Margus Hunt (DE) - The Estonian Beast (1 Viewer)

[Sardonios]

I admit I have seen no SMU games in their entirety but I have also not read one draft profile of Margus Hunt that suggest in any way shape or form that he takes plays off. I have read the weakness about his height working against him due to leverage but seen nothing that suggest he has a bad motor.

I wasn't suggesting that he had a bad motor. He plays with good effort. It's his awareness/instincts that stink. He's not getting blown up because he's not trying, he's getting blown up because he's playing high or using poor technique.

 

[RaisingTheBar]

That doesn't tell you how physical he is, though. He looks good on a few plays every game and then disappears, mainly because he plays high and often gets blown up. Go watch a couple of SMU games -- about one time in ten he destroys his guy; the other nine he looks lost or loses leverage and does nothing. He's a virtual non-presence against the run.

I wouldn't touch him in the top two rounds, even if we ran a 4-3, for which he's far better suited. There are too many guys available who are already good at football to take a freak who won't really understand his position until he's about 30 and starting to lose the very talent that made him worth drafting in the first place.

I wasn't suggesting that he had a bad motor. He plays with good effort. It's his awareness/instincts that stink. He's not getting blown up because he's not trying, he's getting blown up because he's playing high or using poor technique.

I have watched a few of SMU games (only 1 in its entirety) and what people need to realize is that he has been playing football for 3 years, not most of his life like a lot of these guys. It is still new to him.

 

[mrwrench77]

Did you watch the video, the kid plays mean and physical.

Highlight reels will make you look like a beast. He is intriguing for sure, I just worry that his height could also work agianst him in the leverage game.

 

[rail]

I'm definitely not a real technical football coach-type guy like others on the board, but the dude can definitely overpower O-lineman and even make them flat out whiff on blocks.

Looks pretty impressive.

 

[Sardonios]

I have watched a few of SMU games (only 1 in its entirety) and what people need to realize is that he has been playing football for 3 years, not most of his life like a lot of these guys. It is still new to him.

I understand why he's raw, but I care more that he's raw. His lack of experience is not an excuse, it's a flag. It's gonna take several years for him to catch up on the mental and technical aspects of the game. He's a 26-year-old rookie. Figure he's facing about the same learning curve that Galette saw, which I think is extremely generous. Two years before you can trust him to start, 3-4 before he's really a force. By then, the dude's 30, and his physical advantages, which are exactly what you're drafting this guy for, are starting to wane.

Like I said, wouldn't touch him in the first two rounds.

 

[rail]

I understand why he's raw, but I care more that he's raw. His lack of experience is not an excuse, it's a flag. It's gonna take several years for him to catch up on the mental and technical aspects of the game. He's a 26-year-old rookie. Figure he's facing about the same learning curve that Galette saw, which I think is extremely generous. Two years before you can trust him to start, 3-4 before he's really a force. By then, the dude's 30, and his physical advantages, which are exactly what you're drafting this guy for, are starting to wane.

Like I said, wouldn't touch him in the first two rounds.

Not arguing with you here re: The Rawness, but it brings up a question for me that I honestly don't know the answer to.

Does someone being raw in a DL position with an apparently superb set of physical skills matter that much? I mean, for the most part, the D-captain (LB) calls the play via a defensive coordinator. You either rush the passer, stuff the run, maybe drop back in coverage. The rest is all relying on those physical skills to accomplish those things. Doesn't seem like rocket science. We're not talking about a QB here. How much does The Rawness really affect someone's play at teh next level?

May need some TCUDan input on this.

 

[Swimmer]

In TV shows, the Estonians always play the roles of the tough, dirty Russian mob type guys.

BTW: whoever said 25 was old is probably still wearing diapers

 

[RaisingTheBar]

I understand why he's raw, but I care more that he's raw. His lack of experience is not an excuse, it's a flag. It's gonna take several years for him to catch up on the mental and technical aspects of the game. He's a 26-year-old rookie. Figure he's facing about the same learning curve that Galette saw, which I think is extremely generous. Two years before you can trust him to start, 3-4 before he's really a force. By then, the dude's 30, and his physical advantages, which are exactly what you're drafting this guy for, are starting to wane.

Like I said, wouldn't touch him in the first two rounds.

I've never once said he should go that high.

 

[RaginCajun83]

I was expecting to see high motor in that write up, are writers getting that lazy now they don't even add that, if somehow the Saints could trade up in the 2nd I'd be all for it. The window is closing, time to take a chance on someone that could make an impact on D

 

[Sardonios]

Not arguing with you here re: The Rawness, but it brings up a question for me that I honestly don't know the answer to.

Does someone being raw in a DL position with an apparently superb set of physical skills matter that much? I mean, for the most part, the D-captain (LB) calls the play via a defensive coordinator. You either rush the passer, stuff the run, maybe drop back in coverage. The rest is all relying on those physical skills to accomplish those things. Doesn't seem like rocket science. We're not talking about a QB here. How much does The Rawness really affect someone's play at teh next level?

May need some TCUDan input on this.

There's absolutely a major mental aspect to playing DE. You're reading run/pass, occupying a gap, helping your LBs make plays, etc. It's not as cerebral as, say, MLB, but there's a world of difference between an end who knows how to play the position and one who just knows how to get after the QB. Beyond that, though, technique is probably just as difficult to master. The linemen at the next level aren't going to be bullrushed or ripped as easily as CUSA and Mountain West tackles are. And even those guys swallowed him up more often than not this year -- watch his tape beyond his highlights.

 

[Sardonios]

I've never once said he should go that high.

I never once said that you did. My original post, which you replied to, was responding directly to the OP's question: should we take Hunt in the first round. In reiterating my opinion that he's not worth a first or second, I was emphasizing that this was the point of my earlier post.

 

[Saint_Ward]

He lifted 225 38 times. I think that was a combine best. This guy is not going to be pushed around my only concern is how many years we can get out of him. Obviously if his career only lasts 4-5 years then we have to decide how high of a pick is worth that.

NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Vernon Gholston

Read that and ask yourself how he was a bust?

I haven't watched the video (can't at work), so I'll gladly amend my statement after I watch that. I am just going off of what I heard.

Oh, and this. it's from 2011.

Oregon State DT Stephen Paea broke the NFL Scouting Combine’s 225-pound bench-press record Sunday with a stunning 49 repetitions. - See more at: http://blogs.nfl.com/2011/02/27/paea-shatters-combine-bench-press-mark/#sthash.RFE8SRpn.dpuf

 

[Kurgan]

Wouldn't touch him in the first 2-3 rounds.

 

[saint_cajun78]

He will probably go between the bottom of the sendond and top of the third and this is probably more to do with his age and the amount of years production you get with a guy like this.

 

[Ti Rider]

In TV shows, the Estonians always play the roles of the tough, dirty Russian mob type guys.

BTW: whoever said 25 was old is probably still wearing diapers

Well to put his age into perspective - he's two years older than Cam Jordan.