Malik Hooker

Discussion in 'NFL Draft' started by Broken Arrow, Jan 2, 2017.

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  1. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    I agree to some extent though Id say his floor is as an average S (albeit a very athletic one who is a tick slow to read and react). But I do think he has a good chance to be special and probably will be. His problem is experience and becoming a film study junkie.

    Not sure if it was you who asked me how do I know he's not already that. Because we don't really see him make plays where is 'knows' what the play is and anticipates it before hand. We DO see that with Adams for example. Another example is when you see a guy like Ben Boulware literally calling out the play that's gonna be run right before they snap the ball. When you have that level of preparation with Hooker's level of athleticism...you can truly have a special player. But because Hooker only has one year of starting experience, he's a bit raw.

    I disagree with E. that he wouldn't or shouldn't start from day 1. I think he would and should as long as he understands the defenses and what he's supposed to do both vs the run and pass and cleans up his tackling in training camp. I think like Ramsey he'd get better during the season and by the post-season...you might really have something!

    With the injuries, that opens up another can of worms. Teams will want to check his medical stuff out a lot more thoroughly and re-check him later before the draft to see how his healing is progressing. If these are isolated things and he heals well, that's one thing. If this digs up a lot of nagging injuries even though he's only started one season, that would be a problem.

    At this moment, him starting day 1 now depends on where he gets taken, how well he's healed, how well/fast he learns the defense, and what other option that team has. If he goes to a team that already has good S's but maybe looking more longterm...say KC tags Berry and wants Hooker to take over long term...he might not start at all and only play in nickel or dime packages and special teams. If he goes to a team a big hole at FS, he probably starts day 1. How high he goes in the draft likely will tell a lot as well. If he goes top 5, he'll be starting. If he goes past 15, it really then depends on the above mentioned factors!
     
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  2. Clark

    Clark #ShoutboxAlley4Life

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    I read this from another guy and it makes perfect sense to me -"Teams and fans are going to have to be patient with Hooker"

    He can start day 1, sure. But as a team/staff you understand he's a liability and he's going to miss something from time to time and give up a bigger play than should. Those negative splash plays will irk folks. They happened in college, they'll happen day 1.

    My reasoning of saying he's not a true day 1 starter is because of that high variance liability. This coupled with his injuries, it's honestly a perfect situation for him and the team. They get to ease him in, he gets to work on the mental portion without being thrown into the fire. He's still working with a much higher ceiling than anyone else in the draft. He has a great chance at being special. That wasn't the knock.
     
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  3. kenny

    kenny Starter

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    It does answer my question.

    I believe Peppers (IF he goes to the right team) can carve out a nice career. He will have to be thought of when the coaches put together a game plan IMO.

    I believe Hooker will be more successful early & have a more immediate impact for his team. I believe he will make some early mistakes; but will offset those will big plays & turn overs. I really hate that he has the injury & will not be able to perform at the combine. I think it would have really helped us with evaluations of him.

    Adams will be an immediate impact player as well. I am of the mind set that he is near his ceiling now. I believe he can & will improve some, I am just not sure how much. He plays very well & puts in a lot of effort from what I have read. I do not know how much better he will get with coaching at the NFL level.

    Lattimore was just a one year starter so he has a lot of room to grow; & addresses our biggest area of need IMO......COVERAGE.

    With the question marks & injuries around these top tier draft picks; I am really hoping we can trade back a few spots & still land one of them. The secondary is our biggest need by far. However, If we have to stay put at 5 and pick; JRob should pick the BPA. We are still too lacking in talent to pass on the BPA at any position IMO.

    No matter who we pick at 5 it must be an impact player that starts day one & helps our team. Even with as much improvement as the team showed this year; we really lack true play-makers on both sides of the ball. Some one who stands out, scares coaches & makes them change their game plan. We have "good players" & talent with guys like Casey, Orakpo, Morgan, Murray, & Walker. However, I do not think any HC looks at them & says: Hey we cannot try to run, Casey has the run locked down. They just shift to the other side & run at Jones, or up the middle.

    I am not taking away from these guys. They are the back bone of this team. They have been for a while. However, they need much more help around them to get us closer to being a consistently competitive team.
     
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  4. kenny

    kenny Starter

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    I think you also have to look at the HC. Harbaugh is a master of knowing what his players do well & putting it to work for him. Look at what he did with Cap. NO ONE has been able to get anywhere near the level of play from Cap that Jim Harbaugh did. I mean in the 9ers SB season everyone was calling Cap one of the best in the game......LOL. Now that Jim H is gone; he is just another fast QB with accuracy issues.

    The point being, I do not think Peppers was moved to LB to hide issues in his game. I believe he was moved there to hide a hole in the roster. Peppers' skill set fit what Jim H wanted at the position; & Peppers was versatile enough to make the switch. It is one of his impressive traits. He does need to improve in coverage, but he is not horrible.

    I do not think he is the guy we need TBH. I do not see us using him as well as Harbaugh did. That's not a knock on DLB. It's just the truth. It is much harder to move a guy around & teach him different roles in an NFL defense.

    I am excited for the combine & Pro Days this year. I have not gotten to do much studying this year. The combine & Pro Days will be interesting & put a lot more information out there about these prospects.

    It is particularly exciting this year with two 1st round picks.
     
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  5. TitansAC4

    TitansAC4 Starter

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    It's not a secret he struggles in pass coverage. If you disagree I'm not sure what to tell you on that.
     
  6. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    If that were true, how come every team didn't get him locked up on a decent rb or te, split them out wide and throw on him all game???

    And you have to define what you mean by 'struggles' in coverage. Define it so we can understand exactly what you are saying. Are you saying he can't cover anyone? He can't cover anyone who is a pass catching threat? He can't cover in man? He can't cover in zone?

    And how do you explain them letting him drop into deep cf on occasion? If he was as bad as you think, wouldn't you limit him to a flat or somewhere short so if he gets burned it's not a huge gain?
     
  7. 615nick

    615nick Starter

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    I think a lot of people get really caught up on ints when talking about how good they are in coverage. Some guys are good at covering, but also good at making thier guy look open so the qb still throws at them. Other good coverage guys just lock the man down and never get thrown at. Peppers does get beat a little more than I'd like in a coversge guy, but he's also been forced into 10+ roles, so he can't really focus on getting better at any one thing. But, one thing is for sure, he is one of the most gifted athletes we've seen in a while. Right now I wouldn't take him in the top 5, but top 10 i would.
     
  8. Broken Arrow

    Broken Arrow Just a Fan....

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    where's is the furthest Hooker could fall??

    As a buckeye fan cheering for him, I hate to compare him to Myles Jack...... As a Titan fan, I'd love to compare to Myles Jack in a hope that he drops...
     
  9. Ontario Titan

    Ontario Titan Pro Bowler

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    The state our secondary is in, if we take a CB or S at 5...He better be a starter!
    There is FA as well but we don't know if they will sign, we control who we draft at 5 to some degree
     
  10. 8and8

    8and8 Starter

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    I don't know why people are even discussing Peppers. His off the field attitude problem means JRob will pass on him.
     
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