San Francisco 49ers: High-Risk, High-Reward Prospects in 2016 NFL Draft
By Jerod Brown
Scooby Wright-Inside Linebacker-University of Arizona
Scooby Wright is a high-risk, high-reward prospect in the April draft whether we like it or not. His collegiate career, fair or unfair, will always be weighed against him as a professional player. The 2015 season was filled with injuries for Wright, but his 2014 season is arguably one of the best seasons in college football history for any defensive player.
Wright’s stock has cooled in some circles recently but that was to be expected. Quite frankly, he isn’t the type of player that is ever going to impress in environments like the NFL Combine. He doesn’t have exceptional speed. He has short arms. He doesn’t demonstrate elite fluidity that you’d like to see from potential first-round picks.
All of those factors lead to Wright’s drop into the later rounds. Even in the third or fourth round, he is the ultimate high-risk, high-reward prospect. There is a very real possibility that Wright never manages to compensate for his lack of size and speed at the NFL level. None of that will be due to a lack of effort. Unfortunately, some things aren’t a matter of how bad you want it.
If Wright is able to perform despite his assumed lack of desired traits, some team will be incredibly happy. Every game that Wright plays, he seems to be going harder than everyone else on the field. That sort of engine creates issues when Wright seems anxious and unsettled on plays but it also helps when paired with his ability to diagnose. Wright makes up for his flaws by being aggressive in everything he does. NFL Network Analyst Charles Davis noticed Wright’s ability last month.
A typical sack becomes a violent forced fumble. A sideline tackle of a running back becomes a suplex. Quite simply, the undersized linebacker is looking to make plays every chance he gets.
On the 49ers, a team that struggled to generate sacks and turnovers in 2015, it’s hard not to imagine what Wright could bring if given an opportunity and solid coaching.
I could give you a scouting report on Wright but that’s been done enough. Most 49ers fans know who and what this kid offers. Do I wish he would sink his hips more to gain leverage on tackles? Yeah. But someone can teach that. You can’t teach players the desire to be ultra-aggressive every time they smell the football. Wright has that already. In fact, he stands at the top of the entire draft class in that regard.
If the team that selects Wright gets anything close to his 2014 season, they may have the steal of the draft. If not, they might regret spending the pick. The 49ers have more than enough picks, including compensatory picks, to use one on Wright in hopes that they get one of the best playmakers in this draft.
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