfield. He found the open areas easily, but these were such big holes it would be more a problem if he didn't see them than a plus that he did. Nice vision on his 3rd QTR run for 16 yards that was designed to go to between the RG and RT, but Lynch bounced it all the way to the sideline.

Receiving and Although not the primary target on the play, Lynch was held by the DT when trying to release from the LOS into a short pass route and could not get away. On the next Routes: play he caught a swing pass with his hands, but juggled the ball slightly. Lynch got a good release into the center of the field and turned to the flat, but dropped the ball when he tried to extend his arms and catch the ball while moving towards the flat with :28 in the half. A relatively easy ball to catch, but he let it go through his hands. He actually caught the ball on the next play where he was moving in the same direction and extended his arms away from his body. Lynch caught his 3rd pass with his hands extended over his head and in traffic on a dump off over the middle just ahead of the LOS.

Durability: He played about 75-80 percent of his health most of this year with an ankle injury. The Gut Check's RB Scouting Analysis

Name: Marshawn Lynch School California Opponent: Arizona Surface Astro Turf Height: 5-11 Year: Sophmore Score: Climate: Sunshine Weight: 223 Date: 10/1/2005 Location: California Temperature: Temperate

Overall Score: 91 Power Score : 12 Game Stats Leg power, drives through arm tackles [1pt]: Yes Effective stiff arm [1pt]: Yes Attempts: 20 Initiates contact, runs behind pads, and punishes defenders [1pt]: No Rush Yds 107 Good body lean/Finishes runs [3pts]: Yes 1st Downs 2 Gains yards after contact/second-third effort runner [7pts]: Yes Rush Td 1 Balance Score : 9 Target: 3 High performance in adverse conditions [1pt]: N/A Rec: 2 Maintains balance when hit head-on [1pt]: Yes Rec Yds 0 Maintains balance when it from an indirect angle [7pts]: Yes Rec Tds 0 BHandling Score : 15 Fumbles 1 Carries ball with either hand [1pt]: Yes Broken Tackles 4 Consistently handles QB/RB exchanges [3pts]: Yes BLKs Assigne 4 Demonstrates ball security [3pts]: Yes BLKs Made 3 Maintains control of ball when hit [7pts]: Yes Maintains control of ball in adverse weather conditions [1pt]: N/A Speed Score : 11 Effective short area burst [7pts]: Yes Separates from 1st and 2nd wave of defenders [1pt]: Yes Effective outside runner [3pts]: Yes Vision Score: 8 Makes good decisions with where to run [7pts]: Yes Patience in traffic (sets up blocks) [3pts]: No Takes good angles away from defenders in the open field [1pt]: Yes Elusiveness Score : 16 Effective lower body jukes while on the run [3pts]: Yes Effective upper body jukes while on the run [1pt]: Yes Avoids direct shots [7pts]: Yes Effective stop-start movements [2pts]: Yes Effective lateral movement [3pts]: Yes Blocking Score : 5 Correct diagnosis of blocking assignments [1pt]: Yes Effort with assignments [3pts]: Yes Willingness to block in the open field and on broken plays [1pt]: Yes Receiving and Routes Score : 6 Consistently makes receptions on catchable balls [3 pts]: No Makes difficult catch [1pt]: No Catches ball effectively with back to the quarterback [1pt]: N/A Consistently catches ball with hands and without juggling [1pt]: Yes Consistent target in the passing game [3pts]: Yes Runs precise routes [1pt]: Yes Durability Score : 9 Missed fewer than 10% of opportunities to play [1pt]: No Performs at high level while playing with an injury [1pt]: Yes No chronic injuries (Two or more injuries to same body part) [1pt]: Yes No injuries requiring extensive rehabilitation [7 pts]: Yes The Gut Check's RB Scouting Profile Name: Marshawn Lynch Date: 10/1/2005 Opponent: Arizona One his best traits as a runner is his footwork. He routinely steps out of ankle and leg tackles and has the footwork to reverse his field, make spin moves, or cuts in tighter Overall spaces. Lynch has home run speed and easily gets to the outside. He looks like a consistent receiver when his hands are healthy. He caught two balls, but he didn't have Strengths: another pass thrown to him after he dropped a third ball due to the fact he only used one hand after re-injuring his finger. Lynch has the potential to be a starting back in the NFL, but he reminds me a bit of Tatum Bell--an athletic talent that doesn't have the NFL-quality vision or aggressiveness to hit the hole or make space with his body. This is essential in a league where the defensive players are often as fast or faster than the runner.

Overall Lynch tries to dance too much rather than lower his head and get the available yards on the play. When he's facing 2-3 men in the open field that have multiple angles on Weaknesses: him, he should lower his head and try to break tackles. He doesn't have the naturally tendency of a tackle-breaking runner although he's big enough to do so. He makes the effort to block, but needs to work on his technique and consistency. Lynch needs to work on getting lower in short yardage situations. He's too impatient with allowing his blocks to develop on runs designed for the inside the tackles.

Power: Lynch's first run was a 3&1 situation with 8 men in the box. Although he correctly read the gap, penetration from the middle wrapped him up high as he entered the line. The RB demonstrated good leg power to a half yard with two defenders on him. Second run was for no more than a yard off a bunch formation sweep where the blocking assignment was blown, but he showed good second effort to lean forward for a minimal gain. Lynch hasn't demonstrated raw power, but more a slippery power. His movement prevents defenders from getting a clean hit on him. He does a decent job keeping his legs moving in traffic and will occasionally drag a defender for extra yardage as he showed on an 8-yard run with 1:45 left in the 3rd QTR out of a single back, 2 TE set deep in their own territory. He's tougher to tackle high than low--he does a good job breaking arm tackles chest-high or higher.

Ball Will often enter the line with both hands covering the ball. On his 30-yard run in the opening quarter, Lynch carried the ball in his right hand with a tight grip and elbow Handling: into this body. As he was being tackled, a defender in pursuit attempted to rip the ball away from his grasp without success. Primarily carries the ball with his right hand. With 1:25 left in the 1st QTR, Lynch threw a halfback pass after running to the right. The throw was to the TE running to the back of the end zone. Although the pass was incomplete, Lynch made a good decision to through the ball only where the TE had a chance to catch it--even more important because Arizona read the play and had double coverage on the receiver. The receiver actually caught the ball, but out of bounds. Lynch fumbled the ball away in the 2nd QTR when the DT in pursuit swiped at the ball resting in Lynch's left hand. Lynch had a broken finger on that hand and he was on the bench getting his fingers taped afterwards. Elusiveness: Very good feet on display in the open field on the 1st QTR, 30-yard run. On his first reception, Lynch stepped out of an ankle tackle about two yards past the LOS. He then bounced away from a defender that had his back to Lynch because he was getting pan caked by a lineman downfield before two defenders brought him down after an 8-yard gain. The play was called back due to a holding call. Lynch's first TD was a 1-yard run where he side-stepped penetration and got through the hole with no trouble. On a 2nd and 3 in the 2nd QTR, Lynch used two different spin moves on one run. He took an up the middle run out of a 3 WR formation and bounced it left away from the LB that got penetration in the backfield. He then spun to his left out of an arm tackle by a second penetrating defender and two steps later, spun to his right out of a DT's attempt in pursuit. Unfortunately, Lynch fumbled the ball. When he came back into the game after getting taped up, he bounced a play to the left, stepped out of an LB's leg tackle behind the LOS and then reversed his field to the right after seeing three unblocked defenders in front of him. Lynch got to the right corner and gained 13 yards on the play. He made a nice jump cut to avoid the three defenders and reverse his field. He shows nice change of direction in traffic

Balance: Lynch displayed nice balance on a 8-yard run around the right end when the safety attempted to horse collar the RB from behind but grabbed the facemask instead. Lynch ran right out of the tackle and managed to keep his balance for another 3-4 yards before going out of bounds.

Speed: Lynch has a nice burst of speed and demonstrated it on a huge opening on inside run for 30 yards. Lynch routinely relies on his speed to bounce runs outside.

Blocking: Lynch's first block came off a play fake to him. He correctly targeted the defender in the thigh/hip region but flopped towards the end of the contact. His second block was perfectly executed on the DE on a first down passing situation. He properly targeted the DE's hip/thigh region. On a 3rd down pass, Lynch did a good job getting to his assignment to block on a blitzing middle . He didn't make an aggressive hit on the MLB and the defender drove him into the backfield. He'll need to improve his standup blocking technique. Did a good job coming to support his QB on a broken play that resulted in a TD pass. Although he didn't need to make the block, the effort was good. On a third and short in the 4th QTR, Lynch went too low and missed his block on the edge rusher. The pass was already thrown, but technique and timing was sloppy.

Vision: On the first attempt, Lynch correctly read the MLB penetrating the open gap with outside advantage. He attempted to cut it inside of his blocker, but the NT got good penetration. Bouncing the play outside would not have been a good option. Lynch has a tendency to bounce plays outside when he could have gained more yards if he set up his blocks. On a 1st down run from the 46-yard line with 14:00 left in the 2nd QTR, the Bears ran a counter play where the left guard pulled to the right side. Lynch got to the hole a bit ahead of the guard and promptly bounced it outside. If he were more patient, he would have had a great shot at a huge run. He was still fast enough to gain 8 yards on the outside, but this won't work at the pro level.

Receiving and Lynch's first reception came off a screen where he pretended to chip a lineman before sneaking through the line and turning to face the quarterback. He caught an Routes: accurate throw placed at his inside shoulder about three yards behind the LOS and turned up field. He caught a shovel pass in the 2nd QTR and broke a tackle at the LOS for a 4-yard gain. Lynch dropped a perfectly thrown swing pass to the right side in the 3rd QTR. He tried to one-hand the pass so he didn't have to use his bad hand but let the ball get into his body to quickly and bounce off his leg.

Durability: Played the most of the game with a broken finger. The Gut Check's RB Scouting Analysis

Name: Marshawn Lynch School USC Opponent: USC Surface Grass Height: 5-11 Year: Junior Score: 9-23 Climate: Night Weight: 223 Date: 11/18/2006 Location: USC Temperature: Temperate

Overall Score: 89 Power Score : 12 Game Stats Leg power, drives through arm tackles [1pt]: Yes Effective stiff arm [1pt]: Yes Attempts: 20 Initiates contact, runs behind pads, and punishes defenders [1pt]: No Rush Yds 88 Good body lean/Finishes runs [3pts]: Yes 1st Downs 5 Gains yards after contact/second-third effort runner [7pts]: Yes Rush Td 0 Balance Score : 9 Target: 5 High performance in adverse conditions [1pt]: N/A Rec: 5 Maintains balance when hit head-on [1pt]: Yes Rec Yds 21 Maintains balance when it from an indirect angle [7pts]: Yes Rec Tds 0 BHandling Score : 8 Fumbles 1 Carries ball with either hand [1pt]: Yes Broken Tackles 6 Consistently handles QB/RB exchanges [3pts]: Yes BLKs Assigne 8 Demonstrates ball security [3pts]: Yes BLKs Made 8 Maintains control of ball when hit [7pts]: No Maintains control of ball in adverse weather conditions [1pt]: N/A Speed Score : 11 Effective short area burst [7pts]: Yes Separates from 1st and 2nd wave of defenders [1pt]: Yes Effective outside runner [3pts]: Yes Vision Score: 11 Makes good decisions with where to run [7pts]: Yes Patience in traffic (sets up blocks) [3pts]: Yes Takes good angles away from defenders in the open field [1pt]: Yes Elusiveness Score : 15 Effective lower body jukes while on the run [3pts]: Yes Effective upper body jukes while on the run [1pt]: No Avoids direct shots [7pts]: Yes Effective stop-start movements [2pts]: Yes Effective lateral movement [3pts]: Yes Blocking Score : 5 Correct diagnosis of blocking assignments [1pt]: Yes Effort with assignments [3pts]: Yes Willingness to block in the open field and on broken plays [1pt]: Yes Receiving and Routes Score : 8 Consistently makes receptions on catchable balls [3 pts]: Yes Makes difficult catch [1pt]: No Catches ball effectively with back to the quarterback [1pt]: No Consistently catches ball with hands and without juggling [1pt]: Yes Consistent target in the passing game [3pts]: Yes Runs precise routes [1pt]: Yes Durability Score : 10 Missed fewer than 10% of opportunities to play [1pt]: Yes Performs at high level while playing with an injury [1pt]: Yes No chronic injuries (Two or more injuries to same body part) [1pt]: Yes No injuries requiring extensive rehabilitation [7 pts]: Yes The Gut Check's RB Scouting Profile Name: Marshawn Lynch Date: 11/18/2006 Opponent: USC Lynch proved his toughness tonight. He played with 2 sprained ankles and still ran with a lot of burst and power. He has a sudden first step, good vision, and gets yardage Overall after contact. This may be his best quality as a runner. He routinely gained 2-5 yards after contact on most of his runs. He's a good blocker that gets into the body of his Strengths: opposition. Lynch catches most balls consistently and is an every down weapon that can be a feature back in the NFL.

Overall His blocking is decent, but he could deliver more of a blow. Otherwise, he is one of the best all-around runners in this . Weaknesses:

Power: Lynch is very adept and keeping his legs driving forward on inside runs. He took a run for 2 yards up the middle and appeared stood up by the LB, but he continued to work and spun towards the middle of the field due to his leg drive. He gained another 3 yards as a result of the second effort. He gained 4 yards with 12:20 in the 1st QTR with a run up the middle where he felt out the soft spot of the pile, maintained a low pad level, and continued to drive his legs for a decent gain. On his first reception, Lynch finished his run against the safety by getting his head lower than the DB as they collided, Lynch was able to fall forward for 2 extra yards after the hit. Lynch consistently shows the power to drag a defender at least one yard when wrapped around the waist or upper body. He broke an LB's tackle by dragging the defender through traffic for a 6-yard gain as two more defensive players were attempting to get Lynch. On his next run, Lynch still dragged a defender for two extra yards on a 4-yard run despite getting wrapped upon making a start-stop move

Ball Lynch dropped the ball when trying to maintain his balance on a hit to his ankles. The DB hitting Lynch also had a glancing blow to the football. He did pursue t he fumble Handling: and recover it underneath a pile of USC defenders. He demonstrated good ball security technique on the rest of his runs and carried the ball under either arm.

Elusiveness: Although he only gained two yards on his first attempt, a DT was one yard from him upon receiving the handoff and he made an excellent jump cut to the right to avoid the stuff. He made a great cut in the open field on his first reception. The DB was coming from 90 degrees to Lynch's left and had a great angle, but the RB took a short step towards the DB then took the leg quickly away as the first step drew the tackle attempt too early. Lynch changed the angle on three arm tackles on a draw play with 2:25 in the half where he gained 9 yards.

Balance: On his 7-yard run with 1:58 in the 1st QTR, Lynch was grabbed from behind, but at an angle by the MLB. The RB dragged the MLB two yards on an attempt that would have brought many backs to the ground on their behind. Lynch gained more yardage and fell forward. Excellent balance and power. Lynch nearly maintained his balance when a DB submarined his ankles with 14:10 in the 2nd QTR. Lynch was able to tight-rope the sideline for three steps past the marker because of his balance. Despite getting hit and the momentum carrying him out of bounds.

Speed: On the jump cut with his first carry, Lynch demonstrated great burst out of the cut to gain 2 yards instead of losing 4 yards if he didn't avoid the DT in the backfield. Excellent burst to the left to bounce a play outside when there was no hole up the middle. He got the first down before getting dragged down shortly thereafter. He flashed another strong burst to the corner on 1st and 10 with 14:15 in the half. He got the first down just beating the LB to the corner. Lynch got the first down on a draw where he cut to the outside and beat the LB around the edge. His first step was impressive tonight, despite playing with two sprained ankles.

Blocking: Lynch was called for an illegal motion call because he notice the LB blitz coming hard and correctly anticipating the snap count. Lunch jumped across the path of the center to push the LB away just before the defender hit the QB. Although a penalty, he did a good job protecting the passer. While he made a block on a blitzing edge rusher with 3:09 in the 1st QTR, Lynch ducked his head a little too much and the LB was able to get avoid some of the impact. If the QB didn't make the throw, the LB could have had a shot to pressure the passer. Excellent angle on the outside LB with 4:40 left in the half and rendered him ineffective immediately. He did a good job choosing the outside man despite the DB coming from the same side as an attempt to confuse the assignment. Lynch easily took an edge rusher out of the play with 9:46 in the 3rd QTR. His footwork was good, because he fluidly moved with the rusher trying to take the corner and got into the LB's body to re-direct his path. Two plays later, he faced two men blitzing from the same side and correctly chose the innermost rusher. He threw a very sound cut block that put his man on the ground, which allowed the QB enough time to complete his pass.

Vision: Lynch showed a lot of patience on play up the middle where he followed his pulling guard 5 yards downfield before bouncing it to the right flat for another two yards. Lynch consistently made good decisions when to bounce a play outside.

Receiving and Lynch ducked just under the DE while swinging out of the backfield towards the middle of the field. Good technique avoiding the DE's attempt to hold him at the line. He Routes: caught the ball and immediately accelerated into the open field, making a few cuts before getting the first down. The RB brought second swing pass into his body to start the 2nd QTR--he turned to face the QB rather than catch the ball over his shoulder.

Durability: Lynch is playing on two bad ankles in this game, but continues to show excellent balance and cutting skills. He cut very hard on a variety of plays. He had 8 carries for 51 yards in the first quarter and a third of a the game. He shook off the trainers when he injured his shoulder at the top of the 2nd QTR.