H
HardRightEdge
Guest
It occurs to be me that since this is a defensive rebuilding year, with zero urgency evidenced in plugging the existing holes or shoring up the lousy depth, a 2-year view might be in order.
Peppers is not getting any younger. Perry and Neal are in their contract years with neither being particularly effective as edge rushers. Neal is forever the tweener, a step too slow. Perry has one more year to develop some kind of move to go with the bull rush; after 3 years without it he hasn't given us much more than Frank Zombo in 2010. Neal and Perry look like just OK depth and rotational players only. Perry looks bound for a 4-3 DE prove-it deal in 2016 which is where he should have been all along.
Assuming Raji is signed, and with McCarthy's guidance that Matthews will continue to take snaps at ILB, the better long term pick might be an OLB with 3-4 pass rush credentials, then backfill with lower ILB and CB picks.
I would not be particularly surprised if Thompson drafted Eli Harold if he's still on the board, as mocked by USA Today, though my reasons are somewhat different.
USA Today's thumbnail rational is, "GM Ted Thompson doesn't draft for need, so he can address inside linebacker later. Harold could eventually replace Julius Peppers while exploiting teams overly focused on containing Clay Matthews."
I reject the notion Thompson does not draft for need. But if you look out to the 2016 season, he can draft the best available defensive player, other than at the safety position, and he'll be filling a position of need.
Harold has the length Thompson (or is it Capers?) likes at the position. In fact, his physical dimensions and Combine and Pro Day drill numbers are strikingly similar to Matthews. He's a burst-and-lean edge rusher ready for that role in the NFL game; like Matthews, his noted weakness is getting pressure when the OT gets his hands on him. He needs work in other aspects of his game; he's probably a nickel player in year 1 with Matthews moving to ILB, not a bad scenario and upgrade from Perry in the same alignment.
Harold played both upright and hand-in-the-dirt at Virgina, and looked worlds better standing up. He's a clear 3-4 OLB fit, something Perry was not. That's one problem solved until an ILB shows up to get Matthews back to the edge full time when Peppers winds down.
I now have 4 preferred picks who have a chance of being available at #30, depending on what happens with additional signings between now and the draft, and who's left on the board: ILB Kendricks, ILB Anthony, DT Goldman, OLB Harold.
I'd like to add a cover corner to the list, but with the readily available clips you just can't see a cornerback's deep coverage technique throughout the route.
Peppers is not getting any younger. Perry and Neal are in their contract years with neither being particularly effective as edge rushers. Neal is forever the tweener, a step too slow. Perry has one more year to develop some kind of move to go with the bull rush; after 3 years without it he hasn't given us much more than Frank Zombo in 2010. Neal and Perry look like just OK depth and rotational players only. Perry looks bound for a 4-3 DE prove-it deal in 2016 which is where he should have been all along.
Assuming Raji is signed, and with McCarthy's guidance that Matthews will continue to take snaps at ILB, the better long term pick might be an OLB with 3-4 pass rush credentials, then backfill with lower ILB and CB picks.
I would not be particularly surprised if Thompson drafted Eli Harold if he's still on the board, as mocked by USA Today, though my reasons are somewhat different.
USA Today's thumbnail rational is, "GM Ted Thompson doesn't draft for need, so he can address inside linebacker later. Harold could eventually replace Julius Peppers while exploiting teams overly focused on containing Clay Matthews."
I reject the notion Thompson does not draft for need. But if you look out to the 2016 season, he can draft the best available defensive player, other than at the safety position, and he'll be filling a position of need.
Harold has the length Thompson (or is it Capers?) likes at the position. In fact, his physical dimensions and Combine and Pro Day drill numbers are strikingly similar to Matthews. He's a burst-and-lean edge rusher ready for that role in the NFL game; like Matthews, his noted weakness is getting pressure when the OT gets his hands on him. He needs work in other aspects of his game; he's probably a nickel player in year 1 with Matthews moving to ILB, not a bad scenario and upgrade from Perry in the same alignment.
Harold played both upright and hand-in-the-dirt at Virgina, and looked worlds better standing up. He's a clear 3-4 OLB fit, something Perry was not. That's one problem solved until an ILB shows up to get Matthews back to the edge full time when Peppers winds down.
I now have 4 preferred picks who have a chance of being available at #30, depending on what happens with additional signings between now and the draft, and who's left on the board: ILB Kendricks, ILB Anthony, DT Goldman, OLB Harold.
I'd like to add a cover corner to the list, but with the readily available clips you just can't see a cornerback's deep coverage technique throughout the route.
