Rousseau Weaknesses

hotshot

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Since my post quoting Zierlein on Brevin's perceived weaknesses seem to meet with some interest here, thought I'd throw up Lance's comments on Rousseau. Obviously, there are many strengths that Greg posseses as shown by his projection to go to SF at #12 in the 1st round. Still, these are things he might've worked on here that would've put him in an even stronger draft position.

"Weaknesses
  • Only one full season of college ball under his belt.
  • High percentage of rush production came at nose instead of edge.
  • Must add mass and strength to both upper and lower half.
  • Not overly twitchy or fleet in attacking the corner with upfield charge.
  • Struggled to dislodge tackle's punch against Virginia in 2019.
  • Conversion of speed to power is below average.
  • Needs heavier hands at point of attack.
  • Height limits natural leverage in attacking run blocks.
  • Absorbs more than he doles out in initial contact.
  • Balance through contact is erratic.
"I don't really see a big-time NFL rusher. So much of his pressure came as a zero-technique and he won't see those looks in our league. He has very average juice and speed-to-power." -- Director of scouting for NFL team"
 
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Great balance...

Latest Balance GIFs | Gfycat


Bad balance...

Balance Fail GIFs | Tenor


Thread balance (i.e., Rousseau's strengths, per Lance Zierlein)...
  • Long and rangy perched along the edge.
  • Jarring production for only a single season of work.
  • Unusual feel for hand-to-hand battles as recent convert from receiver.
  • Keeps eyes steadied into backfield throughout rep.
  • Ability to escape blocks and re-establish positioning.
  • Stays active in working to blocker's edge.
  • Can spill and chase effectively against the run.
  • Motor and effort are usually strong.
  • Two-hand swipe is concise and accurate.
  • Athleticism and agility for smooth change of direction in secondary rush.
  • Slips and slithers around interior pass protection with interior rush.
  • Above average when shadowing scrambling quarterbacks.
  • Long-strider with close-out burst that expands his sack radius.
 
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Yes some scouts are bozos, but it’s obvious Greg hurt his draft stock by opting out this past year. Half a season on tape is a little below what NFL teams want to see.

Huh? How is it obvious? Not knocking you directly but genuinely intrigued. He is projected by **** near every analyst to be gone by mid first round, so you think had he played a full season he vaults into top 5? Obviously if he drops lower than first round the point is moot and you would be correct but for a scout to say "only one full season of college ball" as a weakness seems lazy low hanging fruit to me as its obvious, yet most people still have him gone in round 1.
 
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Huh? How is it obvious? Not knocking you directly but genuinely intrigued. He is projected by **** near every analyst to be gone by mid first round, so you think had he played a full season he vaults into top 5? Obviously if he drops lower than first round the point is moot and you would be correct but for a scout to say "only one full season of college ball" as a weakness seems lazy low hanging fruit to me as its obvious, yet most people still have him gone in round 1.

I think he hurt his stock significantly. If Miami had been a playoff team in his breakout season, then his rep would have staying power. A DE with double digit sacks on a 6-7 team tends to fade from memory. IF he'd played and been a sack leader, then he'd have that top 5 hype on him all season (he'd likely get some mentions for the Heisman, win tons of awards, etc). On the flip side, if he plays, then I don't think Philips gets a chance to shine as much and is maybe a 2nd or 3rd rounder. So the question is which better for perception- a top 5 pick and two third rounders or two mid-first rounders and a 3rd rounder. Personally I think the latter is better (especially in attracting transfers) so maybe it benefitted Miami for GR to sit out. As fun as it would have been to see him play, I don't think the final record would be different. Miami wasn't beating Clemson even with Rosseau in the lineup and GR wasn't going to stop UNC from lighting up our secondary. Maybe he makes a difference in the final minutes of OK State so it's possible there is a one game difference in the W/L column with GR.
 
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I think he hurt his stock significantly. If Miami had been a playoff team in his breakout season, then his rep would have staying power. A DE with double digit sacks on a 6-7 team tends to fade from memory. IF he'd played and been a sack leader, then he'd have that top 5 hype on him all season (he'd likely get some mentions for the Heisman, win tons of awards, etc). On the flip side, if he plays, then I don't think Philips gets a chance to shine as much and is maybe a 2nd or 3rd rounder. So the question is which better for perception- a top 5 pick and two third rounders or two mid-first rounders and a 3rd rounder. Personally I think the latter is better (especially in attracting transfers) so maybe it benefitted Miami for GR to sit out. As fun as it would have been to see him play, I don't think the final record would be different. Miami wasn't beating Clemson even with Rosseau in the lineup and GR wasn't going to stop UNC from lighting up our secondary. Maybe he makes a difference in the final minutes of OK State so it's possible there is a one game difference in the W/L column with GR.

You start strong then kinda teeter off my guy. Yes IF we were a playoff team and he showed up against a team like Bama or Ohio State, he maybe gets the hype to get him into the top 5. Then you talk about what is better for UM and I agree two first rounders sounds better than a high first and then second/third.

Then you say he likely would not have won us more games, you mention OK State but who knows if he even plays, so how did he significantly hurt his draft? Again, it all might be moot come draft night but if he goes middle round 1, he made the right choice. The risk of getting hurt, having a bad season, or just not living up to your measurables is a much much higher probability than UM being in the playoffs last year with Roche, Phillips and GR and him having a Heisman type season.
 
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I think he hurt his stock significantly. If Miami had been a playoff team in his breakout season, then his rep would have staying power. A DE with double digit sacks on a 6-7 team tends to fade from memory. IF he'd played and been a sack leader, then he'd have that top 5 hype on him all season (he'd likely get some mentions for the Heisman, win tons of awards, etc). On the flip side, if he plays, then I don't think Philips gets a chance to shine as much and is maybe a 2nd or 3rd rounder. So the question is which better for perception- a top 5 pick and two third rounders or two mid-first rounders and a 3rd rounder. Personally I think the latter is better (especially in attracting transfers) so maybe it benefitted Miami for GR to sit out. As fun as it would have been to see him play, I don't think the final record would be different. Miami wasn't beating Clemson even with Rosseau in the lineup and GR wasn't going to stop UNC from lighting up our secondary. Maybe he makes a difference in the final minutes of OK State so it's possible there is a one game difference in the W/L column with GR.
I disagree. It was smart strategy by him and his team. He parlayed his one good year into a first round pick. NFL GMs are stupid and fall in love with measurements and how a player looks which is what he’ll give them at the pro day.

He used the pandemic as a cover so he wouldn’t be exposed as a one year wonder.

You have to look at the odds of him elevating himself to a top ten or top five pick vs getting exposed and dropping to the third or second round (not even including risk of injury).

Bird in hand better than two in a bush. His team thinks if he has a great pro day and measures great he can push top ten or close to it without the risk of putting bad tape last season.

At worst he’s a 15-25 pick.

If I’m GM he would be a red flag along with others that took off the year banking on the 2019 performance. Likely a boom or bust pick.

Someone above said he would be better off going to a team where he’s not relied on as the number one pass rusher. I agree. He needs time to work without the pressure to put up numbers because he has all the tools.
 
I disagree. It was smart strategy by him and his team. He parlayed his one good year into a first round pick. NFL GMs are stupid and fall in love with measurements and how a player looks which is what he’ll give them at the pro day.

He used the pandemic as a cover so he wouldn’t be exposed as a one year wonder.

You have to look at the odds of him elevating himself to a top ten or top five pick vs getting exposed and dropping to the third or second round (not even including risk of injury).

Bird in hand better than two in a bush. His team thinks if he has a great pro day and measures great he can push top ten or close to it without the risk of putting bad tape last season.

At worst he’s a 15-25 pick.

If I’m GM he would be a red flag along with others that took off the year banking on the 2019 performance. Likely a boom or bust pick.

Someone above said he would be better off going to a team where he’s not relied on as the number one pass rusher. I agree. He needs time to work without the pressure to put up numbers because he has all the tools.

Fair points. Personally I think he would have had a 2020 similar to 2019 and back to back years of elite production would keep him in the top 5 projections.

If a player is scared of bad tape and injuries, that's a big red flag to me and if I'm a GM it shows me the player is protecting his stats because he knows he isn't good enough. There is a big difference between skipping a meaningless bowl game after playing the whole season and sitting out an entire season because a player is trying to parlay one good year into being a top draft pick. Personally, I wouldnt spend a first round pick on a player who deliberately sat out the season if I suspected it was because he was protecting his stats- no matter how well the guy tests. Other players with just as much at stake (Etienne, TL) faced the same risks and didn't flinch.
 
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