NFL Draft Round One Open Thread
Watch college football. See guys I like. Put them in my notes app on the phone. Tell you about them 6-8 months later. There’s a reason we don’t charge you to read this site, folks!
From Lance Zierlein at NFL.com:
OverviewHill is an undersized but excitable runner with a go-go tempo that can work for and against him on any given series. He runs tough along the interior and has the vision and agility to slip tackles, but his lack of size and explosive top-end play speed could work against him. Hill might not have the skills needed to handle third-down duties, so he could be pigeon-holed as a try-hard backup with average upside.
Strengths
- Consistent play and production in all three seasons
- Feet have good life and runs with a wide base
- Willing to keep runs play-side in search of daylight
- Limber hips to balance and recover against contact
- Fast decision-maker on the move
- Able to slam on brakes for sudden cuts from a full sprint
- Shifty in the open field
- Tight, rapid spin move to rid himself of a tackle
- Runs like his hair is on fire and fights hard against the tackle
- Has access to sharp, lateral cuts to bounce the run wide
- Outstanding ball security with just five career fumbles
I watch college football. Sometimes I see a guy who makes me go, “Oh he’s interesting.” I make a note in my phone. I share those fellas with you. Make sense?
From Lance Zierlein at NFL.com:
Overview
Active inside linebacker with plenty of passion and aggression but a fundamental lack of NFL-caliber movement skills in space. Johnson is capable of handling downhill duties between the tackles but could struggle to match up with today’s space-oriented offensive attacks.
Strengths
- Active, high-energy player and vocal leader
- Aggressive demeanor is always on display
- Key reader with quick response to guard movement
- Patient to sift through moving bodies and find running back on the other side of it
- Squares pads downhill to squeeze his run fits
- Downhill mindset and takes shots in gaps to try and make a play
- Solid tackle-for-loss total in high-flying conference
- Core special teams member despite being full-time starter
Weaknesses
- Marginal athlete with segmented, heavy movements in space
- Short-strider lacking desired sideline-to-sideline range
- Struggles to access desired lateral burst in his flow to the ball
- Allows climbing guards to get into him first
- Inconsistent playing off of blocks
- Comes in hot and lacking body control as an open-field tackler
- Could struggle to cover if matched up in space
Commenting on difficulty level of a particular season’s schedule is silly. If the Bears are the team many expect – a team contending for the title – nobody on their schedule should frighten them, in any building. The Bears are good. Good teams beat other good teams.
But here are my thoughts on how the schedule shook out.
(The schedule is in the post directly above this one. See it? It’s right there!)
For those of you who are new here, here’s how I handle the NFL Draft. I watch a bunch of college football and when players stand out to me, I put their name in the Notes app on my phone. I don’t do any research on them. Just put their names in there. Then, around now, I see if they’re actually in the draft and find out what professional scout-types think.
From Lance Zierlein at NFL.com:
Hard-charging defensive end who calls on initial quickness, play strength and outstanding instincts to counter his lack of length and athleticism. Allen’s toughness and ability to diagnose quickly could allow him to play early as a run defender, but limitations as a rusher could push him inside on passing downs. He has average starter’s potential and could be in consideration by odd or even fronts at defensive end.
Strengths
- Relentless effort from snap to whistle
- High football IQ with instant play diagnosis
- Usually first off snap with good initial burst
- Disruptive penetrator in the B-gap
- Double digit tackles for loss in three straight seasons
- NFL-ready play strength to handle himself at point of attack
- Eyes work around blockers and stay peeled on backfield
- Hands and upper-body power to stack-shed
- Forward lean for momentum into bull rush
- Hard press to outside edge before making inside charge
- Base strength to power through redirect blocks
- Attentive in looking to challenge throwing lane with 19 batted passes over three years
- Experienced as a reduced rusher
For those of you who are new here, here’s how I handle the NFL Draft. I watch a bunch of college football and when players stand out to me, I put their name in the Notes app on my phone. I don’t do any research on them. Just put their names in there. Then, around now, I see if they’re actually in the draft and find out what professional scout-types think.
Safety prospect with good size whose college versatility could get whittled down to a more specific role. Hampton might not have the agility and coverage twitch to handle man coverage in the slot, and his run support is too passive when he’s backed way off the line. His run support is more instinctive and effective as a down safety and he should be able to handle man coverage on big tight ends. He will need to crank up the aggression level and consistently play to his size to make it as a backup in the league.
Strengths
- Team captain, team leader
- Possesses NFL size with a frame to add more
- Offers big nickel and dime linebacker options
- Above-average ball-tracker
- Decent trigger to plant and drive from off-man or a pedal
- Looks to attack ball side of the target and impact catch or take it away
- Physical enough to jar the catch loose at impact
- Operates with good feel for pursuit angles from box safety
- Searches for ball-stripping opportunities
- Consistent career roles in kick- and punt-cover teams
Adam Rank of NFL Network joins Bill and:
Listen! Now! Do it!
#99 is back!
We have signed Aaron Lynch to a one-year deal. 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GGcGPnoHCH
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 1, 2019
Lynch isn’t a great player but very few teams have three guys on the edge who are great players. What Lynch provides is depth at one of the three most important positions in the sport. And with pass rush being the club’s signature strength in 2018, a drop-off should not be expected in 2019.
This signing also continues the Ryan Pace trend of solving depth problems in free agency to create flexibility in the draft. It’s a smart move by a suddenly smart team.
That’s all I have to say on the matter. It’s fucking April.
