TheJetsBlow
Active Roster
Hey- let's just be glad THIS GUY is gone (his intelligence really shining through here): http://deadsp.in/FdRMvtU
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Miami's Guards
- Thread starter BahamaFinFan78
- Start date
finomenal
☠️ Banned ☠️
Until Pouncey goes down again.
LOL..Wow, still dangerous to people around him.
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2006
- Messages
- 4,009
- Reaction score
- 460
Dallas Thomas.
Still inventing ways to get teammates' knees blown out...
with raw ineptitude.
Man has mad skills at what he does best.
LD
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
- Messages
- 11,484
- Reaction score
- 14,704
So I am infinitely more pleased with Isaac Asiata than with our previous mid-round selections Dallas Thomas, Billy Turner and Jamil Douglas. I vigorously hated each of those 3 for various reasons (although hate is too strong a word for Turner). Before each arrived I panned the pick and said not only was it too high, but that those were not good players. Thomas was the one I felt was the worst pick of the bunch, and destined to be an abject failure ... and he was IMHO.
Douglas was simply someone I felt many people had overrated at almost everything. He didn't play with sand in his pants despite his tested strength ... the film was against a conference that often produces fools-gold, and I never felt he was athletic enough or skilled enough technically to hold up against NFL competition. IMHO, Jamil Douglas proved those things correct by not even being able to make our roster.
Turner had all the raw materials, and I did like his physical mentality. But at the end of the day he had gotten by against weak competition at North Dakota State (I think), and did so with poor technique. Having played OL for so long and not learned even the basics well enough was concerning. I repeatedly warned everyone that it was no guarantee that he would ever learn the technique, and there was a good chance that he'd never be good at it ... and it turned out he never was. Measurables all day, but it is meaningless if you're an athlete and not a football player. Technique is king, and without it, every OL will fail ... and eventually Turner did.
On the other hand, Isaac Asiata is one of the few OL that I had identified pre-draft as a good addition. He's no Forrest Lamp, and there aren't many quality OL in this draft IMHO. But, Asiata fits what I look for in an OL, which is: 1) enough Power to stand up vs. the Bull Rush, and 2) good Technique. That is a pretty low bar, IMHO. But it is one that the previous 3 mid-round guys failed. Thomas failed the power test and the technique test. Douglas also failed both. Turner just failed the technique test. Asiata passes both.
The popular perception of Asiata is that he is a nasty power blocker in the Ritchie Incognito mold without the baggage. And for the most part, I'd say that's right. He set the record with 35 reps of 225 lbs. at the combine. So, the power is real ... but it's mostly upper body power. His lower body doesn't always translate as directly to moving people. Make no mistake, he can and does move people in the run game ... but it isn't super consistent, and that's an area where I think he can improve his technique to use more of his raw power. But, this kid has very nimble feet. He moves from his stance to his spot and angle as fast as any interior lineman in this draft. While he's a big chunky guy, his agility is top shelf, and he is the opposite of the slow-footed behemoth you typically see in those power schemes. Asiata can absolutely work in the ZBS.
So why did he go in the 5th round? I'd guess three reasons. 1) He is overage, coming out at 25 years old because of his Mormon mission, and 2) because in the past Utah products have looked better than they've played in the NFL. It's kinda like those Run-And-Shoot/Air-Raid QB's who look fantastic in college but cannot translate it to the pros. Eventually, scouts get scared off. 3) Plus, playing next to probably the best tackle in this draft, Garrett Bolles, it's hard to notice Asiata by comparison.
But make no mistake about it ... the player we got in the 5th round yielded a prospect that is deserving of a 2nd or 3rd round grade in my book. This kid is one of the few good ones this year. We _finally_ chose a decent guard. I'm expecting him to start from game 1 and prove to be a very solid pass protector, with solid production at the second level, and good run blocking that will continue to improve as he learns to better harness his natural power.
Areas for improvement? Well utilizing that natural power of his is the first area, because it doesn't always come through. He also has a slight issue striking his target on the move, which is usually correctable. His last issue is that he does not consistently look for work. He's a guy that will be pushed to constantly find new people to hit. In many ways he's not a guy who plays to the echo of the whistle, but that is fairly easily coached. It just doesn't appear that they taught that at Utah, as many of their OL seem to be the same.
All in all, Isaac Asiata profiles to be a mid-range draft success for us. Nothing will be given to him. Bushrod received a major investment financially to return. Larsen was the sole free agency addition in a year where we jettisoned a very good offensive lineman in Branden Albert. So the team must have a decent amount of faith in those two guys. If Asiata wants to start, he will need to earn it. Gase doesn't bequeath rookies jobs because of reputation ... they need to be BETTER than the veterans. So if Asiata is the game 1 starter, we will know that he has earned it ... and his teammates will realize that he has earned it too.
I'm both surprised and pleased we were able to get Asiata in the 5th round. IMHO, that is a steal.
Douglas was simply someone I felt many people had overrated at almost everything. He didn't play with sand in his pants despite his tested strength ... the film was against a conference that often produces fools-gold, and I never felt he was athletic enough or skilled enough technically to hold up against NFL competition. IMHO, Jamil Douglas proved those things correct by not even being able to make our roster.
Turner had all the raw materials, and I did like his physical mentality. But at the end of the day he had gotten by against weak competition at North Dakota State (I think), and did so with poor technique. Having played OL for so long and not learned even the basics well enough was concerning. I repeatedly warned everyone that it was no guarantee that he would ever learn the technique, and there was a good chance that he'd never be good at it ... and it turned out he never was. Measurables all day, but it is meaningless if you're an athlete and not a football player. Technique is king, and without it, every OL will fail ... and eventually Turner did.
On the other hand, Isaac Asiata is one of the few OL that I had identified pre-draft as a good addition. He's no Forrest Lamp, and there aren't many quality OL in this draft IMHO. But, Asiata fits what I look for in an OL, which is: 1) enough Power to stand up vs. the Bull Rush, and 2) good Technique. That is a pretty low bar, IMHO. But it is one that the previous 3 mid-round guys failed. Thomas failed the power test and the technique test. Douglas also failed both. Turner just failed the technique test. Asiata passes both.
The popular perception of Asiata is that he is a nasty power blocker in the Ritchie Incognito mold without the baggage. And for the most part, I'd say that's right. He set the record with 35 reps of 225 lbs. at the combine. So, the power is real ... but it's mostly upper body power. His lower body doesn't always translate as directly to moving people. Make no mistake, he can and does move people in the run game ... but it isn't super consistent, and that's an area where I think he can improve his technique to use more of his raw power. But, this kid has very nimble feet. He moves from his stance to his spot and angle as fast as any interior lineman in this draft. While he's a big chunky guy, his agility is top shelf, and he is the opposite of the slow-footed behemoth you typically see in those power schemes. Asiata can absolutely work in the ZBS.
So why did he go in the 5th round? I'd guess three reasons. 1) He is overage, coming out at 25 years old because of his Mormon mission, and 2) because in the past Utah products have looked better than they've played in the NFL. It's kinda like those Run-And-Shoot/Air-Raid QB's who look fantastic in college but cannot translate it to the pros. Eventually, scouts get scared off. 3) Plus, playing next to probably the best tackle in this draft, Garrett Bolles, it's hard to notice Asiata by comparison.
But make no mistake about it ... the player we got in the 5th round yielded a prospect that is deserving of a 2nd or 3rd round grade in my book. This kid is one of the few good ones this year. We _finally_ chose a decent guard. I'm expecting him to start from game 1 and prove to be a very solid pass protector, with solid production at the second level, and good run blocking that will continue to improve as he learns to better harness his natural power.
Areas for improvement? Well utilizing that natural power of his is the first area, because it doesn't always come through. He also has a slight issue striking his target on the move, which is usually correctable. His last issue is that he does not consistently look for work. He's a guy that will be pushed to constantly find new people to hit. In many ways he's not a guy who plays to the echo of the whistle, but that is fairly easily coached. It just doesn't appear that they taught that at Utah, as many of their OL seem to be the same.
All in all, Isaac Asiata profiles to be a mid-range draft success for us. Nothing will be given to him. Bushrod received a major investment financially to return. Larsen was the sole free agency addition in a year where we jettisoned a very good offensive lineman in Branden Albert. So the team must have a decent amount of faith in those two guys. If Asiata wants to start, he will need to earn it. Gase doesn't bequeath rookies jobs because of reputation ... they need to be BETTER than the veterans. So if Asiata is the game 1 starter, we will know that he has earned it ... and his teammates will realize that he has earned it too.
I'm both surprised and pleased we were able to get Asiata in the 5th round. IMHO, that is a steal.