KoG's Player Highlght - Hercules Mata'afa

[Knight of God 40,945]

Probably my very favorite player in this draft. Undersized, but incredible heart and talent. Just like John Randle, he is always trying to build on his game. At 250lbs he plays inside and outside and guess what...I believe in this kid. I seriously believe he can come in and play outside and inside DL. Someone will likely mess up and play him as a LB, but he is far more comfortable with hands in the dirt. 

http://nfldraftscout.com/position-rankings/

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/hercules-mata'afa?id=2560220

I would seriously bring him in. At best he becomes a clone of Michael Bennett or even John Randle in play. At worst he is Cassius Marsh and gives us a viable ST's player and backup at every DL position for a few plays. I don't care about his size and this is the ONLY type of Rudy I am all about. This is the ONE guy in this draft I feel is a must have if used right and plays on the right team. If Belichick gets him, its on. He will be 8-10 sacks yearly. Open letter to the FO. If he is still there in the 5th, trade up and get him. 

All that and from all accounts a leader, good citizen, and loved even by opponents. Would love to have him. He's this year's "my guy".

 

[GleasonForever! 806]

Reminds me of Scooby Wright during the draft process. Amazing productivity but worry about the fit in the NFL. Will be rooting for him wherever he goes. 

[Jerz #DukeSZN 4,760]

Brandon Graham

[Knight of God 40,945]

For every five 100 Scooby Wrights there will be a John Randle. Scooby didn't have the work ethic it takes to get better. That is what happens with these young guys. They try and do too much and stick with bad habits and technique. Hercules has fantastic technique.

[E. T. 3,524]

With a name like Hercules, how could you go wrong. Good luck to him!

[etherdome 4,473]

There is a lot to like about this prospect, but he looks more like a 3-4 ILB to me.  He feasted on college interior OL's, but how would he fare against much bigger and quicker OL's in the NFL? 

I would draft him very late (or as a UDFA) and try to fit him into some packages.  

Good luck to this young man.  Nice find, KOG.

[The Great American 3,275]

With a name like Hercules, he better play like a man possessed.

[UnrealfalcoN 2,529]

His quickness is as impressive as his strength in relation to his size. And he has plenty of room to bulk up if he needs to. 

[Pacific_Falcon 2,999]

GO COUGS!

[Slappywhite 3,905]

 

[atljbo 17,505]

I like Hercules but Boyyyyy He scare me being drafted before the 4th round because I don't know who he compares too ... John Randle was undersized but he weight like 280-290 ... Michael Bennett is 275 with long arms ....

 

Hercules is like 254lbs with freakishly short arms..... Again you can't measure a man's heart and will and I think has both with quickness.... Drafting him you would have to say  nothing else matters .. I believe in the player ... He is a unicorn

[mattyicefalcon 3,559]

All heart & Grit!! A must sign for falcons if available. He fits D.Qs DNA system.

[falconsd56 15,630]

10 hours ago, Knight of God said:

Probably my very favorite player in this draft. Undersized, but incredible heart and talent. Just like John Randle, he is always trying to build on his game. At 250lbs he plays inside and outside and guess what...I believe in this kid. I seriously believe he can come in and play outside and inside DL. Someone will likely mess up and play him as a LB, but he is far more comfortable with hands in the dirt. 

http://nfldraftscout.com/position-rankings/

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/hercules-mata'afa?id=2560220

I would seriously bring him in. At best he becomes a clone of Michael Bennett or even John Randle in play. At worst he is Cassius Marsh and gives us a viable ST's player and backup at every DL position for a few plays. I don't care about his size and this is the ONLY type of Rudy I am all about. This is the ONE guy in this draft I feel is a must have if used right and plays on the right team. If Belichick gets him, its on. He will be 8-10 sacks yearly. Open letter to the FO. If he is still there in the 5th, trade up and get him. 

All that and from all accounts a leader, good citizen, and loved even by opponents. Would love to have him. He's this year's "my guy".

 

I dig it....he looks like a solid tackler

He explodes through the ball carrier but still wraps up.....which is sorely needed in the NFL

[King Jigsaw 2,177]

Hercules Mufasa? Sign me up.

[Knight of God 40,945]

20 minutes ago, falconsd56 said:

I dig it....he looks like a solid tackler

He explodes through the ball carrier but still wraps up.....which is sorely needed in the NFL

He, Kalen Ballage, and Siran Neal are my must haves.

[Sandy5prings 1,550]

You need to be a bad Mata'afa to be an NFL pass rusher. 

[UnrealfalcoN 2,529]

STRENGTHS

Known as the toughest guy in the locker room. Every snap is important to him. Uses explosive get-off to disrupt play design from a defensive tackle spot. Impossible to secure him with reach blocks when he's playing three-technique. Zombie-like motor. Gets tackles and sacks thanks to secondary effort. Good lateral quickness to slide to the blocker's edge. Plays with single-minded desire to find the football. Has leverage to work under and around the blocker once he gets to an edge. Punishing tackler with heavy pads.

WEAKNESSES

Much too small to continue playing interior spot. Gets engulfed and washed down if he doesn't win early with penetration. Yet to prove he can transition from defensive tackle to another position. Doesn't have edge rusher's burst and bend as 3-4 outside linebacker. Contact balance is below average. Hand work is below average. Will need to develop go-to rush moves, counters and an overall plan. Scouts say he's quicker than fast.

DRAFT PROJECTION

Rounds 4-5

SOURCES TELL US

"He makes plays all game long but how do you play him at tackle? You can't. He has to prove he can play on the edge and my guess is he's just a guy on the edge. Maybe I'm wrong. He plays harder than anybody on the field so maybe it can work." -- NFC regional scout

[falconfansince66 3,045]

"Zombie-like motor"... Heheheh, sign me up! 

[falconsd56 15,630]

1 hour ago, Knight of God said:

He, Kalen Ballage, and Siran Neal are my must haves.

I still see to much TJ Duckett in Ballage.....if we could get the determined bowling ball of a runner.....that would be fantastic but I am worried that we would get the opposite.

[ATLSlobberKnockers 3,047]

16 hours ago, Knight of God said:

Probably my very favorite player in this draft. Undersized, but incredible heart and talent. Just like John Randle, he is always trying to build on his game. At 250lbs he plays inside and outside and guess what...I believe in this kid. I seriously believe he can come in and play outside and inside DL. Someone will likely mess up and play him as a LB, but he is far more comfortable with hands in the dirt. 

http://nfldraftscout.com/position-rankings/

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/hercules-mata'afa?id=2560220

I would seriously bring him in. At best he becomes a clone of Michael Bennett or even John Randle in play. At worst he is Cassius Marsh and gives us a viable ST's player and backup at every DL position for a few plays. I don't care about his size and this is the ONLY type of Rudy I am all about. This is the ONE guy in this draft I feel is a must have if used right and plays on the right team. If Belichick gets him, its on. He will be 8-10 sacks yearly. Open letter to the FO. If he is still there in the 5th, trade up and get him. 

All that and from all accounts a leader, good citizen, and loved even by opponents. Would love to have him. He's this year's "my guy".

 

Lt. Dan agrees. 

b.j. B.J. Hill, Shak Griffen, and Mother effer. That takes 2nd, 4th, and 6th(maybe trade into 5th for Shak) to get what I consider a decent haul for defense. And if dude gets up to 265 he is an athletic clone of Randall. Perfect comparison

Edited March 25, 2018 by ATLSlobberKnockers

[Yo_Lover 14,302]

I want him for the simple fact I can say "Hercules, Hercules, Hercules!" When he makes a play.

[ATLSlobberKnockers 3,047]

4 hours ago, falconfansince66 said:

"Zombie-like motor"... Heheheh, sign me up! 

that's not a good thing. Lol.

Now "Coked-up werewolf motor" is a good thing

[Francis York Morgan 15,745]

Huge fan myself, posted a thread for him in NFL Draft a lil bit ago. One of very few guys who I'm 100% confident in being good players barring injury.

[UnrealfalcoN 2,529]

The more I study him, I feel like he might even drop to rounds 6-7. NFL has his stats as 6'1" 254 lbs. That's a real tough sell for a DT/DE. His combine isn't overly impressive but his production is definitely proof of his talent.

A full NFL offseason can probably get him around 265 - 275 lbs and ready to bulldoze bigger guys. He has a wrestling background too as a plus.

[Knight of God 40,945]

4 hours ago, falconsd56 said:

I still see to much TJ Duckett in Ballage.....if we could get the determined bowling ball of a runner.....that would be fantastic but I am worried that we would get the opposite.

That's because he was used as a CoP back, not a full time back. He was moved around to RB, FB, TE, WR, Wildcat, and even returns so yeah, if you never saw him actually play you wouldn't know him. They don't have everything did on highlights. So, if you see TJ Duckett its likely because you are a Falcons fan.