Spikes vs. Maualuga vs. Laurinaitis

Bronco in UT · 09-09-2008, 03:17 PM

Hey all,

Just wanted to get a feel how people thought Spikes rates vs. the top two consensus MLBs in this year's class. This is coming from a Broncos fan and it seems to be as though he is the third best MLB in this years draft. Does everyone agree with this or disagree. Also, is he worth a first round pick? or would he be better fitted as a second? Discuss.....

Cribbs>Hester · 09-09-2008, 03:39 PM

I've watched James Laurinaitis play every game of his career. I've seen a lot of Darry Beckwith and Dannell Ellerbe being a big time fan of the SEC. I've seen a few games of Brandon Spikes(not as many Florida games on CBS for some reason) and a few prime time games of Rey Rey. That being said I have not studied all of them as much as James Laurinaitis, but personally. I'd rank Laurinaitis #5 of those 5 top guns.

1. Rey Maualuga
2. Darry Beckwith
3a Brandon Spikes
3b Dannell Ellerbe
5. James Laurinaits
6. Jasper Brinkley

It also depends on what you're looking for, a thumper, a coverage guy, a sideline to side line guy or someone who can just flat out do it all.

STARHEATHER · 09-09-2008, 03:40 PM

he might be the 3rd best lb, i doubt it, hes also hurt, but hes better than the "consensus top 2", whatever that means. maaluga `was awful vs virginia, where he was burned twice in the pass game, missed 3 tackles, and didnt shed a block the entire game, and made 0 solo tackles. im sure spikes once he gets back in, wont be nearly that inept. maaluga looks great when passes are thrown right to him or no one blocks him or he puts hits on defenseless receivers/qbs, but put a blocker on him or ask him to cover or shed a block to make a play, he just cant do it. laurinitis is the best natural athlete of the bunch. none would be even in my top 10 lbs. ive seen too many missed tackles and getting swallowed for laurinitis and maaluga. i would say just based on last yr even with the injury spikes is the best prospect of the three

Cribbs>Hester · 09-09-2008, 03:44 PM

Why no love for Darry Beckwith anyway? Personally I think he has the highest floor. He may not have the highest ceiling(I'd say Rey Maualuga), but you don't have to worry about a complete flop from him in my opinion.

STARHEATHER · 09-09-2008, 04:10 PM

beckwith ceiling is much higher than maaluga. hes a better tackler, much quicker and better moving laterally. i dont think hes an elite nfl lb, but i think youre taking love away from beckwith insulting him by saying he has less upside than maaluga. beckwith is far superior. some injury concerns for beckwith. but as far as hitting (not defenseless qbs, wr) and tackling and shedding blocks and natural athletic ability,you know all those things that make lbs good, hes far superior to maaluga. hows that for love?

Saints-Tigers · 09-09-2008, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cribbs>Hester

Why no love for Darry Beckwith anyway? Personally I think he has the highest floor. He may not have the highest ceiling(I'd say Rey Maualuga), but you don't have to worry about a complete flop from him in my opinion.

After you mentioned him, I was coming to say the same thing, Darry is just solid as hell, but I don't see him truly shining anywhere other than his leadership ability, the guys love him....

I think Darry is going to be a really good player for a really long time, but I would probably roll the dice on one of the more talented guys.

SMoore · 09-09-2008, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mythbusta

he might be the 3rd best lb, i doubt it, hes also hurt, but hes better than the "consensus top 2", whatever that means. maaluga `was awful vs virginia, where he was burned twice in the pass game, missed 3 tackles, and didnt shed a block the entire game, and made 0 solo tackles. im sure spikes once he gets back in, wont be nearly that inept. maaluga looks great when passes are thrown right to him or no one blocks him or he puts hits on defenseless receivers/qbs, but put a blocker on him or ask him to cover or shed a block to make a play, he just cant do it. laurinitis is the best natural athlete of the bunch. none would be even in my top 10 lbs. ive seen too many missed tackles and getting swallowed for laurinitis and maaluga. i would say just based on last yr even with the injury spikes is the best prospect of the three

Not criticizing, but what 10 LBs are you ranking ahead of them at this point?

toddmlazarchick · 09-09-2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMoore

Not criticizing, but what 10 LBs are you ranking ahead of them at this point?

Yeah this guys just hates Rey Rey. So not matter what you say he will still say Rey is horrible

doingthisinsteadofwork · 09-09-2008, 09:35 PM

He can't even spell Maualuga right.

Sniper · 09-09-2008, 09:52 PM

Only the fourth thread that involves a semblance of Laurinaitis vs. Maualuga in the thread title. The search function is your amigo.

STARHEATHER · 09-09-2008, 10:11 PM

in no particular order

aaron curry wake
marcus freeman onio st
scott mckillop pitt
dannell elerbe ga
darry beckwith lsu
tyrone mckenzie s fla
sean witherspoon mo
eric norwood sc

plus im going to add 2 unknowns who will probably be the first non 3-4 olbs taken.none of these are that impressive, so i expect some uunknowns to rise to the top.the season will tell. if laurinitis was available id use a late rd selection because hes good in coverage and a good athlete and he doesnt kill your team, could be a good st and solid backup guy, good pr citizen all that. maaluga i wouldnt touch ever i dont care if he was 350 and ran a 4.4 40. the only time that guy ever does anything is when he comes unblocked. hes the worst tackler ive seen by far of the top prospects. hes slow, hits with force only when hitting defenseless wr and qb who cant see him. when a lineman te or back gets hold of him, he just disappears. hes gotten burned badly in coberage in ever game ive seen of theirs on tape. he only plays about 70% of the plays. hes tight hipped, has terrible change of direction and lateral movement. he misses one on one tackles against backs/qbs about 80% of the time. ill take brandon spikes in rd 4 you can have maaluga in rd 1 and im going to get a better player and pay him way less. when you watch this week as im sure you will, instead of watching the 5 plays a game he makes, watch the 20 plays he doesnt make. i gave him a chance, i thought maybe he just didnt play that well or it was a good team etc, but when i watched virginia it was the same old rey rey. missing tackles, getting burned etc etc, and that team was awful.

SMoore · 09-09-2008, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mythbusta

in no particular order

aaron curry wake
marcus freeman onio st
scott mckillop pitt
dannell elerbe ga
darry beckwith lsu
tyrone mckenzie s fla
sean witherspoon mo
eric norwood sc

plus im going to add 2 unknowns who will probably be the first non 3-4 olbs taken.none of these are that impressive, so i expect some uunknowns to rise to the top.the season will tell. if laurinitis was available id use a late rd selection because hes good in coverage and a good athlete and he doesnt kill your team, could be a good st and solid backup guy, good pr citizen all that. maaluga i wouldnt touch ever i dont care if he was 350 and ran a 4.4 40. the only time that guy ever does anything is when he comes unblocked. hes the worst tackler ive seen by far of the top prospects. hes slow, hits with force only when hitting defenseless wr and qb who cant see him. when a lineman te or back gets hold of him, he just disappears. hes gotten burned badly in coberage in ever game ive seen of theirs on tape. he only plays about 70% of the plays. hes tight hipped, has terrible change of direction and lateral movement. he misses one on one tackles against backs/qbs about 80% of the time. ill take brandon spikes in rd 4 you can have maaluga in rd 1 and im going to get a better player and pay him way less. when you watch this week as im sure you will, instead of watching the 5 plays a game he makes, watch the 20 plays he doesnt make. i gave him a chance, i thought maybe he just didnt play that well or it was a good team etc, but when i watched virginia it was the same old rey rey. missing tackles, getting burned etc etc, and that team was awful.

that's 8 LBs. You cant rank them behind empty spots. That doesn't make any sense. so they are in your top ten for now basically is what that says.

STARHEATHER · 09-09-2008, 10:35 PM

well then i have a top 8 with two spots for guys i expect to rise. thats 10. im not going to put someone on tghere i dont like at least somewhat. jerrod mayo was a rd 2-3 prospect most of last year. i expect a couple mayo like ascensions, probably to the top of the list. im just not prepared to name those names two weeks in. theres all kinds of talents out there at every position no one knows now who well be talking about at the top ar every position. you have to allow the process to happen. im not trying to predict any order of selection. these are the guys ive seen that i like somewhat. come april once all the info is in, im sure ill have lots of opinions on whos the best or should be picked where

Cribbs>Hester · 09-09-2008, 10:43 PM

You can't honestly rank Marcus Freeman over James Laurinaitis. Everyone who's read anything I've ever had to say about James Laurinaitis knows I am very critical of him and don't think he'll pan out, but seriously now. They play for the same team with the same supporting cast under the same coaches and Laurinaitis has always and will continue to out produce Marcus Freeman. I will give you that Marcus Freeman has all the tools to be a much better linebacker, but he lacks the mental abilities and instincts. James Laurianitis has the mental ability to be a great one, and better instincts than Marcus Freeman he just lacks that physical abilities.

I think if you could take the best from Freeman and the best from Laurinaitis then you would have a very good linebacker...basically A.J. Hawk.

SMoore · 09-09-2008, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mythbusta

well then i have a top 8 with two spots for guys i expect to rise. thats 10. im not going to put someone on tghere i dont like at least somewhat. jerrod mayo was a rd 2-3 prospect most of last year. i expect a couple mayo like ascensions, probably to the top of the list. im just not prepared to name those names two weeks in. theres all kinds of talents out there at every position no one knows now who well be talking about at the top ar every position. you have to allow the process to happen. im not trying to predict any order of selection. these are the guys ive seen that i like somewhat. come april once all the info is in, im sure ill have lots of opinions on whos the best or should be picked where

If the process hasn't played out, then who's to say Laurinaitis and/or Maualugu don't show you something between now and then?

STARHEATHER · 09-09-2008, 11:01 PM

i strongly disagree hes outperformed freeman, last year or in the game vs ohio. the tape surely says otherwise. but well find out tomorrow because ive got freeman on tape vs ohio. ill bust out a play by play. ive seen lots of mauluga and laurinitis on tape. nothings changed between this year and last. its just virginia and ohio u didnt penalize them as much for their missed tackles etc as the good teams have, they just dont have the talent level. i expected both to dominate and they both did the same things they did last year that i didnt like. so since i dont like them somewhat, thus they arent on the list and unless theres some miracle change in their play, like they both stop missing tackles, make some solos, shed a few blocks and maybe beat a guy to the qb or get in the backfield vs the run when someone tries to block them theyll never get into any positive list. theres nothing more irritating than watching your favorite nfl team miss tackles. every time my team misses lots of tackles, we lose.

Bengals78 · 09-10-2008, 02:37 PM

to say Maualuga is not top ten is dumb.
Laurinaitis is however. He will only succeed in a place where he can play in a system where he has 2 huge DTs sucking up blockers and can get free without being hit. there was a thread here earlier that had the stats.

keylime_5 · 09-10-2008, 02:41 PM

Spikes isn't good enough against the pass considering how relatively soft he is. If he is gonna be that good against the run and that not good in coverage he needs to have a mean streak and be physical like Maualuga is (who is decent in coverage). Laurinaitis might not be as physical as Maualuga but he is instinctual, can run laterally very well and can tackle with the best of them which is why he is considered a top 10 or top 15 pick at worst right now. Maualuga is a beast, very aggressive and the hardest hitter since Big Kat...and for a guy who plays like that on the field he is very articulate and smart a person. He overpursues and gets too aggressive, sometimes getting out of position which is the only thing he really needs to improve on for the NFL.

I think Rey is a potential top 5 pick considering the lack of elite players in this draft. James will probably go somwhere between 5 and 15. Spikes I think will go around round 3 similar to Channing Crowder.

killa3312 · 09-12-2008, 01:11 PM

Spikes is a huge physical specimen. He runs a 4.6 40 and is 6'4 pushing 260 lbs, but he needs to improve in certain areas of his game before he's a slam dunk first rounder. He has the potential, though.

Cribbs>Hester · 09-12-2008, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by killa3312

Spikes is a huge physical specimen. He runs a 4.6 40 and is 6'4 pushing 260 lbs, but he needs to improve in certain areas of his game before he's a slam dunk first rounder. He has the potential, though.

Neither Rey Rey or Spikes are 260. That is just ridiculous. Rey Rey looks bigger than Spikes and Rey Rey doesn't even look as big as his teammates at DE who are probably around 260.

Rey Maualuga estimation = 252
Brandon Spikes estimation = 246

STARHEATHER · 09-12-2008, 11:14 PM

they used to have laurinitis 6 4 250 then ytou watch a game and see him stand next to 6 3 260 gholstin and youre like, more like 6 1 236 maybe. ive seen a tape where maaluga misses 8 tackles in on e game. i hope someone picks him high. nice waste pick let those good players drop to the better teams like they always do because gad teams get wrapped up in media hype and let media guides determine their picks. dudes like maaluga are the reason you see the same teams at the top of the draft every year. i could only imagine how many tackles this guy will miss in the nfl. its a scary prospect for some team to have maaluga going one on one with an nfl back or te. better hope you have strong tackling safeties if youre going to throw maaluga out there. in no tape have i ever seen him beaten a blocker. ever, not once. if hes unblocked, he makes a play about 1 out of 5.

1

Cribbs>Hester · 09-12-2008, 11:22 PM

It seems like you don't like any of the highly rated defenders this year. What are your thoughts on Tyson Jackson, George Selvie and Michael Johnson???

STARHEATHER · 09-12-2008, 11:40 PM

im going to wait on selvie, i have the tape of tonights game. last year i got him vs orgeon and basically he was a total phantom. i didnt like what i saw last yr but i only got to see him late in the yr. johnson i like as maybe a late rd 1 if you can afford to pick a guy whos at this point not a 3 down player. hes going to be a run game liability. his production hasnt been super. he flashes some things, but at this point i see a jarvis moss clone. jackson i love provided he goes to a 3-4 team. probably mid-late first as far as draft position but i think hes a top 10 value. he can do it all. you dont see many 290 ends in college. hes pretty special if used correctly. hes extremely versatile and does everything well. can play multiple positions. he even drops in coverage and breaks up passes. its kind of a tossup right now as to my #1 defensive player. jackson and terrence cody are neck and neck for my top defensive player spot.

BRAVEHEART · 09-12-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cribbs>Hester

Neither Rey Rey or Spikes are 260. That is just ridiculous. Rey Rey looks bigger than Spikes and Rey Rey doesn't even look as big as his teammates at DE who are probably around 260.

Rey Maualuga estimation = 252
Brandon Spikes estimation = 246

Rey Rey said he was close to 270 when he was playing in the RB last season.

Cribbs>Hester · 09-12-2008, 11:47 PM

Cody? He's just another in a long line of overhyped fat guys. He needs too lose weight, gaine a work either and show me a little more than the little he has shown. He beat up on a weak Clemson line. They've lost Frye, Richardson, Frye, and Bennett all recently and they weren't even amazing starters.