Which LB and CB pair would you want?

I absolutely believe the best thing we could do for our pass rush is get a much better blitzing ILB. Crashing the middle of the line is so massively disruptive. Massively. It sure helped the Ravens kick our butts. For example, see the play from the playoff game where the Ravens' ILBs penetrate into our backfield and disrupt the handoff from Chad Pennington to Teddy Ginn with their pressure.

I just don;t think a great ILB will be available to us in this draft.

My best hope for some value with upside is Jasper Brinkley is he lasts deep into the draft on old injury concerns. I mean, all the USC guys will be gone by the time we pick and no one wows me, so why 'overdraft' anyone at ILB?

 

Even though I'm not the biggest fan of him as a 3-4 inside linebacker, Darry Beckwith is a guy who can blitz well up the middle in my opinion. While I don't think he'sthe best stack and shed linebacker - I know Richard will disagree with me here - I think he picks the right gaps to shoot through. Just look at the game against Arkansas this past season. The big interception early in the game was all Beckwith. He read that it was a play action fake I believe and then from his spot, he saw a hole open up on the right side of him between the LG and the LT and blitzed through it. He ends up hitting the QB's arm and its an interception.

Jasper I like a lot. He's a thumper in the middle and plays the run well. From what I've seen, he's healed well from his knee injury and can get to the sidelines quickly - big reason is probably because he's slimmed down a lot; now at 252 I think. However, I see him as a two-down linebacker. He's too stiff in his hips to flip them and run up field with tight ends and then I see him losing his man in zone.

 

Well, Beckwith, imo, just doesn;t make the size cut for our FO's template (unless he falls far in the draft and becomes an unpassable value). Perhaps part of why he blitzes successfully is because he's able to slide through those little gaps. lol.

Know what's sad> You describing Beckwith's INT made me realise it sounds weird to me that an ILB gets interceptions. I haven;t seen many for awhile now in Miami, so it's like I forget that you CAN get an ILB who contribute those with any regularity. Forced fumbles and fumble recoveries too. Hell, our ILBs never create turnovers.

I can live with Brinkley's deficiencies if he slides to the 5th round, which is the highest I'd take him. I think he gets taken in the 4th (and that's probably fair). I think taking him in the 3rd would absolutely be reaching.

I don;t see us reaching for him. And I don;t see him reaching the 5th round, so I don't think we get him.

All I kow is, next year we need our ILBs to be playing DOWNHILL, always attacking the LOS with forward momentum. That means they have to be good enough to make it through the line, and/or recognise Playaction. Also, having two good safeties behind them will help.

 

Yeah, he'd have to put on some weight - roughly about fifteen pounds I'd say - but I think he could be pretty successful in this scheme because he can cover and blitz.

Lol, true.

I don't think round three is reaching. He's a good player. I could see him going three right now actually. If returns to his original form, he'll absolutely be worth a three.

 

Fifteen's a lot to add to a short framed guy... I mean, that could impinge on his mobility and speed, no?

The "if" is why I put him in round four.

 

Yeah, it could. Though, I'm not sure he's maxed out.

Very true. I think he's working himself up draft boards, really.

 

Yeah, unfortunately.

Three months ago I thought he could be had in the 6th round.

Now he's a possible third, probably a fourth.

 

Butler, to me, is a guy you can put out there on an island. So quick, so natural at the position. Dangerous.

That said, he can get roughhoused by bigger receivers.

 

Barwin and Butler would take our defense from no name to pro game in no time.

 

Yeah, I think English as much upside as a pass rushing OLB than Barwin does, but Davis has much more upside as a CB than Butler does, particularly for what this regime likes in a CB...

The thing is, there isn't much dropoff between Barwin, English and Matthews, but there is a bigger difference between Davis and the other CBs listed...

 

The thing is, I still think that Sintim has an edge with this regime, coming from Al Groh's system than any of the other OLBs. Sintim could also be moved inside, as Muck mentioned as well. He's probably got that ability and having been in the same basic D, would fit quicker than the other candidates...

 

That's what I've been preaching, too. He's great around the LOS, has awesome instincts, is a sure tackler,can shed blocks IMO, and he already possesses the ability to rush the passer... so he can blitz up the middle from game 1. Until someone tells me otherwise, I feel he's a slightly less athletic version of Aaron Curry... and I would love to have him at 2a for this role while playing Connor on the outside.