Consensus Mock - 20. Detroit Lions

[Dr LBC]

@goldfishwars Honest question though, does Hurst actually fit what Patricia is going to want to do on defense?  He brought in Pasqualoni as his DC and that, to me, suggests he's going to have a preference for the big, not necessarily 2-gapping hosses but guys that can "hold the line," whereas Hurst's best fit is as an upfield 3-Tech.  I'm not doubting Hurst's talent, I'm just highly skeptical of the fit in the scheme and what the scheme asks of its DT's.  Seems like as DT's go, Taven Bryan projects much more as a fit than Hurst does.  I mean, realistically, the best fit I see for Hurst in Patricia's scheme is as DE in that Trey Flower's role.

[goldfishwars]

7 minutes ago, The LBC said:

@goldfishwars Honest question though, does Hurst actually fit what Patricia is going to want to do on defense?  He brought in Pasqualoni as his DC and that, to me, suggests he's going to have a preference for the big, not necessarily 2-gapping hosses but guys that can "hold the line," whereas Hurst's best fit is as an upfield 3-Tech.  I'm not doubting Hurst's talent, I'm just highly skeptical of the fit in the scheme and what the scheme asks of its DT's.  Seems like as DT's go, Taven Bryan projects much more as a fit than Hurst does.  I mean, realistically, the best fit I see for Hurst in Patricia's scheme is as DE in that Trey Flower's role.

The Pats went without a conventional upfield 3-tech for the most part whilst Patricia was DC, but must have had an attacking role in mind for Dominique Easley when we drafted him. I think they hoped Malcom Brown had more in his locker as a pass rusher when they took him too. I wouldn’t rule out necessarily rule out Hurst here or even assume Patricia would stick him on the end. I genuinely think he ended up running a scheme that got the most out of the personnel he was given more than anything. I think he’ll do that in Detroit too, mold to the personnel.

Hurst is a weird evaluation for me, kind of a slippery sort of rusher rather than a gap shooter. I’m wondering with Pasqualoni’s history with Wade Phillips’s scheme whether he’d actually be a really nice fit one gapping in those fronts.

[Soko]

32 minutes ago, The LBC said:

@goldfishwars Honest question though, does Hurst actually fit what Patricia is going to want to do on defense?  He brought in Pasqualoni as his DC and that, to me, suggests he's going to have a preference for the big, not necessarily 2-gapping hosses but guys that can "hold the line," whereas Hurst's best fit is as an upfield 3-Tech.  I'm not doubting Hurst's talent, I'm just highly skeptical of the fit in the scheme and what the scheme asks of its DT's.  Seems like as DT's go, Taven Bryan projects much more as a fit than Hurst does.  I mean, realistically, the best fit I see for Hurst in Patricia's scheme is as DE in that Trey Flower's role.

Not sure if Patricia will be carrying over every little thing of what NE did defensively, but they ran a lot of what was essentially a 3-3 front with Lawrence Guy on an edge. Then in pass rush situations, he either kicked inside or was subbed for Butler in a more conventional 4-3 nickel/dime look. 

Hurst is athletic enough to fulfill that same role IMO. 

I haven’t watched a lot of Lions games this year - can Robinson space eat?

[IDOG_det]

5 hours ago, Yin-Yang said:

Not sure if Patricia will be carrying over every little thing of what NE did defensively, but they ran a lot of what was essentially a 3-3 front with Lawrence Guy on an edge. Then in pass rush situations, he either kicked inside or was subbed for Butler in a more conventional 4-3 nickel/dime look. 

Hurst is athletic enough to fulfill that same role IMO. 

I haven’t watched a lot of Lions games this year - can Robinson space eat?

A'Shawn Robinson has been used mostly at 1T/2i in a 1-gapping system so far with the Lions. At Alabama he did a fair amount of 2-gapping and did it at multiple spots along the DL. He is a little unproven there so far in the NFL, but Ngata can still more than hold his own there and there is a good chance he re-signs (he publicly stated he wanted to be back and the Lions would be dumb to not want him back).

[Soko]

8 minutes ago, IDOG_det said:

A'Shawn Robinson has been used mostly at 1T/2i in a 1-gapping system so far with the Lions. At Alabama he did a fair amount of 2-gapping and did it at multiple spots along the DL. He is a little unproven there so far in the NFL, but Ngata can still more than hold his own there and there is a good chance he re-signs (he publicly stated he wanted to be back and the Lions would be dumb to not want him back).

Ah, that’s what I had assumed he’d be doing from watching him at Bama. 

I think Hurst is definitely the move given the board. The 3-tech spot in Patricia’s defense hasn’t gotten a ton of spotlight but that’s mostly because of the Patriots’ inability to fill it with a good pass rusher. They tried with Easley. They tried using Malcolm Brown there (bad move). They allow Flowers, Guy, Wise, and in the past, Chandler Jones to work there with middling success. 

Hurst fits, at the very least as a passing down player, with the upside to develop into a more rounded defensive linemen in a two-gap system (that I presume Patricia will bring).

[Superduperman]

I just went back and watched some highlights on Hurst. I sort of forgot, he had a hell of a year.

I've been liking the idea of Bryan or Payne (available in about 50% of mocks I see) as much or more, but any of the three would be an excellent choice at 20 imo.

I don't think we have to break down Patricia's system to the nth degree to know that anything he wants to do will be aided by having a DL who can both play the run and get into the backfield, and we know the Lions don't have enough, or any, guys like that. Just depends on which one the Lions like better. I will be watching all of them intently at the combine.