Written by Bryan Driskell
Friday, 19 March 2010 08:25
You will be hard pressed to find a more fundamentally sound wide receiver in the country than Vernon Hills standout Evan Spencer. But Spencer is more than just a fundamentally sound and well-schooled football player. Spencer is a versatile athlete who excels as a pass catcher, carrying the football, as a defensive safety, and on special teams. Spencer is clearly one of the best football players in the entire Midwestern region. As we begin to get a feel for what type of student-athlete Brian Kelly and his staff covets it is obvious why they are going so hard after Spencer. The Irish staff clearly is looking for not only talented football players but versatile football players who bring toughness to the game. If one were to do a quick summary of Evan Spencer this would be it...talented, versatile, and tough. The Irish seem to have a legitimate shot with Spencer and taking him away from Ohio State would be a huge coup.
SIZE/BODY/STRENGTH
When it comes to his physique Spencer reminds me a great deal of Terrence Edwards, who was a standout wide receiver at the University of Georgia from 1999-2002 and finished his career as Georgia?s all-time leading pass catcher (receptions and yards). In fact there are similarities in style as well, which considering Edwards not only finished as Georgia?s all-time leading receiver, but also graduated as the SEC's all-time leader in receiving yards. Spencer has solid height for a wide receiver, listed between 6'1 and 6'2. He possesses long arms and thin, athletic frame. Despite his thin frame Spencer shows good natural strength and toughness. He is a gunner on special teams and flies downfield and gets after the returner. There is room for growth physically and significant room for improvements in weight room strength. Spencer will always be a relatively thin athlete, but that is not at all a concern. Spencer is a high effort player who simply needs to add consistency in this department. Spencer shows very good effort as a blocker who will block downfield, aggressive comes down on crack blocks, and for his high school team is even asked to kick out defensive ends. He is a sure tackler as a defensive player and on special teams. I'd like to see him go over the middle more, but this is a scheme issue, not an Evan Spencer issue.
ATHLETIC ABILITY
Spencer is a very solid overall athlete. He possesses good speed. The 6'1, 185 pound receiver will never set any records with a timed test, but he plays much faster than he will likely ever time. He gets to full speed in a very short period of time and possesses a nice second gear that allows him to get by defenders or pull away from would-be tacklers in the open field. His ability to quickly get to full speed is a tremendous asset for him as a route runner. While not a sudden and shifty athlete, Spencer does possess very fluid skills. The Vernon Hills pass catcher is a very smooth athlete who can quickly weave in and out of traffic. This is how he makes defenders miss in the open field and serves as a huge plus for him as a route runner. Spencer has good agility and relatively quick feet. These traits also give him potential to become a rangy free safety if a team chooses to move him to defense. He shows good balance that allows him to bounce off tackles, weave in and out of traffic, change directions quickly, and then quickly accelerate. As a leaper Spencer shows a quick burst off the ground and the ability to get high off the ground. He simply needs to improve his timing in order to become a more effective leaper. Spencer shows good explosion off the ball and out of his breaks. As he develops physically I expect to see him show significant growth in his power and explosion.
CATCHING ABILITY
The Vernon Hills standout has excellent catching ability. He shows very strong and sure hands. I love how fluid he is snatching the ball quickly out of the air and getting it put away. Spencer does an excellent job using his hands on almost every type of catch. He also gets very good extension with his arms to the football while maintaining a soft pocket with which to receive the football. Spencer does not always time his jumps as well as he should, but even in those instances he still catches the ball high and away from the defender. He does an excellent job controlling his speed and body in order to position himself better to catch the football. I also appreciate how well he shields the defender from the football as it draws near. I'd like to see Spencer be more aggressive attacking and working back to the football.
ROUTE RUNNING ABILITY
Spencer is already very advanced as a route runner. There is still room for improvement, but he has a tremendous foundation with which to work. It is obvious he has been well coached, not only by his father, but also by the coaches at Vernon Hills. Spencer gets into a very nice stance with good knee bend, his chest over his knees, and gets a great first step off the ball with both quickness and depth. I would like to see Spencer get a bit more weight toward the front of his foot which will help him get rid of the slight dip he has at the snap. It will not hurt him to keep doing what he does, but I tend to be a stickler about such things. The issue for him is not nearly as egregious as it is for most high school receivers, or even college receivers. His stance and great start allow the 6'1 standout to consistently get a great jump off the ball. He gets off the line with great speed and intensity and eats up the cushion of the defender with great speed while quickly getting on top and past the defender. Almost every route he runs is fast and intense. He consistently sells the deep route, which gets defenders on their heels and makes him even more effective on his shorter routes. These traits allow Spencer to play with great speed, despite not possessing great timed speed. Spencer gets out of his breaks quickly and with little wasted motion. He is very sound in this department for a high school player. At the top of his break Spencer tends to lean back just a bit and I would like to see him keep a better forward lean which will allow him to sink his hips down even more effectively. This is a minor tell that can be worked on, but as I mentioned Spencer is quite solid in this department. There is a bit of a hitch as he works out of his breaks. He does not really drive out of his routes like he is capable of, so there is obviously still room for improvement and he is far from a finished product, which is a good thing. With his combination of speed, agility, technique, and quickness out of his breaks I foresee Spencer developing into a dominant route runner that allows him to grow into a top notch downfield pass threat. He will need some work being more physical against press coverage.
RAC
Despite not having outstanding suddenness Spencer is still able to make defenders miss in the open field. As mentioned above he does a very nice job weaving away from defenders and also shows a good understanding of angles. Spencer can make plays after the catch with the ball in his hands thanks to these traits, as well as excellent instincts. Spencer also shows toughness with the ball in his hands and is not that easy to bring down. The Vernon Hills standout will do most of his damage before the ball is thrown, but also has the athleticism and vision to be dangerous after the catch as well. His Vernon Hills coaches do a great job getting him the football with handoffs as well as reverses. In these instances he shows great north-south ability but also shows good enough quickness to make the initial defenders miss as he works to get to the second level.
OVERALL
I have a bias towards receivers like Evan Spencer. I love fundamentally sound football players who also show toughness and well-rounded ability. But Spencer is more than just a sound player. He also is a talented athlete who shows the explosiveness to be an after the catch threat as well. His athleticism and toughness also make him a versatile athlete. Spencer will be able to work himself onto the football field at a variety of positions on offense, defense, and special teams. In the Notre Dame offense Spencer would look great working at either the split end or flanker positions. These two positions were the primary pass catching spots while Coach Kelly was at Cincinnati. The flanker position would be ideal, as it would allow Spencer to get the ball on short routes and with quick throws, but would also allow him to continue to be the vertical, downfield threat that he is right now. He has the versatility to excel in all phases as a pass catcher, which is ideal for a flanker in Coach Kelly's offense. I am guessing it will be tough to get Spencer away from Ohio State, where his father was a tremendous running back. But Spencer is the type of athlete who is completely worth the effort, and as mentioned above is exactly the kind of athlete Coach Kelly needs as he seeks to build Notre Dame once again into a National Championship football program.
GRADES
Size: 83 (Good height, long arms, thin build but athletic)
Strength: 82 (Solid natural strength, shows a lot of toughness as a blocker and safety)
Speed: 89 (Not great timed speed, but plays very fast)
Athletic Skills: 87 (Excellent all-around athlete, very fluid, explosive vertical player)
Route Running: 92 (Great technique already, projects as a top flight route runner)
Catching Ability: 88 (Great natural hands, has to improve going up after the football)
RAC: 83 (Can make plays with the ball in his hands)
Intangibles: 88 (Shows great instincts and intelligence on the field, tough player, versatile)
Upside: 5 (As he gets stronger he will become even more dangerous as a route runner and deep threat)
Overall Grade: 4 (One of the best receivers I have seen on film this season)
GRADE KEY
90-100 ? Elite/Exceptional: Skill set is rare and gives prospect ability to dominate
80-89 ? Very Good/Outstanding: Skill set is a significant strength
70-79 ? Average: Skill set is solid, not a significant weakness
60-69 ? Below Average: Skill set is not a strength for this player and could become a liability
50-59 ? Very Poor: Prospect does not possess this trait and it is a definite liability
OVERALL/UPSIDE GRADES
5 ? Elite: Player is one of the best players at his position nationally, potentially dominant
4 ? Very Good/Outstanding: Player is a potential standout and starter, could also play early
3 ? Solid: Player is a potential contributor, could eventually start down the road
2 ? Below Average: Player does not possess the talent to be a significant contributor
1 ? Poor: Let?s be honest, Notre Dame is not going to bring in anyone with a one!!
