Next up in the summer scouting series is a player who has appeared in quite a few “too early” mock drafts in the 20-40 overall range.
After breaking down fellow Trojan Caleb Williams, I turned my attention to USC safety Calen Bullock. Viewing the same four games (UCLA, Tulane, Utah and Oregon State), I came away with a few areas where Bullock can help himself in the upcoming season in terms of NFL draft stock.
More aggressive tackling in the run game
This issue popped up on the very first defensive rep against UCLA. Bullock, playing at the edge of the box, quickly diagnoses the Bruins run to his side and quickly crashes down. A linebacker gets there first, and that seems to dissuade Bullock from engaging at all. He alertly watches the play get made, and there’s value in that. But it would be nice to see Bullock being more than a nibbler as a tackler or a bystander, something that came up on tape a lot in the late-season games against Utah and Tulane.
Bullock looks pretty respectable as a tackler. But he’s much more of a clean-up type of tackler for the Trojans than he is an initiator. Whether that’s more by schematic design or a function of Bullock’s style of play remains to be seen.
Broaden his vision in coverage
Bullock closes on the ball quickly, but he could make more plays if he were savvier before the ball is thrown. The Utah game displayed several examples where Bullock was more interested in covering a realm than a receiver.
Even on a red zone play where he wound up getting a PD, Bullock is a little late to recognize the receiver running a post route. If Cam Rising’s throw isn’t too high, it’s a touchdown. Bullock doesn’t proactively cover routes as much as he tends to stick to an area. He also has a propensity to not react to a receiver until the ball is in the air. It takes away from his playmaking knack, which is very good. Bullock can get even better at it if he hedged routes and picked out a receiving target earlier. There was some growth in this area in the bowl game against Tulane but there is room for more.
Bulk up
Bullock is listed at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds. His frame is such that he’s never going to add considerable bulk, and he uses what he’s got well. However, Bullock’s wiry frame, notably his lower body, can still stand to add a few healthy pounds.
Aside from the obvious concern over playing strength in the NFL, there are also durability concerns that come with such an underweight player. Can Bullock physically hold up and stay effective when he’s some 25 pounds lighter than his contemporaries, even though he’s also 1-2 inches taller than most?
The frame will be something Bullock can’t completely ameliorate, but showing he can get a little bigger and stronger while he’s still 20 years old and at USC can only help his draft stock potential .
