2022 Official Bolts Draft Superthread

[Formula 21]

It starts up front in the middle and thats IDL -
followed by pass rush
and DBs.

Jeez can we get Reuben Davis/Parella or Hand back or Jamal Williams or whatever it takes

I just want a big stout dominant DLine

And those guys all came cheap.

[Boltnut]

I remember you had Matt Milano, the Tranq-sized LB. He was filling gaps nicely, with Phillips/Ed Oliver in backside pursuit. I also am sniffing at big guy Vernon Butler.

We should look at all types of DTs. Create different looks; different matchups.

LOL! Milano was a guy I stumbled upon when I was scouting John Johnson. Milano turned out to be even better than I thought.
Ed Oliver was your guy. That was a nice call! I had Harrison Phillips. I like wrestlers along the DL. Injuries stalled his first few years.

I'm definitely looking for DT's in free agency. Tell me your thoughts on Butler. Is this a Staley fit?

[Leslie Grossman]

Haloti Ngata weighed 338 at the combine, Vita Vea 346. Very interesting it will be to see what Davis weighs.

[wu-dai clan]

LOL! Milano was a guy I stumbled upon when I was scouting John Johnson. Milano turned out to be even better than I thought.
Ed Oliver was your guy. That was a nice call! I had Harrison Phillips. I like wrestlers along the DL. Injuries stalled his first few years.

I'm definitely looking for DT's in free agency. Tell me your thoughts on Butler. Is this a Staley fit?

I don't have a lot of thoughts on Butler. Worthwhile FA defensive tackles are scarce. He has good size. Let's see how it shakes out vs Creed, Trey Smith and company.

[Boltnut]

I don't have a lot of thoughts on Butler. Worthwhile FA defensive tackles are scarce. He has good size. Let's see how it shakes out vs Creed, Trey Smith and company.

I look to the Rams NT's as a possible guide to solutions at NT. Gaines and Joseph-Day are both around 310 lbs. Not huge guys... but they tie up OL blockers effectively and play with good leverage and balance. He had Mike Purcell (328) and Eddie Goldman (318) at NT with Broncos and Bears respectively. Purcell and Goldman were a little bigger than Gaines/Day. Draft rounds were 4th, 6th, UDFA, and 2nd rounds.

[21&500]

We need a FA thread
slim pickings for a starting ROT

[Steve]

I just don't get the love for Davis. The last thing this defense needs is a 2-down overweight DT that seems to takes plays off. We need to get more athletic and I think either Devin LLoyd or Nakobe Dean would both fit Staley's defense and would be every down players from day one.

As I said in FB thread, I think Davis will battle injuries for much of his career because he will be struggling to stay in shape at the pro level. Just too many red flags for a # 17 pick for me and in fact I bet a lot of GMs think the same way and it would not surprise me if he falls into the second round. Just has bust written all over him...

I get the love, even if I don't share it.

Davis is a tremendous athlete. If you watch him play, it doesn't take much imagination to see what he could be. He could be one of the great DT of all time. The guy is huge and has great strength. He can REALLY run, and even run some plays down from behind. He moves like a LB in space. His upside isn't the problem.

His problem is that he is not nearly what he could be. He has not been a very productive player. He is slow off the snap most of the time. He is not that explosive moving forward. He doesn't have a quick step to close with the QB as a pass rusher. He is slow to shed blocks, which is not a good trait for a NT. He doesn't use his arms/hands well, and he lets smaller, less physical players get into his body. For a guy so huge and powerful, he lets smaller guys control him a lot. And mostly, he just takes a lot of time off.

Guys like Davis are boom/bust players. Like you said, a lot of guys like him tend to be busts, because he has never really had to push himself to be great. It happens all the time, and teams still seem to make the mistake over and over again. There are certainly guys who do turn themselves into the players they could be (Norman Hand), but there are many times as many busts as guys who turn it on, and reaching for a guy who ends up being a bust is a big problem.

For comparison to other players (https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb...n-davis-9.html, https://www.espn.com/college-footbal...8/jordan-davis)
2021- 14 games - 32 tackles, (17 solo, 15 assists), 1 batted pass, 2 sacks, 5 TFL
2020 - 7 games - 16 tackles (7 solo, 9 assists), 1 sack, 1 TFL
2019 - 10 games - 17 tackles (7 solo, 10 assists), 2.5 sacks, 4 TFL
2018 - 10 games - 25 tackles (6 solo, 19 assists), 1.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL

Part of it would be draft value and perception of value. What do you want the 1st round pick to do? Most teams want players who are going to be "impact" players. Davis is not going to be a sack artist. There is nothing in his skill set that makes anyone think he is going able to make a lot of impact plays. No sacks, no int, FF or anything like that. If he is going to be productive, he is going to have to do it the hard way, play after play consistency, which again isn't his strong suit. And you can have a great NT on shitty run defenses. He can't do it alone, so we still need several other players and the others that we keep from this year, are going to have to step up.

I don't mind the idea of signing a guy like Davis, just don't do it in the 1st round. A NT who can't rush the QB is a run-down specialist.

[Steve]

Davis is getting the most attention because of his size and national championship.

This year's DL rankings have a number of biggish guys
Phidarian Mathis - Alabama
John Ridgeway - Arkansas
Travis Jones - Connecticut
DeVonte Wyatt - Georgia
Marquan McCall - Kentucky
Corey Bethley- TCU
Neil Farrell-LSU

A lot of these guys are getting downgraded because they can't rush the QB.

It is also worth remembering that Jamal Williams was a barely 300 lb 3tech DT when we drafted him. He got bigger and more powerful in an NFL weight room. Ted Washington and Pat Willaims also got a lot bigger after they were drafted.

More than just going for size, we need players who will play with good technique and play the call. No more of the Tillery turning their shoulders and not staying square.

[beachcomber]

We need a FA thread
slim pickings for a starting ROT

like Morgan Moses outta the above.... https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/new-york-jets/morgan-moses-14476/market-value/

ps. Sportrac thinks he's gonna command a salary 'round $8m/year.... eye think he signs for about $6.5m/year

[beachcomber]

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/all/defensive-tackle/all/ (Danny Shelton/BJ Hill) $4m/year & $6m/year + resigning Justin Jones @$6m/year

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/all/defensive-end/all/ (Dorance Armstrong) $3.5m/year

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/all/cornerback/all/ (Levi Wallace) $6m/year

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/levi-wallace-25587/market-value/

[Boltnut]

Davis is getting the most attention because of his size and national championship.

This year's DL rankings have a number of biggish guys
Phidarian Mathis - Alabama
John Ridgeway - Arkansas
Travis Jones - Connecticut
DeVonte Wyatt - Georgia
Marquan McCall - Kentucky
Corey Bethley- TCU
Neil Farrell-LSU

A lot of these guys are getting downgraded because they can't rush the QB.

It is also worth remembering that Jamal Williams was a barely 300 lb 3tech DT when we drafted him. He got bigger and more powerful in an NFL weight room. Ted Washington and Pat Willaims also got a lot bigger after they were drafted.

More than just going for size, we need players who will play with good technique and play the call. No more of the Tillery turning their shoulders and not staying square.

Exactly! The pundits love guys that pressure the QB. Of course that part of the game is important. Unseen is what a stout, yet mobile, NT can do to keep guys behind him clean... or disrupt blocking lanes and push a RB wider than the play was intended to go. Those little things are difficult to quantify. Staley's NT's @Rams, Broncos, and Bears are fairly unheralded guys. It will be interesting to see what goes on @NT this off-season. I expect it won't be guys that catch pundit's eyes.

[beachcomber]

Davis is getting the most attention because of his size and national championship.

This year's DL rankings have a number of biggish guys
Phidarian Mathis - Alabama
John Ridgeway - Arkansas
Travis Jones - Connecticut
DeVonte Wyatt - Georgia
Marquan McCall - Kentucky
Corey Bethley- TCU
Neil Farrell-LSU

A lot of these guys are getting downgraded because they can't rush the QB.

It is also worth remembering that Jamal Williams was a barely 300 lb 3tech DT when we drafted him. He got bigger and more powerful in an NFL weight room. Ted Washington and Pat Willaims also got a lot bigger after they were drafted.

More than just going for size, we need players who will play with good technique and play the call. No more of the Tillery turning their shoulders and not staying square.

Steve, what are your thoughts on Ridgeway ?? have you seen him play much ??