General Highlights:
Draft Guys TV (whoevertheFtheyare) review. Really, I just included this for his interview during the Senior Bowl (?):
I found a few other highlight clips, but none that were worth sharing.
One thing I'll say about this dude...to me, he plays more like a slow~ish 4-3 DE than a true 3-4 DE. For his size, he's fast and crazy nimble. It seems like he makes big plays when he's able to get a guy leanin' or when he jukes 'em out of their shoes. It isn't too often that he just blows by (through) a lineman to make a play. Long and short of it, you put a hat on him and he becomes somewhat neutralized. However, he does seem to compensate for that somewhat by having that "never quits" motor. He just doesn't stop coming at you, even when the play has moved downfield or into the flat. A good example of that was that one highlight where he came in on a screen and after it was dumped off to the RB, the back made a move to elude one defender, but Hood ran the play down from behind.
IMO, his speed and ability to "cover" a certain part of the field won't be an issue. He doesn't appear to be the type that just operates in a 20x20 foot box around the LOS. He can go sideline to sideline no problem. To me (and this is no surprise as several have discussed already), his biggest issue will be his strength. Will he be able to get a good push at the point of attack on Sunday when he's got a 325# OT leanin' on him?
I also found myself saying "This dude's 300#s?" more than once. Sometimes for something positive, other times for something negative. He'd make a ridiculously nifty move on the edge where he'd spin past an OT ala a 4-3 DE and flush the QB out of the pocket or snag a RB for a loss, but then he'd come of the LOS and lock up with an OT (interstingly, I think I saw him vs. Urbik on a play or two) and basically get stoned. After a couple seconds of dancing the two step, the ballcarrier would come his way and he'd make the tackle.
Seems like they got a pretty good athlete for the position and he also appears to be a guy that can be coached up, but I'm just wondering if that's good enough for your R1 pick; especially considering some of the football players that were still on the board there. Yeah, it's a 1.32 pick and maybe I'm nitpicking, but this seems to be a riskier (reach?) pick than going with a Maualuga, or even Butler or Britton.
Like the Timmons pick, we'll have to wait and see how it unfolds. I'm also curious to see how Larry holds up as an every down guy versus being a situational rusher.
Generally speaking, as to Tomlin's R1 picks, for me, I'm very much in the minority, I think. I've had reservations about every one of 'em. I liked his latter picks better. Hopefully, Timmons' play last year was just the start of me being wrong on all 3.
