Bandit ~ Victor Beasley ~ Clemson Tigers 6030/245
For that reason, and in order to offer NomenClature that speaks not to archaic, obsolete "Positions", but rather to Skill Sets that accurately reflect the dynamic Changes of the 21st Century Game and the Roles they have spawned, I have undertaken to craft Terminology that is designed to break Skill Sets down as they really are.
Defensive Coordinators have, since Time Immemorial, employed highly creative terminology in devising Defenses and in designating Assignments. In that Spirit, I have admittedly indulged myself considerably in devising the following NomenClature. It is undeniably colorful, but I like to think that there's an underlying Logic, as well:
Bandits ~ This is my term, derived from Defensive Schemes, for Players with the WingSpan for the Defensive Line yet who, unlike Dragons, lack the Size to play there regularly, because they can't be expected to Anchor against the Run.
They are thus the right Size though a bit tall to play MidFielder and can generally do so, but I believe are optimally employed as Wild Cards, deployed all over the Formation from Snap to Snap, usually in the murky, shifty region between the Defensive Line and the MidFielders, usually standing up, and generally giving no clue as to their Intentions.
I believe that the Bandit, whatever he's called in a given Formation, stands at the very EpiCenter of the disruptive Changes that Defensive Formations are undergoing today. Their unique combination of Size & Speed offers precisely that Wild Card Variable that I believe is potentially priceless for Defenses to compete and indeed to excel in the incessantly and rapidly evolving Strategic LandScape of the 21st Century. The Prototype would be around 6050/245 or so, I'd say.
As the ultimate Defensive Hybrid, Bandits could quite conceivably Rush the Passer, Blitz the Run, or Drop into Coverage on any given play, and from virtually any alignment on the Line or in the BackField. They won't anchor against the Run very effectively, they won't overwhelm with Power in their Pass Rush, and they're not built to Turn & Burn with WideOuts in Coverage, but they are in fact optimally built to conceivably compete effectively in all three Facets of the Game.
Of course, where and how any given Coach chooses to deploy his Players is his Business. Players that I characterize as Bandits may often or even routinely line up anywhere, on any given Down. My only purpose is simply to identify what I perceive as Skill Sets, to distinguish types, if you will, and perhaps create a universal Point of Reference.
When evaluating Bandits, this is how I break down the Attributes to which I pay most particular attention:
Power: Above all: Core Power. Torso Power is important, but Core Power, from the Knees to the Ribs, is absolutely crucial. All the upper body strength in the world still fails if you can't dig in your heels. But Core Power enables a Defensive Lineman to project Power in the Passing Game and to reject Power in the Running Game.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Acceleration, and above all: Fluidity or Core Agility. Core Agility is even more essential to sustained good Health ~ and to sustained good FootBall ~ than Core Power. The ability to react with Serpentine smoothness is a tremendous asset in all Aspects of the Game, and certainly in the Hand to Hand Combat that characterizes Trench Warfare. All the Power in the World goes only so far if you're stiff and lumbering out there.
Combat Skills: Paw Power, Mechanics ~ Hand Speed & Positioning ~ and of course: Frame.
Intangibles: Processing Speed and Motor. Processing Speed or Diagnostic Velocity is about how quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to how the Rapidly Roiling Tactical LandScape effects Blocking Schemes, and Motor is about Endurance and Drive: How much Work has been put into Conditioning, and how it manifests itself.
Run Defense: Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and Processing Speed.
Pass Coverage: Agility and Processing Speed.
Pass Rush: Power, Agility, and Combat Skills.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Power
* Core Power ~ lower body Power. Core Power trumps Torso Power. Tyrannosaurus Rex had exceptional Core Power.
* Torso Power ~ upper Body Power. Important, but not crucial. T Rex had lousy Torso Power...yet was King.
* Anchoring Strength against the Run.
* Drive Power in the Pass Rush.
Agility
* Fluidity, above all things: Core Agility & Flexibility makes everything possible.
* Launch Velocity ~ Speed into Contact off the Snap.
* Acceleration ~ Short Speed or Quickness.
Combat Skills
* Paw Power ~ The Power & Speed of the initial Punch.
* Paw Velocity ~ How active the Hands are.
* Paw Positioning ~ It's all about Angles & Leverage.
* Frame ~ Above all: WingSpan.
Intangibles
* Processing Speed ~ Field Vision. Rapidly Reading & Reacting to the Offense.
* Motor ~ Intensity and Duration.
Run Defense
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
Pass Coverage
* Agility
* Processing Speed
* Agility
* Processing Speed
Pass Rush
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
Agility: Magnificent. Sensational Launch Velocity, tremendous Fluidity, and phenomenal Acceleration.
Combat Skills: Tremendous. Exceptional Paw Power, terrific Paw Velocity, and an outstanding Pass Rush Arsenal.
Intangibles: Outstanding. Tremendous Field Vision and Processing Speed, and a phenomenal Motor.
Run Defense: Impressive. Yes, by the Gods: Impressive!! Presumably, it's obvious that he won't be asked to play too much straight up Defensive End, but will instead be moved around on the Line, off the Line, and around the Line, as an Hybrid Wild Card ought!! And for that Role, he should excel, because while even at a Rocked Up 245 Pounds, he's not exactly unmovable, I believe that he's going to be far stouter that generally expected. And his explosive Launch Velocity, tremendous Fluidity, and phenomenal Acceleration in Pursuit translate into a disruptive Force.
Pass Coverage: Sufficient but with exceptional Potential. Beasley spent most of his Snaps either rushing the Passer or playing Run Defense, but when he dropped, his improving Field Vision and phenomenal Agility were quite evident. It's certainly possible that he'll play a lot of 43 MidFielder, and if so, I believe that he'll excel in Pass Coverage.
Pass Rush: Sensational. Beasley's explosive Launch Velocity renders'm a Threat to Blast Past the Edge on every single Snap, but what makes him truly terrifying is his ability to combine that Threat with the capacity to rapidly ricochet back inside, apply his ferocious and extensively developed Combat Skills, and explode to the QuarterBack.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
To that prevalent attitude, I would say: It's the 21st Century. The Sub Package is The New Base!!
And deploying anyone for every Snap is dangerous and foolish, in my view, unless your simple System compels you to do so with your QuarterBack. Rest both extends Careers and dramatically improves Performance.
I believe that believing that Victor Beasley is going to play with as deficient a level of Core Power as he did at Florida is a big Mistake, because I believe that such Thinking blindly follows the Mantra that Tape Never Lies far too far.
In my Perspective, Trajectory Trumps Tape.
And Trajectory is fueled by Tape, absolutely, but also by how a Prospect evolved over the course of the Years on that Tape, mentally every bit as much as athletically, and by what his Combine or Pro Day Numbers reveal, and by what the composite of all these things and what you can learn about'm tell you and me about his Drive.
And what all these things tell me is that Victor Beasley is an extraordinarily strong Bet to make the very most of every ounce of natural Talent he was blessed with, to be a exceptional TeamMate who applies all his Skills to the benefit of the Team before himself, and to obliterate any Weakness that would prove detrimental to himself or to'is Team.
I believe that he's got The Right Stuff...and that he's going to be amazing.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Bargain!!
Top 10!! Market Value | Yankee Grade Top 3!! |
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!