PatriotMaven Scouting Profile: Josiah Deguara
Josiah Deguara is a fun guy to profile. He's very different from the tight ends we have already gone over. He flashes really solid route-running, especially downfield, and also shows a lot of grit and toughness into his blocking. Despite some physical restrictions that he fights through, Degaura was fun to watch and found a lot of success on film.
Deguara is certainly not in the first tier of tight ends in this draft class. He will get drafted a lot lower than guys like Cole Kmet, Thaddeus Moss, and Adam Trautman, who we profiled earlier in this series. Instead, Deguara currently looks like a sixth rounder. NFL teams may look at him and see a low-ceiling player, which potentially may not be high enough to become an NFL starter.
Let's take a look at his route-running, blocking, fight, ceiling, and everything else here:
Type and versatility
- Deguara projects as more of a move tight end at the next level. He can line up as an in-line blocker and line up as a receiver. He is pretty versatile in this category. Teams should be comfortable moving him around the formation and asking him to do different things.
Hands
- Not a lot to say here. Deguara catches the ball pretty cleanly, doesn't make too many body catches, not a lot of drops, and appears to have a pretty sound catch radius. No red flags, nothing to jump out at you. Just routine hand skills.
Route tree
- Really impressive flashes of route-running ability on film.
- Deguara shows good pace, fakes out defenders with his eyes and head. He demonstrates a strong understanding of different coverages and then quickly implements a plan on how to attack it. He makes strong vertical cuts and can stack his defender well and get back to his landmark. Vertical routes and seams are a strongsuit for him.
- Excels in off-coverage. However, when pressed, it can become a different story. Deguara lacks strength and athleticism to sometimes fight off stronger guys in press. Added strength for Deguara will benefit him in multiple areas of the game, especially in the next section.
Blocking
- Deguara is really, really gritty. The kid has a lot of fight in him.
- He keeps a balanced base, squares up defenders well, and keeps his feet moving, which are all things you want to see out of a blocker.
- Deguara struggles to stay square sometimes and lacks strength to compete with some edge rushers. A jump to the next level will have Deguara going against bigger, stronger athletes. Some technique issues like staying square can be fixed during training camp, however, Deguara has to hit the gym now. Watch his bench press at the combine.
- Overall, Deguara was a really good blocker at Cincinnati. However, without these adjustments mentioned above, Deguara will not find the same success in the NFL.
Technique and fundamentals
- Deguara has many skills, but is a master of none. He lacks understanding of little concepts that need to covered and learned to be an effective piece of an offense. In order to be relied upon in the blocking game and be known as a guy who can get open in the passing game, a coaching staff and him have to sit down and talk about the little things. This is where Deguara can grow.
- Just small, learnable technical pieces are probably preventing him from being a third or fourth round pick right now. Besides that, his overall technique and fundamentals are okay, but the little things separate him in a negative way. Good news is that no teacher prides himself on the little things more than Bill Belichick. A trip to New England might be exactly what he needs to hone in on these missing pieces.
Size
- Certainly not a big tight end. Deguara is only 6-foot-3, 245 lbs, which is okay, but nothing to marvel over. His size can cause some limitations in his game.
Athleticism
- This area is a concern for scouts. Deguara is not a dynamic athlete. He lacks next-level strength. He is not really a threat to jump up and grab the ball out of the air. His speed is okay, however, not great.
- His athletic profile is far from glowing. His upcoming combine will either show exactly this or maybe, just maybe, he proves scouts and myself wrong. Personally, I hope he does.
Film
Really nice job of selling the run here by Deguara. He fakes out his defender, gets into the flat, cuts upfield and into the endzone.
Same game, same quarter, Deguara pancakes a guy. He does a really nice job of keeping his feet going here to drive him to the ground.
Really nice route right here. Deguara is really good on this skinny post route. He fakes out the defender and freezes him in space.
Fit
Deguara could also come out of the backfield and get some fullback snaps in. His blocking ability and his vertical threat as a receiver would be a dangerous combo out of the backfield. However, in the meantime, Deguara projects as a solid number two or number three option in this offense. He would be extremely effective in Josh McDaniels' staple play-action calls.
Deguara would be a phenomenal option if New England decided to double-up at tight end in the draft. That move could potentially solve their tight end issue once and for all.
