#6: Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU

[jlegg21]

The media in this town is beyond embarrassing. This fan base deserves so much better.

 

[Shakalu M.D.]

The media in this town is beyond embarrassing. This fan base deserves so much better.

You talking about that last article? Because that was spot on. Couldn't agree with it more.

 

[Heights]

Here's some lighter fare for the evening. Just showing off his athleticism. Great reach.
Edit: posted wrong video originally. Correct below.
[video=youtube;YgfI4ua6dDw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgfI4ua6dDw[/video]

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

They went for play maker over extremely solid.

I can respect it. It's really fucking risky, taking a 240 pound pass rusher, but they are making a statement.

Lombardi has taken a bigger risk than Heckert ever has, sans the Weeden debacle. Mingo is a better bet, though, and could become an absolute monster with the proper coaching.

 

[Huber.]

The media in this town is beyond embarrassing. This fan base deserves so much better.

So brave.

 

[Shakalu M.D.]

They went for play maker over extremely solid.

I can respect it. It's really fucking risky, taking a 240 pound pass rusher, but they are making a statement.

Lombardi has taken a bigger risk than Heckert ever has, sans the Weeden debacle. Mingo is a better bet, though, and could become an absolute monster with the proper coaching.

That's the good thing about the depth we have though. At this point I don't know that Mingo has the strength to be great against the run. I have no doubt he can add it, but that's something he has to do. We can play Sheard on running downs and bring in Mingo as a pass rushing specialist. Once he bulks up a bit he'll be in there all the time.

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

OK with the pick. Would have preferred Milliner and then a trade down, but after that Bark was the choice.

The only thing that bothers me about this entire offseason is what myself and other predicted would happen as soon as we went to the 34D... The entire offseason has been dedicated to getting players that fit the 34. I PRAY we don't switch back to the 43 again anytime soon, because Mingo and Kruger will be gone, and if we do trade Sheard, we will be wishing we still had him.

I feel like if we stayed in a 43 defense, we could have been so much better because we would just be adding talent to what we already had. With the switch to a 34, I feel like we are just replacing guys to make things fit.

Hope we grab the best available CB/FS in the 3rd round. I'd try to package our 3rd and any of our later picks to get back into the 2nd round. I also hope we end up getting Bess if the price is right.

 

[jlegg21]

Not necessarily the article, more this presser. Some of these questions (ahem, Grossi) are a complete joke, and quite a few others are redundant and unnecessary.

[video]http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/media-center/videos/Banner-and-Chudzinski-Press-Conference---425/e3d485ac-b0d5-466f-8a00-0062f174bd8d[/video]

It has to be so irritating to be a new regime in this town and get blasted in the face with a giant wave of negativity and pessimism before you even finish your first draft.

That said, I absolutely love this pick. We have a #1 corner, and a #2 can still be found by draft (deep) or FA. Great to see a commitment to the front 7 on D.

 

[NorthCoastBias]

Barkevious Mingo Selected No. 6 by Cleveland Browns
By Chris Burke

The Cleveland Browns’ move from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense left them badly in need of another dynamic pass rusher or two. Consider them a step closer to where they want to be after their Round 1 selection of LSU DE/OLB Barkevious Mingo.

Like Ziggy Ansah, who went just above him, Mingo is a bit of a work in progress — his production last season was disappointing (4.5 sacks), but he’s now headed into a defense that should fit his abilities better than the LSU one did. Combine him with new addition Paul Kruger and incumbent Jabaal Sheard at OLB in the Browns’ defense, and suddenly, that’s a pretty ferocious pass rush.

Mingo may not be able to grow much physically, already at 6-foot-4 and a bulked-up 240-plus pounds. But his speed off the edge is his selling point here.

Grade: B-plus. A really aggressive decision by Cleveland to stay put and take Mingo higher than a lot of people had him pegged. The Browns may not be able to play him three downs from the get-go, but his sack totals ought to easily surpass what he did at LSU in 2012.

http://nfl.si.com/2013/04/25/barkevious-mingo-selected-no-6-by-cleveland-browns/

 

[Shakalu M.D.]

OK with the pick. Would have preferred Milliner and then a trade down, but after that Bark was the choice.

The only thing that bothers me about this entire offseason is what myself and other predicted would happen as soon as we went to the 34D... The entire offseason has been dedicated to getting players that fit the 34. I PRAY we don't switch back to the 43 again anytime soon, because Mingo and Kruger will be gone, and if we do trade Sheard, we will be wishing we still had him.

I feel like if we stayed in a 43 defense, we could have been so much better because we would just be adding talent to what we already had. With the switch to a 34, I feel like we are just replacing guys to make things fit.

Hope we grab the best available CB/FS in the 3rd round. I'd try to package our 3rd and any of our later picks to get back into the 2nd round. I also hope we end up getting Bess if the price is right.

Well you're right, whenever you switch defenses you have to make personnel changes. That said, the Browns still had plenty of money, if they wanted to make offers on offense they easily could have done that. Linebacker was the weak spot of this team no matter what D they ran.

Frankly I think a Horton 3-4 will be far more effective than any 4-3 we would have thrown out there. I'm biased because I prefer the 3-4, but I truly don't think there are many coordinators out there better than he is. Mark my words now, this defense is going to be nasty this season and the Browns are going to make a big leap forward.

Not necessarily the article, more this presser. Some of these questions (ahem, Grossi) are a complete joke, and quite a few others are redundant and unnecessary.

[video]http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/media-center/videos/Banner-and-Chudzinski-Press-Conference---425/e3d485ac-b0d5-466f-8a00-0062f174bd8d[/video]

It has to be so irritating to be a new regime in this town and get blasted in the face with a giant wave of negativity and pessimism before you even finish your first draft.

That said, I absolutely love this pick. We have a #1 corner, and a #2 can still be found by draft (deep) or FA. Great to see a commitment to the front 7 on D.

That's because Grossi really hates Lombardi. I forget why, he must have pissed in his Cheerios or something.

 

[MGMT]

I can roll with the Mingo. The fact that Horton is our coordinator has me optimistic. Mingo has an unreal burst off the snap - like stupid fast. Anyway, I am concerned with him setting the edge but I doubt that's asked of him much early on. At the very least, he has Sheard to learn from when it comes to being a run defender.

Dude could be elite.

It's going to be weird seeing a Browns team with a pass rush.

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

The thing I like about the Mingo pick is the versatility. We can run a lot of different fronts while still keeping Mingo, Sheard, Taylor, Rubin, and Kruger on the field together. I think we'll definitely see Sheard, Kruger, and Mingo moving all over the front 7, and in turn (hopefully) causing a lot of confusion on the offensive side of the ball. Still need secondary help, but we needed to improve the pass rush and secondary in this draft. CB and S are much deeper positions in this draft, while the DE and OLB crop was more top heavy. Really excited to see what the Browns d-line/front 7 looks like next year:

Kruger
Sheard
Mingo
Rubin
Taylor
Hughes
Wynn
Bryant (damn near forgot about him)

Wow. That's an impressive group right there. Assuming all these young guys develop, this might be the best front in the league two years from now.

 

[Shakalu M.D.]

The thing I like about the Mingo pick is the versatility. We can run a lot of different fronts while still keeping Mingo, Sheard, Taylor, Rubin, and Kruger on the field together. I think we'll definitely see Sheard, Kruger, and Mingo moving all over the front 7, and in turn (hopefully) causing a lot of confusion on the offensive side of the ball. Still need secondary help, but we needed to improve the pass rush and secondary in this draft. CB and S are much deeper positions in this draft, while the DE and OLB crop was more top heavy. Really excited to see what the Browns d-line/front 7 looks like next year:

Kruger
Sheard
Mingo
Rubin
Taylor
Hughes
Wynn
Bryant (damn near forgot about him)

Wow. That's an impressive group right there. Assuming all these young guys develop, this might be the best front in the league two years from now.

Don't forget Groves too, he's solid in his own right.

 

[Smooth]

Here's the guys and scouting reports you should listen to:

First Draft (getting to know Mingo): http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-first-draft/0ap2000000160519/First-Draft-Barkevious-Mingo

Greg Cosell

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...ll-evaluating-linebackers-225210536--nfl.html

On LSU endbacker Barkevious Mingo: "He played defensive end predominantly for LSU. Clearly, he's long and athletic. He's got long arms, and he knows how to use them. He's deceptively fast in terms of closing speed. In the NFL, he'll be a 3-4 outside linebacker, or he'll put his hand on the ground in sub packages. He's not a starting defensive end. To me, what he needs to work on is the flexibility part. He's fast and quick and all those things you want. But I thought he was a bit stiff in his movement at times. You didn't see the natural bend-the-edge flexibility. He flashed explosive traits, and the kind of movement you can't coach, and that will get him drafted high."

Matt Waldman

Futures: OLBs Dion Jordan and Barkevious Mingo

By Matt Waldman

Imagine you’re considering two final candidates for a job. Both possess top-drawer talent, which is what you'd expect at this point if their resumes are the remaining two on your desk.

Candidate A is refined, smooth, and versatile. If you needed him to start today, he’d be up to speed and produce with minimal training. If you improved the rest of the surrounding talent in your workplace, Candidate A could become a star.

In contrast, there’s something disconcerting about Candidate B. You see how it could all go wrong if you opt for him – but that’s not what’s nagging you. It’s that his talent leaves you wondering if three years from now you’ll look back on your decision and conclude that you settled for less by taking Candidate A.

What Candidate B lacks in experience is compensated by a singular talent that not only jumps off the page, it grabs you by the neck and squeezes until your eyes bulge from their sockets. Candidate B carries more risk and he may never do everything as well as Candidate A, but he has the potential to do one thing so well that it could elevate the performance of your team's surrounding talent.

Many organizations would take Candidate A and not look back. However, it is not that that clear cut.

A decade ago, I knew several people who worked for one of the top hospitality organizations in the world. This award-winning company’s philosophy on hiring placed a priority on talent over experience.

“Experience often means you spent more time ‘doing it wrong,’” one director told me. “We would rather hire someone with the basic talent for the job, the capacity to learn, and a personality geared to excel. The last two things we can’t teach. So when we spot it, we know we can teach the rest.”

There’s something appealing about this philosophy, but you have to know how to spot these behaviors beyond an interview. I believe the Baltimore Ravens have this perspective. Before NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah worked with the Eagles, he talked about his time with the Ravens in his old podcasts.

I remember him mentioning that one of the qualities Baltimore sought in players was a comfort level with – and penchant for – hitting. If it wasn’t there, they weren’t interested.

I believe the Steelers also have this on their list of fundamentals a player must possess. If these teams discover they were wrong about that player later on, he won’t last long with either team.

But an organization has to have a strong understanding of what they can and cannot teach a player. If they don’t possess this knowledge of what is and isn't teachable – or worse yet, they lack these teaching skills as a staff – then you have what the Oakland Raiders are trying to work past with some of their personnel decisions.

This philosophical quandary underscores the difference of opinion that I bet a few teams may have when considering the talents of outside linebackers Dion Jordan and Barkevious Mingo. Both are exceptional athletes, but despite playing the same position these two are as Robert Frost once wrote, “two roads diverged in the wood.”

The consensus prefers Jordan, who is the more experienced and versatile of the two. The question is whether Mingo -– a player with higher risk-reward potential -– represents to one NFL team what Frost meant as, “the road less traveled by will make all the difference.”

KEEP READING (GREAT BREAKDOWN)

Rob Rang

Strengths: Possesses a lean, athletic build with plenty of room for additional muscle mass. Has an explosive first step and the combination of flexibility and closing speed to exponentially add to his sack numbers in the more pass-happy NFL than he had while at LSU. Alert defender who will get his long arms into passing lanes when unable to get to the quarterback. More physical than his frame looks. Fights through blockers at the line of scrimmage to make plays in the running game and anchors surprisingly well given his lean lower half. Possesses as much upside as any prospect in the 2013 draft.

Weaknesses: Looks more like a small forward than an NFL defensive end and could be asked to make the transition to outside linebacker, a position he's never played. While possessing explosive straight-line speed, has very long legs, which make him less fluid when changing directions than ideal. Relies upon his burst upfield to beat pass blockers and simply hasn't developed the counter moves to complement his speed in three seasons of action, leading to some concerns that he won't.

Compares To: Bruce Irvin, DE, Seattle Seahawks -- Mingo is longer than Irvin and therefore possesses more athletic upside. Like Irvin, who led all rookies with eight sacks in 2012, Mingo's speed should result in eye-popping numbers immediately. He doesn't have an effective counter yet, however, and is a liability against the run, at this time.

Tony Pauline

Bio: All-Conference selection the past two seasons starting 10 games as a junior in 2012 and four games the prior year. Totals last season included 38 tackles/8.5 tackles for loss/4.5 sacks after 46/15/8 as a sophomore in 2011.

Positive: Explosive, game-changing front seven player with the ability to line up at several positions. Displays outstanding movement skills, shows tremendous edge speed, and flashes power. Effectively uses his hands to protect himself, rarely knocked off his feet, and plays with good knee bend. Forceful, quick moving in every direction, and overruns blocks to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Can bend off the edge, has a burst of speed, and shows ability in pursuit. Easily changes direction or immediately alters his angle of attack, losing little momentum. To his credit does not bite on ball fakes and stays with assignments. Covers a lot of area. Effective chasing the action in pursuit or making plays in space.

Negative: Handled by strong run-blocking lineman when he comes out of a three-point stance. At times slow locating the ball. Will over pursue plays and takes himself from the action on occasion. Didn E(TM)t seem to play with a sense of urgency in 2012.

Analysis: Mingo is a forceful defender with the ability to alter the momentum of games and disrupt the action. He offers potential as a 3-4 outside linebacker as well as a situational pass-rushing defensive end. Mingo comes with Pro Bowl ability if he consistently plays at a high level.

Alen Dumonjic

All Bark, No Bite?
Tuesday, January 15, 2013

LSU’s defensive end and linebacker Barkevious Mingo is one of the scariest prospects in the 2013 NFL draft.

Beyond his unorthodox first name, he has a set of physical tools that are hard to find. He is 6’4, 240 pounds and runs like the wind. He has good enough change of direction (COD) skills and motor to go along with jaw-dropping power in his misleading thin and lengthy body.

Conversely, at times, you worry if those physical tools will ever be hampered by a lack of self-control and rawness. He often leaves his assigned rush lane, opting to peel off on a running back into the flats despite the team having flat defenders in their Cover 2 play-call. He’ll completely stop rushing the passer if he doesn’t beat the blocker around the corner, instead settling for throwing his hands up (way too much) in hopes of redirecting the pass. And he plays with dangerously high pad-level, which explains his lack of pass rush production this season.

Despite the above concerns, he’s going to be a favorite of many personnel men, especially those who will look at him and see the same potential they saw in Aldon Smith. Smith and Mingo are built slightly differently, with the former being thicker, but they share one significant characteristic in common: violent hands.

When a pass blocker kickslides out to his side, his first thought isn’t about the speed of the edge rusher, it’s his power. Offensive tackles have to be most concerned about their ability to anchor because that’s what sets up the footwork, giving them a firm base at their feet and consequently, strong balance in the upper body.

But when a pass rusher has violent hands, or what some call “pop”, it doesn’t always matter how the blocker has organized his feet. Base or no base, the blocker is going backwards because of the sheer power in the pass rusher’s hands. Against Texas A&M earlier this season, Mingo showed this on numerous occasions, most notably against stud right tackle Jake Matthews.

CONTINUE READING (ANOTHER GREAT PIC-BY-PIC BREAKDOWN)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rQBlTSymHsw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JNp3mHsU3kI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dIms6ImVG6w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[oasis05]

Not that I have anything against Mingo, but how much is he going to help? The line backers were already solid. He didn't fill a need. Just a weak weak draft for offensive talent.