OK lets see it

[bdeg]

Originally Posted by Saccogoo

Perhaps the NFL decision makers feel that Curry is better than the others and justifies a top three pick? That he transcends what is generally considered a position of less importance, at least when drafting unproven college players.



In the past ten years, here are your top 3 rushers:

1998: Andre Wadsworth
1999: N/A
2000: Courtney Brown, Lavarr Arrington
2001: N/A
2002: Julius Peppers
2003: N/A
2004: N/A
2005: N/A
2006: Mario Williams
2007: N/A
2008: Chris Long

Whoops. Wait a minute. You said linebackers. Okay. So scratch Wadsworth, Brown, Peppers, Williams and Long from that list.

So in the past ten years, the NFL decision makers thought that only Lavarr Arrington was worth a top three NFL draft pick. I wonder if they feel that the rush backer position is a position of little importance considering that there has only been one outside linebacker taken in the top three in the past ten years?

I'm not sure how only Arrington translates into "quite a few" though...hmmmm.



Because the MLB must have the knowledge to quickly recognize the offensive sets and call adjustments to them quickly. They also have to possess excellent instincts as they are responsible for finding the ball on every play and stopping the play as quickly as possible. They have to be athletic enough to support both the run and the pass, and cover tight ends, receivers and backs. Their area of responsibility on the field is much greater than other positions.

A rush end has one simple task. Get the quarterback. If they do it but once a game, they are considered a great success. A defensive tackle, depending upon the scheme is basically required to tie up blockers to allow the more athletic players to make plays. It's not asking much for a big fat dude to stand in the middle of the field and waddle towards another big fat dude. However, a ILB is requried to do so much more. And that's why I consider it a position of high importance on the defensive side of the ball.

Rush backers were previously considered tweeners. If a DE who could rush was too small, he would drop down boards until a 3-4 team picked him up. These guys aren't going to drop as far with so many more 3-4 teams, the need for these guys has gone up. Their value has always been high, look at the contract Adalius Thomas signed.

That said, I don't advocate reaching for an olb if they really believe it's much of a reach.