2018 NFL Draft Poll: Rank These 11 Inside Linebackers

As was reader requested, we’re bringing back a couple of our NFL Draft polls that we had a few years back. We’ll offer a list of some of the top players at a position, let you guys rank them, and then we’ll tell you the results.
We’ll begin things with one of the top needs for the Pittsburgh Steelers – inside linebacker. Below, rank these 11 inside linebackers from 1st (the one you have the highest grade on) to 11th (the lowest grade). Comment below with your list. We’ll let you know the results in a couple of days.
http://www.steelersdepot.com/2018/04...e-linebackers/

Tremaine Edmunds/Virginia Tech
Roquan Smith/Georgia
Leighton Vander Esch/Boise State
Rashaan Evans/Alabama
Malik Jefferson/Texas
Darius Leonard/South Carolina State
Uchenna Nwosu/USC
Jerome Baker/Ohio State
Fred Warner/BYU
Josey Jewell/Iowa
Genard Avery/Memphis

Hawaiians list except I knock Avery off and Put Cichy in ....if he can stay healthy he would be up that list a ways but since that has yet to be proven I give him the final spot

For Steelers scheme defense...

Roquan Smith - Best ILB on the board.
Tremaine Edwards - Athlete plain and simple.
Leighton Vander Esch - Better upside and will probably be the better ILB in 3 years.
Rashaan Evans - Best chance to start and produce day 1.
Jerome Baker - Best as a ILB/Safety hybrid.
Genard Avery - All around LB. Plays in/out, elite athlete.
Darius Leonard - 4.7/40 at 225lbs. Not going to be fast enough at NFL weight.
Fred Warner - Faster version of Josey Jewel
Josey Jewell - Better tackling version of Fred Warner
Malik Jefferson - Poor pass coverage, average run defender.
Uchenna Nwosu - Stand up OLB/Edge player not ILB.

1. Roquan Smith/Georgia
...
2. Tremaine Edmunds/Virginia Tech
3. Leighton Vander Esch/Boise State
4. Rashaan Evans/Alabama
5. Darius Leonard/South Carolina State
6. Malik Jefferson/Texas
7. Uchenna Nwosu/USC
8. Fred Warner/BYU
9. Jerome Baker/Ohio State
10. Josey Jewell/Iowa
11. Shaun Dion Hamilton
12. Genard Avery/Memphis

Roquan is my #1 by a mile. I could argue between 2 & 3, and 3 & 4... et cetera.

Something still bothers me about Evans not running a 40. We need SPEED at that position. I'm sure people thought Jarvis was fast too until he ran his 4.9 40.

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Originally Posted by DesertSteel

Something still bothers me about Evans not running a 40. We need SPEED at that position. I'm sure people thought Jarvis was fast too until he ran his 4.9 40.

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I have the same feeling, but can't say why. Just a gut feeling.

Y'all are underestimating my boy Josey Jewell. Instincts off the charts, nose for the football, sure tackler, makes plays in the backfield, makes plays on the ball, forces turnovers, good in pass coverage and against the run.

I'm obviously a Hawkeye homer, but Jewell is the best linebacker I think to ever come out of Iowa. Better than Greenway, better than Hodge, better than Morris, Angerer, or Tarpinian... Kid can play ball, and he hasn't even hit his ceiling yet.

If I had to compare him to a current NFL player, I'd say Sean Lee. I think he's going to surprise people.

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Originally Posted by IowaSteeler927

Y'all are underestimating my boy Josey Jewell. Instincts off the charts, nose for the football, sure tackler, makes plays in the backfield, makes plays on the ball, forces turnovers, good in pass coverage and against the run.

I'm obviously a Hawkeye homer, but Jewell is the best linebacker I think to ever come out of Iowa. Better than Greenway, better than Hodge, better than Morris, Angerer, or Tarpinian... Kid can play ball, and he hasn't even hit his ceiling yet.

If I had to compare him to a current NFL player, I'd say Sean Lee. I think he's going to surprise people.

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We’ve all discussed him, and we like him.

But, he’s basically a better version of Tyler Matakevich: amazing instincts & tackling ability, but subpar speed.

My 1-4 are Round 1 prospects.
My 5-7 are Round 2 prospects.
My 8-10 are Round 3 propects... (including Jewell)

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Originally Posted by IowaSteeler927

Y'all are underestimating my boy Josey Jewell. Instincts off the charts, nose for the football, sure tackler, makes plays in the backfield, makes plays on the ball, forces turnovers, good in pass coverage and against the run.

I'm obviously a Hawkeye homer, but Jewell is the best linebacker I think to ever come out of Iowa. Better than Greenway, better than Hodge, better than Morris, Angerer, or Tarpinian... Kid can play ball, and he hasn't even hit his ceiling yet.

If I had to compare him to a current NFL player, I'd say Sean Lee. I think he's going to surprise people.

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what's hurting Jewell's draft stock is the 4.82 he ran at the Combine...

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Originally Posted by IowaSteeler927

Y'all are underestimating my boy Josey Jewell. Instincts off the charts, nose for the football, sure tackler, makes plays in the backfield, makes plays on the ball, forces turnovers, good in pass coverage and against the run.

I'm obviously a Hawkeye homer, but Jewell is the best linebacker I think to ever come out of Iowa. Better than Greenway, better than Hodge, better than Morris, Angerer, or Tarpinian... Kid can play ball, and he hasn't even hit his ceiling yet.

If I had to compare him to a current NFL player, I'd say Sean Lee. I think he's going to surprise people.

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Jewell started top 5 on my list early this offseason. His play speed is the ONLY thing that has dropped him down that list. For what he would bring to the Steelers, IMO, we already have VW, Matakevich, Bostic, and Fort. What we need is a 4.5-4.6 speed ILB that has great cover skills. I really like Jewell as a player just don't think there's a spot here for him.

I definitely don't see the Steelers taking Josey Jewell, I think they're more interested in Rashaan Evans, or Vander Esch in Round 1 than they are in Jewell. Like you said Teeg, better version of Matekavich and they like Matekavich. I think Jewell would be more a fit to play the Buck than he would the Mack anyways. I do think Jewell would be an upgrade over Vince Williams, but that might be the homer in me dreaming on his behalf. Hard to replace a guy like Ryan Shazier, but if the situation was right, and we don't draft an ILB in Round 1, it's a possibility Jewell could be of interest, and I think he'd be better than Bostic and definitely better than Sean Spence (is he even still on the team?) As others have stated though, I think they want someone with better speed and coverage skills. Jewell is athletic and can cover some, but I definitely could see him having trouble with speedier receivers and TEs.

I posted over at SD already and left off anyone I didn't watch on tape. Here is my list:

Roquon Smith
Josey Jewell
(Micah Kiser) - Not included but I really like his game
LVE
Rashaan Evans
Fred Warner
Malik Jefferson
Tremaine Edmunds

Something to keep in mind is that when I make my list it is somewhat relative to perceived best position. For example I think a guy like Kiser can be a pro bowl level Buck but isn't athletic enough to be a Mack. LVE on the other hand has a chance to be a good mack guy but I think Kiser would be a better Buck than LVE would be a Mack. So this list isn't Steelers (or any team) specific. So just some specific thoughts on a couple of guys:

Josey Jewell - Admittedly one of my draft crushes after watching his tape but favoritism aside I think he is unfairly knocked for a lack of athleticism. He posted one of the best 3-cone times at the combine and if you are okay with pro day times his 40 isn't far behind a guy like Leighton Vander Esch (I think 40 is a mostly useless number anyway for a lot of positions). We got to see him face Barkley who is considered by many to be the best player in this draft and while he struggled (who doesn't vs Barkley) he did have some success against him as well. I think Jewell can be a good Mack or a great Buck at the NFL level.

Micah Kiser - This is a kid who is just flat out a great football player. On tape it is clear he doesn't have the athleticism for the Mack position but oddly enough he tested pretty well at the combine. So he is one who I think could be a great Buck player in the league but is most likely not going to be a 3 down guy. Almost as important is that he checks the off the field boxes in a big way as well. If the Steelers don't plan on resigning Vince Williams after this season I would love to see Kiser in black & gold.

Tremaine Edmunds - As I have been harping on over at SD I think this may be the most overrated prospect in the draft. Your Mayocks and Jermiahs are obsessed with this guys size and athleticism but I haven't heard a single one of them mention how bad his instincts and play diagnosis are. In fact, the only person besides myself I have heard bring it up is Greg Cosell and he is a film junkie whos opinion I put a lot of weight in. Look, Edmunds is young with a super high ceiling but his floor is also extremely low. I worry about his football IQ and I don't tend to go for the boom or bust guys like this. It is so bizarre to me he is ranked so high nationally.

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Originally Posted by Cyphon25

I posted over at SD already and left off anyone I didn't watch on tape. Here is my list:

Roquon Smith
Josey Jewell
(Micah Kiser) - Not included but I really like his game
LVE
Rashaan Evans
Fred Warner
Malik Jefferson
Tremaine Edmunds

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JEWELL:
Good point about the 3-come drill (versus the 40). As a Steelers coach once said: “If my (linebacker) is running 40 yards downfield, I’ve git bigger problems with my defense than just him.”

EDMUNDS:
Greg Cosell is amazing. Scratch Edmunds off of the list.

I'll take my chances with Davenport over Edmunds for that exact reason. With his physical talent, he should have put a lot more on film and a lot more production.

It seems that most here don't care for Davenport. I see him as a very good prospect that plays with speed and power. He's raw, but he does remind me of Ziggy Ansah.

With his length and athleticism, his skillset reminds me of a guy that has always given the Steelers problems....Carlos Dunlap. I know that Dunlap is a DE in the Bengal scheme, but his ability to get to the QB with his speed and the way he disrupts passing lanes and tips passes with his height and athleticism really makes me think that if he drops to #28, he will be a strong consideration.

I don't think he will fall that far, but you never know.

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Originally Posted by pczach

I'll take my chances with Davenport over Edmunds for that exact reason. With his physical talent, he should have put a lot more on film and a lot more production.

It seems that most here don't care for Davenport. I see him as a very good prospect that plays with speed and power. He's raw, but he does remind me of Ziggy Ansah.

With his length and athleticism, his skillset reminds me of a guy that has always given the Steelers problems....Carlos Dunlap. I know that Dunlap is a DE in the Bengal scheme, but his ability to get to the QB with his speed and the way he disrupts passing lanes and tips passes with his height and athleticism really makes me think that if he drops to #28, he will be a strong consideration.

I don't think he will fall that far, but you never know.

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For me, if Davenport can put it all together, he looks like DeMarcus Ware as a high end comp. Honestly, I'm running the show and Davenport falls to #28, I leap over tables, shoulder folks out the way and turn the card in. Worst case scenario he is a moderate upgrade over Dupree. Best case, Dupree and Davenport form a dynamic outside duo and I kick Watt inside and let him just disrupt everything all the time.

Not gonna happen. But it looks cool in the game film in my head!

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Originally Posted by pczach

I'll take my chances with Davenport over Edmunds for that exact reason. With his physical talent, he should have put a lot more on film and a lot more production.

It seems that most here don't care for Davenport. I see him as a very good prospect that plays with speed and power. He's raw, but he does remind me of Ziggy Ansah.

With his length and athleticism, his skillset reminds me of a guy that has always given the Steelers problems....Carlos Dunlap. I know that Dunlap is a DE in the Bengal scheme, but his ability to get to the QB with his speed and the way he disrupts passing lanes and tips passes with his height and athleticism really makes me think that if he drops to #28, he will be a strong consideration.

I don't think he will fall that far, but you never know.

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I think Davenport is a heck of a player. I have heard some say he's "a poor man's Vic Beasley"... that is not a bad thing, imo. He may, like Beasley, fit a 4-3 OLB a little better, but would be an interesting piece on our roster none-the-less. I think if he did fall, it would be an interesting conversation/decision.

Davenport underwhelmed at the Senior Bowl.

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Originally Posted by teegre

Davenport underwhelmed at the Senior Bowl.

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Edmunds has underwhelmed his entire career but he is considered an elite stud.

I just have a feeling about Davenport and that height and wingspan combined with his speed and power with some time to develop.

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Originally Posted by pczach

Edmunds has underwhelmed his entire career but he is considered an elite stud.

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By some... some see him as a huge risk.