I didn't have that take on Jewell, but I watch Leighton Vander Esch and think the same thing. Worse, Vander Esch is always a step late in coverage because he doesn't diagnose routes well. Jewell seems to take the right first step. I just wonder if Jewell is strong enough to win in the NFL. He came in as a 200 lb. freshman, so his frame is probably maxed out around 230 lb.
I like Fred Warner from BYU a lot. Probably more than either of them. I think he's a Jamie Collins type player. Skai Moore is a good player too. Vander Esch may end up taken in the mid-to-late 1st but I don't think he's any better than Warner, Moore, or Jewell except on paper.
I certainly hear where you're coming from, but I have a slightly different take. I have mixed feelings about Leighton Vander Esch (from here on: LVE), but I'll try to breakdown why he has several advantages over those players. I should mention before I begin that I love Warner in space. If he were a coverage only player, sign me up! So fluid and explosive. I'm just really disheartened by his attempts to take on blocks. He's allergic to contact. Otherwise, he would be a perfect defensive weapon against the increasing prevalence of spread and RPO offenses.
LVE is an exceptional athlete whose size / speed combo is generally only available in the top rounds. Look at the top 10 hype that Tremaine Edmunds is getting for his size and speed. Well, LVE is just as big, and tested as well or better in every category except for the 40. Additionally, he's really only played for a year or two at his current position, but has displayed consistent growth throughout his career. He's not perfect by any means, but between the outstanding physical profile and the rapid upward trajectory, he'll probably go in the mid-late 1st round.
Measurables chart shows a rare all around athlete. He also scored off the charts for SPARQ (
141.5 1.7 96.0%) and RAS (9.87), if you put much stock into those metrics. I don't take them as Gospel, but I do think they're useful tools to add to the mix when evaluating.
Off-LOS Linebacker
2018 NFL Draft Class RAS
Mockdraftable.com profiles:
LVE:
Warner:
Jewell:
Moore:
Despite his relatively low experience levels, which show up in the hesitation or slow first step at times, and his technique deficiencies -- for example, he throws a shoulder instead of punching, extending, and shedding, and this causes him to gets stuck on blocks and lose his balance far too often -- LVE managed to put up a wildly productive year. Compare his stats against the other players you mentioned:
LVE:
Warner:
Jewell:
Moore:
His solo tackles and forced fumbles stand out immediately. He's around the ball a LOT. While he doesn't have the route recognition that Skai Moore does (best in class, as far as I'm concerned), he still managed to pull down a few interceptions and bat away some balls. His ability in coverage should only improve; it was better in the games I saw at the end of the year compared with the beginning of the year. As I mentioned, that positive trend is why evaluators think he's more than a one-year wonder, and that he'll really flourish when he's able to benefit from NFL coaching and strength and conditioning.
Drafting LVE is an investment. You have to believe in your coaching staff, and in his ascending star. Personally, I think he would be a terrific fit here, and that once he worked through his deficiencies in technique, he would in time become the best linebacker on the squad. He is more versatile in space than Hightower, and generally a reliable player in terms of being in the right place at the right time.
He's not a finished product by any means, and I'm not sure he'll be an impact rookie in a read and react scheme. Put him in Pittsburgh, though, and let him just attack and blitz as part of an aggressive D, and he'll be in contention for defensive rookie of the year. It's all about coaching and upside with LVE. Who knows how it will turn out. I'd bet on him if he made it to 31, but I'm not a GM . . .
