Instead of early Linebacker

[*SHRacerX*]

(04-23-2019, 11:00 AM)yang Wrote: I was listening to the Locked on Podcast yesterday and their mock draft scenarios and thought they came up with an interesting idea, and I like it.  Take Best Player available in the first, and then draft safety Juan Thornhill in the 2nd.   He is a stud who runs insanely fast and hits, projects well.  Move Shawn Williams to Linebacker which is essentially what many teams are doing to counter all the TE's and new offenses.  Draft a second tier LB or even 2 later.  

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5. JUAN THORNHILL | Virginia            6002 | 205 lbs. | SR.            Altavista, Va. (Altavista)           10/19/1995 (age 23.53) #21

BACKGROUND: A three-star athlete recruit out of high school, Juan Thornhill is one of the best athletes to ever come out of Altavista, leading the high school to five state championships in three seasons (three in basketball, two in football). He played quarterback on offense and posted 1,299 passing yards and 1,562 rushing yards as a senior, adding five interceptions as a safety on defense. On the basketball court, Thornhill recorded over 1,000 career points and made SportsCenter with his high-flying dunks. He received scholarship offers to play collegiate basketball, but he chose football. Ranked as an “athlete” recruit, he was the No. 22 player in the state and committed to Virginia (his first offer) as a safety prior to his junior season, subsequently shutting down his recruitment. He played both cornerback and safety over his collegiate career. Thornhill accepted his invitation to the 2019 Senior Bowl.




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YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES  2015: (9/0) 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2016: (12/11) 45 3.0 1.0 1 10 3 CB 2017: (12/12) 63 4.5 0.5 0 16 4 11 CB, 1 SS; Third Team All-ACC 2018: (13/13) 98 4.5 0.0 0 13 6 SS; First Team All-ACC Total: (46/36) 208 12.0 1.5 1 39 13 22 CB, 14 SS

HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP  COMBINE 6002 205 31 1/8 08 3/4 74 3/4 4.42 2.60 1.57 44 11’09” - - 21 (no shuttle or 3-cone – hamstring)  PRO DAY       - - - - - 4.20 6.86 - (stood on Combine runs, jumps, bench)

STRENGTHS: Long, rangy size…smooth shuffle and clean redirection in space…comfortable in man-to-man, using physicality and contact balance to attach and ride patterns…recognizes route concepts and has the diagnosis abilities of a former quarterback…flashes the reaction quickness to drive and undercut routes…aboveaverage tracking, judgement and ball skills (his 13 career interceptions rank sixth-best in school history)…averaged 13.6 yards per interception return (13/177/0)…doesn’t lack for toughness as a tackler and takes proper pursuit angles…graduated with his bachelor’s degree (December 2018)…versatile experience with 36 starts spread between cornerback (22) and safety (14).

WEAKNESSES: Lanky and lacks a prototypical build for an NFL safety…lacks twitchy turn-and-run skills…not a burner…inconsistent take-on skills downhill…doesn’t back down as a tackler, but arrives hot and needs to improve his strike zone…overly patient with his reads and would like to see him take more chances…grabby downfield, attracting holding calls.

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Virginia, Thornhill arrived in Charlottesville as a safety before moving outside to corner his sophomore and junior seasons. He moved to the “Sabre” strong safety position as a senior and led the team in tackles (98) and interceptions (6), playing everywhere from nickel to single-high to linebacker (showed he can just as easily press as he can play from deep positioning). Thornhill, who wears No. 21 for Sean Taylor, doesn’t play as fast as he timed, but he has a smooth lower body and doesn’t get off-balance in his movements. He has plus anticipation and ball skills, but will take the worst of hits when his tackling technique isn’t perfect. Overall, Thornhill is more smooth than sudden, which causes him to be a beat late at times, but his instincts, field range and roster versatility are strong selling points, projecting as a high alignment safety who can walk down and cover slot receivers.

GRADE: 2nd Round (#49 overall)

I love a safety that can take the ball away and Thornhill, with 13 INTs and 28 PBUs in his three years fits that bill.  I have no idea why he isn't ranked higher and I think you could see him at the end of the first round to the Pats.  

He has versatility to play CB as well.  

The Bengals like him, but they don't feel as though it is wise to spend an early pick on a player that would likely not be active on game day since they typically carry more CBs, and they like Fej as their backup that can play either safety spot and his special teams.

I looked at Thornhill as the guy I wanted to eventually replace Williams.  He is more of a SS to me anyways.  

I loved him, and would love to see him here but I guess it won't be happening unless he had a crazy slide.