Let's talk Defensive Line

[Couch-Potato]

Went through a bunch of threads to identify all of our interests across the defensive line, is this all of them? Who else should be added to the list? Removed from the list? Should anyone be moved up or down on the draft target list?

FA Targets
-DE Yannick Ngakoue, IND
-DT Da’ron Payne, WAS
-DT Poona Ford, SEA
-DE Jadaveon Clowney, CLV
-DT Kalen Saunders, KC
-DT Greg Gains, LAR
-DT Armon Watts, CHI
-DE Ardon Key, JAX
-DE Clean Ferril, LVR
-DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, HOU
-DT Chris Wormley, PIT
-DT Maurice Hurst, SF
-DT Andrew Billings, CIN

Vet Trade Targets
-DE Brian Burns, CAR
-DE Chase Young, WAS
-DE Carl Granderson, New Orleans
-DE Za'Darius Smith, Minnesota
-DE D.J. Wonnum, Minnesota

1st Rd Targets
-DT Byran Breese,
-DE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
-DE BJ Ojulari, LSU
-DE Keion White, Georgia Tech
-DE Derick Hall, Auburn
-DE Isahiah Foskey, ND
-DE Nolan Smith, Georgia
-DL Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
-DE Andre Carter, Army

2nd Rd Targets
-DT Siaki Ika, BU
-DE Will McDonald IV, Iowa St.
-DL Calijah Kancey, Pitt
-DE Zach Harrison, Ohio State
-DE Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
-DT Mazi Smith, Michigan

3rd Rd Targets
-DT Gervon Dexter, Florida
-NT Keanu Benton, Wisconsin
-DE Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern
-DL Byron Young, Tennessee
-DT Zack Pickens, South Carolina
-DL Mike Morris, Michigan
-DE Dylan Horton, TCU

4th Rd Targets
-DT Byron Young, Alabama
-DE Viliami Fehoko, San Jose St
-DE Thomas Incoom, Central Michigan
-DL Yaya Diabi, Louisville
-DE Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt

5th-7th Rd Targets
-DE Isaiah McGuire, Missouri
-DE Caleb Murphy, Ferris St
-DE Derek Parish, Houston
-DT Dante Stills, West Virginia
-NT Elijah Simmons, Tennessee

[Couch-Potato]

Feels like Foskey is the consensus pick if he's available at #31.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Couch-Potato

Feels like Foskey is the consensus pick if he's available at #31.

I can't see any chance they pass on Keion White if he slides to them.

I mean...his potential is off the scale.

Long, heavy, extremely powerful, freakishly athletic - he's a damn monster.

Foskey's not as heavy, not as powerful and I don't see as much agility either. He's a strict speed edge and while I think that's a fine guy to add - if you could add White, who brings the same athleticism while also being strong enough to move inside at times, he just seems more 'spags'.

Maybe the relatively paltry production in college will push him into the mid-2nd and we wouldn't be willing to gamble on him. But man, how many 6'5" 280+ lb guys who can pop up 30 reps and then run a 4.6 40 are you going to find?

He's just a specimen.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I can't see any chance they pass on Keion White if he slides to them.

I mean...his potential is off the scale.

Long, heavy, extremely powerful, freakishly athletic - he's a damn monster.

Foskey's not as heavy, not as powerful and I don't see as much agility either. He's a strict speed edge and while I think that's a fine guy to add - if you could add White, who brings the same athleticism while also being strong enough to move inside at times, he just seems more 'spags'.

Maybe the relatively paltry production in college will push him into the mid-2nd and we wouldn't be willing to gamble on him. But man, how many 6'5" 280+ lb guys who can pop up 30 reps and then run a 4.6 40 are you going to find?

He's just a specimen.

I've said it before, but White is everything Veach wished he was getting with Speaks.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by staylor26

I've said it before, but White is everything Veach wished he was getting with Speaks.

Whaaaaaaat?

Speaks lacked...everything. Athleticism, strength, agility - all of it.

That pick was real dumb from the moment it was made and it sure LOOKED dumb at the time.

(Well, for SOME of us...)

I mean if you looked at White and said "White is who we hoped Tanoh or Kaindoh could be..." then I'd understand that. But Speaks? Man, I see no comparison of those 2 at all.

[DJ's left nut]

Seriously - WTF was Veach thinking with Breeland Speaks?

I really don't understand it. Didn't have the athleticism to play on an edge (certainly not as an OLB), especially when combined with the lack of length. And he didn't have the strength to play inside. He brought NOTHING to the table even as a prospect. There's no a single standout tool and wasn't from the moment he was drafted.

[The Franchise]

White would give Spags a defensive line where he could rush any of them from any spot on passing downs.

Karlaftis - Jones - Omenihu - White

Shit.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Whaaaaaaat?

Speaks lacked...everything. Athleticism, strength, agility - all of it.

That pick was real dumb from the moment it was made and it sure LOOKED dumb at the time.

(Well, for SOME of us...)

I mean if you looked at White and said "White is who we hoped Tanoh or Kaindoh could be..." then I'd understand that. But Speaks? Man, I see no comparison of those 2 at all.

Oh I'm not saying they're comparable prospects aside from size. That's kind of the point.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by The Franchise

White would give Spags a defensive line where he could rush any of them from any spot on passing downs.

Karlaftis - Jones - Omenihu - White

Shit.

Right?

It's literally 4 guys who are almost completely interchangeable on the DL. It's...actually kinda bizarre.

But man, it could be fun as hell.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Seriously - WTF was Veach thinking with Breeland Speaks?

I really don't understand it. Didn't have the athleticism to play on an edge (certainly not as an OLB), especially when combined with the lack of length. And he didn't have the strength to play inside. He brought NOTHING to the table even as a prospect. There's no a single standout tool and wasn't from the moment he was drafted.

They completely ****ing ****ed coaching that kid. I was really high on Speaks as a DT prospect. He absolutely had outstanding athleticism if they would have used him inside where he was best in college. Instead, brilliant ****ing Bob tries to make him a damned OLB. Then he spends all year injured when Spags arrived and never developed. I don't think it was the pick as much as it was the absolute dipshits that were Sutton and Co.

I'm less nervous with Spags but if they pick Moro Ojomo, Tyler Lacy, or Dante Stills those butterflies might come back.

[The Franchise]

God…I’d forgotten about Speaks at OLB.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by kccrow

They completely ****ing ****ed coaching that kid. I was really high on Speaks as a DT prospect. He absolutely had outstanding athleticism if they would have used him inside where he was best in college. Instead, brilliant ****ing Bob tries to make him a damned OLB. Then he spends all year injured when Spags arrived and never developed. I don't think it was the pick as much as it was the absolute dipshits that were Sutton and Co.

I'm less nervous with Spags but if they pick Moro Ojomo, Tyler Lacy, or Dante Stills those butterflies might come back.

Dude never so much as got extended run on a practice squad anywhere else. If it were mere coaching, SOMEONE would've given him a look at least on a practice squad.

It wasn't coaching. It was sub-average talent combined with a complete lack of drive.

The fact that he got a fresh start and showed up out of shape says it all.

[RunKC]

Keion White looks very promising in person but he effectively had one good year. You’d think an ass kicker like him would be owning people before last year no? Reminds me a bit of Kpassagnon when he was with us.

Thought that guy was gonna rape…but…yeah.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Keion White looks very promising in person but he effectively had one good year. You’d think an ass kicker like him would be owning people before last year no? Reminds me a bit of Kpassagnon when he was with us.

Thought that guy was gonna rape…but…yeah.

Yeah, the NFL has a lot of 'looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane' players out there and really I'm not 100% certain how to separate the wheat from the chaff there.

But if there were a science to it, being a GM would be a hell of a lot easier. At points maybe you have to just spin the wheel and take your chances. Because man, find me many guys who's tools look more like Myles Garrett in a draft in any given year.

There aren't a ton of guys who are even reasonably likely to be available to us that I'd take ahead of him. Maybe Harrison? Maybe Smith-Njiba or Wright?

Among potential DEs, I know there are going to be safer picks, but give if anyone can tap this guy, it would seem Cullen (and having Jones on the line with him) can do it.

The tools are just crazy good.

[JPH83]

Gotta be honest, a few earlier mocks had White going to us at 31 and I laughed at the prospect of him being anything near a 1st round guy. But then we got the testing numbers and...yeah, that's a little different I guess.

The issue now is he's 24 and still raw. It's not all his fault, but I probably want a higher floor at that pick, I dunno. I could see how he'd be a dream for Spags, but man can be just get some bend please?

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Dude never so much as got extended run on a practice squad anywhere else. If it were mere coaching, SOMEONE would've given him a look at least on a practice squad.

It wasn't coaching. It was sub-average talent combined with a complete lack of drive.

The fact that he got a fresh start and showed up out of shape says it all.

You're acting like he wasn't regarded as a day 2 prospect by everyone. It might look smart in retrospect but that wasn't anywhere near what people thought then. The dude came off an outstanding Junior season and had really good measurables. The fact he failed is somewhere between his work ethic and coaching and probably does lean heavily towards work ethic. To say he had no talent is simply not true. He had talent. You don't do what he did as a Junior in the SEC and just completely suck nuts.