With training camp now getting underway, let’s take one last look at the college film for a biomechanical review of the 2019 draft- starting with the anterior dominant draft picks
Anterior Dominant 2019 Draft Picks
Dre’Mont Jones is an anterior dominant defensive tackle, heavily favoring his medial areas. He shows high levels of medial anterior efficiency, particularly in his thoracic areas. His medial anterior lumbar areas are also reasonably efficient, although not particularly independent. Jones’ posterior thoracic areas are efficient in the medial areas, while his posterior lumbar areas appear somewhat under-developed. Overall, Jones’ lateral areas appear to be borrowed against towards his medial areas, and Jones is much more efficient in thoracic areas vs lumbar ones (particularly in his posterior areas).
Jones is a very quick player, particularly going straight ahead. He shows fast and powerful hands, with a very quick/ strong initial punch/ hand move. Jones’ posterior lumbar areas however, are not developed or strong enough to support continued push- Jones is a player that wins with his initial burst/ hands, not through sustained forward strength. His base is relatively weak, so he can be pushed backward and his hand strength (while notable) can be nullified by this weak base. In addition, Jones’ lateral lumbar areas are not efficient enough to allow him to pursue successfully from the edges- Jones is most effective (by far) rushing straight ahead. Jones’ initial burst/ quickness and strong upper body translate to very effective ability to rush the passer up the middle. Jones therefore seems likely to be an immediate contributor rushing from the DT spots on passing downs, and will likely be a very effective sub-package rusher for years to come.
Justin Hollins is an anterior dominant player favoring his lateral areas. He shows reasonably high levels of lateral anterior efficiency (both lumbar and thoracic), while his medial anterior efficiency is just mediocre (also in both areas). Hollins’ posterior areas are not very efficient, and his medial lumbar areas in particular seem underdeveloped. While Hollins favors his posterior lateral areas over his medial ones (like with his anterior areas), both appear somewhat underdeveloped. His medial posterior thoracic areas also appear under-developed.
Hollins shows good quickness off the edge- his lateral anterior efficiency is such that he is very quick in pursuit via circular approach. However, Hollins’ strength is severely compromised by his under-developed posterior areas (particularly medial). As such he is very easily redirected by blocking and is unable to stack against the run. Hollins therefore seems unlikely to stick as an NFL defensive lineman- his posterior areas are simply too under-developed. His quickness is likely an asset on special teams, and it is possible that a position shift to linebacker might better suit his abilities. However, at his current state of development, Hollins appears to be a tweener without any particular noteworthy strength (except rushing unblocked off the edge). He will therefore likely need to play well on special teams to make the gameday roster early in his career.
Juwann Winfree is an anterior dominant wide receiver, favoring his lateral areas. Winfree shows high levels of anterior efficiency across all his anterior areas- medial and lateral, thoracic and lumbar. However his posterior areas appear under-developed. It therefore seems likely that Winfree is borrowing from posterior areas towards anterior areas.
There was very little college tape of Winfree to evaluate, so this analysis is more of a thin-slice take. Winfree looks to be a very effective route-runner, with good quickness in/ out of breaks and fast changes of direction. Winfree also appears to have good hands, and can extend to make catches away from the body. However, Winfree’s lacking posterior development means he may struggle to break away from press coverage at the line. Winfree also does not appear to be a very strong blocker. Due to his borrowed-against and taut posterior areas, Winfree may struggle with injuries. Overall, Winfree may be something of an inconsistent asset- someone who plays very effectively when healthy (other than blocking), but may struggle to stay healthy over time.