- Joined
- May 31, 2016
- Messages
- 16,594
- Reaction score
- 28,857
Let's get a little more specific. Want to use this thread to talk about IDL, interior defensive linemen, 0, 1, 3, 4, 5 techniques ... I wrote a few post about what opposing teams have done to our DL and what we might need to stop it. (Please no mock drafts) Maybe an idea of who you like and whwre they might fit where.
Here's one of the dumb post ...
"On early/base downs were playing a lot of our Okie front a "head up" look where you have 5T 0 5T (5T are outside eye or outside shoulder almost head up) leaving G unblocked so LB have to take 'em. 5T will go inside / outside depending on the play.
Mixed in with some 3T 0 3T (3T shaded outside eye or outside shoulder guard) & 4i 0 4i (4i shaded inside eye or inside shoulder of tackles) or "tite" which NFL borrowed from colleges. Again you'll see variations mixed in but we've been playing a lot of the 505 as a base in early downs.
The problem is twofold imo. Teams that can really bully you in the ground game and are efficient running duo (two double teams) and inside - mid zone can just double or prioritize our 0 or 1 and a 5T. And we're not getting off blocks or up field. We're getting washed out the play. We've actually used Wise inside to try to get vertical upfield with little success.
We're fine against smaller offensive lines or one that might not have as much chemistry or frankly talent up front but have had problems against some of the more top tier lines. Bills, Atlanta, Jete, Carolina but teams that have an identity have been more of a problem. Not breaking news you'll have more trouble with better more established lines but those are the teams you'll have to face to get where we want to go and we still need to figure out a plan up front. Again we've adjusted a little in terms of alignment (shifting from 5T to 4i) and personnel (Wise and Davis) but we're not getting the results we want upfront.
Another issue is how you want to defend the run, right? Take from coverage, sacrifice up front. You have guys like Fangio and Staley using a lot of tite or Mint in Sabanese and give up a gap and half. Sacrifice a little pass rush, put a shell over the top and rotate Saf down in the box. Essentially giving up the +1 and trying to stop the run while combating early passing downs.
However you're approaching it, it's clear we need to beat doubles if we're going to keep up with this and no matter the front or alignment we need an upgrade at IDL/NT spot. God and Guy have been inconsistent tbh. Both contribute and have good sequences, neither has been bad all year but it inconsistent. And going forward we really need to think about investing in those positions (versatile 5T that can rush / stop the run) or another Warren type along with a legit NT. Jordan Davis, Travis Jones or someone in the 4th / 5th round but really plays the part. Right now we have 3 bodies doing serviceables job but we need another big time talent up front.
TLDR:
We need a real slot to make things easier on Mac. Alleviate some pressure from MOF. Take advantage of matchups from different positions. This is the one thing that would help our offense the most imo from a "target" pov.
We're handling smaller OL's that don't have an identity or real chemistry - Atlanta, Jete, Bills (up until recently lol), Carolina but losing the physical battle to better ones. Personnel / Alignment needs tweaking if we're going to continue this way. Specifically 5T and 0/1."
With that said let's get into some of the names who could help. Who's "unique" (Davis, Jones, Leal, Wyatt & Winfrey) among their position in terms of skill set. And who might be a good fit for us.
Top 30-40
0/1 Tech
Jordan Davis - from Charlotte, grew up playing basketball and was pretty decent. Didn't really start playing football until JR/SR in HS so he wasn't that heavily recruited (recruited as OG) Played mostly nose but spent time at 3T in an odd front at UG. Everyone raves about him as a person. Very humble, good person, gentle giant off the field.
Mountain of a man with incredible play strength, size & motor. Heavy heavy hands with plus placement & grip strength. Can stack & shed, drive his man into the backfield and handle double teams with relative ease. Eyes could be more disciplined in the backfield. Plus motor, effort & hustle. He'll be on a limited snap count at least short term but he's a hustler with good range for his size. Limited lateral movements but he's a handful & always looking to make a play. He'll never be a pass rusher but can change early downs with the best of them. Inconsistent jump off the line but very good when on. Played a good amount of 3T and can move around a little. Lined up in the backfield on offense. He's not a normal big boy.
Travis Jones - local kid that had offers from Rutgers (originally committed there) & BC. Like Davis played played some OL before DL. Dedicated himself to working on his body shedding bad weight and getting stronger.
6'4/330 with 34 + arms. Natural 0/1T in an odd front. Plus eyes that stay on the ball. Flashes colors to one side before can plugging another gap. Faced a ton of doubled very comfortable in that role. Decent set of hands and moves to free himself. Bull rush, long arm, snatch. He's a worker with plus effort but movements get a little segmented at times. Inconsistent jump and explosion. Like Davis not much upside as a pass rusher. Just isn't there but he'll occasionally be "too much" for a smaller linemen and can win a battle here and there. Like Davis he's a clogger who can reset and help win early downs, short yardage.
Top 125
Neil Farrell - From Alabama. Decent recruit with offers from everyone.
Farrell looks the part but I believe he might be best served in a defense like Indy, Cleveland or Dallas but I'm not a pretend coach just a pretend scout. Lacks twitch to jump off the ball but is a decent snap jumper (there's a difference) Very solid north south player that can do a few things in between A & B but lacks true COD. Plus play strength and grip strength. He can bench an OL'm, control them, push a pocket. Good eyes and awareness on the ball. Not much of a pass rush threat besides bull rush and snatch. Not someone who will consistently work down the line. Again not sure he could be a one man gang & star of the show in an odd front most of the time.
Other names ...
Top 125
John Ridgeway
Top 150-200
Otito Ogbonnia
Marquan McCall
Noah Elliss
udfa
Kevin Atkins
Tyarise Stevenson
Top 40
3-5 Tech
Devonte Wyatt - Georgia native who played everything from track & field to wrestling. Big name recruit that originally committed to South Carolina. Arrested a few years on misdemeanors but charges dropped.
Really nice blend of size, technique and speed. Wyatt can penetrate vertically or chase and pursue down the line/backside. Very nice first step has a little twitch. Very good hand placement but hands could be a little more violent/active. He can disengage and get off blocks though. Handles himself well enough at the poa not a lot of push back but he can't consistently handle double teams. More 3T than 5T. Play recognition could improve. Wyatt can use the space around him and use his flexibility in situations like that & knife through a line. Has some dog in him he'll let you know he's there and isn't shying away from physicality. Most complete 3-5T in the class.
Top 75
Perrion Winfrey - From Chicago little known recruit that's been playing football forever. Struggled with school / qualifying grades went juco.
At times he's explosive getting upfield. He can get vertical with the best of 'em. Hes probably one of the purest 3T in the draft. Heavy hands with long vines for arms, incredible wingspan. Plus motor, effort and attitude. He doesn't stop trying to make a play. Limited high cut athlete that can't change direction. Played out of position on college. Technique has been lacking and hasn't improved. Lots of potential in an attacking/slanting scheme. Has to become more patient vs the run. And play with better pad level they go 1-2 with him. If he hits he could be one of the best IDL in the draft but he's got some work to do and that's not easy to do in the league. You really have to hit the ground running. I'd say he would be a great fit on Dallas but he's got a unique skill set compared to the others at his position. So I'm sure he'll be in demand.
Top 30-40
DeMarvin Leal - From SA, Texas big time recruit with offers from Alabama, Clemson and Texas.
Put together very well proportioned, thick throughout his entire body. Explosive off the ball, movements are smooth, quick with no lumbering. Put together very nicely, smooth transition step to step vertically and laterally. Variety of moves including smooth spin and swim very light feet. Can bounce off his steps. Played all the line out of necessity but he's a pure 3T with 5 potential. Can occasionally rush over the ball or outside in 6T. Has to get stronger overall but hands could improve as well as his lower half. He'll probably never be a real two gap player but his skill set is unique in this draft and others tbh. He might not be for everyone but has a lot potential as a disruptive IDL playing the run.
Top 125-150
Eyioma Uwazurike - from Detroit with Nigerian background. Played multiple sports growing up. Steuggled with school or probably would have went to UM or State. He'll be 24 soon.
6'6/315 with 35 Ball of clay that still needs to be molded and smoothed out. The talent and drive appear to be there. He has to really harness his technique, patience and processing. Played a good amount of 4i & 5T at Iowa State. Love his motor, energy and toughness. Very durable. He's a tough person, player and will fit right in most locker rooms. Hands and placement on punches and strikes really improved as well as his path and steps to the QB. He does a great job avoiding, knifing through blocks he'll occasionally take himself out a play. Inconsistent taking on and finding the ball but he's improved. Has to improve his pass rush plan and variety.
Chris Hinton - from Georgia played basketball as well as football. Big time recruit 5 stars.
Short arms but really knows how to utilize his length. Tough player that knows his role. Isn't flashy or explosive. He's there to control, disrupt and let others shine playing off the ball. Plus grip strength, heavy hands, can extend and press his man. Isn't going to jump off the screen but reliable and smart.
Other names to know ...
Top 75-100
Phidarian Mathis (cross between Ashawn Robinson & Marvin Austin) Not "unique" but a plug & play IDL.
Top 125-150
Matthew Butler (has a little juice to him, nice jump. He'd work in an attacking scheme that manipulates pressure but not sure for us)
Kalia Davis (like Butler he's very quick, light on his feet. Like Butler he can use his quicks to knife and built in {6'1"} leverage for power,)
late/udfa
Jayden Peevy (enormous wingspan/arm length & body/size. Big ball of clay that lacks fundamentals/technique)
Here's one of the dumb post ...
"On early/base downs were playing a lot of our Okie front a "head up" look where you have 5T 0 5T (5T are outside eye or outside shoulder almost head up) leaving G unblocked so LB have to take 'em. 5T will go inside / outside depending on the play.
Mixed in with some 3T 0 3T (3T shaded outside eye or outside shoulder guard) & 4i 0 4i (4i shaded inside eye or inside shoulder of tackles) or "tite" which NFL borrowed from colleges. Again you'll see variations mixed in but we've been playing a lot of the 505 as a base in early downs.
The problem is twofold imo. Teams that can really bully you in the ground game and are efficient running duo (two double teams) and inside - mid zone can just double or prioritize our 0 or 1 and a 5T. And we're not getting off blocks or up field. We're getting washed out the play. We've actually used Wise inside to try to get vertical upfield with little success.
We're fine against smaller offensive lines or one that might not have as much chemistry or frankly talent up front but have had problems against some of the more top tier lines. Bills, Atlanta, Jete, Carolina but teams that have an identity have been more of a problem. Not breaking news you'll have more trouble with better more established lines but those are the teams you'll have to face to get where we want to go and we still need to figure out a plan up front. Again we've adjusted a little in terms of alignment (shifting from 5T to 4i) and personnel (Wise and Davis) but we're not getting the results we want upfront.
Another issue is how you want to defend the run, right? Take from coverage, sacrifice up front. You have guys like Fangio and Staley using a lot of tite or Mint in Sabanese and give up a gap and half. Sacrifice a little pass rush, put a shell over the top and rotate Saf down in the box. Essentially giving up the +1 and trying to stop the run while combating early passing downs.
However you're approaching it, it's clear we need to beat doubles if we're going to keep up with this and no matter the front or alignment we need an upgrade at IDL/NT spot. God and Guy have been inconsistent tbh. Both contribute and have good sequences, neither has been bad all year but it inconsistent. And going forward we really need to think about investing in those positions (versatile 5T that can rush / stop the run) or another Warren type along with a legit NT. Jordan Davis, Travis Jones or someone in the 4th / 5th round but really plays the part. Right now we have 3 bodies doing serviceables job but we need another big time talent up front.
TLDR:
We need a real slot to make things easier on Mac. Alleviate some pressure from MOF. Take advantage of matchups from different positions. This is the one thing that would help our offense the most imo from a "target" pov.
We're handling smaller OL's that don't have an identity or real chemistry - Atlanta, Jete, Bills (up until recently lol), Carolina but losing the physical battle to better ones. Personnel / Alignment needs tweaking if we're going to continue this way. Specifically 5T and 0/1."
With that said let's get into some of the names who could help. Who's "unique" (Davis, Jones, Leal, Wyatt & Winfrey) among their position in terms of skill set. And who might be a good fit for us.
Top 30-40
0/1 Tech
Jordan Davis - from Charlotte, grew up playing basketball and was pretty decent. Didn't really start playing football until JR/SR in HS so he wasn't that heavily recruited (recruited as OG) Played mostly nose but spent time at 3T in an odd front at UG. Everyone raves about him as a person. Very humble, good person, gentle giant off the field.
Mountain of a man with incredible play strength, size & motor. Heavy heavy hands with plus placement & grip strength. Can stack & shed, drive his man into the backfield and handle double teams with relative ease. Eyes could be more disciplined in the backfield. Plus motor, effort & hustle. He'll be on a limited snap count at least short term but he's a hustler with good range for his size. Limited lateral movements but he's a handful & always looking to make a play. He'll never be a pass rusher but can change early downs with the best of them. Inconsistent jump off the line but very good when on. Played a good amount of 3T and can move around a little. Lined up in the backfield on offense. He's not a normal big boy.
Travis Jones - local kid that had offers from Rutgers (originally committed there) & BC. Like Davis played played some OL before DL. Dedicated himself to working on his body shedding bad weight and getting stronger.
6'4/330 with 34 + arms. Natural 0/1T in an odd front. Plus eyes that stay on the ball. Flashes colors to one side before can plugging another gap. Faced a ton of doubled very comfortable in that role. Decent set of hands and moves to free himself. Bull rush, long arm, snatch. He's a worker with plus effort but movements get a little segmented at times. Inconsistent jump and explosion. Like Davis not much upside as a pass rusher. Just isn't there but he'll occasionally be "too much" for a smaller linemen and can win a battle here and there. Like Davis he's a clogger who can reset and help win early downs, short yardage.
Top 125
Neil Farrell - From Alabama. Decent recruit with offers from everyone.
Farrell looks the part but I believe he might be best served in a defense like Indy, Cleveland or Dallas but I'm not a pretend coach just a pretend scout. Lacks twitch to jump off the ball but is a decent snap jumper (there's a difference) Very solid north south player that can do a few things in between A & B but lacks true COD. Plus play strength and grip strength. He can bench an OL'm, control them, push a pocket. Good eyes and awareness on the ball. Not much of a pass rush threat besides bull rush and snatch. Not someone who will consistently work down the line. Again not sure he could be a one man gang & star of the show in an odd front most of the time.
Other names ...
Top 125
John Ridgeway
Top 150-200
Otito Ogbonnia
Marquan McCall
Noah Elliss
udfa
Kevin Atkins
Tyarise Stevenson
Top 40
3-5 Tech
Devonte Wyatt - Georgia native who played everything from track & field to wrestling. Big name recruit that originally committed to South Carolina. Arrested a few years on misdemeanors but charges dropped.
Really nice blend of size, technique and speed. Wyatt can penetrate vertically or chase and pursue down the line/backside. Very nice first step has a little twitch. Very good hand placement but hands could be a little more violent/active. He can disengage and get off blocks though. Handles himself well enough at the poa not a lot of push back but he can't consistently handle double teams. More 3T than 5T. Play recognition could improve. Wyatt can use the space around him and use his flexibility in situations like that & knife through a line. Has some dog in him he'll let you know he's there and isn't shying away from physicality. Most complete 3-5T in the class.
Top 75
Perrion Winfrey - From Chicago little known recruit that's been playing football forever. Struggled with school / qualifying grades went juco.
At times he's explosive getting upfield. He can get vertical with the best of 'em. Hes probably one of the purest 3T in the draft. Heavy hands with long vines for arms, incredible wingspan. Plus motor, effort and attitude. He doesn't stop trying to make a play. Limited high cut athlete that can't change direction. Played out of position on college. Technique has been lacking and hasn't improved. Lots of potential in an attacking/slanting scheme. Has to become more patient vs the run. And play with better pad level they go 1-2 with him. If he hits he could be one of the best IDL in the draft but he's got some work to do and that's not easy to do in the league. You really have to hit the ground running. I'd say he would be a great fit on Dallas but he's got a unique skill set compared to the others at his position. So I'm sure he'll be in demand.
Top 30-40
DeMarvin Leal - From SA, Texas big time recruit with offers from Alabama, Clemson and Texas.
Put together very well proportioned, thick throughout his entire body. Explosive off the ball, movements are smooth, quick with no lumbering. Put together very nicely, smooth transition step to step vertically and laterally. Variety of moves including smooth spin and swim very light feet. Can bounce off his steps. Played all the line out of necessity but he's a pure 3T with 5 potential. Can occasionally rush over the ball or outside in 6T. Has to get stronger overall but hands could improve as well as his lower half. He'll probably never be a real two gap player but his skill set is unique in this draft and others tbh. He might not be for everyone but has a lot potential as a disruptive IDL playing the run.
Top 125-150
Eyioma Uwazurike - from Detroit with Nigerian background. Played multiple sports growing up. Steuggled with school or probably would have went to UM or State. He'll be 24 soon.
6'6/315 with 35 Ball of clay that still needs to be molded and smoothed out. The talent and drive appear to be there. He has to really harness his technique, patience and processing. Played a good amount of 4i & 5T at Iowa State. Love his motor, energy and toughness. Very durable. He's a tough person, player and will fit right in most locker rooms. Hands and placement on punches and strikes really improved as well as his path and steps to the QB. He does a great job avoiding, knifing through blocks he'll occasionally take himself out a play. Inconsistent taking on and finding the ball but he's improved. Has to improve his pass rush plan and variety.
Chris Hinton - from Georgia played basketball as well as football. Big time recruit 5 stars.
Short arms but really knows how to utilize his length. Tough player that knows his role. Isn't flashy or explosive. He's there to control, disrupt and let others shine playing off the ball. Plus grip strength, heavy hands, can extend and press his man. Isn't going to jump off the screen but reliable and smart.
Other names to know ...
Top 75-100
Phidarian Mathis (cross between Ashawn Robinson & Marvin Austin) Not "unique" but a plug & play IDL.
Top 125-150
Matthew Butler (has a little juice to him, nice jump. He'd work in an attacking scheme that manipulates pressure but not sure for us)
Kalia Davis (like Butler he's very quick, light on his feet. Like Butler he can use his quicks to knife and built in {6'1"} leverage for power,)
late/udfa
Jayden Peevy (enormous wingspan/arm length & body/size. Big ball of clay that lacks fundamentals/technique)
Last edited: