Margus Hunt, DE, SMU

[Nastradamus]

Yah, I see him more as a poor man's Mario Williams than say a JJ Watt or Calais Campbell.

[descendency]

Originally Posted by batsandgats

Nearing his physical peak? kind of like how Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton and Brett Kiesel played well until their mid 30's? and Justin Smith just hit his peak last year and he is now 33?

I hate to tell you, but football is about more than just being physical. There is a ton of technique and decision making. Players continue to play, even though their physical skills decline.

[RGKnee]

Originally Posted by villagewarrior

When I watch Hunt play I see a tall guy with issues getting low and he's skinny. Looks like a 43 end to me, doesn't really look like he can anchor in a 34.

He only looks skinny because, as you mentioned, he's really tall. He's not going to be as stocky as shorter linemen, but he weighs nearly 300 pounds and has just as much if not more muscle mass as any of them. Combine that with his huge levers, and he has incredible power.

He could play either the 43 or 34. It will be up to NFL teams to try and figure out where he belongs.

[brasho]

Originally Posted by RGKnee

Why are there so many dumb posts on this forum?

I just finished explaining to you that he was the best at his position in all of college football this year, and challenged you to name somebody that was better, but you just ignored that and posted some inanity about him being a "marginal player".

He's at the top of most teams boards already as a 3-4 end, I guarantee you, and he could also play as a 4-3 edge rusher that just adds to his value. Add the fact that he's the greatest kick blocker in NCAA history, and he's already a first round value. This is reflected in almost every mock out there where he is a late first or early second round pick. If he was 21, he would be the number 1 pick, no questions asked.

I watched the Senior Bowl all week this week, and the game yesterday, and I can state conclusively that Margus Hunt had an awful week. Who cares if he is 6'8 and 277? I don't care what he runs, I don't care how far he can throw a shot, he's marginal at best.

You want me to name a better DE? Where do I start? If there were 8 DEs at the Senior Bowl then there's 7 DEs right there that are better than him.

Based on his weak production in a poor conference and his terrible showing in the Senior Bowl practices and game, as well as him being 26, I wouldn't take him before round 5. Perhaps if he blows up the combine he'll be chosen by round 3, but his marginal tape and lack of production are glaring.

Like Ezekial Ansah, his athletic ability might be intriguing, Based on his week in Mobile, 3rd round is looking optimistic. Like Ansah, he had no plan, unlike Ansah he gets no push, he also can't get off blocks and doesn't play up to his athletic measurables. He changed direction very slowly, had very poor recognition skills, made the same mistakes repeatedly, struggled to hold the point of attack. Based on his tape and week of practice and game, he looks no better than a late round pick. But because he will likely blow up the combine and his ability to block kicks, I see him eventually resettling into the 3rd/4th round range. Based on his age and the fact that at 26 he still doesn't get it, I don't see him every being anything more than a backup or spot starter.

[bucfan12]

Margus Hunt, perfect analysis and scouting summary:

"Looks like Tarzan, Plays like Jane."

[Nastradamus]

Jarron Gilbert 2.0

[brasho]

Originally Posted by bucfan12

Margus Hunt, perfect analysis and scouting summary:

"Looks like Tarzan, Plays like Jane."

I think he looks more like a giraffe.... he still plays like Jane though.

[Babylon]

Originally Posted by bucfan12

Margus Hunt, perfect analysis and scouting summary:

"Looks like Tarzan, Plays like Jane."

Hopefully doesn't smell like Cheetah. The thing that some of these guys who come over from Europe have going for them is they're still relatively new to the game, probably don't have a ton of wear and tear on them and they can be coached up.

Margus Hunt just doesn't look the part to me. It would almost be better if he had come in around 6-6 as opposed to 6-8. He'll get a shot but i'm not expecting a ton.

[FUNBUNCHER]

Margus is a project. I think he's a rotational player in the pros but I don't know if he ever develops into a starter.

Strictly a 34 DE and a ST guy, but not a bad player to have for depth on your Dline, just don't expect him to be the main guy.

His body doesn't have a lot of wear and tear and if he could get up to 300# with added strength I think Hunt could be more impactful in the pros.

I still think the guy could play until he's 35yrs old because of his length and size.
I was surprised that Hunt didn't look stronger out there. His biggest supporters have said forever the guy has the upper body strength to rep out close to 40 times at 225#.

I agree if you're a pro prospect who doesn't dominate in C-USA then something is wrong.

[G Mobile]

Yeah I'm jumping off the bandwagon after the senior bowl. He just didn't look like the sum of his parts. I didn't see a great football player out there. I say maybe late 2nd or 3rd just off tools and a great combine, but he will be a project to get that ability to flash.

Originally Posted by FUNBUNCHER

I agree if you're a pro prospect who doesn't dominate in C-USA then something is wrong.

I agree completely. Same reason I didn't like Poe last year. Those tools should just naturally produce more results with that level of competition.

[Trogdor]

Originally Posted by G Mobile

Yeah I'm jumping off the bandwagon after the senior bowl. He just didn't look like the sum of his parts. I didn't see a great football player out there. I say maybe late 2nd or 3rd just off tools and a great combine, but he will be a project to get that ability to flash.

I agree completely. Same reason I didn't like Poe last year. Those tools should just naturally produce more results with that level of competition.

I thought he was getting over-hyped due to his physical tools when I first looked at his tape. I still think someone will take him in the 2nd without hesitation. Pair with a defensive line coach that knows what he's doing and work on his technique and he could be a mega-steal in the 2nd.

Honestly I think he's a strong-side 4-3 DE and his wingspan will help him knock down passes. Wouldn't mind taking a look at him with Dallas and putting him across from Ware.

[Cigaro]

Originally Posted by FUNBUNCHER

Margus is a project. I think he's a rotational player in the pros but I don't know if he ever develops into a starter.

Strictly a 34 DE and a ST guy, but not a bad player to have for depth on your Dline, just don't expect him to be the main guy.

His body doesn't have a lot of wear and tear and if he could get up to 300# with added strength I think Hunt could be more impactful in the pros.

I still think the guy could play until he's 35yrs old because of his length and size.
I was surprised that Hunt didn't look stronger out there. His biggest supporters have said forever the guy has the upper body strength to rep out close to 40 times at 225#.

I agree if you're a pro prospect who doesn't dominate in C-USA then something is wrong.

This was a major negative for me. Admittedly I had already disliked him because of his complete inability to generate any sort of pass rush. But even if he didn't live up to the J.J. Watt title some were throwing on him, if he could simply anchor himself he'd still have utility. But despite his size and supposed strength, he couldn't do that either.

I think Hunt can be a decent pick if a team doesn't pick him too early and has the firepower to let him sit, but even then I wouldn't go in expecting much.

[Armchair Scout]

Does anyone think that Hunt might be better as a 4-3 DE than a 34 end. I am not a big fan of him either way, but whenever I have watched him play, he has gotten pushed around at the point of attack. He just plays too upright and lets O-lineman get their hands on him and push him around. He may not have the hand-fighting skills to succeed as a 43 end right away, but I think he may have the athleticism to develop as an edge rusher. Regardless, I think he is a third rounder, nothing more.

[Shupp]

Would look nice in a 49er uniform as a backup OLB and 3rd down pass rusher for his first 2 years while bulking up to be a future 3-4 end. Early 3rd round I say.

[PossibleCabbage]

Originally Posted by Shupp

Would look nice in a 49er uniform as a backup OLB and 3rd down pass rusher for his first 2 years while bulking up to be a future 3-4 end. Early 3rd round I say.

I really don't think Hunt can play on his feet at all. I would put him in at 5-tech as a rookie before I would play him at OLB (which is significantly more mentally demanding.)

I mean, Aldon Smith already struggles mightily in his zone drops, do you want to have him and Hunt playing OLB at the same time?

[Shupp]

Originally Posted by PossibleCabbage

I really don't think Hunt can play on his feet at all. I would put him in at 5-tech as a rookie before I would play him at OLB (which is significantly more mentally demanding.)

I mean, Aldon Smith already struggles mightily in his zone drops, do you want to have him and Hunt playing OLB at the same time?

I wouldn't expect him to drop into zone often if ever at all, I would see him as a pass rusher only until he can play the 5. Much like Aldon in his first year but instead of switching to OLB I would have Hunt switching to DE....Hunt could also line up on the inside on 3rd downs....basically he could rotate in as a DE and OLB on passing situations until he's strong enough to start at DE.

[niel89]

Originally Posted by Armchair Scout

Does anyone think that Hunt might be better as a 4-3 DE than a 34 end. I am not a big fan of him either way, but whenever I have watched him play, he has gotten pushed around at the point of attack. He just plays too upright and lets O-lineman get their hands on him and push him around. He may not have the hand-fighting skills to succeed as a 43 end right away, but I think he may have the athleticism to develop as an edge rusher. Regardless, I think he is a third rounder, nothing more.

Yeah I'm not super sure about him at 3-4 DE. I just don't think he plays with enough functional strength to hold down in the run game. Even if he added the weight I'm not sure. I think he is a 4-3 DE pretty much. Have him outside on run downs and kick him inside to DT to pass rush. Hunt at 3-4 OLB would be brutal, just a bad fit.

[Nastradamus]

Originally Posted by G Mobile

Yeah I'm jumping off the bandwagon after the senior bowl. He just didn't look like the sum of his parts. I didn't see a great football player out there. I say maybe late 2nd or 3rd just off tools and a great combine, but he will be a project to get that ability to flash.



I agree completely. Same reason I didn't like Poe last year. Those tools should just naturally produce more results with that level of competition.

But Poe had a very good rookie year.

[FUNBUNCHER]

Originally Posted by Nastradamus

But Poe had a very good rookie year.

Poe doesn't look like he's gonna bust but he still has a lot of improvement to make at NT.

Guys with all-world tools like Poe who don't dominate at a lower level of competition like C-USA have a bunch of red flags to me.
Based on measurables, the guy should be unblockable.

As raw as Hunt looked this season, he still had 8 sacks.

[G Mobile]

Originally Posted by Nastradamus

But Poe had a very good rookie year.

I don't mean to condemn Poe or anything or call him a bust. I'm just personally very leery of a guy with elite tools not dominating in a lower level of competition. As said above, it is a red flag. It isn't the end all be all for a prospect, but it isnt good. Poe might end up amazing but i still didn't love him as a prospect.

[PossibleCabbage]

Originally Posted by G Mobile

I don't mean to condemn Poe or anything or call him a bust. I'm just personally very leery of a guy with elite tools not dominating in a lower level of competition. As said above, it is a red flag. It isn't the end all be all for a prospect, but it isnt good. Poe might end up amazing but i still didn't love him as a prospect.

Like a lot of things in the draft, it's a question not an answer. You see a guy looking average against average competition and you want to know why. Sometimes there's a valid reason (his coaches are chuckleheads) and sometimes there's not.

It's like when people turn on the tape for a DT and see he's sucking wind in the 4th quarter. Is it because his conditioning is terrible, or because he's taking his 50th snap?

[brasho]

Originally Posted by Cigaro

This was a major negative for me. Admittedly I had already disliked him because of his complete inability to generate any sort of pass rush. But even if he didn't live up to the J.J. Watt title some were throwing on him, if he could simply anchor himself he'd still have utility. But despite his size and supposed strength, he couldn't do that either.

I think Hunt can be a decent pick if a team doesn't pick him too early and has the firepower to let him sit, but even then I wouldn't go in expecting much.

But you can't let him sit too long, he'll be 30+ years old by the time his first contract expires.

As for people hoping he can be a 3-4 DE... I don't know how easy it would be for a 26 year old to gain that much quality mass. He's already gone through his two most important age-related mass building cycles, and has passed the 3rd and final major one. He can get bigger, but at what price? Plus, he hardly looked like he could hold up as a 5-tech against C-USA opponents, I don't think 25 lbs is going to help much against NFL OTs.

[mightytitan9]

I've often pondered if he's there in round 3 or 4, if he'd be worth the selection for the Titans to take a chance and put him into rotation at DE and move him inside to DT on passing downs.

I think a large part of his downfall is at 6'8" you simply can't "run the arch" that most 4-3 teams want you to. In addition, he has poor hand use which I think can be taught, but it will take time.

At DT on 3rd downs, I think you could almost just ask him to "push, push, get your hands up" If nothing else, that would eliminate the shorter passes to the middle of the field

[bitonti]

Originally Posted by FUNBUNCHER

As raw as Hunt looked this season, he still had 8 sacks.

and 15 on his career. Ansah has 4.

this guy strikes me as a better version of Rapoti Pitoitua. Supposed to be "too tall" but can occasionally penetrate. Mostly used to occupy blockers in the 3-4. There's nothing wrong with that... tail end of the top 100.

[Cigaro]

Originally Posted by bitonti

and 15 on his career. Ansah has 4.

this guy strikes me as a better version of Rapoti Pitoitua. Supposed to be "too tall" but can occasionally penetrate. Mostly used to occupy blockers in the 3-4. There's nothing wrong with that... tail end of the top 100.

The problem is, he wasn't very good at that either. At the Senior Bowl he was routinely pushed around by his guy.