Quote:
Originally Posted by staylor26
DJ, I must be the only guy that doesn’t love Ferguson on CP. Don’t get me wrong, when he was a 2nd rounder I liked the value, but I just don’t see the bend or athleticism of a 1st round edge rusher. I saw a lot of crease sacks, and not many “quick wins” on tape.
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I'm okay with him. I think it's Crow that's really after him. I'm just saying that the production will stand out for NFL front offices.
Where I'd like him in this defense is that strong-side DE that's less of a pure pass rusher. Those TFL figures are exceptional; the dude just makes a hash of things for opposing offenses. He has good length, he's physical, has a solid motor, looks to play with good core strength. He has solid technique; good hand-fighting skills from what I could see. He'd be a nice strong-side 5-tech here.
I kinda think we need to get away from the 'edge' analysis we have been doing for so long that relies on explosion and athleticism. Sure, when you're looking at stand-up OLB's or wide-9 kind of ends, explosion and bend are crucial. But if you're looking at that 4-3 under with the wider split on the strong side, you need a guy that can do a little more to control the line of scrimmage and be physical. This guy isn't an edge like we're used to - he's going to be used differently here. But we also shouldn't look at him through that same lens.
In the right role, I think Ferguson could be pretty good for us. He'd be a replacement for Houston as the 'heavy' 5-tech on the strong side.
Then again, we kinda have that already in Speaks. I don't care for Speaks, but I think he can be okay in that role. I think Ferguson could be a lot better, but it's still not where I'd go with my 1st.
It's not the best use of capital, IMO. I wouldn't go that route in the 1st and like you would consider it in the 2nd.