Quote:Which is why my comment on Fowler was "good enough is good enough" if he has the instincts and work ethic. Fowler has it, so to me, that he has the requisite athleticism at the age of 20 is good enough when you factor in the instinct, the motor, tenacity, and versatility I saw in him.

 

As far as Beasley not measuring up to the numbers, I disagree. There's only one number that doesn't show...and that's his bench (and I guess his increased weight). Otherwise, his athleticism, his bend, his get off...all of those I saw when I watched him play. But as I've said here many times, the LEO, while its the glorified pass rusher in our defense, it does need to hold up against the run too. That's my biggest concern with Beasley.

 

I go back and forth between these two for this reason. 

 

The reason I prefer Beasley is that he has something that we just don't have on our roster.  Explosive pass-rushing.  Even if he's just a situational pass rusher (like Ryan Davis or Branch were), he could get 10+ sacks even in his rookie year IMO.  Then you give him a year to develop into an adequate run stopper.  If he's 6'3" and 250-255 (in a year) that will be almost the same size as Clemons, with significantly more explosion and speed.  THAT would be the perfect LEO.  Whereas Fowler, IMO may develop into Clemons from 3 years ago and that could be his ceiling, simply because athletically I think he will be limited.  Beasley could get a bunch of sacks in his career simply by being faster than anyone out there, the same can not be said about Fowler.

 

Dante Fowler just hasn't shown me enough in terms of pass rushing to warrant this high of a selection.  Yes, he plays with passion and has a great motor.  He can be pretty good at a lot of things.  But nothing about him is "rare" or special, IMO.  

 

If you look at Ryan Davis on this team, you see the same size as Fowler, similar athletic ability, and they will probably be used similarly as well.  Davis is already a nice pass-rusher for this team, so what would Fowler reasonably add?  Yes, I know Fowler is younger and has a higher ceiling, but it's just something to think about.

 

That's just how I see it.  It may turn out completely differently, and there may be a good reason why Fowler is almost always ranked ahead of Beasley as the "edge" by most draft sites I see.  

---