Featured Discussion Day 3 NFL Live Draft Thread

[lee909]

Would have liked Oline there

[dizzle88]

Mayock was saying that Fortt's his only downfall is injuries

[foreverfan]

Strengths Weaknesses
STRENGTHS: Lean, muscular frame with long arms. Demonstrates early recognition against the run, and an explosive first step downhill. Gets up to speed rapidly and has top-end speed to run down plays to the opposite side, when scraping. Extremely fluid and explosive when moving laterally, as he's able to keep his hips squared to the line of scrimmage and still cut off runs to the outside edge.

Shows good gap discipline and patience to allow the play to develop before committing. Approaches blockers with aggression, demonstrating good extension and strong pop to jar his opponent and remain disengaged. Maintains an eye on the backfield while meandering through contact and takes good angles in the box to cut off running lanes. Demonstrates nimble feet to maintain footing when combatting cut-blocks.

Exhibits fluid backpedal when asked to drop into coverage, and has the quick hips to turn and run with receivers and tight ends vertically. Tracks the ball well over his shoulder and shows good timing to attack the throw at the high point. Elite acceleration and second gear to chase down speedy ballcarriers, even 20-30 yards down the field. Does a good job of getting low, establishing width and wrapping up his target in the hole.

Flashes some pass-rush ability from a three-point stance coming off the edge with an explosive jump and flexibility to round the corner.

WEAKNESSES: Approaches blockers high at times and lacks the lower-half strength to correct, reset and hold ground. Lowers his head as a tackler in the hole and will whiff at times when he does so. Takes aggressive angles to the outside, and will find himself behind the play occasionally as a result. Tends to freeze at times when dropping into zone, as he'll lock onto the quarterback and seemingly lose awareness of what's going on around him.

Will throw himself at ballcarries when in space and pursuing from off angles, seeming more concerned with the big hit than finishing the play. Despite his aggression and ability to play through contact, was not a big finisher behind the line of scrimmage while at Cal.

COMPARES TO: Zaviar Gooden, Outside Linebacker, Tennessee Titans - Fortt's "plus" athleticism and sideline-to-sideline range are similar to those of Gooden, a 2013 third-round selection of the Titans. However, Fortt's ability to shed blocks and be a consistent contributor between the tackles should present him as a more versatile prospect than Gooden, who was viewed more as a run-and-hit 'backer that needed more space for his impact to be maximized.

--Derek Stephens (2/12/14)
Player Overview
Fortt didn't have the same big-play impact at Cal that he showed while at Penn State, but there's certainly no denying his explosiveness and toughness on tape, and he has shown improvement in his all-around game.

His lack of gaudy numbers may cause some NFL teams to hesitate come draft week, but his "plus" movement skills in space combined with his toughness against the run could make him a steal on the second or third day as a versatile, multi-position contributor both on defense and special teams.

[brees84]

You wanted speed. You got speed.

[lee909]

[exile]

Huge boom or bust guy. Great potential if he can stay healthy. How can you not like that? Welcome Mr. Fortt!

[SaintLeonard]

Khairi Fortt was originally a Penn St linebacker who transferred to Cal after the Paterno thing.

He has injury issues, but he's good when healthy. I like the pick

[Danno]

I like what I see and read so far.

Looks like a good fit for the SAM and/or the WILB

[Barry from MS]

Fortt is a Special Teams pick, I'm thinking. One of the stronger LB'ers at the Combine, too.

[mighty12]

even got hurt at the combine, with our conditioning crew this is a BAD pick.