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I got slammed on this forum last year for wanting Shazier because he was undersized. And he was great for Pitt till he got hurt. And none of these guys are as good as Shazier
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Now, if you excuse me, I have some Charger memories to suppress.
The Wasted Decade is done.
Build Back Better. -
I was slobbering all over Shazier.Comment
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The most productive 3/4 olbrs as rookies weigh 248-255 if I recall from an article a year or two ago. I'm not sure we find an immediate impact player in this draft at OLB.Go Rivers!Comment
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A lot of college DE or 34 OLB did tend to be bigger and in the 245-255 range. But as college football has become more and more about speed and quickness, guys are not bulking up like they used to. They are playing lighter to be able to run better and maximize their first step. But I don't think the guys listed are too small. Their frame can carry more weight. Just about every player will mature some physically. It's just for the most part, NFL teams don't update their roster listings of size too often. And usually, it only happens when teams get too many complaints about players size. Remember that Jamal Williams only got his weight updated on the team web page when there were too many media stories about him being too small. But the season prior it, as a 43 DT, Williams was dwarfing the Cowboys OL, and those guys were all way over 330 lbs. Don't worry about their weight as much as their frame and see how big they look. Once they get to the NFL, start lifting with the NFL weight room and play the game, their will fill out if they need to.
And I don't think the author has everything quite right. How many times in the past have rookie pass rushers had a lot of sacks. A few players come out and can have around 10 sacks, but it is a rare season that someone does. You can't expect rookies to come in and have an immediate impact as pass rushers. Once in a great while it happens, but that is a bonus if it does. But yo have to rush the QB well, and it takes time to develop pass rushers. Almost no pass rushers make it to become FA, so you can't get many that way, and if you do, you pay premium dollars. Orakpo got $10 mill or something similar this season, and he is pretty injury prone, so even flawed players who have a little pass rush get top dollar. The only way to rely on getting a pass rush is to draft guys, develop them yourself and be patient.
I think the knocking on Shazier is his use as a true OLB. The proof will be several years down the road, but he didn't play OLB for Pitt. He was stacked inside and played ILB, at least in the games I saw. As far as his size go, I think he will be OK at ILB, but may never have the bulk to be an edge guy and win hand fights vs OT, but that doesn't mean he can't be a good blitzer from the inside spot. He just may never be a pass rusher, which is not the same thing as blitzing.Comment
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I always projected Shazier as a ILB in a 3-4 and that is what I've seen him doing in Pittsburgh as well.Comment
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Beasley clearly stands out among the OLB prospects when I looked at video of last year's college games. He is this year's version of Jason Verrett, a small guy that moves really, really well and produces on a consistent basis. Verrett got knocked for his height, but he was the best CB on tape last year. In a similar vein, if not for Beasley's weight, he is the best pass rushing prospect in this draft. Should we roll the dice like we did with Verrett? We will see in a couple weeks at the combine how he measures up, but as a player at the college level against elite competition, he was an amazing player.
Another guy I kind of like who might be available at our pick is Bud Dupree. He is a big man that moves fluidly who could run under 4.6 at the combine. The one thing I don't like about him is that he had several plays where he took poor angles on run plays which let RB's get outside. He kind of reminds me of Merriman with his size and speed.Comment
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A lot of these pass rushers dont pop off the film when i watch the games. They have good production but get locked up too easily with linemen and struggle to disengage. Some will time well but really look slow getting to the QB. And many have easy sacks where QBs come to them. Ive gone through a bunch of them and many look like back of the 1st - 2nd rounders. Guys that really look like they are men amongst boys that i have seen are showing extreme strength and speed as well as football IQ. Only a couple seem to be using multiple gaps and attacking different gaps based on reads. The 3 guys that really stand out to me are.
Shane Ray
Randy Gregory
Vic Beasley
Not saying that the rest are not great but they all seem to need a lot of work and with so many i really think we can wait until round 2 to get one. But if one of these 3 were there they will contribute now. Obviously doubtful though. Guys like Dupree and Fowler have experience in both 34/43.
Really love the way Shane Ray plays the game. My favorite pass rusher in the draft.Comment
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Those are the three guys that stand out, I agree, but only Beasley has a chance of being there at our pick. I like your idea of drafting him and using him as a specialist for now. The way he uses his hands and arms to keep blockers off of him, he could develop into an every down guy if he can get up to 240 pounds or more. Boltjolt has a great point, though, about his weight and the inability to keep it on. If his natural weight is truly 220, I would stay away from him. If we did go with Beasley, I'm concerned that Attaochu is not there yet with his run defense, especially with setting the edge, and I've seen enough of T. Williams to think he will never be a good starting quality OLB.Comment
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Setting the edge is why you need to have some meat on your bones, also there are some safeties that are 220...Go Rivers!Comment
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I would've been happy with Donald last year..Comment
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Bring on Beasley.Comment
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