Nolan Edmonds:
Strengths:
· Exceptionally quick for a bigger back. He has great initial burst through the line
· Is decisive in his cuts. Doesn’t wait and dance around in the backfield for the hole
· Strong enough to run through arm tackles of LB’s and DB’s
Weaknesses:
· Isn’t a natural pass catcher. His film only showed him catching a few screens, and he didn’t appear to have natural pass-catching skills
· Top end speed. Tape showed him being caught up to from behind by defensive backs. If that happens at the high school level, will happen at the Division-I level
Edmonds is listed at 205 pounds, but I think with his frame he’ll get up to 215-220 rather quickly. With McCrary graduating, I believe Edmonds has a great chance to play right away if injuries occur to Rodney Smith/Shannon Brooks. His high school team ran a spread offense with a lot of inside zone/counter schemes like the Gophers, so there will be familiarity with the system and running lanes. I’m very excited about Nolan and think he’ll be an impact player for the Gophers.
Strengths:
· Exceptionally quick for a bigger back. He has great initial burst through the line
· Is decisive in his cuts. Doesn’t wait and dance around in the backfield for the hole
· Strong enough to run through arm tackles of LB’s and DB’s
Weaknesses:
· Isn’t a natural pass catcher. His film only showed him catching a few screens, and he didn’t appear to have natural pass-catching skills
· Top end speed. Tape showed him being caught up to from behind by defensive backs. If that happens at the high school level, will happen at the Division-I level
Edmonds is listed at 205 pounds, but I think with his frame he’ll get up to 215-220 rather quickly. With McCrary graduating, I believe Edmonds has a great chance to play right away if injuries occur to Rodney Smith/Shannon Brooks. His high school team ran a spread offense with a lot of inside zone/counter schemes like the Gophers, so there will be familiarity with the system and running lanes. I’m very excited about Nolan and think he’ll be an impact player for the Gophers.
