2020 NFL Draft: American Athletic Conference (AAC) Scouting Reports

Houston Cougars
2020 NFL Draft Prospects

Aymiel Fleming, DT

Career Snapshot: First-year starter who made 25 tackles (2.5 for loss) with one sack as a senior in 2019. Started the final six games of his junior season and made 21 tackles (one for loss) with one forced fumble.

Positives: Slightly undersized zero-technique lineman who plays with great quickness and explosion. Fires off the snap, displays strength and can be impossible to move from the point. Keeps his feet moving, draws the focus of opponents in the middle of the line and shows the ability to bull rush blockers up the field and into the pocket.

Negatives: Must develop more moves with his hands and disengage from blocks quicker. Not much of a play-maker and is more of a gap occupier. Possesses average size for the duties he’ll have to handle at the next level.

Analysis: Fleming rarely gets the credit he deserves, but his productive play does not show up on the stat sheet. He offers possibilities as a zero-technique nose tackle in a one-gap scheme.

Josh Jones, OT

Career Snapshot: Four-year starter at left tackle who earned Second Team All-AAC honors as a senior in 2019. Missed two games with a knee injury as a sophomore.

Positives: College left tackle who is highly thought of in many areas of the scouting community. Terrific position blocker who keeps his feet moving and makes effective use of angles. Is strong, starts with good knee bend, and turns defenders from the line. Keeps his head on a swivel, plays with a nasty attitude and always looks for someone to hit. Big enough and wide enough to block down on opponents and take them from the action. Patient, stays square, and plays with a wide base.

Negatives: Bends at the waist and lacks balance in pass protection. Lacks quick, fluid footwork off the edge. Not effective in motion.

Analysis: Jones possesses good size and has flashed next-level ability and occasional dominance, but on my board he has yet to pull the pieces together. Though he’s well-liked in some areas of the scouting community, I think he’s more of a small-area blocker who must really polish his technique to have any semblance of a future at the next level.

Memphis Tigers
2020 NFL Draft Prospects

Antonio Gibson, WR

Career Snapshot: Junior-college transfer who started his final season at Memphis. Earned First Team All-AAC honors as a returner and Second Team All-AAC honors as a wide receiver in 2019. Averaged over 28 yards per kick return with one touchdown, caught 38 passes for 735 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed 33 times for 369 yards and four TDs.

Positives: Junior college transfer who was not mentioned by scouts before the season but went on to have a career campaign. Possesses nice size, goes over the middle of the field and finds the clearing in the defense. Comes back to the ball to make himself an available target, extends his hands, and snatches the errant throw from the air. Adjusts to the pass, displays good hand-eye coordination, and tracks the ball in the air. Consistently makes the difficult reception in contorted positions.  Turned in terrific testing numbers at the Combine.

Negatives: Gets a bit upright in his routes. Lacks deep speed. Does not have a great body type for receiver.

Analysis: After a junior campaign in which he barely was a blip on the radar screen, Gibson was sensational in 2019 as a receiver and produced at running back as well. He’s a skill player who must brush off his technique, but he has the versatility to be used in several roles at the next level.

Austin Hall, S

Career Snapshot: Four-year starter who was named Honorable Mention All-AAC and led Memphis with 75 tackles as a senior in 2019. Made 279 career tackles (33.5 for loss) with five sacks and 20 pass breakups. Missed two games with a leg injury in 2016.

Positives: Tough, instinctive defender who displays outstanding recognition, remains disciplined with assignments and constantly finds himself around the action. Physical, aggressive and chases the action hard. Quick, resilient, and possesses solid ball skills. Breaks down well and effectively uses his hands to get off blocks.

Negatives: Possesses poor size and speed. Minimally effective in pursuit. Watched his production fall off the past three seasons.

Analysis: After a tremendous sophomore campaign when he lined up at safety, Hall has struggled to replicate his production. He’s a high-flying, explosive defender who doesn’t project well at the next level and has limitations. Hall is a one-gap linebacker with a special-teams mentality whose ability on coverage units this summer will make or break his NFL career.

Bryce Huff, OLB

Career Snapshot: Two-year starter who was named Second Team All-AAC in both of those seasons. Combined to make 101 tackles (34.5 for loss) with 16 sacks during his junior and senior campaigns. Missed Memphis’ bowl game due to injury as a sophomore.

Positives: Explosive pass rusher who can be used out of a three-point stance or standing over tackle. Possesses a strong build, breaks down well and consistently plays with leverage. Strong at the point of attack, defeats blocks from opposing tackles, and makes plays against both the pass and the run. Effectively uses his hands and shows good speed up the field and the ability to rush off the edge. Plays with an aggressive attitude, flows well to the action and attacks opposing ball carriers.

Negatives: Average instincts, bites on ball fakes and sometimes gets caught out of position. At his best up the field and struggles in reverse.

Analysis: Huff turned in terrific production at Memphis and constantly disrupted plays behind the line of scrimmage. He has limitations, but he should be effective as a situational pass rusher standing over tackle or out of a three-point stance.

Joey Magnifico, TE

Career Snapshot: Three-year starter who earned Second Team All-AAC honors during his sophomore and senior seasons. Set career highs with 363 receiving yards and five touchdown catches as a junior in 2018. Caught 20 passes for 335 yards and two TDs in 2019.

Positives: Athletic tight end who is competitive, works routes, and gives effort even if he’s not involved in the action. Quickly releases off the snap, uses his frame to shield away defenders and displays good hand-eye coordination. Gives effort as a blocker, chips linebackers and disrupts them from their angles of attack. Fires out to the second level and nicely redirects to opponents to seal them from the action.

Negatives: Never lived up to expectations or was a big part of the Memphis passing offense. Really doesn’t play to his 40 time. Turned in pedestrian production in college.

Analysis: At face value, Magnifico looks like a legitimate next-level tight end prospect and flashed ability over the past three years. While he does the little things well, his game never really took off, and Magnifico must quickly produce in camp this summer to make a roster at the next level.

Patrick Taylor, RB

Career Snapshot: First-year starter who rushed 78 times for 350 yards and five touchdowns in six games as a senior in 2019. Carried 208 times for 1,122 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 197 yards and two TDs as a junior. Missed eight games in 2019 due to a foot injury.

Positives: Nice-sized ball carrier with big upside. Possesses solid size, power and instincts. Patiently waits for blocks to develop, will pick and choose his spots and shows short-area quickness. Effectively follows blocks everywhere on the field, possesses terrific vision and has a burst through the hole. Runs with authority, builds a lot of momentum and falls forward when tackled. Runs with good lean and behind his pads.

Negatives: Has a limited body of work, in large part due to last season’s foot injury. Not a true perimeter runner and struggles when he tries to run east and west. Really cannot make defenders miss or create yardage.

Analysis: Taylor came into the season with high hopes in the scouting community, but a foot injury early in the campaign set him back and he underwent further surgery after the combine. He possesses the physical skills to play at the next level, but he must rebound from his second surgery in six months and show durability.

Dustin Woodard, C

Career Snapshot: Four-year starter who earned First Team All-AAC honors as a junior in 2018. Earned Second Team All-AAC honors as a senior. Started his career at left guard before he moved to right guard in 2018 and center in 2019.

Positives: Underrated center who plays with terrific fundamentals and intelligence. Bends his knees, sets with a wide base and blocks with proper pad level. Gets leverage on opponents, keeps his head on a swivel and shows outstanding vision.

Nasty and hits multiple defenders over the course of a single snap. Plays with outstanding awareness. Stays square, has a solid build and seals opponents from the play with good body positioning. Very effective with the shotgun snap.

Negatives: Lacks footwork in space and the ability to slide laterally. Heavy-footed and lumbers around the field. A bit mechanical.

Analysis: Woodard was not mentioned by scouts entering the season, but he now grades as a priority free agent. He lacks great upside, but Woodward is a smart center who understands the position and could develop into a backup at the next level.

Navy Midshipmen
2020 NFL Draft Prospects

Malcolm Perry, RB

Career Snapshot: Three-year starter who was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year and rushed 295 times for 2,017 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior in 2019. Completed 48 of 86 passes for 1,084 yards, seven TDs and three interceptions. Split time between quarterback and slot back during his first two seasons at Navy before he took over under center full-time.

Positives: Much-celebrated collegiate quarterback who will move to either receiver or running back at the next level. Smart, incredibly quick and creative. Very competitive and displays outstanding field awareness and quickness. Possesses the agility and speed necessary to turn the corner and has a burst through the hole.

Sets up defenders and makes them miss. Dangerous open-field ball carrier. Ran terrific routes during the Shrine Bowl, displayed the ability to separate from defenders, and looked natural at receiver. Perry commanded the offense extremely well.

Negatives: Sprays passes at quarterback and displays marginal accuracy. Small and easily brought down by a single defender.

Analysis: Perry was incredibly productive for the Naval Academy as he led the offense as their starting quarterback. He has size limitations, but a creative offensive coordinator will find ways to use his talents as both a receiver and ball carrier.

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Page 2: Central Florida Knights
Page 3: Cincinnati Bearcats
Page 4: UConn Huskies/East Carolina Pirates
Page 5: Houston Cougars/Memphis Tigers/Navy Midshipmen
Page 6: SMU Mustangs
Page 7: South Florida Bulls
Page 8: Temple Owls
Page 9: Tulane Green Wave/Tulsa Golden Hurricanes