Why Does Everyone Want A LB Early?! WASTED PICK!

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(03-22-2018, 08:32 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: If the defending opinion for not drafting a top LB is the idea that teams are going to Nickle as their base?  I can't really get on board with that idea.

What if I told you that teams go to Nickle because they don't have the LB personnel to effectively cover the underneath routes?  Going into Nickle really make the defense susceptible to the "surprise" running plays.  You know, those runs that seem to come on what would appear to be passing downs.  

Having a bonafide SAM backer that can actually cover a TE, as well as play the run, would be a tremendous thing to have.

I totally agree with this Sunset.

We have been very poor for years at both reliably stuffing the run and covering TEs and RBs.

Which is why I like Rashaad Evans so much.  The guy is a great tackler, very good at shedding, a quick twitch to blitz the interior gaps and has the speed to cover well.   That would go a long way towards eliminating two of our defense's most glaring weaknesses.

I actually like him better than the other two because of this.   And he is an ascending player in terms of performance.

Definitely not a wasted pick.   I mean you have to say that offensive linemen is the definite priority in the draft.  But I'm much higher on this guy than I was on Rivers who I think we took at 9.   If we get Price or Ragnow in the 2nd and another offensive and defensive tackle (Capa and Nnandi maybe) in the 3rd and I'd be a very happy man.