Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia

Greg Cosell on knbr and he says he loves roquan much more than Edmunds . Says what you see is what you get. Smart player with great instincts and an incredible athlete.


He also loved Fosters tape last year. Thought Fosters tape was top 3 among all players. Just pointing out that his eyes don't lie.

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Originally posted by illinois9er:

Originally posted by GhostOfBaalke:

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Heart is with Roquan; brain is with Landry.

If we get Roq at 9, PLEASE let Landry drop and let us come back to catch him. That would be an A+ for me regardless how the rest of the draft went which I would miss anyways cause I'd still be doing things in my bedroom from Thursday night through the weekend

I'd trade our second and 2019 first rounder , maybe one of our thirds to move to the teens for Landry.

That 2019 pick should hopefully end up being around 28-32 anyways

That be such a f**kin beast draft

Not just no but hell no! I'd be pretty pissed if we give up a future 1st for anyone that isn't a franchise QB.

yeah I'd throw our 2019 2nd this yrs 2nd and a 3rd to move up to get him...that would be the most.

Peter king was reporting today that mid level picks (2nd-4th) hold more value this yr because a lot of scouts feel there's a ton of talent to be had in those rounds (drop off isn't that great). I kinda agree with that. He said Baltimore is a team that might be willing to move down for not a ton. I'd bet they'd swing that trade, they need young players on that squad.

Smith at 9, Landry at 16, and we'd still have 6 picks DO IT.

If we walked out of this draft with both Smith and Landry, I don't give a f**k what happens the rest of the draft. I'd be happier than a fly on a s**t wagon.

Originally posted by GhostOfBaalke:

Greg Cosell on knbr and he says he loves roquan much more than Edmunds . Says what you see is what you get. Smart player with great instincts and an incredible athlete.


He also loved Fosters tape last year. Thought Fosters tape was top 3 among all players. Just pointing out that his eyes don't lie.

Cosell tells no lies. Edmunds could be the better player---someday. Right now Roquan is substantially more polished and ready to contribute at a high level from Day 1.

Originally posted by Mertonschickendance:
Locked on Niners podcast had bears writer on today's episode. Picked Smith at 8.

Also taken before were Nelson at 2, Landry at 4, chubb at 6, Derwin James 7.....

This scenario is like worst case scenario and if it happens trade down or take Saquon Barkley

Meh... that would suck.
Though it would be fun to have both Barkley and Jet in the same backfield, have them each roll out to opposite sides of the field and let Jimmy pick which wide open RB to throw to.

Originally posted by Willisfn4life:

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Originally posted by illinois9er:

Originally posted by GhostOfBaalke:

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Heart is with Roquan; brain is with Landry.

If we get Roq at 9, PLEASE let Landry drop and let us come back to catch him. That would be an A+ for me regardless how the rest of the draft went which I would miss anyways cause I'd still be doing things in my bedroom from Thursday night through the weekend

I'd trade our second and 2019 first rounder , maybe one of our thirds to move to the teens for Landry.

That 2019 pick should hopefully end up being around 28-32 anyways

That be such a f**kin beast draft

Not just no but hell no! I'd be pretty pissed if we give up a future 1st for anyone that isn't a franchise QB.

yeah I'd throw our 2019 2nd this yrs 2nd and a 3rd to move up to get him...that would be the most.

Peter king was reporting today that mid level picks (2nd-4th) hold more value this yr because a lot of scouts feel there's a ton of talent to be had in those rounds (drop off isn't that great). I kinda agree with that. He said Baltimore is a team that might be willing to move down for not a ton. I'd bet they'd swing that trade, they need young players on that squad.

Smith at 9, Landry at 16, and we'd still have 6 picks DO IT.

If we walked out of this draft with both Smith and Landry, I don't give a f**k what happens the rest of the draft. I'd be happier than a fly on a s**t wagon.

Dude if that happened then I'd gladly eat that fly!!! Landry falls and we trade up to nab him!! Boom!

Bump. Need to keep this longer than the Landry thread.

Wait, so Edmunds has taken nearly 400 more snaps than Roquan yet still has that many mental lapses...

The Best Value on Draft Day Is the Modern Linebacker

https://www.theringer.com/2018/4/12/17227830/draft-linebackers-roquan-smith-deion-jones-alvin-kamara

Front offices across the NFL have begun their search for the next Alvin Kamara. They'd be better served looking for the defenders who are perfectly built to stop him.

Rather than embarking on a treasure hunt to find the next Kamara, front offices should embrace a more worthwhile pursuit entering the 2018 draft: searching for players who might have a chance to contain him.

One year before the Saints drafted Kamara with the 67th overall pick, the Falcons selected LSU linebacker Deion Jones with the 52nd pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Jones spent much of his college career behind current Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander on the depth chart; when he finally got the chance to start as a senior, he flourished.

Jones finished his final season in Baton Rouge with 100 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups. Pre-draft assessments acknowledged his impressive production, but also noted that Jones's smaller frame could be problematic at the next level. At the combine, he weighed just 222 pounds, in the second percentile among linebackers in MockDraftable's database. Talent evaluators voiced concerns that Jones might be swallowed whole by NFL offensive linemen.

It's no coincidence that one of Kamara's least-impressive games as a rookie came against the Falcons in Week 16. With Jones roaming the middle of Atlanta's defense, Kamara finished with 19 touches and just 90 total yards. The Saints' sensation failed to reach the end zone.

Jones was arguably the best coverage linebacker in football last season. He racked up 10 passes defensed, good for second in the league among inside linebackers. His three interceptions were tied for tops at the position. With a potent combination of quickness, recognition ability, and a knack for getting his hands on the ball, Jones routinely snuffed out plays designed explicitly to take advantage of overmatched linebackers in coverage.

Tied with Jones atop the inside-linebacker interceptions list was Jaguars' stud Telvin Smith. He was an integral piece of Florida State's 2013 national championship roster, but fell all the way to the fifth round in the 2014 draft. Like Jones, the main worry teams had about Smith was his size. Weighing just 218 pounds at the combine, he was about as small as potential NFL linebackers come. Yet by the midway point of last season, he'd emerged as an indispensable piece of the league's best pass defense. In late October, Jacksonville elected to give Smith a four-year, $45 million contract with more than $20 million guaranteed. His $11.3 million annual average value is the second highest in the league for an off-ball linebacker, trailing only Luke Kuechly.

The emergence of Jones and Smith as two of the NFL's premier linebackers makes one thing clear: If enough stars shared the same pre-draft weakness, maybe that weakness isn't much of a drawback after all. An emphasis on linebacker size continues to be a remnant of a bygone era, and that thought points to where teams may be able to find value in this year's draft.

Few would claim that Jones was an NFL draft diamond in the rough. The middle of the second round is a place where teams expect to find quality starters. Still, he was grossly undervalued at 52nd overall. Any redo of the 2016 draft would have Jones go at least 25 spots higher. And his success could directly influence the fates of both Georgia's Roquan Smith and Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds.

At times, Atlanta's Jones has run into the types of problems some scouts foresaw when he came into the league as an undersized defender. In the modern NFL climate, those struggles have never mattered less. If a team believes Smith can hold up in man coverage against matchup nightmares in the Kamara mold, that team should act accordingly on April 26. He deserves every bit of his top-10 draft hype.

In a league known for copycat tendencies, franchises wouldn't be prudent to trudge into the wilderness searching for the next Kamara. The next great Kamara stopper, though, could be there for the taking.

Obviously draft position is not the best indicator of talent, but one would have to question why Landry dropped in the 1st place before we are willing to give up next year's 1st round pick for him. last year at this time, everyone was talking about how the 2018 quarterbacks were going to be great. this year, we're all talking about how the 2019 D line players are going to be great, and yet, here we are, ready to give up a 2019 first to trade up for a guy that dropped, in a weak class nonetheless. Not to mention we are going to need to draft a left tackle soon. I would be fine with taking Landry at 9, but if we go roquon Smith, I would much rather have a combination of sweat, turay, and a potential 2019 1st round pick at left tackle, than just Landry

Originally posted by Heroism:

Wait, so Edmunds has taken nearly 400 more snaps than Roquan yet still has that many mental lapses...

Don't like that

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

The Best Value on Draft Day Is the Modern Linebacker

https://www.theringer.com/2018/4/12/17227830/draft-linebackers-roquan-smith-deion-jones-alvin-kamara

Front offices across the NFL have begun their search for the next Alvin Kamara. They'd be better served looking for the defenders who are perfectly built to stop him.

Rather than embarking on a treasure hunt to find the next Kamara, front offices should embrace a more worthwhile pursuit entering the 2018 draft: searching for players who might have a chance to contain him.

One year before the Saints drafted Kamara with the 67th overall pick, the Falcons selected LSU linebacker Deion Jones with the 52nd pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Jones spent much of his college career behind current Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander on the depth chart; when he finally got the chance to start as a senior, he flourished.

Jones finished his final season in Baton Rouge with 100 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups. Pre-draft assessments acknowledged his impressive production, but also noted that Jones's smaller frame could be problematic at the next level. At the combine, he weighed just 222 pounds, in the second percentile among linebackers in MockDraftable's database. Talent evaluators voiced concerns that Jones might be swallowed whole by NFL offensive linemen.

It's no coincidence that one of Kamara's least-impressive games as a rookie came against the Falcons in Week 16. With Jones roaming the middle of Atlanta's defense, Kamara finished with 19 touches and just 90 total yards. The Saints' sensation failed to reach the end zone.

Jones was arguably the best coverage linebacker in football last season. He racked up 10 passes defensed, good for second in the league among inside linebackers. His three interceptions were tied for tops at the position. With a potent combination of quickness, recognition ability, and a knack for getting his hands on the ball, Jones routinely snuffed out plays designed explicitly to take advantage of overmatched linebackers in coverage.

Tied with Jones atop the inside-linebacker interceptions list was Jaguars' stud Telvin Smith. He was an integral piece of Florida State's 2013 national championship roster, but fell all the way to the fifth round in the 2014 draft. Like Jones, the main worry teams had about Smith was his size. Weighing just 218 pounds at the combine, he was about as small as potential NFL linebackers come. Yet by the midway point of last season, he'd emerged as an indispensable piece of the league's best pass defense. In late October, Jacksonville elected to give Smith a four-year, $45 million contract with more than $20 million guaranteed. His $11.3 million annual average value is the second highest in the league for an off-ball linebacker, trailing only Luke Kuechly.

The emergence of Jones and Smith as two of the NFL's premier linebackers makes one thing clear: If enough stars shared the same pre-draft weakness, maybe that weakness isn't much of a drawback after all. An emphasis on linebacker size continues to be a remnant of a bygone era, and that thought points to where teams may be able to find value in this year's draft.

Few would claim that Jones was an NFL draft diamond in the rough. The middle of the second round is a place where teams expect to find quality starters. Still, he was grossly undervalued at 52nd overall. Any redo of the 2016 draft would have Jones go at least 25 spots higher. And his success could directly influence the fates of both Georgia's Roquan Smith and Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds.

At times, Atlanta's Jones has run into the types of problems some scouts foresaw when he came into the league as an undersized defender. In the modern NFL climate, those struggles have never mattered less. If a team believes Smith can hold up in man coverage against matchup nightmares in the Kamara mold, that team should act accordingly on April 26. He deserves every bit of his top-10 draft hype.

In a league known for copycat tendencies, franchises wouldn't be prudent to trudge into the wilderness searching for the next Kamara. The next great Kamara stopper, though, could be there for the taking.

Thanks for that. Because of the spread offenses, my theory is that OL are falling off a cliff while coverage linebackers are coming into the league fully prepared for a passing league. Throw in all the SS who could play a similar role (Tartt, Reid, Ray-Ray) and there should be no excuse not to find a quality LB.

The thing with guys like Deion Jones and Telvin Smith is that they're true LBs, not just cover LBs. They're simply smaller versions of their predecessors. They key, diagnose, flow, scrape and shoot gaps in the run game with the best of them. Players like Fred Warner and Dorian O'Daniel still need to show they can do that.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

The Best Value on Draft Day Is the Modern Linebacker

https://www.theringer.com/2018/4/12/17227830/draft-linebackers-roquan-smith-deion-jones-alvin-kamara

Front offices across the NFL have begun their search for the next Alvin Kamara. They'd be better served looking for the defenders who are perfectly built to stop him.

Rather than embarking on a treasure hunt to find the next Kamara, front offices should embrace a more worthwhile pursuit entering the 2018 draft: searching for players who might have a chance to contain him.

One year before the Saints drafted Kamara with the 67th overall pick, the Falcons selected LSU linebacker Deion Jones with the 52nd pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Jones spent much of his college career behind current Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander on the depth chart; when he finally got the chance to start as a senior, he flourished.

Jones finished his final season in Baton Rouge with 100 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups. Pre-draft assessments acknowledged his impressive production, but also noted that Jones's smaller frame could be problematic at the next level. At the combine, he weighed just 222 pounds, in the second percentile among linebackers in MockDraftable's database. Talent evaluators voiced concerns that Jones might be swallowed whole by NFL offensive linemen.

It's no coincidence that one of Kamara's least-impressive games as a rookie came against the Falcons in Week 16. With Jones roaming the middle of Atlanta's defense, Kamara finished with 19 touches and just 90 total yards. The Saints' sensation failed to reach the end zone.

Jones was arguably the best coverage linebacker in football last season. He racked up 10 passes defensed, good for second in the league among inside linebackers. His three interceptions were tied for tops at the position. With a potent combination of quickness, recognition ability, and a knack for getting his hands on the ball, Jones routinely snuffed out plays designed explicitly to take advantage of overmatched linebackers in coverage.

Tied with Jones atop the inside-linebacker interceptions list was Jaguars' stud Telvin Smith. He was an integral piece of Florida State's 2013 national championship roster, but fell all the way to the fifth round in the 2014 draft. Like Jones, the main worry teams had about Smith was his size. Weighing just 218 pounds at the combine, he was about as small as potential NFL linebackers come. Yet by the midway point of last season, he'd emerged as an indispensable piece of the league's best pass defense. In late October, Jacksonville elected to give Smith a four-year, $45 million contract with more than $20 million guaranteed. His $11.3 million annual average value is the second highest in the league for an off-ball linebacker, trailing only Luke Kuechly.

The emergence of Jones and Smith as two of the NFL's premier linebackers makes one thing clear: If enough stars shared the same pre-draft weakness, maybe that weakness isn't much of a drawback after all. An emphasis on linebacker size continues to be a remnant of a bygone era, and that thought points to where teams may be able to find value in this year's draft.

Few would claim that Jones was an NFL draft diamond in the rough. The middle of the second round is a place where teams expect to find quality starters. Still, he was grossly undervalued at 52nd overall. Any redo of the 2016 draft would have Jones go at least 25 spots higher. And his success could directly influence the fates of both Georgia's Roquan Smith and Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds.

At times, Atlanta's Jones has run into the types of problems some scouts foresaw when he came into the league as an undersized defender. In the modern NFL climate, those struggles have never mattered less. If a team believes Smith can hold up in man coverage against matchup nightmares in the Kamara mold, that team should act accordingly on April 26. He deserves every bit of his top-10 draft hype.

In a league known for copycat tendencies, franchises wouldn't be prudent to trudge into the wilderness searching for the next Kamara. The next great Kamara stopper, though, could be there for the taking.

If Roquan is the modern LB, would that make Edmunds "The Future?" I guess long OLB has been tried already, but his athleticism + length seems on another level.

Originally posted by Heroism:
The thing with guys like Deion Jones and Telvin Smith is that they're true LBs, not just cover LBs. They're simply smaller versions of their predecessors.

This. Huge difference between trying to convert a defensive back to LB and taking someone with a legit LB skillset and instincts and defensive back level athleticism.