Malik Hooker

Discussion in 'NFL Draft' started by Broken Arrow, Jan 2, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Clark

    Clark #ShoutboxAlley4Life

    15,151
    4,426
    939


    There's plenty of folks that see him as a project or raw talent. Just means that ceiling is a serious selling point. If he gets it... he's gonna be special.
     
    #162 Clark, Feb 2, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2017
  2. TitansAC4

    TitansAC4 Starter

    767
    177
    249
    My thing is, if he is such a risky prospect, why does everyone rank him in the top 10-15? If he was that much of a risk, I don't believe he would be ranked as high. JMO. I know he isn't a finished product, but some of this seems like hyperbole.
     
  3. Clark

    Clark #ShoutboxAlley4Life

    15,151
    4,426
    939
    My thing wasn't risk per se. It was that he's still raw like we spoke on. If the guys ceiling is in that "special" category it often trumps the "risk" factor for teams.

    I believe this stirred up because I said the injuries shouldn't drop his draft stock because they are already overlooking said risk and he shouldn't start immediately anyways. But there's good reason to believe he will be a great prospect.

    One year athletic wonders like JPP and Ansah force teams to swing early even if they arnt immediate starters.
     
    • High Five High Five x 1
  4. TitansAC4

    TitansAC4 Starter

    767
    177
    249
    See, the reason I say it isn't a risk is because I I think his floor is an above average safety. He has the potential to be elite, but I don't think there's any way he doesn't end up a solid starter. Which is why I say it isn't a huge risk.
     
    • High Five High Five x 1
  5. Clark

    Clark #ShoutboxAlley4Life

    15,151
    4,426
    939
    I think he has a safe floor, risk would be that he ONLY becomes an average safety and gets taken early.

    I absolutely think he has a legit chance to be special, I can also say I wouldn't expect him to start right away. And taking him early wouldn't force me to start him immediately so therefore the injuries delaying him a bit shouldn't effect his stock. He still has that extremely high projected ceiling.
     
  6. abc2330

    abc2330 Pro Bowler

    4,610
    1,634
    519
    I wasn't impressed with the tape that I watched. With Jamal Adams, I saw a Day 1 starter and future pro bowler.

    I have never heard of a top 5 prospect who was predicted to be awful in year 1. Just too raw for me. You see how impatient the fans are with 2nd rounders, imagine a top 5 rookie constantly being out of place and missing tackles.

    I realize you build through the draft, but time is also money. Instead of 4-5 good to great seasons out of a player on a rookie contract, there will probably be 2-3 out of Hooker.
     
  7. Rwill

    Rwill Pro Bowler

    3,906
    1,181
    729
    I actually like Byard and not super concerned about the safety position. I am much more concerned about CB.
     
    • Bullsh*t Bullsh*t x 1
  8. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

    8,052
    2,249
    669
    Sorry for the delay, had some things come up that needed my attention:(

    For me the problem with Peppers is you just don't know if he's going to be used correctly. The way DLB used Polamalu makes you think yes, but how we used some of our secondary players this past season doesn't give me great confidence. And as Mark Wahlburg's character says in the movie Deepwater Horizon, Hope as a tactic is a bad idea!

    So you can see the problem. Since we don't have control over how players are utilized, taking a specialized player early is problematic. Hooker and Lattimore are easier pieces because we know what they are. Hooker is a great CF prospect at FS. Lattimore is a great all around CB prospect. But they aren't top 5 picks because they aren't without flaws. But you don't need to scheme around those flaws or create a special position for them. You might need to do that for Peppers and that might include how your coverage works and how you play call the game.

    For these reasons, I would not take Peppers over either of the other two right now. But it wouldn't shock me if Peppers goes to the right team and they use him correctly (put him in positions to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses) that he ends up with a better career than the other two. But he has more risk!

    The other factors are that S is not AS important a position in general, there are several really good S prospects in this draft, and we have more of a coverage need than a SS who attacks and blitzes and is less good in coverage.

    It's a shame Hooker got injured (not if he falls to us!) because I was really looking forward to seeing his athleticism vs Adams and Peppers!

    Plus we need to see how players do at the combine AND what we do in free agency. If we got an Eric Berry to play FS, the conversation changes. If we sign two starting CB's...same deal.

    Hope this answers your question.
     
  9. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

    8,052
    2,249
    669
    A lot of people keep saying this but it's simply not true. He played LB so he could use his strengths which is his suddenness and acceleration in attacking the LOS and few teams tried to run outside to his side.

    If they truly moved him to LB to 'cover up' his 'poor' coverage, why would they allow him to shift out and cover slot players and drop into the deep middle as a S. You don't do that with a player you think can't cover.

    So it had more to do with putting his strengths to work and less to do with his 'coverage' being a problem. I am not arguing he doesn't need to improve his coverage...he absolutely does. But don't mistake his position as trying to coverup something instead of it's real purpose!
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  • Welcome to goTitans.com

    Established in 2000, goTitans.com is the place for Tennessee Titans fans to talk Titans. Our roots go back to the Tennessee Oilers Fan Page in 1997 and we currently have 4,000 diehard members with 1.5 million messages. To find out about advertising opportunities, contact TitanJeff.
  • The Tip Jar

    For those of you interested in helping the cause, we offer The Tip Jar. For $2 a month, you can become a subscriber and enjoy goTitans.com without ads.

    Hit the Tip Jar