NFL draft grades weighed in on the Cincinnati Bengals taking LB Akeem Davis-Gaither.
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The Cincinnati Bengals dipped into the familiarity well with Appalachian State linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither in the 2020 NFL draft’s fourth round.
And Davis-Gaither is a fun prospect who projects as a more modern linebacker who can play a hybrid role between safety and linebacker.
There’s value in getting such a chess piece for Lou Anarumo’s multiple defense. There’s also a ton of value in this odd offseason to getting a guy they’re familiar with via the Senior Bowl, where the Bengals made him a captain.
But there are a few drawbacks to this pick. For one, ADG comes with a slightly concerning injury history, which features a recent stress fracture in his foot that derailed some of his pre-draft plans.
And two, doubling up on linebacker after Logan Wilson in the third isn’t the best overall value with quality offensive linemen on the board. By passing on an offensive tackle like Ben Bartch or Prince Tega Wanogho, the Bengals are adamant in having a competition with unknowns like Billy Price, Michael Jordan and Fred Johnson, which could prove problematic in front of Joe Burrow. There was always a chance the ADG would’ve kept falling due to injury concerns.
Disclaimer — there is a chance ADG could make this grade look very, very silly, quickly. He’s a superb athlete who fits the modern NFL mold well. But his level of competition, injuries and other available prospects dampen things ever so slightly.
For now, this is a defensive chess piece worth expressing some cautious optimism over as the Bengals continue the defensive overhaul.
Here’s a quick rundown of Cincinnati Bengals fourth-round pick Akeem Davis-Gaither.
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It wasn’t too much of a surprise to see the Cincinnati Bengals call Appalachian State linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither’s name to start Round 4 of the 2020 NFL draft.
ADG immediately projects as a flex/hybrid player in Cincinnati who can come in with certain packages and get downhill jamming up running lanes or applying pressure.
Classified as a “small” linebacker at 6’1″ and 224 pounds, that sort of thought process only applies if the Bengals try to use him as a traditional linebacker.
At the very worst, ADG doesn’t see the field much as a rookie besides special teams. But he’s too versatile and athletic to really hold back from getting on the field, though how he’ll fight with guys like Vonn Bell and others for playing time should prove interesting.
Perhaps the only outright knock on the pick is the injury history. But even then, it’s one of those risks onlookers can’t fault the Bengals for taking too much. He tested and graded incredibly well:
With the 107th overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select…
The Bengals took Akeem Davis-Gaither to start the draft’s fourth round.
The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off Day 3 and Round 4 of the 2020 NFL draft by taking Appalachian State linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither.
Davis-Gaither is a smaller linebacker prospect at 6’1″ and 224 pounds who fits the downhill mold the Bengals will probably deploy him in as a weapon in sub-packages.
While there are some injury concerns that caused Davis-Gaither to slip, they’ve liked him enough to meet with him at the combine.
This is the second linebacker in a row for the Bengals and merely follows their board at this point. He projects to fill a hybrid role alongside someone like free-agent add Vonn Bell.
This pick comes on the heels of a well-reviewed first three rounds for the Bengals, which started with Joe Burrow before Clemson wideout Tee Higgins in the second and Wyoming linebacker Logan Wilson in the third.
Players ignored in the first three rounds of the draft can still get it done in the NFL. Doug Farrar breaks down the best players left.
So. You’ve got NFL potential, but for whatever reason, the NFL doesn’t see you as a first- or second-day pick. Yes, it’s devastating at the time, but all kinds of players have recovered from falling to the fourth through the seventh rounds to become something special. Ask Geno Atkins, who was taken in the fourth round of the 2010 draft by the Bengals out of Georgia. Atkins has made eight Pro Bowls. Ask Richard Sherman, taken in the fifth round of the 2011 draft by the Seahawks out of Stanford. The former receiver became the preeminent cornerback of his era.
Antonio Brown. Dak Prescott. David Bakhtiari. Jason Kelce. Stefon Diggs. Kirk Cousins. Everson Griffen. And that’s just in the last decade. There’s also that quarterback taken 199th overall by the Patriots in the 2000 draft. Plays for the Buccaneers now. Guy named Brady. You may have heard of him.
The point is, of course, that your draft spot does not determine your destiny. And that should be encouraging news to these players — the best prospects left on the boards after the first three rounds of the 2020 NFL draft.
Anthony Gordon, QB, Washington State
(Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)
Gardner Minshew’s successor at Washington State, Gordon doesn’t have Minshew’s gunslinger mentality, but he was highly productive in 2019. He had an Adjusted Completion Rate of 79.8%, and he completed 23 of 81 passes of 20 or more air yards for 736 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions. So, not just a dink-and-sunk guy. Gordon needs work with diagnosing defenses at an advanced level, but he projects well as a spot starter in the sub-Kirk Cousins mold.
Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Everybody loves Fromm’s game smarts and grit, but the physical limitations are there, and they’re obviously not going unnoticed by NFL personnel people. Fromm is a pocket guy who needs to put everything into it to make deep throws, but in the right system, he can develop into an average NFL quarterback and possible future coach. Think Kellen Moore with a little more zip on the ball, but not much.
Eno Benjamin, RB, Arizona State
(Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)
Benjamin was a human highlight film for the Sun Devils over the last two seasons — he broke 84 total tackles in 2018, and 62 in 2019. At 5-foot-9 and 207 pounds, he’s not an every-down back in the traditional sense, but he’s a good receiver, and an absolute weapon in the open field. He could have Reggie Bush potential in the right system.
Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty
(Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports)
Gandy-Golden is a massive target at 6-foot-4 and 233 pounds, and he caught 150 passes for 2,433 yards and 20 touchdowns in just two seasons for the Flames. While he’s not a downfield burner, any team looking for an Anquan Boldin “late in the career” type (a power possession receiver) might find him to be an appealing option.
Saahdiq Charles, OT, LSU
(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
There are times when you watch Charles protect Joe Burrow’s blind side at a very high level in 2019, and you think he’s the epitome of a first-round pick. At other times, his mechanics will fall short, and things will get messy. He’ll allow more sacks and pressures than you would like, and he’s a project at this point, but in a strong offensive line room, he has Pro Bowl potential… at times.
The New Orleans Saints were linked to 2020 NFL Draft prospects like Troy Dye and Akkem Davis-Gaither in mock drafts for rounds two and three
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New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton identified linebacker as a position of need going into the second day of the 2020 NFL Draft, though he acknowledged the team might not be able to address it with a rookie draft pick. New Orleans might consider a free agent after the compensatory pick cutoff passes by on Monday, with veteran options like Nigel Bradham still available.
But linebacker has been the overwhelming pick for the Saints in updated NFL mock drafts, with experts doing their best to predict what may happen in rounds two and three. Not scheduled to pick until No. 88, late in the third round, it’s easy to imagine the always-aggressive Saints trading up the board on Friday night.
Two different mock drafts have the Saints staying put, however, and selecting Oregon linebacker Troy Dye. That take comes from both SI.com’s Kevin Hanson and Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler graded Dye positively — he racked up 44 tackles for loss in four years with the Ducks, starting 47 of the 50 games he played — but projects him to more of a backup role due to his underdeveloped frame and a few recent injuries.
Instead, Brugler suggested a different linebacker in his own second-day mock draft: Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither, an athletic tackling machine who dominated his competition in the Sun Belt; he earned recognition as that conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. Brugler projects Davis-Gaither to make an instant impact in sub-packages (he created five sacks last season on blitzes) while starring on special teams, which sounds like what the Saints will be looking for.
However, not everyone has the Saints picking a linebacker. The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs linked the Saints to UCLA cornerback Darnay Holmes in the third round with his updated mock draft. Holmes has started 33 of the 35 games he’s played for the Bruins, flashing serious ball skills with eight interceptions (and 28 total passes defensed). But he might not fit what the Saints like from a physical standpoint at just 5-foot-9 with 29 1/2-inch arms, despite his 4.48-second 40 time.
If the Ravens want to upgrade their linebacker corps in the NFL Draft, these are some of the top prospects they could have their eye on.
The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2020 NFL Draft with inside linebacker being one of their top needs. With no clearcut starters on the roster and a lack of overall depth at the position, Baltimore is surely going to look to the draft as the remedy. But in a draft that is sneaky deep and at a position that isn’t as valuable as a decade ago, the Ravens could find quality starters all over the place.
In the modern NFL, there are some positions that seem to have been devalued. Think about running back on offense and how what used to be one of the most valuable positions has turned into a weight around the salary cap for several teams. On defense, the same could be said for the linebacker.
Once the captain of the defense, the transition to a more pass-happy league has seen the value of the position take quite a knock. But that doesn’t mean the position is unimportant. Linebacker has long been proudly associated with the Ravens, after the deeds of Ray Lewis and C.J. Mosley. The Ravens recently added Jake Ryan to their linebacking corps but his signing is not likely to affect the team’s draft plans.
If Baltimore chooses to make linebacker a top priority, here are the seven top prospects they could be looking at.
Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
It’s probably something of a misnomer to class Simmons as solely a linebacker. The former Clemson Tiger is one of the more versatile defensive players in the entire draft class after a career in a hybrid safety-linebacker-cornerback role.
Simmons was incredible in 2019, with 107 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. This was in addition to 13 passes defended and three interceptions. Frankly, the guy was an absolute menace and made offensive coordinators’ lives miserable.
There is a slight issue that his versatility may affect his draft stock, with teams not sure where exactly he should be used in the NFL. But a creative defensive coordinator, and one who values versatility, will hope to get their hands on Simmons and turn him into a dominant playmaker. If that team is the Ravens, they’ll probably have to make a move up in the draft to get him as he’s unlikely to be there at No. 28.
NFL Draft 2020: A LB in every round for the Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are just hours from making virtual draft history and as we take a look at the prospects on a round by round basis, linebacker could become a position of need in the middle to late rounds.
With the Eagles set to be on the clock, here’s a linebacker in every round for the Eagles.
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1.Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
Murray has been rumored to the Eagles for weeks now and the playmaking linebacker would add a dimension at linebacker that the franchise has never had.
A thumper who can excel in coverage, Murray is a few missed tackles away from being a top-15 player. Murray can improve as a pass rusher, but his ability to control gaps could translate well to the NFL.
Who did the Los Angeles Chargers get in Draft Wire’s latest four-round mock draft?
We are two days away from the 2020 NFL Draft, which means that we are on the tail end of projections on what analysts believe the Chargers along with the other 31 teams will do on Thursday night.
Our good friend, Luke Easterling over at Draft Wire put together a four-round mock draft that sees Los Angeles scooping up the future face of the franchise, his blindside protection and a play-making linebacker and cornerback.
Here is a look at the haul for the Bolts:
Round 1. Justin Herbert | QB | Oregon
Round 2. Ezra Cleveland | OT | Boise State
Round 3. Akeem Davis-Gaither | LB | Appalachian State
Round 4. Reggie Robinson | CB | Tulsa
In the first-round, the Chargers, by no surprise get the quarterback of the future. I am a believer that they will select whoever the Dolphins don’t (barring any trade up).
Herbert gets a lot of flack for his consistency and decision-making issues, but he has the size, arm talent, mobility and above average accuracy. With the scheme and the weapons that Los Angeles has in place, he should be able to flourish.
In the second-round, the Bolts draft a player that has been commonly mocked throughout the pre-draft process. Cleveland needs to get stronger, but he has the athleticism and mobility needed, which makes him a projected NFL starting tackle.
In the third-round, the Chargers switch gears and address the defensive side of the ball with a lite-version of Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons. Davis-Gaither possesses a well-rounded skillset as a run defender, cover man and pass-rusher while providing an asset on special teams.
In the fourth and final round, Los Angeles adds some competition to the outside cornerback position. Robinson is a tall and lengthy cornerback who has the play speed and physicality to stay with receivers in man coverage as well as the zone awareness and ball skills to create turnovers.
The linebacker position could sit atop of the Los Angeles Chargers’ priority list in the upcoming draft.
Last offseason, the Chargers made the point to prioritize the linebacker position by making a slew of acquisitions that included re-signing Denzel Perryman, signing linebacker Thomas Davis and drafting Drue Tranquill.
Fast forward to now, Davis and Jatavis Brown are no longer with the team, Perryman only has one more year left on his contract and there are concerns with Kyzir White’s availability due to a knee injury that might still be lingering from 2018.
Los Angeles signed Nick Vigil to a two-year deal, but it remains to be seen if he is viewed as a starter or just a depth piece and core special teamer. Malik Jefferson was also added into the mix, but he spent 2019 on the practice squad.
Earlier this month, coach Anthony Lynn said that Perryman is pencilled in as the starting Mike linebacker. But Tranquill will compete there and at the weak side linebacker position.
“If we get a guy in the draft. Drue could also go over and play MIKE. So we’ll see.”
A remark like this tells their stance on Perryman, likely indicating that the position sits atop of the team’s needs still.
I listed five potential mid-round options before Lynn threw out that statement, but now it wouldn’t be surprising for the Chargers look to address it earlier than that.
Former Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons is a popular option if he is available at No. 6 overall. Similar to Derwin James, Simmons is a do-it-all defender who can defend the run, turn-and-run with positional players in coverage and blitz off the edge.
If they elect to draft their quarterback of the future in Round 1, Day 2 options that could be an instant impact-makers include Wyoming’s Logan Wilson, Ohio State’s Malik Harrison, Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither, among others.
The Chargers also lost Adrian Phillips in free agency, so they could double dip at the position by taking a hybrid outside linebacker on Day 3.
The bottom line is that after reading through the tea leaves, don’t be surprised if a linebacker is taken before other positions of need like offensive tackle or wide receiver.
We know Isaiah Simmons is at the top, but what about the rest? How do the linebackers stack for a modern NFL as we look to the NFL Draft?
To paraphrase an idea from the world of politics, do not tell me what you value at a position. Show me your top prospects at a position and I’ll tell you what you value at the position.
We can apply that idea to this list of top linebacker prospects. Look through these names and you will see what I value at the position: Athleticism, the ability to play in space, the fit in the modern NFL, the potential to defend the pass, and the likelihood of being a three-down player.
The players we grew up immortalizing, such as the Mike Singletarys of the world, are a throwback to a different time. An era when “three yards and a cloud of dust” was the rule, not the exception. To be a complete linebacker in today’s NFL you have to be able to stop the run on first down, and run with a seam route on third down. If you cannot do both, you are not going early in the draft. As such, the players with that ability – or at least potential – are getting the nod on lists like this.
Bio: Isaiah Simmons was a two-sport athlete for Olathe North High School in Olathe, Kansas. Simmons was a wide receiver and a defensive back on the football team, and a long jumper for the track-and-field team. Simmons was the state champion in the long jump in both 2014 and 2015, and his career-bests jump was 23’8″. But as a three-star prospect on the gridiron, he committed to Clemson over Michigan, Nebraska and Missouri. He started his career for the Tigers in 2017, playing primarily as a safety. In 2018 Simmons spent most of his time in the slot, and according to Pro Football Focus he fared well, as they graded him with an overall grade of 88.9 playing as a slot cornerback.
Last year, Simmons did it all. He played 100 or more snaps at edge defender, linebacker, strong safety, free safety and slot cornerback. On film, he excelled at every single position.
Stat to Know: Simmons is extremely disruptive at the catch point. He forced eight incompletions, tying him for the top number among linebackers last season.
Strengths: Where to begin? Simmons has the athleticism to cover wide receivers both out of the slot and on the outside. He has the awareness to make plays in space at all levels of the field. He has the size and length to erase tight ends in the passing game. Simmons was built to play defense in the modern NFL. It does not take long to see how he can impact a game. Take the National Championship Game against LSU. Right at the outset, he blitzes off edge on the first play of the game, chases Joe Burrow all over the field and keeps him (as best as he can) in the pocket. Second play of the game, covers Thaddeus Moss on a stick route, plays off him, breaks perfectly on the route for a pass breakup, and he reads the route concept perfectly. He plays sideline-to-sideline against the pass and the run. If you are running a route near him and he can get to you, he is going to put you on your backside with a jam (ask Moss about that). He can play as a half-field safety and break downhill on plays in front of him. He can run stride-for-stride with Justin Jefferson on a crossing route in the red zone.
Simmons can do everything asked of him on the football field.
Some might wonder about his ability to defend the run as a more traditional linebacker. The film shows a player who handles his responsibilities and assignments the right way. For example against Wofford he was tasked with handling the pitch man on speed option plays, and he did that assignment perfectly. So if you ask him to align at middle linebacker and fit into a gap against the run, he will do that too.
Where he does truly stand out is what he can do against the passing game. Given his experience at both safety and slot cornerback, everything feels natural for him. He can play off coverage over receivers, tight ends and running backs and click-and-close to the catch point like a cornerback. When in zone coverage he knows just how long to stick on a route before passing it off to the next defender. While he can play a single- or two-deep safety role, he can also play in the middle of a Tampa 2 in that underneath hole spot and erase tight ends.
Perhaps my favorite play of his is this one from the National Championship Game:
Simmons aligns along the boundary across from running back Clyde Edward-Helarie. He backpedals off the snap and recognizes the route concept, a smash-fade design with the running back running a hitch route and the slot receiver releasing vertically on a fade route. Simmons, despite the rub element to this concept, does not panic. Instead he slides down over the hitch while keeping an eye on Burrow, and when the QB throws the hitch route the defender is in perfect position to break up the throw at the catch point.
Weaknesses: For a player like this, we need to handle the weaknesses section a little differently.
The fear with Simmons is that an NFL team tries to pigeon-hole into a specific role. Whether as a “linebacker” or a “safety,” and by doing so eliminates the versatility and athleticism that Simmons offers on the defensive side of the football. If he is artifically hamstrung by old school minds on his NFL coaching staff, that will reduce much of what he offers. So the hope is that Simmons lands with a forward-thinking defensive mind who employs him more as a matchup weapon than anything else.
Now yes, there are parts of what he has done over the past few years that require a bit of projection. He played in a defense that was predominantly a 3-1-7 defense, and it is unlikely his NFL home is going to copy what Brent Venables put together for Clemson. So projecting him as an off-ball player fitting gaps against the run is a bit of an unknown. But again, asking him to be that kind of player is just overthinking what he can be in the NFL.
So the weakness is really just a lack of imagination from his NFL coaching staff.
Conclusion: The bottom line is that Isaiah Simmons is a defensive specialist that you can employ virtually anywhere on the field. You can see him rush the passer off the edge on first down, lock down a tight end on second down, and run with a slot receiver on third down. He can play a single-high safety look, or as a half-field safety, or even at boundary corner if necessary. His best “traditional” NFL role might be as a middle linebacker in a heavy Tampa-2 defense. He could be the modern version of Derrick Brooks in that role, running with tight ends and slot receivers, but in today’s game there is so much more that he can do. Draft him and just start dreaming of different ways to employ him.
Comparision: Captain America. Iron Man. Superman. Black Panther. Thor. Basically pick a superhero and that is Isaiah Simmons. Except Batman. He was a rich guy who bought a ton of toys. That is my hot take for the day.
