I know some feel ILB is a blackhole on this team but top to bottom this unit looked if not good then very well coached. That is without Baker, a 4th round rookie that a lot of people believed was a waste of maybe not a pick but the selection round and a bunch of UDFA type talent. They all looked like they had a case of making the roster.
Not saying the ILB unit is going to be dominant but you definitely feel the difference of MacDonald’s influence on this roster in not just having a hand in coaching and development but building a quality DL that will help these LBers succeed.
I’m content with the unit as is, Dodson looks exactly like the player that saved the Bills D a year ago (dad is from upstate NY so got to see Dodson a lot). Plays with his hair on fire with a warrior mentality but also controlled and collected. Not surprising at all that Mac picked him to lead the defense.
Baker, if healthy, is all around solid, watched the Dolphins Hard Knocks last year and their D seemed to drop off when he wasn’t on the field.
Knight, I wouldn’t call him exceptional as of yet, he was pretty boring in a good way but for a prospect that a lot of dudes shitted on when he was drafted he looks the part of being a future starter with a higher ceiling than most anticipated him having. If you remember, Wagner was rather boring too, lot of people were upset at passing up Kendricks. Knight isn’t Wagner and perhaps not even Jordyn Brooks but he looks better as a #3 than Devin Bush did a year ago.
Drake Thomas is nails. He looked heated, red in the face, bout to burst every time the D failed doubly so when it was him. If a guy like Christian Rozebloom can be a solid functional LBer behind an Aaron Donald led DLine, then I like Thomas chances in being able to also play up behind our DL which has the investment and depth to be elite.
