Bengals Have and Still Need A Top Linebacker Pick

[NKYRob]

(01-18-2016, 10:06 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Anyone have an opinion on Deion Jones?  Looks like Bengal material, to me.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1984265/deion-jones

Given that he was really only a one year starter, teams might discount him.  Could be a good value opportunity here depending on where he falls in the draft.  

[BengalHawk62]

(01-19-2016, 02:04 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: Because he's white?
They play very different positions otherwise. 

Maybe? I don't know why.  I only saw one Temple game this past year and that kid was ALL over the field.  He stood out to me and was a freak out there!  If he plays like that in every NFL game, I would certainly like him in stripes next year.

[RoyleRedlegs]

(01-20-2016, 02:00 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Maybe? I don't know why.  I only saw one Temple game this past year and that kid was ALL over the field.  He stood out to me and was a freak out there!  If he plays like that in every NFL game, I would certainly like him in stripes next year.

I think he played ILB for the first time this year, could be wrong.

He's a good player for sure though. 

[XenoMorph]

(01-18-2016, 10:45 AM)kevin Wrote: I have been saying linebacker for years and it never happens. We take CBs, TE's, O linemen....anything but a linebacker.....I just don't think the Bengals can go on not addressing this area. If we could get a top LB in round 1, it would make our defense so much better. We have a good defense, but not a Super Bowl defense. Our weak area is our linebackers. With of Front Four as good as it is, our linebackers should be swooping in and stopping everything. We should be impossible to run against. .....Add in that Harrison was a fill in, not really a 4-3 LB, and Hawk is a fill in, his best days behind him also. Plus Burfict has 3 game suspension and has had concusion and injury problems.

Bengals have avoided drafting linebacker far to long....If there is still a top linebacker on the boards in round 1, it's time to make up for all the drafts lately we needed linebacker and drafted other positions.

I will add that Marvin Lewis won in Baltimore because he had the great linebackers. All 3 were great. Yes he had the D Line, but he also had the great linebackers....Coach Lewis has the great D Line, but he has nothing close to the linebackers he had at Baltimore and he will not win in the play-offs until he has that type of Front Seven again.....Bengals year after year continue to but a short term band aid on the LB problem, and they continue to go one and done. This band aid could fall off and Bengals have a 4 win season if they don't address the needs at linebacker. It has been years since linebacker was drafted top. You would think Pollack, Thurman, Rivers not having long careers would have created a need. Harrison and Hawk were and are band aids. We need a top draft LB and hopefully one that is a Bengal many years to come.

part of the reason for the running woes is the DL lets their guy go to get into the backfield and if they miss that lets OL guys get on the Lbers...

our DL also needs to be better vs the run

[Essex Johnson]

(01-18-2016, 10:45 AM)kevin Wrote: I have been saying linebacker for years and it never happens.  We take CBs, TE's, O linemen....anything but a linebacker.....I just don't think the Bengals can go on not addressing this area. If we could get a top LB in round 1, it would make our defense so much better.  We have a good defense, but not a Super Bowl defense. Our weak area is our linebackers. With of Front Four as good as it is, our linebackers should be swooping in and stopping everything.  We should be impossible to run against. .....Add in that Harrison was a fill in, not really a 4-3 LB, and Hawk is a fill in, his best days behind him also. Plus Burfict has 3 game suspension and has had concusion and injury problems.

Bengals have avoided drafting linebacker far to long....If there is still a top linebacker on the boards in round 1, it's time to make up for all the drafts lately we needed linebacker and drafted other positions.

I will add that Marvin Lewis won in Baltimore because he had the great linebackers. All 3 were great.  Yes he had the D Line, but he also had the great linebackers....Coach Lewis has the great D Line, but he has nothing close to the linebackers he had at Baltimore and he will not win in the play-offs until he has that type of Front Seven again.....Bengals year after year continue to but a short term band aid on the LB problem, and they continue to go one and done.  This band aid could fall off and Bengals have a 4 win season if they don't address the needs at linebacker. It has been years since linebacker was drafted top. You would think Pollack, Thurman, Rivers not having long careers would have created a need. Harrison and Hawk were and are band aids.  We need a top draft LB and hopefully one that is a Bengal many years to come.

Well we have been blessed by great picks up like Burfict and Rey... we did pick Ray M. pretty high.. so we filled what I would say were more pressing needs the last couple years.  On the flip side the Steelers picked some high LB's but did not address their secondary very well and look what happened.

I do think we are in line to look at LB in first couple rounds but it will more depend on our FA's.. if we lose both Sanu and Jones.. we will be drafting WR 1 or 2 round for sure.. or if we lose Jones and one of our safeties, we will be looking at DB's 1/2 round

I totally disagree with your opinion that we won;t win a playoff game without top LB... if you look at most of the top teams going in the playoffs.. except for Carolina , I would say their secondary or deline  is what is most important for those teams over their linebackers.

[Crowe]

They need one of the best in the draft this year, and they should look to double dip. I still have hope that they can use Shawn williams and Marquis Flowers as their safety/backer hybrids. Hopefully Dawson does well for us, but outside of Burfict the rest are average or below average

[kevin]

(01-18-2016, 02:40 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: I have always thought drafting a LB would be great idea. I'm guessing that the reason the team hasn't picked up another one high in the draft is because this team only has 2 LBs on the field a majority of the time. They have Rey and Tez, so I don't know where they would fit in.

Personally, I think getting a guy with a skill set like Darrin Lee would be a great move. I thought Jaylon Smith would be an option, but after Gurley got drafted #10 overall last year, I don't see 23 teams passing on a guy who was in the discussion as the best player in the draft.

There were some recent years that a linebacker the Bengals liked was taken right before the Bengals pick. Once that happened, they drafted best available athlete and brought in an old free agent in his last years to plug the hole. ...I'm hoping this year there is enough talent at LB to bring in some youth. We couldn't play a 3-4 if we wanted to because often we don't have enough talent to even play a 4-3. If we had more talent at LB, we would be awesome and Super Bowl.

Of the early LB's mentioned, I don't see the name Bosa, but I think the Ohio State guy will be Hall Of Fame Dick Butkis like in the NFL. ...I'm not saying Draft Him, but add him to the list of top LB names people are putting out there. THis could be a good draft year for LB's....( I also like Ohio States RB Elliott, and Gio and Hill show room for improvement. I see Bosa and Elliott playing in the NFL and they were key in that National CHampionship. Jones is big and a strong arm, but his best recievers graduated before his last year. Jones would be a good late draft pick for a team and he may need practice squad time, but he could be a Big Ben type that can throw deep and is hard to tackle being so big. I like that he won the Championship beating Alabama and Oregon. Still, Bosa and Elliott really stand out)

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

Agreed, would love to get a Linebacker that could be a future star next to Burfict.

Need to look at what the Panthers have done with Keuchly and Davis and follow suit.

[Bengal Dude]

(01-23-2016, 03:46 AM)kevin Wrote: There were some recent years that a linebacker the Bengals liked was taken right before the Bengals pick.  Once that happened, they drafted best available athlete and brought in an old free agent in his last years to plug the hole. ...I'm hoping this year there is enough talent at LB to bring in some youth. We couldn't play a 3-4 if we wanted to because often we don't have enough talent to even play a 4-3.  If we had more talent at LB, we would be awesome and Super Bowl.

2007 is a great example of this team missing a LB. We went into the 2nd round with the idea of taking LaMarr Woodley, Justin Durant, or David Harris. We held the 49th pick, they went 46-47-48. Last year, the rumor was that we were looking at Jordan Hicks in the 3rd. Then the Eagles took him one pick in front of us.

[wolfkaosaun]

Yesterday's games further proved the point that we need fast, athletic LBs to add a much bigger dimension to this defense. There were some quick linebackers yesterday that honestly took control of those games.

Sure, we run a 4-3 but having Jaylon Smith or Myles Jack adds a dimension we've all been wanting for years.

[RoyleRedlegs]

(01-25-2016, 06:14 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: Yesterday's games further proved the point that we need fast, athletic LBs to add a much bigger dimension to this defense. There were some quick linebackers yesterday that honestly took control of those games.

Sure, we run a 4-3 but having Jaylon Smith or Myles Jack adds a dimension we've all been wanting for years.

Either get a Noah Spence who can bring speed and explosion off the edge or a Darron Lee who can run in space with TE and RBs. 

We have to address this. 

[SunsetBengal]

(01-19-2016, 02:39 PM)NKYRob Wrote: Given that he was really only a one year starter, teams might discount him.  Could be a good value opportunity here depending on where he falls in the draft.  

My favorite part of their analysis, was when they got to the "weaknesses" part of strengths and weaknesses, they said this:  IN OUR VIEW: Jones, who also plays on special teams coverages, doesn't have any obvious flaws and is considered one of the smartest players on the team ? his NFL arrow is pointing north.

[SunsetBengal]

(01-25-2016, 05:49 PM)Bengal Dude Wrote: 2007 is a great example of this team missing a LB. We went into the 2nd round with the idea of taking LaMarr Woodley, Justin Durant, or David Harris. We held the 49th pick, they went 46-47-48. Last year, the rumor was that we were looking at Jordan Hicks in the 3rd. Then the Eagles took him one pick in front of us.

Gotta quit leaking those damned rumors!

[Goalpost]

I liked Shaq Thompson last year. His 40 might have scared some teams off. He just looked quicker on the field. He's a Panther now.

[t3r3e3]

(01-25-2016, 09:46 PM)Goalpost Wrote: I liked Shaq Thompson last year.  His 40 might have scared some teams off.  He just looked quicker on the field.  He's a Panther now.

And starting in the Super Bowl, no less.

[3wt]

(01-25-2016, 08:08 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: My favorite part of their analysis, was when they got to the "weaknesses" part of strengths and weaknesses, they said this:  IN OUR VIEW: Jones, who also plays on special teams coverages, doesn't have any obvious flaws and is considered one of the smartest players on the team ? his NFL arrow is pointing north.

He's a little light (weighed in at the Senior Bowl at 219 lbs.), but given the success of guys like Thomas Davis he'd be a nice acquisition in the 2nd round - behind a DT who can keep the offensive line out of our secondary.  I'm a fan of this guy, and I doubt he last till 88.

[Bengal Dude]

(01-25-2016, 08:12 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Gotta quit leaking those damned rumors!

If there's one thing we don't have to worry about, it's Bengals and smokescreen during the draft.

[*Synric*]

What do you Ohio State Fans think about Darron Lee?

[RoyleRedlegs]

(01-26-2016, 05:25 PM)Synric Wrote: What do you Ohio State Fans think about Darron Lee?

Last group of fans you should be asking about a player from that school....


But he's good. Athletic as hell and can hit too. 

[Essex Johnson]

(01-25-2016, 06:14 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: Yesterday's games further proved the point that we need fast, athletic LBs to add a much bigger dimension to this defense. There were some quick linebackers yesterday that honestly took control of those games.

Sure, we run a 4-3 but having Jaylon Smith or Myles Jack adds a dimension we've all been wanting for years.

How high we pick a LB will depend on our FA signings.. if we lose Jones or both safeties, we will look at DB/Safety with first pick i believe.. if we keep Jones and one safety I see us maybe going Safety or LB... The only way I see us picking a LB in first round is if we keep Jones , and loss Rey.