2009 NFP Scouting Series: UTEP

(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

This summer, the National Football Post is breaking down every team in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) to identify players who might warrant interest from NFL teams in the 2010 draft.

The UTEP Miners finished the 2008 season with a 5-7 record and will be forced to lean heavily on their offense this year if they hope to compete for a Conference USA title.

Offense

Jeff Moturi: No. 6, WR, 6'0", 190

Moturi is a thin wideout who showcases a good burst off the line and has the ability to consistently get down the field. He displays natural explosion out of his breaks and exhibits the straight-line speed to run away from defenders underneath.

He also does a nice job changing gears in the pass game and gets back up to full speed quickly. Moturi locates the ball well out of his routes and consistently extends his arms and snatches the ball away from his frame.

He demonstrates some wiggle after the catch and has the short-area quickness to make a defender miss as he accelerates toward daylight.

However, he lacks body control as a route runner and struggles changing directions at full speed. Has a tendency to round off his routes down the field and gets really sloppy out of his breaks.

Impression: Moturi isn’t a real natural route runner and struggles getting out of his breaks sharply. However, he displays some natural short-area quickness and has the burst to threaten corners down the field. Looks like a developmental guy at the next level.

Mike Aguayo: No. 71, OT, 6'4", 300

An intriguing athlete who possesses a quick first step out of his stance and has the footwork to consistently reach the edge. Ahuayo does a nice job snapping off a compact punch on the outside and possesses the coordination to quickly recoil and set again.

He showcases impressive lateral mobility in pass protection and does a nice job mirroring defenders and redirecting in space.

However, he has as a tendency to get too high at times and is consistently handled at the point of attack. Aguayo struggles maintaining his balance against the bull-rush and can be driven backward into his quarterback’s lap.

He doesn’t play with natural leverage and struggles dropping his pad level on contact and anchoring inside. He isn’t much of an in-line run blocker and lacks the power to create movement off the ball.

Yet he’s very efficient when asked to reach-block and does a great job getting his feet around defenders and sealing them from the play.

Impression: I like his footwork and athletic ability and think his best shot will come as a guard in a zone-blocking scheme, but he needs to continue to get stronger.

Cameron Raschke: No. 78, OG, 6'4", 320

Raschke gets out of his stance quickly and showcases good fluidity on his initial first step in pass protection. He possesses smooth lateral footwork and has the quickness to cut off opposing defenders on either side of him.

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