Jump to content
Washington Football Team Logo
Extremeskins

What OLB would you like to draft


TheRealBigRich

Recommended Posts

I have been thinking about this a while since the combine and it seem there are 4 top OLB that the Redskins might be looking at. I wanted to know which one would most people like to draft. Between Randy Gregory, Dante Fowler JR , Shane Ray and Vic Beasley I wonder who would you like the most. At first I wanted Gregory but since the combine him coming in light I started hoping for Beasley as the draft pick .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beasley is the only one worth it. If Gregory had the weight/strength necessary, he'd be a consideration because of the length and ability to turn the corner.

Shane Ray scares me and Fowler does not reach Kerrigan's current level in my mind.

Aside from Beasley, better off sticking with Murphy - length, strong hands, and smart. There is plenty to believe he can be a double digit sack producer.

Ultimately, they need more pressure from the line. I'd rather replace Amerson with Waynes then Murphy with Fowler/Ray/Gregory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is what makes the Trent Murphy pick even more annoying. A large contingent of ES posters even at the time of the pick thought it was dumb because we were very likely to be drafting in a position where a passrusher was the BPA a year from then.

And a year later, here we are. I hope Williams falls or we take Shelton, but you can never have too many edge rushers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would go with Beasley. He has Von Miller first step and speed and a surprising amount of  strength for a guy who was considered on the small side. He has the talent, the physical skill, and the production. Gregory is high risk, high reward. Fowler is, IMO, overrated as a super high draft pick. I like Ray but he doesn't have the talent and skills that Beasley does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My favorites are Fowler Jr. and Beasley, but they would both be behind my preference for Williams, Shelton and probably Cooper/White as BPA at #5.

Like ConnSkin said above, this is what is so annoying about last year's draft. Had an adept hand been at the wheel at GM running the draft, we would have likely come away with 2 BPA starters like Bitonio or Jernigan in the second and Brooks in the third, solving a major OL and S need. Instead, we are now talking about drafting over our top pick from last year at OLB, and still have no answers at OL or S. Hopefully this year finally puts an end to that type of madness!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think the Skins should draft an OLB this year and will be very disappointed if they do

Prepare to be disappointed then because I think they will at some point in the draft. If you mean that you are hoping they will go elsewhere with the #5 pick, I am with you all the way. The problem is if the draft board falls the way the "experts" feel it will, the OLB/edge-rusher at pick #5 is the sweet-spot where one of these guys should go. I would be THRILLED if DT, Leonard Williams fell to the Redskins at 5 but it is HIGHLY unlikely and reaching for someone like SS, Landon Collins or OG, Brandon Scherff at that spot would be unfortunate. Maybe White or Cooper at WR there to bolster and already stocked WR corps that will become suddenly thin next year?

My hope is someone (Eagles, Browns, Rams) make a legitimate offer to trade up to get Mariota.

In the event that the Redskins make the choice among these top-tier OLBs, I will hope they select Fowler from Florida. Seems like he has a little of everything (size, versatility, production, length) but still a bit raw in his development which I would like to think can be coached up at the next level in order for him to reach his max potential.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Prepare to be disappointed then because I think they will at some point in the draft. If you mean that you are hoping they will go elsewhere with the #5 pick, I am with you all the way. The problem is if the draft board falls the way the "experts" feel it will, the OLB/edge-rusher at pick #5 is the sweet-spot where one of these guys should go. I would be THRILLED if DT, Leonard Williams fell to the Redskins at 5 but it is HIGHLY unlikely and reaching for someone like SS, Landon Collins or OG, Brandon Scherff at that spot would be a reach. Maybe White or Cooper at WR there to bolster and already stocked WR corps that will become suddenly thin next year?

My hope is someone (Eagles, Browns, Rams) make a legitimate offer to trade up to get Mariota.

 

A lot of people havr suddenly decided that that guy Danny Shelton guy is worth the fifth pick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beasley seems to have least downside if you had to choose. I think he has at minimal the ability to be absolute pass rush specialist a la Bruce Irvin. But, frankly, I think he'll be much more.

 

Hate to think this is the WR position of 2014 and we miss. I'm all about that Shelton, but if we ended with #1 overall OLB, I won't be losing sleep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are sleeping heavily on Eli Harold. I think he has the potential to be one of the best out of this deep class.

I love Harold with the Redskins' 2nd round pick if available.

A lot of people havr suddenly decided that that guy Danny Shelton guy is worth the fifth pick

I'm OK with that. A stud DT IS a position of need for a 3-4 scheme to operate at it's peak. It all depends on how one views this defense shaping up over the next few years. Whether or not Orakpo is back in the mix factors heavily into this as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of people havr suddenly decided that that guy Danny Shelton guy is worth the fifth pick

Okay, so you're not feeling Shelton or a passrusher...who's your ideal pick at #5 if we don't trade back? Let me guess, you're an OL no matter what guy?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I kind of favor the smaller speed guys in contrast to what we already have with Kerrigan and Murphy.

 

Beasley seems to have the best bend the edge ability.  He would be my top choice.

 

I like Ray as a max effort every play type  but Vic looks more natural to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, so you're not feeling Shelton or a passrusher...who's your ideal pick at #5 if we don't trade back? Let me guess, you're an OL no matter what guy?

 

Shelton would make a horrible edge rusher! :D

 

Beasley is my top guy right now but I'm hoping we go Shelton or Leonard if they are on the board.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About a week ago I made the decision based on everything and anything I saw that I want Shelton at 5, again, assuming williams isn't there but some people assume and some people don't about his availability so making it clear I'd want him but just don't think it will happen realistically.  Like, some people think when you mention him first you are in a pipedream land, and others if you don't mention him it makes you look like you are incredibly "down" on him or just dumb that you would want shelton (or these rush types) over a guy like williams.  So yea, just making note lol. 

 

But, after watching as much as I could find of these 4 lads, I was actually really surprised by the tape how my ranking came out (for the tape err highlights).  This is just about the college play, and not my ranking based on who I'd want to draft.  Also, this doesn't mean much but I'd like to see how others feel when it comes to the college tape vs. NFL projection topic, since just for kicks it's a great discussion. 

 

I thought Gregory had the best tape (highlights .. lol) by a considerable margin.  He was the only one that truly looked like they were the "most dominant player on the screen" consistently.  I know that's not always a good thing, an extreme example is a NFL prospect in D3, but he was playing for nebraska so I think it's a "very very good" thing here.  He actually played much more aggressively to my eyes than I thought he was going to.  My favorite traits of his, were his highly translatable pass rush "bend" for the nfl and his closing speed. The ability to turn the corner going against resistance is probably the best singular "move" or "ability" you could have as a pass rusher in the NFL, since the easiest thing for LTs to do against edge rushers is to just slide with them as they get go further and further outside until they are so far away from the pocket and then boom the ball is thrown already.  The bending aspect requires all sorts so skills so it's not just a move, which is what makes it all the more impressive when you actually see it in a player.  Strength, leverage, and confidence (since you could get yourself destroyed doing it wrong) are all on display there.

 

Then, his closing speed was something that caught my eye.  You know that feeling when "your team" is on defense, and the QB just seems to have enough combination of speed and awareness and body control to just quite get away and make a pass or throw it away etc, well yea, Gregory didn't seem to let that happen very often because when he's chasing a player, he looks like a demon doing it.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing that he looks like he is truly giving his "all" in the college game trying to chase a player down, I know coaches will like it from the effort standpoint but the transition to NFL standpoint might be a bit different.  Like, his arms are pumping and he just looks relentless chasing people down, and seemed to do it successfully.  But, if that's his ceiling for closing speed how good is it type of question. I assume this is a positive and not a negative but I just bring it up in wonder. 

 

Of course, you can't teach height, and he honestly looks like a monster on the field instead of just being a "big guy playing football..." Examples of those being Dion Jordan when I watched him or our own Morgan Moses. Both being slightly different one going top of the first the other the 3rd round. So, I all of the sudden like Gregory alot.  Of course, his weight issues are what everyone questions, as do I, which takes me to the next player.

 

Vic Beasley is next in line from the college tape standpoint.  Vic also jumped off the screen, but I think just the nature of Gregory's height and use of his body he "jumped off the screen" more than the hyper Vic the quick (uh oh nick name).  Vic also clearly has closing speed, and his speed around the corner was impressive.  Of course, just straight up running past LTs is not going to happen as often in the NFL, which is why seeing Gregory already show true "bend" is better to me (especially at 6'6'') even if from an athletic standpoint it's not as impressive as straight up running past somebody in college, because you are going to need that in the NFL.  One thing from tape that I hold against him more than Gregory however was the lack of pass coverage reps which I think Beasley will need more than Gregory just from an odds perspective where and when they get picked based on their body type and positional projections.

 

Fowler was next, since he also was impressive, but his game looks a bit different than the other two guys since this guy seems more like a true DE than the others.  Not that he wasn't athletic or anything, it just seemed like he was playing the 4-3 DE more than Gregory (and beasley obviously).   And with that comes some responsibilities of playing DE I'm not too familiar with from a tape perspective and what to be looking for.  He didn't jump out as much as the other guys, but I think playing at Florida you are going to be around bigger and faster athletes so I don't necessarily hold it against him.  He also played with violence and strength, but I didn't see quite as much versatility in his overall game (based on the college tape) than the previous 2. 

 

Last was Ray. I actually ended up liking him much more than I thought, but I question certain aspects of his play when it pertains to translating to the NFL.  The first thing I saw before looking at extra vids were his stats, and the 15 sacks jumps out at you.  But, a redskins fan doesn't have to look very far back with Murphy to see that a high sack total doesn't always equate to physical talent and NFL projections (not that murphy is a bust just that 15/16 sacks doesn't mean you're lawrence taylor necessarily).  He seemed to have more savvy than Fowler, but less raw strength.  Also, I liked that he had to get put into flat coverage more often than I saw of any of the other prospects, meaning he has at least a little familiarity in the field.  I couldn't help but feel as though Missouri's defensive pressure was overall noticeably more potent than the other teams and that was facilitating more 1 on 1s for Ray than the other guys too, which can't help. 

 

So, with all that said, between these 4 guys, it ends up being Vic or Gregory for me.  Gregory had my favorite college play, but Vic seems to have his calling card of blazing speed that seems to be a source of motivation for him.  His actual combine performance wasn't what impressed me, it was the solid weight gain that impressed me from a self motivation and just being "on track" perspective for "developing" into his NFL position.  It showed that he "might" not procrastinate from an odds perspective that maybe other players do when they really need to change something in the NFL, and obviously, there have been countless times where a player hasn't transitioned to the NFL, so it was a tremendous boon in my book.  And, this wasn't a guy where his tape was unimpressive but he just looked good at the combine, this was, you look great on tape, but you still need to be bigger for the NFL, and he obliged very quickly.  This gives him bonus points since the odds of this guy being a "self motivated" player is higher than the other 3, where all 4 aren't truly head and shoulders above anyone else.  And, for our team, with an honest state of affairs assessment of where we are as a franchise, self motivated players that would help facilitate culture change on their own is a massive tie-breaker for me than another guy who might need significant development where seeing our down in the dumps state of the franchise could bring them down more than if they went to a "model" franchise and felt motivated by their surroundings and coaches.   I know it's possible Vic's weight gain (and possible further weight gain) could change his game, but he still showed some raw speed at the combine so I'm not sure it's going to be his undoing at the NFL level or anything like that.

 

Because of that, Vic jumps the raw potential that Gregory shows.  And, gregory has a small bit of injury history which doesn't help.  Fowler ends up close behind Gregory, with Ray being the caboose but not all that far behind.  

 

Ray just seems like the type of player to me where he will be very good but only on the right team.  I could see him busting on the falcons but being a monster on the giants or rams for example.  I could see him busting on our team from an expectation standpoint more than the other 3.  I could see Gregory also busting for us more than Fowler, since he needs to make a weight gain similar to Vic, but his ceiling makes that risk just worth it over Fowler in my eyes.  

 

Given all this however, I still want Shelton over any and all of these guys.  

 

edit again -- but, I trust SM to make the right pick so if any of them get picked I will be happy with it...except for if Ray was picked.  I think I can talk myself into all 3 of the other guys over him in a 1v1 debate between all combinations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been thinking about this a while since the combine and it seem there are 4 top OLB that the Redskins might be looking at. I wanted to know which one would most people like to draft. Between Randy Gregory, Dante Fowler JR , Shane Ray and Vic Beasley I wonder who would you like the most. At first I wanted Gregory but since the combine him coming in light I started hoping for Beasley as the draft pick .

Gregory's weight would be the least of my concerns. That's easily rectifiable. That's why you pay strength and conditioning coaches. It should be nothing to add another 10lbs. And guys bodies tend to change anyway. Remember how small Ray Lewis was when he came out?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, so you're not feeling Shelton or a passrusher...who's your ideal pick at #5 if we don't trade back? Let me guess, you're an OL no matter what guy?

 

I don't follow college football, I just mentioned Shelton that way because his name has suddenly popped up after a long period where there were according to most only six people with the talent to deserve being drafted where the Skins where, Winston, Mariota, Cooper, Williams, Gregory and Ray

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Discussions like this make it harder for me to sign up with the BPA philosophy, especially when when it seem the Skins have so many 'needs' at other positions, rather than rushing OLB.

That's why I find myself hoping the Skins find themselves in a situation where they can trade down and snag the appropriate BPAs at needs positions, rather than 'reaching' for a need, or going BPA at OLB.

Frankly, I think Fowler goes to the Jaguars, and who knows what the Raiders will do. So, I'm leaning toward Gregory, just because he seems to have more moves. Ray slides to the bottom of the 4 OLBs, although he might do well in the NFL.

Since the Skins dropped Cofield, I'm hoping they consider a "reach" pick for Shelton. (Not that much of a reach, IMHO.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't want a pass rusher. I like Murphy.

Agreed.

It's amazing to me how many people here keep complaining that the Redskins need to build through the draft, yet they are so quick to give up on drafted players after just one season if they don't come right out and play like pro bowlers right away.

Murphy was just a rookie last season. A rookie on a bad defense of a 3-13 team. What were people expecting?

I think Murphy will be fine. Giving up on him and already moving on to the next draft pick is not the answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...