lord_helmet
Footballguy
Need help here fellas
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OLB rookies for dynasty (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter lord_helmet
- Start date
Biabreakable
Footballguy
I voted for Pos.
But honestly I don't know enough about the other 2 yet to compare. It would help if someone could give some information about these 3 players to make a better judgement.
But honestly I don't know enough about the other 2 yet to compare. It would help if someone could give some information about these 3 players to make a better judgement.
Jene Bramel
Footballguy
Bloom, CC, and others will hopefully have a much more detailed and informed answer for you.
I don't know that you can assume a similar situation for these three guys. From my reading of the early scouting reports, these three are different enough that opportunity and scheme will play a big role.
Rufus Alexander sounds like a prototypical pursuit Will with some coverage ability. I've seen him listed anywhere from 220 to 230 pounds. Measured 6'0" and 227lb at the Senior Bowl weigh-in. Again, I'm no draftnik and the scouting reports I most rely on other than our own guys won't be published for awhile yet. But Alexander reads like a Demorrio Williams type player to me. Has great instincts and sideline-to-sideline range, but may not hold up well against blockers and needs to be in a scheme where he'll be protected. Sounds like a nice Tampa-2 candidate to me.
I can't get a hold on Lawrence Timmons from the scouting reports. It appears that some see him as a playmaking WLB with the ability to pursue and hit as well as an ability to get to the quarterback in pass rush. I've read reports that question his coverage skills, others suggest that as he matures he'll do fine. CC has posted elsewhere that he sees some Kamerion Wimbley in him. He may be a little small for a 'tweener OLB in my mind at 230 pounds or so. Some say he could end up being the most explosive backer in the class. I've seen him mocked to STL and PIT among others so who knows how he'll project in the boxscores. Does he grow into a Keith Bulluck, Karlos Dansby type player? Or does he end up as a Thomas Davis type SLB? Or is CC on the mark with a Wimbley/Lawson type comparison? I've no idea. Bloom has said earlier in the year that he'd be comfortable making him the prohibitive number one overall rookie IDP for now. If CC is right and he lands in a Wimbley-like situation, I don't think there's any chance he has that kind of ceiling.
Paul Posluszny is the best fundamental all-around backer of the three and certainly fits as a 4-3 OLB in any scheme. He's been taking snaps at WLB at the Senior Bowl after taking one for the team and moving inside at PSU. He gets high marks for his instincts and playing speed. But if he lands at WLB next to a solid MLB he may not have the big play capability to be a top IDP option.
Based on that, I don't know that you can clearly rank any of the three ahead of the others until we see where they fit. I'd guess Posluszny is the safest bet in January, but should Alexander land in Indy or Chicago or Timmons end up as a Giant with their new aggressive scheme while Posluszny becomes the Will someplace like STL (I'm just illustrating the point, I've no idea if any of those three will last that long and/or go that high) all bets have to be off.
I don't know that you can assume a similar situation for these three guys. From my reading of the early scouting reports, these three are different enough that opportunity and scheme will play a big role.
Rufus Alexander sounds like a prototypical pursuit Will with some coverage ability. I've seen him listed anywhere from 220 to 230 pounds. Measured 6'0" and 227lb at the Senior Bowl weigh-in. Again, I'm no draftnik and the scouting reports I most rely on other than our own guys won't be published for awhile yet. But Alexander reads like a Demorrio Williams type player to me. Has great instincts and sideline-to-sideline range, but may not hold up well against blockers and needs to be in a scheme where he'll be protected. Sounds like a nice Tampa-2 candidate to me.
I can't get a hold on Lawrence Timmons from the scouting reports. It appears that some see him as a playmaking WLB with the ability to pursue and hit as well as an ability to get to the quarterback in pass rush. I've read reports that question his coverage skills, others suggest that as he matures he'll do fine. CC has posted elsewhere that he sees some Kamerion Wimbley in him. He may be a little small for a 'tweener OLB in my mind at 230 pounds or so. Some say he could end up being the most explosive backer in the class. I've seen him mocked to STL and PIT among others so who knows how he'll project in the boxscores. Does he grow into a Keith Bulluck, Karlos Dansby type player? Or does he end up as a Thomas Davis type SLB? Or is CC on the mark with a Wimbley/Lawson type comparison? I've no idea. Bloom has said earlier in the year that he'd be comfortable making him the prohibitive number one overall rookie IDP for now. If CC is right and he lands in a Wimbley-like situation, I don't think there's any chance he has that kind of ceiling.
Paul Posluszny is the best fundamental all-around backer of the three and certainly fits as a 4-3 OLB in any scheme. He's been taking snaps at WLB at the Senior Bowl after taking one for the team and moving inside at PSU. He gets high marks for his instincts and playing speed. But if he lands at WLB next to a solid MLB he may not have the big play capability to be a top IDP option.
Based on that, I don't know that you can clearly rank any of the three ahead of the others until we see where they fit. I'd guess Posluszny is the safest bet in January, but should Alexander land in Indy or Chicago or Timmons end up as a Giant with their new aggressive scheme while Posluszny becomes the Will someplace like STL (I'm just illustrating the point, I've no idea if any of those three will last that long and/or go that high) all bets have to be off.
Last edited by a moderator:
lord_helmet
Footballguy
Great post! 
Chaos Commish
Footballguy
Yeah, not much to add to those comments on those players. Since we talking IDP I guess the 3-4 OLBs aren't interesting, but just a quick rundown of a few DEs I think may end up in a 3-4 OLB situation.
Gaines Adams *
Quentin Moses *
Charles Johnson *
Jarvis Moss *
LaMarr Woodley *
Justin Hickman
Anthony Spencer
* means either position or scheme is likely.
Now with the guys hopefully headed to the weakside of a 4-3.
Jon Beason sticks out to me. I think he's going to be the fastest of the lot and thoughts of Ernie Sims start dancing in the heads of decision makers. Like Sims Beason can really fly and he is a thunderous hitter.
The only OLB who may post a faster time is Earl Everett. He isn't getting great reviews at the Senior Bowl and I am going to try to look past that. There were some good calls made from Senior Bowl information in recent years, but many more players were unfairly graded one way or another. Everett is a smooth athlete. Despite the helmetless hit he made in the BCS game, he isn't a big hitter, just a sure tackler. But his athleticism carries him well. Nothing gets past him. He covers the field nicely. I once described him a small forward on the football field and I was criticising. But the more you watch the better you understand the praise. He is not spectacular, but he is very productive. That's a nice combo to consider for a rookie draft.
Stewart Bradley is tough cookie out of Nebraska. I think he can improve an NFL defense but do it as an SLB and not mean much to us IDPers.
Really it's a pretty weak class, and that's why I hesitate to post long lists this season. If you know Ameer Ismail, you know why I chuckle a little when I say I like him. He's a dominant undersized small schooler with brains and heart and spirit and probably no more than a special teamer.
I love Stephen Nicholas and I really hope he proves the current critics wrong-- not fast enough. He is another great leader, heady playmaker and he was very very productive against the best competition USF faced.
There's another half dozen or names worth mentioning that haven't been, but the above are my favorites not in Jene's post.
To clarify on Timmons. He is in the first round of a mock I am working on and headed to a 4-3 team. He did play primarily with his hand down on passing downs in college and he "looked" like Wimbley coming off the edge. I wouldn't argue with Bloom not arguing with those who want to rank him #1 for now.
I like Puz in the middle. I think he will be terrific anywhere he plays and don't rule out SLB for him.
Gaines Adams *
Quentin Moses *
Charles Johnson *
Jarvis Moss *
LaMarr Woodley *
Justin Hickman
Anthony Spencer
* means either position or scheme is likely.
Now with the guys hopefully headed to the weakside of a 4-3.
Jon Beason sticks out to me. I think he's going to be the fastest of the lot and thoughts of Ernie Sims start dancing in the heads of decision makers. Like Sims Beason can really fly and he is a thunderous hitter.
The only OLB who may post a faster time is Earl Everett. He isn't getting great reviews at the Senior Bowl and I am going to try to look past that. There were some good calls made from Senior Bowl information in recent years, but many more players were unfairly graded one way or another. Everett is a smooth athlete. Despite the helmetless hit he made in the BCS game, he isn't a big hitter, just a sure tackler. But his athleticism carries him well. Nothing gets past him. He covers the field nicely. I once described him a small forward on the football field and I was criticising. But the more you watch the better you understand the praise. He is not spectacular, but he is very productive. That's a nice combo to consider for a rookie draft.
Stewart Bradley is tough cookie out of Nebraska. I think he can improve an NFL defense but do it as an SLB and not mean much to us IDPers.
Really it's a pretty weak class, and that's why I hesitate to post long lists this season. If you know Ameer Ismail, you know why I chuckle a little when I say I like him. He's a dominant undersized small schooler with brains and heart and spirit and probably no more than a special teamer.
I love Stephen Nicholas and I really hope he proves the current critics wrong-- not fast enough. He is another great leader, heady playmaker and he was very very productive against the best competition USF faced.
There's another half dozen or names worth mentioning that haven't been, but the above are my favorites not in Jene's post.
To clarify on Timmons. He is in the first round of a mock I am working on and headed to a 4-3 team. He did play primarily with his hand down on passing downs in college and he "looked" like Wimbley coming off the edge. I wouldn't argue with Bloom not arguing with those who want to rank him #1 for now.
I like Puz in the middle. I think he will be terrific anywhere he plays and don't rule out SLB for him.
Chaos Commish
Footballguy
Fwiw, Mike Mayock has Beason the top OLB prospect on his board.
lord_helmet
Footballguy
I've seen him compared to Thomas Howard from the Raiders, don't know anything about how Beason holds up in coverage tho. But I think Howard is a nice sleeper to break out in a season or two, if Beason is just as promising and fast he just might be worth spending a pick on.Chaos Commish said:
