Yikes: Brutal Draft Analysis of Noah Sewell

[Charles Fischer]

This was on another board and you can read the full article right here. I will be first to say that the writer was overly harsh and over-the-top at times, but much of what he writes is true.  Yet NFL Draft Buzz had an analysis that was hard-hitting, (Poor pass defense, overruns plays, etc.), but still has him as the 6th best LB in the draft (4th best on consensus) and a potential 2nd rounder. 

 

But this guy below disagrees, and much of what is below--we saw as well.

 

So with subpar linebacker play, a poor pass rush, and a lack of mixing up the defenses....I wonder why the defense regressed this last year?

Game Film Exposes Noah Sewell
January 4, 2023 | Daniel Kelly | Articles

 

Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell got bad advice when he declared recently for the 2023 NFL Draft. What he put on game film in these documented (and embedded) games during the 2022 season was some of the worst linebacker play I’ve seen in 40 years. Sewell looked identical this season as he did on his 2021 game film when I wrote, “Former NFL Scout Calls Noah Sewell A Soft Football Player.”

 

Before any team in the NFL even thinks about drafting Sewell – – they need to watch these six games in these two articles. The three main problems this Oregon linebacker put on his game film…

 

1. Reluctance
There’s a saying, “The game is won or lost from the neck up,” and with Sewell this is the main issue. Sewell played some of the most uninspiring and heartless football I’ve ever seen
He looked downright disinterested most of the time. He looked like he was going through the motions. Jogging and giving half-hearted efforts on plays were all over my scouting notes.

Point blank – – he was a liability on the field. If you don’t believe me, watch the game film. It speaks for itself. All I did was write down what he put on his football resume.

It’s alarming.

 

2. Slow reactions
There were an additional number of times he was noticeably slow reacting to the play flow in pass coverage and on running plays.

I can’t even imagine how this will translate to the faster NFL level.

Against UCLA, there was a play he looked absolutely lost.

Sewell’s read and diagnosis is poor – – and that’s saying it nicely.

 

 

3. Blockers tossing him around like a rag doll

This was another HUGE issue. Time – – and time – – and time again he was handled by blockers. It didn’t even look like he belonged on the field (nor did it look like he wanted to be out there).

Awkward is the word that comes to mind. It looked plain awkward at times. Sewell additionally often showed poor shedding technique “taking on blocks.”

There were a few right-place right time tackles.

 

Make no mistake – – Sewell got it handed to him on game film.

 

#1 Noah Sewell 6-foot-2, 253 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2023 NFL Draft Grade: Undraftable Free Agent (I would not select him)

First Round Mock Draft Board: TBD

Bust Probability: High

 

Projected by 62.7% (down from 84.5% on October 5) of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of January 4, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed: UCLA, BYU, and Washington (click to view games watched to form this evaluation).

Level of competition: High

 

 

2021 stats: 114 tackles (53 solo, 61 assists), 5 passes defended, 4.0 sacks (34 pressures on 98 pass rushes duckswire.usatoday.com)

2022 stats: 55 tackles (24 solo, 31 assists), 3 passes defended, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception

 

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Strong thick muscular frame with rigid movement and a poor motor. Looked best in passing situations dropping into shallow zones and covering short in man-to-man coverage. Marginal in pass support as he often only ended up by the pile after the fact. Had a number of half-hearted blitzing attempts. Flashed ability to run in full speed and hit the quarterback as he was throwing once (BYU). Showed he is capable of more, but refuses often to give it his all. Not explosive and couldn’t get movement at the point of attack. Stalemated. Couldn’t beat blockers on blitzing attempts. Didn’t get movement. Hesitant and reluctant against the run too often. Can be slow to react to play flow. No real fight. Easily blocked. Struggled to take on and shed. Sometimes didn’t even try. His heart wasn’t in it.

 

Final words
What more can I say, that I haven’t already said?

 

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and jerk Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.

[spartan2785]

Yeah I would agree with that, maybe not to the extent that I would say he's undraftable, but he's certainly not a first day guy.  I can't think of a game this year where I would say he jumped out and made you take notice.  Can anyone think of a game where he just completely dominated a game?  I certainly can't think of one against a quality opponent.  

 

He needs to lose weight, get some more agility in him, stop taking plays off, and actually work.

[idontrollonshobbas]

And I thought that Sewell and Flowe would be the linebacking unit I had been waiting for since the 80's.

 

The older I get the less I know.

[David Marsh]

I feel this year hasn't been good for him and I'm not sure how well he fits Lanning's scheme. Again, Lanning wants Linebackers who can do EVERYTHING and Sewell doesn't feel like he quite meets that standard.

 

I've also read a few places that Sewell really wasn't playing 100% for the majority of this year.

 

Previous years he led the Ducks in tackles.

 

So I don't know what to make of it all.

[Nevada Dawg]

As I was a big proponent of the Dawgs going all in on Sewell  out of HS, I have watched him carefully the past two years. In 21, he was generally slow to go to the ball side--to- side and seemed engaged only when plays unfolded right in front of him. 

 

This year was more of the same and, if anything, a bit of a regression from last year. I expected him to be a stud. He turned out to be a disappointment to me.

 

I am not a football coach, but as  an amateur scout, I  couldn't justify drafting Noah higher than the 4th or 5th round. In my opinion, he should have returned and worked his butt off to  improve his draft stock.

[Drake]

The harsh reality of film study.

[Mike West]

I'm not sure anyone would promote Sewell based on this year's performance.  Disappointed is an understatement.

 

Not to mention he's truly been the soul of the defense (even when Thibs was here).  The team usually matched his intensity level and used to play tough, hard-nosed football.  

 

I say Sewell was the heart of the defense because when he started here, he was a beast, and the defense played like that.  Where that fire has been the last two years is a mystery.

 

Sewell used to be a sideline to sideline LB.  He's not a speedball, but his instincts and intensity were attributes he had - which is why we used to see him by the ball at the end of nearly every play.  

 

I'm not sure what happened.  But the defense looked so horrible overall, there was reason to really think about just Sewell.  It sure didn't help not having help at defensive tackle the past two years ( which is why I always questioned Dorlus trying to replace Thibs instead remaining the best HE was inside).  

 

But I'm just a scrub giving my take.  I've coached defense once, and I'm built differently when it comes to scheme, and clearly I'm not coaching present day.  So all I can give is an opinion.

 

I hope Noah Sewell reverts back to his freshman and sophomore years and earns accolades at the next level.  Who cares where he's drafted. 

 

 

[Flyin Vee]

Brutal. Who’s to say why? A case could be made that taking plays off, halfhearted blitz, last on the pile, jogging behind the play could say one foot on the field and the other out the door.

 

some smart guy once said football is 80% physical and the other 50% is mental. 

[Haywarduck]

I say this analysis create a somber mood for me. I am troubled for Noah and his dreams which weren't met when he came to Oregon. What happened as Lanning, and the rest of the football world wanted him to commit to their school at the time of his recruitment?

 

I suppose I just come away from all of this Noah, Justin era with much melancholy. There was so much hope, and that was turned into unfulfilled promise.

 

We have to move on from these guys, but the program has to get better at selling and completely the dreams of these young men. It goes both ways, but the analysis, and what we saw leaves me wanting the program to become a place where expectations are exceeded, not defeated, as they too often were under MariØ. 

[Just Ducky]

Disheartening to say the least. He had big trouble getting off blocks this year and I never could understand why. The linebacker Corp looked much better in the bowl game with Noah gone. 

[Kurt Rambis]

All of this raises a serious question:  if this analysis has any merit, why did Sewell continue to start and play big minutes for Lanning's D?  Are the coaches cumulatively that utterly clueless about someone who is essentially being called useless at best; a liability at worst?  Or is this analysis way off base?

 

I certainly don't have that answer.  But if Sewell gets drafted fairly high (4th round or above), that will tell us this writer is just a clown looking to make a name for himself at the expense of a college kid.  If he falls to the lower rounds or doesn't get drafted at all, I'd say the writer has his stuff really together and is pretty insightful.  The pro scouts know a lot more than you and I do (even if they miss on a bunch of prospects each year).

 

If it's the former, that means potentially we have a long-term coaching problem on our hands - continuing to play guys who just aren't that good.

 

Draft profiles always are filled with positives and negatives - even sure-fire prospects like Andrew Luck have lots of negatives from the scouts - so negatives from NFL Draft Buzz are expected.  Every player has a bunch of stuff at which he needs to get much better in order to be a successful pro starter.

[lownslowav8r]

Makes you wonder. Where did the joy go? Did he have behind the scenes issues (depression)? Did he just not enjoy being at Oregon? Injury? Trauma/avoidance (afraid of getting hurt again)? I remember he was hurt a lot when he played hard. 
 

I hope Lanning et al have/had a good exit interview and if the team could have done better teaching/supporting him, they do so with future players. 
 

Oregon must be a place where players/young men have the potential (if they work hard) to become their best. We can’t be a Texas A&M.

 

Sports can be deeply exploitive. NIL, with all its flaws, is designed to help address this. One of the reasons I root for Oregon is that I’ve always felt the organization acts with class (at least more class than most schools). I realize that feeling is probably naive, but the day I feel that is no longer true  is the day I stop rooting for Oregon football. 

[Kurt Rambis]

Thought it would be interesting to see what a variety of draftniks say about Sewell.  I'm not a scout, nor am I trying to defend Sewell.  I have no idea whether he'll be a great pro or a total bust.  But I find it interesting that Daniel Kelly is so completely out of the mainstream of thought on Sewell.

 

NFL Draft Network:  "Overall, Sewell is a playmaking linebacker who offers excellent run-defending skills as a downhill box player but has limitations the further he gets from the box."  (#61 player in the draft, #2 LB)

Noah Sewell NFL Draft Scouting Report - Draft Network

THEDRAFTNETWORK.COM

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Noah Sewell NFL Draft scouting report. Find out the NFL Draft ranking, background, college, height, weight, and more of Noah Sewell.

 

NFL Draft Buzz:  "He’s a high-motor player, and Sewell shows good enough hand use, as well as a tight spin move, to win as an edge rusher."  (#6 LB)

 

Noah Sewell Linebacker Oregon Scouting Report

WWW.NFLDRAFTBUZZ.COM

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Rating: 87.4 Rank: #6 Forty: 4.58 Noah Sewell from Orem High School was rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 5-star grade by 247 Sports. After high school, Sewell joined Oregon afte...

 

Pro Football Network:  "Sewell’s trigger, overall athleticism, stack-and-shed ability, and instincts are plus traits. But there’s one word that describes him best: explosive. Give Sewell a lane, and he’s running whoever is foolish enough to stand in his way."  (#3 LB)

 

Top 10 LBs in the 2023 NFL Draft Include Trenton Simpson and Noah Sewell

WWW.PROFOOTBALLNETWORK.COM

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While there is a clear LB1 in the 2023 NFL Draft, the complete list of the top 10 linebackers highlights a diverse and talented class.

 

Sporting News:  "Noah is a terror for offenses as a tackling and playmaking machine. He still has room to grow his game while in coverage."  (#16 prospect overall)

 

NFL Draft prospects 2023: Updated big board of top 70 players overall, position rankings

WWW.SPORTINGNEWS.COM

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Who are the 70 best college prospects available to make the jump to the NFL next year? Here's breaking down the top of the 2023 class that features Alabama teammates Will Anderson and Bryce Young and Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Drake]

I suppose we should remember the draft analysis on Justin Herbert from some of these geniuses.

[AllOregon]

He and Flowe are my most puzzling outcomes since Colvin.  Expected A+ results and got D-.

[latracey]

Whether you agree with Daniel Kelly’s harsh analysis, or not, it’s clear that Oregon’s defense this season left a lot to be desired and the overall play at linebacker was not very good. The film that accompanied Kelly’s assessment, for those who needed evidence, backs his criticism. The linebackers are the heart of the defense and it’s one of the areas where vast improvement is needed.

 

It’s hard to say how much adjusting to a new system effected Sewell, but he certainly wasn’t the beast he seems capable of being. It seems clear that staying another year would have helped him hone his skills and raise his NFL stock. That said, as Kurt Rambis pointed out, there is plenty of positive buzz supporting Sewell. He won’t be a first round pick, but he will get his shot at his NFL dream. I wish him nothing but the best.

[OregonDucks]

Sewell is playing with too much weight, IMO.
 

He needs to slim down to ~230 lbs. and work on his coverage skills. I’m rooting for the young man, but if he is not a day 1 or 2 selection, he should have come back for his senior year to work on the above to improve his draft stock. 
 

Oregon did not miss a beat in the Holiday Bowl at linebacker and we have a STUD coming in next year from Iowa. 

[Graziani93]

On 1/7/2023 at 12:35 PM, Drake said:

I suppose we should remember the draft analysis on Justin Herbert from some of these geniuses.

Agreed.  "Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets."  Stop right there - I'm not gonna put too much credence into the exaggerated takes of a bitter-sounding scout who helped the New York Jets become the powerhouse that they are today.

[EastBayDuckDad]

I would agree with those who note that Sewell's tape this year was inconsistent and showed some flaws in his game, particularly when he needed to play outside the box and/or cover speedier receivers and RBs on pass routes. Most of the legit draft analysis acknowledges this but still has him going 2nd day, the former Jets scout's harsh appraisal notwithstanding (two most telling descriptors here are 'former' and 'Jets').

 

NS is an older style run stuffing MLB by frame, kind of a Butkus/Lewis/Lambert throw back from a less pass happy era. I think part of the problem he had this year was the lack of a good pass rush and edge play forcing him to play outside of his strengths. Go back and look at some of his film when KT was on the field. Night and day.

 

The combine will be the place where Sewell can show that he has the speed and quicks to compete at the NFL level. My guess is he has spent the time since he declared dropping some weight and prepping for that.

 

He's not a Swiss army knife MLB like Fred Warner or Bobby Wagner, but I think he'll be a good situational LB with NFL quality DL and edge players alongside.

[AnotherOD]

Didn't see this one posted, from Sports Illustrated's "2023 NFL Draft Risers and Fallers" (12/12/22):

 

"Going into this season, Sewell was considered the top inside linebacker prospect after a 100-tackle season in 2021. Still, in retrospect, he was judged off of one season, and he never proved he deserved the high ranking. However, this year was extremely disappointing and a complete dud for him, only getting 55 tackles.

 

Sewell only had that one big season, but he was so impressive his sophomore year that it was no surprise he garnered so much praise. It didn’t seem that Sewell improved any part of his game and maybe took a step back in some areas. He struggles to get off blocks, and opponents knew that because they attacked him in the run game, which derailed his entire season.

 

Sewell also lacks coverage ability, and in today’s NFL, that is huge because most linebackers will be in coverage for a good amount of plays. The drop-off in his play this year was so extreme that it could be very difficult for him to get drafted. It was especially startling because Oregon was still a very talented team, so you would expect to see him pick up where he left off. If Sewell declares for this year’s draft, he will have the huge task of proving to teams that he has the will to be great and is a draftable player. "

 

 

Edited January 8, 2023 by AnotherOD

[The Kamikaze Kid]

I'm not an Xs and Os guy when it comes to defensive schemes but I wonder if both Sewell and Flowe Excelled in more gut instinct game plans of the past and then struggled under Lanning's more complex defensive scheme.That could explain the confusing regression both players took this year but it is just speculation with no data to back it up.