Pro Football Focus: LVE Elite Against the Run

[ItzKelz]

I see a lot of fans criticizing LVE for his run stopping ability. I'm not sure where that narrative began but here is what the guys over at PFF had to say about the kid and how he graded against other LB's in his draft class.

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

He had one of the lowest TFL %s of draftable off ball LBs.

Roquan's was nearly double LVE's. That haa been one of the statistics that best indicates success at the next level.

He absolutely improved as the year went on, and his bowl game was one for the ages, but there are legitiment concerns about his anticipation in the run game.

 

[Hennessy_King]

Lol watch this dude take on blocks and you might feel a little differently.

 

[ItzKelz]

He had one of the lowest TFL %s of draftable off ball LBs.

Roquan's was nearly double LVE's. That haa been one of the statistics that best indicates success at the next level.

He absolutely improved as the year went on, and his bowl game was one for the ages, but there are legitiment concerns about his anticipation in the run game.

So having the highest Run Stopping Percentage in the entire nation means nothing?

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

So having the highest Run Stopping Percentage in the entire nation means nothing?

I didn't say that, but I also don't know where they're getting that from.

In order for him to have one of the lowest TFL %s & the highest run-stop %s, that'd mean that the amount of tackles he made within 0-3 yards from the LOS would have to account for an ungodly amount of his tackles. That seems unlikely. I like PFFs stats, so I'm going to assume they aren't making this up, but it jist seems very very unlikely.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say his TFL % improved dramatically towards the end of the season. And if it wasn't a weekend I'd do the math myself from game logs. If we get late season LVE then I don't think he will have many issues against the run other than detaching from blocks.

 

[Hennessy_King]

So having the highest Run Stopping Percentage in the entire nation means nothing?

He played at boise state and never had to fight through blocks. With his physical size he doesn't even hit hard. No killer instinct. Watch the kid take on blocks it's awful

 

[zrinkill]

Great to hear ........ I think the kid is gonna be a star

 

[Denim Chicken]

 

[ItzKelz]

He played at boise state and never had to fight through blocks. With his physical size he doesn't even hit hard. No killer instinct. Watch the kid take on blocks it's awful

He fights through blocks. Even if you have never watched any of his tape....you are not number 1 in the nation against the run without fighting through blocks. As long as the ball carrier goes down and yards after contact are minimal who really cares how hard he is hitting them?

 

[CouchCoach]

I'm gonna wait and see what we've got here but I do like the pick as it was a high need and best available.

The problem with these ratings services is that they do not take into account the conferences these players are in and how the systems are set up. I have seen players grade out both ways and once they're playing at the pro level, that grading becomes useless.

You can source dozens of these sites that will tell everyone exactly what they want on any player. Just take a look at the ratings on the 5 QB's taken, it all depends on which site you read. Darnold is either the best QB in the draft or the future Ryan Leaf.

Before I take any of this seriously, I ask myself four questions. Who is this guy, what are his credentials, why should I care about his opinion and do I like what he's saying because it supports my opinion? You know, that old "I am judging your intelligence by your willingness to agree with me". There are posters here that have better opinions than the majority of talking heads out there and I wonder what these guys did before the internet gave them a voice?

Whatever you believe or want to believe, there are people out there that will support it.

 

[glimmerman]

Do it on the NFL level and I will believe.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Do it on the NFL level and I will believe.

Duh

 

[ItzKelz]

I'm gonna wait and see what we've got here but I do like the pick as it was a high need and best available.

The problem with these ratings services is that they do not take into account the conferences these players are in and how the systems are set up. I have seen players grade out both ways and once they're playing at the pro level, that grading becomes useless.

You can source dozens of these sites that will tell everyone exactly what they want on any player. Just take a look at the ratings on the 5 QB's taken, it all depends on which site you read. Darnold is either the best QB in the draft or the future Ryan Leaf.

Before I take any of this seriously, I ask myself four questions. Who is this guy, what are his credentials, why should I care about his opinion and do I like what he's saying because it supports my opinion? You know, that old "I am judging your intelligence by your willingness to agree with me". There are posters here that have better opinions than the majority of talking heads out there and I wonder what these guys did before the internet gave them a voice?

Whatever you believe or want to believe, there are people out there that will support it.

Totally agree. It's really hard to quantify what a player is based on conference. Only time will tell if our scouting department and coaches validated what they saw on tape with his workouts and combine. I personally have been really impressed with our scouting team over the last 5 years so I lean towards him being good against the run but time will tell.

 

[CouchCoach]

He fights through blocks. Even if you have never watched any of his tape....you are not number 1 in the nation against the run without fighting through blocks. As long as the ball carrier goes down and yards after contact are minimal who really cares how hard he is hitting them?

Demarcus Ware was the softest sacker I have seen play but he got the objective of the tackle

Terrance Newman was an excellent tackler coming out of K State, as all of their DB's are, and utilized damned near perfect technique. Then Roy OU Williams shows up and Terrance starts playing bumper cars and missed some tackles when they bounced off him. I see that all the time in the NFL, much more than college.

Lee is not really a hard tackler, he is a sure tackler. He gets his hands on the ball carrier and he's going down, he may not go backwards, but he is going down.

Tackling is one of the great lost arts in the NFL and when I see a proper one, I immediately rewind to watch it again. Watch the NE DB's tackle, they're taught to do it right. They might not hurt the ball carrier but they also won't hurt themselves using proper technique. They have led the league is limiting RAC the last few seasons since they went to those tackling out of uniform drills.

 

[ItzKelz]

Demarcus Ware was the softest sacker I have seen play but he got the objective of the tackle

Terrance Newman was an excellent tackler coming out of K State, as all of their DB's are, and utilized damned near perfect technique. Then Roy OU Williams shows up and Terrance starts playing bumper cars and missed some tackles when they bounced off him. I see that all the time in the NFL, much more than college.

Lee is not really a hard tackler, he is a sure tackler. He gets his hands on the ball carrier and he's going down, he may not go backwards, but he is going down.

Tackling is one of the great lost arts in the NFL and when I see a proper one, I immediately rewind to watch it again. Watch the NE DB's tackle, they're taught to do it right. They might not hurt the ball carrier but they also won't hurt themselves using proper technique. They have led the league is limiting RAC the last few seasons since they went to those tackling out of uniform drills.

Agreed. With the new rules it should be viewed as a positive that LVE is technically sound tackler that gets the job done when he gets his hands on the ball carrier whether its a receiver or a RB.

 

[CouchCoach]

Totally agree. It's really hard to quantify what a player is based on conference. Only time will tell if our scouting department and coaches validated what they saw on tape with his workouts and combine. I personally have been really impressed with our scouting team over the last 5 years so I lean towards him being good against the run but time will tell.

I agree but it might take a little more developmental time as it did with another Boise St. D player. A lot of us were writing him off, including me, but I give the man credit. He said he was coming back faster, stronger and better and delivered on that promise.

That transition is a tough one at LB because of the athleticism of the OL in the NFL. It's hard to imagine how a guy that size can move that much weight that fast. Which brings me to my daily complaint about not having that OL eating DT to absorb a couple of OL and keep them off the LB's. That player would also benefit Lawrence as he's most likely to catch the doubles.

 

[AbeBeta]

Great to hear ........ I think the kid is gonna be a star

We will see

 

[Hennessy_King]

He fights through blocks. Even if you have never watched any of his tape....you are not number 1 in the nation against the run without fighting through blocks. As long as the ball carrier goes down and yards after contact are minimal who really cares how hard he is hitting them?

He doesn't fight through blocks. Watch his tape he runs free like 90% of the time. As soon as a blocker comes out he leads with his shoulder and gets washed out of the play. Plays with trash technique and doesn't know how to use his hands.

 

[CouchCoach]

There is a lot to like about this player but for me it starts with his height and vertical. On pass plays he can be a real bother to a QB because he can elevate like Randy Moss. For a kid that size, he is very athletic and I think he's one of those players that's just gonna get better and will eventually reach that Kuechly and Lee level of recognition.

Then first thing I noticed about him was he does not play like a big man on the field. I had to check his measurements and was surprised at his size. He moves smaller and more compact.

 

[ItzKelz]

I agree but it might take a little more developmental time as it did with another Boise St. D player. A lot of us were writing him off, including me, but I give the man credit. He said he was coming back faster, stronger and better and delivered on that promise.

That transition is a tough one at LB because of the athleticism of the OL in the NFL. It's hard to imagine how a guy that size can move that much weight that fast. Which brings me to my daily complaint about not having that OL eating DT to absorb a couple of OL and keep them off the LB's. That player would also benefit Lawrence as he's most likely to catch the doubles.

Absolutely. Not even just Boise St players but players in general. We saw Jaylon struggle early because he was forced to play more than originally expected. By season's end he looked like a LB that could become elite. Hopefully we can take our time with LVE but I have to believe Lee will miss games so we may not have that luxury.