Bruce Irvin as a 3-4 ILB?

[ShockTreatment]

Before people start to flame hear me out.

I think WV moved Irvin to DE because of his speed, but I don't think Irvin will be very successful in the NFL. He's not a complete pass rusher. He would be a career rotational guy on third down or, best case, take at least 2-3 years to round out his skill-set in order to play at the WOLB spot in a 3-4.

Where I do think Irvin might be an immediate contributor is at the ILB spot in a 3-4.

Bruce started his career playing safety and some wide receiver. Irvin has hands, speed, and has played in a coverage role before. The league is moving towards faster linebackers that can cover TE's and I think Irvin has the height, weight, and speed to be an interesting option. Not to mention he can give DC's some interesting blitz packages with his current pass rushing skill set. I do worry about his ability to shed blocks and the fact that he hasn't played ILB in college, but I do think it is interesting to think about.

Thoughts?

[BamaFalcon59]

Interesting but doubtful.

[DeepThreat]

I don't see it. Irvin's strength is his ability to rush off the edge. He pretty well sucks at everything else.

[ShockTreatment]

3 views!? I thought at least people would be interested to see what I had to say.

[TheFinisher]

Like someone already said, his greatest asset is his speed off the edge. He'll be drafted for that way before he's drafted by some team who wants to experiment with him at ILB.

[ShockTreatment]

I guess. Or he will just get swallowed up by NFL caliber tackles and won't have a job as a 3-4 OLB and be too small for a DE.

[TheFinisher]

Originally Posted by ShockTreatment

I guess. Or he will just get swallowed up by NFL caliber tackles and won't have a job as a 3-4 OLB and be too small for a DE.

...or not?

[ATLDirtyBirds]

Originally Posted by ShockTreatment

Thoughts?

No. Well, maybe if, no.