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INDIANAPOLIS ?Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard

PostPosted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 8:37 pm
by liny195
was disappointed when his name didn’t appear on the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster Tuesday night.Now the league’s leading tackler intends to make all future opponents pay for the perceived snub.“He told me he’d have 40 tackles this week Authentic Deandre Baker Jersey , and I told him that’s humanly impossible,” tight end Eric Ebron said Wednesday.But if the Colts (8-6) have learned anything about their star rookie, it’s not to discount anything he says.When South Carolina State played Clemson in 2016, Leonard had 19 tackles against the eventual national champs and his childhood favorite, which never offered him a scholarship. His performance that day earned him the nickname “Maniac” around campus, a nickname he still clings to, and put him on the radar of Colts general manager Chris Ballard.Throughout the draft process, he heard from the critics again. This time they were questioning the level of competition he faced in college; how long it would take to make the transition from FCS to the NFL; and whether Ballard reached when he took Leonard at No. 36 overall, four picks into the second round, in April.Others questioned whether missing all of the Colts’ spring and summer workouts because of a bad hamstring would slow him down this season.Leonard has proved all of them wrong.Despite missing one game, at New England, he continues to lead the league with 146 tackles and needs 15 over the final two games to break Jeff Herrod’s single-season franchise record (160), a mark that has stood since 1991. And if Leonard’s play matches the hype, Herrod’s record could go down Sunday against the New York Giants (5-9).“It adds more fuel to the fire,” Leonard said when asked about missing the Pro Bowl. “It gives me more reason to go out and keep fighting. With everything I did and knowing it’s still not enough, I’ve got to put more on my resume.”Leonard views it as more of a promise than a warning and it fits his personality.While he revels in the underdog role, he routinely plays with a chip on his shoulder and continually sets his standards high. His goal each week is to get 25 tackles and he’s finished in double digits in seven of the Colts’ 14 games. He’s tied with Carolina’s Luke Kuechly for the most games with 10 or more tackles this season.But what the Colts have found in Leonard is much more than a tackling machine.His seven sacks are third-most100View Gallery Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehtaby a Colts rookie Deandre Baker Jersey Boys , trailing only Dwight Freeney (13) and Vernon Maxwell (7). Dee Ford, Khalil Mack and J.J. Watt 鈥?all Pro Bowlers 鈥?are the only players this season to force more fumbles than Leonard (4). He also has 12 tackles for loss, six passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.Andrew Luck spotted the potential almost from the first moment Leonard suited up for Indy. At the first training camp practice, Leonard made a leaping, acrobatic interception of the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.“I’ll be honest, the first couple of training camp practices I said ‘My goodness, he’s not supposed to be that fast and play linebacker,'” Luck recalled. “And then he went up for that interception and came down with it, and I just said ‘My goodness.'”Luck appreciates that he won’t have to contend with Leonard in a meaningful game. The rest of the league won’t be as fortunate.“I want to go out there every week and make every tackle,” Leonard said. “I like to set a crazy goal, so each week if it’s not 25 (tackles), I’m mad at myself.” LSU’s Devin White is atop most linebacker depth charts, but what kind of player is he?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections New York Giants NewsGiants Training Camp 2016Giants vs. Eagles 2015, Week 172019 NFL DraftIs Devin White the linebacker the Giants have been searching for?New,75commentsLSU’s Devin White is atop most linebacker depth charts, but what kind of player is he?EDTShareTweetShareShareIs Devin White the linebacker the Giants have been searching for?Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY SportsThe New York Giants have not drafted a linebacker in the first round for longer than many Giants fans have been alive. The last time the Giants selected a linebacker in the first round was Carl Banks in 1984, a full thirty-five years ago. A year ago they traded with the Los Angeles Rams for former first round linebacker Alec Ogletree Infant Deandre Baker Jersey , paying just a fourth round pick but taking on a massive contract in the process. And unfortunately, Ogletree has not been the solution for the Giants’ linebacking woes that many Giants fans hoped he would be. But sitting at the top of the draft, the Giants might have the opportunity to draft a productive linebacker with an elite athletic profile in Devin White out of LSU. White has risen up draft boards throughout the draft process, capped by a fantastic workout at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. But White is not without his faults, but would they be enough to scare the Giants away at sixth overall?MeasurablesProsExtremely athletic. Legitimate sideline-to-sideline ability. Has the ability to run with most receiving options. Thick, powerful build. Very active linebacker. Always in motion and in pursuit.Active communicator before the snap. Shows off explosiveness coming downhill. Flashes the ability to use his athleticism to beat blockers.Played a variety of linebacker positions and covered slot receivers.ConsToo easily fooled by deception and misdirection. Too much wasted motion after the snap.Processing speed is a question. Too often takes bad angles as a tackler. Lacks a plan as a pass rusher. Gets hung up on blockers too often.Note: It bears mentioning that White was arrested twice at age 17, before enrolling at LSU. The first was for having consensual sex with a 14-year old, resulting in a misdemeanor charge. The second was for “careless operation of a motor vehicle and flight from an officer.”Numbers Of NoteStatistics from Dan PizzutaWhite had 20.5 run stuffs per Football Study Hall, the third most among this off-ball linebacker class behind West Virginia’s David Long (30) and Utah’s Chase Hansen (27.5).White’s three forced fumbles rank second in this class behind Washington’s Ben Burr-Kirven (4).Per Sports Info Solutions, White allowed 69.9 percent of his 23 targets to be completed for 7.3 yards per target. The yards per target mark is the fourth-worst among the top-25 linebackers.However, his six passes defensed was tied for the most among this obLB classWhite blitzed on 22.7 percent of his pass snaps, per SIS, and had a pressure rate of 24.8 percent, both marks were among the position leaders.Prospect VideoWhat They’re Saying - Joe Marino (The Draft Network - Scouting Report) Does He Fit The Giants?First, let’s address the legal and character questions: NFL teams will be doing their due diligence in digging in to every prospect’s background and character. If White’s history is the result of bad decisions and not maliciousness, and he has matured past them as a young man, then they aren’t likely to be red flags for NFL teams. However Deandre Baker Jersey Draft , if there have been other minor incidents or warning signs that we don’t know about, the NFL will have to take that into consideration and every team decide how comfortable they are with the potential risk. As I sit here, I don’t know, and I am not passing judgement. I would hope that he was just an idiot -- as 17 year olds tend to be. The only fair thing I can do is evaluate White based on the tape he has produced.Athletically speaking, White should fit in any defensive scheme in the NFL, and if he doesn’t, that scheme should probably be revised. That being said, he might not be a seamless fit in the Giants’ defense as it stands now -- primarily because of the presence of Alec Ogletree. White’s best fit in the Giants’ defense would be as the weak-inside linebacker, where he can use his athleticism in pursuit, in space as a coverage player on running backs and tight ends, or as a blitzer. However, that is the position played by Ogletree, who is not only the defensive signal caller but also very highly paid. There is also the question of what kind of player you are getting in White. At first blush, he looks like a defensive coordinator put him together using a create-a-player, after entering a cheat code. Perhaps an inch or two below “desired” height, but by no means undersized, with explosive power Deandre Baker NFL Jersey , loose hips, and speed to burn, White has every physical tool you could ask for. However, his mental game does not appear to be nearly as developed as his physical abilities. Far too often White is baited by the offense and taken out of the play or simply frozen while he sorts out where the ball is going. Compounding the issue is a habit of taking poor angles to the football, often running to where an offensive player is rather than putting himself where they will be.White does flash the ability to use his athleticism to slip past blockers as a pass rusher, using his arms and loose hips to get past them in a blink. More often White comes downhill like he was fired out of a cannon when his number is called for a blitz. But like a cannonball, his only option when he hits an obstacle is to go through it. Similarly, too often he fails to truly stack and shed blockers, instead trying to rely on his explosive power and athleticism to bull them over, and he can wind up hung up on blockers as the ball carrier runs past. And this is the question with White. While his athletic profile and flashes suggest an elite prospect and perennial All-Pro, his mental game is not there yet. The team that drafts him must be sure they can teach him proper technique taking on blockers and squaring to tackle, as well as coach up the mental aspect of his game. Luke Kuechley is still the gold standard for inside linebacker play in the NFL, and while he is an elite athlete, it is his sky-high football IQ and instincts that border on prescience that make him great. White DID show growth in that area over the last two years, and that might be enough to give confidence that he will get there. But if he doesn’t, he could be a player that always leaves his team wanting more.