Yeah I been checking him out he would be a great add I think he could play inside with out a doubt. The guy is a beast. Would mind him And Witherspoon with them #1s.
God bless all of you armchair draft scouts. Seriously… this place is so awesome with knowledge!
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Simpson is a hell of an athlete but I’m not sure he has the instincts to be a pure LB. Clemson tried that with him this year and while he has plenty of plays that flash on tape, his run fits were below average and he almost never got off a block if it reached him (the anti-Rodrigo in that regard). He’s got really good coverage instincts in zone, but in man he’s still a liability.
I thought he was at his best two years ago when Clemson let him rush the passer a lot. I’m not sure why they went away from it this year but to me that was his best trait.
I’m trying not to think Jarrad Davis when I evaluate him. They don’t have the exact same build but some of their strengths and weaknesses are similar.
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yeah, how do you like that? 3rd Edge off the board and in the top 10 at that?
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I really did think he’d move into the Wilson/Murphy tier, it’s just happened a lot faster than I thought it would.
How do you like Branch to NE? That’s as much a NE pick as TJ Watt was a Steeler pick.
Yeah it makes a ton of sense. Actually I’ve seen him mocked everywhere from Philly at ten to us at 18 and they all make sense, he plays a position a lot of teams need.
I will say this on Branch though… when we as a draft community miss, it’s on guys like him. A non-elite athlete with average measurables at a lower value position. Every year we have guys like this ranked high because they’re usually pretty glaring needs for a lot of fanbases, and every year they fall. Last year it was Nakobe Dean (who was going as early as top 10 last January) and Linderbaum (likewise), even Kyle Hamilton who was widely mocked top 5 before falling. Two years ago it was Owusu-Koromoah, Moehrig, Wyatt Davis, Creed Humphrey, 3 years ago it was McKinney, Kmet, etc… You get the idea. The NFL doesn’t like these type of players nearly as much as we do.
So I wouldn’t be surprised to see Branch fall to the late 1st/early 2nd come draft day, unless he really blows out his testing. Based on the tape I don’t expect him to.
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At 1st reading, I thought you were giving road directions in Detroit…(Van Ness & 8 Mile Road)…lol…Strange, how the mind works…
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I love Simpson, think he’s a heckuva talent & best football in front of him still. Feels like a weaker LB class overall though
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I’ve seen people not have them in their top 50 players. To me he is overhyped. Simpson reminds me too much of Jared Davis. Gets lost behind blockers and not big enough to play safety. He is more an athlete then he is a LB.
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Simpson is more Deion Jones than Jarred Davis IMO.
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I’m a fan of him as a player but even I think he’s being overhyped at the moment.
My buddy is an Alabama diehard and thinks his foot speed is going to be exposed at time in the slot Says the difference in talent level between Branch and Kool-Aid is quite noticeable. Kool-Aid is a stud so that’s not the end of the world.
I still really like him I just wonder if he’s gonna go as high as he’s currently being mocked. I think he’s perfect for us… but more and more I find myself grabbing Sydney Brown a little later. He’s probably even more of a freak athlete.
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If he’s picked in the top 15 it’s to a team that thinks they’re close. Green Bay makes some sense.
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Yeah but Gutekunst loves his RAS guys, if he’s gonna draft a safety that high he’ll have to test like Savage did.
You know who’s kind of a sneaky Quincy Gardner-Johnson type? Stephan Blaylock of UCLA. Blaylock is more slender but he’s got that slot/safety versatility that seems in vogue.
I keep tinkering with Jeremiah’s picks for the Lions. He had Witherspoon at 6 and Trenton Simpson at 18.
It really puzzled me that he had Trenton Simpson going to the Lions there. I’m sure he had to know Brad Holmes enough to know that he doesn’t like stack linebackers that high but maybe not.
Then I started thinking about it more. Instead of a replacement for AA he is a chess piece.
Trenton Simpson would be best playing as an overhang. He is versatile enough to play the nickel occasionally, play overhang where he can drop in coverage, protect the edge, and occasionally try to get home to the QB on a pass rush. If you look at him in a Minkah Fitzpatrick, Derwin James role but slightly more LB than safety it starts to make more sense. I feel like we got burned a lot on D on run plays right between the TE or OT and the closest WR. So maybe the thinking is he has value immediately as an overhang type who can also cover backs and TEs and can grow into other roles with his size like stack LB or SLB.
You mentioned it, and I agree. I just don’t think Brad values the position enough to take a guy that high.
I think Simpson’s best role is actually going forward (especially rushing the passer), despite what his athletic profile says he should be able to do in coverage. I’m also not in love with his LB instincts, mainly his run fits (though that would be mitigated somewhat as the overhang). I do think we could use a player like the guy you described, I’m just not sure Simpson is it.
Personally I don’t think DJ puts a lot of thought into draft tendencies this early in the process, I think he’s just trying to fit the names he’s hearing are 1st rounders into the 1st round of the draft so the discussion around them can take off. Hence Van Ness, etc…
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