RZ 37 Rookie Watch - Francis Bedell

by blueprint1024 | 7 years ago | 0 Comments

Arguably the biggest steal of the draft belongs to the Miami Dolphins.  After witnessing his first two weeks of the season, it's hard to imagine that LOLB Francis Bedell lasted all the way until the 5th round.  Coach Snyder and co. must have been salivating when they saw this guy still available and wasted no time sending his name to the podium with the 145th pick. "When Francis Bedell was drafted, we thought it'd be a year or two before he saw the field," recalls coach Snyder. "Very raw athlete, but he's came in and started for us in a pinch and excelled."  At first glance you'd think he's better suited to play the middle linebacker position with his speed (86spd, 87acl) and ability to cover alot of ground quickly.  But having watched him in action, it's obvious that he plays outside of his measurables.  One GM/coach offered very harsh criticism of Bedell's ability going into the draft, "he's nothing more than a hard hitting practice squad player that will be used to simulate converted linebackers from safties on the scout team."  True some of his post-combine numbers are underwhelming (71bsh, 57prc, 76pur, 60awr) but this kid rarely takes any plays off and has a motor that runs high from opening kickoff until the final whistle.  And while he has primarily been a menace to opposing QBs, as is evident by his rookie best 4.5 sacks, its not unimaginable that he eventually becomes one of the top linebackers in interceptions. He tends to thrive in zone coverages (75zcv) better than the average rookie linebacker.  He ranks 3rd in total tackles (9) and T-3rd in TFL (1) among the Dolphins linebacker unit.  When asked about how he expects to impact this talented defense, Francis Bedell offered his take on a "perfect situation":

"I feel like I'm in  a can't lose situation. I mean, I get to learn from some of the best teammates a guy could ask for. With Big Daddy Suh and Ian (Williams) manning the front line and getting to roam the second level with Kiko (Alonso) and WuTang (Raekwon McDaniel), I'm in a position to succeed on literally every snap. And I can't forget TJ (Green). Dude was the defensive back of the year last season. Gives us a sense of security in case guys get behind us. What a way to come in as a rookie. Best news is nobody really expected me to play this well so everything I do is a plus."