NFL Draft 2013: Sam Montgomery Scouting Report
By Josh Sanchez
The 2013 NFL Draft is quickly approaching and players have made their impact on NFL teams and personnel members. All that is left is private interviews where the players have an opportunity to showcase their intangibles during the one-on-one meetings.
While the private workouts and interviews are the final stages of evaluation for NFL teams, they will always go back to the film to see how the players performed this past season and throughout their entire career. With that in mind, we are going back through the games and watching some of the top draft prospects in this year’s class that your team could be welcoming to town in a matter of weeks.
Next up on the list of scouting reports is LSU Tigers defensive end Sam Montgomery.
Montgomery has a very rare combination of size, speed and strength and he looks the part of an NFL defensive end. There is still some work for Montgomery to do in order to fine tune his game, but his natural skills are going to attract an NFL front office and he should be off the board sometime in round two.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Montgomery’s game?
Here’s what the tape had to say:
Player: Sam Montgomery
School: LSU
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 262-pounds
Pros:
- Experienced; started playing as a redshirt freshman
- Very intense on the field, plays with passion
- Plays whistle to whistle
- NFL ready body
- Very physical, strong upper body
- Delivers big hits
- Has effective bull rush
- Plays with great pad level
- Excellent run defender
- Very solid, productive pass rusher
- Holds up against blocks well
- Well-rounded player
Cons:
- Needs to add more pass rushing moves
- Slow first step
- Misconception about work ethic
- Injury concerns
- Reacts to plays; uses less instinct
- Stiff hips when dropping back
- Relies on natural ability
Overview:
You cannot deny Montgomery’s natural talent and the combination of raw size, speed and strength. He has all of the tools you would like to see in a prospect that you are looking to mold into a star defensive end. There are concerns about Montgomery’s work ethic that have surfaced on occasion, but his teammates have nothing but good things to say about him and he was always playing his best ball against the best competition. And when you watch the games, you will always see Montgomery hustling and pursuing the ball carrier until the whistle.
Montgomery was battle tested in the SEC and has the experience as a collegiate player. His ability to defend both the run and pass is a valuable trait that should generate enough interest for him to be selected in the first 50 picks of the draft.
He would work out very well for a team like the Atlanta Falcons or New York Giants.
Videos via DraftBreakdown.com.