Scouting Report: Aveion Cason

by Tom Kowalski
Thursday June 26, 2008, 12:03 AM
AVEION CASON

2008 Scouting Report

In breaking down Aveion Cason, there is nothing that he does with great productivity, but there are a lot of things which he does efficiently and that's why he always seems to find his way onto a roster. Cason has played seven years in the NFL but only has five career starts.


Cason has enough speed to run the ball, he's quick and smart and can be a good receiver out of the backfield, he can cover on special teams and he can also return kickoffs.


Cason might find it hard to land a spot on Detroit's roster this season for two reasons: There is a lot of competition at that spot (with players who share much of the same versatility) and coordinator Mike Martz is no longer in town. Cason, who played for Martz in St. Louis, had an advantage over other backs because of his knowledge of the system. Cason, though, doesn't have that edge anymore.

Still, Cason has three factors working in his favor and they are, in order, experience, versatility and speed. Tatum Bell is fast, too, but he doesn't have Cason's versatility. Brian Calhoun is fast, too, but he doesn't have Cason's experience or dependability. But, because Cason doesn't have that one big skill that he can hang his hat on, he'll always be expendable.

If Cason doesn't make the 53-man roster, though, don't write him off. Cason never seems to have as much value on the final cutdown date as he does when the games actually begin and coaches begin scrambling for versatile guys who have done it before.