Bandit ~ Deiontrez Mount ~ LouisVille Cardinals 6050/243
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, Navigating Traffic, Processing Speed, Motor, and Tackling.
Pass Coverage: Agility, Processing Speed, and Catch Point Capacity.
Pass Rush: Power, Agility, and Combat Skills.
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
* Navigating Traffic
* Processing Speed
* Motor
* Tackling
Pass Coverage
* Agility* Processing Speed
* Agility
* Processing Speed
* Catch Point Capacity
Pass Rush
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
Agility: Tremendous. Outstanding Launch Velocity, Extraordinary Fluidity, and excellent Acceleration.
Combat Skills: Adept. Competitive Mechanics, Mediocre Repertoire, Exceptional Persistence.
Intangibles: Impressive and Trending Upward: Impressive Field Vision and Exceptional Motor. The Field Vision is all the more impressive due to minimal Snaps over his first 3 Years and a change of Position before his 4th.
Run Defense: Competitive at The Point of Attack and Exceptional In Pursuit.
Pass Coverage: Mediocre but with Impressive Potential. He's only played off the Line for one Year, and was then tasked to take on the Coverage Responsibilities of a MidFielder, which is considerably more than someone of his Size and Lanky Length should be asked. Projecting'm with lighter Coverage Duties as a Bandit should produce far more impressive Results, once he's had Time & Training at the Job, as his sensational Combine Agility Numbers suggest.
Pass Rush: Competitive but with Extraordinary Potential. Mount is pretty raw, as a result of limited Snaps over his 4 Years in a talented LouisVille Defense, but he bring an intoxicating Fusion of Launch Velocity, Fluidity, and Acceleration, surprisingly impressive Power, and impressive and improving Mechanics and Field Vision. Given sufficient Time and Training with the right Coaching Staff, Mount could quite conceivably develop into a formidable Weapon.
In EarthSpeak: Most folks still consider what I call Bandits "Tweeners" ~ a remarkably ugly term.
A far more appropriate ~ and far less ugly ~ term would of course be "Hybrid."
And the Reality is that most Positions are ultimately Hybrids.
What I believe that I saw on Tape was a kid who, despite limited Snaps over'is Career and a disruptive Change of Position, exhibited remarkably developed Field Vision and Processing Speed and an exceptional Motor.
And his raw physical Talent ~ Tremendous Agility and remarkably impressive Power ~ is outstanding.
"Trajectory > A mercurial Formula that blends Talent, Speed of Improvement, and the Probability of continuing that Speed of Improvement, based on perceived Intelligence, Passion, and Work Ethic: Talent x Intelligence x Drive."
Given sufficient Time & Training, I believe that there's a very realistic Chance of Deiontrez Mount developing into a formidable Weapon over the next few Years, far in excess of the Impact generally expected of'm.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
7th Round | Yankee Grade 3rd/4th Round |
None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!!
*Just for the Record, as no one will care but me: I'm actually publishing this on 07/17/15, but backdating it so that it doesn't get in the way of the Flow of things ~ another guy who I'd meant to finish up with but missed!!