Kawann Short

[Dash Global]

Anyone else surprised by this guy? Brilliant job by Gettleman to have the balls to double down on DT's.

 

Star was a 100% no brainer in my mind. Coming back and grabbing Short in the 2nd was not such an obvious choice but looks like a great one right now.

 

 

 

 

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How or why would anyone be surprised by Short? 

 

He was hands down the best pass rushing DT in the draft last year. 

 

He was most certainly an obvious choice in the 2nd for a team that needed a pass rushing UT for the future. 

[LinvilleGorge]

Short has been very good as a rookie.  I'm very pleased with both rookie DTs considering that even future great DTs often struggle as rookies.  It's a tough position to make the transition to the NFL and both of our young guys have done so very well.  It's a steep price to pay to double down in the 1st and 2cd round, but the early evidence looks like it's going to pay off.  Star and Kawann should form a very good tandem at DT for us for years to come.  That's pretty invaluable.

 

I really want to address WR, but something tells me not to be shocked if G-man doubles down at OL in the upcoming draft.  He said he wants to build from the lines out.  If Hardy doesn't get resigned, look for a DE to be drafted fairly high as well.

[iamhubby1]

They are rookies too... Wait until they have a year or two of NFL conditioning, strength and diet programs.

 

DTs usually take 2 or 3 years to develop. This is going to be a top notch defense for years to come once the Rivera class defensive players reach their potentials and grow into their roles.

This my friend, is one scary thought. And may I add film study, experience, and coaching to your reasons to be excited about these two kids futures.

Another WTF? moment going our way. Whood a thunk we could take 2 D-linemen at 1 & 2, and they would both pan out? From the get go? I mean, really?

 

 

A lot of that may have to do with gameplanning. With Martin out and Bradford preferring the short passing game and a relatively unknown RB in Stacy Ron expected his Dline to force both those teams to abandon the run early and so less need for a Fua and more pass rushers so thy could be fresher in the 3rd and 4th.

That is a good point. Cuz Alexander was active for both. Although he played very little in either game. He is considered a pass rusher. That, and any reason to keep Fua inactive, is a good reason.

 

 

I'm not a big college football fan, so I didn't really get to see KK play prior to him coming here.

 

From the first time I saw him on the field as a Panther, I knew we had an absolute stud. He is as quick in the short area as any DT I've ever seen, and that covers a lot of football seasons.

 

Star is an excellent player, but it would not surprise me at all if Short has just as good, if not better, long-term performance than Star.

 

On the other hand, Star does some amazing things too. Bottom line, I think we have 2 potential greats on our hands.

Star does get more double teams. In the long run that could be a big factor in who has the longer career. But hey, let's not think negative thoughts about our anchors.

 

 

I know Star gets a ton of attention but Short shouldn't be sold... well, short. He tore up the Senior Bowl like a man possessed. Kawann was constantly in the backfield. I definitely had my eyes on him in the pre-draft talks. In fact, I called him the most underrated DT in the draft AND I had him ranked ahead of Richardson. KK had motor and weight concerns coming out but I preferred his ability to shed blockers, hold the point of attack and pressure the QB over Floyd and Richardson. Not surprising Short has been a stud for us.

He is quick and disruptive, I'll give you that. Saw a lot of that in college. He gets singled a lot. He takes advantage of that a lot as well. The kid can flat out play. Keep him fresh, as we do, and he can be a force all year. With all the snaps he took in college, this year has got to be a breeze.

His partner ain't no slouch either.

 

 

Short has been very good as a rookie.  I'm very pleased with both rookie DTs considering that even future great DTs often struggle as rookies.  It's a tough position to make the transition to the NFL and both of our young guys have done so very well.  It's a steep price to pay to double down in the 1st and 2cd round, but the early evidence looks like it's going to pay off.  Star and Kawann should form a very good tandem at DT for us for years to come.  That's pretty invaluable.

 

I really want to address WR, but something tells me not to be shocked if G-man doubles down at OL in the upcoming draft.  He said he wants to build from the lines out.  If Hardy doesn't get resigned, look for a DE to be drafted fairly high as well.

The success we are having with our current WR crop would back the double dip on the O-line theory. Go fishing in the latter rounds for a WR maybe. I love going O-line, but we do need a Stud WR.

[LinvilleGorge]

I'm tired of trying to address our WR needs through the mid and later rounds.  How has that worked for us so far?  That philosophy has directly led to our current WR corps.  Now granted, it wasn't G-man making those picks, but still.  We don't need additional roster filler WRs.  We have those in abundance.  We need legitimate starting caliber WRs.  I have not problem with guys like Ginn and LaFell filling the roles of #3 and #4 WRs.  But, they're not starting caliber NFL WRs.

[carolina-chuck]

Nope. Short was projected as a 1st rounder for majority of the time. I thought higher of him than of Sly Williams. He should have been drafted in the 20s-32.

 

I didnt think that he was going to contribute this fast, but that was only if he had went to another team. Pluggin him along with Star, CJ, Dwan, Cole, and Hardy there was no reason to believe he couldnt contribute this fast.

[Your GFs favorite huddler]

Kks pass rush and instant penetration ability remind me allot of geno Atkins who is considered by many the best dt in the nfl...I hope an offseason in our conditioning and strength program will provide similar results....excited for the future of our two young DTs

[Clicheking]

Hes been everything i've hoped for.

Toot toot

[DawgzLife]

i noticed the same thing.

 

2 things going on...

too much weight

too many snaps

 

both were corrected.

 

one thing that has surprised me about both guys is how good they are in the things that were considered their weaknesses.

 

star was supposed to be great against the run (he is) but in pass rushing was a bit weaker (it's not, tho). kk was supposed to be great at getting to the passer (he is), but almost a liability against the run (he ain't, tho).

 

we have ourselves one great combo with a great complementary cast in cole and dwan (if dwan can get back on the field).

 

i love that with basically a blink of an eye we went from the interior of that DL being one of the weaker in the league to being one of the best.

 

in fact i live the turnaround on both sides of the ball over the years. 2010 we had one of the weakest offenses ever in the game to one of the best in 2011 (tho we're just now starting to get that back in that groove). in 2011 we went from being the worst D in the league to now one of the top three in the league.

 

i love it.

 

now the game day coaching is catching up to the talent and i've got to say i'm impressed.

 

You are right...I hated how Hurney couldn't fix the DT position since Kris Jenkins days with us; picking McClain & Fua or Star & KK?...hhhmmm wonder which pair is better.  :-)  I hope Gettleman always picks this great in the 1st & 2nd rounds.

 

Another reason this is so awesome is the DT postion is consistently referred to as 1 of the toughest positions to adapt to from college to the NFL...these guys have been lights out.

[Double Trouble]

Great pick. I wanted Keenan Allen at the time but I have no complaints.

[Your GFs favorite huddler]

Great pick. I wanted Keenan Allen at the time but I have no complaints.

I was screaming for Keenan Allen at the time but kks play and the lingering of fua quickly changed my disappointment