Jabari

[Boomergump]

Now that his name popped up in the top of the depth chart, what do you honestly expect to see from him this year at the NT position? Will he be a serviceable replacement for Green with negligible improvement, or will he be the next dominant GT hero to be talked about for years and go in the top half of the 2016 draft? Somewhere in between? Try to be specific.

 

[OldJacketFan]

Boomer, been pondering this question for a while so I'm glad you posted this. To me Jabari has the size, quickness and explosive 1st step to be a very good to great D lineman. He certainly not going to be over matched physically by any O lineman he faces. He knows what is to be on the field and the need to go hard every snap. His experience at LB gives him an understanding of how offenses work and what his reads are. We all know just how quick he is and how violent his hands are. Does he know all the nuances of the position? Doubtful but it's not like he a freshman or red shirt freshman being inserted in the line up. Given what I've seen of other explosive D linemen I think he's going to be a very disruptive force in the middle. How does the translate to the next level? I have no idea and, frankly, that will take care of itself. No doubt he has the measureables but it's up to him how NFL teams look at him. To me, he's very much an Aaron Donald type, quick, explosive and a beast at the point of attack. What Shaq had to say about him is all I need to hear!

 

[33jacket]

Now that his name popped up in the top of the depth chart, what do you honestly expect to see from him this year at the NT position? Will he be a serviceable replacement for Green with negligible improvement, or will he be the next dominant GT hero to be talked about for years and go in the top half of the 2016 draft? Somewhere in between? Try to be specific.

I posted what I thought. Off the bat he would be at least as good as green, with higher upside, but we won't see that upside for a few games as he continues to get used to it. Top half of the draft? What is that, the first 3 rounds? HMM I am thinking no. Somewhere in between. He will be a good NT for us, enough to command attention and make the O choose to double he or Gotsis....its a good 2 punch. But I don't think he will be nick fairly or suh or dude from Pitt last year....he will be more in line with a 4/5th round pick IMO.

God I hope I am wrong.

 

[4shotB]

I will take a stab. Either case is positive....Green was a player. Doubt he will be a hero, not enough experience at DT coupled with just one season left. I like 33's response and comparison to Errin Joe in another thread. By the end of the season, he may well play on the level of a Walker or Anoia. Which is pretty good. We just haven't landed that Farley or Suh type interior lineman which can take over a game from that position. To be fair, not many teams do. Those guys are like Calvin Johnson....you are lucky to find/recruit one of them.

 

[4shotB]

forgot to add....he did spend a year on our scout team going against our O. He will be impossible to chop block! (Don't know how his knees survived that season.).

 

[Techster]

I liked Green. More than a serviceable DT when healthy, but he wasn't gifted with Jabari's size, quickness, and speed.

When Jabari was listed #2 in the depth chart earlier this summer, I had a smirk on my face. OK, CPJ...obviously you like play the depth chart motivation game! Anyone who watched the spring game knows no other DT on our roster disrupted the game on a play-to-play basis like Jabari did...not even Gotsis. Consistently in the backfield, and a nightmare for the for OL. When the plays stretched horizontal, he flashed freakish sideline-to-sideline pursuit ability like a LB...which he was early in his career.

He's not polished at the DT position yet, but he has the physical tools and ability to make most coaches and scouts salivate at the potential of what could be. Even with just scout team experience last year, Jabari is the type of DT GT hardly ever gets in the recruiting game. Where will he get drafted? Who knows, there's an entire schedule to play. But if he shows the consistent ability to disrupt and get into the backfield along with the speed and quickness to hawk down the RB and QB like in the spring game, he could go in the early rounds.

 

[Techster]

forgot to add....he did spend a year on our scout team going against our O. He will be impossible to chop block! (Don't know how his knees survived that season.).

**Ducks**

 

[gtg936g]

I think he will improve to the point where he will require a double team by the 4th game. I don't think he is Suh, but I think he is a little better than Green. Hunt is the reason we will be comparing Freeman to Morgan by the end of the year.

If I remember correctly he went against Mason on the scout team last year. That will pay a lot of dividends for us this year.

 

[Longestday]

Jabari is strong and fast... and I mean real fast on that first step. The question we all don't know is does he have the techniques down both in body and in mind. I have no solid evidence, but I feel like he has a much higher ceiling than Green and that mainly being the first step quickness.

Who do you focus on blocking out of Freeman, Jabrai, Gotsis, and Gamble. I think the strengths of the other three lineman will make any one of the other linemen look better this year.

I don't have enough hard information to say how good he will be for the NFL draft. I have Shaq's comments from 2014, Byerly's twitter posts on #FearJabari, Spring game, Instagram videos, and his 1st on the depth chart. I can't wait to see him in games and hope he is a top draft pick! I think Jabari will be extra hungry in 2015 due to the enforced football diet in 2014. Don't get in the way of a starving man and his dreams.

 

[gtpkt]

Unfortunately expectations are very high, haha, which is unfair. I don't know what individual stats he will get, but barring injuries, I see our overall sack total and TFL nearly doubling and/or our allowed yards per rush going down by 3/4 of a yard.

 

[305jacket]

I've seen Jabari on campus multiple times this year so far, and he is huge. Like I didn't recognize him the first time I saw him huge. I was like there is no way that's Jabari. He put on so much weight, I'm somewhat skeptical he still has his first step quickness but reports all say he still has it. If true, he will be a force. I can see him getting drafted 3-5th round. Will probably be our 2nd best player on D (DJ White). He's a good kid, I told him congrats on working hard and getting back and he was very appreciative and happy.

 

[Ggee87]

FWIW I think he will be a much better D lineman than he was at LB. He just never got to where I thought he would at LB but with his crosstraining of both positions... It will benefit him greatly. Not to add that Mason had great things to say about him last year... and he's now starting for New England(returning SB champs)

 

[InsideLB]

As Johnson intimated in the preseason he's going to have some inexperience that shows as a first year starter. Johnson said Hunt got away with some things he won't get away with against really good OL, iirc. What that sounds is not quite having technique down in the muscle memory yet/or not being consistent. He will learn....and it will take some time. DT is tough which is why DT recruits are coveted.

That said I think he'll be a good player for us. He's got tools and after having to sit out he really value the opportunity he has. As 33 said the main thing is that he's eligible and he's a legit D-1 starting tackle like a Green or a Gotsis. That by itself is huge. Because he's quick I think he might give us a rush from the pocket interior and be really good on stunts. If he can shed blocks, stay square and pursue down the line he can be sideline to sideline type NT with his wheels.

I do think there is some elite-type upside as others have said. Hopefully it manifests sooner than later.

Anyway you slice it great kid, easy to root for, and he is going to help us a ton just being a legitimate war daddy you can stick in there. He wins and GT wins.

 

[Fatmike91]

In the first couple of games, you will see a player bursting low through the offensive line and creating a broken play. You won't know who it is. By the third or fourth game you will know its Jabari without having to see it again in slow motion.

I also think we start to really notice the entire defensive line in a way we haven't in years.

/

 

[nod]

I think he will be at the level of Grady Garrett last year at Clemson. Awesome.

 

[croberts]

I look at what Shaq stated about this young man and think that he is talking about his god given talent and not that he will start out looking better than the kid from Clemson. I do believe that from game one he will require special attention from our opposition. As others have mentioned, this will change everything for ten other players. Less Double teams on Gotsis, ability to move a bigger player (Gamble) to set edge and less players being used in pass rush. I believe That 9 positions are stronger than a year ago. Eight are a year older and stronger and Days is better than Green. We will find out if we can replace Neely and Johnson soon enough. I am more excited about this D than most years because of the young guys in the three deep. I believe that several of our current players that are not listed as starters on our current depth chart are actually better than players that started for us last year due to maturity. We will know a lot more after visiting Touch Down Jesus!

 

[00Burdell]

I don't really know how good he will be in game one or game 15 but clearly he is going to be a good one. What I can't wait to see is what Roof will do now that we are solid across the line; no more taking stuff off the table due to limited options and no more doing this to cover up that.

Roof now has a full arsenal at his disposal. I think Sep 19th could be a big day as far as seeing what Roof will unleash on the Irish.

 

[collegeballfan]

He can have Alcorn and Tulane to work on his game. I may even give him ND, Duke and N Cheaters to polish his game.
But on 10/10 he needs to go to Clemson in full armor.

 

[BCJacket]

My expectation for Jabari is for him to help the rest of the D linemen to have huge seasons.

I foresee Jabari being a serviceable lineman. Technically, he's a first year player at the position... so, I think it's too high of a bar to expect him to be an every-down no-mistakes impact player. That said, he has the size, power and aggressiveness to be a disruptive force. IMHO- on one hand he'll make some 'rookie' mistakes. On the other hand, I think he'll blow up some plays in spectacular fashion.

So, what I'm expecting, is for him to be a enough of a big play threat to take some of the heat off the other guys, especially Gotsis and Freeman. He should really help open up opportunities for our other talented guys to make plays. At the end of the year, I don't think he'll have the best stats among the lineman. But he might have the best highlight reel.

However, if he settles into the position quickly, or if he's more game-ready than I expect... look out.

 

[Boomergump]

When I watched Hunt in the spring game, I did so without regard for, or knowledge of, the constraints placed on him in order to conform to our defensive system. I just watched the physical stuff and how tough a time he was giving the guy in front of him. I felt Green was as quick off the ball as any GT player in memory. He was good at knifing into a crease, staying very low, on a short yardage type of situation. That is pretty much where it ended as far as I was concerned. The pass rushing ability wasn't there. Nor was the speed in pursuit.

To my eyes, Jabari has the ability to move great distances laterally in quick hop like motions. This gives OLs fits because it allows him to get angles and leverage more easily. He also has very good hands in my estimation and would be very good in the self defense martial arts type of stuff if he wanted to. He shucks blockers really well. Probably the most impressive characteristic was touched on earlier in the thread, his pursuit speed. Jabari is fast enough to catch people from behind and / or change RBs routes horizontally. If you hesitate at all, looking for a hole, Jabari will find you. He made several tackles from behind running east and west in the spring game. We haven't had that. Gotsis comes close, but Jabari still runs pretty much like a LB. He was fast for his size then and he still is.

I know Roof has a plan and I know Jabari will have to play within the system. Maybe therein will lie his greatest challenge. I think he has enough talent and ability to be a fairly elite player, but I also agree, his productivity will be dependent on the development of his knowledge and instincts of interior play. It will be fun to watch.