Deshaun Davis

[SunsetBengal]

(05-15-2019, 11:23 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: As stated above, Burfict was a great example. He seemed slow and out of shape at times, but he'd make plays. In his 2nd year in the league, he had 177 tackles! That's insane!

Interesting thing with Burfict, his 1st 2 years were his best here. Out of his last 5 years here, he had over 74 Tackles only once. Coincidentally he never played more than 11 games in any season over his last 5 years here.

People can claim that Burfict was "Marvin's Boy" all they want.  I, on the other hand, notice that he fell off the cliff, after Mike Zimmer moved on to the Vikings.  Zimmer demanded discipline from his players, he challenged them, kept them mentally engaged.  Paully G. was a laid back, Xs and Os kind of guy, no fire, no discipline, all as evidenced by that 2015 Playoff meltdown.  One of the most talented defenses in the league, and Guenther let them do what they wanted, rather than making them play the game..

[bengaloo]

London Fletcher was 5' 10" and went undrafted. Went through camp, made the team and they still didnt realize what they had. Showed flashes on special teams and for that he earned a little playing time as a LB during a game, and they 'still didnt realize everything they had in him.... until he played a whole game at LB. Now he's being talked about as a potential HOF guy by some sportswriters.

Mike Singletary was one of the best defenders ever in college, and yet he still slid into the 2nd round I think didnt he? His size, lack of speed, etc. We all know how that turned out.

Scouting reports only tell part of the story imo. I love reading them but they are based on the players playing within a system and a team and doing what they were asked to do then. With new teams, new players around them, potentially more confidence, harder work, different schemes, etc....all that combined could also make or break a player. My hope is that our picks make and not break lol.

[Sled21]

Geno Atkins is a perfect example of not putting too much stock in scouting reports. Too short, right?

[Dr.Z]

(05-17-2019, 09:01 AM)bengaloo Wrote: London Fletcher was 5' 10" and went undrafted. Went through camp, made the team and they still didnt realize what they had. Showed flashes on special teams and for that he earned a little playing time as a LB during a game, and they 'still didnt realize everything they had in him.... until he played a whole game at LB. Now he's being talked about as a potential HOF guy by some sportswriters.

Mike Singletary was one of the best defenders ever in college, and yet he still slid into the 2nd round I think didnt he? His size, lack of speed, etc.  We all know how that turned out.

Scouting reports only tell part of the story imo. I love reading them but they are based on the players playing within a system and a team and doing what they were asked to do then. With new teams, new players around them, potentially more confidence, harder work, different schemes, etc....all that combined could also make or break a player. My hope is that our picks make and not break lol.

Good call.   London Fletcher is who I thought about when watching DD's highlights.   I was pretty underwhelmed by the pick (admittedly based upon predraft player rankings)  until watching his tape.   I think a lot of his value  and attributes are intangibles.   He seems to play with a ton of heart and passion, which can be very motivating for fellow teammates on the field around him.   My favorite attribute I saw though was his reaction time and angles he takes when scoping out the play as it unfolds.  I think guys that have that mental part down can make up for lack of measurable speed.  A LB's speed can be negated pretty easily by poor reaction time and/or bad angles, which are two things that jumped out to me when watching him.   He is also beloved to the Auburn fan base and his teammates.  I expect him to at least contribute on special teams, and wouldn't be surprised to see him eventually make his way onto the field with the defense, considering the type of intangibles he brings as a player/person. 

[3wt]

(05-17-2019, 09:01 AM)bengaloo Wrote: London Fletcher was 5' 10" and went undrafted. Went through camp, made the team and they still didnt realize what they had. Showed flashes on special teams and for that he earned a little playing time as a LB during a game, and they 'still didnt realize everything they had in him.... until he played a whole game at LB. Now he's being talked about as a potential HOF guy by some sportswriters.

Mike Singletary was one of the best defenders ever in college, and yet he still slid into the 2nd round I think didnt he? His size, lack of speed, etc.  We all know how that turned out.

Scouting reports only tell part of the story imo. I love reading them but they are based on the players playing within a system and a team and doing what they were asked to do then. With new teams, new players around them, potentially more confidence, harder work, different schemes, etc....all that combined could also make or break a player. My hope is that our picks make and not break lol.

Good post.  The part that really encourages me is his smarts and intensity.  That is definitely reminiscent of London Fletcher.  If he turns out like Fletcher I will be SO excited.  Plus, Fletcher was the guy that called out our last LB coach for stupidity.   I'm hoping with the change in personnel and coaching we'll have a revival at the LB position!

[Dr.Z]

There were also concerns about Zach Thomas being too small and slow.

[depthchart]

(05-17-2019, 12:00 PM)Dr.Z Wrote: There were also concerns about Zach Thomas being too small and slow.

Exactly,

Won't know how well a player will perform until they get to actually play in games.

I played a lot of Softball when I was younger and all winter (when not playing) people would create a pecking order of who they expected the best players would be on our teams that had player turnover and thus a number of new guys. Certain guys walked around as the consensus Superstars in the Winter when we were not playing yet.

By mid summer, many of the guys expected to be the best players (biggest, strongest, rumored to be fastest) were proven not to be the top players on the team. Many times an under the radar guy that no one expected to be the best was the one that shined.

An NFL example last year of a guy that shined somewhat unexpectedly would be LB Darius Leonard of the Colts.

It comes down to how good they are at the actual game itself & that only reveals itself when games get played.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(05-15-2019, 10:02 PM)bonesaw Wrote: diagnosing a play can make a LBer who runs a 4.9 look like he runs a 4.5. Example: Burfict was one of the best I've ever seen at diagnosing plays. He was on the way to where the play was going to end up as they snapped it. He used down and distance and tendencies and formations better than anyone I've ever seen besides may Ray Lewis.
They say DD has the brains to do this too. So if he does his homework he could be pretty good. I loved watching the guy at Auburn, he's a fan favorite type...always hustling, always flying to the ball. I'm major rooting for him

This is a great post Bonesaw, love hearing this about Deshaun.

These are the intangibles that a Pro has to have. Hustlers always win out over slackers.

Hope Deshaun and Preston can bring along Malik in the mental part of the game.

This will help out our entire team tons.

(05-15-2019, 11:35 PM)bengaloo Wrote: I think he has a good shot to make the team. He's smart, works hard, understands how to be the leader on the field. He doesnt have to be that great to beat out guys like Nickerson

Just beat out Nickerson Deshaun, shouldn't be hard.