Excellent stuff as always. I stumbled across that video last week on youtube and really saw some issues he had with struggle to stack and shed/set the edge. Your analysis simply reconfirmed what I had seen. These video reports are awesome - really enjoying them!
I'd be curious to see a breakdown of how Bart Scott and David Harris or even Jarod Mayo did this past year at stacking/shedding. Without comparing it to other players it's tough (for me) to see how inadequate someone is, but that's just me I guess. I mean, maybe he got blocked by an inordinate amount of OL due to the lack of ability on Mizzou's DL (he looked great IMO in the senior bowl for example). I don't know. I'm not saying he's for sure good enough to play ILB in a 3-4 or anywhere other than WLB in a cover 2, but it seems to me like he's talented enough to play more than just the one spot in one particular defense.
Tough evaluation Conu, Weatherspoon seems deficient in S.T.I, but is a good athlete, is it poor coaching? MO is not known for placing Lb's in the NFL. Avoiding contact is the kiss o' death for a Lb though, they have to thrive on hitting and being hit, if Spoon doesn't he is not going to wind up in Miami.
Well, we know that Scott will stick his head in, Lousaka Polite took it off in the famous highlight from the Jets game, but he will stick his head in. Scott actaully bends at the knees and brings his hips, Weatherspoon does not. Harris is also better at the POA, Harris can be victimzed in coverage and is a better in the box player IMO. Weatherspoon does not have any base when he's engaged, can't use his hands and has to peel off of blocks.
To me he's the opposite of Weatherspoon, Harris is out of element the farther away from the LOS he is, but if you let him stay in the box he can shut down a running game as he will stick his nose in and take on pulling guards etc. He'll do the dirty work. Weatherspoon would likely be on the ground more than he'd make plays if he was asked to fill a similar role.
What if he's asked to play like Jerod Mayo though? I always thought Mayo would be better in a 4-3 outside.
They are two completely different types of players. Jerod Mayo is a downhill linebacker who held his ground against blockers and played the run game very well at Tennessee. Weatherspoon is more of a coverage linebacker that plays the run like a pansy.
Good linebacker, but I wouldnt want to take him with our first rounder like some say. I can see him going in the later parts of round 1 though.
