Thomas Davis high on Shaq Thompson, calls Shaq "a better athlete than was," proud to be compared to Shaq

[Kuech the Sneak]

At 57 yeah, first round seems too high for him.

[The Huddler]

Than was who?!

Nive fug up op

[Jimmy]

the talent from 15 to 50 is all pretty even. Anybody we get at #25 is going to be a "2nd Round talent" unless a miracle happens

 

^^ This this this...a thousand times this

[Jimmy]

Gettleman likes guys who can just flat out play football.  Which many times overides "measurables".  Shaq is a football player and I can see why we would have interest in him...not that we'll take him but I completely understand the interest.

[Mol3m4n]

Gettleman likes guys who can just flat out play football.  Which many times overides "measurables".  Shaq is a football player and I can see why we would have interest in him...not that we'll take him but I completely understand the interest.

 

"Football players" generally have great instincts, which Thompson does not.

[gettlemanjack]

Shaq is overrated and the TD comparison is lazy and means you didn't watch TD in college. TD's best comp is actually Landon Collins. He was a FS at Georgia who was used as a rush LB on 3rd downs and he struggled in coverage. Instincts and run defense were his biggest strengths.

????

Compare the Combines:

Shaq (6-0/228), TD (6-1/230), and Landon Collins (6-0/228) were the same size.

Shaq's 3-cone (measures the athletic ability needed for pass coverage) is Top 30% in the NFL and his short shuttle (sideline-to-sideline speed) is Top 10% in the NFL. TD's 3-cone was just behind Shaq's (Shaq 6.99, TD 7.09 - both elite) and TD's short shuttle was better than Shaq's (TD 3.97, Shaq 4.08)

Landon Collins is the opposite of those two : horrific 3 cone (bottom 5% in NFL) and terrible short shuttle (bottom 17% in NFL)

Whether you or anybody believed that TD was poor in pass coverage in college is irrelevant, because he is great at it now, just like Shaq. Hence the comparisons

Landon Collins is the opposite of those two : poor in pass coverage and doesn't have the athleticism to ever get any better

As for instincts against the run:

PFF rates Shaq with a 7.3 run-stop percentage

PFF rates Thomas Davis 3rd-worst OLB in the NFL (#35 of 37 OLBs) with a 3.7 run-stop percentage

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/04/24/sig-stats-run-stop-percentage-lbs/

[TheNewStandard]

I'd love Shaq at strong safety, but I have questions about his ability to play OLB in the NFL. It's not that I think he'll be awful there, just that he has all-pro potential at safety and I'm not sure that's true of him at linebacker.

Shaq often got locked up by second level linemen as an OLB, but looking at Carolinas Front 6, how many OL are gonna make it to that second level while being 1vs1 against one of the NFLs elite defensive line, DPOY Kuechly and Thomas Davis both hitting gaps and taking on loose OL.

Shaq, in Carolina, is the perfect centerfielder from line of scrimmage to dropping back in coverage as a ball hawking tweener in a zone of need for the Panthers already stout defense.

[gettlemanjack]

"Football players" generally have great instincts, which Thompson does not.

better than TD's per the stats. If we had scouting reports on TD scouts would be pointing out he doesn't have great instincts. But good enough to be great, just like Shaq

[TheNewStandard]

"Football players" generally have great instincts, which Thompson does not.

Still waiting to see why anyone thinks he is lacking in instincts when he forces 4 fumbles and had 2 ints while setting the NCAA record for defensive touchdowns in a season.

Just relax man, Shaq js a ballhawk and ballhawks only instincts are to get after the ball, wherever the ball may be.

[L-TownCat]

Story can't be true.

TD only talks up kids from his school like Gurley.

[Mol3m4n]

better than TD's per the stats. If we had scouting reports on TD scouts would be pointing out he doesn't have great instincts. But good enough to be great, just like Shaq

 

Gettlemanjack: "Stats tell you that players have instincts."

[micnificent28]

My gooddness can we stop stop talking about this waste of space... he is not a first round player or immediate need. we can get a backup linebacker later.

[TheNewStandard]

My gooddness can we stop stop talking about this waste of space... he is not a first round player or immediate need. we can get a backup linebacker later.

Shaq aint a backup. He's already our most athletic WLB and his coverage skills and ball hawking ability will put peanut to the test.

[micnificent28]

Shaq aint a backup. He's already our most athletic WLB and his coverage skills and ball hawking ability will put peanut to the test.

Hes a backup day one for us. We don't stay in base and spent over 60%(give or take) of our time in nickel. We already have the best coverage lbs in the game so why get another when we have bigger needs at ol cb and wr. a player who sees the field 30% of the time is not what you draft in the first 2 rounds.