01-07-2025, 09:17 PM
(01-07-2025, 03:51 PM)CJD Wrote: Yea, Nolen is great too. It's just a different position. NT vs 3T. Whether they prioritize a guy like Nolen or a guy like Grant will depend entirely on how they view the two DTs they drafted this past off season.
Jackson has the size of a NT, but do they think he can hold up in the run game?
Do they think Jenkins can turn into a dominant pass rusher from the DT position (if they didn't, I don't know why they would draft him, but we had that discussion last off season haha).
I think our defense missed Reader's presence immensely in the run game, as safeties spent a lot more time in the box this year (or, at least, they appeared to), so I'm leaning towards Grant.
The good news is that, while Grant wasn't a huge sack artist, he was disruptive in the passing game. He has 22 hurries this season, with the 3 sacks, 1 QB hit and 5 PD. Last season he had 15 hurries, 5 sacks, 3 QB hits and 3 PD.
Compared to Nolen's last two seasons per PFF:
Grant:
950 snaps
8 sacks (I believe PFF doesn't penalize players for sharing a sack with teammates)
4 QB hits
37 hurries
8 PD
Nolen:
952 snaps
13 sacks
4 QB hits
33 hurries
3 PD
I think Nolen has higher potential as a pass rusher, but he isn't blowing Grant out of the water in terms of production.
Meh, I'm of the camp you don't draft a NT in 1st round unless you run a 3-4.
While they can demand double teams, they don't typically quite get there for sack production.
Pressures are ok, but a pressure vs a sack can sometimes really impact a game because they got the throw off and 1st down/TD.
Zac Taylor 2019-2020: 6 total wins
Zac Taylor 2021-2022: Double-digit wins each season, plus 5 postseason wins
Zac Taylor 2023: 9 wins despite losing Burrow half the season
Zac Taylor 2024: Started 1-4. Ended 9-8 but barely missed playoffs
Changes needed to do better in Sept/Oct moving forward.
Sorry for Party Rocking!
Zac Taylor 2021-2022: Double-digit wins each season, plus 5 postseason wins
Zac Taylor 2023: 9 wins despite losing Burrow half the season
Zac Taylor 2024: Started 1-4. Ended 9-8 but barely missed playoffs
Changes needed to do better in Sept/Oct moving forward.
Sorry for Party Rocking!