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With the 5th pick in the NFL draft the Broncos select....


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46 minutes ago, BroncoBruin said:

Whoever coaches Florida State’s defense seems to have no clue what they’re doing. DeMarcus Walker and Josh Sweat were both mostly featured in roles totally contrary to their strengths. 

Yeah, that's a big criticism of the FSU system.  The role of their DE's is to sit back, read & react off the tackle's first step.  Which basically takes away the explosiveness they might have.   It teaches an awful habit that takes a while to break, and if a guy is explosive and has wins-quickly skills, they are totally masked (but that's what you need to succeed in the NFL).       They don't tailor the system to a D player's strengths at all - the player adjusts to the system.   It's also why FSU DE's still get drafted high when their stat line doesn't look that impressive.

DeMarcus Walker had insane college production, but it's also because his best strengths weren't footwork or agility or bend.    It's why he's an awful NFL EDGE (and why moving there really sucked hard last year - it was purely out of lack of bodies, and completely derailed his year 1 development).   Ironically, Walker's skills (read off what the T does, and then pursue the QB) was a perfect fit for FSU's system - but not how EDGES win at the NFL level.    The bigger issue is going to be if he can keep the bulk he needed to gain to play 3-tech where his play skills can succeed (get up to 290+, he got really light as the season went on, apparently down to the 250-260 range with the EDGE move) and learn more techniques than the spin move he dominated with in college. 

In a lot of ways, if you combined the best parts of Walker and Jeff Holland, you'd have the complete DE/EDGE pass rusher - Holland's bend, sudden explosion off the snap, and relentless motor are what Walker lacks, while Walker's frame to take on more bulk, his ability to read where the QB is going (at least in college it was that way) and adjust to the QB's movements and what the OL is doing, are Holland's biggest deficiencies (Holland won't be able to bulk up the same way Walker's frame can).  It's why Walker's best fit is 3-tech (if he can keep the bulked up size) while Holland is a pure EDGE rusher.   Both tweeners in different ways.  

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