Jerry Tillery

[Superman]

I get it with Tillery. He has prototypical 3T traits, with exceptional length and power. Heavy hands, strong punch, strong grip, and when he lands accurately he takes control of the opposing blocker. His push-pull is excellent, his rip is probably his best move, and then he has a club move that he sets up with some quickness in his feet. He used all of these against Notre Dame. 

 

He's significantly improved in these areas from 2017. Makes me wonder what his ceiling is. I see DeForest Buckner, because of the length and power. But Tillery has some lateral agility that I don't remember from Buckner. 

 

There's a question of consistency. The effort question seems answered, but from game to game he seemed different. Maybe it's not fair to compare anything to the Notre Dame game, but I first watched the Michigan game. He still looked good, but he got washed out against the run more often, seemed to have no pass rush plan from down to down, sometimes took himself out of the play because of it... He also faced a lot of double teams in that game. 

 

I'm not certain he will be an effective interior pass rusher in the NFL. He has to improve his consistency, keep his pads down, and learn how to string moves together without getting washed out of his rush lane. I think his power will translate, but that's always a question mark, especially when there are inconsistencies with technique. 

 

As for how he fits with the DL and whether it makes sense to draft him, I don't get the question. We have decent 3T players now. Maybe a nice rotation, depending on how Lewis plays there. But like @stitches said, don't let good be the enemy of great. No one on our team is a great interior pass rusher. Autry had a career high in sacks, but that's not something he's ever done before, so to count on it moving forward would be a mistake. 3T is the most important position in this defense, and we have a couple decent players there, no one great. Even if we did have a great 3T, there's nothing wrong with having two. I'm fine with 8 great DL. 

 

The draft is for adding good young players that can grow and be developed, and hopefully become really good players for your team. Roster mechanics should not prevent you from adding good prospects. The more talent you have, the better your team will be. 

[EastStreet]

57 minutes ago, Superman said:

I get it with Tillery. He has prototypical 3T traits, with exceptional length and power. Heavy hands, strong punch, strong grip, and when he lands accurately he takes control of the opposing blocker. His push-pull is excellent, his rip is probably his best move, and then he has a club move that he sets up with some quickness in his feet. He used all of these against Notre Dame. 

 

He's significantly improved in these areas from 2017. Makes me wonder what his ceiling is. I see DeForest Buckner, because of the length and power. But Tillery has some lateral agility that I don't remember from Buckner. 

 

There's a question of consistency. The effort question seems answered, but from game to game he seemed different. Maybe it's not fair to compare anything to the Notre Dame game, but I first watched the Michigan game. He still looked good, but he got washed out against the run more often, seemed to have no pass rush plan from down to down, sometimes took himself out of the play because of it... He also faced a lot of double teams in that game. 

 

I'm not certain he will be an effective interior pass rusher in the NFL. He has to improve his consistency, keep his pads down, and learn how to string moves together without getting washed out of his rush lane. I think his power will translate, but that's always a question mark, especially when there are inconsistencies with technique. 

 

As for how he fits with the DL and whether it makes sense to draft him, I don't get the question. We have decent 3T players now. Maybe a nice rotation, depending on how Lewis plays there. But like @stitches said, don't let good be the enemy of great. No one on our team is a great interior pass rusher. Autry had a career high in sacks, but that's not something he's ever done before, so to count on it moving forward would be a mistake. 3T is the most important position in this defense, and we have a couple decent players there, no one great. Even if we did have a great 3T, there's nothing wrong with having two. I'm fine with 8 great DL. 

 

The draft is for adding good young players that can grow and be developed, and hopefully become really good players for your team. Roster mechanics should not prevent you from adding good prospects. The more talent you have, the better your team will be. 

I personally cut him a little slack (consistency wise) for three primary reasons. 1) he played with a labrum injury most of the year. Rumor is, it got worse mid season, and his mom actually wanted him to sit out of later games.  2) he switched positions in 2018 but still started off the season with 2 sacks vs scUM. And 3) Even injured, he had the highest snap count of front 4. 220+ more than Boner at NT beside him. In short, he was the work horse, regardless of the early season injury. 

 

Will I don't think of him as an instant pro bowl guy or anything like that, I do think his position flexibility, measurables, and his return to health will make him an instant upgrade on our DL, especially vs the pass (now that opponents have to account for Houston).

 

[rock8591]

1 hour ago, Irish YJ said:

I personally cut him a little slack (consistency wise) for three primary reasons. 1) he played with a labrum injury most of the year. Rumor is, it got worse mid season, and his mom actually wanted him to sit out of later games.  2) he switched positions in 2018 but still started off the season with 2 sacks vs scUM. And 3) Even injured, he had the highest snap count of front 4. 220+ more than Boner at NT beside him. In short, he was the work horse, regardless of the early season injury. 

 

Will I don't think of him as an instant pro bowl guy or anything like that, I do think his position flexibility, measurables, and his return to health will make him an instant upgrade on our DL, especially vs the pass (now that opponents have to account for Houston).

 

 

[NewColtsFan]

 

I don't think this has been posted anywhere else,  but ESPN.com has a very nice piece about Tillery. It's a written story,  not a video story.    And it's about all the things you've seen talked about here.

 

His other interests beside football.   But his real and growing interest in football.    He appears to be an exceptionally smart and well spoken young man who is just beginning to realize what a football career can mean for the rest of his life.

 

Note:   This is a longer read than I usually post.   But if you're interested at all in Tillery,  then it's a very enjoyable read.    He's an easy kid to like and root for.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2019/story/_/id/26440136/nfl-draft-south-bend-south-africa-jerry-tillery-ready-next

[Dark Superman]

I'll be so upset if the Colts take Tillery at 26.

[MikeCurtis]

3 hours ago, DarkSuperman said:

I'll be so upset if the Colts take Tillery at 26.

Why?

 

The guy seems like an intelligent, hard working kid, who has all the talent in the world

 

I think he should be one of our options at 26.  

[Hoose]

On 4/7/2019 at 1:46 AM, NewColtsFan said:

 

I don't think this has been posted anywhere else,  but ESPN.com has a very nice piece about Tillery. It's a written story,  not a video story.    And it's about all the things you've seen talked about here.

 

His other interests beside football.   But his real and growing interest in football.    He appears to be an exceptionally smart and well spoken young man who is just beginning to realize what a football career can mean for the rest of his life.

 

Note:   This is a longer read than I usually post.   But if you're interested at all in Tillery,  then it's a very enjoyable read.    He's an easy kid to like and root for.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2019/story/_/id/26440136/nfl-draft-south-bend-south-africa-jerry-tillery-ready-next

That’s a terrific article. Thanks for sharing it. You can’t help liking this guy and pulling for him. I see him as pick #34, not 26. But I wouldn’t be upset if Ballard disagrees with me. 

[Superman]

On 4/6/2019 at 8:03 PM, Irish YJ said:

I personally cut him a little slack (consistency wise) for three primary reasons. 1) he played with a labrum injury most of the year. Rumor is, it got worse mid season, and his mom actually wanted him to sit out of later games.  2) he switched positions in 2018 but still started off the season with 2 sacks vs scUM. And 3) Even injured, he had the highest snap count of front 4. 220+ more than Boner at NT beside him. In short, he was the work horse, regardless of the early season injury. 

 

Will I don't think of him as an instant pro bowl guy or anything like that, I do think his position flexibility, measurables, and his return to health will make him an instant upgrade on our DL, especially vs the pass (now that opponents have to account for Houston).

 

 

Good points. I didn't look up his snap counts, but I figured he was one of the highest on the team. The injury and the position switch are obvious factors, also.

 

Still, it will take more film study than I've done, as well as actual scouting and talking to coaches and people who know/understand his circumstances, to get a handle on what he can do and what his ceiling is. Does he work hard, does he respond well to coaching, is he dedicated to his craft, why do these inconsistencies pop up in his film, how does he work in the weight room, etc. 

[chad72]

On 4/7/2019 at 1:46 AM, NewColtsFan said:

 

I don't think this has been posted anywhere else,  but ESPN.com has a very nice piece about Tillery. It's a written story,  not a video story.    And it's about all the things you've seen talked about here.

 

His other interests beside football.   But his real and growing interest in football.    He appears to be an exceptionally smart and well spoken young man who is just beginning to realize what a football career can mean for the rest of his life.

 

Note:   This is a longer read than I usually post.   But if you're interested at all in Tillery,  then it's a very enjoyable read.    He's an easy kid to like and root for.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2019/story/_/id/26440136/nfl-draft-south-bend-south-africa-jerry-tillery-ready-next

 

Thanks for sharing!!!

 

The other interests is obviously being used as a negative by scouts. I can understand from the football team's perspective, investing millions of dollars and possibly a first round pick. They probably are not as invested in what the player does after his football career and live in the "now". Ultimately, they have to ignore the extracurricular noise and focus on the tape on the field for answers, IMO.

 

Hence I can potentially see a concern for No.26 but I do not see a concern for No.34 for certain. I hope he does not end up in NE on Day 1.

[EastStreet]

11 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Good points. I didn't look up his snap counts, but I figured he was one of the highest on the team. The injury and the position switch are obvious factors, also.

 

Still, it will take more film study than I've done, as well as actual scouting and talking to coaches and people who know/understand his circumstances, to get a handle on what he can do and what his ceiling is. Does he work hard, does he respond well to coaching, is he dedicated to his craft, why do these inconsistencies pop up in his film, how does he work in the weight room, etc. 

there were some questions early about his effort, but that mostly revolved around his interests outside of football (link below). he was the class prez, did some international intern stuff, etc.. kid is really smart academically, but could have spent more time focusing on football. by all accounts, he's a very hard worker, just was doing way too much extraneous stuff. per the staff, that all changed going into his senior year, and he started taking football, and his NFL potential seriously. i hate saying it, but he was a true "student" athlete lol.

 

and keep in mind he came to ND as an OT. overall, i think the kid has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride. recruited as OL, changed to DL. played DT, then NT, then DT. went through 3 different DCs (BVG, Elko, Lea) with a huge scheme change in year 3, and two different position coaches. he had that little incident vs USC his soph year which I think impacted him. spent a bunch of time abroad, and on student office. then had the injury his last year when he was finally focused on FB. 

 

if he's truly serious about football, which i think he is, i think some normalcy will be really good for him. if he had some truly good "rush" coaching, i think he could be on another level.

 

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/notre-dame/2017/10/18/why-jerry-tillery-notre-dame-footballs-most-interesting-player/777525001/

[Defjamz26]

I just realized that the Colts will probably get a lot of their info about Tillery from Quenton Nelson. I forgot up until this moment that they were teammates for years. I wonder if Quenton would vouch for his character.

[richard pallo]

The closer we get to the draft the more I think Tillery is going to be our pick.  He has the attributes Ballard loves and he would give us that pass rushing pressure up the middle which I think he really wants.  

[EastStreet]

5 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

I just realized that the Colts will probably get a lot of their info about Tillery from Quenton Nelson. I forgot up until this moment that they were teammates for years. I wonder if Quenton would vouch for his character.

they went at each other for 3 years. two very different guys. i'd love to hear Qs comments.

[NewEra]

If we got Tillery I will not be disappointed at all. But for some reason I really want Lawrence. Now imagine those two side by side....wow. 

[Fluke_33]

51 minutes ago, NewEra said:

If we got Tillery I will not be disappointed at all. But for some reason I really want Lawrence. Now imagine those two side by side....wow. 

I feel the same.  I know it’s not 1995 where Lawrence would be a top 5 pick but I want him and aj brown in any order of our first two picks.   I will trust Ballard with whatever he takes though.  He earned that last year. 

[Hoose]

It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that the Colts draft both Tillery and Lawrence. Kind of like grabbing two O linemen in their first three picks last year. That would be a major upgrade. 

[Defjamz26]

9 hours ago, Irish YJ said:

they went at each other for 3 years. two very different guys. i'd love to hear Qs comments.

My concern would be that unlike Quenton , Tillery doesn’t have character that pops. Q would probably vouch for his work ethic and dedication for sure. But not having any glaring character concerns is not having high character. Ballard wants guys who have character that jumps out at you. Look at Ebron, Leonard, and Big Q. I’ve heard Tillery speak and his character doesn’t jump out at you. He wants guys that love football for the locker room he’s trying to create. That’s probably one of the reasons why the staff seems to really like a guy like Johnathan Abram. His character jumps out at you.

[NewEra]

38 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

My concern would be that unlike Quenton , Tillery doesn’t have character that pops. Q would probably vouch for his work ethic and dedication for sure. But not having any glaring character concerns is not having high character. Ballard wants guys who have character that jumps out at you. Look at Ebron, Leonard, and Big Q. I’ve heard Tillery speak and his character doesn’t jump out at you. He wants guys that love football for the locker room he’s trying to create. That’s probably one of the reasons why the staff seems to really like a guy like Johnathan Abram. His character jumps out at you.

That to me is the difference between good and great. The character is what drives you to be better. To put in the work to be the best you can be. 

[Defjamz26]

25 minutes ago, NewEra said:

That to me is the difference between good and great. The character is what drives you to be better. To put in the work to be the best you can be. 

Precisely. And those guys are what bring long term winning. Skill is important of course, but when you have guys with that type of character, it matters. It’s what Ballard has been saying. And we saw the results of it this past season. 10-6 and a playoff win with a new coach and the youngest team in the league doesn’t happen by accident. It’s those high character guys that really go out and play for and push each other that makes it possible.

[Superman]

On 4/8/2019 at 8:45 AM, chad72 said:

The other interests is obviously being used as a negative by scouts. I can understand from the football team's perspective, investing millions of dollars and possibly a first round pick. They probably are not as invested in what the player does after his football career and live in the "now". Ultimately, they have to ignore the extracurricular noise and focus on the tape on the field for answers, IMO.

 

 

I hate it. Just because a player is a person outside of football doesn't mean he isn't committed to football. The perpetuation of that "negative concern" needs to end. 

[stitches]

18 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I hate it. Just because a player is a person outside of football doesn't mean he isn't committed to football. The perpetuation of that "negative concern" needs to end. 

 

To me this is one of the stupidest tropes in football and needs to end as soon as possible. You send those guys to college and pretend to care for their education, but then knock them for reading too much or being too worldly or having interests outside of football. What kind of bullcrap is that? All you need to care about is whether they are committed to football and this is a very different question - both the smart and the stupid can be on the either side of the spectrum on this one. Football execs and scouts act like players cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. Is Luck way too smart for us? Has Sherman been too smart for the Seahawks? Was Benjamin Watson too smart for the Pats and NO? 

 

If anything I would love for my players to have intellectually stimulating things to do outside of football rather than be up to no good when they get away from the team in the off-season. Like Andrew Brandt has said - the thing they fear the most as team execs in the off-season is the call from an unknown number in the middle of June, because in huge majority of cases it's problems you have to attend to by players that get away from the team and get in trouble for doing stupid stuff. 

 

 

[Mitch Connors]

On 4/7/2019 at 1:46 AM, NewColtsFan said:

 

I don't think this has been posted anywhere else,  but ESPN.com has a very nice piece about Tillery. It's a written story,  not a video story.    And it's about all the things you've seen talked about here.

 

 

Nothing makes me feel more like an old man than the bolded. I cant stand video articles - i want to read articles not watch them.

 

Also, get off my lawn and then turn down your music. 

[Superman]

7 minutes ago, stitches said:

 

To me this is one of the stupidest tropes in football and needs to end as soon as possible. You send those guys to college and pretend to care for their education, but then knock them for reading too much or being too worldly or having interests outside of football. What kind of bullcrap is that? All you need to care about is whether they are committed to football and this is a very different question - both the smart and the stupid can be on the either side of the spectrum on this one. Football execs and scouts act like players cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. Is Luck way too smart for us? Has Sherman been too smart for the Seahawks? Was Benjamin Watson too smart for the Pats and NO? 

 

If anything I would love for my players to have intellectually stimulating things to do outside of football rather than be up to no good when they get away from the team in the off-season. Like Andrew Brandt has said - the thing they fear the most as team execs in the off-season is the call from an unknown number in the middle of June, because in huge majority of cases it's problems you have to attend to by players that get away from the team and get in trouble for doing stupid stuff. 

 

Agreed.

 

I get the concern about a John Urschel situation. You draft a guy and start to count on him, then two years later he decides his other interests are more important to him. 

 

But Chris Borland did the same thing, just for different reasons. I don't remember Borland's commitment to football being questioned before he was drafted.

 

Another way this trope is perpetuated is when a player, coach, exec or whoever dares to do something that isn't directly related to football, and the cries immediately come -- 'why don't you spend less time doing X and more time working on your craft?' As if anyone in life ever is reasonably expected to do one thing and one thing only, with no other activities. Eat, sleep, football, no room for anything else. There's a serious deficit of perspective that's exhibited at times.

[stitches]

9 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Agreed.

 

I get the concern about a John Urschel situation. You draft a guy and start to count on him, then two years later he decides his other interests are more important to him. 

 

But Chris Borland did the same thing, just for different reasons. I don't remember Borland's commitment to football being questioned before he was drafted.

 

Another way this trope is perpetuated is when a player, coach, exec or whoever dares to do something that isn't directly related to football, and the cries immediately come -- 'why don't you spend less time doing X and more time working on your craft?' As if anyone in life ever is reasonably expected to do one thing and one thing only, with no other activities. Eat, sleep, football, no room for anything else. There's a serious deficit of perspective that's exhibited at times.

Yes... it's like people expect players to literally workout and practice football for 24/7 and any minute not dedicated to it is a betrayal to the fans or their contracts. 

[chad72]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

I hate it. Just because a player is a person outside of football doesn't mean he isn't committed to football. The perpetuation of that "negative concern" needs to end. 

 

Yes, I agree. I understand it but don’t condone it, that kind of viewpoint being taken by execs and scouts, to be clear. Doing the right thing shouldn’t ever be used against anyone, IMO.

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

I hate it. Just because a player is a person outside of football doesn't mean he isn't committed to football. The perpetuation of that "negative concern" needs to end. 

Well it depends on what those interests are. Not looking for another Quinn Pitcock lol

[Hoose]

1 hour ago, stitches said:

 

To me this is one of the stupidest tropes in football and needs to end as soon as possible. You send those guys to college and pretend to care for their education, but then knock them for reading too much or being too worldly or having interests outside of football. What kind of bullcrap is that? All you need to care about is whether they are committed to football and this is a very different question - both the smart and the stupid can be on the either side of the spectrum on this one. Football execs and scouts act like players cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. Is Luck way too smart for us? Has Sherman been too smart for the Seahawks? Was Benjamin Watson too smart for the Pats and NO? 

 

If anything I would love for my players to have intellectually stimulating things to do outside of football rather than be up to no good when they get away from the team in the off-season. Like Andrew Brandt has said - the thing they fear the most as team execs in the off-season is the call from an unknown number in the middle of June, because in huge majority of cases it's problems you have to attend to by players that get away from the team and get in trouble for doing stupid stuff. 

 

 

Well said. This mindset won’t end though. It’s baked into the phony claim by Div I universities that they actually care about their athletes’ education. It’s particularly egregious in college basketball, but it permeates football as well.

Tillery looks better to me because he’s intelligent and well grounded. Hope he’s there at pick 34. 

[EastStreet]

11 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

My concern would be that unlike Quenton , Tillery doesn’t have character that pops. Q would probably vouch for his work ethic and dedication for sure. But not having any glaring character concerns is not having high character. Ballard wants guys who have character that jumps out at you. Look at Ebron, Leonard, and Big Q. I’ve heard Tillery speak and his character doesn’t jump out at you. He wants guys that love football for the locker room he’s trying to create. That’s probably one of the reasons why the staff seems to really like a guy like Johnathan Abram. His character jumps out at you.

 

Following his career, and listening to him talk, IMO, JT has got less character concerns than a few of the guys we've signed. Linked a few vids below. 

 

I like Abram, but not near as much as JT. I think he's very limited as a S. Still questions out there about his abrupt departure from UGA too. Personally I think it was because of the coaching change, but rumors of course went around. Linked a vid of him too (calling him the biggest trash talker in the draft).

 

 

 

 

[Defjamz26]

On 4/10/2019 at 8:58 PM, Irish YJ said:

 

Following his career, and listening to him talk, IMO, JT has got less character concerns than a few of the guys we've signed. Linked a few vids below. 

 

I like Abram, but not near as much as JT. I think he's very limited as a S. Still questions out there about his abrupt departure from UGA too. Personally I think it was because of the coaching change, but rumors of course went around. Linked a vid of him too (calling him the biggest trash talker in the draft).

 

 

 

 

I also watched Tillery’s pro Day interview in addition to these videos. I came away extremely unimpressed with him. I don’t get that he lives and breathes football and loves to compete.  I don’t see him as a locker room fit.

 

Remember the interview where Ballard was talking about character and how with certain guys you can feel them? That’s not Tillery. His personality doesn’t jump out at you. Abram is electric in contrast. He’s super competitive and backs it up. Reminds me of Steve Smith. Christian Wilkins is another guy with a magnetic personality like that.

 

I could be wrong but as of right now, I don’t see the fit.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I listened to a podcast with Tillery and I was also not that impressed.

[NewEra]

I read some not so flattering reports on him. About locker room talk, not being all in with football, ect. Will look it up again 

[krunk]

6 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

I also watched Tillery’s pro Day interview in addition to these videos. I came away extremely unimpressed with him. I don’t get that he lives and breathes football and loves to compete.  I don’t see him as a locker room fit.

 

Remember the interview where Ballard was talking about character and how with certain guys you can feel them? That’s not Tillery. His personality doesn’t jump out at you. Abram is electric in contrast. He’s super competitive and backs it up. Reminds me of Steve Smith. Christian Wilkins is another guy with a magnetic personality like that.

 

I could be wrong but as of right now, I don’t see the fit.

Im sure the Colts know his fit better than anyone else. Theyve got big Q there and ND is right there in Indiana so im sure they have regular contact with the staff. Havent seen any contact with Wilkins. Doesnt mean we arent interested though.

[SouthernIndianaNDFan]

I watch Notre Dame Football religiously, and Jerry Tillery would be an excellent selection at 26. People questioning whether he loves football or not, or whether he's devoted or not, based on how the guy speaks or acts? It surely isn't based on his play, because I watched him terrorize some pretty good o-line's last year, and unlike the Clemson guys and Quinnen Williams, he didn't have 5* guys all around him. He switched defensive coordinators 3 times! 3 times! The first of which, Brian VanGorder, might be the worst defensive coach I've ever seen, seriously. What Tillery did this last season, under Lea, is what you're gonna get if you draft Tillery. With solid coaching this kid could be tremendous, I really think he's just scratching the surface. He already has a couple of really good moves, but with NFL coaching, I think he could refine those and add a few more, making him Pro Bowl worthy in the near future. If you wanna see what this guy could be in a Colts uniform, with consistent coaching, go check out the Stanford tape. When this dude is on, he's unblockable. He's a monster of a human being at 6'6 300, and has room to add to that. He moves insanely quick at that weight too, he is incredibly quick off the snap, and he has great hand positioning. If Jerry would've had 3 years of Clark Lea as his DC, he would've been a Top 10 pick, and I think he's gonna be a better version of Stephon Tuitt (former ND player, current Steelers DT/DE)

[EastStreet]

12 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

I also watched Tillery’s pro Day interview in addition to these videos. I came away extremely unimpressed with him. I don’t get that he lives and breathes football and loves to compete.  I don’t see him as a locker room fit.

 

Remember the interview where Ballard was talking about character and how with certain guys you can feel them? That’s not Tillery. His personality doesn’t jump out at you. Abram is electric in contrast. He’s super competitive and backs it up. Reminds me of Steve Smith. Christian Wilkins is another guy with a magnetic personality like that.

 

I could be wrong but as of right now, I don’t see the fit.

The guy was class prez, so you know he's got "personality". Most of the chatter around him is about him having too many other interests and being too "worldly". 

 

Abram's game is limited IMO. Just because he's got a great personality doesn't impact that. When he sheets the bed in coverage, I'm not going to say "but he's got an electric personality". 

 

Overall, I want guys that want to be there, love the game, etc.. I don't need a roster full of magnetic personalities. You can only have so many leaders in the locker room. I'll take a smart kid with outside interests if he's professional, keeps out of trouble, team first, and performs. 

[krunk]

1 hour ago, SouthernIndianaNDFan said:

I watch Notre Dame Football religiously, and Jerry Tillery would be an excellent selection at 26. People questioning whether he loves football or not, or whether he's devoted or not, based on how the guy speaks or acts? It surely isn't based on his play, because I watched him terrorize some pretty good o-line's last year, and unlike the Clemson guys and Quinnen Williams, he didn't have 5* guys all around him. He switched defensive coordinators 3 times! 3 times! The first of which, Brian VanGorder, might be the worst defensive coach I've ever seen, seriously. What Tillery did this last season, under Lea, is what you're gonna get if you draft Tillery. With solid coaching this kid could be tremendous, I really think he's just scratching the surface. He already has a couple of really good moves, but with NFL coaching, I think he could refine those and add a few more, making him Pro Bowl worthy in the near future. If you wanna see what this guy could be in a Colts uniform, with consistent coaching, go check out the Stanford tape. When this dude is on, he's unblockable. He's a monster of a human being at 6'6 300, and has room to add to that. He moves insanely quick at that weight too, he is incredibly quick off the snap, and he has great hand positioning. If Jerry would've had 3 years of Clark Lea as his DC, he would've been a Top 10 pick, and I think he's gonna be a better version of Stephon Tuitt (former ND player, current Steelers DT/DE)

I think its completely silly to question a guys love for the game and his commitment to it when hes out there playing with a torn labrum multiple games and he never uses it as an excuse. The kid(Tillery) continued to play. The guy is going to get paid as a pro football player. He doesnt have to sound super likeable or have football oozing out of him in every interview. What i do know is he sounds intelligent. Hes not stupid.

[Defjamz26]

8 hours ago, Irish YJ said:

The guy was class prez, so you know he's got "personality". Most of the chatter around him is about him having too many other interests and being too "worldly". 

 

Abram's game is limited IMO. Just because he's got a great personality doesn't impact that. When he sheets the bed in coverage, I'm not going to say "but he's got an electric personality". 

 

Overall, I want guys that want to be there, love the game, etc.. I don't need a roster full of magnetic personalities. You can only have so many leaders in the locker room. I'll take a smart kid with outside interests if he's professional, keeps out of trouble, team first, and performs. 

It isn’t just chatter. His coaches at ND admitted he had to “re-dedicate” himself to football during the offseason. It wasn’t just everyone picking on him because he’s the smart kid. His commitment to the game is/was a legitimate issue.

 

And Abram doesn’t sheet the bed in coverage. They just play him closer to the line. I watched him cover Jerry Judy and Irv Smith and he won those reps.

 

Remember that there are multiple issues with Tillery. Inconsistency is a big one. Dominated Stanford’s O-line But was put to be against a poor Clemson one that Q.Williams single handedly wrecked. 3 off the field incidents. Stepping on the arm of Zach Banner and kicking an injured player in the head against USC. Suspended his freshman year for violating team rules. Was on Twitter liking tweets that suggested Brian Kelly be fired. A lot of interests outside of football where his coaches had to step in and tell him to focus. 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2018/10/04/travels-and-tribulations-have-shaped-irish-dl-jerry-tillery/38047041/

 

 

Ultimately Ballard will decide if he’s a fit, but my personal opinion is that he’s not.

[SouthernIndianaNDFan]

1 hour ago, Defjamz26 said:

It isn’t just chatter. His coaches at ND admitted he had to “re-dedicate” himself to football during the offseason. It wasn’t just everyone picking on him because he’s the smart kid. His commitment to the game is/was a legitimate issue.

 

And Abram doesn’t sheet the bed in coverage. They just play him closer to the line. I watched him cover Jerry Judy and Irv Smith and he won those reps.

 

Remember that there are multiple issues with Tillery. Inconsistency is a big one. Dominated Stanford’s O-line But was put to be against a poor Clemson one that Q.Williams single handedly wrecked. 3 off the field incidents. Stepping on the arm of Zach Banner and kicking an injured player in the head against USC. Suspended his freshman year for violating team rules. Was on Twitter liking tweets that suggested Brian Kelly be fired. A lot of interests outside of football where his coaches had to step in and tell him to focus. 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2018/10/04/travels-and-tribulations-have-shaped-irish-dl-jerry-tillery/38047041/

 

 

Ultimately Ballard will decide if he’s a fit, but my personal opinion is that he’s not.

 

Well, that "poor" Clemson line featured 4 and 5 star players all the way acrossed, and again Quinnen has guys around him that are elite 5* talent, it's much easier to function and "wreck" when you have guys doing their job at an elite level all around you. But, like most Bama players that are selected in the first, Quinnen will likely be average or struggle, because the difference between dominating collegiate talent with Bama's All-Star squad and playing in the NFL is probably night and day. Can you imagine how hard it is to focus when you have a different coordinator every year? You have to learn a different scheme and have different guys teaching you different things every year? I think for Jerry to have got it together this year, and have focused and became a consensus Top 30-40 player for the NFL is downright extraordinary, and that with consistent coaching he could become the talent that he flashed this last season at ND. 

[EastStreet]

12 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

It isn’t just chatter. His coaches at ND admitted he had to “re-dedicate” himself to football during the offseason. It wasn’t just everyone picking on him because he’s the smart kid. His commitment to the game is/was a legitimate issue.

 

And Abram doesn’t sheet the bed in coverage. They just play him closer to the line. I watched him cover Jerry Judy and Irv Smith and he won those reps.

 

Remember that there are multiple issues with Tillery. Inconsistency is a big one. Dominated Stanford’s O-line But was put to be against a poor Clemson one that Q.Williams single handedly wrecked. 3 off the field incidents. Stepping on the arm of Zach Banner and kicking an injured player in the head against USC. Suspended his freshman year for violating team rules. Was on Twitter liking tweets that suggested Brian Kelly be fired. A lot of interests outside of football where his coaches had to step in and tell him to focus. 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2018/10/04/travels-and-tribulations-have-shaped-irish-dl-jerry-tillery/38047041/

 

 

Ultimately Ballard will decide if he’s a fit, but my personal opinion is that he’s not.

key thing is, he did re-dedicated himself. BK heavily re-recruited him to stay last year (that alone should tell you something as BK is prone to putting kids in the dog house), which he did. and was so injured late in the season that his mom tried to get him to sit out the last couple games and get surgery earlier (which he did not putting the team first).

 

as far a Abrams is concerned, Irv Smith had a season high (completions) vs MSU, and Jeudy had his second highest game of the year (completions). they were both key targets in the first half building that 21-0 lead. Smith got the game ball for wrecking MSU early.

[EastStreet]

They interviewed him on NFL.com this afternoon. 

Was very professional in his answers. Said some teams (during the interview) had some unique questions/tests. One wanted to have a staring contest. Another wanted his Uber score.

 

[Jdubu]

2 hours ago, Irish YJ said:

They interviewed him on NFL.com this afternoon. 

Was very professional in his answers. Said some teams (during the interview) had some unique questions/tests. One wanted to have a staring contest. Another wanted his Uber score.

 

Lol staring contest. Is Grigson back in the league doing high level interviews? Lol