thebandit27

Unfortunately not...I'm starting to think that the write-up was buried in a different thread, but I did find a thread I started about him and linked it above.

Ok, so I can't find my original write-up, but I found the thread I started to discuss him...which nobody else chimed in on. Apparently I also professed my Jordan Phillips love in that same thread. Guess I was just a few years too early on both...

Anyone know how to search the archived board? I would post my 2015 draft scouting report on him if I could find it...

My guy! Sign him

For sure... @MrEpsYtown is a first-rate poster. I don't necessarily disagree--the whole movement idea is predicated on the team feeling that they won't see a drop off at LT without Dawkins. If they don't feel that way, then they shouldn't move him.

It doesn't matter how many insults you sling, it doesn't make your argument stronger, so shelf that garbage and make a real argument. The fact of the matter, as I showed you, is that Nsekhe's grade at LT is actually higher than Dawkins'...not that PFF grades should mean anything beyond a sidebar discussion point. Believe it or not, play on the field is what matters, not what a bunch of statisticians calculate in an office without having ever played the game. And you're still missing the point--best combination of 5. You want to be legalistic about it, and that's a very, very, very poor approach. If you had your choice, Eric Wood never would've moved from RG to C...because "known quantity" and all that jazz. I have to disagree. While tackle is considered more difficult, a tackle-to-guard transition isn't always good for a player. Look no further than Nsekhe; he's much better at LT than LG. Same went for Andrew Whitworth. Cincinnati moved him to LG at two different points in his career (once in 2008 and once in 2013--both for stretches of games). Now, they didn't do that because they thought he'd be better at LG, but rather because they had a shortage at the guard spots and felt that Whitworth at LG and a backup at LT was a better combination of 5 than the other alternatives. But make no mistake, Whitworth is much better at tackle. Guards need to be able to move down the line and work in close quarters, which can sometimes be more difficult than having space to establish a pass set and utilize arm length. Maybe Dawkins will be a great LT. But again, this isn't about Dawkins per se. This is about getting the best combination of 5. If the team feels that they can field the best front-5 with Dawkins at LG and Nsekhe at LT, then that's what they should do.

I'm glad that Dion wants to get better, but the fact that he didn't play as well at LT last year shouldn't be a feather in his cap. At least not if you're looking for the line to improve. If you want to hang your hat on PFF exclusively, then you should probably research Nsekhe a bit more than simply posting his overall grade, since he actually graded out better at LT than Dawkins in 2018. His lower overall grade was due to his lower grade when playing LG. https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-the-best-low-budget-options-available-in-free-agency If you’re a team in need of short-term tackle help, there may be no better, or cheaper, option than the career backup. Calling him a backup does a disservice to how well the 33-year old has played in Washington though. On 1,287 snaps across every single position except center on the offensive line over the last four seasons, Nsekhe has a pass-blocking grade of 76.4 and a run-blocking grade of 70. If you want to hang your hat on PFF exclusively, then you should probably research Nsekhe a bit more than simply posting his overall grade, since he actually graded out better at LT than Dawkins in 2018. His lower overall grade was due to his lower grade when playing LG. And again, this isn't about Dawkins or whether or not he can play LT. This is about doing what's necessary to get the best OL combination on the field. If that ends up being Dawkins at LT and Nsekhe at RT, great. If that ends up with Dawkins kicking to LG, then that's great too. There's no reason to be legalistic about it.

I wouldn't say that I'm settled on the idea that Dawkins isn't my future LT, but I am most definitely of the opinion that his best position is LG, and I think that the dropoff between Dawkins at Nsehke at LT is negligible at worst. I would be looking at a guy like Scharping in round 3 to play RT, and then I'd draft a developmental LT on day 3. Maybe I'm overconfident, but I haven't seen any evidence that teams have struggled to fill the pass-blocking LT spot in recent years, so if I have to find a guy on day 1 or 2 next year to slide into that role, I'm okay doing so.

So you'd rather go with a LT that admitted he played poorly in his second year instead of exploring options to upgrade because of familiarity? That's not a good way to protect your young QB

The best five from 2018 weren't good enough players, so I'd imagine very few options would've gone well. Nsehke's best grades have all come at LT, but he also played OG in 2018, where he's not as effective. But that's not really the point. Nsekhe has shown that he can be at least as effective at LT as Dawkins was last year, while Dawkins has shown in his short time at guard that he can be downright dominant at that spot. "Don't mess with it" is a philosophy that is reserved for the successful; try-fail-adjust is what this team needs to be doing. I don't care what the final 5 looks like, but they should be exploring every possible option and combination to get it right.

1) no idea how one could call Dawkins a cornerstone at this point 2) there are few hard and fast rules to this, but "get your best five on the field" is one of them. If that means moving Dawkins from a position at which he could be "just fine" to one where he can be a pro bowler, then that's absolutely appropriate

It was TB. He came in for a few plays at guard and mowed people down.

Forgot about Dre huh?

Well, depending upon your view, I took either the coward's way out or was bold as can be, since I said that I'd be happy drafting any of the top 5 QBs in round 1. My rankings were Rosen/Mayfield as 1A and 1B, followed by Darnold, Allen, and Jackson. For whatever it's worth, Allen has been exactly what I expected him to be: a big-play QB that often trusts his arm to make throws that shouldn't be made. He's still got a few minor mechanical issues to clean up, but in general, the ball goes where he wants it to go when he needs it to go there. His decision-making should come around with time, and he's obviously an athletic guy.

I believe that was weighted based upon their perceived ability to go get a guy. But regardless, I'm glad that they did what they did. And yes, the Denver trade was basically agreed upon already.

For anyone who cares: in case it wasn't confirmed by someone in the know earlier in this thread, the Bills had Darnold-Allen 1-2 on their board.

I think that--IF Nsehke stayed at LT AND the season started today--Waddle would start at RT. And I'd love to hear your justification for saying that Long and Teller would be better at tackle than Waddle.

Yeah, because a squad lead by Tyrod Taylor putting up a top-10 offense definitely was an example of piss-poor coaching, as was leading a defense with zero pass rush to a #2 ranking last year.

If Nsehke stays at LT, then I'd imagine it'll be: Nsekhe-Dawkins-Morse-Competition-Waddle --and that's assuming they don't draft a RT. I'd be thrilled if they took a guy like Yodny in round 3 to play RT, but not so hot about a RT at 9 unless they planned to flip him to LT eventually

I'm all for it really. I think that puts him in the best position to make the most game-impacting plays. Of course, that doesn't mean that you can't use him as an off-ball 'backer too. In fact, being able to do so can make it easier to disguise the belly of your defense so that QBs will have a harder time centering their protection calls and option routes around a key in the back 7.

As a scouting friend of mine would say: "the kid's got juice as a pass rusher". He can definitely get after it. He's an effective blitzer on his own, but when he's used as a +1 EDGE rusher, he's devastating. If you can, go back and watch him as a +1 EDGE against Miami in week 17--Gase tried to block him with a TE, and Edmunds had Tannehill on the ground in less than 2.5 seconds.

He had a great year in terms of TDs...his yardage was somewhere around 40th in the league, but yeah, he's at least an argument that someone could make. That said, would you consider Ebron--with his 1 year of elite TD production for a team that didn't draft him--a guy that was worth a top-10 pick?

That would be a heck of a tier-2 signing IMO. His snap counts have increased every year--played over 600 snaps in 2018. He also looked the part of a reliable interior pass rusher.

I'm sure that there will be some measure of that. The way to beat them is to stay ahead of their adjustments...you almost need to have one person on your staff that dedicates his entire career to Patriots-based QC.

Yes, I said that they'll miss the snaps that those guys contributed. Brown played over 40% of the team's defensive snaps, and Shelton played 30%. Now, they brought in Pennel, who can probably take Shelton's snaps, but we aren't talking about a world-beater there...and Butler showed some ability to rush the passer, but his run D was an abomination for the most part.