The Buck Stops Here

[Raidersfan1]

4-3 Alignment 

 

WILL - Devin Bush

Bush at 5'11" 237 has always been and will always be a WILL linebacker. Arguably he has one of the best skillsets at this position in the NFL. He does not have pop and shed abilities to play in the middle of the field. His ability to diagnose the play is weak. At the college level, being undersized wasn't a problem playing in the middle. He needs to play out in space. And have the ability to flow and make plays in open space. 

The good news: Devin Bush can do those things. He's got great speed and agility and can flow and make plays, if he can move around. He's an upgraded safety, which is once again WILL. Bush can work in this defense if the Steelers add the pieces to make him a better scheme fit.

 

SAM - Myles Jack

He's got the size. He's got the speed. He can cover the tight end. This is one of the rarest positions in the game today. A big guy that can run and cover the tight end.

 

MIKE - Who dat?

 

Darrian Beavers is OBVIOUSLY the Bobby Wagner, the Ray Lewis, the alpha dog. Under 7 seconds 3 cone for a MLB at 6'4" - You're a mutant. He's Kirkland like. He's not fast. He's not quick. He's nimble. And what's special about him is the size to go with it. Like Bettis. Like Kirkland. The Mike gotta be the leader. He's gotta be able to blitz. And Beavers can do all these things. Everything has kind of lined up where Tomlin is a 4-3 guy. This is Mike Tomlin's team now. With this addition, you have a pretty dynamic 4-3 alignment. Especially, if you add a DT in the first round.

 

This is where the Buck Stops here. The crux is to continue with the status quo of clenching to an outdated defense or to change the defense. With the right additions, you have the personnel to run 4-3 and have Myles Jack cover the tight end against all 11 personnel sets. You just sort of need a Nick Cross type figure at safety. Where you can do the unthinkable. And play a safety on a slot receiver. Creating a defense that doesn't have to change certainly has its advantages. Bc you dictate pace. And you surely stop the run.

 

BUCK LB

Channing Tindall is that other dude. Yanno. The Kendrell Bell boss that leaves the quarterback lost. He lives in the backfield. He moves side to side. He's a problem. And a nuisance. By far, one of my favorite players in the draft. You slot him in the second round, because you actually want him to play for your team. 

 

4-3 Draft

1) Demarvin Leal DT Texas A&M

3- tech with unique first step, explosiveness, and motor. Needs to gain strength but that's not a worry for the 21 yr old 5 star recruit. With added strength, he can be Fletcher Cox like.

2) Darrian Beavers LB Cincinnati

2) Nick Cross S Maryland

*Acquired via ATL for 2022 3rd and 2023 3rd

4) Kyren Williams RB Notre Dame

*Acquired via Houston Texans for Mason Rudolph

4) Demetrius Taylor DT Appalachian State

 

DL Room: Tuitt, Heyward, Leal, Adams, Loudermilk, Taylor

This position can get out of hand, considering the age of the stars. Not counting much from Alualu at 35 coming off a fractured ankle. You have your nose tackle in Adams, which doesn't bode well for him or any sort of UCONN NT play. You have your 5-tech DT in Tuitt and Heyward. Loudermilk is in that mold. Has good size and is very raw. The new guys give flexibility to play anywhere along the line in many different personnel sets and offer more penetrating up the field type modern-day four man front football.

 

6) Tyreke Smith OLB Ohio State

7) Brock Purdy QB Iowa State

7) Jacquarii Roberson WR

 

BUCK Linebacker Draft

1) Jermaine Johnson OLB

2) Channing Tindall LB

3) Zach Tom IOL

4) Kyren Williams RB

4) Dane Belton S

6) Tyreke Smith OLB

7) Brock Purdy QB

7) Jacquarii Roberson WR

 

[SMashMouthMike]

I like/ love your 4-3 draft. Only we need 2 wr’s in there, probably 1 in the first 3 rounds. I’m not too much a fan of the trade.  Drop the Rb back a few rounds and the safety. If beavers is going in the 2nd, maybe trade back a little in the first if no 3T is pro ready. Damn. We just got too many holes. Not enough picks. 

And they wanna run a nickel as their base defense it seems. It’s more of a 2-4 imo. Maybe even a 4-2 depending on how u wanna classify our OLB. I like your 3 technique priorities, don’t know leal or the late guy.  
 

the Steelers are struggling to find the right unicorns.Hopefully, they learned something when Tuitt was gone last year. 

They did try to replace VWill with Schobert I guess.  Then they signed MJack who is a good wrap up tackler it seems. But No more early ILB unicorns for me please. Beavers I like a lot though. He’s not the unicorns we’ve been drafting. That’s edmunds bush shazier.

Also A good shorter nickel back like a Mike Hilton, would be great, but probably could be added in round 6 maybe. I don’t know if Sutton can play near the box, in our 4-2 or whatever it is.

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by SMashMouthMike

[Raidersfan1]

Thank you I appreciate your kind words.

WR - Man, I just really like Roberson. Someone offered the thought and I jumped on board. His stock is really down considering the minor knee procedure and the inability to test. Not that I think he would test well. He's like a Jerricho Cotchery type. 4.5 but gets open. That's not gonna stand out on tape, but I can see him stand out with this agility and 4.5 speed. It's kinda hard to cover. It's unique and a presents a buy a contributor low situation. Not too keen on the early Rd guys. For the most part. Given the value. Given all of this and the alternative, I think he goes undrafted and I can scoop him up before that happens.

 

What I'd do if I get the pieces on defense, and they'll play zone most of the day, but it's nice to have guys that can play both, so you're not so predictable, is sit in 4-3 base against all "11" (one rb, one te sets) , that's like a pretty vertical type alignment with a slot receiver. Then when they have had enough of that, they'll add a WR and you switch to your sub package. 4-2-5 is an option. The sub package I'd like to see is a 3-2-6, especially if you can push hard back to the line of scrimmage with really good safeties that really shrink the field vertically. And you got the flowing backers to cover the width of the field. If you get the defensive line right with three 3-techs you cover all the gaps. Of course these players gotta be problems. Disruptors. Or we're just making senseless calculations.

I just like the dominance of it. Sitting in base against any offense they throw but 4 and 5 WRs. It's like some Betty tryna get you to holler. She's gonna do this. She's gonna do that. And you just sit there. Then she's like you expletive. You made me walk over here. Yeah, that's right.

 

Safety I like Belton and Cross. Cross gives me unique speed and production. Maybe that production is just bc it's college level and against more alphas he's just ordinary, which is what I think will happen. Belton has the game that translates, and I do think he is the STAR.

You could wait on safety but given need it needed to be addressed timely. And the timing might be off. 

You could go: Leal, Beavers, Belton... With no trade. That's probably a little better, but I'm not sure that unit could cover man with a slot receiver.

And Kyren Williams is a problem. Just like Tyreke Smith. Maybe they just carry their pads well. But these speeds are not the speeds they're timing at.

These men are a problem.

 

[SMashMouthMike]

1 hour ago, Raidersfan1 said:

Thank you I appreciate your kind words.

WR - Man, I just really like Roberson. Someone offered the thought and I jumped on board. His stock is really down considering the minor knee procedure and the inability to test. Not that I think he would test well. He's like a Jerricho Cotchery type. 4.5 but gets open. That's not gonna stand out on tape, but I can see him stand out with this agility and 4.5 speed. It's kinda hard to cover. It's unique and a presents a buy a contributor low situation. Not too keen on the early Rd guys. For the most part. Given the value. Given all of this and the alternative, I think he goes undrafted and I can scoop him up before that happens.

 

What I'd do if I get the pieces on defense, and they'll play zone most of the day, but it's nice to have guys that can play both, so you're not so predictable, is sit in 4-3 base against all "11" (one rb, one te sets) , that's like a pretty vertical type alignment with a slot receiver. Then when they have had enough of that, they'll add a WR and you switch to your sub package. 4-2-5 is an option. The sub package I'd like to see is a 3-2-6, especially if you can push hard back to the line of scrimmage with really good safeties that really shrink the field vertically. And you got the flowing backers to cover the width of the field. If you get the defensive line right with three 3-techs you cover all the gaps. Of course these players gotta be problems. Disruptors. Or we're just making senseless calculations.

I just like the dominance of it. Sitting in base against any offense they throw but 4 and 5 WRs. It's like some Betty tryna get you to holler. She's gonna do this. She's gonna do that. And you just sit there. Then she's like you expletive. You made me walk over here. Yeah, that's right.

 

Safety I like Belton and Cross. Cross gives me unique speed and production. Maybe that production is just bc it's college level and against more alphas he's just ordinary, which is what I think will happen. Belton has the game that translates, and I do think he is the STAR.

You could wait on safety but given need it needed to be addressed timely. And the timing might be off. 

You could go: Leal, Beavers, Belton... With no trade. That's probably a little better, but I'm not sure that unit could cover man with a slot receiver.

And Kyren Williams is a problem. Just like Tyreke Smith. Maybe they just carry their pads well. But these speeds are not the speeds they're timing at.

These men are a problem.

 

I don’t know the wideouts except the OSU guys. I kinda like their 3T Garrett? But I mostly agree with your 4-3 D. The weak gaps there is the A gaps on either side of the center, so I like the idea of a bigger mlb like Beavers keeping the center off everybody else. He can’t cover some say? What does that matter if no one can tackle on the back 7 I reply. He can drop into a middle zone on passing downs. He can blitz I think. He can wear the damn stickered helmet. He probably can shed an nfl center good enuff. But we seem to want a bunch of safety/lb unicorns. Sigh. Jack should help. I don’t expect anything out of Bush except mediocrity. But the only way a four man front will work consistently as a base is with 2 good edge rushers, some bad*ss 3T’s and that alpha dog in the middle making sure all the gaps are covered properly. Those are the unicorns that should be filling up our depth chart and starting. Instead we’ve gotten a little too cute with the ILB, the safety and the nickel back positions and are trying to get unicorns there for some reason. Oh well man. We just keep plugging and chugging away. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by SMashMouthMike