CaliforniaKid7 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Is Jerome Baker a 2nd round prospect at this time? Or pending the combine? Assuming he tests well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forge Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 45 minutes ago, CaliforniaKid7 said: Is Jerome Baker a 2nd round prospect at this time? Or pending the combine? Assuming he tests well I think that he goes in the second. I don't think that he sneaks into the first, but he should definitely test well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedTheClock Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 13 hours ago, goldfishwars said: If you can match up on TE's and have the speed to track RB's out of the backfield, then that's incredibly valuable in the modern NFL. It's going to be the sort-after traits that sees him drafted high, guys built that way shouldn't be able to move with the ease he does. He's a better player than Skai Moore because of his immense ceiling and a lack of injuries...and he's more versatile....but I don't think teams value coverage linebackers in the 1st round when you could get a dude like Skai Moore in the 4th or 5th round. The fact that he's 19 years old and can play all over your defensive front is going to jack up his stock significantly though, as it probably should. I just don't know if I'd draft him in the 1st round with the thought that I just got a sure-fire superstud. He's got a lot of flaws in his game that can be ironed out, but that's been said of a lot of draft busts before. Tough to tell what a 19 year old kid is going to become, but I expect him to struggle if they ask him to thump against 30 year olds from day 1 (that sounds kinda creepy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedTheClock Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 3 hours ago, CaliforniaKid7 said: Is Jerome Baker a 2nd round prospect at this time? Or pending the combine? Assuming he tests well My guess is he sneaks into the 1st round. He's going to kill the combine. He was a better collegiate player than Ryan Shazir was IMO, and Shazir vaulted up the draft boards after a stellar combine. He isn't going to hit the 4.3 mark that Shazir did at his pro day, but he's going to be the fastest LBer at the combine I'd bet. This should be enough to push him into the 1st round in my opinion. The tape is good enough when you stack it next to the pure athletic traits he possesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da_Ducktator Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 14 hours ago, BleedTheClock said: My guess is he sneaks into the 1st round. He's going to kill the combine. He was a better collegiate player than Ryan Shazir was IMO, and Shazir vaulted up the draft boards after a stellar combine. He isn't going to hit the 4.3 mark that Shazir did at his pro day, but he's going to be the fastest LBer at the combine I'd bet. This should be enough to push him into the 1st round in my opinion. The tape is good enough when you stack it next to the pure athletic traits he possesses. Better collegiate career than Shazier? Sorry, but what? Shazier had over 40 TFL in his last two years and nearly had more tackles in his final year than Baker had in his last two years combined. I like Baker, but Shazier was a pure freak of nature and Baker doesn't come anywhere near him as either a collegiate player or prospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRANDON26841X Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 15 hours ago, BleedTheClock said: My guess is he sneaks into the 1st round. He's going to kill the combine. He was a better collegiate player than Ryan Shazir was IMO, and Shazir vaulted up the draft boards after a stellar combine. He isn't going to hit the 4.3 mark that Shazir did at his pro day, but he's going to be the fastest LBer at the combine I'd bet. This should be enough to push him into the 1st round in my opinion. The tape is good enough when you stack it next to the pure athletic traits he possesses. As someone that watched every single snap of their collegiate careers, Jerome Baker is not even CLOSE to the player that Ryan Shazier was at Ohio State. Shazier was underrated (IMO) coming out of Ohio State and I felt he would succeed without a doubt at the next level (I know there were size concerns), where as I probably wouldn't take Baker in the first 2 rounds at the moment as you know from the other thread. In fact, I think Darron Lee was a better college LB than Baker, or at least a more impactful player. Baker was very solid in 2016, but in 2017 he was continuously picked on in coverage and looked lost at times / gave minimal effort. There was a coaching change with OSU's LB in the offseason and the unit as a whole regressed so I'm sure that was part of it, but Baker did not play well in 2017 and he's mentioned that fact many times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedTheClock Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 I misspoke about Shazier. I should have said he’s a better prospect, not college player. Shazier was a heat-seeking missile, but was rail thin and did not do well when asked to play in a phone booth. Obviously he’s had zero problems doing this in the NFL, but I had major doubts that he could handle being a box player in the NFL. I don’t have those concerns with Baker. Obviously I whiffed on thr Shazier evaluation as he’s a monster jn the box, but I had a lot more question marks on Shazier as to how he would assimilate into the NFL than I do with Jerome Baker. I live in Ohio and while I’m not OSUs biggest honk, I do watch 95% of their games. You’re right about Shazier being a stud at OSU. I remember him being a 205-210 pound LBer that got to the spot before anyone could touch him. I just hated his lack of bulk and expected it to plague his NFL career. Darron Lee was, and is, a terrible NFL prospect though. Dude just stood there watching the action and never used his athleticism to explode through gaps like Shazier or Baker. I hated Lee as a prospect to be honest. Absolutely horrible against blockers and unlike the other two, he didn’t read and react fast enough to get to his spot before blockers got on him. Plus he missed a lot of tackles because he didn’t cut down angles properly in pursuit. He was great in coverage, but horrible at playing linebacker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason_Bengal_Fl Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 On 1/14/2018 at 7:28 PM, BleedTheClock said: My guess is he sneaks into the 1st round. He's going to kill the combine. He was a better collegiate player than Ryan Shazir was IMO, and Shazir vaulted up the draft boards after a stellar combine. He isn't going to hit the 4.3 mark that Shazir did at his pro day, but he's going to be the fastest LBer at the combine I'd bet. This should be enough to push him into the 1st round in my opinion. The tape is good enough when you stack it next to the pure athletic traits he possesses. He looked like it last season. He really did not this season. His upside is Shazier if he's motivated. I wouldn't take him before 3 because this year he was just a guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr LBC Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Anyone else delve into Darius Leonard yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoundrel Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 If Shazier was rail thin then Baker is wheat thin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Who started the Tremaine Edmunds hype that picked up? Because obviously everyone like Matt Miller and Kiper copied. I know I saw Jeremiah on it early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRANDON26841X Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 13 hours ago, Jason_Bengal_Fl said: He looked like it last season. He really did not this season. His upside is Shazier if he's motivated. I wouldn't take him before 3 because this year he was just a guy. Yeah, as I said earlier in the thread... huge Buckeye fan but I wouldn't touch Baker until the 3rd at the earliest, and even then I don't know if I'd feel great. FWIW, Kiper said he'll likely go in the 3rd or 4th, right around where I thought he'll go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedTheClock Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 43 minutes ago, BRANDON26841X said: Yeah, as I said earlier in the thread... huge Buckeye fan but I wouldn't touch Baker until the 3rd at the earliest, and even then I don't know if I'd feel great. FWIW, Kiper said he'll likely go in the 3rd or 4th, right around where I thought he'll go. I'd put money on him not making it past the middle of round 2. Even if his tape says 3rd round pick, his combine is going to vault him up into the top 30-40. And it's not like his tape is bad...it's solid. Stack that with the measurables and you've got yourself a late 1st/early 2nd round pick. Especially in this weak LB draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWil23 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 17 minutes ago, BleedTheClock said: I'd put money on him not making it past the middle of round 2. Even if his tape says 3rd round pick, his combine is going to vault him up into the top 30-40. And it's not like his tape is bad...it's solid. Stack that with the measurables and you've got yourself a late 1st/early 2nd round pick. Especially in this weak LB draft. Baker will measure athletically off of the charts. His sideline to sideline play and ability to set the edge is very solid. He struggles some at the point of attack, but if he's a WLB in a 4-3, which will utilize his sideline to sideline game against the run, that could be a great fit. His MAJOR struggles are in pass coverage, where he gets LOST and struggles to identify and pick up FB and TE. See: Iowa, Oklahoma His film last year is much better than this year, but he looked great against UM and USC. Someone will gamble that they can teach him these coverage skills and draft him in the 2nd IMO. Right now, he's a 3rd/4th rounder based off of him as a "player", but he has 1st round athleticism/potential, so I think that the 2nd is about right/where he'll get drafted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebrick Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Has anyone looked into Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State? Very interesting player. One year wonder but I could see him in the 2nd round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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