I'm not talking about his birth defect (which doesn't seem to bother him at all), either. In addition to his 4.36 40, Hassel jumped 42", ran a 4.26 short shuttle, and (I think) a sub-6.8 3-cone drill.
Even at 6', 200 lbs, that's off the charts, folks!
J T won't play linebacker in the NFL at that size, of course, but whoever compared him to Derrick Kindred was pretty smart.
Hassel played for a micro-college, so it's hard to really get a bead on him in coverage, but with those physical traits, it's very likely he'll become better than Derrick in that role.
Another smart guy also mentioned that Steve Wilks, like Gregg Williams, likes to use a safety/linebacker hybrid type player. I hadn't known that, but it gives Hassel a much better chance of making the final roster in 2019.
Seriously, I don't know why, aside from his malformed left hand, this kid had to play for the Little Sisters of the Poor.
I haven't seen his hand, but it sounds like he only has two of his four fingers. I guess they work, however, as he made five interceptions and forced a ton of fumbles. I also saw him take down a couple quarterbacks left-handed on his highlight tape.
Dorsey and his scouts were smart enough to just ignore the hand, and good for them.
T J Hassel will, I predict, make the final roster.
In addition to his freakish athleticism, I've read several analyses which describe a very intelligent player, with Joe Schobert-like instincts and anticipation. Hassel is always at or near the ball when the whistle blows, even though opposing offenses avoided him like the plague.
He's a lock to be a star special-teamer on every coverage unit. The Browns now have a lot of safeties (and cornerbacks), but Wilks is expected to rely heavily on back end players, and will likely carry ten or more DBs.
Everybody assumes that Hassel will be a "safety", but that's a label. T J has all the requisite tools to play cornerback; especially in off-man or zone (see "Wilks, Steve").
This is another reason why this guy will make this team: He can play ANY position in the secondary.
It's not realistic to expect T J to make a big impact (on defense) in his rookie season, but with his "football intelligence" and explosiveness, he's also a long way from a "project", regardless of where he played in college.
Remember reading this a couple years from now, people: T J Hassel, if not injured or something, should be not just a starter, but a star.
Digging up guys like these is critical for John Dorsey right now. He's already looking at Damarius Randall and Greg Robinson prepping their Brinks trucks for the 2020 offseason, and it will be impossible for him to keep everybody he wants to keep.
I know you people all agree that the Browns need to keep Damarius Randall, but you're not GMs.
Redwine, Hassel, and a cornerback or two are possible replacements for Damarius Randall.
Greg Robinson is even more likely to hit the dusty trail after 2019, as his Mayfield/Kitchens/Tight End-aided pass pro stats will inflate his percieved value beyond sanity.
His ideal potential replacement is unmistakeably Rodney Harrisonfield, and that might work out perfectly.
It's possible that Harrison will elbow Robinson out of his way this season, but probably more likely that Robinson's experience and consistency keeps him in place for 2019.
This would give Des Harrison a chance to refine his skills without pressure for another season.
Many (including me) have suggested that Harrison could challenge Hubbard at Right Tackle in 2019 as well, but I have to back off on that:
In my last post, I went into the whole rleft side to right side" transition thing in re Austin Corbett's slow progress at Right Guard.
Corbett was a 4-year starting Left Tackle in college. Harrison actually started for roughly one season, and that at a lower level of competition.
Campen and company will probably (and should definitely) let Des Harrison focus exclusively on Left Tackle.
Oh you guys are bored, right? What about Baker and OBJ and Garrett right? Well see that's why a more disciplined and better organized version of me could be a GM and you couldn't. Deal with it.
The sausage is made in the trenches, by the "grunts" fans don't notice. While you've been sleeping, John Dorsey did an amazing job of "deepening" the Offensive line with proven NFL starters (each and every one above average in pass protection).
Meanwhile, here comes Todd Monken, so (thank God) all G-power Hue Jackson/Haley stuff is 80% out the window now...
Long story, but the Cliff Notes version is that zone-blocking is simple, and doesn't require overpaid human bulldozers. Also, it screws up defenses, because it looks like pass-protection at the snap.
Obviously, I'm repeating the Run/Pass Option stuff yet again, but since nobody ever gets it, I have to repeat it:
If you have an explosive one-cut running back, a decisive, smart, and accurate Quarterback, and receivers who "uncover" early, you need to run RPOs.
RPOs make edge-rushers kinda useless, as it takes too long for them to get around the Offensive Tackles.
The zone-blocking massively helps so-so offensive linemen succeed in run-blocking as it's idiot-proof, and extremely difficult for defenses to counter without taking huge risks (ie shooting gaps and leaving soft spots...you don't want me getting into that trust me).
Long story short, with a Mayfield and these skill-players, a "journeyman" Offensive Line (strong on pass protection) will work just fine.
Like they did and do for the Shanahans, and other coaches that zone-block.
Anyway (sorry) Des Harrison only needs to become competent to replace moneybags Williams, and if Austin Corbett craps out, his seasoned veteran replacement will be at least adequate.
Is any of this sinking in? John Dorsey is exploiting RPOs and zone-blocking to save money on the Offensive Line (like the Shanahans do).
This will help him spend more on the skill players and defensive studs he needs to keep around.
Are you getting this? Kevin Zeitler was worth every penny of his huge salary, but for a zone-blocking team, a much cheaper journeyman would work nearly as well.
And trust me: John Dorsey is talking to the coaching staff daily about their players. He wants to know how Des Harrison looks, because it's possible he can trade Robinson and his salary if Harrison is deemed a viable starter in 2019 (as unthinkable as that sounds, since Harrison is a bust, right?)
Under DC Steve Wilks, the Browns are indeed unlikely to field 3 real linebackers more than once in a blue moon.
Now that this has dawned on Captain Obvious, maybe it will occur to you that I was right in calling those who called linebacker depth a big issue dumbasses.
Duh. But even now that this is dawning on the punditry, they're managing to misninterpret what that means...you people really need to check with me first, you know?
Anyway, that doesn't neccessarily mandate a 4-man front, Sherlock. Wilks has and will use dime defenses at least half as often as nickels.
The "fronts" he uses are flexible too, as he can use "stand up" DE's with 2-3 real down linemen, line up a Garrett etc inside in a "Nascar Package".
My guess right now is that Steve Wilks will use Takitaki and Avery to spell the real DE's on obvious passing downs, and shift his DT/DE hybrids inside to relieve Ogunjobi.
And he will probably blitze more than he has in the past (mostly inside) to get at least 4 passrushers into the mix.
The yokels also miss on the linebackers. Even smart guys like Randy Gurzi keep talking about Christian Kirksey as if he was an elite linebacker at any point in his carreer.
The DePodestian model is not sentimental. Avery, Takitaki, and probably at least one more linebacker are better than Kirksey ever was.
Well it's late. This concludes my dissertation. There will be a quizz in the morning.
Okbye.
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