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Pokerbrat2000

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Take this for what it's worth, because I obviously wouldn't know, but Baun reportedly interviewed poorly at the combine.

The drags on Baun's stocks are piling up.

1. He's kind of a positional tweener, playing almost exclusively edge in college but having off-ball linebacker size.

2. His workout was good, but not great-- not blowing people away and making them think he will be a stellar space defender.

3. He is an old prospect, turning 24 during his rookie season.

4. He reportedly had bad interviews at the combine.

5. Now this diluted sample thing.

Given that I am a "Badger Homer", one might think I would love Baun and given the Packers need at ILB, would like to seem him in Green and Gold. In reality, I haven't really been that high on him, at least not as a first round pick. Then again I wasn't that high on 2 other Badger LB's, Schobert and Biegel. Schobert turned out pretty decent, but both him and Biegel were 4th round picks. TJ Watt was much more of a sure thing IMO.

Seems like the Badgers have been turning out some NFL LB's lately. LB's that seem to have something in common, very smart/cognitive Football Players, with high motors that seem to be able to play outside and inside. I do think Baun will have an NFL career, just not so sure he is top 60 pick material.

I think some are seeing Baun's 12.5 sacks and getting big eyes. 2 other recent Badger LB's showed some promise and were 5th round picks in 2019. Ryan Connelly actually looked pretty good for the Giants with 2 interceptions and a sack in 4 games, before being lost for the year with a torn ACL. Andrew Van Ginkle had the opposite season, he missed the first 12 games with a foot injury and played pretty well the final 4 games of the Dolphins season.

If the Packers want a Badger LB, I would take a flyer on ILB Chris Orr in the 6th or later. He might be a bit short at 6', but the guy is a weight room freak, is very instinctive, has a knack for delivering explosive hits and his dense frame helps get ball-carriers to the ground. He also has shown a high motor and pursues well to the ball.
 

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Given that I am a "Badger Homer", one might think I would love Baun and given the Packers need at ILB, would like to seem him in Green and Gold. In reality, I haven't really been that high on him, at least not as a first round pick. Then again I wasn't that high on 2 other Badger LB's, Schobert and Biegel. Schobert turned out pretty decent, but both him and Biegel were 4th round picks. TJ Watt was much more of a sure thing IMO.

Seems like the Badgers have been turning out some NFL LB's lately. LB's that seem to have something in common, very smart/cognitive Football Players, with high motors that seem to be able to play outside and inside. I do think Baun will have an NFL career, just not so sure he is top 60 pick material.

I think some are seeing Baun's 12.5 sacks and getting big eyes. 2 other recent Badger LB's showed some promise and were 5th round picks in 2019. Ryan Connelly actually looked pretty good for the Giants with 2 interceptions and a sack in 4 games, before being lost for the year with a torn ACL. Andrew Van Ginkle had the opposite season, he missed the first 12 games with a foot injury and played pretty well the final 4 games of the Dolphins season.

If the Packers want a Badger LB, I would take a flyer on ILB Chris Orr in the 6th or later. He might be a bit short at 6', but the guy is a weight room freak, is very instinctive, has a knack for delivering explosive hits and his dense frame helps get ball-carriers to the ground. He also has shown a high motor and pursues well to the ball.

The problem for Baun is that it's hard for teams to swallow spending a top 50 pick on a guy will be probably be changing positions. That was all well and good for Schobert, who made a similar edge > LB move, because he was a middle round guy. If the transition flops, you're not out of much. But if you blow a high pick on that type of move, it hurts a lot worse.
 

Pokerbrat2000

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I will say one thing, the Badger coaching staff has been making wine out of water when it comes to Linebackers. Few of these guys are blue chip prospects coming out of High School and Tim Tibesar (OLB coach since 2015) and Bob Bostad (ILB coach since 2017) seem to really elevate their games by their junior or senior years. DC Jim Leonhard has a lot to do with it too. It is very impressive.
 
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Never saw Baun as 1st Round potential personally, I've got a 3rd Round Grade on him. He and Davis-Gaither should go within 10-15 selections of each other, with Logan Wilson possibly leapfrogging them both and getting selected in the back half of the 2nd.
 

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