Marqui
Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
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After looking at Griffen and Wooten's pro day numbers I have to admit to being a little turned on at getting one of them for the strong side and still looking at a Sapp in the second round.
FYI. I bolded the best of the comparison of the three, Wooten's 20 and 3 cone are great for his size, it's too bad most numbers today are pro day not combine so it's not a real apples to apples comparison.
Wooton's 08 tape/production heavily suggests he can play OLB.So - does that affect how Wooten looks? Or are we simply falling into the trap of looking at measurables over tape/production?
Wooton's 08 tape/production heavily suggests he can play OLB.
BTW, check out Gholston's #s; they're insane. Why isn't this guy a dominator (yet)?
Wooton's 08 tape/production heavily suggests he can play OLB.
Gholston looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane. I think where the numbers are this close for the prospects, thats where productivity and film study come into the picture.
I like Jerry Hughes because on film, he comes off as a relentless pass rusher, he consistently pushes offensive linemen back due to his superior leg drive. His motor appears nonstop and he has an explosive first stop along with high agility when making pass rush moves.
Hughes repertoire may appear limited to a few moves but he appears to be a far superior pass rusher to a Sergio Kindle who can be stood up and doesn't generate the push to get off blocks once a lineman gets into his pads.
Now Hughes is not an 'ideal' pick because he's 'only' 6-2 with 33" arms, but his constant motor and pass rush abilities make him a more attractive prospect than most others after a slight trade down.
I've heard the arguments for and against Brandon Graham and I'm not quite convinced. However I think after a trade down to say the top of the 2nd round he could be a pretty good prospect if his size doesn't neutralize his effectiveness in BB's 3-4 2 gap. He's listed as 6'1 with 32 1/4 inch arms. Graham does appear to have an edge in sheer bulk though which could be useful in setting the edge vs the run. NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Brandon Graham
I keep going back to the fact that over the years BB has passed on literally scores of OLB/DE types because of one minor wart here or there. How can he justify taking a Hughes or Graham after passing on a warrior with measurables like Mathews last year?
Actually he clearly stated multiple times exactly what he's looking for in a DE/OLB. It's just that there's pretty much only one of them per draft and their always top 15 picks (out of the Pats range). Belichick wouldn't have passed on Orakpo and he wouldn't pass on Derrick Morgan if he magically fell to 22.Well, he could always point out that the "warrior" had only 5 total sacks in his college career. (Hughes and Graham rang up 28 each.)
But I'm totally with you on the broader point. I don't think we have any clue what Bill Belichick is looking for in an OLB/DE. He has so consistently passed on EVERYBODY that we're flying blind.
I keep going back to the fact that over the years BB has passed on literally scores of OLB/DE types because of one minor wart here or there. How can he justify taking a Hughes or Graham after passing on a warrior with measurables like Mathews last year?
Sapp is the only OLB/DE type in this draft that BB has film on showing a DE/OLB type playing with his hand off the ground and playing in coverage and rushing the passer. If BB thinks that Sapp is powerful enough to set the edge against the run, then I can see BB taking Sapp.
When I line them up side by side I get the following:
Best pass rusher - Kindle
Best run stopper - Graham
Best in coverage - Sapp (by default)
Best intangibles - Hughes
I keep going back to the fact that over the years BB has passed on literally scores of OLB/DE types because of one minor wart here or there. How can he justify taking a Hughes or Graham after passing on a warrior with measurables like Mathews last year?
There's the thing - Best run stopper. He's also an accomplished pass rusher - doesn't need to try to run wide around the tackle to get to the QB. No, he's probably not great in coverage. OTOH, how often did TBC drop back into coverage? How'd he do? Did it matter?
I agree.I think he might be slowly relaxing that prototype though. Certainly he's said that finding players to fit the prototype is getting harder and harder. Given the production of Dumervil and Woodley, perhaps Bill might give in and take a non-prototype players and see how it works out.
I tried to limit it to what I see as the weak side guys or the more pure pass rush types as opposed to guys like Griffen, Dunlap, etc, who are more like strong side guys.
I'm with you, though, in that I'd love to get Griffen (1), Sapp (2), Edds (4) which would just end this LB travesty once and for all and we could still get a WR and something else in the second round.
There's nothing really to relax though. To successfully run a 2 gap 3-4, OLBs have to be strong enough to stand up blockers and tall enough to see over them/read the play. I don't think he'll drop the prototype as long as he keeps using the 2 gap 3-4.I think he might be slowly relaxing that prototype though.
Actually he clearly stated multiple times exactly what he's looking for in a DE/OLB. It's just that there's pretty much only one of them per draft and their always top 15 picks (out of the Pats range). Belichick wouldn't have passed on Orakpo and he wouldn't pass on Derrick Morgan if he magically fell to 22.
There's nothing really to relax though. To successfully run a 2 gap 3-4, OLBs have to be strong enough to stand up blockers and tall enough to see over them/read the play. I don't think he'll drop the prototype as long as he keeps using the 2 gap 3-4.