STRENGTHS
Amani is the new athletically talented, extremely High Football IQ, hybrid safety/linebacker for the new 4-2-5 base defense. He has the athletic talent to cover, size to play up at the line of scrimmage and intelligence to play in different styles of zone coverages. When he is up at the line he uses perfect techniques to keep blockers off his body to shed and make tackles. When he is in coverage he has the hands to catch the ball and make the interception and the intelligence and route savviness to understand what routes will be run against him on what down and distance. Amani is always aware of where he is on the field and what his assignment is. He has solid change of direction skills and quick feet to go along with an excellent burst and recognition to the play. This is a technique, mature player who a team can plug in and play in any defensive configuration that you can think of as a cover safety or in the box safety or like I said in the new 4-2-5 defense that most teams are playing now. The key here is to NOT… take Amani off the field on any play because, on any play he has chance to make a play and give your team the win.
CONCERNS
Amani has to build the strength up in his hands to make the sure tackle for the next level. Most don’t realize that being a sure tackler is all in the strength of a player’s hands and not because they can lift weights better than the next player. I’d also like to see him communicate a little more with his teammates but than again maybe he is and I just haven’t seen much of it on film.
TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.47
I think what impresses me the most about Amani’s play on the field is that he seems to know where he is on the field at all times, before the play, during the play and after the play. You don’t realize how important a skill like that is to the ability for a defense to dominate. If a quarterback can’t move a defender into taking false steps than that defender will not only frustrate that quarterback but it also means he is always in the right place to make a play when others would not be. Add to that his athletic talent and you have a player who can make plays all over the field on any down and distance. That to me is dangerous defensive player and believe me, the type of player who offensive coordinators will have to game plan for. I call him, Amani (Hybrid) Hooker because, he is the definition of the new 4-2-5 hybrid Safety/linebacker.
