Steelers Draft 2016: OLB Leonard Floyd
By Josh Fitzer
Leonard Floyd out of Georgia reminds me a lot of Von Miller. You can place him anywhere defensively, and he’ll have success.
The Steelers have some question marks at OLB. The future is uncertain for James Harrison, Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones are “just guys” right now, and we’re not sure what Anthony Chickillo or Bud Dupree are going to be (unintentional rhyme).
I’m not saying that this position is a must need for the Steelers, but I think it’s something they should address at some point.
Please allow me to show you a player that I’d love to see in Black & Gold.
Name:
Leonard Floyd
Height:
6′ 4″
Weight:
231
College:
Georgia
Position:
OLB
Projected Round:
1-2
Games I watched:
Georgia vs Vanderbilt (2015)
Georgia vs Clemson (2014)
Breakdown:
In April 2011, Floyd committed to the University of Georgia. Before going to the Bulldog state, Floyd took a few NCAA required classes at Hargrave Military Academy. Floyd started his freshmen year at Georgia in 2013. In his first year, he started 8 of 13 games, and finished the season with 55 tackles and led the team with 6.5 sacks. Floyd played in 11 games during his sophomore, he finished his second season with 55 tackles, 6 sacks and a fumble recovery. He finished his final year (as a junior) he played in 13 games, and finished the season with 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
Although he’s listed as an OLB, Floyd can play at multiple spots on defense. He can line up at ROLB, LOLB, ILB and even play some snaps at DE. Floyd reminds me a lot of Von Miller, Miller can be successful no matter where he is on the field. Now, I don’t place Floyd in the same caliber as Miller, but I do think they’re a lot alike in a few areas.
Leonard Floyd is capable of creating pressure even when he’s held. On one specific play (in the fourth quarter with 15 minutes left to play) against Clemson, Floyd was held and went to the ground, that caused the QB to step up into the pocket, which led to one of Floyd’s teammates getting the sack. I know I’m really new at this whole “watching film thing” but I’ve never seen anything like that before. The link is above if you’d like to see it.
In the two games that I watched, Floyd seemed to have some trouble shedding blocks. He nearly gets to the QB on a few different plays if he sheds the block quicker. He struggled with this playing left and right-outside, with his hand in the dirt and inside. While he can play inside, I don’t think that’s where he’ll find the most success. He seems to get caught against O-linemen when he plays inside, specifically on running plays up the middle.
One more thing I’d like to point out is Floyd’s ability to play man-coverage. First off, I don’t know how often he’s done it, and I don’t know the success rate of him being thrown at. I’m just pointing out one specific play. Against Vanderbilt (in the second quarter with 7:25 left to play), Floyd lined up against a slot receiver and kept up with him the whole way. In my experience (which isn’t much), I’ve never seen that before. I was really impressed.
Next: Steelers Draft: Powell great fit for ailing secondary
In closing, Leonard Floyd is a very versatile LB. He’s a guy that can play some snaps at DE, but not often. I think his bread and butter is found in any three linebacker spots. Floyd mainly fits in a 3-4 system, but I could also see him in a 4-3/3-4 hybrid system, kind of like what the Minnesota Vikings do. I’d love to see the Steelers pull the trigger on him if he’s there at 25. In a mock draft done by the fine folks at Walter Football, they have the Raiders taking Floyd at 14. This very well could happen, but he could also fall. This is the NFL and anything could happen.
Here we go, Steelers! Here we go!