It sounds like a concern around here is that Becton (6-7, 364) is not a good fit for our zone-based OL scheme, which emphasizes quickness and athleticism over size and strength. There are also concerns that Becton's size and weight will inevitably result in the sort of foot injuries he has experienced. If these things are true, should we be drafting giant OT's like Neal (6-7, 360) or Daniel Faalele (6-8, 379)? They, like Becton, are incredibly athletic for their size, but are they likely to escape having the same problems Becton has had? I loved Becton coming out, and I still have hope that he can lose a few pounds and live up to his tremendous potential. I'm just wondering if the two giant tackles coming out are good bets to experience Becton-like problems in our current OL scheme.
I don’t think anyone should be drafting Faalele that high. The guy has extremely slow feet and plays like a guard but is probably too big to play there. I’ll have a better idea for how I feel about Neal after Sunday. I try not to worry too much about scheme fit. If the guys a potential Pro Bowl tackle, he’s a Pro Bowl tackle. The scheme should be adjusted to the players skill set, not the other way around. We don’t have 4 zone offensive lineman now anyways. AVT can probably play in either scheme.
Good point about how the scheme should be adjusted for the great player. What about the idea that guys who are too big tend to be injury prone?
That’s definitely a thing, but a players sizes vary based on what their listed weight is. NFL.com and team and stat websites never change a players weight once it’s written there. Playing weight is usually much different than off-season weight. So if Neal comes into the combine at 350, but works hard in camp and the off-season, it’s likely he’s playing closer to 340 due to all of the training and such. If he’s like Becton appears to be, he’ll balloon and size definitely matters as far as injuries IMO.
Yeah, you're clearly right about the listed weights. I do tend to be skeptical about big guys after Becton. It looked like he was working hard and getting his weight down prior to the combine, but he's been injury prone since being drafted, and there have been reports about weight and motivation/work ethic issues. I still think he has extraordinary potential, but I'm just leery of big guys, especially when our system apparently does fine with 300 pounders. Over Neal, I think I'd rather take a chance on a potential generational cornerback like Stingley even though our primarily zone scheme doesn't require extremely talented cornerbacks. My thinking would be that the scheme can be adjusted to shut down number one receivers with Stingley, while other players can play some form of zone? This would be akin to a basketball box and one defense.
This is a stupid misnomer that’s parroted by the fan base. Not calling you stupid, but teams would love to line up and run man to man coverage across the board. It’s just difficult to find players to do it. Every scheme looks for good players at edge, corner, both tackles, quarterback and now receiver. They’re tough to find which is why teams have to patchwork and scheme around lesser players. With that said, I don’t want Stingley. Too many questions with his injury history and such.
Yeah, I fell into a knee-jerk, stupid commonplace statement there. My actual impression is that zone cornerbacks require different, not lesser, skills than man-to-man cornerbacks. Zone systems I think place a premium on skills like reading of offensive formations, anticipation, ability to communicate and coordinate, but skills such as ability to stick to a receiver from the line of scrimmage down the field are not as important. Obviously, any cornerback is helped by having speed, burst, and cover ability.
That may be the case right now. I'm referring to the guy I saw before the draft, who ran a 5.11, and who displayed unbelievable strength and good quickness at 6'7 3/8", 364.
In my opinion Evan Neal is much more athletic than Becton and carries his weight far better. I think come the combine he will blow people away with what he will do,
If Neal is one of our 1st round picks, it could be looked at as a good and bad thing. Bad because it shows they're not confident in Becton being the answer at LT and makes the 2020 class look even worse, but good because they're willing to admit a mistake and correct it.
You may well be right about Neal, and I hope you are because every excellent player at the top of the draft improves our draft trade possibilities. The pitiful way our defense is looking, it seems to me that defense should be the focus of the 2022 draft. However, if Neal is what you say, he will dominate in whatever system he is put, and the Jets have to take him if they can't get a good trade down deal. I also wouldn't mind using Seattle's pick to take somebody like Linderbaum, who'd likely be a 10-year starter in the middle of our line.
Yeah, we can't feel good that all our draft picks fizzle out. It's a sure path to ongoing losing. That's why I hang on to hope that a talented player like Becton can turn it around and be a decent starting NFL tackle. Hell, I'm even desperate enough to hope that Mims can finally show something now that he's healthy.
On the bright side, the 2021 class looks good and that's with Wilson being mostly below average. The 2022 draft is the one that will break the tie. Another bad one and Douglas will be on the hot seat. I'm all for giving him time, but a rebuild can't last forever.
