First LB impressions (1 Viewer)

[Jene Bramel]

There's been plenty of discussion this offseason that 2008 wasn't likely to bring a slam dunk Ernie Sims or Patrick Willis consensus IDP stud immediately following the draft. With Jerod Mayo going to a debatable situation in New England, there'll be a lot of hedging on how the top five IDP LB options fall out before training camp.

[+] Adibi, Xavier LB 6'2" 220 Virginia Tech Pick 19, Round 4(118) Houston Texans

[+] Bell, Beau OLB 6'2" 248 UNLV Pick 5, Round 4(104) Cleveland Browns

[+] Connor, Dan OLB 6'3" 233 Penn State Pick 11, Round 3(74) Carolina Panthers

[+] Dizon, Jordon OLB 6'0" 229 Colorado Pick 14, Round 2(45) Detroit Lions

[+] Davis, Bruce DE 6'3" 252 UCLA Pick 25, Round 3(88) Pittsburgh Steelers

[+] Gholston, Vernon DE 6'4" 258 Ohio State Pick 6, Round 1(6) New York Jets

[+] Goff, Jonathan LB 6'2" 245 Vanderbilt Pick 30, Round 5(165) New York Giants

[+] Gooden, Tavares OLB 6'1" 233 Miami Pick 8, Round 3(71) Baltimore Ravens

[+] Hayes, Geno ILB 6'1" 226 Florida State Pick 9, Round 6(175) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

[+] Kehl, Bryan OLB 6'2" 242 BYU Pick 24, Round 4(123) New York Giants

[+] Larsen, Spencer OLB 6'2" 243 Arizona Pick 17, Round 6(183) Denver Broncos

[+] Lofton, Curtis LB 6'0" 238 Oklahoma Pick 6, Round 2(37) Atlanta Falcons

[+] Mayo, Jerod OLB 6'1" 242 Tennessee Pick 10, Round 1(10) New England Patriots

[+] Rivers, Keith LB 6'3" 235 Southern Cal Pick 9, Round 1(9) Cincinnati Bengals

Anyone see a consensus #1 here? Likely candidate for a DeMeco Ryans, Lofa Tatupu like training camp jump?

 

[Chaos Commish]

Rivers

 

[Rozelle]

I'm not a big Keith Rivers fan, but with the talk of him in the middle, he would get my vote. Lofton and Dizon would be on deck. From a talent perspective, I like Mayo best.

Ryans and Willis have set the bar awful high.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Curtis Lofton for me.

At this point, Brooking could easily be vacated from the middle.

 

[Rozelle]

Curtis Lofton for me.

At this point, Brooking could easily be vacated from the middle.

There are some who think he's not a 3 down LB. But yea, I can see him starting in the middle, allowing Brooking to go back outside and sending Nicholas to the bench. He has this sickle cell trait disease. Whats this Jene?

 

[Bob Magaw]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

 

[Rozelle]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

Yep ... Tom Waddle on NFLN said he had talked to someone (didn't catch who) and said that was Carolina's intentions.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Curtis Lofton for me.

At this point, Brooking could easily be vacated from the middle.

There are some who think he's not a 3 down LB. But yea, I can see him starting in the middle, allowing Brooking to go back outside and sending Nicholas to the bench. He has this sickle cell trait disease. Whats this Jene?

A not-so-severe form of sickle cell disease. Each case is different; some have more sickle cell like symptoms than others. If he's handled himself well so far, I doubt it's a major issue.

 

[Jene Bramel]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

Yep ... Tom Waddle on NFLN said he had talked to someone (didn't catch who) and said that was Carolina's intentions.

Be interesting to see how this works out. Beason can definitely fill both roles. I'd guess Connor will have to outplay Landon Johnson to win a starting spot and move Beason over. The Panthers hand picked Beason with Morgan dinged and were pretty happy with how he played in the middle last year.

 

[Moniker]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

Yep ... Tom Waddle on NFLN said he had talked to someone (didn't catch who) and said that was Carolina's intentions.

Be interesting to see how this works out. Beason can definitely fill both roles. I'd guess Connor will have to outplay Landon Johnson to win a starting spot and move Beason over. The Panthers hand picked Beason with Morgan dinged and were pretty happy with how he played in the middle last year.

Conner's problem, even if he does get the MLB nod, will be that he probably won't be in the nickle.My vote is for Dizon, assuming that he'll be playing MLB.

 

[tex]

I would say that Dizon and/or Lofton can make some noise this year. Not likely to be Ryans/Willis clones, but I can see them having very good seasons. I don't think Lofton will have much trouble moving Brooking, and I think Dizon will take Lenon's job.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Why isn't Rivers a consensus #1? In the middle or on the weakside, he's the best LB in the class and in a juicy spot on a D that spends some time on the field. I would agree Dizon is #2 and that could be debated at length, but Rivers seems a very easy pick for me.

 

[spec1alk]

A couple guys on this list stand out to me.

1. Keith Rivers - Good talent. Likely to play MLB immediately. On a team where the D is likely to be on the field more than average.

2. Curtis Lofton - On a team that needs a lot of help everywhere and has a new coaching staff with no ties to the current players.

3. Dan Connor - Opportunity in the middle.

Another thing I would note is that the NYG took a couple LBs in the draft, this couple mean a move of Mathias Kiwanuka back to DE. Kiwanuka was barely rosterable even in larger IDP dynasty leagues as a LB, but as a DE he is again a startable player.

I have a question though, why is everyone so high on Dizon? Isn't Ernie Sims the WLB in DET.

 

[Gary Davenport]

Some really good info here (I love the FBG IDP forum, was an invaluable resource to me last year, my first in the format), but I'm also interested to hear some thoughts on who y'all think might be this year's Davis Harris. Willis exceeded expectations last year, but Harris didn't even really have any. Took a flier on him at the end of a draft in a Dynasty Salary league, and now I have an LB1 locked up dirt cheap.

So, without hijacking the thread, anyone got some "flier guys" they wanna share?

 

[tjford]

Some really good info here (I love the FBG IDP forum, was an invaluable resource to me last year, my first in the format), but I'm also interested to hear some thoughts on who y'all think might be this year's Davis Harris. Willis exceeded expectations last year, but Harris didn't even really have any. Took a flier on him at the end of a draft in a Dynasty Salary league, and now I have an LB1 locked up dirt cheap.

So, without hijacking the thread, anyone got some "flier guys" they wanna share?

Beau Bell and Phillip WheelerI know that Cleveland's ILB situation is a mess right now but there is a reason they drafted him. Wheeler probably makes a run at SLB to start off with since Indy has a big hole there but I think that Wheeler could develop into a solid Cover 2 Mike. Obviously both will take some time to shake out where they will end up, but those are my gut feelings.

Personally, I don't think you will find too many "draft with little expectations but end up as productive starter by years end" type of LBs in this draft but those are my bets.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I have a question though, why is everyone so high on Dizon? Isn't Ernie Sims the WLB in DET.

Dizon is going to play MLB as soon as he is up to speed on the Tampa-2 defense; until then, he will play SLB and Lenon will play in the middle.

 

[lord_helmet]

What about the depleted D-line in Carolina ?, seems to me that could hurt Beason more than the addition of Connor.

 

[Bizkiteer]

Anyone know if Ali Highsmith signed with a team as a UDFA?

 

[Jene Bramel]

Anyone know if Ali Highsmith signed with a team as a UDFA?

Still trickling out. From what I've seen so far, the only interesting names are Erin Henderson to Minnesota and Darrell Robertson (now an OLB prospect) to Dallas. Still waiting on guys like Guyton and Woodyard among others.

 

[duece2626]

Anyone know if Ali Highsmith signed with a team as a UDFA?

Still trickling out. From what I've seen so far, the only interesting names are Erin Henderson to Minnesota and Darrell Robertson (now an OLB prospect) to Dallas. Still waiting on guys like Guyton and Woodyard among others.

Guyton signed with SF. Highsmith in Arizona.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

1. Keith Rivers - Good talent. Likely to play MLB immediately. On a team where the D is likely to be on the field more than average.

Why is the assumption that Rivers will play MLB rather than OLB in Cincy? Has there been word from Lewis about this?

 

[jgb95]

1. Keith Rivers - Good talent. Likely to play MLB immediately. On a team where the D is likely to be on the field more than average.

Why is the assumption that Rivers will play MLB rather than OLB in Cincy? Has there been word from Lewis about this?

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6746The buzz is that in Rivers the Bengals may very well have their immediate starting middle linebacker for the next seven to 10 years, a position where Lewis needs his stability and leadership after suffering with eight different starters since he arrived in 2003.

It would also allow Cincinnati to flank Rivers with Brooks on the strong side and Odell Thurman at weak, two guys that haven't been able to get acclimated to the middle, Brooks because of injury and Thurman because of two one-year league suspensions.

But FitzGerald and new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer offered no clues where they would play Rivers and all the rest of the backers.

"We'll see," FitzGerald said and Zimmer said, age won't be factor in who plays."

Rivers is up for anything, but the Bengals did get a look at him in the middle at the Senior Bowl.

 

[Benchwarmers]

1. Keith Rivers - LB

2. Curtis Lofton – ILB

3. Jordon Dizon – OLB

4. Vernon Gholston - ?

5. Jerod Mayo - OLB

6. Tavares Gooden – ILB

7. Philip Wheeler – ILB

8. Dan Connor – LB

 

[Jene Bramel]

1. Keith Rivers - Good talent. Likely to play MLB immediately. On a team where the D is likely to be on the field more than average.

Why is the assumption that Rivers will play MLB rather than OLB in Cincy? Has there been word from Lewis about this?

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6746The buzz is that in Rivers the Bengals may very well have their immediate starting middle linebacker for the next seven to 10 years, a position where Lewis needs his stability and leadership after suffering with eight different starters since he arrived in 2003.

It would also allow Cincinnati to flank Rivers with Brooks on the strong side and Odell Thurman at weak, two guys that haven't been able to get acclimated to the middle, Brooks because of injury and Thurman because of two one-year league suspensions.

But FitzGerald and new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer offered no clues where they would play Rivers and all the rest of the backers.

"We'll see," FitzGerald said and Zimmer said, age won't be factor in who plays."

Rivers is up for anything, but the Bengals did get a look at him in the middle at the Senior Bowl.

Hobson is the only one who's suggested this so far and, per the usual MO, no one in the Bengals organization is going to say anything. I'll only add that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to draft a linebacker in the top ten to get run over on the strong side of a traditional 4-3 defense. If Thurman is ready to play, I'm wondering if the prevailing thought won't be that he can't be trusted to "anchor" the defense and the huddle. If that's the case, he's playing the Will. Ergo, Rivers ends up in the middle.You could also read the above as a bunch of ifs and buts and wherefore art thous, but I'm a homer looking for something to root for.

 

[Bojang0301]

My top 10:

1) Keith Rivers

2) Dan Connor

3) Curtis Lofton

4) Tavares Gooden

5) Philip Wheeler

6) Jared Mayo

7) Xavier Adibi

8) Beau Bell

9) Jordan Dizon

10) Bruce Davis

*** Please keep in mind I haven't adjusted to Ghoulston being an OLB or Dizon being a candidate for MLB for the Lions. I like Gooden and Wheeler's respective situations for the long term and in general like the ILB class compared to the OLB's.

 

[Weiner Dog]

Why is everybody so down on Mayo??

 

[DonFue]

The scheme. New England ILBs rarely put up good numbers. I'd go as far as to say D. Harris from the Jets is grossly overrated and he should be traded if you can get Willis/Beason value. He's good at staying on his feet and stopping the run but as the overall talent improves and RBs aren't consistently getting to the second level his numbers should drop. I see 85/35 (he didn't start first 5 or so games) going forward, with few big plays. They were #2 in rushing attempts against last year and I wouldn't count on that.

 

[duece2626]

Still waiting on guys like Guyton and Woodyard among others.

Broncos | Team signs WoodyardMon, 28 Apr 2008 16:42:24 -0700

Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan announced Monday, April 28, the team signed rookie free-agent LB Wesley Woodyard (Kentucky). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

Yep ... Tom Waddle on NFLN said he had talked to someone (didn't catch who) and said that was Carolina's intentions.

Be interesting to see how this works out. Beason can definitely fill both roles. I'd guess Connor will have to outplay Landon Johnson to win a starting spot and move Beason over. The Panthers hand picked Beason with Morgan dinged and were pretty happy with how he played in the middle last year.

If they moved Beason over, would that change his stud status?

 

[duece2626]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

Yep ... Tom Waddle on NFLN said he had talked to someone (didn't catch who) and said that was Carolina's intentions.

Be interesting to see how this works out. Beason can definitely fill both roles. I'd guess Connor will have to outplay Landon Johnson to win a starting spot and move Beason over. The Panthers hand picked Beason with Morgan dinged and were pretty happy with how he played in the middle last year.

If they moved Beason over, would that change his stud status?

What does that do to Landon Johnson if Beason moves to WLB?

 

[Jene Bramel]

The scheme. New England ILBs rarely put up good numbers. I'd go as far as to say D. Harris from the Jets is grossly overrated and he should be traded if you can get Willis/Beason value. He's good at staying on his feet and stopping the run but as the overall talent improves and RBs aren't consistently getting to the second level his numbers should drop. I see 85/35 (he didn't start first 5 or so games) going forward, with few big plays. They were #2 in rushing attempts against last year and I wouldn't count on that.

New England's raw tackle opportunity:2007 31st2006 30th2005 25th2004 24thAdd in the frequent injuries suffered by Ted Johnson, Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau etal over the past few seasons and the frequent rotational situations and it's no surprise that the Patriot ILBs have put up poor numbers. None of those players are sideline-to-sideline talents like Mayo may prove to be. It'll be interesting to see how the Pats use Mayo; it's very possible he ends up in the usual morass of veteran rotation, etc, but if he doesn't there's no reason not to expect 90 solos or so in the long term. May never reach the 100 solo plateau necessary for full studdom.I agree with the assessment on Harris, except to say that there's not another player in the front seven who's going to compete at a high level for those tackles. Even if his opportunity drops, there's no reason he can't average enough solos a game to push 100. Certainly no argument if someone wants to deal him for Willis, however.

 

[Jene Bramel]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

Yep ... Tom Waddle on NFLN said he had talked to someone (didn't catch who) and said that was Carolina's intentions.

Be interesting to see how this works out. Beason can definitely fill both roles. I'd guess Connor will have to outplay Landon Johnson to win a starting spot and move Beason over. The Panthers hand picked Beason with Morgan dinged and were pretty happy with how he played in the middle last year.

If they moved Beason over, would that change his stud status?

If Connor's college production translates to the pros, I think Beason's value takes a sizable hit. There aren't many WLBs that put up 90 solos when their MLB is soaking up tackles on base downs.

 

[Jene Bramel]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

Yep ... Tom Waddle on NFLN said he had talked to someone (didn't catch who) and said that was Carolina's intentions.

Be interesting to see how this works out. Beason can definitely fill both roles. I'd guess Connor will have to outplay Landon Johnson to win a starting spot and move Beason over. The Panthers hand picked Beason with Morgan dinged and were pretty happy with how he played in the middle last year.

If they moved Beason over, would that change his stud status?

What does that do to Landon Johnson if Beason moves to WLB?

Puts him on the bench with no chance of parole unless there's an injury.

 

[chook]

IF connor starts in CAR at some point, i'm guessing it would have to be MLB, & beason could go back to WLB...

Yep ... Tom Waddle on NFLN said he had talked to someone (didn't catch who) and said that was Carolina's intentions.

Be interesting to see how this works out. Beason can definitely fill both roles. I'd guess Connor will have to outplay Landon Johnson to win a starting spot and move Beason over. The Panthers hand picked Beason with Morgan dinged and were pretty happy with how he played in the middle last year.

If they moved Beason over, would that change his stud status?

What does that do to Landon Johnson if Beason moves to WLB?

Puts him on the bench with no chance of parole unless there's an injury.

Good choice of words for one of your an ex-Bengals.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

The scheme. New England ILBs rarely put up good numbers. I'd go as far as to say D. Harris from the Jets is grossly overrated and he should be traded if you can get Willis/Beason value. He's good at staying on his feet and stopping the run but as the overall talent improves and RBs aren't consistently getting to the second level his numbers should drop. I see 85/35 (he didn't start first 5 or so games) going forward, with few big plays. They were #2 in rushing attempts against last year and I wouldn't count on that.

Isn't the danger with Mayo also that Belichick runs his entire defense through his LB's, which is why he places so much emphasis upon experience there rather than athletic talent? In other words, doesn't Mayo figure to only get fair playing time in that defense while he learns the considerable ropes, rather than simply be thrown into the fire like a guy like Ryans was, which exceeded all of our wildest "fantasies"?

 

[Saints-Man]

 

[bcr8f]

Why is everybody so down on Mayo??

I simply hate having NE players on my team. You have to put up with so much BS unless it's Brady, Moss or Welker.

 

[Bob Magaw]

sporting news had a positive article on mayo... it sounds like they think he has the smarts & work ethic to make an impact right away...

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=433817

 

[bcr8f]

sporting news had a positive article on mayo... it sounds like they think he has the smarts & work ethic to make an impact right away...

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=433817

Patriot ILB's can be top 10. I like Adibi and Hayes next year. Rivers and Lofton this year.

 

[corpcow]

I like Adibi and Hayes next year. Rivers and Lofton this year.

I like hearing that, considering I have Lofton, Adibi and Hayes in my primary league

 

[carlos1984]

I like Adibi and Hayes next year. Rivers and Lofton this year.

I like hearing that, considering I have Lofton, Adibi and Hayes in my primary league

All FF leagues are primary leagues

 

[corpcow]

I like Adibi and Hayes next year. Rivers and Lofton this year.

I like hearing that, considering I have Lofton, Adibi and Hayes in my primary league

All FF leagues are primary leagues

Oh, not suggesting I ignore some, just that some are "more primary" than others (where the money or ego is more important)

 

[Warpig]

Someone that wasn't mentioned that I'm intrigued by is Jo-Lonn Dunbar.

Everything I've read about him has been raving about how much of a playmaker and field general he is. He didn't necessarily have eye popping numbers at BC but solid none-the-less.

After Vilma, there isn't much talent in the LB corps in NO. Not only that, Vilma has his own health related question marks as well.

They say he is a student of the game and very smart in the ways of football.

Is he worth rostering for down the road production?

Any prognosticators wanna chime in?

 

[sholditch]

Why isn't Rivers a consensus #1? In the middle or on the weakside, he's the best LB in the class and in a juicy spot on a D that spends some time on the field. I would agree Dizon is #2 and that could be debated at length, but Rivers seems a very easy pick for me.

In a weak talent clas, go with opportunity.

 

[sholditch]

The scheme. New England ILBs rarely put up good numbers. I'd go as far as to say D. Harris from the Jets is grossly overrated and he should be traded if you can get Willis/Beason value. He's good at staying on his feet and stopping the run but as the overall talent improves and RBs aren't consistently getting to the second level his numbers should drop. I see 85/35 (he didn't start first 5 or so games) going forward, with few big plays. They were #2 in rushing attempts against last year and I wouldn't count on that.

Isn't the danger with Mayo also that Belichick runs his entire defense through his LB's, which is why he places so much emphasis upon experience there rather than athletic talent? In other words, doesn't Mayo figure to only get fair playing time in that defense while he learns the considerable ropes, rather than simply be thrown into the fire like a guy like Ryans was, which exceeded all of our wildest "fantasies"?

IIRC Ryans outplayed a veteran starter brought in that offseason to play the middle, so he wasn't so much thrown into the fire as started it. Also *toot* I was screaming his name to anyone on this board that would listen.

 

[spec1alk]

I like Lofton and Rivers with a slight edge to Lofton. ATL will be much worse than CIN this season and thus the ATL D will spend more time on the field.

 

[Islander]

Why is A Rudnicki not even ranking Rivers in his top 60? And no projections. Seems quite pessimistic.

 

[corpcow]

Someone that wasn't mentioned that I'm intrigued by is Jo-Lonn Dunbar.Everything I've read about him has been raving about how much of a playmaker and field general he is. He didn't necessarily have eye popping numbers at BC but solid none-the-less.After Vilma, there isn't much talent in the LB corps in NO. Not only that, Vilma has his own health related question marks as well.They say he is a student of the game and very smart in the ways of football. Is he worth rostering for down the road production?Any prognosticators wanna chime in?

The name I saw being mentioned was LB Marvin Mitchell. The article was from the Sun Herald and linked on the FBG News Blog, though unfortunately the article seems to be gone now.The specific quote was:

LB Marvin Mitchell has been receiving more reps at middle linebacker with the first team defense over the weekend. HC Sean Payton said he likes Mitchell's hard-hitting ability and there could be more opportunities for him in the near future.

 

[Warpig]

Someone that wasn't mentioned that I'm intrigued by is Jo-Lonn Dunbar.Everything I've read about him has been raving about how much of a playmaker and field general he is. He didn't necessarily have eye popping numbers at BC but solid none-the-less.After Vilma, there isn't much talent in the LB corps in NO. Not only that, Vilma has his own health related question marks as well.They say he is a student of the game and very smart in the ways of football. Is he worth rostering for down the road production?Any prognosticators wanna chime in?

The name I saw being mentioned was LB Marvin Mitchell. The article was from the Sun Herald and linked on the FBG News Blog, though unfortunately the article seems to be gone now.The specific quote was:

LB Marvin Mitchell has been receiving more reps at middle linebacker with the first team defense over the weekend. HC Sean Payton said he likes Mitchell's hard-hitting ability and there could be more opportunities for him in the near future.

Thanks for the nugget. :X

 

[Lash]

training camp starting bump

need info fast, on the clock at 2.04 and ALL rookie LB options are on the board in a 2pt/tackle league

gimme the best immediate impact guy you got