In the last few weeks, we’ve been going position-by-position and previewing this year’s draft class. Before we get into the reports though, it’s important that we explain how our grading scale works. As a scouting staff, we use common terminology to grade every trait that we evaluate. We use a 1-9 scale with a 1 representing a “Reject” grade and a 9 meaning a “Rare” grade for whatever trait we are evaluating. We spend a lot of time in our internal Scout School making sure that our scales are calibrated with one another, and this common scale and set of language is a key aspect to ensuring that our evaluations are consistent (that…and cross-checks).
Additionally, for each position in the book, there are positional grading scales. As opposed to grading traits, these scales apply to stacking the final grades for each prospect.
The final center scale is as follows
| GRADE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 9.0 – 7.0 | High-end starter. Pro Bowl level. |
| 6.9 – 6.7 | Strong starter with 2 position flexibility. |
| 6.6 – 6.5 | Lower end starter. Backup flexibility at OT or OG. |
| 6.4 | Starter with no position flexibility. |
| 6.2 | Multi-positional backup. |
| 6.1 – 6.0 | Developmental. Top traits but needs time. |
| 5.7 | Backup with no position flexibility. #3 OC. |
For this preview, we will look at Oklahoma C Creed Humphrey
Creed Humphrey: OC 1 of 11 | Final Grade: 6.7
Report by Nathan Cooper
One Liner
Humphrey’s foot quickness, hand use, and overall strength suggest he’ll be a solid starter at the next level, but his lack of awareness and length could get him into trouble at times.
Overall
Creed Humphrey is a left-handed starting center in Oklahoma’s RPO-based spread offense that operates nearly exclusively out of the shotgun. He played in 39 games, starting 37 of them for the Sooners. He missed spring practices in 2019 due to hand surgery. He’s a good, strong athlete that competes and plays tough on every down, but lacks some overall length. His snapping as a whole is solid, but can get a bit erratic at times, with some leaking to the quarterback’s right.
Pass Game
In the pass game, Humphrey has the short-set anchor ability and play strength to shut down interior defenders. He is strong at the POA and rarely gets pushed back into his quarterback. However, on some occasions, he stands up too tall and stops his feet which forces him to lunge at times allowing rushers to slither by. If he’s beaten early in the play, he does a good job recovering from awkward angles to latch back onto his man.
When he doesn’t have someone in front of him to block, he does a good job looking for work, but normally only looks to one side instead of keeping his head on a swivel and keeping aware of what’s going on to both sides. Most of these occasions, someone will leak through on the side he’s not looking. Against interior rush games, he is quick and reactive to what’s happening. He’s able to redirect quickly and with strength, even being able to block two defenders at once. He has good grip strength and is able to latch on and stay in front of his man with good mirror ability.
Although he fires his hands a bit late at times, he’s still very quick and strong with his punch. With that said, his right (non-dominant) hand gets outside the defender’s frame, while his left (dominant) hand nearly always strikes the chest plate. He shows good communication skill with his teammates.
Run Game
In the run game, Humphrey shows some mauling ability and power to finish blocks. He gets good leg drive and is able to push back defenders off the line of scrimmage. He’s strong on down blocks and is quick enough to reach and scoop 2i’s with ease, giving a strong club to the defender’s shoulder to help him gain leverage and positioning.
When getting to the 2nd level, he comes in quickly and under control to latch onto smaller, quicker defenders to make his block. When he pulls and gets down the line, he shows good mobility and strength with good range and leverage. On some occasions after he snaps the ball, he fires out with his head down, not seeing what he’s aiming at and missing his block.
Last Word
Humphrey projects as a starting center with all the desired traits to succeed in any scheme. His length issues are a little concerning, but he has the size, strength, and fundamentals that should make for a minimal learning curve at the next level.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Quick, smooth feet | Lacks some awareness in pass pro |
| Works with his hands | Length issues |
| Recovers well after beaten early |
Critical Factors
| Category | Grade |
|---|---|
| Reactive Athleticism | 6 |
| Anchor/Play Strength | 7 |
| Body Control | 6 |
Positional Factors
| Category | Grade |
|---|---|
| Run Block | 7 |
| Pass Block | 6 |
| Awareness | 5 |
| Footwork | 6 |
| 2nd Level | 6 |
| Range | 6 |
| Hand Use | 6 |
| Power | 6 |
| Sustain | 6 |
| Finish | 6 |
| Flexibility | 6 |
| Toughness | 6 |
Basic
| Penalties | Blown Block Splits | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | G | GS | Holding | False Start | Run | Pressure | Sack | Total |
| 2018 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| 2019 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 2020 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
Team Stats
| Zone Run Blocking | Gap Run Blocking | Pass Block | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | % of Runs | Y/A | Pos% | % of Runs | Y/A | Pos% | Pressure% |
| 2018 | 48% | 6 | 49% | 49% | 8.2 | 59% | 26% |
| 2019 | 47% | 5.6 | 55% | 49% | 6.6 | 50% | 39% |
| 2020 | 51% | 5.4 | 53% | 46% | 5.7 | 47% | 30% |
| 49% | 5.7 | 52% | 48% | 6.9 | 52% | 32% |
Deep Dive
| Blown Block % | When Running to their Gap | Total Points | Total Points Rtg | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Run | Pass | Y/A | YBC/A | Pos% | EPA/A | Run | Pass | Total | Per Run | Per Pass | Per Play |
| 2018 | 1.30% | 1.50% | 6.9 | 3.8 | 52% | 0.15 | 18 | 12 | 30 | 93 | 83 | 89 |
| 2019 | 1.90% | 0.20% | 4.6 | 2 | 52% | -0.04 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 86 | 90 | 88 |
| 2020 | 0.60% | 0.30% | 4.3 | 1.8 | 51% | 0.08 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 85 | 90 | 87 |
Sports Info Solutions (SIS) brings you the third annual edition of The SIS Football Rookie Handbook, with scouting reports and statistical breakdowns on over 300 college football players who are likely to be drafted or signed as rookie free agents in 2021 (a glossary for the below stats can be found here). The book also includes unique and informative NFL team pages, research deep-dives by the SIS R&D team, articles on key football subjects (including injuries), and the NCAA version of their flagship football statistic, Total Points.
