Scouting Report: Ikaika Alama-Francis

by Tom Kowalski
Thursday June 12, 2008, 6:03 AM


2008 Scouting Report

When a player like Alama-Francis is relatively new to the game of football - he didn't start playing competitively until he was in college - the early reports (and hopes) are that his skills in other sports (volleyball and basketball, in this case) will help him make the transition quickly. It's happened before - San Diego tight end Antonio Gates might be the best example.

However, when that same player struggles early with the nuances of football, the coaches will tell you "Hey, give him a break. He's only been playing football for a couple of years.'' And that's where the Lions are right now with Alama-Francis. They're still on high on him because of his raw skills, but it's time for him to show drastic improvement over his unproductive rookie season.

Alama-Francis was overmatched early in the season, seeing action in just two of the first nine games. A hamstring injury in practice sidelined him for another three games. He played in the final four games and had 12 total tackles but no sacks.

A few reasons the Lions are high on Alama-Francis are his explosiveness off the ball -- although he still has to do a better job of hitting the snap -- his non-stop motor and his hand quickness. Alama-Francis is still learning what to do in terms of hand placement but if he does a good job with that, he can be a productive player.

Alama-Francis will play mostly at left defensive end, but can also be moved inside on passing downs. With Shaun Rogers gone, the Lions are looking for more pass pressure from the inside.




MY THOUGHTS
One thing I liked is that his body changed from the first year to the second. That tells me he has been working hard. He is big and strong enough to play the left end, which is more for run support than pass rush, but has the quickness and strength to rush the passer. I think with having 4 guys up front that go all out on every play will help the pass rush this year and also the run. Nothing is more frustrating to a fan then to watch players that get paid 50 times more then we do and see them quit on a play or see them not try their hardest. It is easy to spot. This is one thing that 5-0 has not been accused of and more important to me, he has heart.