More fodder for message board discussion
 
Edge Rusher-Encompasses 4-3 DEs and 3-4 OLBs
1.        Bud Dupree-Tennessee-started slowly but developed well for Steelers.  Tacks hope he can provide the same for them.

2.       Josh Allen, OLB, Jacksonville-Who is he exactly?  Is he the promising rookie that produced 10.5 sacks in 2019, or Is he the guy whose production fell off the face of the earth when Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue were shipped elsewhere?  Moving to a 3-4 could help answer that question.

3.       Harold Landry, Tennessee-has his moments, but is seemingly the latest in a long list of edge rushing disappointments for Tennessee

4.       Shaq Lawson, Houston-I had high expectations for him coming out of Clemson, but for whatever reason, he has never been able to put it all together.  Has been moved up and down throughout his career.  I believe in Lovie Smith’s 4-3 Tampa 2, he will have his hand on the ground again.

5.       Denico Autry, Tennessee-doesn’t really fit here.  In Tennessee will likely be a 3-4 DE, not an edge rusher.  But is the best pass rusher remaining.  Sad state of the position in the division.

6.       K’Lavon Chaisson, Jacksonville-Not a huge fan of his.  He has more ability than his LSU predecessor in Barkevious Mingo, but thus far not more production.  I’m hoping using him in a 3-4 will boost his production.

7.       Whitney Mercilus, Houston-had a lot of promise early in his career.  I think if he played elsewhere, out of the shadow of Watt and Clowney, he could have been more prolific.  Now he is likely being moved to DE in Lovie Smith’s 4-3.  Best days behind him.

8.       Kwity Paye, Indianapolis-Has the tools to be great.  Being moved around in Michigan scheme diminished production.  If the Colts settle him in one spot he could flourish.  Ranks here solely because he is a rookue.  His selection shows Colts are losing patience with Turay.
 
Defensive Tackle/Nose Tackle
 
1.       DeForest Buckner, Indianapolis-brought his dominance from San Francisco’s dominant front to Indy to become their best D-Lineman.  Good size…long armed…can collapse the pocket and stuff the run.

2.        Jeffrey Simmons, Tennessee-recovered nicely from the knee injury that pushed him into the mid first round.  Good movement and quickness as he is disruptive and commands double teams.

3.       Malcolm Brown, Jaguars-comes over from New Orleans where he helped anchor a strong run defense.     

4.       DaVon Hamilton, Jacksonville-Showeda lots of promise as a rookie.  Has very good size to hold the point and movement.  Could play all across a 3 man DL.

5.       Brandon Dunn, Houston-Steady but unspectacular.  A step down from D.J. Reader.

6.       Grover Stewart, Indianapolis-has thrived next to Buckner to help form a good duo inside.
 
MLB/ILB
1.          Zach Cunningham, Houston-not much left of the Houston front 7.  Still a good player.

2.       Myles Jack, Jacksonville-a fantastic athlete at the position whi has struggled to find a LB home.  Is now moving inside.  Unsure how well suited he is to it.

3.       Rashaan Evans, Tennessee-experienced inside and a good player.

4.       Jayron Brown, Tennessee

5.       Joe Schobert, Jacksonville-Smart and steady.
 
OLB-This  category encompasses the all around OLBs not just the 3-4 OLB/edge rushers.
 
1.        Darius Leonard, Indianapolis-not very big, but very fast.  Excels in pursuit and coverage.  Great player.

2.       Josh Allen, Jacksonville-the rare talent who could be an edge rusher, stop the run, and drop effortlessly into coverage.

3.       Bobby Okereke, Indianapolis-a very athletic LB and teams with Leonard to make Indy’s defense the best in the division.
 
Cornerbacks
1.        Xavier Rhodes, Indianapolis.  Came from Minnesota and brought his game with him.  A very good and solid player for the Colts.

2.       Bradley Roby, Houston-fast player.  Good cover guy.

3.       Shaq Griffin, Jacksonville-Developed nicely over in Seattle.  Has good strength and speed to excel in man coverage.

4.       C.J. Henderson, Jaguars-started off like an All Pro but then fell off after that.  If he can be more consistent and get a pass rush in front of him, can be a fine corner.

5.        Vernon Hargreaves, Houston-nowhere near what he was expected to be coming out of Florida.

6.       Rock Ya Sin, Indianapolis

7.       Caleb Farley, Tennessee-ranks here due to his status as a rookie.  Medical concerns don’t help.  Has lots of ability.

8.       Tyson Campbell, Jacksonville-rookie second rounder.  Looks like he will be tried at nickel.

9.       Elijah Molden, Tennessee.  Another rookie in revamped Tack secondary.

Free Safety
 
1.        Kevin Byards, Tennessee-Pro bowl caliber player.  Best in the division.

2.       Justin Reid, Houston

3.       Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis

4.       Rayshawn Jenkins, Jacksonville-Played SS with the Chargers when Derwin James got hurt.  I'm guessing he will move to FS in the Jaguars scheme...but it's just a guess.
 
Strong Safety

1.        Kenny Vaccaro, Titans.  Former first round pick…decent to good…not great.

2.       Colts- Khari Wilson                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

3.  Texans-Lonnie Johnson

4.       Andre Cisco, Jacksonville-ranks here because he is a rookie.  Recovering from ACL injury.  Good all around game with physicality and ball skills.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Well done. I think Allen is better suited in a 34 but there’s no denying that Campbell helped his numbers. And I’m excited to see Cisco play. He’s gonna lay wood.

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Good post, but too much info to process on my first coffee of the day.  I'll check back in after my second cup.

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.

I think Cisco takes over at FS not SS with his range, ball skills and play making ability. The new eraser. Also give me Jack over Cunningham

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Well done. I think Allen is better suited in a 34 but there’s no denying that Campbell helped his numbers. And I’m excited to see Cisco play. He’s gonna lay wood.

I'm not sure what excites me more about Cisco.  He has the knack for the hard hit.  Not quite DD hard hitting, but good for a SS, and seemingly the most physical S we've had since DD.  But his range and hands for the INT are also something I like a lot.  I can't recall a Jaguars' S with that combination of strengths.  I just hope the knee injury doesn't sap his speed.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

I think Cisco takes over at FS not SS with his range, ball skills and play making ability.  The new eraser.  Also give me Jack over Cunningham

You may be right on both of these points.

I was totally unsure where to put the safeties.  Cisco and Jenkins could easily be flipped.  Had the Texans not traded McKinney, he'd be ranked atop the ILB rankings.  Cunningham is good enough athletically, but it'll be interesting to see if Lovie Smith and co deem him a fit for that Tampa 2 MLB position.  I expect the Texans to phase him out by next year.  As for Jack, his success will depend on the play at NT.  If Brown and Hamilton are successful at keeping interior 3 OL off of him, Jack could be awesome inside.  If not, and he has to take on a bunch of those linemen, I could see him wearing down and his athleticism becoming less of a factor.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Hey Bullseye, it takes a ton of time to put these lists together. Just wanted to say thank you and keep up the great reads. I would love to see where you rank the QBs, RBs, TE, and CBs

Dead Zone time

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Hey Bullseye, it takes a ton of time to put these lists together. Just wanted to say thank you and keep up the great reads. I would love to see where you rank the QBs, RBs, TE, and CBs

Dead Zone time

https://www.duvalpride.com/showthread.ph...pid1379761

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Bullseye, as much as I am in favor of the switch to a 3-4 defense, it appears you share one of my concerns. The guy who is currently our best defensive player (Jack) may be a poor fit. Hopefully his athleticism and talent will allow him to adapt without a serious dropoff in play.

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Bullseye, as much as I am in favor of the switch to a 3-4 defense, it appears you share one of my concerns.  The guy who is currently our best defensive player (Jack) may be a poor fit.  Hopefully his athleticism and talent will allow him to adapt without a serious dropoff in play.

Indeed, Jack's fit in a 3-4 has long been one of my concerns.  I had similar concerns when it came to Telvin Smith, Poz, and at NT.  One of the reasons Poz left Buffahole is because he didn't want to play in a 3-4.

The players aren't simply plug and play when you make a scheme switch like that.

If you look at Jack's history, first off he isn't comfortable calling the defensive signals, and moving him around so often can't help matters. Aside from that, his best years came after he was moved to will, where he could be protected and operate in space. He struggled most his rookie year when he was at Sam and later on when he was tried in the middle. As a 3-4 ILB, he won't have that luxury of playing in space much. He'll be inside, and while Brown is a good NT, I don't think he is one of the huge Ted Washington type NTs who can keep opposing OL off of Jack. I think constant hitting by opposing guards could take its toll on Jack.

I expect LB to be a big emphasis next offseason.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Good breakdown, Bullseye.
I'm another who expect's Cisco to be a FS.

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