2019 Draft Off-Ball LB Prospect General Discussion Thread

[MOSteelers56]

What about a position switch for Emeke Egbule from Houston? He looks the part of an off ball Linebacker.

[Tugboat]

3 minutes ago, jrry32 said:

Some people like Coney, Pratt, Tavai, and Okereke. Personally, I like David Long Jr., Cameron Smith, and Ben Burr-Kirven in the right roles. With Long Jr., you need to put him in a chase role where he can attack the ball. He won't fit in a scheme that asks him to play disciplined and read and react. He also should be a dynamite special teamer (which makes a big difference on Day 3). On Burr-Kirven, he's a clean-up specialist. He won't make a lot of splash plays imo, but he's a guy who will offer a lot of range and constantly be around the ball due to his hustle and speed. With Cam Smith, I see a guy who is solid in all aspects of the game. Should contribute on special teams, and I think he can start at Mike or Will. He won't be special, but I see a guy like James Laurinaitis. Steady, reliable, and intelligent player who will show up and do his job.

Khalil Hodge and Sione Takitaki also intrigue me, but they fall into the late round or UDFA designation. Hodge is a terrible athlete, but I'd give him a chance to see what he can do due to his play recognition skills, instincts, and intangibles. Takitaki lacks consistency at this stage, but he's flashed all the ability to be a very intriguing 3-4 ILB.

The bolded, i completely agree with.  I think he can contribute on ST like a lot of these LBers maybe...but starting LBers...Laurinaitis...nah.

 

 

I do actually like like Hodge as a Day3 flier, but he's basically a *poor man's Vosean is a lot of ways.  Probably a draft slot i'm more willing to goof around with an athlete who just runs in directions fast, and sometimes is right!  

 

It just feels like after the first handful...a ST crop who aren't even as good as prior groups as LBers.

[Tugboat]

12 minutes ago, jrry32 said:

I like Carney more as an EDGE. D'Andre Walker is actually a guy I think who could do quite well as a 3-4 ILB. I don't like his pass rushing potential on the edge, personally.

I feel completely opposite on these two.

 

Carney i don't think has the sort of natural talent to bend and edge properly.  He's not gonna learn that at that age.  He's surprisingly fluid when he does have to move in space.

 

D'Andre Walker, is a guy who isn't going to be that great if he can't develop what he's already sorta started with his pass-rush style.  For me, he's a 3-4 rush LB specialist with upside, rather than an off-ball LBer.

[jrry32]

12 minutes ago, Tugboat said:

I feel completely opposite on these two.

 

Carney i don't think has the sort of natural talent to bend and edge properly.  He's not gonna learn that at that age.  He's surprisingly fluid when he does have to move in space.

 

D'Andre Walker, is a guy who isn't going to be that great if he can't develop what he's already sorta started with his pass-rush style.  For me, he's a 3-4 rush LB specialist with upside, rather than an off-ball LBer.

Yeah, I see them differently. I see Carney as a 3-4 SOLB. He isn't a speed rusher or an edge bender, but he has a jarring punch and the power to move OTs. He's not going to be a 10 sack per year player, but his power and hustle can make him an effective enough pass rusher to play the Sam role. His ability to set the edge and drop into coverage will be valuable there. He reminds me of Parys Haralson.

With Walker, I see a guy who is fluid and natural when dropping into coverage. As a run defender, he has a good feel for blocking schemes and jarring power. He also has a physical style of play. He strikes me as a great fit next to an athletic will because Walker can fill and blow up blockers in the hole. As a pass rusher, I see a guy who is powerful and physical, but he doesn't offer much beyond that. He doesn't have a diverse set of moves, he doesn't have calculated rush plans, and he's not an explosive edge bender. His pass rushes are more frenzied attacks than anything. He has great effort along with power and pop, but there's no nuance to it. He just attacks. That makes it a lot easier for OTs to handle him. If he doesn't get under their pads and on the inside, he typically gets stoned.

17 minutes ago, Tugboat said:

The bolded, i completely agree with.  I think he can contribute on ST like a lot of these LBers maybe...but starting LBers...Laurinaitis...nah.

 

 

I do actually like like Hodge as a Day3 flier, but he's basically a *poor man's Vosean is a lot of ways.  Probably a draft slot i'm more willing to goof around with an athlete who just runs in directions fast, and sometimes is right!  

 

It just feels like after the first handful...a ST crop who aren't even as good as prior groups as LBers.

Vosean and Hodge are nothing alike imo. Vosean is a very athletic LB with bad instincts and play recognition skills. He either guesses right and blows up the play or guesses wrong and hangs the defense out to dry. He's a freelancer. Hodge is a bad athlete who almost never gets it wrong. He rarely takes a false step. He seems to always know where a run is going and is a solid zone defender. But his athletic limitations present huge problems in man coverage and limit his range.

Edited April 26, 2019 by jrry32