For all of those liking Van der Esch | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

For all of those liking Van der Esch

j-off-her-doll said:
At this point, I don't see 20 players better than Vander Esch, but that doesn't mean he'll be a top-20 pick. LB's tend to fall a little. If Jefferson runs anywhere close to what he ran in high school, he'll solidify a 1st RD grade, and top-20 is on the table. Edmunds looks more like a 2nd-RD LB. The one guy who might join that grouping is Christian Sam (built more like R. Smith) from Arizona State. But, of the top 4, Smith and Vander Esch are outstanding at finding the ball and navigating traffic. If I was to sum up the group:

1. R. Smith - elite instincts, very fast/rare range, coils hips and hits hard, smaller than ideal
2. L. Vander Esch - elite instincts, fast, big/beats OL, sound/physical tackler, not as fast as Smith or Jefferson
3. M. Jefferson - solid instincts, elite combination of size and speed, just started to put it together as a Jr and relegated to OLB because of instincts
4. T. Edmunds - pretty good instincts, good size and speed, doesn't have Jefferson's range but navigates traffic a little better

With the return of McMillan, any of these 4 would be a welcome addition, but there are degrees to things. Not ever draft produces LB's who have high-end instincts and plus physical tools - like Smith an Vander Esch. Jefferson looks like a bigger, more instinctive version of Jarrad Davis, who I thought Detroit drafted too early, but, again, Jefferson is a better version. I could see Edmunds as a better version of KJ Wright - maybe somewhere between Julian Peterson and KJ Wright.
Click to expand...

Thank you, J-Off. Really appreciate your feedback.

If I was drafting and knew I could find a starting caliber offensive lineman in the 3rd round or later, I might be tempted to go linebacker in both the 1st and 2nd. Maybe linebacker in the first and a tight end like Andrews in R2.
 
j-off-her-doll said:
I'd be surprised to see Edmunds test significantly better than Vander Esch. If anything, I think Vander Esch is faster and has better burst. But, we'll get that answer soon, so no reason to torture the point. Edmunds isn't as quick mentally as Vander Esch. It's like the difference between a QB who throws with anticipation and one who needs to see the WR open to throw it. On many of the plays where Edmunds is hung up, battling an OL, Vander Esch would have already identified the play and would have an angle on the OL. This is the main reason that Vander Esch navigates traffic better. I was going to make some gifs, but they're loading slow for some reason, so I'll mark the times of some standout plays below:

0:47 - run away, gets there without issue
1:09 - beats OG to make tackle for short gain
1:31 - splits double-team from OL to make TFL (mental and physical quickness show up big)
1:54 - in the right spot to make tackle for short gain
2:17 - in the right spot to make tackle for short gain
3:00 - gets pressure on blitz vs OG
3:15 - shows speed to get to the sideline on the reverse
4:10 - scrapes down the line and keeps himself clean for TFL
4:43 - not an impact play, but it shows his cleverness, trying to knock OT off of DE
8:02 - scrapes down the line to tackle Penny for a 1-yard gain on 3rd and 2.

Click to expand...

Not impressed at all
 
SCLSU Mud Dogs said:
It isn't a highlight video. It's tape. Not every play is meant to make you drop your jaw.

On another note, this guy at least stands his ground against blockers and can tackle. Kiko not so much.
Click to expand...
i am seeing solid player only, Kiko has turned into crap since signing his new deal no doubt, we need impact Lbs for sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom