2020 Comprehensive Draft Thread

[Skinsinparadise]

Stephen Sullivan, TE, LSU 

Sullivan legit came out of nowhere. I mean, on most prolific passing offense in college football history this season, he had 12 catches for 130 yards. But after the week he had in Mobile, Sullivan will convince many his pedestrian production was simply due to the talent around him. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds with an absolutely ridiculous wingspan just over 85 inches, Sullivan ran away from just about everybody down the seam, and his huge catch radius allowed him to make grabs well outside his frame. He was a rock in blitz-pickup drills too. And per Zebra Technology, the company that tracked the movements of all players at the Senior Bowl, Sullivan hit 19.9 mph on the first day of practices. That's wide receiver speed. 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/senior-bowl-2020-nebraskas-lamar-jackson-lsus-stephen-sullivan-among-draft-sleepers-who-shined-in-mobile/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Going Commando]

1 hour ago, Anselmheifer said:

I would definitely trade Trent. I think his value has to be higher than a second. A 2nd and a 3rd or 4th maybe? I think there is a chance we milk a late 1st out of someone. Honestly, I'd rather trade him for a 2021 1st than a 2020 second. 

 

In any case, I definitely don't see the Skins trading Trent. They are going to resign him, resign interior OL, sign a TE and invest moderately in the secondary. I'm sure they feel the need to build the line to protect Haskins and the need to give him a weapon at TE. I have to think that that is the most logical plan given what we know about the coaching staff and FO and our roster. 

 

Getting Trent to come back and play and sign a long term extension is the best outcome.  It's certainly preferable to trading him for a pick that we'll turn around and spend on a project tackle who will, realistically, never be as good as him.  Having great LT play for like the next four years, critical years in Hasksins's development, would be extremely important.  But there are two big problems with this scenario:

 

1 - This dispute with him got personal and he swore he wouldn't play for us again.  Is that really supposed to go away just from firing Allen?  I have my doubts about that.  He doesn't seem like the type to give up on a matter of principle.

 

2 - He burned us already, how can we trust him again?  Fool me twice, shame on me.  I don't love the idea of keeping ourselves in a position of reliance upon him.  He's already shown that he'll quit on us over a grudge.

 

If I were in charge, I'd cut my losses with him and move on.  But more than anything, I hate the idea of going into the final year of his contract with no extension.  We need to either get a new deal done over the next few months, or trade him.  And like you, I like the idea of dealing him for 2021 picks.  That should be a very strong draft class too, particularly at WR and OT.

[skinny21]

@Anselmheifer coaches saying they like our backers... is that more than just coachspeak?  I’m not sure.  I think we have 3 pretty good options for MIKE/WILL - SDH is good in coverage, not sure about how good he can be against the run.  I mean, I think he can do pretty well, but I don’t know/doubt that he can be a stud for us.  
Ditto Holcomb in the middle - I think he can do pretty well - maybe he can even be a good MIKE - but I have trouble believing he’ll ever be a very good player there.  
Foster is a wildcard.  Has the talent to play at a high level at SAM or WILL, but injury situation is a major concern (as well as his contract situation after this year).  

JHC is maybe a decent enough nickel backer.  
Not seeing a natural fit for the SAM role.

 

Point being, I’m not sure two former linebackers are going to be satisfied with this group, even if they ‘like’ them.  I could be wrong though of course.  
 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

I just watched 2 games of Sullivan.  He's a hard dude to get a handle on because they don't throw to him much.  If they can get him in the 6th round or something, he's an interesting project, he has talent.    He looks fast for his size.  They line him inside some and in the two games I watched he played outside a lot.  When he played outside it was mostly a decoy to either set up a run or throw it inside to Jefferson or someone else.  The fact though that a TE has the speed and elusiveness to occupy a CB is a good sign.   And he does occupy the CB in those cases.  He got open a bunch of times where Burrow didn't throw it his way.  So I get the narrative that he was bound to put up small numbers relatively speaking in that offense -- LSU has a killer outside and inside receiver so there are so many balls in play. 

 

I think he's OK as blocker.  I often look at a draft geek type scouting report after I watch a player to see what meshes what I see and what doesn't.  I see some see him as an overgrown receiver who doesn't block well.  To me that's yes and no.  He does move like an overgrown receiver, reminds me in that way like a taller and less polished Hunter Bryant.  But unlike Hunter, I think Sullivan has the frame (especially if he puts some upper body muscle on) to be a well rounded TE.  Like Hunter, Sullivan is a willing blocker and I'd rate Sullivan as a better blocker than Hunter.  But neither dude blocks with an attitude/mean streak like a Trautman or Kmet.  

 

The play below is an example of a thing he does I like.  He will get physical on the inside to get open.  He doesn't give up on plays.  Also, if Burrow is scrambling around, Sullivan will keep working to break free from whomever is on him nonstop. 

 

[HTTRDynasty]

Is it bad that a small part of me is hoping we finish in the top 3 next year to draft Penei Sewell after trading away Trent this year?  Sewell will be a special, special prospect.  Probably the OT equivalent of Chase Young this year.

[Anselmheifer]

3 hours ago, HTTRDynasty said:

Is it bad that a small part of me is hoping we finish in the top 3 next year to draft Penei Sewell after trading away Trent this year?  Sewell will be a special, special prospect.  Probably the OT equivalent of Chase Young this year.

I want Sewell too. No way we get that pick. Can anyone on the board imagine a scenario whereby we wind up with the 3rd pick? Defense should be better this year. We are drafting Chase Young and Montez Sweat will have a year under his belt. We have a competent DC and are changing to a 4-3. We assuredly will fortify the secondary and sign a competent TE. We will have 70-90 million to spend in FA. We have a competent real life NFL head coach. Even if we have an egregiously disappointing season, we aren’t going worse than 5-11 and that’s not Sewell territory. 
 

The only way I think we get Sewell is if we trade Trent for a 2021 1st and that team is surprisingly bad. Or if we do that and use multiple picks to move up. 

[Going Commando]

3 hours ago, HTTRDynasty said:

Is it bad that a small part of me is hoping we finish in the top 3 next year to draft Penei Sewell after trading away Trent this year?  Sewell will be a special, special prospect.  Probably the OT equivalent of Chase Young this year.

 

You never know what will happen this far out.  He could get hurt.  He could stay in school.  He could measure really short/short-armed and not go as high as projected.  So on and so forth.

 

I don't want another god-awful season.  I don't like the idea of having consecutive terrible seasons.  Guys get used to losing, bad habits set in, talent gets wasted, and it is so hard to get that kind of culture of rot turned around.  We see that to be the case with Cleveland.

 

I want Rivera to hit the ground running to secure his future here, and I want Haskins to play meaningful, winning football next year.  I want him to get a taste for winning at the NFL level so that it becomes something that is expected each week.  Winning and playing good football fast-tracks QB development, we've seen it happen recently with Watson and Jackson and Mahomes whereas Mayfield stagnated in year two.

 

And more than anything, I'm getting a little worried about the defense.  That unit massively underachieved last season and I am worried that bad habits have already taken hold.  If we get Chase Young, then I want that group taking a huge step forward under Del Rio and playing up to their capability.  I want them to be an aggressive, swaggering group who execute with consistency and who knows they are elite.  That's how we establish a winning culture and get this organization turned around.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

 

[HTTRDynasty]

1 hour ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

You never know what will happen this far out.  He could get hurt.  He could stay in school.  He could measure really short/short-armed and not go as high as projected.  So on and so forth.

 

I don't want another god-awful season.  I don't like the idea of having consecutive terrible seasons.  Guys get used to losing, bad habits set in, talent gets wasted, and it is so hard to get that kind of culture of rot turned around.  We see that to be the case with Cleveland.

 

I want Rivera to hit the ground running to secure his future here, and I want Haskins to play meaningful, winning football next year.  I want him to get a taste for winning at the NFL level so that it becomes something that is expected each week.  Winning and playing good football fast-tracks QB development, we've seen it happen recently with Watson and Jackson and Mahomes whereas Mayfield stagnated in year two.

 

And more than anything, I'm getting a little worried about the defense.  That unit massively underachieved last season and I am worried that bad habits have already taken hold.  If we get Chase Young, then I want that group taking a huge step forward under Del Rio and playing up to their capability.  I want them to be an aggressive, swaggering group who execute with consistency and who knows they are elite.  That's how we establish a winning culture and get this organization turned around.

Yeah, this is why I say only a small part of me wants that. And that small part wants us to be close in every game but just have extremely bad luck at the end. It’s happened before, where good teams have had a string of bad luck in close games throughout the year, end up with a high pick, and take off running the next year once their luck in close games reverts to the mean.  Losing that way is much less detrimental to the team’s psyche and confidence than getting consistently blown out like we were during the early part of last season. 
 

Regardless, it’s still only a small part of me that wants that due to everything you posted above, and at some point you just have to stop coveting the next great prospect and roll with the guys you have and, when the draft comes around, hope your FO is good enough to consistently find talent drafting in late round position. 
 

 

[Going Commando]

Different thought:

 

What about playing Landon Collins at MIKE on long downs and running some Tampa 2 then having the corners play man?  Basically just puts Landon in a middle of the field patrol mode reading the middle seams.  Five+ DB personnel group but Landon can still play downhill like an extra linebacker.  I got the idea from watching how the Eagles used Malcolm Jenkins at linebacker alignments.  He plays WILL and MIKE for them as well as deep safety and nickel/flat defender.  We should be doing this with Collins too.  It'd be harder for the QB to read our coverages if we're running three safety groups.

 

I really think that nobody on the defense stands to benefit more from better defensive scheming and coaching and playcalling than Collins.  He has the ability to become the featured player on the defense.  He's entering the prime of his career, he's a former All-Pro player, and he's our best nickel and dimebacker.  He has legitimate ball-hawking ability and he can make plays on the ball and turn it over from a Tampa 2 MIKE position.  On run downs, you either drop him into a box safety spot or move him to the weak side.

 

Between him, SDH, Foster, Anderson, and Holcomb, we've got options at LBer to fit the various packages we'll need to install.  I don't think we're as hard up for linebackers as we've assumed.  Where I think we're really needy is at safety and corner.  If Landon is playing as a linebacker, then we've only got Montae and Apke as playable options at safety.  That is not good enough.  We need at least one more rotation safety of legitimate quality IMO.  Almost all of the good defenses have at least three, if not four that play high snap counts and grade well on PFF.  It's the answer to the shotgun spread.

 

And I think we all realize that we need corners.  But between the poor showing of the Seniors this week and the lack of a second round pick, I'm getting a little pessimistic about our ability to snag a good corner at 66.  I've been doing fanspeak mocks on the various big boards and most of them have nearly all of the good corners going in the first two rounds.

 

Thus I think we're going to need to spend big on secondary players in free agency.  Anthony Harris and Jimmy Ward are both free agents, and would be hugely impactful acquisitions.  Harris would be my top target in FA, and if we could get him to come back to the region + sign Byron Jones or Chris Harris, that would be transformational.  Failing that, Bradley Robey would be a nice target.  And if that didn't work, then I'd also be willing to throw some money at a guy like Mackensie Alexander to see if he can get back to his level of play from 2018.

 

Anthony Harris or Byron Jones + Robey and/or Alexander in FA.  Antoine Winfield Jr at 66?  K'Von Wallace or Julian Blackmon in the fourth or fifth?  Plus maybe a high upside flyer like Josh Nurse late in the class.  We could make huge strides as a secondary off of those moves.

[crabbypatty]

On 1/24/2020 at 2:07 AM, skinny21 said:

Yeah, I think we may find better value (at wr) if we picked up a guy that has proven they can play on the outside.  Better yet, someone that can play two different spots (Z and slot, or Z and X) in case Sims or McLaurin miss any time.  
Partially depends on how FA plays out too, IMO.  We might lean toward a LB, RB, corner, S, TE or an OL at that point.   I think there will be some legitimate talent available in the middle rounds.  
 

 

There's always legit talent in the 3rd and 4th and even 5th rounds. They're my favorite rounds in the draft, because you can pluck a bunch of starters out of those rounds. Hell, just look at the Redskins the last few years. Holcomb, Martin, Breeland (until his temper tantrum about Norman) Crowder, Fuller, Ion, Settle, Mclaurin, Long, Thompson, Reed, etc.

 

For my money, I'd load up on picks in rounds 3/4/5. There's Sooo much value there and you can get some really really good players.

I hope they trade Kerrigan and Trent for 2/3/4 round picks and load up in those rounds. That's where you get underrated guys who get you to super bowls, like Sherman, Kittle, Tyreek, Kelce, Mathieu etc.

 

The first round blue chip guys are nice and necessary, but you need those 3rd -5th guys to really pan out, because they perform for a few years waaaay above their paygrade.

 

[HTTRDynasty]

2 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

Different thought:

 

What about playing Landon Collins at MIKE on long downs and running some Tampa 2 then having the corners play man?  Basically just puts Landon in a middle of the field patrol mode reading the middle seams.  Five+ DB personnel group but Landon can still play downhill like an extra linebacker.  I got the idea from watching how the Eagles used Malcolm Jenkins at linebacker alignments.  He plays WILL and MIKE for them as well as deep safety and nickel/flat defender.  We should be doing this with Collins too.  It'd be harder for the QB to read our coverages if we're running three safety groups.

 

Yeah, I posted something similar a few weeks ago in the 4-3 thread (shown below).  I think it would be the best use of our current personnel and Collins would shine in that role.  Would love to have Anthony Harris as one of the deep safeties if we went that route.

 

 

[crabbypatty]

On 1/24/2020 at 10:52 AM, KDawg said:

 

People are discounting a team trading to 1 for Young... 

 

I wouldn't discount that possibility.

 

If Cincy is shopping the pick because they like Herbert, they could likely trade as far back as 6 or so. That gives them a bunch of dance partners. Maybe even further than that. I would not, under any circumstances, want to see anyone trade for the 1 pick.

 

People can sit here and say "not a chance" all they want, but if Young is as good as we think, and pass rushers are that important, I'd rule NOTHING out.

There's no way anyone is trading up to #1 for a pass rusher.. unless the guy was part Watt and LT.. it ain't happening. Nobody is taking a defensive lineman over a national championship winning qb with 2 really good seasons under his belt. It just ain't happening.

[RWJ]

1 hour ago, crabbypatty said:

There's no way anyone is trading up to #1 for a pass rusher.. unless the guy was part Watt and LT.. it ain't happening. Nobody is taking a defensive lineman over a national championship winning qb with 2 really good seasons under his belt. It just ain't happening.

I believe we will have the opportunity to and will draft Young.  Cincy's Owner Brown doesn't usually trade and he desperately needs a QB as Dalton hasn't been the answer nor is the rookie the drafted last year in the mid rounds.  

[bakedtater1]

15 hours ago, HTTRDynasty said:

Is it bad that a small part of me is hoping we finish in the top 3 next year to draft Penei Sewell after trading away Trent this year?  Sewell will be a special, special prospect.  Probably the OT equivalent of Chase Young this year.

Yes that's bad..very bad..any time you want your favorite football team to lose is bad. Talk about a great way to welcome the new coach. Lol

 

[Skinsinparadise]

9 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Thus I think we're going to need to spend big on secondary players in free agency.  Anthony Harris and Jimmy Ward are both free agents, and would be hugely impactful acquisitions.  Harris would be my top target in FA, and if we could get him to come back to the region + sign Byron Jones or Chris Harris, that would be transformational.  Failing that, Bradley Robey would be a nice target.  And if that didn't work, then I'd also be willing to throw some money at a guy like Mackensie Alexander to see if he can get back to his level of play from 2018.

 

Anthony Harris or Byron Jones + Robey and/or Alexander in FA.  Antoine Winfield Jr at 66?  K'Von Wallace or Julian Blackmon in the fourth or fifth?  Plus maybe a high upside flyer like Josh Nurse late in the class.  We could make huge strides as a secondary off of those moves.

 

Agree, I've been making similar points on the FA thread.  It's a good FA crop for CB and S.   Supposedly Del Rio prefers to pay cover 1.   If so you need corners who are good enough to play man and a free safety with really good range.

 

I think we need both an outside corner and a nickel and FS.  It's actually a decent FA crop on both fronts, nickel, too.    I favor this year FA for defense and the draft more for offense.  i am typically the opposite. 

 

According to PFF. top safeties in coverage.  And then versus the run

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

On an aside, if my guy from the 2017-2018, draft, Guice can stay healthy (granted a big if) he has some eye popping numbers. 

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

Story here in the South Florida papers

 

Kelly: Lions will control 2020 NFL draft — and might try to leverage Dolphins to get more picks | Commentary

By OMAR KELLY

SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL |

JAN 25, 2020 | 7:27 PM

 

 

Most around the NFL believe that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s floor in the 2020 NFL draft is the Miami Dolphins’s No. 5 pick.

Miami’s infatuation with Tagovailoa is the worst kept secret around the league.

 

But it’s likely that the Detroit Lions will decide where the former Alabama standout, who missed most of this past season with an ankle and then a hip injury, will play in the NFL.

There will be plenty of teams weighing whether they want the often-injured quarterback bad enough to leapfrog Miami, and Lions general manager Bob Quinn will seemingly be the gatekeeper.

 

That was the buzz in Mobile among NFL executives, coaches and scouts during the Senior Bowl’s week of practices.

 

Even though Bengals coach Zac Taylor said nothing is decided, Cincinnati will likely go the safe and smart route and use the No 1 pick to select on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy winner who just had the best single season in the history of college football.

With the No. 2 pick the Washington Redskins will likely select Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young, who is viewed as the best overall talent in the draft.

That leaves pick No. 3, which is owned by Detroit, as the hot spot.

Based on the talk at the Senior Bowl, don’t rule out the Lions trading Matthew Stafford this offseason to a team willing to offer up a first-round pick, and selecting Tagovailoa.

That’s likely a long shot considering how hot the seats their GM and coach, Matt Patricia, are sitting on have gotten following two straight losing campaigns, but it’s certainly something that needs to be monitored.

 

A major factor in the equation is whether Stafford wants to continue playing for Patricia, which some in the NFL are wondering about.

Based on the Senior Bowl chatter, Oakland quarterback Derek Carr is also available for first-round pick. This comes after rumors of him being available last year too.

We’ll know more on Stafford and Carr’s fate before this spring’s draft because if the Lions and Raiders move on from their veteran quarterbacks they’ll do so before, or during free agency.

That means the picture will get clearer on Tagovailoa before draft week arrives. Until then, the Dolphins better make sure they have a contingency plan.

That’s why Miami’s front office and coaching staff attending the Senior Bowl was important.

 

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-kelly-column-sun-20200125-kjt374bwtfcnzb6b3c7gfwwfw4-story.html

 

 

[Koolblue13]

Collins is such a baller and should be playing more like the way the Jets use Adams, although that guy is incredible. Agreed about the Jenkins comparison as well.

 

I also don't think this team is that far off and that our LBers are serviceable at worst. Two great posts @stevemcqueen1

[Skinsinparadise]

I just watched 2 games of Proche because of some of the senior bowl hype.  Maybe it was the wrong two games because I didn't fall for him based on what I watched.

 

He's quick, shifty.  They put him everywhere -- outside, inside.  He's a high beta guy -- variance wise (his peaks though nothing crazy high).   He sometimes separates well, sometimes doesn't.   He's not a big guy and physical and I wonder about him being press coverage.  His hands are very inconsistent.  he can make an acrobatic catch on one play and drop and easy one on another.  He's not much with contested catches.     He's to me a shifty slot receiver, Crowder type.  He looks faster than Crowder but not as good hands.

 

I am just not that into inconsistent players but I gather they can be coached up depending on their makeup-intangibles.  Watching him, my eyes gravitated more towards a different SMU receiver, #8, Roberson.

 

 

 

 

[mhd24]

Detroit trading Stafford???

 

Its interesting.  Sign a vet QB (like Keenum) to bridge to Tua.  Use the other 1st rounder on defense.  The Jags would be ideal, but they have no cap space.  Indy makes too much sense.  Have a boatload of cap room and can offer #13 overall.  If Detroit could get Kinlaw (I don't know if he slips), then that would be ideal.  Otherwise, they probably take CJ Henderson.  Indy still has our high 2nd to take a WR they like and their own 2nd rounder to upgrade.  

[Anselmheifer]

2 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

And more than anything, I'm getting a little worried about the defense.  That unit massively underachieved last season and I am worried that bad habits have already taken hold.  If we get Chase Young, then I want that group taking a huge step forward under Del Rio and playing up to their capability.  I want them to be an aggressive, swaggering group who execute with consistency and who knows they are elite.  That's how we establish a winning culture and get this organization turned around.

 

I feel the same way. San Francisco had a lot of things happen at the same time, that added up to a lot more than adding Nick Bosa. Ward suddenly got healthy. Their QB returned and they found a run game. Everyone else started clicking. I don't think that we add Chase Young and our defense is suddenly much better. In fact, if we didn't have a new DC, I think Chase would come in as a rookie, collect 10 or 11 sacks, and our defense would look marginally better. 

 

The defense is still flawed, but I think could be shored up very quickly if we also have Chase Young.  Honestly, I think Jack Del Rio will help more than Chase Young. I think that we need 3 new defensive backs at a minimum and 2 new LB's. We lack tone setters at LB and in the secondary. We still look very vulnerable to the pass, and honestly, even if we shore up our secondary, I don't see this as an elite run stopping team. We don't have a giant game wrecker in the running game like a Haloti Gnata or even maybe a Vita Vea. I could honestly see the defense being a disappointment next season given expectations. 

[cakmoney61]

19 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Getting Trent to come back and play and sign a long term extension is the best outcome.  It's certainly preferable to trading him for a pick that we'll turn around and spend on a project tackle who will, realistically, never be as good as him.  Having great LT play for like the next four years, critical years in Hasksins's development, would be extremely important.  But there are two big problems with this scenario:

 

1 - This dispute with him got personal and he swore he wouldn't play for us again.  Is that really supposed to go away just from firing Allen?  I have my doubts about that.  He doesn't seem like the type to give up on a matter of principle.

 

2 - He burned us already, how can we trust him again?  Fool me twice, shame on me.  I don't love the idea of keeping ourselves in a position of reliance upon him.  He's already shown that he'll quit on us over a grudge.

 

If I were in charge, I'd cut my losses with him and move on.  But more than anything, I hate the idea of going into the final year of his contract with no extension.  We need to either get a new deal done over the next few months, or trade him.  And like you, I like the idea of dealing him for 2021 picks.  That should be a very strong draft class too, particularly at WR and OT.

 

I was hoping that Trent and the Redskins would reconcile by working out an extension.  There are times I like a post because it is so well thought out and well presented even if I have different or even opposite thoughts.  Your post is a perfect example.  Your words have given me pause on if the Redskins will or should sign Trent.  My feeling right now is I don't know.

 

Your post, along with a multitude of other posters, is why I love coming to ES.  I perceive the love the posters have for this team and the game of football (college and pro).  I honestly don't buy football magazines, because I don't have to.  This site is my #1 source for all things Redskins and football in general.

 

Don't tell anybody but I form many of my opinions after reading what is posted here.🤫  I'm beginning to wonder if some of you are scouts, coaches, and the like.  Whatever the case, I greatly appreciate the ES community/family.🙂

 

Edit:  One more thing:  99% of the time I don't comment or leave a reaction when you guys go into Xs and Os mode, because most of the time I have no idea what you guys are talking about.😄

[Skinsinparadise]

The point below actually sums up my feeling about run blocking in TEs and WRs.  i favor the dude who seem to enjoy it and are just nasty.  It's part of the reason why I like Trautman on that front.  The dude isn't a polished blocker by any stretch but you can see he plays with attitude.  I think you can polish up the technique but you can't fake a player's will.    As a receiver, I same some nastiness out of Sims as a blocker, and I like that. 

 

IMO you seed some nastiness from your blockers.  Harmon and McLaurin are good blockers for receivers.  We clearly need a TE who can do the same.  Not just  dude who can block but bringing some attitude with it ideally.

 

 

Because Kittle’s enthusiasm for the run game permeates throughs the offense, Shanahan has been able to make his schemes more elaborate. He has always involved fullback Kyle Juszczyk, but now the receivers are bigger parts of the run scheme as well. 

Veteran Emmanuel Sanders has mentioned that he enjoys being a “bully” while run blocking. He believes that Kittle sets the tone for what can be accomplished when everyone contributes to the ground game. 

“Kittle is one of the best tight ends in the league, but everybody wants to talk about his blocking as well,” Sanders said. “So, I think it's contagious around the building in terms of going out and doing your job. When you look at your best players and they're doing it, I feel like everybody else will hop on board as well. So, it's contagious.”

 

...Sanders knows that Kittle’s efforts don’t just affect the offense. The tight end’s attitude is felt throughout the locker room. 

“I think it's a mindset,” Sanders said. “At the end of the day we've got a lot of guys who aren't 'me' guys, it's about let's get the job done and let's win. It's more about 'we' than 'me.' And I'm one of those guys as well. And I think everybody is a part of it.” 

 

Kittle doesn't need extra motivation to run block, but he might have some against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 3 in Super Bowl LIV.

The University of Iowa product will line up opposite some former Hawkeyes teammates in Miami, and Kittle has revenge on his mind. 

“I'm looking forward to blocking the Iowa linebackers Ben Niemann and Anthony Hitchens [on the Chiefs],” Kittle said. “Hitch used to bully me in practice when I was on scout team at Iowa, and so I'm going to give it back to him a couple times.”

 

 

 

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

3 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Agree, I've been making similar points on the FA thread.  It's a good FA crop for CB and S.   Supposedly Del Rio prefers to pay cover 1.   If so you need corners who are good enough to play man and a free safety with really good range.

 

I think we need both an outside corner and a nickel and FS.  It's actually a decent FA crop on both fronts, nickel, too.    I favor this year FA for defense and the draft more for offense.  i am typically the opposite. 

 

According to PFF. top safeties in coverage.  And then versus the run

 

PFF thinks Jeremy Reaves was the 15th best safety in coverage?  That's uh, not right.  I feel positive their stats aren't showing some catches Reaves allowed.

 

Anyways, I think we all know that someone who can play Single High would be a big boost. Especially with Landon Collins best as an underzone or robber safety.

 

Cover 1, 3, and 6 would be great for it.  Variations on those.  I love zone defenses that have 1 guy in man, and the rest in zone.  If you can play games with the offense where they don't know pre-snap which WR is drawing man coverage, it adds a bit to the time the QB needs to process what's happening post snap. Those are much easier to execute with someone who can play Single High well.

 

I'm loving this free agent group.  It's perfect for what our defense needs.  We have a lot of options at corner and safety.