One could also highlight different portions of the scouting report:
He plays with very good lateral quickness and can change directions quickly. He has speed to the sideline with burst to close. He lacks overall strength to play stout, but can be aggressive on entry into blocks. He will stay stuck too long at times and lose ground working to escape. He still enters into some lead block contact with his shoulder first. He has good balance, but will get bounced. He is quick enough to sidestep or elude contact on his path to the ball. He has range and can close quickly from the backside to make plays. He usually provides good wrap on tackles and has some pop to him when he squares up. In coverage, he has good awareness. He'll stay on the field when the Rams go to nickel personnel. He is aggressive with his reads and will bite occasionally on play-action. He moves well in space, changes direction quickly and can recover from false steps. His overall reactions are adequate. He can close quickly after making reads. He is a productive player with good speed and range, when healthy.
The question facing the Patriots is not: is he better than Mayo?
He's not.
The question is: is he better, in this system, than Alexander, or possibly udfa rookie Antonio Appleby?
With Guyton, a young exciting undrafted player, the primary back-up behind two starters, one a 35-year old vet, this team could use another inside linebacker.
If you ignore the need, and substitute a playing weight 15 pounds below his listed weight, then you have a solid argument.
We've seen what Alexander can do in this defense. Special teams. You really don't want to see him starting in December.
Here's the scouting report from nfl.com on Appleby:
Analysis
Positives: Prototypical build for the position. ... Thick, powerful build. ... Good lateral agility to elude the blocker in space. ... Physical in taking on blockers. ... Good upper and core strength to handle the blocker. ... Rarely pushed back and has the strength to slide off blocks to make the tackle at the point of attack. ... Squares up to make the tackle in the hole. ... Good physical pop and wraps his arms for the secure tackle. ... Experienced blitzer who can close with an open lane.
Negatives: Good bulk and strength, but struggles to disengage from blocks. ... Lacks the closing burst preferred for the position. ... Lunges at the ballcarrier, too often missing tackles. ... Marginal speed to the flanks. ... Lacks the speed and lateral agility to be effective in coverage.
A sort of similar profile to the one on Tinoisamoa. Also note that Tino is more stout.
I don't know if Tinoisamoa is a great fit for this defense. As a back-up coverage ILB, it sounds like he is a better option right now than Alexander or Appleby. At least worth checking out.
