(12-01-2021, 04:48 AM)Bullseye Wrote: Looking through the various mock draft sites, I kept seeing his name.  I hadn't seen much of Utah this year, though they kicked Oregon sideways a couple of weeks back.  Utah doesn't have a long history of producing LBs, though they have started to produce better athletes over the years, so I decided to give him a look.

I'm not entirely sure what to think of him in terms of scheme fit.

I see a guy with very good athletic ability who works well in space.  He has the potential and athletic ability to be one of the best cover LBs to come into the league since Luke Kuechly.  He seems to have good hands to make INTs, which makes some sense given he played WR and S in high school.

But I also see a guy who doesn't provide thump when he takes on linemen.  In fact, he seems to get engulfed by them, and once he's engaged, you can forget him shedding.  But not being overly familiar with Utah, I'm wondering what they are doing with him scheme wise.  From what little I've seen, they don't try to free him up when blitzing.  They will move him around and allow him to rush from different positions on the front, including with his hand down on the edge, but they seem to always run him straight into blockers, which leads me to the engulfed analysis.  None of the footage I have seen thus far shows Utah utilizing his athletic ability by bringing him free.

He's listed at 6-3, 235, but as I said, he doesn't seem to be a run stuffer.  He seems to pursue really well though.

Though the Jaguars could certainly use better coverage from its ILBs, I am not sure he's a fit as a 3-4 ILB.  I'm thinking he will thrive in a 4-3 where he's protected by DTs, or in a scheme that is a creative blitzing team that enables blitzers to come free-and that's us.  He came into college as a 205 lb Freshman.  Can he add any more weight?

For those of you who have seen him, what are your thoughts?  I haven't fully formulated my opinion of him just yet.  If you watch Utah closely, what can you tell me of their scheme that might give me insight to this guy?

Devin Lloyd has been the #1 ILB from before the season began and he's done nothing to make me think otherwise. I love this guy. The problem is that I believe he's gonna be selected at the bottom half of the first round. If we somehow landed him, I'd be ecstatic. He's a great sideline to sideline player and he has very good coverage ability, which is something we desperately need. I know in most mocks he's battling it out with Georgia's Nakobe Dean as the first ILB to be taken. I love Dean's production as well, but I don't think Dean has the size to play ILB in a 3-4 scheme in the NFL. You can get away with being smaller and playing that position in college, but in the pros it's much different. I also really, really like Mike Rose of Iowa State. He is a big "thumper" in the middle and he has excellent coverage ability as well. He had 5 interceptions in 2020 and now opposing QB's don't throw anywhere near him. Lloyd may not have ideal size for a 3-4 ILB, but if his billed size is accurate, he's not too far off and I believe he could easily play effectively in the NFL at his current size.

I know Utah runs a 4-3 scheme, but imo, Lloyd is way more adaptable to a 3-4 scheme change than Myles Jack was. Lloyd is so much more instinctive and just seems to have a nose for finding the football. If Utah lined him up solely at at MLB and let him go, I believe he would be even better. Sometimes coaches can't see the "forest through the trees" and try to get too innovative with an athletic player like Lloyd. Just let him do what he does best. Mike Rose comes from a 3-3-5 scheme and is extremely instinctive as well and shows a lot of the same traits. That's been the problem with Myles Jack. He has all the athleticism in the world, but he lacks the natural instincts to be an effective ILB. He needs to be on the outside in a 4-3 scheme. 

I really believe 200% that we need a new pair of starting ILB's. One "thumper" who can help stuff the run and one for much needed help in coverage. Both should have some coverage ability though. We don't have one decent ILB starting for us right now. Myles Jack needs to be traded in the offseason, because he's being totally wasted in the 3-4 scheme and he's a liability. 

If we could somehow get a pair of linebackers like Lloyd and Rose, I believe it will make a world of difference for our defense. With that said, I highly doubt that it happens. I believe Lloyd goes late round 1 and Rose should go no later than mid round 3.

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