Patrick Willis

Discussion in 'NFL Draft' started by Titans2008, Dec 18, 2006.

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  1. RollTide

    RollTide All-Pro

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    Soxcat..

    The texans used the 4-3 last year. Ryans should have made the pro bowl.
     
  2. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Well...

    Well Hawk is a different position and I'd say the LB from Penn State is a better comparison though Hawk is better than HIM.

    IMO, Willis is better than Hawk at what he does. Hawk didn't take on blocks well nor shed them so most people thought he could only excel early on at Weakside LB...which is a bit limiting.

    That was the same knock on Derrick Johnson (though he has shown the ability to play both outside positions).

    However, I think Willis is a VERY good MLB because he can engage and fight through the trash not mentioning his great instincts, pursuit, motor and tackling. Everyone thinks very highly of him as a run stuffer with the only knock being his pass coverage (both man and zone). He has improved a bit this year, but was still seen as 'limited' in this area. However, he was a surpise at Senior Bowl practices (actually had 2 INT's I think) and solid in the game. He's exactly the guy most playoff teams want to fall to them as MLB's rarely go higher than 20.

    Hawk is a better cover LB, but 'limited' because he doesn't take on blockers well and struggles to shed. Willis takes on blockers much better (so he can play all 3 LB positions) though he might not be a 3 down back early in his career (at least it's tough to tell). We wouldn't need him to be.

    Does Willis have the talent for our pick? Certainly. But will he be there and how does he rate against the other players who will be there? That's the $64million question.

    Gut
     
  3. RollTide

    RollTide All-Pro

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    Gut..

    The only thing hawk and poluszny have in common is that they are white. Hawk is 15 lbs heavier and is significantly faster.
     
  4. Bobo

    Bobo Guest

    I watched a lot of Hawk, not as much of Willis. Hawk looked very good to me, and didn't seem to have problems shedding blockers. If Willis is as good as him, we could have an amazing LB group.
     
  5. but i still think that tulloch can be a great mlb for us
     
  6. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Really?

    According to my info, Hawk was 248lbs and ran a 4.59 at the combine. I have Poluszny's fast 40 time at 4.52 and his slow one at 4.64 for an avg of 4.58...roughly the same speed. How fast do YOU think Poluszny is? I expect him to be a bit slower still coming off the knee though we'll see if it hampers his 40.

    It's true Hawk ran a 4.47 at a pro day workout, but I don't know what kind of track he ran on (a superfast one?) so it's best to take his combine score since it's more comparable to other players.

    And I had Poluszny at 238lbs...a 10lb difference. We'll see how he runs at the combine. Personally, I think he'll fall to round 2. If perception is reality, consider this...he has had trouble taking on blockers in college (like Hawk) but also the last several bigtime Nittany Lions defenders (not counting Hali) have been busts.

    Gut
     
  7. Soxcat

    Soxcat Pro Bowler

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    I was speaking of their draft status. Hawk was projected as a top 10 pick.
    IMO Willis is in his category and if he is sitting there when we pick at 19 he would be a steal. Even if we move up a few spots I'd be more than happy with the pick.

    Gut is right on when he says Willis takes on blocks better and I would compare Willis, as a pro, comparable to Ryans. Ryans had 155 tackles, 3.5 sacks and one int and one fumble recovery. Willis and Ryans are comparable in size with similar instincts. Ryans lasted until the 2nd round because he didn't post incredible combine numbers but he has proven to be the cream of the crop so far of a pretty decent LB draft class. I agree Ryans is a pro-bowl caliber player and any pro-bowl caliber player available at pick 19 on defense is the guy we should get and IMO Willis is that good. I also give the Texans a lot of credit for moving Ryans to the middle. He wasn't neccesarily projected to be a MLB but more of a SOLB. One guy like that can sove a bunch of our problems stopping the run and can even help some putting pressure on the QB (not that we would ever blitz the guy with our DC).
     
  8. Quit wastin your time

    Everyone should stop wastin their time on Willis cause he's not even going to be around when the titans pick.He's a great MLB for whatever team gets him but it won't be us. Think about the teams that are gonna need help at LB that are picking ahead of us.It least 9 teams ahead of us need help at LB and thats if Briggs stays in Chicago, and teams not trading up.IF you need specifics i'll give em to you:(For all you Mel Kipers out that ,screw the mock draft it never works out)

    San Fran,Carolina,Buffalo,Bengals,Tampa,Miami,Jax,Arizona,and Pitts either need replacements or have a spot open.I'm not going to break down every team down BUT If sum of you people think i'm blowin smoke in the air and don't know what i'm talking about i'll be more then happy to get facts involved.:grrhee:


    Giants,KC,Philly,and New england(2 1st rnd picks)could all trade up and snag him espically New England.

    I"m not saying it could never happen but it's slim, REAL slim.We have other holes that need to be filled.MLB is not one of em,so chill
     
  9. Soxcat

    Soxcat Pro Bowler

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    I agree, Willis will probably be gone by pick #19. However, he could make it close enough to our pick we could get him if we were willing to move up a few spots. IMO he is worth going after because there will not be a stud DE, DT or CB worth our pick at 19. Now if Willis or another coveted player is sitting there at say pick #15 we should move up IMO but IMO the Dts and DEs will be long gone and I'm not sure there is a CB in this draft worth moving up for.
     
  10. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Well...

     
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