He's NOT a first round talent according to about 5 guys on here that know that better than everyone else, and ALL the Professional Scouts also.
WTF? Yeah, right. ROFLMAO If you seriously think that, you need to stop voicing your opinion on players' talent, because you're losing all credibility.
Lee has to be the first guy projected to go top 20 or 15 by almost everyone to not be a first round talent. Asinine.
Darron Lee not only ranks 3rd amongst all rookies in tackles but also leads the Jets defense in tackles after only two weeks of play. He gets a couple of sacks throughout the season, a couple of forced fumbles, interceptions or fumble recoveries while continuing to increase his tackle numbers and Darron Lee, like Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams, will find himself in position to at least contend for the defensive rookie of the year award by seasons end. His play recognition could be something special in the making. More importantly his added youth, top notch sideline to sideline type of speed, lateral quickness, coverage and pursuit ability along with his overall athletic athleticism were all (desperately) needed behind this dominant defensive front. Although I wouldn't expect for the blind critics who considered Lee as being "too small to tackle on an NFL level" to comprehend any of the above.
My main issue with Lee still stands, he doesn't really have the functional strength to shed the big guys. Never was worried about his ability to tackle, he moves fast enough at around 240 for it to not be an issue. If an o lineman gets I o the second level and gets his hands on him I'm not confident that he won't be taken out of the play.
Being able the shed a 300lb+ lineman and still make a solid tackle is a rare talent that makes ILBrs like Harris very valuable. Ray Lewis has been one of the very few LBers who could do this and still cover SL to SL.
I'm not all that worried/concerned about Lee's strength needed in order to get off of blocks & shed tackles on an NFL level. At 6'1/238 lbs just take a look at some of the league's most premier tackling machines at the LB position. 2015: NaVarro Bowman: 6'1/242 lbs (116 tackles). Paul Posluszny: 6'2/242 lbs (103 tackles). Malcolm Smith: 6'0/230 lbs (100 tackles). Telvin Smith: 6'3/223 lbs (99 tackles). Derrick Johnson: 6'3/242 lbs (95 tackles). Deone Bucannon (LB-SS): 6'1/220 lbs (90 tackles). D'Qwell Jackson: 6'0/242 lbs (89 tackles). Lavonte David: 6'1/233 lbs (85 tackles). C.J Mosley: 6'2/242 lbs (77 tackles). Luke Kuechly: 6'3/238 lbs (76 tackles). Sean Lee: 6'2/238 lbs (76 tackles). Which is why I never fully understood the criticism of doubt surrounding Lee coming out in regards to being 'too small' on an NFL level. Each and every one of those LB's mentioned above ranked within the top 20 amongst all NFL defensive players in tackles and none of these Linebackers weigh more than 4-5 pounds when compared to Darron Lee. Lee may not be a physical thumper such as a Ray Lewis or even a David Harris but in today's NFL he appears to be your prototypical type (especially with the game continuing to evolve into a passing league).
i thought he was a mid 2nd rounder and said that in the draft thread before we even picked him... like milliner i think his stock rose because he played on a loaded team/defense. i think he also got picked higher then he should have because of how bowles used tyrann mathieu in arizona. and i think we also oversold it a bit because of how bad we needed speed at LB. its not like he is some scrub bust. but i dont think he was first round talent.... or at the very least, not first round talent you are 'very lucky" that drops to you, as if he should have been a top 5-10 pick
Actuallty, thats not what i said. what i said was spikes could have been had for half the price, and at this stage provide the same on the field. a 2 down player who is going to make the same tackles and struggle in coverage. this, at a time, when we still hadnt signed fitz or snacks and mo was still up in the air
Lee's making plays and he's only 2 games into his rookie season. Sure he's going to have to learn how to deal with shedding bigger blockers but I'm not that concerned about it. He flies all over the field and the Jets needed a huge speed upgrade to cover sideline to sideline as much as any area of the defense coming into this season. He's so far ahead at the same stage over other recent high D draft picks for this team like Gholston and Milliner. And he's almost 240 lbs, it's not like he's 220 so the size is NOT an issue. The kid has shown some nice flashes so far.
Darron Lee was one of the driving forces behind Ohio State's loaded defense, ranking 3rd in tackles for loss, 4th in total tackles and 4th in team sacks (despite being used as Ohio State's #1 LB in pass coverage). And as of right now you appear to be wrong in your offseason assessment of Lee heading into the draft because not only does Lee lead our Jets defense in tackles but out of the 127 defensive players drafted, Darron Lee also ranks 3rd amongst all defensive rookies in tackles. Lee was a major need for the Jets due to having a lack of athleticism throughout our linebackers core combined with the fact that we couldn't stop opposing HB's from having field days against us while catching out of the backfield. Most certainly wasn't "drafted too high".
Harris is captain of the defense, he communicates with the rest of the team and gets them in position. That alone makes Harris worth the price. He's not a complete liability on 3rd down. It's all about putting players in the right spot. Did Brandon Spikes even play on last week? The guy is trash. Essentially, you are saying they are around the same level.
i dont put much stock in tackles. its a flawed and unreliable stat, and very situational. not to completely dismiss it, just that without context, its not of much use. you can 6 tackles for instance, 3 can be after your man beat you for a 20 yard gain, 3 can be at or beyond the line of scrimmage. clearly the first 3 are not as valuable as the second 3 right? i also dont view being 4th in sacks as some great accomplishment as most teams only even havd 2 or 3 pass rushers. and its week 2, thats a small sample size, tough to really go on stats through week 2. he isnt a bad player, and i never said he was. i said i dont think he is someone who we were lucky to have "slipped" to us, as i dont beleive he was a first round talent, and i dont see him being a top 5-10 talent were we are lucky he fell to us. i think he is more of a second or third rounder. a hybrid guy you really need the right system for. he can have a long career in this league. i dont see him as some high end first round big impact player though.
harris isnt a liability if you blitz him, outside of that, he is certainly a liability. and isnt worth close to what he is being paid. he is a 2 down player, and not even a great one. his days are long gone. which is why his snaps are diminishing. i admit some bias, as ive never hated a jets player more.... but the guy isnt some stud and has been awful on third downs for years now. not even a harris fan would say he is worth his paycheck
what the hell doe girts round talent mean. He is a roookie startind on our team making plays. Sounds like a first round talent to me.
Come on man we aren't talking about CB's making tackles we're talking about an LB in Darron Lee. Play recognition and tackling ability are two of the most important traits for an IMLB. Lee ranks 1st on our team in tackles and out of 127 defensive players drafted ranks 3rd amongst all rookie players in tackles. None of his tackles were while getting beat 20 yards downfield either. Also looked outstanding as our QB spy against Tyrod Taylor and his assist alongside of Sheldon Richardson stuffing Buffalo on 4th and short was beautiful.
