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Front 7 SPARQ

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DE/DT links in 1st paragraph

nearly fell out of my seat when I saw the name blair brown

kid played on my son's pop warner team - absolute headcracker

not surprised to find him in the b quadrant at all - small but super strong and athletic
played RB/FB/TE as well as LB - used to drag entire teams into the endzone

hadn't seen or heard of him since . . . hope he sticks

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2017...hlete-sparq-linebackers-in-the-2017-nfl-draft
 
I'm on the Jordan Willis bandwagon. This only further solidifies it.
 
I'm pushing all my chips to the center of the table in support for Jordan Willis.
 
FH's own draft guru, J-off-her-doll, recently mentioned Brown's name as someone to look out for.

j-off-her-doll said:
I'm just popping in to mention Blair Brown again.
Click to expand...

As others have said, I'm currently riding that Jordan Willis bandwagon myself for the 1st rd.
 
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I also am on the Jordan Willis bandwagon....on top of his production, physical skills including combine and senior bowl performance...I heard him interviewed on NFL radio...amd was totally impressed with his dedication and maturity.

I suspect he might rise up the board...possibly before our pick.
 
Strange that the author of the article included Cunningham with pass-rushing LB's. He should have been included with the off-ball LB's. I have Cunningham as the 20th player overall. Not perfect, needs to clean up his tackling, but he has high-level instincts, and he's very good at dealing with OL/getting off blocks. Good/not great athlete, and his length is a positive, as well.

Thanks to SoS for mentioning my Blair Brown draft crush. Brown only posted one year of high-end production, and he's 5'11. He also has zero INT's. That's about everything negative I could say about him. He attacks the hole with a wide base, and he hits like he hates your guts. Athletically, Mockdraftable has Eric Kendricks as his closest comp. He also compares favorably to Jatavis Brown. He tested in the top 23% or better in the agility drills, top 27% in the 40, top 18% in the vert, and top 10% in the broad. He's built well at 238, and though he tested like an athletic WLB, he plays more like a thumping MLB. In a 4-3 Over, I think he can play any of the LB spots. I have him going in the 3rd, and the 4th should be his draft floor. According to PFF he only had 3 missed tackles all season. So, his tackling is as sound as it is violent.
 
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j-off-her-doll said:
Strange that the author of the article included Cunningham with pass-rushing LB's. He should have been included with the off-ball LB's. I have Cunningham as the 20th player overall. Not perfect, needs to clean up his tackling, but he has high-level instincts, and he's very good at dealing with OL/getting off blocks. Good/not great athlete, and his length is a positive, as well.

Thanks to SoS for mentioning my Blair Brown draft crush. Brown only posted one year of high-end production, and he's 5'11. He also has zero INT's. That's about everything negative I could say about him. He attacks the hole with a wide base, and he hits like he hates your guts. Athletically, Mockdraftable has Eric Kendricks as his closest comp. He also compares favorably to Jatavis Brown. He tested in the top 23% or better in the agility drills, top 27% in the 40, top 18% in the vert, and top 10% in the broad. He's built well at 238, and though he tested like an athletic, WLB, he plays more like a thumping MLB. In a 4-3 Over, I think he can play any of the LB spots. I have him going in the 3rd, and the 4th should be his draft floor. According to PFF he only had 3 missed tackles all season. So, his tackling is as sound as it is violent.
Click to expand...

...I like it...hits you like he hates your guts...tackling is sound and violent...
hmmmm...make Zach Brown a viable offer...add Blair Brown in the draft...maybe we can finally have a "brown out" to all opposing running backs lol....I know I know...corny and bad joke...but we really need to have some nasty linebacker presence on our team...If the front four can't get there then our linebackers HAVE to let you know you are getting put down when you cross the los....
 
One of the things that skews those metrics are that they're only giving you partials. When they post the top LB's like Kuechly and Willis, they're not listing the underwear-Olympics types. They're leaving those workout-warriors off that list. Similarly, they're not including productive LB's who are less sensational because they don't have the top athletic metrics. It provides a perception that top athletics guarantees top play, when it doesn't.

Similarly, a guy I like, Connor Harris, shows off the charts in production because he played at a low level. The kid is under 6 feet and maybe not as explosive as some other LB's, but he's in a no-win situation. No matter how productive he is, people will look at him as less-athletic, despite him having good foot speed and great mental speed. No matter how productive he is, people will discredit it because of his level of competition. So, when you look at the tape you see something that is hard for many to gauge, an average athlete that is a superior athlete vs. his competition. But, if he reads the play instinctively, processes immediately, translates what he sees from his eyes through his brain to his feet quickly, that's incredibly useful for a LB. The lack of that vision and mental speed is like adding a big chunk to a guys quickness metrics, because they don't see it quick enough.

I'm a big fan of these SPARQ metrics, and they are very useful. I like that this article mixed in a production metric. I could quibble about how I rate INT's and forced fumbles higher or how raw numbers aren't as valuable as per-play metrics, but this is a great start. None of these are substitutes for watching the film, but they help keep things in context across differing opponents. Again, 40 time in shorts is not the same as 40 time in pads at the beginning of the game, and neither is the same as 40 time in the 4th quarter. These are general metrics, not hair-splitting differences.
 
BlueFin said:
I also am on the Jordan Willis bandwagon....on top of his production, physical skills including combine and senior bowl performance...I heard him interviewed on NFL radio...amd was totally impressed with his dedication and maturity.

I suspect he might rise up the board...possibly before our pick.
Click to expand...

Just saw a mock with him being picked one pick before us...

It wil be like the Zach Martin thing again. That it kill me...
 
1.) Jordan Willis in the 1st (even better if you're certain you can trade down a few spots and still get him).
2.) Tanoh Kpassagnon in the 2nd.
3.) Do whatever the hell you like with the rest of the draft.
4.) ?????
5.) Profit

Defensive End solved for the next 7-8 years.
 
We are under sized at DE, so if we go undersized at LB what is to stop us from being over powered like Pitt and NE has done to us in the past?
 
Non of the mocks have lifted Willis into the first round yet, which is strange. Got to believe he ends up as a first rounder based on his production and metrics.

Willis for Miami would seem like a great fit. Maybe the safety Evans in the second.
 
How often would Willis see the field this year?
 
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