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Originally posted by Hysterikal:Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:What yall think about Zach Brown and Malcolm Smith backs up WILL/MLB?
Higher payed back ups than starters. Interesting
Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:Well if we sign Zach Brown to 5 mill then he and Smith would combine for a LEGIT starting LBs salary but wed have good depth and cancel the need to take one in the draft
Originally posted by Hysterikal:Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:Well if we sign Zach Brown to 5 mill then he and Smith would combine for a LEGIT starting LBs salary but wed have good depth and cancel the need to take one in the draft
Browns gonna get payed this offseason. I assume Smith will be expected to start next season with Ray Ray as depth and hopefully another back up.
Originally posted by Heroism:Zach Brown is getting paid as a premier starter this offseason.
Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:
So 6-7 mill? I say do it. Having Malcolm Smith as a backup would give us LEGIT insurance and can keep Brown/Foster fresh.
Originally posted by Heroism:Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:So 6-7 mill? I say do it. Having Malcolm Smith as a backup would give us LEGIT insurance and can keep Brown/Foster fresh.
Unless Malcolm Smith gets released, I don't see them going after any marquee free agent LB. They'll grab someone in the draft.
Originally posted by Hysterikal:Originally posted by Heroism:Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:So 6-7 mill? I say do it. Having Malcolm Smith as a backup would give us LEGIT insurance and can keep Brown/Foster fresh.
Unless Malcolm Smith gets released, I don't see them going after any marquee free agent LB. They'll grab someone in the draft.
This. I don't see us going after Roquan as long as we have Malcolm Smith either. Kind of a pipe dream to think he's even on our radar.
Originally posted by adrianlesnar:I'd LOVE brown, but I just can't see it realistically happening. I think we're stuck with Malcolm over Roquan as well, unfortunately.
Originally posted by adrianlesnar:I'd LOVE brown, but I just can't see it realistically happening. I think we're stuck with Malcolm over Roquan as well, unfortunately.
Originally posted by LifelongNiner:But won't they play different positions. I don't see Malcolm Smith as the reason we won't draft another LB. He may be the reason we don't take a SAM LB high, but as a group, we are far from set. I'll definitely take a group of Smith/Foster/Smith. Hopefully this version of the Smith Brothers can last. The real question is the logjam at safety. Will Reid be a safety or linebacker longterm in this scheme?
Originally posted by adrianlesnar:Originally posted by LifelongNiner:But won't they play different positions. I don't see Malcolm Smith as the reason we won't draft another LB. He may be the reason we don't take a SAM LB high, but as a group, we are far from set. I'll definitely take a group of Smith/Foster/Smith. Hopefully this version of the Smith Brothers can last. The real question is the logjam at safety. Will Reid be a safety or linebacker longterm in this scheme?
Both smiths would play WILL, imo. If either were to play SAM, they'd be out of position
Originally posted by Heroism:
Zach Brown is getting paid as a premier starter this offseason.
Originally posted by Kolohe:Originally posted by Heroism:Zach Brown is getting paid as a premier starter this offseason.
This guy sat on the market for a lot more days than I expected and he has always been a solid starter. 49ers missed on this one.
Height: 6'1 Weight: 225 Games Watched: Auburn, Miss. State
Analysis: As the 2017 season has progressed, Roquan Smith has been one of those prospects that has exceeded expectations and truly risen his draft stock via his play. Smith has taken on a tremendous amount of responsibility in Kirby Smart's defense, and Georgia's faith in him has seemed to pay off.
There's a reason UGA entrusted so much responsibility in Smith, and that's because he is the definition of a do it all Linebacker. When it comes to having major assets, Smith carries almost every possible tool you could want in a LB in his toolbox. In the three major facets of a LB's game; Run Defense, Pass Defense, and Pass Rushing, he comes out with high marks in each from me. His athleticism allows him to do all three, and when it's all said and done the team that drafts Smith will be doing so because they believe he's able to make a play no matter where it is on the field. That is an aspect that cannot be stressed enough when talking about a future MIKE of a defense. If they can impact every facet of an offense's game plan, no matter what they're attempting to run play-wise, then they are a priceless chess piece for that Defensive Coordinator. Think about Bobby Wagner. He has the capability to drop back into coverage and take away throwing lanes, he's a monster in stopping the run, and he's got the athleticism and straight line speed to come up and blitz the QB from the A Gap. Everything that I just said about Wagner is true of Smith as a prospect.
Adding to Smith's overall abilities are some of the smaller specifics that make me really enjoy watching a prospect. Smith is one of the cleanest tacklers I've scouted in a while, and in a world full of arm tackles, that's a big plus. Smith wraps up almost all the time, using his arms to clasp around the back of the player and drive them into the ground by churning his legs. Rarely does he aim high, and is almost always around an opponent's knees or hips. I have only seen two missed tackles so far when watching him, and I'm on the fence about one. Both occurred in the Auburn, and the one I'm hesitant on was a screen play to Kerryon Johnson. Smith dips underneath a blocker to avoid being taken out of the play entirely, and is able to dive forward and reach out for Johnson's legs. Johnson being the strong runner that he is runs right through Smith's arms and rumbles for a big chunk of yardage. I have an issue faulting Smith entirely for this, because he has zero leverage and no way of using the rest of his body outside of his arms. A smaller back may have went down, but Johnson is not a smaller back.
Smith is a true athlete, and yes I'm going to hammer this point home repeatedly. But I need to give a few examples. I'll start with the easy "sideline to sideline" example. When put in the middle of the field, Roquan Smith is rangey enough to be apart of stopping the run no matter where it goes. Now let's be clear here, being a "sideline to sideline" player doesn't mean that you can make the play on outside zone, but only eight yards downfield. In fact that's the hallmark of a player that does not have sideline to sideline ability. Instead, this term is used for Linebackers that are able to scrape across the field, keeping the runner in front of him as he moves. Say the offense runs a stretch concept out of zone blocking or a toss concept out of man, either way, that runner is going out wide. To be effective on this play, the MIKE needs to do a number of things. First, he has to take his proper read step and follow the flow of the play. Depending on the coach/defense, the LB may either take his cues from the OL or from the RB. It depends. Since we're breaking down a wide run here, the next thing that will happen is the LB has to diagnose the runner's turned shoulders. After the read step, his eyes now belong in the backfield no matter the defense. As soon as those shoulders turn, the LB needs to start getting out wide to account for RB. He's defending "the corner" as in, don't let that runner turn the corner. The LB's aiming point is now the outside shoulder of his outermost Defensive Line player. So if we're talking traditional 4-3, the Linebacker is aiming at his Defensive End's outside shoulder. Still, they have to be careful, you can't turn your shoulders completely as a Linebacker, because a quick runner with a great cutback can burn you badly and make you pay. Which is why lateral agility is key for a MIKE prospect. They're moving laterally as the RB is running in a more traditional, comfortable manner. The runner also has the advantage of knowing where he's going (more or less) while the LB has to keep his eyes peeled and be reactive to the runner. This mental process takes away valuable milliseconds of time from the LB, meaning they have to be that much quicker and more athletic if they're to get where they need to be before the RB does. This is what it takes to be sideline to sideline, and Smith has this ability. He fills holes quickly, and it's tough for the Offensive Lineman responsible for second level blocking to seal him off. His ability to maneuver the wash while still reading the RB is what makes him a force in the run game despite not being the biggest guy.
Moving on to pass defense, this is where Smith's athleticism truly shines. Smith is capable in both man and zone coverages. His balance and feet are good enough for a drop into zone, and his speed and instincts are good enough for man. Smith made a wonderful play in the back of the endzone against Auburn, trailing an Auburn slot receiver across the field and making a leaping deflection. For Smith to not only remain in the receiver's hip pocket, but also leap into the air and knock away a high pass meant for the back corner of the endzone where only the receiver should have been able to touch the ball, is a tremendous display of athleticism and part of what makes Smith a complete Linebacker.
I've always hammered home that there's no such thing as a perfect prospect though, and this applies to Smith as well. The one area of weakness I've been able to identify is that he has a bad habit of getting washed out whenever an Offensive Lineman gets their hands on him. And while this is usually true of any LB due to the size differential, it does happen to Smith more often that you would like. On many occasions Smith uses his superior quickness to maneuver around blockers, but against a team like Auburn, who has extremely well coached lineman, he was susceptible to getting blocked out of holes by great combination blocks. Now the "stack and shed" technique is a dying art, one that has disappeared as LB's have adjusted their style to play in a more and more pass heavy style of football. Still, my issue with Smith is that instead of taking on a block and attempting to jam up the run play, he will willingly move backwards, attempting to free himself of the blocker and make the tackle later on down field. While he usually will end up making the tackle, this can allow the opponent's offense to move the chains and pick up first downs easier. It's a "bend but don't break" style of football at this point, and whether or not you can live with that is entirely up to your personal defensive philosophy.
One other minor knock I can pin on him from the Auburn game is over-committing on read-option style plays that have multiple mesh points. I saw on multiple plays where Smith committed to the flow of the play or reacted to a potential screen that ended up going the other way and allowed linemen time to progress to the second level and seal him from the play. Not many teams in the NFL still run an offense with multiple mesh points or consistent read options because NFL defenses have become accustomed to seeing it, so this may not affect Smith at the next level as much as it does in college, but I felt it worth mentioning.
Adding to the bit earlier about his habit of backing out of blocks in attempt to keep himself clean, I think he needs to learn to trust his teammates a little more to max out his potential. As a linebacker sometimes it's your job to eat blocks. In the NFL if he retreats from a block, even just a few small steps, he may take himself out of the play due to the speed and vision of NFL caliber RBs AND he frees that lineman to pursue another block. In college this is understandable, he may very well be the best player on the field and at times may feel if he doesn't make the play no one will; in the NFL he will be surrounded by 10 players at or near his level that are relying on him to do his job and not be a hero.
Overall, I think Smith is a tremendous Linebacker prospect that we haven't seen in some time. His ability to play all three facets of the game is rare today in football. Teams are going to love the versatility and aggression that he brings to a defense. Combine that with solid tackling form, which is another lost art, and I think a lot of Defensive Coordinators will be banging on the table for their GM's to bring this guy in. He's got minor flaws, and honestly they aren't uncorrectable. Still I wouldn't ask him to add weight to take on blocks because he already does a pretty good job avoiding blocks for the most part and you risk losing some of what makes him special, which is that deadly ability to cover the entire field.