Could some of the Combine LBers be our third LB

[xwalker]

I'm just not seeing what you're seeing, and I'm also not convinced that Kiffin is so tied to a particular use of the Sam that there isn't place for versatility. In most Tampa-2 schemes, you're going to see the Sam take 70-75% of the snaps of your Mike and Will and you're typically going to have them drop into coverage 40-50% of the time. While the specific coverages are going to be situational, typically the zones a Sam drops into will be on the shorter side than those you'd expect from the Mike or Will in coverage.

So while I agree that Chase isn't at his best in man coverage on an athletic tight end, I'm not convinced that the frequency of that should be all that worrisome. His reaction times are excellent and every bit of his game I've watched shows a guy with short range quickness who takes the right first step incredibly often and can recover quickly on the off cases where he didn't. He's shown he can be effective in short zones and is a natural run blitzer. Sheds blocks exceptionally well.

But on top of this I don't see any reason why we wouldn't be able to get creative enough to send this guy on blitzes more often than usual to take advantage of his ability there.

Speed isn't 40-time, and Chase looks fast to me in-game. There's a reason we've talked to him, I think.

Of all of the Linebacker positions in all of the different defensive schemes, playing LB in a Kiffin scheme seems like the worst fit for this player.

He might excel as a 3-4 OLB or even as a 3-4 ILB or in some versions of the 4-3; however, he seems like a terrible fit in a Kiffin defense.

I've done a lot of searching and can't find any LB in a Kiffin or Kiffin inspired defense that have forty times as slow as Chase Thomas (4.91).

If Kiffin were going to change his scheme to fit a player, I don't think it would be for player that is not already on the team.

 

[Shinywalrus]

Of all of the Linebacker positions in all of the different defensive schemes, playing LB in a Kiffin scheme seems like the worst fit for this player.

He might excel as a 3-4 OLB or even as a 3-4 ILB or in some versions of the 4-3; however, he seems like a terrible fit in a Kiffin defense.

I've done a lot of searching and can't find any LB in a Kiffin or Kiffin inspired defense that have forty times as slow as Chase Thomas (4.91).

If Kiffin were going to change his scheme to fit a player, I don't think it would be for player that is not already on the team.

It feels very strongly to me like you're basing this on tables of 40-times and a very deterministic view of the kind of defense Kiffin is likely to run and not watching the guy play. Put his games side-by-side against KJ Wright or Nick Roach and tell me he doesn't play just as fast or better. He reacts more quickly, his short range burst is better, and his change of direction is better. And if we don't cherry pick, he looks pretty reasonable - he fits squarely between Chad Greenway and KJ Wright on the explosiveness and agility metrics. Is he Justin Durant or Clint Session? No, but those guys haven't been resounding successes at those positions anyway.

Chase Thomas is a prototype pass-rushing Sam linebacker in 43 man alignments that we will absolutely run at times and a more than adequate 2-down zone defender in the kind of Tampa 2s that get run nowdays, when the Sam nearly always gets yanked. He's also sufficiently flexible and violent in shedding pass blocks that I'd feel completely comfortable putting him as the strong-side rush end in nickel situations.

There's a reason the Dallas Cowboys made this one of the first people this draft season they spoke to. My humble guess is that the reason for that interview was not that our scouts and defensive coaches agree with you that he is a "terrible fit" for the defense.

Just like I think people tried to base position fits on prototypes too much when we ran the 34, I think we're doing it again with Kiffin.

 

[xwalker]

It feels very strongly to me like you're basing this on tables of 40-times and a very deterministic view of the kind of defense Kiffin is likely to run and not watching the guy play. Put his games side-by-side against KJ Wright or Nick Roach and tell me he doesn't play just as fast or better. He reacts more quickly, his short range burst is better, and his change of direction is better. And if we don't cherry pick, he looks pretty reasonable - he fits squarely between Chad Greenway and KJ Wright on the explosiveness and agility metrics. Is he Justin Durant or Clint Session? No, but those guys haven't been resounding successes at those positions anyway.

Chase Thomas is a prototype pass-rushing Sam linebacker in 43 man alignments that we will absolutely run at times and a more than adequate 2-down zone defender in the kind of Tampa 2s that get run nowdays, when the Sam nearly always gets yanked. He's also sufficiently flexible and violent in shedding pass blocks that I'd feel completely comfortable putting him as the strong-side rush end in nickel situations.

There's a reason the Dallas Cowboys made this one of the first people this draft season they spoke to. My humble guess is that the reason for that interview was not that our scouts and defensive coaches agree with you that he is a "terrible fit" for the defense.

Just like I think people tried to base position fits on prototypes too much when we ran the 34, I think we're doing it again with Kiffin.

I'd said this about Chase Thomas long before the combine.

It's possible that they could consider him at Weak-Side DE.

Seattle's Weak-Side DE, Bruce Irvin: 6'2-1/2", 245

Chase Thomas: 6-3, 244