Monday Night Football: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals

Players to Watch:

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Outside Linebacker- Jarvis Jones

Wide Receiver- Markus Wheaton

Cincinnati Bengals:

Tight End- Tyler Eifert

Running Back- Giovani Bernard

#95 Jarvis Jones: 6’2 245, Georgia

1^st round 17^th pick, Position- Outside Linebacker

Strength:                                         

+  Good motor. Plays until the whistle is blown.

+  Takes on blocks. Does not wait for the block to come to him.

+  Very aggressive. Will fly all over the field to make a play.

Needs Improvement:

–          Does not play the double team really well and gets pushed back to the second level.

–          Weak in pass coverage.

–          Seems to go for the pass rush, no matter what down it is. Must maintain in run support.

–          Strength and speed seems to be a question mark.

 

 

#11 Markus Wheaton: 5’11 182, Oregon State

3^rd round 79^th pick, Position- Wide Receiver

Strength:                 

+  Disguises his job so well, that a DB can not read anything off of him.

+  Coaches have taught him well on the sideline drill.

+  Shows good effort in his blocking. Does not quit on any play even if he doesn’t get the ball.

Needs Improvement:

–          Struggles to get past bump man coverage.

–          Work with his coaches on his route running.

–          Lets the pass come into his body instead of catching the ball with his hands

–          Weak in jump ball situations. Unable to time his jump and high point the ball.

#85 Tyler Eifert: 6’6 251, Notre Dame

1^st round 21^st pick, Position- Tight End

Strength:

+  Can play those one on one situations and win. He just comes up with the football, no matter the coverage.

+  Will fight for extra yards and keep two hands on the football.

+  Great job at using his hands to get off press coverage.

+  Knows how to step up the defender to create an open hole in zone defense.

Needs Improvement:

–          Not the best as an extra man in pass protection.

–          Little shy to hit as a lead blocker.

–          Must come back for the pass instead of waiting for it.

–          Lacks playmaking skills in the open field.

#25 Giovani Bernard: 5’9 208

2^nd round 37^th pick, Position- Running Back

Strength:

+  Has great hands and can be really useful in catching the ball out of the back field.

+  Very strong lower body, being able to break arm tackles and hits.

+  Small in size but is not afraid to run in between the tackle and run over a guy.

Needs Improvement:

–          Runs too far ahead of his blockers which causes him to miss out on big runs.

–          Indecisive and wills stutter steps. Slows him down, the defense will catch up to him.

–          Below average in pass blocking. Won’t be on the field on 3^rd down if you can’t block better.