Jabaal Sheard
 

Been struggling over value when doing my mocks. What's the dropoff from Quinn to Smith to Reed...Watt to Jordan to Wilkerson, etc. Then I stumbled upon a name I had been ignoring.

Jabaal Sheard.

Sheard has prototypical size, is explosive off the snap, was super productive once Romeus went down, is a team leader, plays with non-stop determination and has a hell of a nasty streak. He can rush the passer and play the run. Coverage is a question, but he'd be unlikely to drop into coverage often.

God I hope Belichick thinks this guy can play OLB. I'd take him at 28.

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

I think he's a mid-2nd to early-3rd talent. A quick look at his combine stats(4.69 40 and 31" vert) lends me to believe that he is more quick than explosive and I'd rather target a player with explosion off the edge.

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

Don't think he's even on Pats draft board.

Sheard was in a fight and had to be pepper sprayed by police after he threw the man through the glass door of an art gallery.

Sheard was arraigned on charges including aggravated assault and resisting arrest. :rocker:

Source: sports@huffingtonpost.com

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

We all have a few bad says...............................

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

I believe it was self defense and he got a bit carried away. He apologized, and life went on. Not as big of a deal as it originally sounded. Besides, we took Meriweather despite the fact that he shot a man while in college, plus the head stomping incident.

Sheard is a pretty good player. He's tough, gritty, and aggressive on the field. I don't know if I see an elite athlete who could hold up with a lot of coverage responsibilities, but I think he could be okay with the occasional zone drop. He doesn't have the length we typically look for, but I'm not sure that matters if he's got the requisite skills. I would be okay with him from the mid-second onward.

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

...but was voted a team captain even after that, and was respected by teammates and coaches for his outstanding work ethic and relentless play.

This is a tough situation, a player who was always considered a top intangibles guy so everybody he'd ever played for/with called the "incident" shockingly out of character. But, it's obviously a very serious "incident." :confused2:

EDIT: I just remembered, FWIW Dave Wannstadt, after learning all the details of the situation, surprised everyone by choosing not to suspend Sheard for even a single game. That wasn't Wannstadt's MO as a college coach, so that's a bit of support for the idea that it was self-defense taken too far.

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

Maybe you should look at different stats. ;) Sheard also recorded an outstanding 1.59 10-yard-split, more typical of a safety than a DE.

I just wish he'd played LB in a post-season game, or at least been able to do the shuttle, cone and positional drills at the combine. Or some detailed info on his pro day performance, maybe? Something? Doubtless the Patriots have plenty of ways to judge his prospects as a conversion project, but I have no clue. He spent most of his time at Pitt fighting double teams as a pass rusher.

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

Russ LandeFWIW.

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

Good to hear that from Lande, but here's WalterFootball's take, also FWIW:

WalterFootball.com: 2011 NFL Draft - Pro Day Results

:confused3:

Re: Jabaal Sheard
 

Yup, our media friends go all out to keep us informed and part of the process. :confused2: