21 Jul Preseason Scouting Notes: Greg Eisworth II, S, Iowa State
Redshirt Senior | 6’0” 198 lbs | Grand Pairie, TX
A physical and forceful defensive communicator who makes a major impact on the first and second level as a run defender
Overview:
Greg Eisworth II originally committed to Ole Miss, but transferred to Texas’ Trinity Valley Community College after just one semester before joining Iowa State as a redshirt sophomore. After arriving in Ames, Eisworth immediately became an impact player in the secondary while leading the team in tackles. In 2019, he was named as a team captain and became the vocal leader of the Cyclone defense. Eisworth primarily lines up in the middle of Iowa State’s 3-safety look in the ‘star’ role, and will also occasionally line up in the slot, or as a box safety.
Strengths:
– Team captain, leader, and true chief communicator on defense
– Extremely aggressive and physical downhill in run support
– Forceful tackler who shows proper technique and does a good job attacking near hip with near shoulder
– Good anticipatory route recognition
– Takes proper pursuit angles. Rarely forced to make a J-curve in pursuit
– Shows a high-level ability to key and diagnose runs. Makes him very effective in the box when coupled with his good downhill trigger
– Navigates through traffic well when pursuing backside
– High motor player who maintains a good baseline tempo
– Will be an instant impact core special teamer at the next level due to his adequate speed, physicality, and tackling efficiency
– Proved his toughness while playing through injury for most of the 2019 season
Areas to improve:
– Lacks the necessary range to play single-high at the NFL level
– Stops his legs on contact too often
– Clunky hip transitions hinder his man coverage ability
– Has trouble staying in phase against speedy receivers down field
– Though his ball skills are adequate when he’s square to the LOS, he needs to improve his ball skills and tracking with his back turned in coverage
Injury concerns:
Left TCU game with a shoulder injury and missed one game. Played through the injury for the remainder of the 2019 season
Projection:
Eisworth projects to start his NFL career as a backup strong safety and core special teamer, and could eventually become a starting box safety. Due to his aggressiveness in run support and zone coverage, Eisworth will thrive in the box and in underneath coverage. He is a particularly effective deterrent against screens, jet sweeps and other gadget plays, and thus will be highly effective as an alley dropper. At this point, expect him to be taken early on Day 3 by a team looking for a third or fourth safety to shore up their rotation.
What to watch in 2020:
Eisworth will need to work on his hip fluidity if he wants to improve in coverage. While he’s got some good route recognition skills, his clunkiness in turn and run situations will hinder him from being able to start at safety at the NFL level. And in his second season as a team captain and defensive leader for Iowa State, how will his role and responsibilities grow?
- XTB’s Director of Scouting
- Bay Area-born sports lover who has worked in the football industry as a journalist, coach, film analyst, and scout.
- Currently a graduate student attending the UMass Sport Management program, and received his BA in journalism at Hofstra University.