2021 Roster Build

[wu-dai clan]

I see Ambry Thomas as a MAN Corner.
Keith Taylor Zone.
Love Asante Samuel for us in round 2.
Boundary capable.

Any thoughts on Ar'Darius Washington for our 4-6 Defense ?
I definitely consider Molden a better, albeit different player.
Washington had a meh year and this will lead to him being underrated and good value.
Slotting. It's a thing.

TY.

Also. Gotta tellya. I believe we can find a CB after round 4.

[Bolt Dude]

I'm using my 3rd rounder on best available CB. CB is kinda deep this year. I love Molden, too. Newsome, Adebo, Williams, Thomas... all good choices. I'd add Graham Jr. and Bynum to the list.

Agreed. It's a good year to need a corner. And as much as I'd like Farley or Surtain, odds are they'll both be gone by #13.

Stokes and Horn are ballers, too. But there's some other players I'd rather have at #13...besides, like you said, the CB class is deep.

Molden's a beast, but he's a natural nickel. That's where he played at UW, and he was incredible at it. Not sure his straight-line speed will project to being an outside guy. Predicting 4.55. Kinda wish our need for a slot defender was greater than our need for an outside guy just so we could target Molden. He seems like the kind of player Staley loves. Some other nickel prospects (IMO) are Asante Samuel, Melifonwu, Lenoir, and Vincent.

As far as outside corners go...

Love Newsome, then after him goes Adebo and Williams. One of those guys should be available in the 3rd.

Not a huge fan of Graham Jr.--can't quite put my finger on it, but he doesn't pass the eye test for me. But a player I really like is Keith Taylor. Looks fluid and fast and sticky. Good ball awareness. Great size and length for an outside corner. I've got a 3-4 round grade on him. After that, I like Aubrey Thomas, who I think is a 4th rounder.

[Boltjolt]

Haven't given up on Tillery...not yet.

But I see a 3-man front consisting of Tillery, Bosa and Joseph as not stout enough at the POA.

Here's the way I see it (and please forgive my over simplifications):

Remember that awesome 3-4 defense under Wade Philips, circa ~2005-2008? The two DEs on either side of Jamal Williams were Luis Castillo and Igor Olshansky.
Castillo was pretty good at getting off blockers and creating havoc in the backfield.
Olshansky excelled at absorbing blockers and disrupting blocking schemes at the LoS. Olshansky's pure power was legendary (41 reps at the combine), so this role was perfect for him.
Jamal was the ideal anchor between them.

The arrangement worked well and allowed Merriman and Philips to dominate the edges.

In our 3-4 I see Bosa playing the Castillo role (though much better).
But the other DE should be a guy whose primary asset is power/leverage--and I just don't see Tillery being that guy. He'll be a great depth piece behind Bosa, and I'm sure Staley will also introduce a variety of 4-3 packages, as well.
Justin Jones is pretty well suited for that other DE position. He plays with good leverage and is strong at the POA. But I think a player like Tufele (or possibly Tommy Togiai from Ohio State) would work much better.

So in my draft/FA scenario you'd see a 3-man front of Bosa (backed up by Tillery), Joseph (backed up by Khyiris Tonga), and Tufele (backed up by Jones).

The two starting OLBs would be Floyd (via FA) and Nwosu. The backups would be Egbule (who I predict will blossom under Staley) and a draft pick -- I choose Snowden in my scenario, but I think other day-3 options could include Jordan Smith, Elerson Smith, or a guy like Tryon if he slips.

I think if thats what your using for your draft strategy, you may be way off. I dont think a base 3-4 is what we will play. It certainly wont be a old version of a 3-4 like some think it will be. Those days are gone. Staley took over from Wade and did much better than Wade did.

Draft for multiple looks and fronts. To be honest, counting on Nwosu imo as one of our starting OLB pass rushers dont excite me much.....certainly not Egbule. Id go EDGE rusher much sooner. First or second round but if it works out to be a third, ok.

BPA that could be a need is where im going. It may or may not include a DT which isnt high on my list but if one is sitting there.....

[Bolt Dude]

Looks pretty good... already giving up on Tillery? Maybe Staley gets something more out of Tillery... maybe he turns into Brockers. Remember Brockers had a slow start.
I'm using my 2nd round pick on OT. Kinda chancey to wait until the 3rd. Besides, I'm using my 3rd rounder on best available CB. CB is kinda deep this year. I love Molden, too. Newsome, Adebo, Williams, Thomas... all good choices. I'd add Graham Jr. and Bynum to the list.

Haven't given up on Tillery...not yet.

But I think a 3-man front consisting of Tillery, Bosa and Joseph won't be stout enough at the POA.

Here's the way I see it (and please forgive the vast over-simplifications):

Remember that awesome 3-4 defense under Wade Philips, circa ~2005-2008? The two DEs on either side of Jamal Williams were Luis Castillo and Igor Olshansky.
Castillo was pretty good at getting off blockers and creating havoc in the backfield.
Olshansky excelled at absorbing blockers and disrupting blocking schemes at the LoS. Olshansky's pure power was legendary (41 reps at the combine), so this role was perfect for him.
Jamal was the ideal anchor between them.

The arrangement worked well and allowed Merriman and Philips to dominate the edges.

In our 3-4 I see Bosa playing the Castillo role (though much better).
But the other DE should be a guy whose primary asset is power/leverage--and I just don't see Tillery being that guy. He'll be a great depth piece behind Bosa, and I'm sure Staley will also introduce a variety of 4-3 packages, as well.
Justin Jones is pretty well suited for that power DE position. He plays with good leverage and is strong at the POA. But I think a player like Tufele (or possibly Tommy Togiai from Ohio State) would work much better.

So in my draft/FA scenario you'd see a 3-man front of Bosa (backed up by Tillery), Joseph (backed up by Khyiris Tonga), and Tufele (backed up by Jones).

The two starting OLBs would be Floyd (via FA) and Nwosu. The backups would be Egbule (who I predict will blossom under Staley) and a draft pick -- I choose Snowden in my scenario, but I think other day-3 options could include Jordan Smith, Elerson Smith, or a guy like Tryon if he slips.

[Boltnut]

Looks pretty good... already giving up on Tillery? Maybe Staley gets something more out of Tillery... maybe he turns into Brockers. Remember Brockers had a slow start.
I'm using my 2nd round pick on OT. Kinda chancey to wait until the 3rd. Besides, I'm using my 3rd rounder on best available CB. CB is kinda deep this year. I love Molden, too. Newsome, Adebo, Williams, Thomas... all good choices. I'd add Graham Jr. and Bynum to the list.

[Bolt Dude]

Here’s my Eagle Front vision:

.

OLB: Sign Floyd. Start Nwosu and Floyd. Draft Snowden in the 4th for depth.

ILB: Start Murray and Tranquil.

D-line: Draft Tufele in the 2nd (may have to move up tho).

Start Bosa, Joseph, and Tufele.

Draft Tonga in the 5th for NT depth behind Joseph.


At #13: Draft Farley, Surtain, Slater or AVT.

If #13 is a CB: Target best tackle available in the 3rd. Could be Little, Jenkins, Spencer Brown, Christianson...

If #13 is an OT: Target best CB available in the 3rd. Could be Newsome II, Adebo, Rodarius Williams, Aubrey Thomas, Keith Taylor...

At #97: Could go slot corner here. Love Molden (wishful thinking—he’ll be gone) or Lenoir from Oregon. Could also go guard at #97 and grab someone like Cleveland or Moore.

[Bolt Dude]

That actually looks pretty tempting...

Wondering if Murray might be p[laying that "Jack" position you were talking about yesterday. Might be a good idea to get Uchenna, OLB draft pick, and Murray on the field at the same time.

Ojulari (or Collins) Perryman Murray Jr. Nwosu

If you sent 4 rushers (3 DL and a LB)... your LB could come from any of those spots... Staley could be Master of Disguise if he could get those 4 on the field at the same time.

I like the idea of Ojulari or Collins (or Parsons if he falls by some miracle) in that OLB spot. Getting Tufele on that front would be epic, too. And I agree with ya, Murray at Jack and Nwosu on the edge just feels right.

But how do you feel about the possibility of signing Floyd and saving that 1st rounder? I’m down with it. Floyd and Staley seem to have a lot of chemistry, and Floyd could be the bridge between existing players and the new system. I dunno, seems logical.

I know Campen’s gone and that seems to hurt our chances of getting Linsley. But I don’t think it’s a totally deal killer either—not if the money’s right. Linsley and Floyd are my favorite potential FA acquisitions.

[wu-dai clan]

Azeez Ojulari
Jay Tufele
Hunter Long
Brady Christensen
Chase Lucas edit: '22 Draft ! sub Ambrey Thomas
Tyler Vrabel edit: '22 Draft ? sub David Moore
James Empey
Master Teague III
JaCoby Stevens v1

Archived.
Posted ~ 12.26.20

Ojulari/Tufele...covered earlier.

Hunter Long
Inline TE. Direct replacement for Hunter Henry. Good, not great all around game. Excellent catch radius. Not as good as Henry in blocking, route running, athleticism. Very serviceable in our system. I have a mid round three grade here.

Brady Christensen
OLT. Definitely plays with more urgency than Pipkins. Lots of experience in pass pro. Pluses included maturity and experience. Adequate in other phases of Oline play. A moderate floor/moderate ceiling prospect. I have him pencilled in as left side Oline depth to develop behind our starters. Not bad @ ~ #110.
Edit: Brandon Thorn highly regarded trench pundit (yes there is such a thing) says Christensen is a real good fit for LAC. Brady's position coach at BYU, who previously coached Lion's excellent Center Frank Ragnow, gives Brady an even higher grade in Pass Pro. I think I found a nugget here folks.

Ambry Thomas.
Much needed MAN Corner to add to our population.

David Moore
ORG Direct replacement for Trai. 6'2" 315# with very long arms and a mean streak. I expect this Grambling prospect to shine in Mobile next week vs elevated level of competition.

James Empey.
Much experience in the pivot at BYU. Smart signal caller. Good in pass pro. Questions involve anchor. Depth behind Feeney vs Qberry.

Master Teague III
Athleticism is plain to see immediately. Excellent size to speed ratio. Vision, power and burst are pluses. Big upside and potentially perfect complement to EK.

JaCoby Stevens
Oversized Safety with ball skills converts to Jack/Coverage LB and ST ace. Hey it's round 7.

[Boltnut]

Eagle Front might look like this.


Ojulari.....Perryman....Tranquill....Murray
Nwosu.......Vigil............KWhite.....Egbule

.....Tufele.........Joseph........Bosa
......JJones.......Fehoko........Tillery............Rochell (Hybrid DL)

Tranquil.

That actually looks pretty tempting...

Wondering if Murray might be p[laying that "Jack" position you were talking about yesterday. Might be a good idea to get Uchenna, OLB draft pick, and Murray on the field at the same time.

Ojulari (or Collins) Perryman Murray Jr. Nwosu

If you sent 4 rushers (3 DL and a LB)... your LB could come from any of those spots... Staley could be Master of Disguise if he could get those 4 on the field at the same time.

[Boltnut]

Good football ideas.
I am gonna follow up later with brief comments on the rest of my mock.
I was so proud yesterday.
Now it's obsolete.

BTW Nutty. I remember some of your LBs. Fred Warner. Matt Milano. Props on Linsley then and now. Rookie Centers (other than Ragnow/McCoy have been a mixed bag.)

Time to evolve. I think Campen is still here. The D is in need of some changes IMV !

Edit: No Campen--no Linsley. Bulaga...retire please.

LOL! Thanks, Wood. Drafting can be a crapshoot sometimes. I think you ended up nailing Dion Dawkins when I couldn't envision him RT... much less, LT. And you always seem to get every WR right. I always appreciate the work you do. Alright, enough of this love-fest... let's get back to arguing...

I'm still on the Linsley bandwagon. With (or without) Campen, Linsley could thrive anywhere. I liked the inside-track Campen angle... but that may not leverage the deal any more.

[Boltnut]

Is Bud Dupree a FA we should pursue?
Coming off an ACL shortened season but is only 28, ascending, and produces at the coveted OLB/RUSH LB.

I loved Bud Dupree (I mocked him to us many times). But now...? Too expensive. Find the next Bud Dupree in the draft. Zaven Collins is a good comp (IMO). Good overall LB (pass rush and coverage). And ver similar sizes/physical qualities.

[like54ninjas]

Is Bud Dupree a FA we should pursue?
Coming off an ACL shortened season but is only 28, ascending, and produces at the coveted OLB/RUSH LB.