Okoye a DE or a OT?

I don't think his ideal position is DE or OT, I think he would be great at discuss thrower.

Originally posted by BrianGO:
I don't think his ideal position is DE or OT, I think he would be great at discuss thrower.

you're rigtht! He really should try out for discussions.

Originally posted by BrianGO:
I don't think his ideal position is DE or OT, I think he would be great at discuss thrower.

C'mon Brian, you cant tell me that when you look at his 6'6" frame and 300+ lb of lean muscle and his super powerful legs to go with his unbelieveable speed that you cant see him making some impact on the dline when he learns the position from the best in the business. How does he not overpower a guard one on one in our nickel look and hes told to get the qb? Hes a freak. His combine numbers compare to JJ Watt.

I believe hes got a shot. A very legit shot to make the 53. The position of 3/4 DE that he fits will enable him to have a better chance to make it because he has a few studs he can learn from also.

There's also the issue of how much time is he taking from the coaches. Is Tomsula taking so much time with him that Lemonade and Tank aren't getting proper coaching? If he moves to OT (no way), how much time must Solari spend with him? Too much time imo.

Originally posted by thl408:
There's also the issue of how much time is he taking from the coaches. Is Tomsula taking so much time with him that Lemonade and Tank aren't getting proper coaching? If he moves to OT (no way), how much time must Solari spend with him? Too much time imo.

LOL! "Lemonade"

I think it helps that the rooks that are still nursing injuries aren't ready to get on the field (coaches decision)... Okoye can get more undivided attention, since he needs it the most. He certainly may not get that much attention when real camp starts. This short time may be the intro that coaches need to figure this guy out...

DE, another JPP?

Originally posted by 60sfan:

Originally posted by Thechad49:
Learning Defensive end isn't exactly cake work either ..maybe if Okoye struggles at end or he doesnt have it in him...offensive tackle could be a nice fall back position for him to start developing

Sorry guys. Chances of him even playing football in today's game is <1%. There are much more realistically exciting prospects to look at this year.

Put me down for 20 bucks on those odds. If I lose, eh it's 20 bucks. If he plays a down I get 2 grand:)

Why is it always the new guys that make these kinds of dumb threads. You guys don't think our staff hasn't evaluated what his best fit is?

DE is the perfect fit. Not only is it likely the easiest to learn (as has been said many times in this thread), but it's also the highest upside, both for our team and for football in general. The 49ers have two All Pro caliber OTs, since there's much less incentive to develop him there. Our DEs are getting up there in age.

If Okoye reaches his potential you have one of the most talented pass rushers in the NFL. That's a premium position.

If you f**k up on the O-line you could cost for it big time, and cost our QB. I think DE or OLB is the safer option. on the defensive side his mistakes can be covered.

Bottom line is, the team does not have any time to develop him as an OT.. We aren't gonna waste money for him to learn how to play OT in 3 years... as far as the DE position, all he needs to learn right now is use his speed and power to get to the QB on passing situation.. heck, he may not be even bad as DT and have him start on special team (blocking FGs) ..

I would love to see him on the Goal Line situation as a FB and run some of them Shewahks defender over on a straight Dive..

Originally posted by Thechad49:
Learning Defensive end isn't exactly cake work either ..maybe if Okoye struggles at end or he doesnt have it in him...offensive tackle could be a nice fall back position for him to start developing

As a person who once played both positions, I can tell you that OT is much more technical and takes longer to learn. Not that DE is easy.... it certainly isn't. It will also take him a very long time to master the technique of that position as well.

But at DE, he has a better chance of getting by more on athletic ability at first. He can also focus on a subset of defensive techniques at first so that he can initially get on the field in sub-packages.

You can't field an OT that has only learned the blocking techniques to run 1/3rd of your offense. But on defense.... teach Okoye to rush the QB from the 5-technique and get him on the field in passing situations.

Long Snapper to replace Jennings

Originally posted by Thechad49:
Hey, I was thinking this guy is brand new to Football..are we labeling him a DE too quickly?...he is a big athletic freak but does have some stiffness too him..maybe to stiff for a d-lineman..I think he we should try him out at offensive tackle too..he would make an incredibly athletic OT ..he's definatley has the size to play on either side of the ball..just a thought..what do u guys think?

You just answered your own question. Stiffness is even more undesirable in an offenseive linemen and requires more technique than a defensive linemen especially in a OT. You can away with shear talent and scheme on defense than offense.

This just shows that the coaches know more what they are doing than fans. Silly rabbit tricks are for kids. If it was so easy to make an OT into a quality player, they would not be drafting them so high.

The good thing is if he improves everyday, he will make the practice squad and if he shows something in TC and the preseasons he will then make the roster. The niners can afford right now to take chances and are a very foward looking team and good at analyzing a players true value and positional worth. Other teams are either not as foward looking and/or so bad that they can't afford to waste time on a player like him.

Obviously the niners see potential in him that JT is spending time with him, the only thing is keeping him under wraps till he is ready and pray that he does get picked by someone else after all that time used on developing him.