Jon Ledyard is a very respect draft guy. Here is his take.
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Good breakdown of the top edge guys, thanks for the post
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“I’ve never seen an edge rusher destined for the Top 5 with less pass rush wins than Walker on tape”
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Take Ekwonu. That is all.
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So that we can cut a solid guard on an OL that we’re trying to get to gel?
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definitely a bit of a leap of faith. But the combination of athleticism, versatility and work ethic might still be the best of the lot all said and done.
This would be the the worst outcome possible. You take Thibs or Hutchinson don’t be cute. Unless Goff isn’t there guy then you take Willis.
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“When I watch Thibodeaux, I don’t see the loafing others talk about. What I do see is one of the most explosive pass rushers I have ever scouted. When evaluating by the Four Pillars, Thibodeaux’s burst off the ball is otherworldly.”
His burst off the ball especially is what I first noticed, it’s elite. He compares to some of the best young nfl rushers IMO. Hand in the dirt rushing from DE is scary, love it.
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I mean Thibodeaux is obviously the most talented of the lot. But it’s whats between the ears that’s a concern. Is he going go get his payday, struggle with injuries, then flame out and start a crypto currency?
I suppose it’s all a gamble. But supposing Hutch is gone and Campbell is too spooked by kooky Thibs. Do you take JJ at two or Ekwonu?
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I’d say MCDC is the kooky one. 
Neither IMO.
Yeah this is why he was so low before all the testing happened on a lot of board. He’s a pretty major projection and has to improve in quite a few areas to pan out.
What’s interesting is Ledyard’s valuation of TW today compared with his mock from yesterday. In Ledyard’s defense, his mock was what he thinks will happen as opposed to his own estimation of what should happen. Dane Brugler’s influence is vast!!
when i watch Walker highlights it’s so different than watching Thibodeauxs. One is a QB missile. Thats all he does is pin his ears back and go
Walker is all over the field, dropping in coverage, rotating in, playing more read and react. Kid could probably even put on 15 lbs and be a dominant IDL
If this article is ‘who is the best edge rusher’ then absolutely. Walker isn’t.
If the article is ‘who is the most versatile lineman with the most upside’ then Walker it is.
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Good read thanks!!! Don’t think the lions have time to develop TW. Take Hutch or Thibs.
So Thibs is a passing rushing machine yet he had 7 sacks and plays in a crappy Pac-12. Something doesn’t compute. I guess the ankle sprain right? Or was the day too long?
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Kind of confirms my thoughts that taking Walker at 2 could be a big mistake. This guy was a mid to late 1st round prospects until his athleticism showed out at the combine so his rise is almost entirely due to athleticism. I have a hard time justifying taking somebody at 2 based almost purely on athletic profile.
All the stuff about getting by on strength, versatility, setting the edge screams Flowers to me. You just don’t take a guy like that at 2 whose pass rushing abilities are almost entirely based on projection. The athletic traits are impressive but it’s quite a risk to bank on something that he hasn’t been in college.
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Sacks are ironically a bad metric at predicting future sacks (a lot of luck goes into them). The stickiest metric is pressure rate, and Thibs led all of college football in 2021.
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Thibs is just as risky as T. Walker to me. Maybe more so. Guys like that can kill the culture of a hard working team. And pure speed rushers without moves haven’t exactly faired well in the NFL either. Look at Clowney and Chase Young.
Right and it’s fine that you don’t like him cause he might be a douche, that’s a legitimate concern. But when you try to play down his ability to pressure a QB it doesn’t hold up, IMO.
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Fair but the upside is much greater. KT has the ability to be an elite game wrecker. I think they have inside guys capable of providing consistent inside pressure, McNeil came on big time to close last season, but they have nobody remotely close to Thibs if he pans out.
Also, this isn’t the NBA. One bad seed who isn’t a QB is hardly enough to kill an entire team culture.
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