Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - 2019 NFL Draft Trilogy Pt. 2 featuring Sayre Bedinger and Nick Kendell: Amani Hooker and Anthony Nelson

Episode Date: April 24, 2019

We are bringing a special three show series covering all eligible Iowa Hawkeyes in this week's 2019 NFL Draft and we brought on special guests Nick Kendell and Sayre Bedinger to bring you information directly from the experts. Today's episode is part 2 of the series covering Iowa's two day two prospects Anthony Nelson and Amani Hooker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are listening to the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast, your daily podcast covering the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Locked On Sports Network, hosted by Andrew Wade, editor at DearOldGold.com. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. We are back with a Wednesday episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast, a part of the Locked On Sports Network. I'm your host, Andrew Wade, editor at DearOldGold.com, and if you are tuning in for the first time today, make sure to check out yesterday's episode because you are jumping in right in the middle of our three-part trilogy covering the NFL Draft and the Iowa Hawkeye

Prospects with Nick Kendall and Sarah Bettinger, two draft experts who love the Iowa Hawkeyes. I consider them good Twitter friends, you know, those virtual friends you meet online and love the same topics you do and stuff. It's kind of a cool, fun world to kind of be in, especially with sports writing and podcasting. So they're two awesome guests to have on the show. If you did not get a chance to tune into yesterday's episode, we covered Noah Pham and TJ Hawkinson. On today's show, though, we're going to be covering Imani Hooker and Anthony Nelson. And for tomorrow's finale of this trilogy, we are going to be talking about the other Iowa Hawkeye prospects, including Nick Easley, including Jake Gervais, Ross Reynolds, Keegan Render, you name it.

All those other guys are going to be covered on tomorrow's trilogy of the NFL Draft and the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. If you are tuning in for the first time, make sure to subscribe to our podcast and like it as well, wherever you download this podcast at, whether that's iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify. If you're on Twitter, follow us on Twitter at LockedOnIowa. Facebook is LockedOnHawkeyes. And myself, I am on Twitter at Wade underscore Andrew. So would love to interact with you all.

Make sure to let us know what you think of the show and let us know if you have any thoughts, questions, comments, or suggestions. You can also email those to our email address, LockedOnHawkeyes at gmail.com. So without further ado, we're going to jump right into the show, starting with Anthony Nelson and Imani Hooker for today's episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. The other two guys who declared early, Anthony Nelson and Imani Hooker, I think let's start with Anthony Nelson first, because I think what's interesting about him is he's a big, big guy.

There's specific schemes that are going to work for him more so than other schemes, but he did test very, very well, especially for his size. I believe he ran a 4'7 or 4'7, 840 yard dash, had an outstanding three cone drill time. But a lot of, I mean, he's very polarizing. When you look at the draft network, for example, Trevor Sikma, and nothing against Trevor, he hosts the Locked On NFL Draft podcast here on the Locked On Sports Network. He isn't a big fan of Anthony Nelson. And I think he might have just watched some of the bad tapes of him.

But other players or other draft analysts have been very excited about his possibilities as a late day two, early day three type of player. What are your guys' thoughts on him, especially with the idea that he doesn't really convert speed to power as much and isn't as athletic as his testing necessarily says. Maybe kick that over to, let's start with Sarah this time. Yeah. I don't know.

I've seen a lot of Carl Nassib comparisons with Anthony Nelson just because he's a 6'7", big, long defensive end coming from the Big Ten. I get it. I get it. But like you mentioned, he kind of blew us all away with those athletic measurables. I mean, in addition to the 6'9", 5", and the 3-cone, which is ridiculous for a player of his size, he had that 35.5-inch vertical jump. And like you mentioned,

the sub 4.8 and the 40 at 6'7", 271 with 35-inch arms. I mean, that's a – if you put him – I don't know. You hate to bring it to like, well, if this guy was this way or playing in a different scheme or whatever. I don't know. To me, he has all the tools and the production kind of to match. I mean, there's been a lot of defensive ends that have kind of just been plug-and-play guys at Iowa through the years who have been high-effort guys, high-intensity guys,

who win strictly based on effort. But I remember watching Anthony Nelson a couple years ago as a really young player thinking, man, that guy's got some juice. That guy's got some juice. That guy's got some burst out of his stance. He bends well around the edge, which is evidenced by that three-cone drill. He kind of does a little bit of everything well. He may not be the Von Miller types of the world, and that's not necessarily his game either. But as a base defensive end in a four-man front,

and he may even be able to play in an odd man front at times I feel like he's got great potential I don't know that I would compare him to Carl Nassib I feel like his athletic traits are better and I feel like his his ability to play every down might be a little bit better as a pass rusher but dang I mean this guy he's got high effort high intensity and athleticism to boot I mean he's an interesting player for sure honestly I wish he wasn't so tall like sometimes like the Wisconsin game specifically David Edwards in that Wisconsin power run game was able to run it at Anthony Nelson and that was probably his worst game because they he was losing the leverage battle

pretty consistently there and I was having some issues with his ability to anchor in power, but watching him, I mean, I think it was the Minnesota game where he just dismantled that right tackle a couple of times. The thing when watching Anthony Nelson for me is that he's very much aware about his run lane assignments. So he's not going to shoot up field, the head full of steam and get out of his gap.

You know, that's, that's not the Iowa Hawkeye defense. Everybody's got to play disciplined up front. And then, you know, on third down, third long, you can kind of unleash him. And that's when you saw him, you know, use a little bit more hand usage. He's very, very well developed with a lot of hand usage, push-pull move. I don't know if he has great bend, but, I mean, for a guy, I mean, 6'7", 275, whatever you measure at the combine, that's not the biggest deal. I do love the length.

He does have the ability to close down on some guys because he's so long. I mean, 34 and 7 eighth inch arms. I mean, this guy could have been an offensive tackle if they wanted him to be with that kind of arm length. But, yeah, pretty good athlete. I think that he is a little bit more 4'3", heavy, heavy in, you know, 7 technique limited where he's not a true speed rusher and i i think maybe in some you know nascar packages he could kick in play inside with some speed rushers outside

of him but i think his best bet is finding a four three base team that can play that heavy defensive end maybe right i think you play right or left but keep him where he's at in a four three defense and let him you know he'll probably be, a five to eight sack of your guy while playing solid run defense. If you don't run it at him, he does need to get a little bit stronger. I'm not sure if that's something that's going to, he can put on with his frame because he is a little bit skinny for how tall he is. You know, that's, that's just how it is.

But yeah, he's, he's a good player. And I was absolutely, I'll be honest. I was absolutely shocked to see him test with the agilities that he did at the combine. I think everybody was. I mean, 92nd percentile three cone, 92nd percentile 20-yard shuttle for a guy with his height. I mean, it doesn't make sense. It really doesn't make sense. So he could go pretty high.

And, you know, the Iowa pedigree and a guy who has the statistics and just a solid player, high floor, I could see him going back into round two all the way to the middle of round three now where before the combine when i thought he would test not as explosive as he did not as agile as he did i thought saw him as more of a late round three guy just because i don't think he's as steam multiple as some other edge rushers yeah i mean i think his you know his measurables at the combine really made people go back and look at the tape again just because you i'm not not to say you don't see that speed on tape, but you know, you're not going to see a defensive end run 40 yards in a straight line. And it's, it's tough to gauge some of that lateral quickness sometimes, but I think it made people kind of go back and reevaluate the tape and see kind of what they

have. But I think you're right. I mean, the Iowa pedigree is huge. The strength is definitely a concern. He only had 18 reps on the bench, so not a ton, but that also can be attributed to the fact that the guy's pretty tall. He has a long wingspan. That makes it a little bit more difficult to pop out as many bench press reps as you would typically expect. Physics. Yeah, it just doesn't really work like that very well. So with that being said, what are a few teams that you guys think that would be kind of best fits for anthony nelson like well like we've been talking about i mean who runs the 4-3 defense right now i mean that's where that's kind of where you're looking is a

defense that plays a very similar scheme to to what iowa runs and so I guess I don't know entirely who does that around the NFL. You see a lot of teams using different looks up front, a lot of the 4-2-5 looks anymore, really. And so it's kind of the beauties in the eye of the beholder here. Do you believe this guy can be an every down player regardless of your scheme? I mean, us as Denver Broncos guys, we heard Vic Fangio talk about how he expects his defensive lineman to be able to play multiple positions or borderline every position. And I don't think necessarily, even though like Nick said, you may be able to kick this guy inside every now and again, I'm not sure he's necessarily a guy that you want at the three technique all the time or playing the one technique or something

like that, but he can definitely get in there and bat down a pass if you're in an obvious pass situation. And so I don't know, it's, it's kind of the beauties in the eye of the beholder here. Team needs, uh, across the board, whether or not you have to get a guy that can come in and I feel like he can start as a rookie for some team. I mean, I don't think that's too, if he's going to be a second or third round pick, those guys are expected to compete for starting jobs, in my opinion, unless they're a quarterback. So I would say, you know, you may be looking at a team that's looking for a starting D end in the first two or three rounds here and looking for a good value, maybe a coach in the NFL who trusts coach Ferentz and his staff, a team like New England would make a lot of sense in that regard.

So I don't know. What do you think, Nick? New England was one of the teams that I was going to suggest there. You know, they like those lengthy kind of different – they use a sack via everybody effort. You know, they don't have the three guys that are absolutely elite, but they have like seven guys that can get up to the quarterback, and I could see Nelson there with them. They'll figure out a usage for him. I think the Kansas City Chiefs,

as they transition to the 4-3 going forward, they have those two picks at the end of the second round. They make a lot of sense to me. I could see a team like Dallas. They have the edge rushers and Rod Marinelli. Yes, Rod Marinelli is the 4-3 guy there. He makes a lot of sense for them. I could see a team maybe like the Eagles take him. I know they just re-signed Brandon Graham, but they got rid of – they just traded the Patriots.

Michael Bennett, who's kind of an inside-outside guy with some length, has a big, long edge rusher, so that makes some sense to me. I could see a team like Jacksonville. The Jets, depending on what they do with their first pick. So, yeah, the Falcons make a lot of sense as well. They're really desperate for some edge rush help because Vic Beasley hasn't really totally panned out. Tack McKinley's solid, but I could see them looking at him as well.

And also Cleveland, you know? So a guy that he could come in day one as a starter. I do believe that he'd be fine there. Not elite, but I think he could be fine there. But you could have him be that third edge rusher coming in, working him in a rotation and kind of develop him that way. I think that's the way to go. So the teams that already have two guys, that's fine. I mean, you still have 25%, 30% of the snaps left for that third edge rusher. So I think those are teams that all make sense for me.

Makes sense. And moving on to Imani Hooker, another guy who I think it's kind of interesting to see where he would fit in today's NFL. He played that cash roll pretty well at Iowa, obviously allowing them to move to that 4-2-5 defense and allowing, you know, Geno Stone to emerge. It kind of buys first away. It's kind of a chicken or the egg argument. You know, Geno Stone was ready for playing time, and Imani Hooker was able to come down. He's able to play, you know, in the box, able to play corner.

And I think he answered some of those questions about speed and agility at the combine as well. He turned in a sub four, five, 40 yard dash. So some fantastic numbers he had there. I think oftentimes with Iowa defensive backs, they get a bad rep. You know, they play mostly zone coverage. They also, you know, historically have not had the best measurables. If you look at Desmond Keene or Josh Jackson, but they also just produce. And so I think that's really interesting with Imani Hooker to see kind of where he's at in a safety class that isn't really very strong this year at the top. And so as far as his fit in today's NFL, where do you see him really playing? Is he a nickel corner?

Is he a box safety? Is he going to be, you know, a single high safety? What are your guys' thoughts on what his fit is in the NFL today? I think he's a really good fit as a cover two strong safety or a cover three strong safety. Specifically cover two, though, with the ability to come down and play that big nickel role, the matchup specifically with either big slot receivers or slot tight ends.

So, I mean, he tested very similar to that chauncey gardner johnson although i think chauncey gardner johnson florida has a better single high ability i don't i didn't see from amani hooker the ability that you want to leave him as a single high safety very often but i think that his versatility is key and any team that's running a zone heavy type of defense where you can use hookers ability to transition routes you know hand them off from one zone to another or accept them from a different zone as well as his ball skills and his ability to you know keep his eyes on the quarterback i mean the niu game last year where he baited that interception in the red zone was one of my favorite plays of his entire career it's hard to beat the the pick six against ohio

state but just what he did he was able to follow that follow the zone read the guy doing the was one of my favorite plays of his entire career. It's hard to beat the pick six against Ohio State, but just what he did, he was able to follow that, follow the zone, read the guy doing the crosser, sees the quarterbacks going deep, drop from that zone, get the interception, I think right around the goal line. So any team that's running the zone, a cover two team, I think that'd be a great fit for him. He's not super twitchy.

He doesn't have great length. He's not a physical hitter. So he's not really a true box safety, but I think the athleticism the agility and the ball skills combined with really good instincts make him a really really solid player and a guy that I think he'll get early playing time right away yeah I think that this is the type of player who he's going to tick offensive coordinators off all day long on Sundays just because he's such an instinctive football player we saw that really develop over the past few years at Iowa where he you know like you said he's not the twitchiest athlete but the guy always knows where to be

and that was especially evident this past year I remember watching Iowa games just thinking man like Imani Hooker he just knows where to be all the time. And there's something to be said about that kind of high football IQ that defensive coordinators in today's game, like you said, with the zone coverage, I think that he's going to be excellent in that type of scheme. I don't necessarily know that he's as effective in man coverage, but I think he did a pretty good job of that,

especially when Iowa was backed up against the goal line you know he made some big plays there so there's there's definitely that element to his game that's mental that I think is an asset for him and I think he's being vastly underrated despite that I think that they're the the physical skills you know you look at guys like Maryland's Darnell Savage, I think his name is, just started watching a little bit of him. He's got that twitchy athletic ability, but he doesn't necessarily have the type of instincts of an Imani hooker. And so that's kind of where you weigh, you know, what does your defense need? Does your defense need a guy who can play a bunch of different positions and play them instinctively? Or do you need a guy who's got the straight line

speed, kind of that headhunter mentality? And I think the versatility that Hooker brings to the table is what sets him apart, even from some other Iowa defensive backs that have come out in recent years. You know, you look at a guy like Desmond King who has incredible versatility, but I really liked him more as a corner. I didn't even think he would be – I didn't think he'd be kind of a matchup player in the NFL or even like a, I love the way the chargers are using him just all over the place. It's great. But I think hooker has, I don't know that he can play outside as frequently, but I think he's got the ability to line up in the slot

to maybe learn that deep free safety play that spot there and also play in the box too. And just kind of match up and just be that guy who drives offensive coordinators crazy low-hanging fruit here but a guy kind of does remind me of is micah hyde you know in the nfl i project him kind of that defensive back versatility on that back end you know not in a dynamic athlete but just you never see him out of phase maybe a little bit aggressive sometimes on play action i'll forgive forgive that, but ball skills and everything. I still can't believe Green Bay let him walk, and he's been one of the better underrated safeties in the NFL

since he's joined the Bills. I mean, if you can turn a career like Micah Hyde's has been so far, that's a pretty good comparison, and obviously the Iowa-Hawkeye connection helps that as well. Do you think then he'll likely be, I would say probably a day or sorry, a late day to early day three. Do you think that's kind of the projected range for him? Yeah, for me, that's where I could see him going. I'd have no issue with the Broncos taking him at 71 because I think he fits their cover to scheme to a tee. He's literally just a perfect fit for them, but probably more of a mid-round 3d to very early round four player

yeah i think with a lot of these iowa defensive backs we've seen that for some reason the league just hasn't caught on to how valuable these kids are coming in and i don't i still don't get it i know we talked about it months ago when i was on this podcast before but i just don't understand why they're being underdrafted other than obviously some athletic limitations, but they've all turned out to be great pros. It seems like. And so I don't know. It's interesting to me. I could see him going, like you said, round three to four. And I think if he goes anywhere beyond round three, I think that you're getting just an absolute steal. I think you're getting a guy who can start pretty much immediately.

I mean, he, like I said, the football IQ is high, and guys who know their assignments, guys who know where to be, they can contribute right away. So I view him as a day one starter at safety, despite the limitations that he has right now athletically. I think that his instincts make him rise above others in the safety class even, and so I think if you get him round three or four, you're getting yourself a really nice deal and a steal, really. I love it. Yeah, I mean, I couldn't agree more. I would love to see him.

Obviously, I love seeing all Iowa Hawkeyes join the Denver Broncos. I love seeing Josie Jewell there, even though he's probably not the best fit for Vic Fangio's defense now. But I love all seeing Hawkeyes join the Broncos, and I would love to see him play that strong safety position next to, you know, Justin Simmons. And so that kind of does it for the, the four main guys that have been kind of the big talk of everyone in terms of draft analysts and whatnot. All right. And that does it for our Wednesday morning episode. Again, we really appreciate you jumping on the show. We appreciate

you tuning in and listening to us as we cover the NFL draft. If you are a draft junkie like I am, you obviously are loving this content. If you are not as wrapped up in the NFL draft, I do apologize, and I hope you stick with us for the next couple of days. This is a really big week for a lot of these young players' lives, so we want to make sure we're covering and giving the full recap and analysis of the situation. We're going to be doing shows every single day this week just covering the NFL Draft and Iowa Hawkeyes who are going to be finding out their futures in the NFL Draft this week.

So my apologies if you don't like it. If you do love it, fantastic. Make sure to like and subscribe and leave us a review wherever you downloaded this podcast at. Again, if you're on Twitter, follow us on Twitter, LockedOnIowa. You can also follow us on Facebook at LockedOnHawkeyes. And make sure to tune in to tomorrow's finale of this three-part trilogy

with Nick Kendall and Sarah Bettinger as we cover the remaining prospects of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Thank you all for joining us on the LockedOnHawkeyes podcast. Have a fantastic day, Hawkeye Nation, and go Hawks! We'll see you next time.