FanPost

2022 NFL Draft profile: Darrian Beavers draft profile

Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Building a Dam in the Middle

Michael Renner of PFF recently did a mock draft where he has Leo Chenal, the Wisconsin LB, taken at the very top of the 2nd round at slot 33. Chenal is ranked 37th on ESPN's board. Shane Hallam has Chenal ranked 45th. So, some experts view Chenal as one of the top Day 2 ILBs in this draft class. Do you know who both Ian Cummings and Oliver Hodgkinson have ranked as a better LB than Chenal? Darrian Beavers of Cincinnati. ESPN has Chenal ranked 112 spots ahead of Beavers. Lance Zierlein gave Beavers a very low draft grade, which generally translates to being a late round to UDFA player. Is it possible for the same draft prospect to be simultaneously overrated and underrated by the experts?

Downtown Rams already did a profile on Beavers, written by Pat Pryor. DR gave Beavers a 3rd round draft grade and compared him to Zach Cunningham, who was a 2nd round pick in 2017 out of Vanderbilt. I really liked Cunningham, he was a strong and physical run defender. I don't think Beavers is the same type of player, Cunningham has superior length compared to Beavers. Still, I understand the general gist of the comparison. Beavers is an "old school thumper" type of LB, muscular, strong and stout, physically built to defend the run, but not as good when defending the pass.

Was Cunningham a good draft pick? That year, the biggest draft needs for the Houston Texans were generally considered to be offensive line (specifically RT and G), safety and WR. The Texans went with a BPA mindset and drafted a LB in the 2nd round instead.

On one hand, you might argue that this worked, because Cunningham was a starter for his entire rookie contract. He led the NFL in tackles in 2020 with 164 tackles. He had over 300 tackles in a 2 year period from 2019 to 2020. The Texans signed him to a lucrative 2nd contract, making him one of the highest paid LBs in the league, with a salary of over $14 million. Then, things fell apart.

Cunningham arguably was never really an elite player. He missed a ton of tackles. He was poor in pass coverage. While he piled up big tackle statistics, he never had a single season where he had a PFF grade of at least 70. In 2021, only a year after signing his new deal, his performance dipped and so did his accountability. The team said he was repeatedly late or missed team meetings. The Texans waived him late in the season and the Titans claimed him off of waivers. It was a messy ending for a player who was supposed to be a building block cornerstone for their defense.

Could the Texans have boosted their OL or gotten a good WR at that slot instead, if they had focused on need instead of drafting the perceived BPA? Absolutely. Both Dion Dawkins and Taylor Moton were available and have become very good linemen. There was also a WR available, some guy named Cooper Kupp, but since he doesn't run very fast, I bet he never became more than a WR3 type, right? As much as I'm a believer in following a BPA strategy, we also have to be honest and admit that it is very difficult at times to predict who will turn out to be the best NFL player.

Fans of Darrian Beavers have also compared him to Zaven Collins, one of the hyped prospects of the 2021 draft. It isn't clear yet whether Collins is going to be a star. He failed to make much of an impression as a rookie with Arizona. I think Collins was a better prospect, but again, how well can we tell who is the best player? I also think that Germaine Pratt (3rd round 2019) was a better prospect than Beavers. Pratt played very poorly his first 2 years in the NFL. He had a 41.5 PFF grade in 2020. Late in the 2021 season and in the playoffs, Pratt flashed and showed signs of becoming a good player, but he still hasn't had a true breakout year. Heading into year 4, it is still murky if he's a long term answer who is about to have a career best season or if he'll be remembered as a disappointing draft pick.

Background

Combine: 6'4'' tall, 237 pounds, 32 3/8'' arms, 9 3/4'' hands, 81'' wingspan

Senior Bowl: 6'4'' tall, 252 pounds, 32 5/8'' arms, 9 5/8'' hands, 81'' wingspan. Cincy listed him at 255 pounds in 2021.

36.5'' vert jump, 10'5'' broad jump, 6.91 sec (3 cone), 4.28 sec (shuttle)

From Cincinnati, OH area. In HS, played basketball, did track (high jump), was 4.0 GPA student, played WR and safety, was 190 pounds. Lightly recruited 3 star recruit, got 4 offers from small schools and chose UConn, where he was used as a pass rushing specialist for 2 years, first at LB, then at DE. He led the team in sacks in 2018 with 4 sacks. Transferred to Cincinnati in 2019. He says he transformed his body in the weight room at Cincy. In 2021, had 102 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, an INT, 2 FF and was a Butkus Award finalist.

Tony Pauline at the Senior Bowl said his pass coverage skills were terrific on Day 1 practice in the 1 vs 1 drills covering RBs. He showed good pass rush ability Day 2, but struggled in pass coverage on Day 3.

Joe Marino (TDN) says Beavers is physical, aggressive, will occasionally miss tackles, has strong football character and IQ, sound in zone but not good in man coverage. Excellent run defender, modest change of direction and agility. Interchangeable and can play in either odd or even front defenses at different LB spots. Marino gave him a 2nd round draft grade.

Lance Zierlein 5.65 draft grade, which is "candidate for bottom of roster or practice squad" tier. Compare grade to Clay Johnston 5.64 (Rams 7th round 2020, Baylor). LZ says Beavers has throwback size, but also throwback level of athleticism, a phone booth LB, stiff legged, lacks agility. Strong and physical, takes on blocks, aware and disciplined, tight hipped. Concerns about closing burst and tackle finishing. Unlikely to offer man coverage ability in NFL.

ESPN 145th overall (5th)

Tony Pauline 114th (4th)

Ian Cummings 133rd (4th)

Oliver Hodgkinson 165th (5th)

Shane Hallam 72nd (3rd)

Brian Bosarge 83rd (3rd)

Drafttek 113th (listed as OLB) (4th)

PFF mock draft 92nd overall (3rd)

Strengths

Punishing tackler. Plays like he has chip on his shoulder. Not timid or soft, a physical thumper play demeanor.

Thick build. Good lower body strength, can burst by blockers.

Good hand usage to shed 2nd level blocks and as a pass rusher. Attacks blockers, active hands, takes the fight to them.

Can crash into the backfield from off the edge.

Given variety of duties in defense. Run defender in middle, sometimes zone pass coverage in slot area, pass rusher from OLB alignment. Can pressure the QB on green dog blitzes or as looper coming up the middle.

Prior experience at different positions, from S to DE to OLB gives him diverse background for seeing the game, but it also may have delayed his development by not allowing him to focus on learning a single position.

I wasn't able to find any information about major injuries with him.

Hard worker. Transformed himself over the years from a small and lightly regarded safety recruit to a Butkus Award finalist LB. Nothing was handed to him, he had to earn his keep.

Weaknesses

In the games I watched, he missed a ton of tackles. WR dodges to the side and breaks his arm tackle. Limited length, tries to grab too high on shoulder pads, not ideal approach angle and the QB stiff arms him, then breaks the tackle. TE spins out of his tackle on a critical 4th quarter play.

If you watch his highlight video, then the full game videos, some of his best highlight plays happen literally 1 or 2 snaps after "bad" plays he made. I'd still be jotting down notes of something he did wrong and suddenly he'd make a nice stop on the very next snap. He's not a reliable, consistently good performer, he's up and down, he giveth and he taketh away defender.

Average anticipation, reading of keys and diagnosis. All the profiles talk about how he has great football IQ, but I don't see it on the field. Steps backwards as if it is pass, but it is clearly a run play. Steps forward, thinking it is a run when the keys plainly say it is going to be a pass. Lacks instincts for how to move in zone pass coverage. Jumped towards the wrong WR when pass goes to a different WR and ends up with a poor tackling angle towards the WR after the catch. Not decisive in reading route progressions.

Not aware to trap blocks. Doesn't anticipate receiving threat of TEs coming across formation. Failed to recognize screen to RB developing on his side of field. Momentary hesitation against TE screen right in front of him causes him to be too late to make the tackle. Realizes that he's about to be beaten by TE on shallow crossing route and desperately tries to tackle the TE to avoid giving up potential TD.

Doesn't show good understanding of gap leverage and angles on runs. Run play with combo block by guard. The LB reads the run coming and steps forward, but instead of stepping in the direction of the play to secure his gap responsibility he just stands stationary and allows the G to climb up to him square, seal him and lock him up. The other 3 defenders on the playside do a great job forcing the RB to cut back and if the LB had played it properly he would have been there to make the tackle. Instead, there is a gigantic hole and the RB rumbles down the field for a big gain. That is absolutely horrible LB play.

Compressed formation near EZ, he should anticipate RB being spilled to outside, but takes poor angle and misses tackle on the RB.

Galloping movements on field, not smooth in pedal going backwards or diagonally.

Average speed, not enough pursuit range. Insufficient short area burst to close down angles on speedy or quick runners.

Not enough length and flexibility to be a good pass rusher, tight hipped with short limbs both arms and legs.

Average ability to redirect to the QB or RB in backfield or in space. Not quick enough change of direction off of bootleg play action to stay with TE running across the field.

Motor is not hot enough. Watches piles instead of joining them. Takes gas off pedal and lets up prior to whistle and end of some plays.

Less special teams potential compared to faster and more athletic backup LBs.

Pro Comparison and Grade

Jahlani Tavai (2nd round Detroit Lions 2019, Hawaii) 5th round grade.

I was surprised Tavai was drafted so early in 2019. After showing some promise his rookie season, Tavai was a disaster in his 2nd NFL season, with a 32.1 PFF grade, ranking 96th out of 99 LBs. Disappointing Lions fans that year suggested that the team would have been better off if they had drafted a safety (because the Lions also had poor S play) and so they should have taken Taylor Rapp instead. The Lions had terrible WRs in 2021. Instead of Tavai, they could have taken WRs such as AJ Brown, DK Metcalf or Terry McLaurin.

Tavai shed 20 pounds to try to become a better player, but failed to win a roster spot in 2021. He was waived at the end of the 2021 preseason, having only spent 2 years with the Lions. He was on the PS for the Pats, then elevated to the regular roster and played on special teams. It was a bad draft outcome for a 2nd round pick, but if Tavai had been a 5th rounder (e.g. Micah Kiser for the Rams, 5th round 2018), I'd argue that his struggles wouldn't have been as damaging.

One of the LBs who replaced Tavai in Detroit was Derrick Barnes, a LB I liked in last year's draft. A 4th round rookie, Barnes had a 30.1 PFF grade, ranking 85th out of 87 LBs. Not forward progress compared to the 2020 version of Tavai. Barnes was the player Andrew Whitworth mentioned in his Man of the Year speech, how Whit unknowingly helped to inspire Barnes by spending time with him at the Boys and Girls Club in Cincinnati when Barnes was younger.

Beavers isn't my type of player. I think Kiser coming out of Virginia was a better LB prospect compared to Beavers. I see Beavers as a prospect a team could add later in the draft just to add more depth to their LB group, not as a developmental starter. In today's NFL, I think LBs need to have better pass coverage skills and athleticism to move in space. Big, strong LBs who are best at defending runs coming straight toward them don't have much value anymore.