Was there even a LB in the last NFL draft that was supposed to be drafted before the 4th round besides Bush?
Not too many LB from this years draft having any kind of season that is noteworthy other than Bush.
I agree with your take,Snags. He has nice size. He has good fundamentals. He just seems slow, and as a young pup, it’s hard to imagine that changing for the better as he gets older and has more mileage on him.
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He’s allright. Definitely a reach in the second. To me it seems like the defense plays more stout when Davis is out and Tavai takes over MLB
Of course the defense sucks so badly and Davis is so awful that putting Paris Lenon in would probably be an upgrade
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Here’s the truth about Tavai:
You guys think he’s doing poorly because you don’t hear his name or see splash plays.
Truth is, he’s not making them.
But, what he is doing is maintaining his gaps, (except when Davis flips out and tries filling it for him, leaving, of course, his own gap open.)
Tying up blockers and getting off blocks, including taking on Guards.
You also assume he’s not good in coverage because he’s not targeted. But think about that a minute.
If you really want to appreciate Tavai, put on the tape and watch how well he handles taking on 300+ lb Guards.
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He’s a thumper on run downs and a natural blitzer on passing downs, but then PP only has Davis blitz from the MLB position. A Better coaching staff would move Tavai around and let him blow up tight ends or running backs who try to block him. He hits like a freight train.
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I’m on the side that thinks he is going to be very good.
He sheds block pretty well and is a hard hitter.
Don’t overlook that he’s playing on a defense that has been a complete train wreck as a rookie.
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Time will tell with him.
Smart player, physical, slow. He’s the type of player who needs to be in the right scheme to get the most out of his abilities like Van Noy.
Unfortunately, this cover heavy scheme plays into his weakness which is covering in space. This guy needs to be in the thumper/blitzing role. I’ve seen way too many times when he’s dropping in coverage against running backs or tight ends. No Bueno. I was hoping they could mold Reeves Maybin for that role but I guess not.
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Well let’s compare him to another LB taken 6 spots later in the 2nd round, Ben Benogu.
Tavai
13 games played, 4 starts, 49 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF (that won the SD game), 5 TFLs.
Benogu
13 games played, 0 starts, 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 FF, 3 TFLs.
3rd Rounder Germain Pratt
13 games played, 6 starts, 45 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 TFLs.
3rd Rounder Sione Takitaki
12 games played, 0 starts, 8 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 TFLs.
3rd Rounder Cody Barton
13 games played, 1 start, 5 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 TFLs.
So, if you were expecting Devin White or Devin Bush type performance in the 2nd round, well you didn’t get it. But to say he was 4th or 5th round talent, well sifting through other 2nd and 3rd round talent at LB in year one doesn’t seem to bear that out.
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Why compare him to other scrub LBs? Lions should’ve took DK Metcalf or Winovich.
Because other teams took those scrub LB’s within a round of Tavai. I guess why take LB’s at all because they are scrubs in year one, unless you take them in the high first round?
Trying to justify a bad pick by comparing him to other bad picks is not a real exercise.
I have a better one. Make a list of quality NFL players from the university of Hawaii. You won’t have to do much typing.
Its about comparing linebackers to linebackers, not just naming off random players
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Did Darius Leonard or Harold Landry take much time to develop in their first year? They were 2nd round picks the previous year.
So the Lions got a garbage LB, out of a group of LBs that appear to be garbage. Maybe the Lions should’ve avoided that poor LB group.
Blaine Gabbert looks like a great pick too… when comparing him to Jake Locker and Christian Ponder.
You mean Harold Landry the pass rusher (who I was a big fan of drafting btw)? You are just soooo smart…
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How can people possibly judge a player after just playing in what 10 games in a career? I guess good players are great from the get-go and no one needs time to adjust to the game.
What position does Landry play? He’s a LB. There is no defending the Tavai pick. It was a massive reach. Tons of 2nd round Lbs come in and play well immediately. Deion Jones, Myles Jack, Mickinney, etc. It’s a bad pick, you should probably stop trying to do mental gymnastics in an attempt to justify a terrible draft pick.
The more limited players are, the more some fans will like them. It’s unreal.
Is Tavai going to suddenly get faster? LOL! At best he is a serviceable 2 down thumper. That’s his ceiling and that was known since day 1. Congrats. We got a 5th round player in the 2nd, who can be found for peanuts in every FA cycle.
The only thing more SOL than this pick are the fans defending it.
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Sounds like you expect 1st round talent in the 2nd round which is a dumb thing to do.
Lol. No… I don’t expect that. I expect the Lions to reach for players with a limited ceiling every 2nd round. And that’s exactly what they do and sometimes they’ll even trade up to do so. Why take guys who will obviously be quality NFL players in Metcalf or Winovich when you can get a stud like Tavai!!!