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

Temple Owls
2020 NFL Draft Prospects

Shaun Bradley, ILB

Career Snapshot: Three-year starter who earned First Team All-AAC honors in each of his final two seasons. Led Temple with 87 tackles (eight for loss) as a senior in 2019 and with 85 tackles as a sophomore in 2017, when he added a career-best 10 tackles for loss and one sack. Missed two games due to injury as a true freshman in 2016.

Positives: Undersized, explosive run-and-chase linebacker who easily makes plays in any direction of the field. Very explosive, breaks down well and displays a great closing burst. Moves quickly in any direction and displays great range. Terrific athlete who covers a large amount of area. Efficient and shows outstanding ability in pursuit.

Hard hitter who drives through tackles and wraps up opponents. Instinctive, shows a good head for the ball and quickly locates the action. Nicely redirects to the play and shows enough speed to cut off the perimeter from ball carriers. Sells out on the blitz.

Negatives: Often drags down ball carriers at the point of attack. Will be engulfed at the point and has average coverage skills.

Analysis: Bradley is one of the more underrated linebackers in this year’s draft and is the type of prospect the league likes at the position — small but explosive and fast. He offers potential in a variety of schemes and will only get better as he physically matures and adds strength to his frame.

Jovahn Fair, G

Career Snapshot: Three-year starter at left guard who earned Second Team All-AAC honors in each of his final two seasons. Entered the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman in 2016 and started the first three games of his sophomore season in 2017 before an injury sidelined him for the next seven contests, after which he returned as a backup.

Positives: Tough, strong blocker who starts with good knee bend, keeps his head on a swivel, and works well with linemates. Strong, anchors at the point, and gets a shoulder on defenders to knock them from their angles of attack. Drives defenders from the line of scrimmage and gets movement as a run blocker.

Negatives: Lacks balance when he slides out in pass protection. Looks and plays like a marginal athlete, who is best in a small area, and is on the ground too much.

Analysis: Fair was a dependable offensive lineman at the college level and comes with nice size but average athleticism. He needs to improve his balance, but his strength and approach to the game could help him catch on as a backup interior blocker.

Sam Franklin, OLB

Career Snapshot: Three-year starter who was named Second Team All-AAC and made 68 tackles (7.5 for loss) with one sack as a senior in 2019. Combined to make 122 tackles (16.5 for loss) with seven sacks in his first two seasons as a starter.

Positives: Smallish, underrated linebacker with terrific speed and athleticism. Explosive, plays tough, nasty football and sells out to make plays. Gets depth on pass drops, covers a lot of area on the field and is incredibly quick. Stacks well against the run despite his size. Has an explosive closing burst of speed.

Negatives: Easily tied up by blocks. Shows hesitation in coverage. Lacks ball skills for a smaller back-seven defender.

Analysis: Franklin is an under-the-radar defender who plays with great athleticism, speed, and explosion. He’s a one-gap defender who must improve his play in coverage but comes with a special-teams mentality.

Harrison Hand, CB

Career Snapshot: Transfer from Baylor who started his lone season at Temple and made 59 tackles (four for loss) with three interceptions and five pass breakups as a junior in 2019. Started nine games as a true freshman with the Bears and made 42 tackles with one interception and eight PBUs. Made four starts as a sophomore and missed three games due to injury.

Positives: Tough, physical corner who keeps the action in front of him, effectively reads the receiver’s eyes and locates the pass in the air. Plays heads-up football and works to defend throws. Quick up the field to defend the run and stays with assignments.

Negatives: Unpolished. Must improve his backpedal. Stiff and slow in reverse, which hurts his transition. Does not always take proper angles to the action. Deep speed may be an issue.

Analysis: Hand is a nice-sized corner with a developing game, but he really should’ve stuck around for one more year in college. He plays best when he faces the action in a zone system or backed off the line of scrimmage. Hand must quickly produce in camp this summer to make an active roster in the fall.

Matt Hennessy, C

Career Snapshot: Three-year starter who was named Third Team All-America as a junior in 2019. Missed one game due to a concussion in 2019, two games due to an undisclosed injury in 2018 and one game due to an undisclosed injury in 2017.

Positives: Fast-rising center who is developing a complete game. Sets with a wide base, bends his knees, and blocks with terrific fundamentals. Patient in pass protection, shows good vision and keeps his head on a swivel. Nasty, explosive at the point of attack, and aggressively goes after opponents. Plays with consistent leverage, fluidly moves on his feet and shows the ability to adjust and redirect in motion. Effective with his hands, squares into larger defenders and seals them from the action.

Negatives: Doesn’t get a lot of movement as a run blocker. Possesses average size.

Analysis: Hennessy was a terrific center who showed consistent progress the past two seasons and went on to perform incredibly well during the Senior Bowl. He comes with big upside and is a second day prospect who could quickly break into a starting lineup at the next level.

Dana Levine, OLB

Career Snapshot: Rotational defensive end who had a career year as a senior in 2019, when he made 32 tackles (11 for loss) with 5.5 sacks. Missed four games due to an ankle injury in 2018.

Positives: Underutilized linebacker who shows athleticism and toughness. Quick, explosive and sells out to make plays. Sacrifices his body to occupy the gaps and displays speed in both a straight line and laterally. Quickly closes to the action, plays with proper pad level and effectively makes plays in space. Shows the ability to stand over tackle and come out of a three-point stance.

Negatives: Can get too hyped up get to the quarterback and overrun the action. Struggles to get off blocks.

Analysis: Levine was an explosive college defensive end who projects to outside linebacker at the next level. He possesses the size and upside to play on Sundays, and at the very least he should receive practice-squad consideration.

Chapelle Russell, OLB

Career Snapshot: Three-year starter who made 72 tackles (nine for loss) with three pass breakups as a senior in 2019. Missed the final four games of his freshman season after he tore his right ACL and tore the same ACL again as a sophomore, after which he also missed the final four games.

Positives: Athletic linebacker who flashes ability. Smart, fast, and covers a lot of area on the field. Quickly flips his hips in transition, gets depth on pass drops and stays with assignments. Instinctive, quickly locates the ball carrier and effectively defends the run. Forceful up the field and sells out to make plays. Breaks down well, keeps the action in front of him and does not bite on ball fakes. Flashes the ability to defeat blocks and get to the ball carrier.

Negatives: Must improve his ball skills and prove he’s more than a two-down run defender.

Analysis: Russell is highly thought of in the scouting community, and he’s an athletic linebacker who makes a lot of plays from sideline to sideline as well as up the field. He needs to round out his game, but he has good upside and the ability to develop into a starter at the next level.

Isaiah Wright, WR

Career Snapshot: Two-year starter who was named AAC Special Teams Player of the Year as a junior in 2018, when he returned two punts and one kickoff for touchdowns. Caught 46 passes for a career-high 668 yards and four TDs and became the sixth FBS player in the previous decade to score touchdowns five different ways as a sophomore in 2017. Made 47 receptions for 442 yards and a career-best five touchdowns in 2019.

Positives: Large, game-controlling receiver who consistently wins out for contested throws. Flashes athleticism, gets vertical, and skies over defenders to grab the ball from the air. Effective when he keeps his focus and concentration and extends his hands to snatch the ball away from his frame. Fights to separate from defenders and displays solid hand-eye coordination.

Negatives: Displays average quickness and shows no burst. Loses his focus and concentration and drops too many catchable throws. Must work on his hands and secure the ball.

Analysis: Wright looks the part of a possession receiver and red-zone target at the next level and has flashed skill throughout his college career. With that being the case, he’s had too many lapses and drops too many catchable throws. Wright had a solid week of practice during the Shrine Bowl and comes with upside, but he must really work to pull it all together.

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