Maybe its the combine or maybe its just the hype around here but when I look at Ingram I really dont see someone who will come in and solve our pass rush problems. Even more so I hate when I hear, "God I hope Ingram falls to us", I mean yeah he might be drafted high (over drafted IMO), but its not entirely because of skill its because of that almighty potential. When you watch his games most of his sacks are when he is playing DT and when he lines up on the Outside or at DE he gets stood up pretty quickly and becomes very ineffective. While he does have a good first step, he doesnt seem to have those active hands you look for in a deceptive linebacker, nor does he get off blocks very well. I see the value in maybe moving him around the D but I'm not to sure that can work as effectively in the NFL. Here's an example of my worries: (Gets stood up plenty, can barely beat Hardrick on one on ones, never uses his hands consistently. I do see that we gets doubled team a lot though, I'll give him that) [YOUTUBE]LKPpjctGhBo[/YOUTUBE] Understandably this is just one tape but this isnt the only game he has looked like this. I am much more impressed with the likes of Branch, Upshaw, Hightower, and Perry than I am with Ingram. Just my 2 cents of course.
I think the love comes from the fact that hes a crazy athlete and he is flying all over the field. Its easy to get excited about players like that. I agree that some of the more nuanced components that make a good player a great player, he is lacking
I couldn't agree more. I really don't see a pass rusher. He also doesn't seem to be as thick of an athlete as someone like Upshaw. I do not think he's going to succeed as a 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE.
He offers flexibility. He can play DE, OLB, DT and ILB. Guys like that are a match-up nightmare and perfect for Rex's defense.
While I would hope for him to be versatile in the NFL , I sincerely doubt he could continue to do so in the NFL. It's not like he was dominant in all those areas just solid. He actually looked best at DT.
I think he's more of an athlete than a football player, but it's clear that he's light years more athletic than Upshaw, who looks slow at times. I personally like the way he's built, and I like his speed and versatility. I would prefer we wait on adding a linebacker, or trade back. I think we're convincing ourselves that the solution to our problem lies at that spot valuewise, and I'm not sure it does. I actually prefer Kuechly to all the pass rushers. -X-
I think that the key difference is that Ingram really is a linebacker, and may just be placed into that DE spot due to size. I don't think his build is as ideal, but he's probably going to be a guy like Akeem Ayers that ends up as a true LB despite everyone saying he's best as a 34 rush or 43 de.
I really like Ingram, he's strong as hell with a good burst to get to the QB. He's extremely athletic as well, obviously. I still really like Upshaw though.