Khalid Kareem Pro Day, sort of....

[*SHRacerX*]

https://irish.nbcsports.com/2020/04/22/nfl-draft-mad-libs-former-notre-dame-defensive-end-khalid-kareem/

Interesting stuff. He is a big, strong guy that plays with leverage over speed. Hope he pans out.

[JerseyDD09]

Another team captain who played through a Labrum injury last year. Akeem Gaither also played through a stress fracture in his foot. Both had surgeries and will be ready to go.

But, we're seeing a common theme here aren't we? Players who are all Team Captains in Wilson, Gaither and Kareem who love the game so much, with 2 of them playing through injuries. LOVE IT!!!

This guy's measurables are off the charts as well!

And after watching his highlights, I can see how the Bengals felt he could fit into their defense. He seems like a player that sniffs out RPO's that Lamar and Co. would run and blows those plays up with his long arms and reach and causes a lot of fumbles!

New Dey!!!

[Okeana]

Coming into this season before the injury he was considered one of the best pass rushers in the nation. PFF had him 61st on their big board even after a down year. They are defiantly using analytics in this year's draft. Considering last year's draft Its a HUGE improvement.

[JerseyDD09]

(04-25-2020, 03:29 PM)Okeana Wrote: Coming into this season before the injury he was considered one of the best pass rushers in the nation.  PFF had him 61st on their big board even after a down year.  They are defiantly using analytics in this year's draft.  Considering last year's draft Its a HUGE improvement.

I didn't know if Anae was still there? Or Alton Robinson?
But, they obviously felt this guy was a better fit for them than the rest of the remaining Edge rushers.
We have been told they did a lot of work and due diligence on Pass Rushers this offseason.

So, I'll trust their Judgement here.

I'm loving the additions to the Defense still. They had major work to do and they've nailed it!!

[*Synric*]

The thing about Khalid Kareem is he does it right.

You see alot of these guys with elite athleticism late that can "rush the passer" but they do it by vacating the rush lanes. Kareem plays with leverage and length and holds his lanes.

[Bengalstripes9]

Could this guy play 3-4 DE? Where will they use him? I don't see him as a 3-4 OLB. He doesn't have the speed to get to the sideline. He's good with leverage and playing his position. Not a great pass rusher either.

[*Synric*]

(04-25-2020, 03:43 PM)Bengalstripes18 Wrote: Could this guy play 3-4 DE? Where will they use him? I don't see him as a 3-4 OLB. He doesn't have the speed to get to the sideline. He's good with leverage and playing his position. Not a great pass rusher either.

You will see alot more 335 than 34 defense. He is a guy that can you stand up or hand in the dirt on the edge.

[Bengalstripes9]

(04-25-2020, 03:47 PM)Synric Wrote: You will see alot more 335 than 34 defense. He is a guy that can you stand up or hand in the dirt on the edge.

Okay. Yeah I don't know what to make of the pick. From the tape he had against Georgia (on youtube), he doesn't seem to have the speed to chase a back to the sidelines if he's standing up. I didn't see him play coverage either. And his pass rush isn't a strength from what I saw. It's not bad. 

I get that he was injured. But I don't know. He definitely plays with good leverage and does a good job playing his position. I just don't see him as a playmaker on the edge, which makes me wonder if they want him playing upfront. Maybe he's a guy that can develop into a playmaker?

He definitely fell in the draft due to playing injured and not attending the combine. Maybe he could have had 10 sacks if he was healthy... Who knows? He was a team captain so that's definitely a positive. As a 5th round pick, I'm not gonna rush to judge this one.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

Like this pick a lot, honestly not as much as the others cause I thought Guard was more of a need at this point but
the Cowboys jumped ahead of us and grabbed Biadasz who I am sure we were targeting. I love how Kareem uses his
hands similar to Hubbard and if not for the injuries last year would of went much higher. Like Synric says this guy just
does it right and knows how to stay in his lanes.

With Wilson, Gaither and now Kareem we have just the type of Defenders to play Lamar.

[Bengalitis]

We'll at least it seems he can play injured unlike most.

[CJD]

(04-25-2020, 03:34 PM)JerseyDD09 Wrote: I didn't know if Anae was still there? Or Alton Robinson?
But, they obviously felt this guy was a better fit for them than the rest of the remaining Edge rushers.
We have been told they did a lot of work and due diligence on Pass Rushers this offseason.

So, I'll trust their Judgement here.

I'm loving the additions to the Defense still. They had major work to do and they've nailed it!!

Yes Kareem is definitely a Bengals defensive end. They've always favored big, long, tall DEs, typically over 260lb.

It doesn't always work out, like with Jordan Willis, but hopefully Kareem's length is the difference maker. His arms are insanely long at 34 3/8". That's longer than a lot of these college OT prospects. 

[Bengalstripes9]

(04-25-2020, 03:57 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Like this pick a lot, honestly not as much as the others cause I thought Guard was more of a need at this point but
the Cowboys jumped ahead of us and grabbed Biadasz who I am sure we were targeting. I love how Kareem uses his
hands similar to Hubbard and if not for the injuries last year would of went much higher. Like Synric says this guy just
does it right and knows how to stay in his lanes.

With Wilson, Gaither and now Kareem we have just the type of Defenders to play Lamar.

I'm not sure Kareem has the sideline speed to keep up with Lamar. But I guess we'll see. If they were targeting Biadasz, they really rolled the dice in not trading up to secure him. I'm mum on the pick. I like that he was a captain, and I like how he uses his hands, stays in his lane, etc. like you say. He plays well positionally. And he's a 5th round pick--can't expect too much. Hope he pans out.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(04-25-2020, 04:02 PM)Bengalstripes18 Wrote: I'm not sure Kareem has the sideline speed to keep up with Lamar. But I guess we'll see. If they were targeting Biadasz, they really rolled the dice in not trading up to secure him. I'm mum on the pick. I like that he was a captain, and I like how he uses his hands, stays in his lane, etc. like you say. He plays well positionally. And he's a 5th round pick--can't expect too much. Hope he pans out.

He doesn't need to be a sideline to sideline player for us, that is what the Pratt, Wilson and Davis-Gaither picks were for.

Kareem stays in his lane, clogs holes so these guys can clean up along with Vonn Bell and Bates.

I like this pick more and more.

[spazz70]

With all these picks I am not sure what our defense is going to look like...I keep running it through my mind but I see as stated above a 335 nickel for a lot of downs in today's NFL...That would be Reader, NT...Geno, DE...Dunlap, DE with guys like Kareem being a sub in for DE, Hubbard and Lawson, DE/LBer on passing downs and Glasgow and Wren a sub in for Reader...2 LBers, Pratt and Bynes to start the year I would imagine and Wilson later on with ADG in packages...Williams, hybrid and Bell and Bates at Safety...Waynes and WillJ at CBs Lots o packages I would imagine...Lots of versatility I see also...WHODEY!!

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(04-25-2020, 04:10 PM)spazz70 Wrote: With all these picks I am not sure what our defense is going to look like...I keep running it through my mind but I see as stated above a 335 nickel for a lot of downs in today's NFL...That would be Reader, NT...Geno, DE...Dunlap, DE with guys like Kareem being a sub in for DE, Hubbard and Lawson, DE/LBer on passing downs and Glasgow and Wren a sub in for Reader...2 LBers, Pratt and Bynes to start the year I would imagine and Wilson later on with ADG in packages...Williams, hybrid and Bell and Bates at Safety...Waynes and WillJ at CBs   Lots o packages I would imagine...Lots of versatility I see also...WHODEY!!

So many options no doubt Spazz. Plus don't forget about Andrew Brown who would be in a rotation as a 3-4 End and 
Mackenzie Alexander in the Slot at times. This Defense has went from being shit to all of a sudden stacked, love it.

[SunsetBengal]

Hope this guy can develop. Honestly, I didn't watch much ND football these past few years, so I'm looking at his NFL draft profile. Seems like he's got a limited ceiling, as one of the knocks on him is that he lacks explosiveness. Hopefully his floor will at least be as a solid, rotational player.

[quote
]Strengths

Excellent arm length and hand size
Fires out of track stance with no false steps
Possesses some shed talent at the top of the rush
Upper-body twitch to pull and pass leaning pass-setters
Sniffs out weaker tackles and uses force to challenge
Plays with inside hands
Above-average football IQ and ball awareness
Good pad level and fairly stout at point of attack
Punches and shuffles around edge blocks with some effectiveness
Posts up and locks out to anchor and set edge

Weaknesses

Marginal rush production despite the physical traits
Rush approach lacks complexity and instinctive counters
Finds himself squared up by pass sets too often
Tackle-end twists underneath are gradual and lack threat
Lacks small-area suddenness
Workman-like, but doesn't create enough space with his hands
Sluggish lateral movement and directional change
Has issues closing down backside run lanes[/quote]

[Okeana]

(04-25-2020, 03:43 PM)Bengalstripes18 Wrote: Could this guy play 3-4 DE? Where will they use him? I don't see him as a 3-4 OLB. He doesn't have the speed to get to the sideline. He's good with leverage and playing his position. Not a great pass rusher either.

They may be trying to move him into 3 tech and see if he can be a rotational guy there.  I think inside he would be better than on the edge.

[Bengalstripes9]

(04-25-2020, 04:06 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: He doesn't need to be a sideline to sideline player for us, that is what the Pratt, Wilson and Davis-Gaither picks were for.

Kareem stays in his lane, clogs holes so these guys can clean up along with Vonn Bell and Bates.

I like this pick more and more.

I guess I'm just having trouble picturing what position he plays. If he's a 3-4 olb, doesn't he have to get to the sideline? Is he a 3-4 DE playing on the line? 

Don't get me wrong, I understand what you're saying. I like what I see as far as him playing his position well. He's got good size and uses his hands well. If he can develop into a better pass rusher he's got great value. But he's going to play both 3-4 end and 3-4 OLB?

It's hard for a fan like me to evaluate a position like this I guess. Corner is pretty straight-forward. NT. Linebacker, etc. To me Kareem doesn't seem like a coverage guy or sideline to sideline player. But more of a guy that can play well at the line of scrimmage.

(04-25-2020, 04:10 PM)spazz70 Wrote: With all these picks I am not sure what our defense is going to look like...I keep running it through my mind but I see as stated above a 335 nickel for a lot of downs in today's NFL...That would be Reader, NT...Geno, DE...Dunlap, DE with guys like Kareem being a sub in for DE, Hubbard and Lawson, DE/LBer on passing downs and Glasgow and Wren a sub in for Reader...2 LBers, Pratt and Bynes to start the year I would imagine and Wilson later on with ADG in packages...Williams, hybrid and Bell and Bates at Safety...Waynes and WillJ at CBs   Lots o packages I would imagine...Lots of versatility I see also...WHODEY!!

I'm certainly intrigued with our defense. All of a sudden we have 4 promising linebackers (one from last years draft, one FA, two from this years draft). We've got a lot of edge players/pass rushers. We've got a strong backbone with Reader, Geno, etc. We've got a solid secondary that can tackle and cover. I feel a lot better than last year for sure.

[yang]

Frostee Rucker

[spazz70]

(04-25-2020, 04:17 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: So many options no doubt Spazz. Plus don't forget about Andrew Brown who would be in a rotation as a 3-4 End and 
Mackenzie Alexander in the Slot at times. This Defense has went from being shit to all of a sudden stacked, love it.

Yeah, lots of crap going on...LOL....

I think the base is going to be a 4-3 and packages of 3-4 which will be a lot of packages against pass happy offenses.
Base 4-3
Reader, Geno, Dunlap, Hubbard
Pratt, Wilson, Bynes
Bates, Bell
WillJ, Waynes

Base 3-4
Reader, Dunlap, Geno
Hubbard, Dunlap, Pratt, Wilson LBers/EDGE/DEs but just 2 true LBers, Maybe even Lawson?
Bates, Bell
Waynes, WillJ

Subs or nickel and dimes...McKenzie, Williams hybrid role, AGD, Kareem, Brown.

They honestly have more players than they may possibly need...What the hell?  My mind is scrambled...LOL