Sione Takitaki Round 3 Linebacker

Out of the Rafters at the Q said:

I have more worry about the dude being a Mormon that any other off-the-field trait. That shows some questionable decision making.

I have absolutely no input on this guy, but if he's an athletic LB that our front office had ranked highly? Let's get him into orange and brown.

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So rather than sticking you with an eight disagree:

I am not LDS, BUT I have met literally 150 mormon missionaries, and kept in touch with 30 or so after they left their mission.. there is nothing wrong with their decision making.. we all grow up and mature as this guy has.

Mormon or not, getting into BYU is a big deal. The school is very selective and you have to work hard to compete.. this is a top college academically, where 90 percent of the students dont drink or do drugs..

Like many 'serious' religions, A mormon life style promotes self reflection and life long learning. There are a lot of similarities to conservative muslims actually.. Regardless of the specific beliefs , most of these guys turn out well.

CleveRocks said:

So rather than sticking you with an eight disagree:

I am not LDS, BUT I have met literally 150 mormon missionaries, and kept in touch with 30 or so after they left their mission.. there is nothing wrong with their decision making.. we all grow up and mature as this guy has.

Mormon or not, getting into BYU is a big deal. The school is very selective and you have to work hard to compete.. this is a top college academically, where 90 percent of the students dont drink or do drugs..

Like many 'serious' religions, A mormon life style promotes self reflection and life long learning. There are a lot of similarities to conservative muslims actually.. Regardless of the specific beliefs , most of these guys turn out well.

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Give me the disagree. I earned it. Bringing up religion was a dumb move on my part.

I have nothing against LDS in comparison to any other theism.

Regarding the prospect, Takitaki is the kind of athletic LB that you want in today's passing NFL. I like his speed, athleticism, and the fact that he hits hard is a nice little bonus.

I had no idea who he was, but his combine numbers were good, and his arc is really good. Has gone from useless frosh and sophmore to team stud as a senior..gotta like the trend..

Out of the Rafters at the Q said:

Give me the disagree. I earned it. Bringing up religion was a dumb move on my part.

I have nothing against LDS in comparison to any other theism.

Regarding the prospect, Takitaki is the kind of athletic LB that you want in today's passing NFL. I like his speed, athleticism, and the fact that he hits hard is a nice little bonus.

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So help me understand how this works because I see it on Twitter a lot. This is the equivalent of the athlete super hot take/immediate apology move that I never understand.

Walk me through your thought process in making the comment in the first place and how you got to such a drastic turnaround on it today.

thedarkness2332 said:

This is an Eliot Wolf pick. If you listen to the presser, Zo basically said that Eliot has personally scouted this player for years and could tell that he loved him. He stood on a table for this guy. The front office clearly agreed with what was uncovered.

I think Wolf is very sharp and I’m inclined to trust these guys. After digging back through anything I could find on Takitaki post-pick, I’m ashamed I didn’t know much about him previously. The guy is a heat-seeking missile. And, shockingly, he’s extremely natural off-ball and in space for someone who didn’t even convert to ILB until this past season. Slimmed down from 255 to 238 to play linebacker, and emerged as a late bloomer. Great tackler in space, great play speed. This could be a gem.

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Interesting also that the Browns had him significantly higher than anyone else left on the Board. Didn't even think it was a close call.

The Oi said:

So help me understand how this works because I see it on Twitter a lot. This is the equivalent of the athlete super hot take/immediate apology move that I never understand.

Walk me through your thought process in making the comment in the first place and how you got to such a drastic turnaround on it today.

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As a former Catholic who is now an atheist, I'd like to think we can all agree that some religions are clearly dumber than others.

Like Mormons and Scientology.

But they're all pretty dumb if you stop to think about it. At least outside of Jesus turning water into wine. That's a pretty badass party trick.

I don't think this is the right place for all of us to hash out religious blind spots.





Let's talk about his moment getting the call:

“I never really talked to Cleveland in the past except at the combine,” Takitaki said. While he was in the bathroom, he received a call from Cleveland.

“I jumped right up. I didn’t have to use the restroom no more,” he said. “It was pretty funny. It’s something I’ll always remember.”



It was a phantom dump. We have all been there.








Let's watch him tackle people:

Takitaki went roughly 30-60 spots earlier than most big boards expected him to go, but clearly the Browns didn't trust that he'd make it to their 4th round pick and opted to just take him at 80. Better that than to risk not getting him at all if he's a guy you can't live without.

Given his somewhat limited experience at LB - he was a DE/EDGE his first three years at BYU before losing weight and transitioning to full time LB - I'm optimistic his best days are ahead of him as an off-ball linebacker.

Can't argue with his effort and his production. Not sure he's a starter this season, but you could be looking at Kirksey or Schobert's replacement in 2020.

CBBI said:

Can't argue with his effort and his production. Not sure he's a starter this season, but you could be looking at Kirksey or Schobert's replacement in 2020.

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That’s exactly what I was thinking and also what I’m enjoying most about our current situation.

For the first time that I can remember we are in a position to draft and groom future players rather than drafting out of desperation and it’s a great feeling.

CBBI said:

Takitaki went roughly 30-60 spots earlier than most big boards expected him to go, but clearly the Browns didn't trust that he'd make it to their 4th round pick and opted to just take him at 80. Better that than to risk not getting him at all if he's a guy you can't live without.

Given his somewhat limited experience at LB - he was a DE/EDGE his first three years at BYU before losing weight and transitioning to full time LB - I'm optimistic his best days are ahead of him as an off-ball linebacker.

Can't argue with his effort and his production. Not sure he's a starter this season, but you could be looking at Kirksey or Schobert's replacement in 2020.

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I like the fact the guys we got can play multiple positions on the field it feels like. We didn't draft for starters with 3 and on, but we drafted for versatility and future.

Takitaki, was a DLine converted to LB, Redwine played CB and probably both safety positions at Miami and is a strong tackler. Wilson can go inside or outside when it comes to LB, while can do coverage. Forbes is a very athletic OLine, who played LT who is likely to move inside.

I get some people didn't like the fact Takitaki was taken a little early, but if you look at what they are trying to do, I like the pick. They are going for complimentary talent to the guys we have in place. Go get the guys who fit the system you are trying to put into place and not who the media thinks you should get. This is how the Ravens, Patriots, Steelers have drafted for a long time, so it seems like they did the same this season.

In a perfect world, Takitaki develops and replaces Kirksey as the starting WILL and Wilson develops and replaces Schobert as the starting MIKE in 2020.

The sweet cherry on top would be Schobert getting a big enough contract that the Browns recoup a 2021 3rd round compensatory pick.

Takitaki is not a good read and react Linebacker. He doesn't always make the right read and he sometimes is slow to react to play action and misdirection. I wouldn't call him very natural as far as an off ball linebacker. He's not going to remind you of a guy like Luke Kuechly or anything like that.

What Takitaki does do very well, is blow shit up with his strength and speed. Give him a point to attack in the run defense or blitz him on a pass, and he'll do something good. In particular, with out pass rush, I think he'll end up being a very effective pass rusher. Send him through a created hole from a stunt or send him on the edge of Garrett.

He reminds me, and has a very similar athletic profile to Shaq Thompson. While Thompson has more of a short yardage burst/better agility ability, Takitaki is bigger and stronger. I think it's important that the Browns brought in Al Holcomb and Steve Wilks to the Draft Room and asked them if they liked Takitaki. My guess is they were targeting a linebacker like Thompson that Wilks wanted, and Takitaki is basically the mirror image of that.

One last thing: Takitaki at some points during last year, lined up as nickle/outside corner back. The dude is actually pretty decent as a man up cover guy. I think he has a very high probability of becoming a good cover linebacker and blitzer.

I just spent most of my free time during the workday today watching film of Takitaki, Wilson and Blake Cashman.

Takitaki is definitely the best athlete of the three on the football field. He jumps off the tape more than the others. Within 30 seconds of watching him I was thinking it's not unreasonable to have this guy ranked as your third LB in this class.

But the more you watch him, the more you see that he's not a good football player yet. He over runs plays, he takes bad angles. He has potential, but this kid's going to need a lot of work.

You better have a designed role for him every play. Either blitzing, filling a gap, covering someone. Like @Amherstcavsfan said, this guy is not a read and react type player. He's not going to be replace Schobert in the middle of your defense.

As far as Mack Wilson goes... I think he's our starting MLB once Schobert's out the door. Man does he look good. The Oklahoma game looked awful--but I think he had to spy Murray a ton in that one. The other games looked great. He can definitely read and react, and plays really nicely in coverage.

Out of the Rafters at the Q said:

I just spent most of my free time during the workday today watching film of Takitaki, Wilson and Blake Cashman.

Takitaki is definitely the best athlete of the three on the football field. He jumps off the tape more than the others. Within 30 seconds of watching him I was thinking it's not unreasonable to have this guy ranked as your third LB in this class.

But the more you watch him, the more you see that he's not a good football player yet. He over runs plays, he takes bad angles. He has potential, but this kid's going to need a lot of work.

You better have a designed role for him every play. Either blitzing, filling a gap, covering someone. Like @Amherstcavsfan said, this guy is not a read and react type player. He's not going to be replace Schobert in the middle of your defense.

As far as Mack Wilson goes... I think he's our starting MLB once Schobert's out the door. Man does he look good. The Oklahoma game looked awful--but I think he had to spy Murray a ton in that one. The other games looked great. He can definitely read and react, and plays really nicely in coverage.

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Do you or @Amherstcavsfan see a significant role (rotational linebacker, etc.) for either player this year?