2018 Draft Eligible LB Thread.

[jrry32]

9 hours ago, BleedTheClock said:

Not having a hand aside, Shaq Griffin has one of the clunkiest frames I've ever seen. He looks skinny fat. He's super productive, but I was thinking 5th-7th round BEFORE I even realized he was missing a hand. I watched 2 full games of UCF somehow never knowing he was the 1-handed man. Didn't find this out until Senior Bowl week.

He's nowhere near the athlete that Smith or Edmunds is. I think he runs a high 4.7 where the other two will be in the 4.5-4.6 range. Plus their 3 cones will be significantly better than his.

Shaq Griffin is a great story, but I don't think I would draft him to be honest. He's not athletic enough to play 4-3 OLB but he's not long or strong enough to play DE. Maybe a situational 3-4 OLB? But even then, he doesn't have great length or pure speed coming off the edge. I can't see a spot for him in the NFL regardless of whether or not he has 1 hand, 2 hands, 3 hands, a stock of celery for a hand and Patrick Duffy for a foot....whatever it is, when I watch the tape, I don't see an explosive enough dude.

You're way off on his speed. At worst, he'll be in the 4.5s. He can absolutely fly. His closing speed is beyond impressive.

[Jlash]

Per Roto, and this is what kills me about Roto is that they just post whatever anyone says without checking anything: Apparently Smith is 6'0 203 and can't cover man to man.

Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline passes along that Georgia LB Roquan Smith "could drop a little later in the first round than most anticipate."

Quote

"His deficiencies in coverage, especially when manned up against running backs or tight ends, are a concern for teams," Pauline writes. While the analyst tends to agree with this assessment, he does offer a counterweight in noting that the 6-foot, 203-pounder is "terrific" in zone coverage. Even if Smith does end up sliding by degrees, he's a lock for Day 1 come the spring and it's not out of the question that he could come off the board within the first 10 selections.

 

[jebrick]

10 hours ago, Jlash said:

Per Roto, and this is what kills me about Roto is that they just post whatever anyone says without checking anything: Apparently Smith is 6'0 203 and can't cover man to man.

Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline passes along that Georgia LB Roquan Smith "could drop a little later in the first round than most anticipate."

 

Rotowire is just a reposter of anything that comes out.  They originate nothing.

[Folesadelphia]

Which prospects in this years LB class would be a good fit to cover LBs and RBS out of the backfield and generally man the 4-3 SAM position. Are there any mid round prospects you guys think can emulate what a guy like Nigel Bradham can do?  I personally like L. Vander Esch and J. Jewell as prospects this year but can someone point me in the direction of some other 4-3 SAM's?

[Jlash]

7 hours ago, jebrick said:

Rotowire is just a reposter of anything that comes out.  They originate nothing.

Yes, that is exactly what I said.

[BleedTheClock]

Roquan Smith deficient in man coverage? That's insane. He's elite at covering RB's out of the backfield. He'll probably struggle covering TE's as he's small, but I don't have any questions about his coverage ability. That's a bizarre take. Plus, he's going to be playing WLB and won't have to guard tight ends. That will be the SLB 90% of the time when a safety isn't drawing the assignment.

[IDOG_det]

On 2/12/2018 at 11:18 PM, jrry32 said:

You're way off on his speed. At worst, he'll be in the 4.5s. He can absolutely fly. His closing speed is beyond impressive.

He ran a 10.8 100m in high school. His twin ran a 10.78 100m and ended up running a 4.38. I would assume Shaquem trains with someone like Michael Johnson (he prepped Shaquill for the combine). Shaquem is a freak. He ran well in high school and looks like an even better athlete now. Based on his high school 100m about a 4.54 is expected, but with good training a 4.4x is definitely possible. I really don't get how people don't see that speed on film, it is undeniably present. 

[IDOG_det]

21 hours ago, Folesadelphia said:

Which prospects in this years LB class would be a good fit to cover LBs and RBS out of the backfield and generally man the 4-3 SAM position. Are there any mid round prospects you guys think can emulate what a guy like Nigel Bradham can do?  I personally like L. Vander Esch and J. Jewell as prospects this year but can someone point me in the direction of some other 4-3 SAM's?

Shaquem Griffin

[BleedTheClock]

1 hour ago, IDOG_det said:

He ran a 10.8 100m in high school. His twin ran a 10.78 100m and ended up running a 4.38. I would assume Shaquem trains with someone like Michael Johnson (he prepped Shaquill for the combine). Shaquem is a freak. He ran well in high school and looks like an even better athlete now. Based on his high school 100m about a 4.54 is expected, but with good training a 4.4x is definitely possible. I really don't get how people don't see that speed on film, it is undeniably present. 

Bizarre to me. He doesn't look that fast but I believe you guys. He looks decently quick on tape, but he has an atrocious looking body. Looks devoid of fast-twitch muscle. That'd be awesome for him if he hits a 4.5

[goldfishwars]

23 hours ago, Folesadelphia said:

Which prospects in this years LB class would be a good fit to cover LBs and RBS out of the backfield and generally man the 4-3 SAM position. Are there any mid round prospects you guys think can emulate what a guy like Nigel Bradham can do?  I personally like L. Vander Esch and J. Jewell as prospects this year but can someone point me in the direction of some other 4-3 SAM's?

Tregay Scales is worth a look at for that role, he won't blow you over - but he's very competent. 

[IDOG_det]

54 minutes ago, BleedTheClock said:

Bizarre to me. He doesn't look that fast but I believe you guys. He looks decently quick on tape, but he has an atrocious looking body. Looks devoid of fast-twitch muscle. That'd be awesome for him if he hits a 4.5

Go watch the play with 2:18 left in the Peach Bowl. Everyone was gassed but Griffin had enough left in the tank to fly across the field and put a hit on Stidham that he had no business even having the chance to make. His speed is special for the LB position and he's a really explosive athlete. Like it was mentioned earlier in this thread, he was one of the best in the country in high school at the triple jump and long jump. He benches over 400 pounds having to use a prosthetic to hold the bar. The strength coach at UCF said the only other work ethic he's seen on that level was from Khalil Mack. His athletic ability shouldn't really be questioned. There's so much evidence showing how impressive he really is. Do his movements sometimes look a little weird? Yes, because he is weird. He only has one hand, that isn't normal. But it works and it works damn well. 

[Jlash]

31 minutes ago, IDOG_det said:

Do his movements sometimes look a little weird? Yes, because he is weird

Haha. Well said.

[MD4L]

There are prospects which are are hard to scout. Then there's people like Raquan Smith. 

[jrry32]

4 hours ago, IDOG_det said:

He ran a 10.8 100m in high school. His twin ran a 10.78 100m and ended up running a 4.38. I would assume Shaquem trains with someone like Michael Johnson (he prepped Shaquill for the combine). Shaquem is a freak. He ran well in high school and looks like an even better athlete now. Based on his high school 100m about a 4.54 is expected, but with good training a 4.4x is definitely possible. I really don't get how people don't see that speed on film, it is undeniably present. 

Yep. In one of the videos I watched, I think they said Shaquem was running as fast as Shaquill, IIRC. Now, that was likely before Shaquem put on some weight to play OLB, but that kid can fly. I think he's the sort of athlete that Telvin Smith is. He might even be the sort of athlete that Deion Jones is.

[BleedTheClock]

2 hours ago, IDOG_det said:

He benches over 400 pounds having to use a prosthetic to hold the bar.

Cheater