PSA: Gaulden is not a "CB converted to S"

[Rags]

He played S in high school. He played Nickel in college because lol Butch Jones and it's how he could get playing time. If anything, he's a S, converted to Nickel, who's going back to his original position in the NFL.

Basically, what he can do for us is the same reason we looked at Tyrann Mathieu. Will he be good at it in the pros? That's yet to be seen. But he has tons of potential and I'm personally excited.

[MHS831]

9 minutes ago, Rags said:

He played S in high school. He played Nickel in college because lol Butch Jones and it's how he could get playing time. If anything, he's a S, converted to Nickel, who's going back to his original position in the NFL.

Basically, what he can do for us is the same reason we looked at Tyrann Mathieu. Will he be good at it in the pros? That's yet to be seen. But he has tons of potential and I'm personally excited.

I agree that he will be a S hybrid, but I disagree saying that he is a  S because he played it for Polk High.  I think he is very smart and his skill set allows for many uses--that is how we will use him.  I support what you are saying..

[LinvilleGorge]

HS doesn’t really matter. Seems like half the NFL played QB in HS.

[bababoey]

Vita Vea played running back in high school.  Maybe they are going to move him back there 

[Rags]

Yes, I know HS is different than the Pros, however it's not like he's completely alien to the position. That's all I mean.

The way he talks about how playing nickel made him more aware of everything on defense in general gets me pumped 

[TylerVagyler]

Butch Jones tried to make JJ Watt play TE. He’s a moron. 

[trucpfan]

He was a safety ad Tennessee he made a position change to DB to make sure he could be on the field since a Safety emerged while he was out with that foot  injury for a season. He changing back to a position he played in College for what it worth.

[MHS831]

18 minutes ago, Rags said:

Yes, I know HS is different than the Pros, however it's not like he's completely alien to the position. That's all I mean.

The way he talks about how playing nickel made him more aware of everything on defense in general gets me pumped 

Rags the thing I noticed about him during his press conference was his intelligence.   To me, a S (in HS) who can play nickel is a pretty impressive feat, but as you say, did not match his skill set.  One of his skills is his brain;  he needs to see the field where he can diagnose and analyze the play.   No offense, but any fast athlete can stay in a wr's pocket and shadow him all over the field without comprehending what is going on.  CBs-especially nickels--are more about one athlete beating the other.  Safety is about anticipation.  How quickly can you diagnose and get to where the ball will be...If you think about it, there are not many dumb safeties.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

My only quarrel with this pick is by his testing numbers he’s not really an NFL quality athlete for the safety position. Obviously those numbers don’t guarantee success at the professional level, but not having the desired athletic traits will certainly make his transition to this level more difficult. Hoping his instincts, awareness, and ability to learn the playbook and diagnose offenses can compensate for his lack of raw athletic ability. 

[TheSpecialJuan]

I adore him 

[RumHam]

I played tackle and defensive tackle in high school. Now i work in an office. See how that works?

[Rubi]

The fact he ranked in the bottom 2% on the athletic chart is a major red flag to me. 

Those charts are used to screen out guys who aren’t NFL caliber athletes. I understand there are a few special exceptions here and there, but Gaulden lacks physical traits that a bunch of other draft picks have over him. 

Even if a GM waned to roll the dice on a player, hopefully there’s at least one physical tool that the player excels at. 

So Gaulden played a couple positions in college...ok?? How does that translate to the next level when the skill position players coming at him are better athletically? 

Not trying to rag on the kid, it’s more of a criticism of Hurney than it is Gaulden. 

[MHS831]

13 minutes ago, OnlyPantherFaninMaine said:

My only quarrel with this pick is by his testing numbers he’s not really an NFL quality athlete for the safety position. Obviously those numbers don’t guarantee success at the professional level, but not having the desired athletic traits will certainly make his transition to this level more difficult. Hoping his instincts, awareness, and ability to learn the playbook and diagnose offenses can compensate for his lack of raw athletic ability. 

Right--he needs the intelligence.  If he can read the offense .2 second sooner, then who cares if he is in the 4.6 range.  If he takes fewer false steps and does not play confused or guessing, he will be fine.  He needs to use his noodle.

I see him as a guy who will play in the NFL for a long time.  Passion and intelligence. 

[Rags]

16 minutes ago, RumHam said:

I played tackle and defensive tackle in high school. Now i work in an office. See how that works?

Yeah but the difference is Gaulden has the ability and mindset to get better instead of bitching about everything he doesn't like.