Alex Okafor is a LEO and should be on your early round radar

McGruff

New member
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Messages
5,260
Reaction score
0
Location
Elma, WA
Hunt looks awkward if the play is run away from him. Like Shaq on a fast break awkward. I'm not sure if his stiff, confused or lazy, but he plays the first five seconds of a play, and then runs out of gas.

His first five seconds is incredible, but after that he just seems to be going through the motions.
 

pehawk

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2007
Messages
24,216
Reaction score
1,738
theENGLISHseahawk":3jur58zp said:
pehawk":3jur58zp said:
So, with that, if they go DL, it'll be Ziggy IMO. I understand why people would assume Hunt qualifies, but IMO, he doesn't possess a passion for playing like other Hawks.

Can you qualify the final part of that sentence?

It was a poor choice of words.

I watched 3 games, of all his snaps, and saw no passion "on the field".

He seemed to only want contact if it came easy, if at all. He was all too happy loafing behind plays, letting his teammates pursue and tackle for him. I equated him to a JOP guy, jump-on-piles, but I rarely even saw that type of contact. Put it another way, there's no way in HELL that dude would've gotten the sack Irvin did against the Skins. He would've stopped after the first block.

I have no problem with raw, physical freaks. But they better be wound up and pursuing like a demon though. Add that to the fact he didn't grow up watching the game, and, it's a red flag.

IMO...
 

pehawk

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2007
Messages
24,216
Reaction score
1,738
I usually have no problem with DL who loaf, either. They ALL DO IT. It's just kind of expected. But, the fact he didn't grow up with the game like we all did bothers me when you loaf.

After reading your research, it could easily be what McGruff said. Maybe dude's a tad confused out there. I'm sure he wouldn't be the first European guy kind of confused, ESPECIALLY with new safety emphasis, it's got to be a tad confusing.
 
OP
OP
kearly

kearly

New member
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
15,975
Reaction score
0
SoCalHawk":zfuhlkku said:
I think Okafor probably deserves a 2nd round grade, and won't be drafted by Seattle."

What gives?

I was operating under an incorrect assumption that Seattle required a blazing fast player to be LEO. I also underestimated Okafor the player and Okafor the draft prospect. Sounds like he will be a late 1st round pick.
 
OP
OP
kearly

kearly

New member
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
15,975
Reaction score
0
SharkHawk":20dkxx7y said:
Who made up the Jason Jones/Ansah comparison? It makes no sense. They are NOTHING alike. Jones is a tall guy who plays in the middle. Ansah is a speedy defensive end, not a tall defensive tackle. He plays in a 3-3-5 or 3-4 because that is what BYU runs. But he is suited to a DE in a 4-3 like Seattle runs. He is nothing like Red Bryant. He is nothing like Jason Jones. He is like Chris Clemons with more speed. He reminds me of Julius Peppers. Is he a Jason Jones clone too?

Ezekiel Ansah: 6'5" 270, alternated between 3-tech and DE
Jason Jones: 6'5" 276 alternated between 3-tech and DE

Ansah lines up a lot in the 3-tech and 5-tech spots. He also took some snaps wider out as well like a LEO would.

I wasn't the first to notice it, but I think the similarities are fairly striking. And no way does Ansah have more field speed than Clemons. A Julius Peppers comparison is quite rosy as well (can you imagine the hell Peppers would reap playing in whatever conference BYU is currently in?).

I'll at least agree that Ansah looks better as a DE than he does at DT. I actually really like him as a 5-tech option, though he'd be very different in that role than Red Bryant is. And as a LEO, I'd be open minded about it. I think Seattle is pretty much going to have to be open minded about the LEO this year, unless they find someone in FA/Trade or find a gem later in the draft that we don't know about yet.

I think part of the appeal for Jones was his flexibility. This team loves players that can cover mutliple positions, so I have my gaze fixated on Ansah as the draft moves on. I'd rather just bring Jones back and hope he can stay healthy, but Ansah provides pass rush from all over the line and could help make our pass rush less predictable. He could play LEO, 5-tech, 3-tech and even 1-tech on 3rd downs.
 

Chawker

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
5,204
Reaction score
1,164
Location
corner of 30th & plum
I watched the first two minutes of that film and he hadn't even touched a ball carrier yet. Just a bunch of knee bend running around. I'd pass on him if that was his highlight reel.
 

cover-2

New member
Joined
Nov 4, 2011
Messages
867
Reaction score
0
I like Alex Okafor, but not so much at LEO. I think he best compares to Jason Jones and could fill a similar role. Alex Okafor started 8 games at DT his sophomore year, so getting reps as a situational pass rushing 3-tech would not be foreign to him.
 

cover-2

New member
Joined
Nov 4, 2011
Messages
867
Reaction score
0
There does not seem to be that many potential LEO prospects in this draft, but a nice mid-round prospect worth a look is Illinois DE Michael Buchanan. At 6-5 250 lbs he has a similar build to Chris Clemons although he is not as explosive. He at in the Senior Bowl and is worth checking out.
 
OP
OP
kearly

kearly

New member
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
15,975
Reaction score
0
Hawk Finn":15bqcwls said:
No love for Syracuse DE Brandon Sharpe?

I just watched him in the only youtube video I could find, a game between Syracuse and Rutgers. Sharpe looks undersized and was physically a non-factor, like Barkevious Mingo minus the magic. Brandon Coleman (Rutgers) stood out though. Looked phenomenal. He's probably going to be a very high pick next year.
 

Recon_Hawk

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 18, 2010
Messages
3,294
Reaction score
448
Location
Vancouver, Wa
kearly":w7ecm35k said:
I think part of the appeal for Jones was his flexibility. This team loves players that can cover mutliple positions, so I have my gaze fixated on Ansah as the draft moves on. I'd rather just bring Jones back and hope he can stay healthy, but Ansah provides pass rush from all over the line and could help make our pass rush less predictable. He could play LEO, 5-tech, 3-tech and even 1-tech on 3rd downs.

My same thoughts, exactly.
 

aawolf

New member
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Messages
638
Reaction score
0
Sorry to derail this thread, but watching these highlights, I noticed how WVU Geno Smith was very good at staying in the pocket and delivering strongly and accurately under pressure. He forces the ball into very tight windows, which may be a concern, but his accuracy is off the charts. He's going to be a starter in the NFL and I wouldn't be suprised if he's drafted #1 overall.
 

pehawk

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2007
Messages
24,216
Reaction score
1,738
aawolf":3ooak95p said:
Sorry to derail this thread, but watching these highlights, I noticed how WVU Geno Smith was very good at staying in the pocket and delivering strongly and accurately under pressure. He forces the ball into very tight windows, which may be a concern, but his accuracy is off the charts. He's going to be a starter in the NFL and I wouldn't be suprised if he's drafted #1 overall.

I'm with ya on Geno. He's UNDERRATED at this point.
 

Hawk Finn

New member
Joined
Jul 11, 2009
Messages
1,368
Reaction score
0
kearly":tkiwr3lf said:
Hawk Finn":tkiwr3lf said:
No love for Syracuse DE Brandon Sharpe?

I just watched him in the only youtube video I could find, a game between Syracuse and Rutgers. Sharpe looks undersized and was physically a non-factor, like Barkevious Mingo minus the magic. Brandon Coleman (Rutgers) stood out though. Looked phenomenal. He's probably going to be a very high pick next year.

Fair enough, based on the one game you had to work with. But he is a factor on that D, and enough of one to have made the All-Big East team. Yeah, I know, not all that impressive given the conference but still an accomplishment of note. At 6'2", 255 he is virtually the same size as Clem. He is disruptive in the backfield, more so than his numbers suggest (just as my boy Chandler Jones last year). And just like last year, I expect his stock to improve dramatically - not necessarily a 1st rd selection per se, but an early-to-mid day 2 pick. Granted, I could be wrong...it happened once.
 

RylandTheHawk

New member
Joined
Dec 31, 2012
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
kearly":2ef6f3f2 said:
I should reiterate, Chris Clemons is not an athletic freak. Raheem Brock ran a forty time that was just barely faster than what Dontari Poe had. Bruce Irvin IS fast, but still appears incapable of being a true LEO due to other shortcomings.

Sadly, there just isn't an "ideal" LEO in this draft that will reach our pick. Even Clemons isn't truly one. I don't think Okafor is going to be a super star, but I think he could give us maybe 75%-90% of what Clemons does. If you watch him closely, you'll see that Texas kept alternating him from a 5-tech role to a 9-tech role during games. As a 5-tech he's just okay, but as a 9-tech he improves dramatically and is constantly creating pressure.

I kind of hope Seattle goes TE/WR at #25 because that's where I think the value is, but if they draft DL there instead (assuming Red Bryant isn't going anywhere), I think Okafor could work out very nicely as a pure LEO.

My preference would be to sign Cliff Avril in FA, but if Seattle ends up having to address the D-line in the draft early, and a colossal trade up is off the table (likely), I think Okafor is one of the best realistic options at #25. I would much rather take a poor man's Chris Clemons over a Jason Jones clone (Ansah as a 3-tech), or an Alan Branch type (Kawann Short, Sharrif Floyd). Seattle can survive another season of Branch + Jones if it came to that. But they can't survive a season that banks on Irvin playing the LEO or Clemons playing the LEO at half capacity. LEO has to be a huge consideration. I think guys like Okafor and Simon are worth long looks as LEO candidates. Though Simon is the better pass rusher, I would prefer Okafor just because he does not come with any exploitable features like Simon does.

I think Sharrif Floyd is a lot more explosive than Alan Branch, although Floyd has very horrible technique. He gets up too high and loses his violent power, quickness, and explosiveness. It may take two years for him to develop, but he's only 20 years old. He works very hard off the field and plays with a non-stop motor on film. In any case, Coach Quinn would know if Floyd was the real deal or not. Floyd is probably underrated because he played DE last year, as a result of injuries to other DEs in Florida. He's raw and not next year's solution, but as you know the Hawks love to draft a guy and sign a veteran on a shorter contract... and let them compete. Sign a guy like Randy Starks to a 2 to 3 year contract if he doesn't get hyped up in the first three weeks of free agency. If we sign a veteran at the three-tech, it doesn't mean we won't draft a three-tech in the first round.

We definitely need more explosiveness at the three-tech to free up the LEO. The 49ers losing Justin Smith was the perfect example of how that affected Aldon Smith. It's amazing that Clemons is as awesome as he is without having an explosive nasty three-tech. I like your idea of getting Chris Avril as the ideal LEO replacement, although he may ask for more money than he's worth. Hopefully, all the other GM's recognize that Suh increases Avril's productivity and don't over pay him early in free agency.
 

Latest posts

Top