Roquan Smith's positional value is the only reason NFL execs question Bears' pick
By: Bryan Perez | 57 minutes ago
NFL executives, coaches and scouts were polled in a recent ESPN.com article that asked for opinions on each team’s draft haul. The Chicago Bears have been beneficiaries of post-draft praise, but their strategy in the first round created questions. Ads by ZINC
Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith was the best linebacker in the 2018 NFL Draft and one of the cleanest players in the entire class. The value of the position he plays, however, caused some NFL talent evaluators to question if he should’ve been a top-10 pick.
“It is the understanding of value, like when Wade Phillips tells the Rams to value corners and edge rushers, so they trade the inside linebacker [Alec Ogletree],” an executive told ESPN. “In the 3-4, you ideally pay one of your 30 defensive ends, your two pass-rushers, a corner and a safety.”
Smith will have a significant impact in Chicago, which should ultimately be what determines whether he lives up to the value attached to the eighth pick overall. No one would debate Patrick Willis’ value as an NFL player despite the fact he was an inside linebacker for Vic Fangio’s defense in San Francisco.
The Bears have experienced just how important a good inside linebacker is to the defense. When Jerrell Freeman was playing at his best, his impact was obvious. The same with Danny Trevathan.
Neither Freeman nor Trevathan has the natural talent of Smith.
Smith, and the rest of the 2018 draft class, will ultimately determine if they were worth their respective team’s investment by their play on the field. If he has an Urlacher-like career that spans a decade or more, it’ll be safe to say he exceeded expectations, regardless of position.
This is where I might disagree with them and I'm not alone.
I believe in Fangio's schemes there is huge value to having a "stacked" ILB like Smith who can range side line to side line and also drop in pass coverage much like Urlacher was able to do in Lovie's defense. In a recent article I read another GM who saw it the same way and also valued strength in the middle.
In those defensive schemes who have great MLBs the idea is to take away the middle of the field as much as possible and force offenses into more limited choices outside he numbers. In the hey day of Lovie's defense it was very difficult to run between the tackles or throw into the deep middle due to Briggs and Urlacher.
Whenever you can take away choices from an offense you're forcing the to play your game and that is where Smith comes in since he's not only a great ranging run defender like Briggs but he has the speed of a very fast Safety which allows him to cover the slot and deep middle as Urlacher was able to do very effectively.
Wade Phillips doesn't run the same defense as Vic Fangio so their needs will differ a bit. But even based on the formula stated we're following it nearly the same.
DE: Hicks got just a big extension, Edge; Floyd is 1st round pick and we're searching for another edge guy, CB; We locked up both starters, Safety; Jackson is on a cheap rookie deal but Amos is in line for an extension.
Unless Chubb was available we could not have drafted a higher positional value at #8 anyway and Smith was by far the BPA. So my response to all this is put a sock in it. Smith was absolutely the right pick.
Post by Whisky Beer Bob on May 2, 2018 13:15:09 GMT -6
Like you both above stated. It is all situational. We are in a situation that our DC needs a highly skilled baller to play ilb. We have that now so for us, It is Instrumental. Other teams maybe not so much.
These so-called execs can fack off and watch our bandwagon pass on by to the SuperBowl. We do not need no jumpers.
Like you both above stated. It is all situational. We are in a situation that our DC needs a highly skilled baller to play ilb. We have that now so for us, It is Instrumental. Other teams maybe not so much.
These so-called execs can fack off and watch our bandwagon pass on by to the SuperBowl. We do not need no jumpers.
Bob, my man, your signature is huge, please put your pics next to each other or delete one, thanks!
Like you both above stated. It is all situational. We are in a situation that our DC needs a highly skilled baller to play ilb. We have that now so for us, It is Instrumental. Other teams maybe not so much.
These so-called execs can fack off and watch our bandwagon pass on by to the SuperBowl. We do not need no jumpers.
Bob, my man, your signature is huge, please put your pics next to each other or delete one, thanks!
One point this other GM made was that when one of your very best defenders is playing square in the middle it's much tougher to take him out of the game than it's is an All Pro edge guy.
Teams could run away from Peppers and Briggs on the weak side but not from Urlacher in the middle and in essence Smith is another Urlacher albeit a smaller version of him. He is that versatile.