Mayockisms

It's always a treat to listen to NFL Media's Mike Mayock talk draft prospects. His passion for football is obvious and infectious and his knowledge of the game is instructing. Mayock often uses the language of the scouting world to convey his thoughts on players. That's always entertaining. NFL.com provides a glossary of some of the scouting terms and phrases often uttered by Mayock, Mayockisms. Here are a few of those.

Road Grader: 
An offensive lineman who is highly effective in driving a defender off the ball on a running play.

Natural Bender: 
A flexible, athletic offensive or defensive lineman who bends at the knees, not the waist.

Downhill Thumper - LB: 
A physical linebacker who attacks and plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Heavy-Legged Waist Bender: 
An offensive or defensive lineman who lacks the flexibility to dip his hips and bend at the knees, causing him to look heavy-legged.

High Motor Guy: 
A player who displays tireless effort until the whistle on every snap.

Burp the Baby: 
When a QB taps his hand on the football too long and throws late, allowing a defensive back to jump a route.

Gets Through Trash: 
When a defender is able to successfully navigate through a mass of blockers and teammates and make a tackle.

Quicker than Fast: 
A player who may not possess great 40 yard dash speed but has quickness that is effective in short areas.

Run the Arc: 
When an edge rusher uses speed to run outside of an offensive tackle and then flattens his path to pursue the quarterback.

Bubble Butt: 
An offensive or defensive lineman with a powerful lower body that provides speed and explosion.

Sand in the Pants: 
An undersized lineman that possesses toughness but needs to add bulk and strength.

Taffy Pull: 
Despite a flurry of activity, neither the offensive or defensive player gains a decisive advantage.

Power Step: 
The inside foot of an offensive lineman, which closes the door to a defenders inside rush.

Dancing Bear: 
A huge defensive lineman with the agility of a ballerina.

Phone Booth: 
An offensive lineman with below-average feet that performs best in short areas.

Get-Off: 
The initial explosion and quickness off the snap.

Space Player: 
An offensive skill position player who typically excels in open areas due to athletic ability and speed.

Oily Hips: 
An ability of an LB or DB to change direction quickly and efficiently.

Body Beautiful: 
A ripped physique that even the other players talk about.

J.A.G.: 
Just A Guy.

For some reason, I've always like "Heavy-Legged Waist Bender". It's just fun to say. I also like "Sand in the Pants" and "Burp the Baby." And referring to the tushy as a "bubble" is classic. It's been fun to watch Mike Mayock grow comfortable in his job. He used to be so serious, and he always will be serious about football, but he's much more relaxed now.So relaxed that he's been known to break out in song in recent years. He's even taken a stab at rapping.

Thank you Mike Mayock for all that you do.