Video Analysis: Johnathan Franklin Owns Ed Reynolds

Impressive footage of Packers running back Johnathan Franklin in college makes NFL Draft prospect Ed Reynolds look unready for primetime.

The above video should serve two purposes for Green Bay Packers and NFL Draft fans. One is to see current Packer and 2013 draft choice Johnathan Franklin in action. The other is to provide analysis of Ed Reynolds, a safety prospect  from Stanford and a member of the 2014 draft class.

Footage is from the 2012 Pac-12 Championship game between UCLA and Stanford.

The video should serve as a reminder as to why the Packers selected Franklin a year ago. In the most meaningful game of the season for UCLA, Franklin rushed the ball 19 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns, averaging over 10 yards per carry.

Many of those yards, however, came at the expense of Reynolds.

In our Cheesehead TV NFL Draft guide, Reynolds is ranked as my No. 15 overall safety—lower than most other outlets—and this video illustrates why.

If the casual fan were to watch this game without a critical eye and without focusing specifically on Reynolds, they'd very likely assume he had a great game. He had a pick-six that helped Stanford win a one-score ball game, claim the conference championship and earn a berth in the Rose Bowl.

But upon closer inspection, Reynolds flails on missing no fewer than five tackles on Franklin, leaving his feet and ending up on the ground on all five. Unfortunately for Reynolds, this is no exaggeration.

Times are for the video, not the game clock.

0:21 Reynolds makes contact with Franklin, fails to wrap up as Franklin breaks loose and gains a first down.

0:48 Reynolds makes a poor read resulting in taking a poor angle to Franklin, makes a diving attempt at a tackle and watches Franklin run over 50 yards for the touchdown.

1:32 Reynolds over-commits to Franklin going in motion, leaving the middle of the field open to quarterback Brett Hundley who runs for about 50 yards when Reynolds can't recover.

1:55 Reynolds misses an open-field tackle on Franklin, setting up first-and-goal.

2:15 Reynolds misses another open-field tackle on Franklin on a run that gained about 30 yards.

3:22 Reynolds again over-commits to a receiver going in motion, gets out of position and fails to tackle Franklin.

Reynolds' interception comes at 2:37 on a nice read in a Cover 2 zone. If it could be guaranteed he could come up with a pick-six every game, all these missed tackles and misreads could be overlooked. Unfortunately that's rarely the case.

Admittedly, this is the worst film on Reynolds. Nothing I watched before or after this game came close to looking this poorly.

But based on this game, Reynolds barely looks like he belongs on a major college football let alone an NFL one.

There are things to like about Reynolds, namely his six interceptions as a sophomore in 2012, three of them going for touchdowns. He couldn't keep pace as a junior, however, picking off just one pass.

He also has NFL bloodlines, his father playing safety in the league for a decade between the eighties and nineties.

But there's not enough evidence to show that Reynolds—at this point in his development—should be anything other than a late-round draft choice at best and would have been better served returning to Stanford for his senior season.

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Comments (24)

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lmills's picture

April 29, 2014 at 03:40 pm

the best part about this video...it shows how good Franklin could be.

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4thand1's picture

April 29, 2014 at 07:26 pm

Who cares about your opinion? You don't like anyone the Packers draft. You rip on CMIII, Hayward, Lacy, and Even Rodgers. YOU SUCK. . Saying you suck is an insult to everyone who sucks by the way.

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lmills's picture

April 30, 2014 at 06:58 am

Like I said...it shows how good he COULD be. Didn't say he's awesome right now. Quit looking for a reason to bitch.

The talent is there. Let's see if he gets a chance to show it again. Pretty crowded backfield this year!!!

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lmills's picture

April 30, 2014 at 01:21 pm

Fair enough. I think he'll be good. I hope he proves you wrong. gopackgo

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LASVEGAS-TOM's picture

April 30, 2014 at 01:58 pm

COW, Not to change the subject, but GB is currently 15-1 to win the SB, &
8-1 to win the NFC. I'll be there Tuesday, I was thinking $500/$200, or should I go $200/$500? I think the odds will drop soon. What do you think? LVT

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4thand1's picture

April 30, 2014 at 05:54 pm

Never seen a prick post publicly , hoping a player gets hurt, only to make himself look good by saying, told you so. NO ONE needs or wants fans like this.

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BradHTX's picture

April 30, 2014 at 10:56 pm

13 carries, 103 yds rushing, 1 TD, 3 receptions, 23 yds receiving -- in his first game as an NFL starter, against the #5 Cincinnati rushing defense.

Gee, you're right, Cow, he has no talent. Sorry, I know, arguing with actual statistics doesn't really work with the twisted logic of your sad world. "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up."

Yes, granted, he also had one costly fumble in that game that landed him in the doghouse, and legitimately so. But there is a difference between a lack of skill and a lack of talent. Ball security can be taught. Franklin wasn't ready for prime time last year, but I'm betting this year he is.

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Jordan's picture

April 30, 2014 at 11:36 pm

Yeah I don't think he's even aware that Franklin played in that game. A lot of packers fans aren't really in tune with who's in the game. They got ripped on Saturday night before the game and are half tanked by noon on Sunday with a belly full of brats during games.

Franklin is a good player.

Neither franklin or Harris will hardly ever see the field anyway as long as lacy and Starks are healthy.

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RCPackerFan's picture

May 01, 2014 at 11:11 am

That Cincinnati game is why I am most exited about him. He showed that he could play on the NFL level. That game he showed the same things he did in college.
I have been very high oh him. Most know that. But that game to me is what proved that he will be good.

Ball security can be taught. A lot of young RB's have ball protection issues. Eddie Lacy fumbled in his first game. Guys like Tiki Barber, Ahman Green, Adrian Peterson all had fumbling issues earlier in their careers and cleaned it up.

I think Franklin could be the most improved player from year 1 to year 2.

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Evan's picture

May 01, 2014 at 11:13 am

And Cincy wasn't some pushover defense. 5th best defense against the rush (allowed 96.5 yards per game, 4 yards per carry)

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Ibleedgreenmore's picture

April 29, 2014 at 04:41 pm

Franklin flashed we have the best running backs I can remember and that goes back to the 1950s.

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Alex559's picture

April 29, 2014 at 06:51 pm

This is great Brian, I'd love to see more of these!

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DrealynWilliams's picture

April 29, 2014 at 08:38 pm

I was watching highlights of Dujuan Harris the other day and afterwards I got a bit sad. Someone has to go. Either Franklin or Harris. I doubt we can trade either one for much.

I guess this is a good problem to have *sigh*

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ray nichkee's picture

April 30, 2014 at 10:52 am

I think if most of us had our way cow would go and the backs would all stay. Depending on how the draft and preseason go there may be room for all of them if they excell in pass catching easing the void of finley and jones. Just saying its not out of the question.

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Jordan's picture

April 30, 2014 at 06:46 pm

Franklin is the real deal. I'd say there's zero chance that Franklin gets cut over Harris.

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Jordan's picture

April 30, 2014 at 11:25 pm

One would think if they had any intention of giving Harris any playing time, they....

A. Wouldn't have drafted a RB in both the 2nd and 4th rounds of 2013.
B. wouldn't have resigned Starks.

Dejuan Harris is just cheap insurance 4th string running back. He's never going to see the field. I'm not sure he even makes the team unless he makes it on special teams (which I doubt).

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Evan's picture

April 30, 2014 at 11:03 am

Right now, I'd say the odds are in favor of all 5 making the team.

Of course, a lot can and will change over the next 5 months.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

April 30, 2014 at 01:10 pm

I hope so. I really like all 4 RBs. We know what Lacy and Starks can do running,but what Franklin and Harris can bring to the passing game can be crucial if actually utilized more often.

Franklin and Harris might not offer the best pass blocking but they can open up the middle by forcing LBs or a Safety to come down and account for them.

Was there ever a game where we got a decent amount of runs from 2 RBs? If not,that needs to happen this season. Carries: 20 and 10 or 15 and 15.

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RCPackerFan's picture

May 01, 2014 at 11:12 am

Why does someone have to go?
They can keep 4 RB's and 1 FB. They can go with 3 TE's or find a spot elsewhere.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

May 01, 2014 at 03:09 am

This draft is so deep that roster spots on the 53 man squad are going to be at a premium. The talent at RB/FB might dictate keeping 5 guys. But in general if you are a back-up to a back-up in GB, you should be looking over your shoulder. Maybe some starters too

I think a lot of rookies (double digits) make the 53 this year. Over/under maybe 12? Of course, right now we don't know if TT trades back for more picks, or even, gasp, trades up.

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4thand1's picture

May 01, 2014 at 02:35 pm

You just don't quit do you? I'm sure you said this in 2010 too. In fact, I'd bet on it. The 15-1 season should have gone all the way too. They picked a bad time to play the worst game of the year. This is still pretty much the same team. Except for Woodson , Bishop, and Collins. By the way, you still suck.

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Jordan's picture

May 01, 2014 at 03:05 pm

I'm pretty sure Ted Thompson realizes that not addressing the safety position adequately after the loss of Collins has been an epic organizational blunder.

I expect the packers to draft a safety early and late.

If you're waiting for TT to step up to the podium and admit that he screwed up with safety....it's not going to happen. That type of admission comes after he retires. Just like Wolf's admissions of screw ups came after he retired.

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Jordan's picture

May 01, 2014 at 05:36 pm

Yep, mistakes were made with personnel, coaching, and there's been some poor performances by certain players.

Nobody's perfect. The most important thing is that they recognize the mistakes and make the appropriate changes. Now we get to sit back and watch and see if they learned from their past mistakes. Luck is always an important factor too. ;)

What I mean by luck is this example: if Schneider and the Seahawks thought Richard Sherman was going to be as good as he is.....they never would have waited until the 5th round to draft him. That's luck. Packers need some luck too. ;)

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4thand1's picture

May 01, 2014 at 07:56 pm

Hey dumbass (cow), tell me how many receptions Finley had in the playoffs and the SB in 2010? Jones dropped a sure TD right before the half and in Philly. Jennings was great because of Rodgers pinpoint passing, man you fuckin suck more every time you open your stupid piehole.
PS, Jenkins was never heard from again.

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