Friday, April 23, 2010

The Second-Round Pick

Linval Joseph of East Carolina is 6-foot-5, 328, so no problem with size in the middle. Here's the report from NFL Draft Scout.

Pass rush: Looks like a nose tackle but plays like a three-technique, penetrating and getting consistent pressure when fresh. Good closing speed for his size, swallows up quarterbacks that lack great elusiveness. Straight-ahead runner, however with limited lateral quickness, will not break down to change direction in the backfield.

Run defense: Adequate anchoring against double-team blocking due to thick legs and a wide upper body and will move to the ballcarrier after he's through the line. Can be moved and doesn't rip off blocks to stop the play before it starts. Willing to chase down the line and downfield between the tackles if he sees the ball in his area. Susceptible to the cut block. Not strong enough to arm tackle backs in the hole.

Explosion: Surprising quickness off of the snap for his size, gets into his gap in a hurry when fresh. Does not deliver much pop to his opponent with his hands on initial contact, however, relying on athleticism to get the job done.Strength: Does not play as strong as you would think because he plays high and does not consistently use his hands to disengage. Does not reset his hands, get leverage by getting his hands under pads, or attempt to churn his legs after contact to push his man into the backfield.

Tackling: Length and wide body allows him to engulf players in his path. Gives effort to chase, can be effective when well rested. Gets a lot of assisted tackles because of his hustle. Does not sink his hips when approaching the ball, however, and is easily eluded by quicker players in space.

Intangibles: Part of a rotation inside, possibly due to stamina issues. Looks to be winded when playing two consecutive series. Dropped 70 pounds after his freshman season (came to EUC at more than 370 pounds) due to a back injury, regained 20 before 2008 season.

EP

8 comments:

  1. It is becoming more apparent to me that Reese really believes his MLB is already on the roster. Maybe there is a deal for Morrison in the works, or maybe he believes Sean Lee will be there in the 3rd. This draft is making me very nervous at this point. It is obvious that the blueprint is to get back to the 2007 mentality with fresh DL's ready to go at any time. The only problem with that philosophy is I do not see an Antonio Pierce or Kawika Mitchell on this squad at this time. Scary...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh well....Sean Lee taken at 55...not happy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Word out of Oakland is Morrison can be had on the cheap and might even get cut. Let's hope NY gets lucky.

    ReplyDelete
  4. sec. 134 (formerly sec. 128)April 23, 2010 8:10 PM

    Jerry "pushing his chips to the middle of the table," as someone once said. LB is the glaring weakness, several quality LB's have been available, yet we drafted two (more) defensive lineman.

    ReplyDelete
  5. formerly sec. 128April 23, 2010 8:12 PM

    Linemen, that is.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What people fail to realize is that Joseph will actually help keep blockers from engaging to the LB level.

    This actually makes a lot of sense.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have thought all along that Reese was not going to prioritize MLB. He drafted Goff and Kehl and I think he would have taken a MLB if one fell to him but that he wouldn't panic if he didn't get one.

    I am surprised, however, with the JPP pick in round 1 because I was thinking stud O-lineman.

    Regardless of what I think, Reese is the man and it's time to rally around the Giants.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think Reese feels that the linebackers available after McClain weren't any better than the LB's we have now (Goff, Sintim). If the D line isn't getting blown off the line of scrimmage, the LB's should have a much easier job.

    The thing that scares me though are the images of WR's, RB's and TE's engaging and dominating our LB's. Boley would have served better to get off his block by falling down than to keep back peddling. So even if we have an adequate MLB on the roster, I'm still concerned with linebacker depth.

    All in all, I really do trust Reese with the draft. His biggest disappointments came last year in free agency, not the draft.

    ReplyDelete