How good is Shaq Lawson?
- Thread starter twix2500
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He's probably the player that Ive heard the most discrepancy about this year. I see him mocked at #10 on some sites and some on here are saying he's a 3-5th rounder. I think he goes mid-late first just based on the monster season he had at the highest level if nothing else.
xXwarXx
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I think he will be a solid player, but the reason people are so low on him is because he was projected way too high.
Draft media is very follow the leader. So one guy releases his board and everyone else follows. IMO that's what happened with Shaq.
Because if you watch his tape you'll see a solid player, but you'll also see a guy who moves so slow he looks like he's standing still.
Draft media is very follow the leader. So one guy releases his board and everyone else follows. IMO that's what happened with Shaq.
Because if you watch his tape you'll see a solid player, but you'll also see a guy who moves so slow he looks like he's standing still.
I have him as a 2nd. Don't get the top-15 hype. Don't think he's long enough to thrive as a DE; don't think he's athletic enough to thrive as a 3-4 OLB.
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I love his physical play, but think he's more of a run stopper than pass rusher in the NFL. I may be wrong, but I think 3-5 sacks not a monster in that area IMO.
I am not a fan at all. I do not see the athleticism there.
I basically agree with this. Good player but not special. He troubles me somewhat because I see some Philip Merling tendencies, although Lawson is more active and relentless.
Merling was also touted here as a potential fit at 3-4 outside, which I thought was ridiculous. Another wonderful adjustment. Too bad Parcells didn't succeed here. Otherwise we might be more beholden to his two great truisms -- "You are what you are" and "If they don't bite as puppies..." This site during the offseason is intolerable largely because every argument in the main forum strays from those two Parcells themes.
I admittedly have a bias against Shaq Lawson: He sounds like an idiot. The Dolphins have drafted too many of that type and I wish they would cut it out. I have no idea how anybody can be excited about a patched stadium in a dullard location and I have no idea why any general manager would draft a high percentage of players who sound like dunces. Path to the Draft is vastly overrated but at least that program gives you a peak at a player's personality and speaking ability several times per week, via the in-studio visits.
xXwarXx
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Haha thats the only tolerable show on NFL network IMO.
I like DJ and Charles, I think they do good job with draft stuff.
But I agree about the hearing the rooks talk. Last week Zeke was on there and legitimately talks like he's 12 years old.
Canadi-Phin
I hate everyone else in the AFC East
If we could land him in the 2nd I'd do a backflip. He had 12.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for a loss. You put him at Strong side DE and he is going to eat. He can stop the run and get to the QB. He doesn't do it the Wake way but more the Mario Williams way. Strength and side for his size. I'd take him at 13 if everyone else I like is gone. I don't think he makes it to us.
Sounds like Phillip Merling.
ewww don't mention that name
He giggled after every sentence.
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It's a good point. When Miami was great the team had smart players throughout the entire roster and, of course, they were physical. I hate how soft this team has become and it sounds like the front office gets that. We'll see come draft time.
I love Path to the Draft, but I do wish the focus would be more in-depth. The players talked about and highlighted are almost always first or second round projections. Guess that works for the average fan, but I want to hear about late round steals, small school sleepers etc.
ckparrothead
Premium Member
Shaq Lawson is a fantastic player. The only reason to even bring up Phil Merling is because once upon a time he wore shirts that looked strikingly similar to the shirts that Shaq Lawson has been wearing. That's about it.
A lot of people have brought up that Shaq isn't athletic. I get it, but I think it was a lazy perception. Closer inspection will show you that he is a very athletic player and his Combine was unsurprising. His standing burst is special. His ability to chase is special. He's got speed and take-off ability. But more importantly he's really good at using his hands and his brain in his pass rush.
Maybe he's dumb, I don't know. I've heard him speak and I think he sounds like a straight forward football player, loves the game, works endlessly at it. Watches all kinds of film on the great players and tries to emulate them, especially Reggie White. And you can see that on film in his style and array of moves. He understands how to set up offensive linemen, how to bait them.
He didn't have an easy job at Clemson. He was stuck in a read position most of the time, 1st/2nd down situations, couldn't just come off the ball and show off the athleticism which is clearly there. And even in pass rush situations you had a similar setup as Miami had with Wake and Vernon where you know that Wake is going to take the deep rush (speed around the outside) and in order to work with one another in combination that forces Vernon to take the underneath rush. It's not a coincidence that with Wake injured, suddenly Vernon explodes into a $17 million a year contract. They took off the handcuffs, gave him a wider array of options on his rush, and he became more efficient. At Clemson they had a similar setup in that Kevin Dodd was clearly going to take the deep rush 9 times out of 10. That often left Shaq Lawson with the more difficult job, which he did pretty well.
One thing I tend to notice is that people watch Lawson's game against Alabama and then dismiss him, call him overrated, complain he's not very athletic, etc. He played that game with a sprained MCL, shouldn't have played at all but you weren't going to keep him out of the NCAA Championship Game. He says he felt only about 50 percent during that game. Watch him in other games like the Miami game or the North Carolina game, games where he was healthy, he destroyed those teams.
The best pure pass rusher in this draft is probably Noah Spence. The best physical specimen at defensive end is probably Emmanuel Ogbah, who has the physical impressiveness of Zeke Ansah but whose on-field tendencies remind me more of Jason Pierre-Paul. The best all-rounder is either Joey Bosa or Shaq Lawson, with the latter being a much more sound technician IMO. That's what the Dolphins front office staff (note: they're separate from Grier and Tannenbaum) have concluded, and on that point I agree with them.
A lot of people have brought up that Shaq isn't athletic. I get it, but I think it was a lazy perception. Closer inspection will show you that he is a very athletic player and his Combine was unsurprising. His standing burst is special. His ability to chase is special. He's got speed and take-off ability. But more importantly he's really good at using his hands and his brain in his pass rush.
Maybe he's dumb, I don't know. I've heard him speak and I think he sounds like a straight forward football player, loves the game, works endlessly at it. Watches all kinds of film on the great players and tries to emulate them, especially Reggie White. And you can see that on film in his style and array of moves. He understands how to set up offensive linemen, how to bait them.
He didn't have an easy job at Clemson. He was stuck in a read position most of the time, 1st/2nd down situations, couldn't just come off the ball and show off the athleticism which is clearly there. And even in pass rush situations you had a similar setup as Miami had with Wake and Vernon where you know that Wake is going to take the deep rush (speed around the outside) and in order to work with one another in combination that forces Vernon to take the underneath rush. It's not a coincidence that with Wake injured, suddenly Vernon explodes into a $17 million a year contract. They took off the handcuffs, gave him a wider array of options on his rush, and he became more efficient. At Clemson they had a similar setup in that Kevin Dodd was clearly going to take the deep rush 9 times out of 10. That often left Shaq Lawson with the more difficult job, which he did pretty well.
One thing I tend to notice is that people watch Lawson's game against Alabama and then dismiss him, call him overrated, complain he's not very athletic, etc. He played that game with a sprained MCL, shouldn't have played at all but you weren't going to keep him out of the NCAA Championship Game. He says he felt only about 50 percent during that game. Watch him in other games like the Miami game or the North Carolina game, games where he was healthy, he destroyed those teams.
The best pure pass rusher in this draft is probably Noah Spence. The best physical specimen at defensive end is probably Emmanuel Ogbah, who has the physical impressiveness of Zeke Ansah but whose on-field tendencies remind me more of Jason Pierre-Paul. The best all-rounder is either Joey Bosa or Shaq Lawson, with the latter being a much more sound technician IMO. That's what the Dolphins front office staff (note: they're separate from Grier and Tannenbaum) have concluded, and on that point I agree with them.
xXwarXx
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Where did this come from?