Post Senior Bowl Mock

[Jpoore]

(02-09-2018, 10:48 AM)ochocincos Wrote: That's obviously an exaggeration on what a RB would do simply because of one LB being under 230 lbs.
I like Smith because he's very fast, good to diagnose, can cover, and has shown to attack the LOS like a missile.
And more RBs are being used in the passing game, which is an obvious strength of Smith as a defender.
And besides, the NFL is changing when it comes to demands for ILBs. More and more ILBs are coming into the NFL and succeeding that are undersized because of their speed.
Shazier, Foster, Kendricks, and Deion Jones are all considered Top-10 ILBs in the NFL by many because if the same traits that Roquan Smith possesses.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2752307-nfl1000-ranking-the-top-inside-linebackers-of-2017-season

I get the liking for Edmunds over Smith, I do. He could be that perfect blend of size, speed, athleticism, and pop that Smith might never reach because he's smaller.
But to act like Smith will be a bad pick just because of his size clearly shows you just prefer bigger LBs inside even though the league is moving toward smaller, faster LBs to improve pass coverage.

If I said it was bc of how size, I apologize. His size doesn't matter to me at all. I couldn't care less if he was 210 pounds. My problem with Smith is what I stated. He runs around blocks not through them. If he attacked the blocker and  even if he couldn't disengage(which he can't most times) at least maintained gap integrity, I'd be fine with the pick. But the fact he takes such a wide circle around the blocker will get him in major trouble in the NFL. Hell ruin gap integrity and we will get gashed up the middle.