2018 NFL Draft: The Dean of the Defense

Welcome to the 2018 edition of my thoughts on this draft class. I’ll be posting these twice a week for both offense and defense.

EDGE / DE

- Lorenzo Carter (Georgia) is a looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane aka the Kevin Dodd to me. To his benefit, he stuck around the program even with all the turmoil going on with the DC. It appears that Kirby Smart and Mel Tucker finally unlocked his potential.

- Darius Leonard (South Carolina State) is a sleeper. Massive amounts of production that Jon Robinson would love. He’s been flying up the boards this offseason. He’s good.

- Arden Key (LSU) has more red flags than the entire Chinese and former Soviet Union combined. No thank you. Talented athlete but the off field issues and lackluster Pro Day turns me off. Randy Gregory 2.0. Sorry, Greenlaw.

- Duke Ejiofor (Wake Forest) is really underrated thanks to the talented edge rushers above him in the same conference and Wake isn’t exactly a powerhouse in the ACC. He’s good.

- Tyquan Lewis (Ohio State) could be a steal for someone in the third or later. He’s been a Buckeye for at least 6 years it seems. Just a solid reliable guy who does the little things right. A player who does the dirty work for his teammates to shine.

- Marcell Frazier (Missouri). Sheldon Richardson or Michael Sam (the on field stuff only)? We will have to see but I think he’s somewhere in between. He led the SEC in sacks this past year for a reason. He can be a camp body at the least.

DT

- Tim Settle (Virginia Tech) has some weight issues that he needs to take care of. That’s the only thing holding him back.

- Bilal Nichols (Delaware) is another name to watch out for in a very talented tackle class that is legitimately 20 deep in terms of draftable talent. He’s a beast.

- Trenton Thompson (Georgia) is an intriguing talent that was a former five star recruit but never really put it together until late in his career.

ILB

- Genard Avery (Memphis) has been getting a lot of love due to his offseason process. He intrigues me a lot. Further research is needed.

- Azeem Victor (Washington) is a great talent but a major headache off the field. The medical history isn’t too bright either. He suffered a season ending leg injury in 2016 and was ultimately relieved of his duties at Washington aka the Marcus Peters. No Bueno.

- Shaun Dion Hamilton (Alabama) just can’t stay healthy. Poor guy. He’s had the worst injury luck I’ve ever seen outside of Marcus Lattimore. I really like him as a prospect.

- Could the UCLA linebacker pipeline to Nashville stay open with Kenny Young?

OLB

- Kemeko Turay (Rutgers) is good, folks. Could he be in play for the Titans? We shall see.

- Skai Moore (South Carolina) is just a football player regardless of measureables. He’s a production monster and fits what Robinson looks for in that regard.

- I wouldn’t mind it if the Titans took a hard look at local product Oren Burks (Vanderbilt). Zach Cunningham he is not.

CB

- I’m all for giving guys second chances but Mike Hughes (UCF) and M.J. Stewart (UNC) pulled a Tretola and Tajae while in college so no go for me. I’m sure they were grilled on the issue by teams. Both are talented prospects.

- Nick Nelson (Wisconsin) could’ve been a sleeper pick prior to suffering a knee injury at a workout. *cue prospects that will declare that they will sit out workouts). Hopefully he turns out ok.

- Quenton Meeks (Stanford). I’m a fan. He’s not quite college Richard Sherman but is built similarly to him.

- Speaking of big and long physical corners, Isaac Yiadom (Boston College) is another one that I’m a fan of.

- Donte Jackson (LSU) is a speed threat for sure. He ran a blistering 4.32 before pulling up with cramps at the Combine. Could we see a Jackson and Jackson secondary in the near future?

S

- The safety class overall is very lackluster in terms of depth. That being said, the top is pretty solid.

- I’m a huge fan of Jessie Bates III (Wake Forest) after watching more Wake Forest games.

- If there was a time to take a safety early for the Titans, Justin Reid (Stanford) is that dude. He’s also met with the team.

- Kameron Kelly (San Diego State) is a guy I’ve been keeping tabs on occasion throughout the 2017 season and 2018 offseason. He’s a big and physical force that played corner but will likely find a place at safety.

- Kyzir White (West Virginia) has virtually disappeared from the radar. He’s a good playmaker. Talented safety prospect.

- I have 0 interest in DeShon Eliott (Texas) due to his litany of off field stuff that led to his dismissal from the Longhorns.

- Tre Flowers (Oklahoma State) could be someone to keep an eye on late in the process. The experience and measureables add up to being a solid roster filler type of guy.