*****The Nick Bolton Thread*****

[Dante84]

More to come!

Bolton played in all 13 games as a true freshman (22 tackles, one sack) after earning Dallas Morning News first-team all-state honors at Lone Star High School (130 tackles, 16 for loss, five interceptions). He went from promising youngster to SEC star in 2019, earning first-team all-conference honors after leading the league with 8.9 tackles per game (107 total, 7.5 for loss), intercepting two passes and breaking up eight others in 12 starts. He was named second-team Associated Press All-American, first-team All-SEC and a Butkus Award finalist in 2020, leading his defense with 95 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss (including two sacks), while breaking up five passes in 10 starts. Bolton's father, Carlos, played football at Louisiana Tech. -- by Chad Reuter

Overview
When you think about strong, forceful inside linebackers, Bolton is the type of player you might be envisioning. He's going to fall below typical NFL starter standards from a size standpoint, but his rugged frame and forceful demeanor help make up for it. Play recognition and pursuit instincts help carry him to the football and he's a message-sending striker when he gets the runner squared up. He has functional short-area burst between the tackles but will struggle to run down the outside run if he's not close enough to the action. He will need to lean heavier on his instincts to help speed him up because of size and speed limitations. Bolton plays with good field recognition when dropping into zone and has a history of making plays on the football in coverage. He's a three-down linebacker who can make an immediate contribution on special teams and has the potential to become a future starter.
Strengths

• Very tough with a physical edge.
• Plays with demeanor teams look for in the middle.
• Field-savvy with instincts to diagnose misdirection.
• Identifies and communicates.
• Heavy hands with good pop to take on blocks.
• Pursues ball-carrier with patience and leverage.
• Fluid alterations to his pursuit angles.
• Excellent feel for attack timing downhill.
• Meets runners with violent collisions in the hole.
• Strikes like he's trying to send a message.
• Great awareness and ballhawking as spot dropper.
• Has enough man-cover talent to play on all three downs.
• Thrived on kick- and punt-cover teams early in his career.

Weaknesses

• Average lateral quickness traps him behind climbing blocks.
• Inconsistent to strike and separate from blockers.
• Needs to improve angles to elude box traffic.
• Might need to take a few more chances as a pro.
• Top-end speed appears below average.
• Loses ground when pursuit flows wide.
• Below-average lateral agility as open-field tackler.
• Will have to play quicker to deal with NFL slashers.

.@_nickbolton2 gets the call from One Arrowhead Drive �� pic.twitter.com/1XgaCeBy8R

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 1, 2021

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by tredadda

Since it appears like Bolton is filling in for Gay, I am curious as to how Spags uses him once Gay returns.

The hope: He plays well enough to give them confidence in relegating Niemann to the 11th circle of Hell.

The reality: Even if Bolton plays well, Niemann still gets snaps at his/Gay's expense.

[RunKC]

Watching this guy again and he’s really starting to grow. He had another TFL as well as a “no gain” stop yesterday. That was after having 2 TFL’s last week. So he’s got 5 TFL’s in 6 games.

He’s our best tackler IMO. The guy knows how to wrap up and simply doesn’t miss often. And he is very smart. Watching him pre-snap he can tell the formation and what angles he’s gonna need.

No he’s no super athletic but playing in the middle doesn’t require that.

I think this guy was definitely a hit and will be a rock solid productive player for a long time. And again this is from someone who didn’t like the pick when it was made

[Rain Man]

It's a relatively low bar, but I feel like Bolton is our best linebacker right now.

[Dante84]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Watching this guy again and he’s really starting to grow. He had another TFL as well as a “no gain” stop yesterday. That was after having 2 TFL’s last week. So he’s got 5 TFL’s in 6 games.

He’s our best tackler IMO. The guy knows how to wrap up and simply doesn’t miss often. And he is very smart. Watching him pre-snap he can tell the formation and what angles he’s gonna need.

No he’s no super athletic but playing in the middle doesn’t require that.

I think this guy was definitely a hit and will be a rock solid productive player for a long time. And again this is from someone who didn’t like the pick when it was made

Yep, I thought to myself that it looked like he was learning & reading plays faster than he was earlier this season.

I hope he continues and grows into a stud later this season or after next year's offseason.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

It's a relatively low bar, but I feel like Bolton is our best linebacker right now.

He is, and it's not particularly close, primarily because Willie Gay isn't 100% yet.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by RunKC

He’s our best tackler IMO. The guy knows how to wrap up and simply doesn’t miss often. And he is very smart.

He is a sure tackler, which is a breath of fresh air. Probably our surest tackler since.. idk, maybe Eric Berry back in 2016? Been a long time.

I just wish he was faster/more athletic.

[saphojunkie]

Amazing how our defense looked 100x better with our our last three second round picks in starting roles.

Simply amazing.

I am amazed.

[Perineum Ripper]

Wasn’t there some dumbass in here saying he was a shoestring tackler, not athletic and wouldn’t be very good?

[JakeF]

Bolton looks like a quality starter for us. We need him badly.

Can we get 2 more LB's just like Bolton, please?

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by mac459

Wasn’t there some dumbass in here saying he was a shoestring tackler, not athletic and wouldn’t be very good?

Who’s said that lol. Didn’t the dude lead the SEC in tackles one year?


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[staylor26]

Originally Posted by mac459

Wasn’t there some dumbass in here saying he was a shoestring tackler, not athletic and wouldn’t be very good?

I believe that was Tribal Warfare.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

It's a relatively low bar, but I feel like Bolton is our best linebacker right now.

He really is. It's clear that he's a football player and not an athlete trying to play football.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by mac459

Wasn’t there some dumbass in here saying he was a shoestring tackler, not athletic and wouldn’t be very good?

Bolton has never been a "shoestring tackler."

[Perineum Ripper]

Originally Posted by staylor26

I believe that was Tribal Warfare.

After reading back through the thread, this is the correct answer. To his credit at one point he said Bolton would be solid. Then went on to say up and down role player was his expectation and people were stupid for expecting All Pro. Didn’t see anyone saying All Pro was their expectations

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by mac459

After reading back through the thread, this is the correct answer. To his credit at one point he said Bolton would be solid. Then went on to say up and down role player was his expectation and people were stupid for expecting All Pro. Didn’t see anyone saying All Pro was their expectations

But using pick 58 on him leads to those expectations. Because off ball LBs aren't high positional value you need a high level of production to make the pick worth it.