These defensive tackles are no good.
The drought was dreadful, but we had 2 bright spots.. Fred and Kyle. Fred was a good player, but Kyle was great! We have been spoiled with good defensive tackle play for years, and I think we have almost come to expect it. This group we have has been a major disappointment.
I’ve gone back and re-watched the games focusing on the backers and d-line. Edmunds and Milano haven’t been perfect but they are good enough. These tackles simply cannot get off blocks. Here is a brief breakdown of what I’ve seen.
Star
Wow he’s bad! He comes off the line ok, but stops driving his feet and has a terrible habit of allowing his pads to be turned sideways. For a big guy he doesn’t seem that strong and gets moved fairly easily. I guess I just don’t see what they see, definitely not a starter.
Oliver
This has been discussed. Still a rookie, but he looks out of place. He either needs to add weight to play tackle or lose some and play end. Maybe a DE in a 3-4. I can also see him being like a James Harrison. Definitely a great athlete and a decent pass rusher right now. I’m still optimistic but…..
Jordan Phillips
Our best guy so far, but maybe a little over-hyped because of the sacks. Lacks the consistency to get too excited about. Pad level is often too high, he gets away with it because of his size.
Harrison Phillips
I got him as our 2nd best guy. Like Jordan he also plays with pad level too high(worst than Jordan) but unlike Jordan lacks the size to get away with it. He is actually pretty strong and has good instincts. Can see him developing into a top DT but he’s not there yet. Hopefully he’s recovering well.
Lorenzo
You may have notices we line Zo up in the DT 3-tech spot on passing downs. I think this tells you something about our tackles. The results haven’t been there. I love Zo but I can’t help but feel that we always play him out of position. He exploded on the scene primarily as an edge rusher. But we have been using him either as an off the line LB or a DT.
Peko was the worst one, but he’s gone. Jury is still out on the new guy Taylor #96, nothing really jumped out at me.
Overall they all give pretty good effort and seem to be “process guys”. Jordan and Harrison would make good backups, but have been clearly better than Star and Oliver, so it’s puzzling why Star and Oliver were the starters. Hopefully the new guy is good but I’m losing faith in this staff and their ability to scout and coach defensive tackles.