WR Cameron Alves CCU Scouting Report

 Cameron Alves

Wide Receiver

Stonehill & Central Connecticut College

5’9 190

Overall Grade: 81

Player Profile:

Strengths: 

• Quick lateral mover
• Nuanced route runner, stacks to sell vertical uses agility to win inside-outside
• Evident twitch and burst from release to finish
• Plays with and edge as a blocker and after the catch
• Gritty/Scrapy willing blocker
• Action initiator in the open field
• Impressive body control at POA for his size
• Good feel for leverage (when to shut down or break)
• Clean feet (no wasted movement)
• Excels vs free releases to take advantage of leverage

Weaknesses: 

• Height projects as strictly inside (some potential to play outside w/body control)
• Not a consistent overtop separator (4.52 40)

Overview:

Alves is a junkyard dawg at the wide receiver position. While you would think his height limits him to the inside, his route running nuance and body control gives him a chance to take reps as an X or Z. Still Alves excelled in the slot, especially versus free releases. Alves takes advantage of space given to him in his short to intermediate routes to break and explode with his burst inside or outside. On intermediate to deep routes Alves does a good job of stacking and attacking the Db’s pocket to take advantage of knowing where he is going. Alves burst could instill fear into defenders given how nuanced his routes are making everything seem vertical until it is not. 

Alves always keeps his feet clean, wasting no movement whatsoever, there is never a choppy route run as his body and feet stay aligned and in control even flashing sideline catches at times. His feet are quick, his hips are flexible to get inside and outside uber athletically. 

Alves should be even more desirable for his blocking ability, he was a very scrappy, physically and gritty blocker who looked like he was having fun doing it. The willingness is there as the only question would be play strength against better opponents. That same scrappiness is shown after the catch. Alves was able to get extra yards by breaking off contact with his play strength and make players miss with action initiation. 

Alves should be best utilized at the next level as a slot receiver where he can motion into a free release vs man coverage and taught how to settle in zones to combine with his YAC ability. Alves can also be in on run downs at X, Y and Z to get his physical presence on the field.