[Megatron96]

So I watched some more tape on this guy last night and confirmed a lot of what's been said about this kid. Yes, he sometimes takes bad angles, and yes, he doesn't use his hands enough to shed blockers, yes, he tends to aim too high when tackling, and yes, he sometimes is a little hesitant to pull the trigger and attack the ball, or he's over-aggressive and overruns the play.

But nearly all of that is probably due to lack of game snaps. Because when you watch him play, you can see that his instincts are generally good. When he does pull the trigger, he slips through blockers well and explodes on the ball carrier. His coverage skills are basically NFL-ready; unusual for a college LB, especially with so little actual game experience. He has a feel for zone coverage, which isn't easy for most LBs even at the NFL level. And he wraps up well; none of that "I don't have arms so I'm going to hit you with my shoulder and hope you fall over" crap. Finally, I really like his recognition skills. He deciphers plays very quickly.

But what really pops is that glorious speed. When he decides to go to the ball, his acceleration is elite. And I'm pretty sure his change-of-direction is also at an elite level. He's a true sideline-to sideline LB. Give him a season under Coach Spags/Daly/House and I think he'll smooth off most of those rough edges. It's a shame he won't get the benefit of OTAs and training camp; I think this kid could really benefit more than any of our picks. Man, is this kid going to be great to watch.

Gay reminds me a little of Ray Lewis, to be honest. He tackles a lot like him. Was thinking last night that it would be really great if Suggs returned, just to take this kid under his wing and coach him up on hand-fighting techniques, footwork, shedding blocks, etc.