Aldon Smith

[Brady2Welker]

@brady2welker

i'm on board with everything you said up until the part about smith being a great prospect for the pats 3-4 defense.

i think he would be better in a system like the colts. but i have serious doubts about his ability to be an effective 3-4 OLB. he's probably the biggest risk of any hybrid in this draft. although he can chase down RBs from the backside (when he wants to), a good running team will have success running right at him. i just don't think he has the strength to shrug off an nfl OL from the stand up position.

and combine video is fine. but it's really no way to fully evaluate someone.

smith certainly has a lot of the measurables but i don't feel he has the chops to succeed in the pats defense as a 3-4 OLB. now if you wanted someone who can rush the passer in sub packages, then maybe. but BB typically doesn't go for the non-versatile players. either way, he is far too risky for BB's taste.

i also have to consider that he got all of his sacks against illinois, san diego st,, kansas and kansas st. but sacks aren't the whole story. but it's worth noting that in 6 games (not including the 3 he missed due to injury) he did not record a sack.

I welcome differing opinions. There isn't a single 3-4 OLB conversion prospect in this draft that is an ideal fit for the Patriots. The problem is all these good conversion prospects come from a 4-3 and there's little knowledge if any of these players can play standing up because they've never tried. I believe Smith is the best for the Patriots in this draft, but not the best ever. This draft is deep for pass rushers in the 4-3, but not in the 3-4. Even the other prospects I like on a superficial basis like Kerrigan would likely not fit in the Patriots scheme. It's part of the reason I said I expect us to grab a defensive end and trade out of the first round (or maybe grab an OL); in the first you expect to get players that are fairly low bust % that will have a high impact on the team, because they were premier college players. Belichick won't use the 'value' of that pick on a conversion player, and I don't blame him.

 

[cstjohn17]

I agreed with the NFL evaluation committee's second round grade on this kid, I've seen nothing to suggest he's a first round value.

Sorry Box, first time he saw him play was last night against the Steelers.

He is for real, better than Von Miller. The Niners have done a great job building that defense, even without Willis they wer great.

 

[mrscruff]

Sorry Box, first time he saw him play was last night against the Steelers.

He is for real, better than Von Miller. The Niners have done a great job building that defense, even without Willis they wer great.

I also had concerns about Aldon Smith PRIOR to the Draft. True the physical tools were there, but most of his sacks in college (that I saw) were against guards when he moved inside on third down. It is so hard to project guys to the next level because of so many factors such as college scheme, play assignments, etc.

Not to say that Smith was bad or anything like that, I just thought the Niners reached for him a little bit. But the 49ers have handled him superbly and put him in the best chance to succeed and their selection is paying off.

I still prefer Von Miller. But I wouldn't say no to Aldon Smith right now either.

 

[Ivan]

Smith was at the top of my list for the first round and Solder was much further down, but even in retrospect i think Solder was as good a pick if not better. Smith would fill a big hole and need for them but I think Solder is going to become the premiere LT in football for years to come and that is as valuable as it gets. Just as the Patriots ended up with Gronkowski instead of Mathews I think this is another situation where both players end up great but the patriots come out ahead in the end.