Ol Chris Reed - All 22 Review | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Ol Chris Reed - All 22 Review

I looked at all his Right Guard work and some of his Left Guard work and frankly I was surprised just how much I like him.

One consistent strength of his is the way he picks up stunts and blitzes. He's really top notch there in terms of his anticipation, the quality of his eyes, his god-given ability to move laterally, and his god-given ability to drop anchor and hold his ground.

I mean, maybe there's film of a play or three out there where he's failed to pick up stunts or blitzes, but I haven't seen it, and even if it does exist then I would attribute it to a series of brain farts because the bottom line is, if you're looking at who he is and what he does well, this is a thing he does well.

Looking at him, whenever I see his 'type', I often think the danger is that he gets beat on hands at the initial point of contact, and then is left frozen while the pass rusher goes around him. I've seen Javon Hargrave do that to him once. Reed is a guy that anticipates, and if he guesses wrong, it can be costly.

I also saw Andre Branch truck right over him because Branch delayed his rush, which made Reed antsy trying to anticipate someone that wasn't moving, and then Reed made the mistake of getting his weight back on the heels of his feet instead of the balls of his feet, just as Andre Branch started in and delivered a punch straight to Chris Reed's chest.

You're noticing a consistent theme of eyes and anticipation. He lives by that sword and he dies by that sword. It helps him do great things, but it can also be exploited.

Physically he's a really good athlete, and really strong. He's built right. He's a giant muscle of a man and it's absolutely no surprise he can drop anchor so well. It's also not a surprise he can get out into space.

But he looks a little tight-hipped, which means that if you get him out into space and he's got to hit a bunch of fast moving targets at DB and LB, he could have a tough time adjusting to them. Most of the damage with an OL getting out into space is the fact those DBs and LBs are forced to adjust to HIM...and that's a function of how quickly he can get out there, how intimidating his physical stature and presence can be. So the fact he's not the best snipe hunter out in the open isn't as bad as some would make of it.

Getting back to his 'type' the only thing you could really wish he had more of was length in his arms, or a wider overall build. That would really help you put him into A+ territory in pass protection. He doesn't have those things and that's one reason I think he will probably be beat (badly) every now and again.

I see him as a starter. He's strong as hell, he's nasty, plays with the right attitude, very well coached, solid hands, great anticipation, good pass pro (not perfect by any means). He's a starter.

I'd prefer Chris Reed at Right Guard so that Jesse Davis can play Right Tackle, where he played better against the Panthers and Buccaneers in 2017 than any other position I've seen him play for us.
Thanks for the in-depth analysis CK!

I could see he moves decently, but am glad to hear he has the physical strength. Usually that's the trade-off, and we tend to prioritize length and footspeed, so having a powerful guard will be a welcome sight.

How do you see him performing in the run game? Can he bulldoze open run lanes or is he more of a wall-off type that we usually get? Can he open run lanes against DT's?
 
Thanks for the in-depth analysis CK!

I could see he moves decently, but am glad to hear he has the physical strength. Usually that's the trade-off, and we tend to prioritize length and footspeed, so having a powerful guard will be a welcome sight.

How do you see him performing in the run game? Can he bulldoze open run lanes or is he more of a wall-off type that we usually get? Can he open run lanes against DT's?

He's a people-mover in the run game. He gets real movement.



Watch the lateral movement he forces on Javon Hargrave on this play. Hargrave starts out on the right side of the hash mark, slanted 1-technique. But he's tracking the runner with his eyes and after getting his hips through the gap, Hargrave plants his feet and tries to root down. Chris Reed has his shoulders hard into Hargrave's left hip and watch Javon's feet as he's forced to lift and re-plant his plant leg.

I think his assets in the ground game are good leverage, pure strength, and then his veteran savvy. Like I said he moves people with good strength and leverage. But he's also savvy about walling guys off and interfering with multiple players. And not all of being a good run blocker is pretty. Sometimes it involves falling down and taking bodies with you. He does that really well. He's just a nasty, annoying guy to deal with if you're a defender.

What he probably doesn't do particularly well in the run game is pull out into space and go snipe hunting, like I said. Just getting out there with speed will do some work, because now these LBs and DBs have something to think about and they have to go around him. But he doesn't have the great control to really lock in on a guy and track him down.

I think this video probably highlights everything I've described. You can see how good he is with stunts, the eyes, anticipation, lateral movement, and strength. You can see the strength and leverage as a people mover. You can see his ability to overwhelm a linebacker. You can see a lot of savvy in the way he walls off the run lane, takes out a guy's feet, or pulls him to the ground. You can also see how the anticipation can get him into trouble if he guesses wrong, or if his anticipation turns into hesitation which causes him to pull his weight back. There are ugly plays in here. But there are a lot of good ones, too.

 
He's a people-mover in the run game. He gets real movement.



Watch the lateral movement he forces on Javon Hargrave on this play. Hargrave starts out on the right side of the hash mark, slanted 1-technique. But he's tracking the runner with his eyes and after getting his hips through the gap, Hargrave plants his feet and tries to root down. Chris Reed has his shoulders hard into Hargrave's left hip and watch Javon's feet as he's forced to lift and re-plant his plant leg.

I think his assets in the ground game are good leverage, pure strength, and then his veteran savvy. Like I said he moves people with good strength and leverage. But he's also savvy about walling guys off and interfering with multiple players. And not all of being a good run blocker is pretty. Sometimes it involves falling down and taking bodies with you. He does that really well. He's just a nasty, annoying guy to deal with if you're a defender.

What he probably doesn't do particularly well in the run game is pull out into space and go snipe hunting, like I said. Just getting out there with speed will do some work, because now these LBs and DBs have something to think about and they have to go around him. But he doesn't have the great control to really lock in on a guy and track him down.

I think this video probably highlights everything I've described. You can see how good he is with stunts, the eyes, anticipation, lateral movement, and strength. You can see the strength and leverage as a people mover. You can see his ability to overwhelm a linebacker. You can see a lot of savvy in the way he walls off the run lane, takes out a guy's feet, or pulls him to the ground. You can also see how the anticipation can get him into trouble if he guesses wrong, or if his anticipation turns into hesitation which causes him to pull his weight back. There are ugly plays in here. But there are a lot of good ones, too.


Thanks CK, this is an excellent overview and has me more excited about adding him than I was before!

Great points about the different types of effectiveness in blocking, it definitely doesn't always look pretty. I was pleasantly surprised though at just how much power he showed. He never stops moving his feet and he constantly keeps his hands in front of the defender (even when the defender is slightly behind him) to utilize his lower body to generate leverage and power.

What I particularly liked was how well he uses his peripheral vision to sniff out stunts while always fully aware of his help. That's not a physically measurable thing, but it's the essence of what everyone likes to call "chemistry" among offensive linemen. Thank you for highlighting that. It's a lot easier to see what you mean about him being savvy.

As always CK, we appreciate all the hard work you do and the excellent analysis.

Just out of curiosity, will you be covering Chris Reed at all on your podcast? And is there an updated link, this is the only link to your "3 Yards Per Carry" Miami Dolphins podcast:

https://threeyardspercarry.podbean.com/

That's the link I usually use to keep up with your great analysis on all things Dolphins related.
 
You know I think we did sort of gloss over him a little bit and that's unfortunate.

When we originally signed him, to be 100% honest, all three of us were like, "Who?" Seriously I thought maybe I might remember him as a Texas Longhorn, but nope. So when we recorded the show, the headline was only just out, and we hadn't really looked at him yet. The next time we recorded, it was a week old, and we forgot to go over it.

At some point we're going to review the projected starters on the OL, and when we do that, I'll be going over a lot of what I've just said here about Chris Reed.

Personally I project the starters as follows:

LT: Laremy Tunsil
LG: (to be drafted)
OC: Daniel Kilgore
RG: Chris Reed
RT: Jesse Davis

I know many will be skeptical of Jesse Davis at right tackle. I was surprised to realize he'd never even played the position in preseason for the Dolphins. He's only spent two games out there, against the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Bucs in weeks 11 and 12 of the 2017 season.

During the Panthers game he looked very solid out there as a right tackle, playing it the entire game. No problems with Wes Horton. Looked like he might need some help with Charles Johnson's edge rush at times, if the quarterback had held onto the ball too long. His kick slide was smooth but he wasn't getting great depth, and I think he turned his shoulders too quickly. He was great in the run game. He looked built for the position, and very natural, but perhaps with the need to have his outside shoulder protected against speed rushers on 3rd down and such. His inside post leg was secure, which is the most important thing.

But what is crazy is you fast-forward to the following week against the Buccaneers and Tampa threw faster edge rushers against him than Charles Johnson, and yet Jesse Davis during the 1st half of that game was phenomenal. His kick slide and his shoulders already looked better after just one game of experience.

The unfortunate thing is halfway through the game, Jermon Bushrod got hurt, which forced the Dolphins to slide Jesse Davis inside to right guard, and to put Sam Young out at right tackle.

I have thought that Jesse Davis has been alright at right guard. But he's not reached out and become the player I think his body gives him the ability to become. I think he might be built a little too high for it.

Getting back to right tackle, that may actually be the perfect spot for him. Maybe he goes out there and gets Marc Colombo'd or Tyson Clabo'd. Who knows. But I'm willing to find out. Especially in a rebuilding year.
 
I wish the Phins would go after OG Spain, and then draft one of the better OC in this draft. I just dont like our OC option with Daniel Kilgore.
 
You know I think we did sort of gloss over him a little bit and that's unfortunate.

When we originally signed him, to be 100% honest, all three of us were like, "Who?" Seriously I thought maybe I might remember him as a Texas Longhorn, but nope. So when we recorded the show, the headline was only just out, and we hadn't really looked at him yet. The next time we recorded, it was a week old, and we forgot to go over it.

At some point we're going to review the projected starters on the OL, and when we do that, I'll be going over a lot of what I've just said here about Chris Reed.

Personally I project the starters as follows:

LT: Laremy Tunsil
LG: (to be drafted)
OC: Daniel Kilgore
RG: Chris Reed
RT: Jesse Davis

I know many will be skeptical of Jesse Davis at right tackle. I was surprised to realize he'd never even played the position in preseason for the Dolphins. He's only spent two games out there, against the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Bucs in weeks 11 and 12 of the 2017 season.

During the Panthers game he looked very solid out there as a right tackle, playing it the entire game. No problems with Wes Horton. Looked like he might need some help with Charles Johnson's edge rush at times, if the quarterback had held onto the ball too long. His kick slide was smooth but he wasn't getting great depth, and I think he turned his shoulders too quickly. He was great in the run game. He looked built for the position, and very natural, but perhaps with the need to have his outside shoulder protected against speed rushers on 3rd down and such. His inside post leg was secure, which is the most important thing.

But what is crazy is you fast-forward to the following week against the Buccaneers and Tampa threw faster edge rushers against him than Charles Johnson, and yet Jesse Davis during the 1st half of that game was phenomenal. His kick slide and his shoulders already looked better after just one game of experience.

The unfortunate thing is halfway through the game, Jermon Bushrod got hurt, which forced the Dolphins to slide Jesse Davis inside to right guard, and to put Sam Young out at right tackle.

I have thought that Jesse Davis has been alright at right guard. But he's not reached out and become the player I think his body gives him the ability to become. I think he might be built a little too high for it.

Getting back to right tackle, that may actually be the perfect spot for him. Maybe he goes out there and gets Marc Colombo'd or Tyson Clabo'd. Who knows. But I'm willing to find out. Especially in a rebuilding year.
If Reed is as good as he looks right now, that sounds reasonable. Kilgore wasn't bad when he was healthy … but I'd like to find a new center as well. And we definitely need at least 1 more guard. Lots of good guards in this draft, IMHO.

I've always seen something in Davis, but this past year wasn't very impressive. I'm looking forward to see him at RT, he's shown he can do that. And yes, hopefully he doesn't get Colombo'd.
 
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