I have to be honest, I was shocked and upset when they drafted Jordyn Brooks. But that's because I didn't know who he was. Which of course, is a really poor way to judge NFL talent.
Then I started researching him, and wow! Last year the Arizona Cardinals put up 253 rushing yards on the Seahawks, with Kyler Murray getting 40! That's abysmal!
And that's why we have Jordyn Brooks. He's played against that type of offense, chased and tackled mobile QBs, and put the hurt on Running Backs. Out biggest issue on last year's defense was not Sacks, it was the Rush Defense. We now have someone that can improve that rush defense.
Brock Huard said that after watching last year's film, the ball was out quickly, under 2.5 seconds, leaving very little time to get to the QB.
Pete's philosophy has always worked well. First, stop the run, make them one dimensional, then pin your ears back. Last year we couldn't do that.
More for Jordyn Brooks: Mel KIper: "I didn't see Brooks getting past the middle of the 2nd round."
"Brooks was tasked with Spying the QB quite a bit."
Pete Carroll:"We considered Darrell Taylor at 27, but we had our eyes set on Jordyn."
"The youngest of 7 kids, they moved around a lot, living in other people's homes with them."
Then there's Darryl Taylor. The biggest complain on him was that "He disappeared for parts of the game."
Turns out he was Tennessee's most versatile defensive player, and at times where he "disappeared," he was tasked with holding his position. But according to Pete: "When he was turned loose on the pass rush, then he really excelled."
And I LOVE Alton Robinson.
Finally, because of Russells' height, he need that pocket to step up in to, and with our new right guard, he should be able to do that. Between Damien Lewis, Jamarco Jones, and whoever they put at Center, Russell's protection should be much better this year.
(The middle of the pocket is what has allowed Drew Brees to have his success. That's why New Orleans has invested so heavily in the offensive line.)
(Oh, and DeeJay Dallas "is the best pass blocking running back in this draft." Per Daniel Jeremiah. Plus, he was a QB and WR, and plays the Wildcat and returns punts and kickoffs.)
So, after I settled down and looked at the draft as a whole, and learned more about the players taken, I'm very satisfied with this draft, and honestly believe that at least 4 of these players will stick on this team in 2020. Jordyn Brooks, Darrell Taylor, Damien Lewis, and Alton Robinson. Colby Parkinson might make it 5.
Yep, after getting over my initial (ig'nant) disappointment, I realized that while I may spend an inordinate amount of my lifetime studying, talking, and researching college players, my level of knowledge compared to Pete and John, and their Staff of Scouts, isn't squat. THey have all of the background on these players that shows the level of grit these young men have. Such as Darrell Taylor losing his mother to cancer in 2013 and having his father incarcerated. (See below)
But man, would I love to travel around with JS and/or a couple of his Scouts and soak up the knowledge! That would be my dream job. Next to working for SpaceX, piloting the rocket to Mars. That's not weird is it?
Darrell Taylor
He had to grow up quickly.
His father was incarcerated when Taylor was a young boy growing up in Virginia. His mother died of breast cancer in 2013, when he was an early teenager. He credits his aunt, his high-school football coaches, “my whole city” of Hopewell, Va. for “pretty much (being) there for me every step of the way.”
“They were all there for me,” he said, pride in his deep voice. “They were my backbone, to make sure I kept on a straight line, to make sure I was doing everything to graduate from high school, make it to college—do what I’m doing now.”
That includes being a father to a young boy. He turns 2 in July. Taylor says being a dad has taught him patience—and, frankly, the value of being a better father than he had growing up.
Seattle gets a grown man on the field, too.
Taylor is 6 feet 4, 267 pounds. A draft assessment by league-owned NFL.com of him begins with one eye-catching bullet point: “Chiseled out of granite.”
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