Post by Purple Pain on May 17, 2023 11:25:14 GMT -6
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is essentially taking a chance on a player who didn’t meet the lofty expectations with the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans traded two first-round picks to the Green Bay Packers in order to move up in the 2018 Draft to select Davenport with the 14th overall pick.
Marcus Davenport wasn’t necessarily a bust, he has yet to develop into the elite pass rusher the Saints were hoping he’d become. Last season, Davenport only registered half a sack in the nine games he started. Then there’s the injury concerns. In the last three seasons, Davenport has started in only 19 games.
However, Davenport has undeniable upside. He’s an athletic freak who some pundits compared to Danielle Hunter coming out of college. There are also signs that he can be a very productive pass rusher in the NFL. In every season since 2018, Davenport has recorded at least a 13% pressure rate. His pressure rate ranks 4th among all edge rushers since entering the league. If Davenport is able to take that next step, then the Vikings have a premium pass rusher at a discount.
While there are signs that it could happen, there is a distinct possibility that things won’t pan out. The Saints have had an above-average defense for a few years now, and I find it hard to believe that Davenport’s underwhelming performance was a product of bad coaching. Dennis Allen has been in charge of the Saints' defense for a long time, so this will be Davenport’s first time playing under a new defensive coordinator.
A fresh start on a new team may be precisely what Davenport needs to elevate his game. It also means that there are no more excuses. If Davenport doesn’t play up to his potential under new coaches, then it’ll become clear that this was never a coaching issue. That’s why 2023 will be a career-defining season for Marcus Davenport. Either he’ll find himself a home in Minnesota for the next few years, or he’ll end up being a journeyman pass rusher like Yannick Ngakoue.
It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Marcus Davenport wasn’t necessarily a bust, he has yet to develop into the elite pass rusher the Saints were hoping he’d become. Last season, Davenport only registered half a sack in the nine games he started. Then there’s the injury concerns. In the last three seasons, Davenport has started in only 19 games.
However, Davenport has undeniable upside. He’s an athletic freak who some pundits compared to Danielle Hunter coming out of college. There are also signs that he can be a very productive pass rusher in the NFL. In every season since 2018, Davenport has recorded at least a 13% pressure rate. His pressure rate ranks 4th among all edge rushers since entering the league. If Davenport is able to take that next step, then the Vikings have a premium pass rusher at a discount.
While there are signs that it could happen, there is a distinct possibility that things won’t pan out. The Saints have had an above-average defense for a few years now, and I find it hard to believe that Davenport’s underwhelming performance was a product of bad coaching. Dennis Allen has been in charge of the Saints' defense for a long time, so this will be Davenport’s first time playing under a new defensive coordinator.
A fresh start on a new team may be precisely what Davenport needs to elevate his game. It also means that there are no more excuses. If Davenport doesn’t play up to his potential under new coaches, then it’ll become clear that this was never a coaching issue. That’s why 2023 will be a career-defining season for Marcus Davenport. Either he’ll find himself a home in Minnesota for the next few years, or he’ll end up being a journeyman pass rusher like Yannick Ngakoue.
It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
www.dailynorseman.com/2023/5/14/23722709/career-defining-season-marcus-davenport-minnesota-vikings
ESPN's Kevin Seifert: Can Marcus Davenport and a new philosophy solve Vikings' pass-rush questions?
The Minnesota Vikings fielded one of the NFL's worst pass rushes in 2022. Last week, they traded their most productive edge rusher, sending linebacker Za'Darius Smith to the Cleveland Browns in an exchange of draft picks. Their other edge rusher is seeking a contract upgrade, and the only notable edge player they have acquired this offseason, Marcus Davenport, just so happens to have totaled 0.5 sacks in 15 games during the 2022 season.
All of which begs a few questions. What exactly is the Vikings' plan to match their 2022 production, much less improve upon it? Whom, if anyone, will opponents need to devise game plans against? And how much can new coordinator Brian Flores reasonably be expected to elevate the Vikings' play with scheme alone?
From the top, the plan appears hinged on a sharp philosophical turn from last season's passive approach. Former defensive coordinator Ed Donatell tried to limit big plays by relying on a standard rush of four men or fewer on 78% of opposing dropbacks, the 12th-highest rate in the NFL. But the Vikings' pass-rushers did not produce nearly enough to validate that approach, finishing No. 27 in ESPN's pass rush win rate metric (33.7%), No. 30 in pressure rate (25.3) and No. 23 in sacks per dropback (5.5%).
When he was hired in February, Flores said he wanted to reserve judgment on a specific approach until he had a better feel for the Vikings' returning personnel. But his history suggests he likes to blitz heavily and rely on man-to-man coverage behind it.
In two seasons as the New England Patriots' de facto defensive coordinator, Flores blitzed at the NFL's eighth-highest rate (31%). And in three seasons as the Miami Dolphins' head coach, he blitzed at the league's fourth-highest rate (35.6%).
At the very least, he said at the time, it's important to present the possibility of a "zero blitz" -- essentially sending all available rushers, including the deep safety -- at regular intervals.
"I think if you're willing to give a blitz zero presentation and send them," Flores said, "then obviously offensively they've got to prepare for it and have some answers for it, and then it becomes a cat-and-mouse game. Is it zero, or is it not zero? Any way you slice it, you've got to be ready for it. That's part of the philosophy or the thought process."
That element of unpredictability can give defenders an advantage when they rush, but ultimately there is no substitution for skill. The Vikings got double-digit sack totals from both Smith (10) and fellow outside linebacker Danielle Hunter (10.5) last season, but rarely were they producing in unison. Smith recorded 8.5 sacks in the season's first seven games and Hunter 7.5 in an eight-game stretch between Weeks 9 and 16. Smith still finished with a higher pressure rate (10.5%) than Hunter (9.2%), but Smith's second-half decline -- while playing through a lingering knee injury -- helped precipitate last week's trade.
All of which begs a few questions. What exactly is the Vikings' plan to match their 2022 production, much less improve upon it? Whom, if anyone, will opponents need to devise game plans against? And how much can new coordinator Brian Flores reasonably be expected to elevate the Vikings' play with scheme alone?
From the top, the plan appears hinged on a sharp philosophical turn from last season's passive approach. Former defensive coordinator Ed Donatell tried to limit big plays by relying on a standard rush of four men or fewer on 78% of opposing dropbacks, the 12th-highest rate in the NFL. But the Vikings' pass-rushers did not produce nearly enough to validate that approach, finishing No. 27 in ESPN's pass rush win rate metric (33.7%), No. 30 in pressure rate (25.3) and No. 23 in sacks per dropback (5.5%).
When he was hired in February, Flores said he wanted to reserve judgment on a specific approach until he had a better feel for the Vikings' returning personnel. But his history suggests he likes to blitz heavily and rely on man-to-man coverage behind it.
In two seasons as the New England Patriots' de facto defensive coordinator, Flores blitzed at the NFL's eighth-highest rate (31%). And in three seasons as the Miami Dolphins' head coach, he blitzed at the league's fourth-highest rate (35.6%).
At the very least, he said at the time, it's important to present the possibility of a "zero blitz" -- essentially sending all available rushers, including the deep safety -- at regular intervals.
"I think if you're willing to give a blitz zero presentation and send them," Flores said, "then obviously offensively they've got to prepare for it and have some answers for it, and then it becomes a cat-and-mouse game. Is it zero, or is it not zero? Any way you slice it, you've got to be ready for it. That's part of the philosophy or the thought process."
That element of unpredictability can give defenders an advantage when they rush, but ultimately there is no substitution for skill. The Vikings got double-digit sack totals from both Smith (10) and fellow outside linebacker Danielle Hunter (10.5) last season, but rarely were they producing in unison. Smith recorded 8.5 sacks in the season's first seven games and Hunter 7.5 in an eight-game stretch between Weeks 9 and 16. Smith still finished with a higher pressure rate (10.5%) than Hunter (9.2%), but Smith's second-half decline -- while playing through a lingering knee injury -- helped precipitate last week's trade.
...
Davenport recorded solid pressure totals during his five years with the Saints, putting up at least 20 in each season. Over the past two seasons, his 10.2% pressure rate ranked No. 16 among the 123 players with at least 500 pass-rushing snaps over that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
But of his half-sack performance in 2022, Davenport said: "I'm very critical. I've been upset. I'm still upset. But that's just fuel for the future. I go over my play and see that I didn't capitalize as much as I had success in matchups and putting pressure on. I wasn't necessarily being the smartest player to know when to capitalize and how to capitalize, using my teammates and using the scheme."
Davenport will presumably play opposite Hunter in the Vikings' 3-4 scheme, giving them starters at the two key pass-rushing positions who are both under 30 years old. (Davenport will turn 27 in September, while Hunter will turn 29 in October.) But established depth is thin behind them, and the most notable rookie edge player they've acquired is undrafted free agent Andre Carter II, who had 15.5 sacks for Army in 2021.
But of his half-sack performance in 2022, Davenport said: "I'm very critical. I've been upset. I'm still upset. But that's just fuel for the future. I go over my play and see that I didn't capitalize as much as I had success in matchups and putting pressure on. I wasn't necessarily being the smartest player to know when to capitalize and how to capitalize, using my teammates and using the scheme."
Davenport will presumably play opposite Hunter in the Vikings' 3-4 scheme, giving them starters at the two key pass-rushing positions who are both under 30 years old. (Davenport will turn 27 in September, while Hunter will turn 29 in October.) But established depth is thin behind them, and the most notable rookie edge player they've acquired is undrafted free agent Andre Carter II, who had 15.5 sacks for Army in 2021.
... and neither is this Chris guy.