Athlon top 15 returning SEC players: #6 Derek Barnett

[rocktopper16]

In what way?

First round draft pick.

Gets burnt by ZRo

Now he is the worst CB in the league.

 

[KBVol]

Look. You could be right about Nkemdiche. I have not watched him enough to know whether or not his statistical production is a valid measure of what he does for the Ole Miss defense.

All I know is that folks who know football still sing his praises. He still is projected to be a high NFL draft pick. He still was voted First Team All-SEC last year. And so on.

Maybe everyone else is wrong and you are right that Nkemdiche is overrated and a flop. I'm gonna just abstain from making a declaritive judgment on Nkemdiche simply because I haven't watched him play that often. I'm one of those guys who uses the eye test above all else. You seem to take box score production above all else. We'll just have to agree to disagree about what is most important in evaluating players.

I'm certainly not saying everyone else is wrong and I'm right. I'm just raising questions about how good this guy truly is. It's my belief that a dominant DT, like he supposedly is, simply produces more than he does.

I just can't believe that he's the only top flight DT that's getting double-teamed and schemed for in the SEC, yet he's nowhere near the top of the list statistically. Do you not find it curious that the DT widely regarded as the best in a league full of future NFL DTs is practically never in the opposing offenses' backfield making plays? He's not a 1 technique nose guard like Vince Wilfork who's sole purpose is to clog the middle...he's a 300 lb physical freak DT that roams the LOS in attempt to find mismatches and wreak havoc .....yet, he evidently does little more than engage double teams at the line of scrimmage while very rarely ever getting to the QB or throwing a RB for a loss. While there's certainly value in a DT that commands double teams and keeps his LBs and even DEs free to makes plays, I think an elite DT should get plenty of his own splash plays. Again, among the top 10 DTs in the SEC last year, he was tied for 10th in the SEC in both sacks and TFLs.

Perhaps I'm all wet, and I hope I'm not coming off as a know it all or something. Just asking the question that immediately jumped to my mind after seeing that list and knowing the incredible impact that Derek Barnett had on our defense last year.

 

[KBVol]

First round draft pick.

Gets burnt by ZRo

Now he is the worst CB in the league.

NFL scouts and GMs clearly missed on that guy's evaluation... like they also missed on Trent Richardson's. Are they perhaps missing on Nkemdiche considering he virtually never gets penetration into the opposing offenses' backfield and makes a play? Guess we'll know before too long.

 

[rocktopper16]

NFL scouts and GMs clearly missed on that guy's evaluation... like they also missed on Trent Richardson's. Are they perhaps missing on Nkemdiche considering he virtually never gets penetration into the opposing offenses' backfield and makes a play? Guess we'll know before too long.

Truth. I think some of all already know.

Jus saying'
Taco Bell produces longer runs than Trent Richardson.

 

[tn4elvis]

I've been watching TN football and sec football a long time 30+ years.Barnett is the most complete true freshman Dline man I've ever seen on any team.If he stays healthy for 2 more years he is a top 5 draft pick.He not only pressures the QB well.He also plays the run very very good.He's got a little bit of a mean streak in him that can't be tought.You either have it or you dont.We need to enjoy him for the next couple of years because players like him don't come around very often.

 

[JC61]

I'm certainly not saying everyone else is wrong and I'm right. I'm just raising questions about how good this guy truly is. It's my belief that a dominant DT, like he supposedly is, simply produces more than he does.

I just can't believe that he's the only top flight DT that's getting double-teamed and schemed for in the SEC, yet he's nowhere near the top of the list statistically. Do you not find it curious that the DT widely regarded as the best in a league full of future NFL DTs is practically never in the opposing offenses' backfield making plays? He's not a 1 technique nose guard like Vince Wilfork who's sole purpose is to clog the middle...he's a 300 lb physical freak DT that roams the LOS in attempt to find mismatches and wreak havoc .....yet, he evidently does little more than engage double teams at the line of scrimmage while very rarely ever getting to the QB or throwing a RB for a loss. While there's certainly value in a DT that commands double teams and keeps his LBs and even DEs free to makes plays, I think an elite DT should get plenty of his own splash plays. Again, among the top 10 DTs in the SEC last year, he was tied for 10th in the SEC in both sacks and TFLs.

Perhaps I'm all wet, and I hope I'm not coming off as a know it all or something. Just asking the question that immediately jumped to my mind after seeing that list and knowing the incredible impact that Derek Barnett had on our defense last year.

I do see where you are coming from...and like I said, kinda on the fence here.

I got interested enough to check Ole Miss team stats...he doesn't crack the top 5 there either....hhhmmm.

Is it because he had a "bad" year....really isn't that good...or did his play free up others to make the plays. Like someone else commented...I didn't watch enough of their games to base an opinion, but stats alone...he aint all that.

 

[KBVol]

Truth. I think some of all already know.

Jus saying'
Taco Bell produces longer runs than Trent Richardson.

Haha! Read a tweet on Richardson while ago where another player said Richardson told him at the combine a few years ago that "he just doesn't love playing football"....I'd say that's fairly obvious when you watch him play.

 

[Remy]

I'm certainly not saying everyone else is wrong and I'm right. I'm just raising questions about how good this guy truly is. It's my belief that a dominant DT, like he supposedly is, simply produces more than he does.

I just can't believe that he's the only top flight DT that's getting double-teamed and schemed for in the SEC, yet he's nowhere near the top of the list statistically. Do you not find it curious that the DT widely regarded as the best in a league full of future NFL DTs is practically never in the opposing offenses' backfield making plays? He's not a 1 technique nose guard like Vince Wilfork who's sole purpose is to clog the middle...he's a 300 lb physical freak DT that roams the LOS in attempt to find mismatches and wreak havoc .....yet, he evidently does little more than engage double teams at the line of scrimmage while very rarely ever getting to the QB or throwing a RB for a loss. While there's certainly value in a DT that commands double teams and keeps his LBs and even DEs free to makes plays, I think an elite DT should get plenty of his own splash plays. Again, among the top 10 DTs in the SEC last year, he was tied for 10th in the SEC in both sacks and TFLs.

Perhaps I'm all wet, and I hope I'm not coming off as a know it all or something. Just asking the question that immediately jumped to my mind after seeing that list and knowing the incredible impact that Derek Barnett had on our defense last year.

solid KB.

 

[Remy]

I do see where you are coming from...and like I said, kinda on the fence here.

I got interested enough to check Ole Miss team stats...he doesn't crack the top 5 there either....hhhmmm.

Is it because he had a "bad" year....really isn't that good...or did his play free up others to make the plays. Like someone else commented...I didn't watch enough of their games to base an opinion, but stats alone...he aint all that.

I haven't looked, but it could be interesting to see how he did against Vandy's OL? If the rest of the Ole Miss DL had a field day & this youngster performed as usual, could be telling.

 

[crusse10]

I understand your Revis example, point taken.

Let me try another generic example...JJ Watt. Watt is undoubtedly the most dominant DT/DLineman in the game. He surely is schemed against more than any other DL in the league. I'm betting he sees more exotic blocking schemes than any other player in the NFL and that offenses do their best to run away from him. Are you telling me that I can't determine that he's a better DT than say the Titans' Jurell Casey? Casey's a very good player, teams scheme for him, yet he doesn't record the same number of sacks, TFLs and pass breakups.

I compared Nkemdiche's first 2 years to Reggie White's first 2 years at Tennessee....similarly sized, same position, and surely Reggie was specifically schemed for/against like you're suggesting Nkemdiche has been....yet his statistics were far and away better. Can I not say that Reggie was better? And if you agree that I indeed can, on what basis? I say the things that measure their performances.

Look man, we'll never see eye to eye on this. I'm saying that there is more to ranking players at a position than statistics. You're implying that there isn't.

 

[Titan&Volfan4life]

Stats don't always tell the entire story.

That's why NFL scouts/coaches/GM's look at lots of game tape.

KB makes some very valid points but a JJ Watt and Reggie White don't come along very often.

A DT that's very disruptive and commands double teams a lot of the time is a important piece of the D puzzle because they open up the other players to make tackles for loss, sacks, ect and those other guys get the stats hype.

Vince Wilfork was a great example, not big on stats but takes up 2 O linemen a lot of the time to open up other D players to make the plays and get the stat numbers.

That's why football is such a team sport with so many designed schemes and plays.

#BrickbyBrick...VFL...GBO!!!

 

[KBVol]

Look man, we'll never see eye to eye on this. I'm saying that there is more to ranking players at a position than statistics. You're implying that there isn't.

No, that's not my intention. I'm trying to say that in the particular case of Nkemdiche, that if he's going to be considered the best DT in a league full of future NFL DTs, that statics/production has to be a factor and it evidently isn't because has virtually none. I understand the nuances of drawing double, even sometimes triple teams for the benefit of your teammates to make plays, hence why he may not lead in sacks, TFLs, etc. But he's #10 out of 10 in both categories in 2014 among the 10 best DTs in the SEC....and surely he's not the only top flight DT getting double teamed and asked by his DC to sacrifice his own production/numbers for the good of the team...that's all.

 

[KBVol]

Stats don't always tell the entire story.

That's why NFL scouts/coaches/GM's look at lots of game tape.

KB makes some very valid points but a JJ Watt and Reggie White don't come along very often.

A DT that's very disruptive and commands double teams a lot of the time is a important piece of the D puzzle because they open up the other players to make tackles for loss, sacks, ect and those other guys get the stats hype.

Vince Wilfork was a great example, not big on stats but takes up 2 O linemen a lot of the time to open up other D players to make the plays and get the stat numbers.

That's why football is such a team sport with so many designed schemes and plays.

#BrickbyBrick...VFL...GBO!!!

And I honestly do understand the subjective parts/value of the position, statistics aren't everything....but don't they have to be SOMETHING. After all, he's considered the BEST DT....shouldn't be have something to show in the way of production beyond being #10 among the top 10 DTs in the SEC in terms of making game-changing plays in the opponents' backfield? After all, aren't those 2 measures the most often cited when discussing defensive linemen in general.

And I'll say this again....while he may have great value in drawing attention away from his other DLinemen and LBs so that they can pile up tackles/TFLs,/sacks, he surely isn't the only one that's doing so for his team, right? And yet, those others appear to be able to do both.

Finally, RN has gotten a tremendous amount of fanfare and media attention for being the overall #1 player when he signed with OleMiss and now he's being rated the #1 SEC DT....isn't his standard higher than his contemporaries? That's why I mentioned 2 all-time greats, Reggie and Watt, neither of which were as highly lauded as RN at the same point in their college careers, in an effort to show/define what a truly dominant DT "looks like" and how they perform....IMHO, RN isn't living up to that standard.....and he's still not as good an SEC lineman as Derek Barnett at this point 😁

 

[zero-sum]

6. Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee Volunteers

2015 Year of Eligibility: Sophomore
2014 Stats: 72 tackles, 20.5 TFL, 10 sacks

Barnett was one of the nation's top freshmen in 2014 and led all SEC defenders with 18 tackles for loss in conference games. Here's the scary part for the rest of the SEC: He's only going to get better in 2015.

SEC Football: Alabama has four of top 15 SEC players entering spring | FOX Sports

Cam's missin'. C'mon Fox

 

[crusse10]

No, that's not my intention. I'm trying to say that in the particular case of Nkemdiche, that if he's going to be considered the best DT in a league full of future NFL DTs, that statics/production has to be a factor and it evidently isn't because has virtually none. I understand the nuances of drawing double, even sometimes triple teams for the benefit of your teammates to make plays, hence why he may not lead in sacks, TFLs, etc. But he's #10 out of 10 in both categories in 2014 among the 10 best DTs in the SEC....and surely he's not the only top flight DT getting double teamed and asked by his DC to sacrifice his own production/numbers for the good of the team...that's all.

is it possible that he'd be the best DE in the SEC if he wasn't needed to play DT, which isn't his natural position, and coaches and scouts know that?

 

[KBVol]

is it possible that he'd be the best DE in the SEC if he wasn't needed to play DT, which isn't his natural position, and coaches and scouts know that?

I suppose. That being said, given his size and outstanding athletic ability/explosiveness, I'd think he'd stumble into more than 2 coverage sacks a year.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

I suppose. That being said, given his size and outstanding athletic ability/explosiveness, I'd think he'd stumble into more than 2 coverage sacks a year.

JJ Watt had 4.5 sacks as a 3rd year Sophomore in 2009. Did he suck? Was he a fraud?

sometimes stats are flukey.

 

[KBVol]

JJ Watt had 4.5 sacks as a 3rd year Sophomore in 2009. Did he suck? Was he a fraud?

sometimes stats are flukey.

First off, I don't believe I've ever posted that Nkemdiche "sucks" or is a "fraud". If I have, then I stand corrected and offer apologies.

And honestly, had Nkemdiche managed 2.5 times the sacks that he's managed in either of his first 2 seasons, I may not have even ever really raised the question of Nkemdiche's ability to sack the QB. I mean, you do realize that 4.5 sacks in 1 season by Watt was .5 sacks more than Nkemdiche has in his 2 years combined, right?



-JJ Watt came out of high school as a 220lb Tightend.
-Robt Nkemdiche came out of HighSchool as a 260-285lb (Rivals said 260, 247 said 285) defensive end

-JJ Watt was a 2star rated player on Rivals and Scout...didn't see a rating from 247. He had no national rating and was considered the #7 player from that recruiting Mecca that is Wisconsin
-Robt Nkemdiche was both a 5 star rated player and the #1 Nationally ranked player by all the major recruiting services.

Watt transferred from Central Michigan as a TE and, after the 2007 season walked on at Wisconsin. He had to take a redshirt year in 2008 and, as a result, didn't play on the defensive side of the ball until 2009, his first year as a D lineman for Wisconsin.

So, to sum up, he played 2 years as a defensive player after transferring from C Michigan, where he was a TE. So, we have 2 years of defensive collegiate statistics for Watt after he gained 67lbs (he was 287lbs according to Wisconsin's 2009 roster) and learned a new position, new techniques, etc.

We also have, to date, 2 years of stats for Nkemdiche, who came into school as D lineman, his natural position, weighing 297lbs as a freshman according to OleMiss' official 2013 roster.

You still with me?

Ok, here come the statistical comparisons...

Watt, 1st year: 44 tackles,15.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 5 passes defended, 0 forced fumbles
Nkemdiche, 1st yr: 34 tackles, 8 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 passes defended, 0 forced fumbles

Watt, 2nd yr: 62 tackles, 21 TFLs, 7 sacks, 9 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles
Nkemdiche, 2nd yr: 35 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended, 0 forced fumbles

TOTALS-
Tackles: Watt- 106 Nkemdiche- 69
TFLs: Watt- 36.5 Nkemdiche- 12
Sacks: Watt- 11.5 Nkemdiche- 4
Passes Defended: Watt- 14 Nkemdiche- 3
Forced Fumbles: Watt- 3 Nkemdiche- 0

Now, they didn't have statistics for double teams faced or piles created at the LOS, or I would've listed them. I'm sure Nkemdiche probably blew JJ out of the water there.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

First off, I don't believe I've ever posted that Nkemdiche "sucks" or is a "fraud". If I have, then I stand corrected and offer apologies.

On the other hand, you sure you wanna take the discussion here? ..... Okay.

-JJ Watt came out of high school as a 220lb Tightend.
-Robt Nkemdiche came out of HighSchool as a 260-285lb (Rivals said 260, 247 said 285) defensive end

-JJ Watt was a 2star rated player on Rivals and Scout...didn't see a rating from 247. He had no national rating and was considered the #7 player from that recruiting Mecca that is Wisconsin
-Robt Nkemdiche was both a 5 star rated player and the #1 Nationally ranked player by all the major recruiting services.

Watt transferred from Central Michigan as a TE and, after the 2007 season walked on at Wisconsin. He had to take a redshirt year in 2008 and, as a result, didn't play on the defensive side of the ball until 2009, his first year as a D lineman for Wisconsin.

So, to sum up, he played 2 years as a defensive player after transferring from C Michigan, where he was a TE. So, we have 2 years of defensive collegiate statistics for Watt after he gained 67lbs (he was 287lbs according to Wisconsin's 2009 roster) and learned a new position, new techniques, etc.

We also have, to date, 2 years of stats for Nkemdiche, who came into school as D lineman, his natural position, weighing 297lbs as a freshman according to OleMiss' official 2013 roster.

You still with me?

Ok, here come the statistical comparisons...

Watt, 1st year: 44 tackles,15.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 5 passes defended, 0 forced fumbles
Nkemdiche, 1st yr: 34 tackles, 8 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 passes defended, 0 forced fumbles

Watt, 2nd yr: 62 tackles, 21 TFLs, 7 sacks, 9 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles
Nkemdiche, 2nd yr: 35 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended, 0 forced fumbles

TOTALS-
Tackles: Watt- 106 Nkemdiche- 69
TFLs: Watt- 36.5 Nkemdiche- 12
Sacks: Watt- 11.5 Nkemdiche- 4
Passes Defended: Watt- 14 Nkemdiche- 3
Forced Fumbles: Watt- 3 Nkemdiche- 0

Now, they didn't have statistics for double teams faced or piles created at the LOS, or I would've listed them. I'm sure Nkemdiche probably blew JJ out of the water there.

JJ Watt's age during the 2009 season: 20 years old
Robert Nkemdiche's age last season: 20 years old

even if Nkemdiche came in more highly touted and physically bigger as a true freshmen, its not really fair to compare a 18 year old freshman to a guy who was a 20 year old 3rd year sophomore who like you said had a year or so in a college weight room.

I would say JJ Watt's 2009 season is a fair comparison to Nkemdiche's 2014 season. Let's wait and see how Nkemdiche does in his junior season. I have a feeling it'll be huge like Watt's junior season.

 

[KBVol]

JJ Watt's age during the 2009 season: 20 years old
Robert Nkemdiche's age last season: 20 years old

even if Nkemdiche came in more highly touted and physically bigger as a true freshmen, its not really fair to compare a 18 year old freshman to a guy who was a 20 year old 3rd year sophomore who like you said had a year or so in a college weight room.

I would say JJ Watt's 2009 season is a fair comparison to Nkemdiche's 2014 season. Let's wait and see how Nkemdiche does in his junior season. I have a feeling it'll be huge like Watt's junior season.

So Watt was 1 year older his first year as a defensive player than Nkemdiche was in his? 20 yrs old vs 19? Perhaps Watt playing a brand new position, learning to play with all that added weight, learning new technique, etc, vs Nkemdiche who was pretty much doing and playing what he'd always done and played offsets that 1 year difference in age?

Also, Nkemdiche didn't have to gain 67 lbs like Watt did....according to 247 he gained about 10.

Finally, those stats aren't remotely close. There's no way to know what Nkemdiche will do next year until he does it. But for now, we have a very good sample size of Nkemdiche's play, and it's very consistent....he looks like he's gonna give you 34.5 tackles (34&35), 6 TFLs (8&4), 2 sacks (2&2) and 0 forced fumbles. Perhaps he'll have a breakout year in 2015 statistically....we'll see.

Until he does, I'll take Derek Barnett all day every day and twice on Saturday as a better SEC player.

 

[Remy]

JJ Watt's age during the 2009 season: 20 years old
Robert Nkemdiche's age last season: 20 years old

even if Nkemdiche came in more highly touted and physically bigger as a true freshmen, its not really fair to compare a 18 year old freshman to a guy who was a 20 year old 3rd year sophomore who like you said had a year or so in a college weight room.

I would say JJ Watt's 2009 season is a fair comparison to Nkemdiche's 2014 season. Let's wait and see how Nkemdiche does in his junior season. I have a feeling it'll be huge like Watt's junior season.

Dude, just admit it's more than bro love for Nkemdiche and move along. Sheesh!

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

So Watt was 1 year older his first year as a defensive player than Nkemdiche was in his? 20 yrs old vs 19? Perhaps Watt playing a brand new position, learning to play with all that added weight, learning new technique, etc, vs Nkemdiche who was pretty much doing and playing what he'd always done and played offsets that 1 year difference in age?

Also, Nkemdiche didn't have to gain 67 lbs like Watt did....according to 247 he gained about 10.

Finally, those stats aren't remotely close. There's no way to know what Nkemdiche will do next year until he does it. But for now, we have a very good sample size of Nkemdiche's play, and it's very consistent....he looks like he's gonna give you 34.5 tackles (34&35), 6 TFLs (8&4), 2 sacks (2&2) and 0 forced fumbles. Perhaps he'll have a breakout year in 2015 statistically....we'll see.

Until he does, I'll take Derek Barnett all day every day and twice on Saturday as a better SEC player.

You seem to not understand my main point in this whole back n forth. Obviously when taken as a whole Watt's college stats were better. I posted Watt's stats so that you could see that even the most dominant DE in the NFL today had pretty mediocre college stats (if we're holding him to the standard he's shown in the NFL). Watt in the NFL has already had multiple 20 sack seasons. In college the best he did was 7 sacks. Why is that if stats are the holy grail for showing us talent, ability, and impact? Was Watt mediocre in college and did he all of a sudden get good in the NFL? Or was he playing in a different role/scheme in college that was not conducive to racking up huge sack numbers?

I personally don't know why. It just shows me that production in college is really not indicative of talent, ability, or impact. Because if it was, we would see more correlation between college stats and production in the pros.

I don't know whether or not Nkemdiche is any good or will be a star in the NFL. I've said multiple times I have not watched him enough. I just have a problem with your overeliance on college stats and your assumption that simple box score stats are indicative of talent or impact on the game. Stats are but one indicator of a player's ability and impact. If it were not, then JJ Watt would not be doing what he's doing right now in the NFL. He would not be tearing apart the league in a manner he was unable to do at Wisconsin.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Dude, just admit it's more than bro love for Nkemdiche and move along. Sheesh!

I don't even like Nkemdiche. I only got into this debate because KBVol felt that box score stats were sufficient in proving that Derek Barnett was the superior player. I've just been going back n forth trying to show that box score stats are not enough to make such a claim. I have no idea if Nkemdiche is the superior player. I'll have to watch him more closely this season. I just felt it was possible he was superior given the fact he was voted 1st team All-SEC last season over Barnett and the fact he's universally projected as a top 5-10 pick in next year's draft.

All I'm arguing is there's more to judging a player than just stats.

 

[KBVol]

You seem to not understand my main point in this whole back n forth. Obviously when taken as a whole Watt's college stats were better. I posted Watt's stats so that you could see that even the most dominant DE in the NFL today had pretty mediocre college stats (if we're holding him to the standard he's shown in the NFL). Watt in the NFL has already had multiple 20 sack seasons. In college the best he did was 7 sacks. Why is that if stats are the holy grail for showing us talent, ability, and impact? Was Watt mediocre in college and did he all of a sudden get good in the NFL? Or was he playing in a different role/scheme in college that was not conducive to racking up huge sack numbers?

I personally don't know why. It just shows me that production in college is really not indicative of talent, ability, or impact. Because if it was, we would see more correlation between college stats and production in the pros.

I don't know whether or not Nkemdiche is any good or will be a star in the NFL. I've said multiple times I have not watched him enough. I just have a problem with your overeliance on college stats and your assumption that simple box score stats are indicative of talent or impact on the game. Stats are but one indicator of a player's ability and impact. If it were not, then JJ Watt would not be doing what he's doing right now in the NFL. He would not be tearing apart the league in a manner he was unable to do at Wisconsin.

Why are you only choosing sacks as the sole statistic to try and make your point? I looked at tackles, sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles and even passes defended..... and there's nothing about Watt's statistics in his 2 years playing DL (especially considering he converted from a 220lb TE) that were "mediocre". The same can't be said for Nkemdiche, no matter how much you want to explain it away.

I'll simply say this one more time. RN is a great talent, a physical specimen, and unbelievably explosive athlete who clearly is asked to command and take on double teams to help free up his teammates so they can pursue the football......as all great DTs do, many of which are currently playing in the SEC. Why can those other DTs ALSO post decent to very impressive tackle/TFLs/sack numbers, while Nkemdiche, who is supposed to be the best of them all, CANNOT?

Btw, I get your main point and have acknowledged that numerous times now....there's more to judging a player's ability and worth than statistics....when will you acknowledge that a player of Nkemdiche's supposed caliber should produce more than he does? Not holding my breath.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Why are you only choosing sacks as the sole statistic to try and make your point? I looked at tackles, sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles and even passes defended..... and there's nothing about Watt's statistics in his 2 years playing DL (especially considering he converted from a 220lb TE) that were "mediocre". The same can't be said for Nkemdiche, no matter how much you want to explain it away.

I'll simply say this one more time. RN is a great talent, a physical specimen, and unbelievably explosive athlete who clearly is asked to command and take on double teams to help free up his teammates so they can pursue the football......as all great DTs do, many of which are currently playing in the SEC. Why can those other DTs ALSO post decent to very impressive tackle/TFLs/sack numbers, while Nkemdiche, who is supposed to be the best of them all, CANNOT?

Btw, I get your main point and have acknowledged that numerous times now....there's more to judging a player's ability and worth than statistics....when will you acknowledge that a player of Nkemdiche's supposed caliber should produce more than he does? Not holding my breath.

When I watch the film. What about film above everything do you not understand? If Nkemdiche gets double and triple teammed every play, I would not expect more production.

I have yet to hear the folks at Ole Miss express dissapointment at Nkemdiche. From everything I've heard, they feel all 3 of their stud 5 star recruits from 2013 have been hits (along with Tony Conner). Your the first person I've heard say Nkemdiche should be more productive.