The Panthers need a free safety to pair with Eric Reid. Is Amani Hooker the right fit?" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteCat Scratch Readera Carolina Panthers communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsAboutPanthersOddsShopStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomFiled under:Carolina Panthers Film RoomPanthers 2019 NFL DraftFilm room scouting report on Iowa safety Amani HookerNew Curtis Samuel Color Rush Jersey ,37commentsThe Panthers need a free safety to pair with Eric Reid. Is Amani Hooker the right fit?EDTShareTweetShareShareFilm room scouting report on Iowa safety Amani HookerJeffrey Becker-USA TODAY SportsAmani Hooker played his high school football in Minneapolis, Minn. at Park Center High. Hooker was a three-star recruit and chose the Iowa Hawkeyes over Minnesota, Northern Iowa, and Wisconsin according to Rivals. During his three years in Iowa City, Hooker finished with six interceptions, nine pass breakups, 3.5 tackles-for-loss Daeshon Hall Jersey , and one sack.Hooker is an elite athlete. He posted a 1.0 sigma, which landed him in the 84.5th percentile according to SPARQ.Film reviewHooker is not a scheme dependent safety. He played a variety of roles for Iowa’s defense in 2018. He matched up in man coverage against backs, receivers, and tight ends. He rotated into the box to monitor the short and intermediate areas. He also played deep safety as he patrolled the third or half of the field. Hooker is much more comfortable as a deep safety in a two safety shell (Cover 2/4). He is a smart player who reads route tendencies and also displays the range to cover ground.Hooker starts as a deep half safety. He gets into his backpedal, but he picks up on the corner route when the receiver sticks his foot on the ground. Hooker stays light on his feet, but then explodes to get in front of the receiver and pick off the quarterback.Hooker rotated as a nickel corner for the Hawkeyes too. He matches in man coverage versus highly rated wide receiver Hakeem Butler. Butler is a physical receiver, but Hooker also shows his physical nature by getting hands on him to disrupt the release. He doesn’t flip or change directions fluidly when in man coverage Trai Turner Color Rush Jersey , but if a defense wants him to man up in the red zone Hooker is the guy.Hooker matches with the receiver in the slot after the motion. As mentioned above, he struggles to flip his hips and change direction. Iowa asked him to play inside leverage based on his positioning, but the receiver still exposes him with a sharp cut. Fortunately, it wasn’t taken advantage of, but this is an area where Hooker has to improve. Hooker is an excellent reader of the game. He has high level instincts when he’s lined up in the box, deep, or at nickel. He reads the intentions of the quarterback before locating the route and cleanly tackling the opponent. Hooker has a good understanding of zone coverage Taylor Moton Jersey , which allows him to make these quick decisions.Hooker did not impress as a run defender in the four games I watched. He is an aggressive player, but he consistently rook poor angles as he pursued the running back. His metrics as a tackler were not terrible, but he needs to play with more poise in run defense. He only had a 6.5% broken tackle percentage, which means many of the players he got hands on didn’t escape. His tackling form is fine, but he has to improve his pursuit angles.The good news is that pass defense is more important than run defense in today’s NFL, but coaches are still not going to enjoy the poor angles. Fit with CarolinaThe Panthers have a reliable box and run safety in Eric Reid. Hooker would add an element for their defense that they haven’t had in a while. His range, instincts Wes Horton Color Rush Jersey , and zone awareness make him a perfect piece for Carolina’s defense. Rivera employs a diverse set of coverages, but Hooker proved that he can match up with receivers in man coverage. His best work comes in zone as a deep half safety. He could rotate into the box to disguise coverages too. The Panthers should strongly consider Hooker if he’s on the board in the second round. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The NFL and the NFL Players Association say outspoken Eric Reid was not singled out with excessive drug tests.The joint statement released Wednesday said an independent administrator found Reid received the "normal" number of drug tests this season. The statement said, "there is no evidence of targeting or any other impropriety with respect to his selection for testing."Reid has said he believes he was repeatedly tested because of his pending lawsuit against the league. The Carolina Panthers safety said in December he had been tested seven times by the NFL. Reid said the league was targeting him because of the ongoing collusion case against the NFL in which he alleged team owners conspired to keep him out of the league because of his decision to kneel alongside former 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem to protest racial and social injustice.However, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Reid was not tested as many times as Reid said he was. The person did not say the exact number of times Reid was tested. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of confidentiality of the case."We take any claim questioning the integrity of our collectively bargained performance enhancing drug policy seriously," the joint statement from the NFL and the Players Association read.The statement said an independent administrator was asked to review the policy and produce a report on Reid's claims of targeting. A copy of this report, which contains personal and confidential testing information Stephen Curry Jersey , was recently provided to Reid."We will not breach any player's confidentiality, but can confirm that the report documents the dates he was randomly selected for testing and the actual dates of the drug tests," the statement said. "The report also demonstrates that Mr. Reid's tests were randomly generated via computer algorithm and that his selection for testing was normal when compared with the number of tests players were randomly selected for throughout the league during the time that he was on an active roster."Reid was not immediately available for comment.He joined the Panthers on Sept. 27 as a free agent.Because of when he joined the league he was immediately subject to two drugs tests — one for performance enhancing drugs and another for substance abuse, per league policy.However, Reid claimed he was tested an additional six times over the next 11 weeks, which would be high above the league norm. Most players say they are subject to testing about two or three times per year over the course of a 17-week regular season.While Reid said in December "I'm not surprised" by the number of the drug tests, his coaches and teammates began to grow a little skeptical of the amount of tests.Panthers coach Ron Rivera quipped at his news conference in December that "if my name came up that many times I would buy a lottery ticket."And Panthers wide receiver Torrey Smith said the tests were "very excessive."Reid continued to protest with the Panthers by kneeling during the national anthem this season.Reid was also fined four times by the NFL this season for illegal hits Shaq Thompson Color Rush Jersey , costing him more than $50,000. He appealed all of the hits and one of them was overturned.