To be honest I think Simpson’s best chance of being highly impactful is as a Hassan Reddick style edge. There’s not really a proof of concept of course but I think that alleviates the instinct concerns which I share.
I love Henley but I don’f see us going LBer that early. I could see us targeting someone like Drake Thomas on day 3.
Deebo couldn’t keep Simpson off the field at Clemson. He played Edge, Nickel, and LB. He’s not a perfect prospect, but Simpson has tools that you cannot teach. I agree many “athletes” have failed in the NFL. But the kid wouldn’t come off the field on a loaded CFB team. He’s doing something right and has been listed as one of the top linebackers in the county on every list available.
Can you coach/teach instinct? Or is that something you’re born with?
We already have a instinctive prodigy in Malcolm Rodriquez. He oozes instincts at the LB position. But he is not an elite athlete like Simpson is.
I really like Trenton Simpson, and you’re right @Thats2, he’s got some deficiencies to work on. I can work on his FBI…but the athleticism is god given.
Yeah that’s a good question. I think good coaches can put guys in position to do the things do well and limit their exposure to the stuff they don’t. It’s not necessarily improving instincts but it’s maximizing their value.
Willie Gay is an example of this. He’s an elite LB tester but his bread and butter has always been his work against the pass. On his college tape he was a mess going forward, missing run fits, couldn’t get off blocks, etc… So the Chiefs don’t really ask him to do that.
And then with Leo Chenal - another elite LB tester - it’s the opposite. They put him in positions where he’s going forward as much as possible and rarely defending the pass. He played a lot of snaps in the Super Bowl against Philly’s vaunted run game which is why he made such an impact. (I also think Chenal’s got above average instincts so it wouldn’t surprise me if he carved out a larger role going forward).
For Simpson it’s like @CuriousHusker, by far his biggest strength is rushing the passer and his best role might be as a Haasan Redick type. But we already have a couple of small pass-rushers in Houston and, when they let him, Barnes. I’m not sure we’d draft Simpson for that role.
Finally I think it was Shepherd who said our approach to QBs who can run isn’t to spy them. Granted that didn’t work very well last season, but Fields is a special case. He did that to everyone. And don’t forget we went 2-0 in games against him.
Simpson has some fluidity in his hips, could he not be an asset covering RB’s and TE’s?
I would not want him stacking G/C’s in the box. If rushing the passer looks to be his only role then it would be redundant to add him to the roster.
So many options at LB available to us. What flavor do we pick?
This is where his lack of instincts comes into play I think. All over his tape you see him overrunning plays, he doesn’t seem to really ever come to balance before trying to shift directions. So with RBs and TEs I think he’d be fine in a straight line (there are examples of it on his tape), but once they put their foot in the ground and break he flies by. There are other plays where guys get wide open against him. He’s absolutely athletic enough to pull it off, but it’s his instincts that fail him. And in zone it’s even worse.
If you were a team with a loaded defense and you could plug him in at the Will and just tell him to run and chase, I think that’s how you’d get the best out of him off-ball. Sure he’d overrun some plays, and yeah, he’ll take the cheese on a lot of play-action fakes and end-arounds and such, but at least you’ll also get a bunch of plays made out of him.
But to me, that’s not worth a high pick.
I actually like the FA class a little bit more than the draft class this year, especially with Wagner in it. I think the draft class is pretty subpar.
My favorite guy is probably Henley, but he’s like 25 years old. I like Campbell a lot but don’t think Brad will, and Drake Thomas and Ivan Pace are superfluous with Rodrigo. Sanders is intriguing but I don’t think he plays with much strength, and if Herbig lasts long enough I’d be willing to take a chance on him off-ball, depending on how he tests. I like Aubrey Miller too but he’s more of a downhill guy and probably not the type we’re looking for.
This team is going to be expensive to keep together
If Bradley stays true to his FA strategies used thus far, and saves the money for keeping his best draft picks, we could be competitive for the next decade.
But even his non best picks look like they’re potential top players
It’s already looking tricky lol
Feels like the consensus has been pretty consistent that the overall level of first round talent is lower that normal. Somewhere between 14-18 first round talents depending on team scouting depts.
I’m not sure this is the season to trade up if you aren’t getting one of those. The talent level at pick 25 and 48 may be roughly the same.
I think if we traded down we would ask for next years picks. We don’t need to take 5 players in the top 55. Sure it sounds awesome, but I think it makes more sense to keep it at 4 picks this year and add premium picks for next year.
Unless that one dude from the 15-18 tier drops down into the 20s then you go up and get him.
Forbes, Ringo, OCyrus Torrence, Bijan ???
OCyrus with 18 is my favorite pick because he will be a top 5 guard in the league his first year, Jaylen Carter was talked about going number 1 overall and OCyrus handled him pretty well. So at 18 your getting a guy who can neutralize the top talent in the draft. I like that value.
That is a bold statement. I think it’s just as likely he’s not a top 5 rookie guard.
I’m going to stick with. I think he’s a stud and him and Sewell on that right side is just scary.
I’m with you on OCyrus and Sewell together being dominant.
What are your thoughts on Skoronski? Could be RG and take over for Decker later…maybe a better fit then OCyrus?
Skoronski is the only G I would consider taking in the 1st round. I don’t think O’Cyrus will ever be one of the ten highest paid Gs in the NFL. His ceiling is just not that high because he is a limited space player. His floor says he will be a starter for the next 10 years but will never be elite.
I would be pissed if we drafted a player high just to combat Justin Fields. He’s going to be out of the league soon once the injuries pile up and his coaches learn he’s not that good of a QB.
Yeah, I’d be pissed too if we spent a high draft pick on a 1 trick pony with a specific role to only stop 1 player. He’d be tacking other guys also.
I agree with Fields needing some serious development in the passing game, but the dude is a legitimate threat rushing the football. His career is still young, I’m not looking past Justin Fields just yet.
Where is Decker going? Later? when is that? Decker is not leaving could be extended. He will be just 31 when his contract runs out. He is in a group 28 to 30 year olds an they get even more an top paid OLT is 35.
Some are not even as highly rated as Decker . I have seen you say this in few posts I doubt Decker goes any place for at least 5 years . Better pick another Lion to get rid of.
In 5 years Skoronski rookie contract will be up.
You answered your own questions