Id really like if some day somebody from the Beckwith family here could explain to me what makes him a good future NFL player.
Watching his games I can't see it. Apart from occasional big plays (that can make great highlight reel for sure) I can't see it. I don't see the player (motor, instincts, IQ, character, heart..) among other issues..
I want to - he is low enough on boards for a 3rd round pick . considering weak LB class and his good measurements - so Id appreciate some help..
ps
same with Bowser
General thoughts: Beckwith is often moving guys around the formation and pointing out responsibilities. He's a smart player. He's almost always around the ball on run plays. That's not to say that his tape is all good, but the first thing I want to see from a linebacker is an understanding of defensive responsibilities, and then instincts to be near the ball. He checks those boxes for me. Then I wonder: can he take on blocks? It's easy to make an unblocked tackle, but can he stack and shed? The answer is yes (well, usually; he has some weird miscues at times).
I'm grabbing some clips from 2015, since there aren't a ton from before his injury in 2016 (although he was putting up the best numbers of his career). I'll do a few for each game that's up on Draftbreakdown.com. My goal is to convince you regarding his positive traits, so I'm skipping bad plays, since you already know all about them. Don't complain that I'm cherry picking -- I'm doing it on purpose.
He's not a perfect prospect. I gave him an early-mid 3rd round grade prior to injury, whereas he was largely regarded as a late-1st or 2nd round guy. Now that the market value has dropped for him due to the ACL, there's a very good chance that he could be available for the pick we got for Collins. That seems like the right spot to take a gamble. If Hightower leaves, then I'd take him earlier, just to make sure we got our guy. It's all about projection, and he is very good when he plays with the right technique.
Here's a great two-play sequence. On the first play he is patient, reads the play, sidesteps the pulling right guard, and makes a solid tackle. On the second play, however, he diagnoses the run before the handoff even occurs, bursts toward the line at the snap, ragdolls the left guard, and drops the back immediately for a third-down stop. Me like!
Mixed feelings about this play. On the one hand, he probably should have mirrored the flow of the back, but on the other hand, he was also trying to stay disciplined in case it's a quarterback run (watch his eyes stay on Dak Prescott, who we all know is a true threat to run, until he's sure where the ball is). The reason I wanted to highlight this play, however, is that one of the big knocks against him is his play speed. Notice the burst once he begins his pursuit. He takes a good angle and accelerates into the tackle.
I know, I know. I can hear your reaction already to this next play. "He gave up a first down! He can't cover! Why is this even remotely positive?" Well, I'm glad you asked.
One of the most important things about scouting is looking for transferable traits, and not simply grading a prospect pass/fail based on a play outcome. Here, Beckwith doesn't prevent the first down, but he
does show the speed, agility, and body control to get considerable depth on his drop, locate the ball, and make a strong tackle. It looks like he was expecting a wheel route, and dropped farther than he should have for this play.
In my opinion, it just highlights his range. He can be coached up to take a better angle or avoid the rub from the receiver. The point is that he has the physical ability to move smoothly when going backward or laterally. That's important.
Good stand up blitzer -- for a "slow" guy, he sure gets into the backfield in a hurry. Here he doesn't quite get the takedown on Prescott (but I won't mark him down for that; Dak has made a lot of NFL defenders look silly too), but he does force him off his landmark, which results in an errant throw. I just included it to show that he has value against the pass and could slide into the Hightower role if we lose him, as sobering as that thought might be.
Another example of solid coverage skills. Maybe he's not a Luke Kuechly who will jump the route and take this to the house, but he stays shows a low, compact backpedal, and transitions pretty well to make the play. He probably could have picked this ball off, but maybe he's been coached to just stick to the receiver. Regardless, it shows much better movement skills than most of his online evaluations would have you believe. I can work with this coverage at LB.
Okay, I can only do 5 gifs per post, so I'll be back later with other games and more plays that I like. This game is worth watching, though. He spends a lot of time toward the end rushing the quarterback, and he flushes him out of the pocket several times. Early on, he's a force against the run. He has some misplays, but I'd say on the whole it's a very solid game.
Kendell Beckwith vs Mississippi St 2015
