A lot of mock drafts have recently taken Akheem Mesidor for the Buccaneers. I’m not Mesidor’s biggest fan, but I also don’t think it’s a terrible pick. He is a very polished prospect, which speaks more to him being 25. But I also think he’s a mediocre run defender, at least based on what he has shown in Miami. I see him more as a late first, early second pick. With that said, I would take him every single time over Keldric Faulk at 15. A guy for a while was the most popular guy to go to the Buccaneers. And I truly don’t understand why.
Youthful Athleticism
I think the biggest positive for Faulk is his age and athletic ability. He is incredibly young and has tested very well athletically. He’s not super explosive off the edge (more on that in a second), but he has great speed to go alongside an ideal frame and length for an edge rusher. And there’s also the fact he’s only 20 (which also means he’s younger than me by a couple of years). Basically, he’s incredibly raw, but that gives teams a tabula rosa to sculpt into the player they want. Something that teams do covet.
But,
But like, actually watch him play. The dude fucking sucks at rushing the passer. Listen, I know that edge rushers do more than get to the QB. But I absolutely do not want to draft an edge rusher whose only ability is stopping the run. Despite his athletic ability being off the chart (9.10 RAS score), he is not explosive off the edge. Even below-average tackles that managed to get their hands on him could shut him down fairly easily. There’s also the question of his position. He is considered by most to be a “tweener”. I’ve been calling him an edge rusher, but some have projected him to be able to move inside. At 285 lbs I find that a little hard to believe. However, I really don’t like drafting a guy with no set position and not truly exceptional (at least outside run stopping).
What this comes down to is simple. Faulk would be a great pick-up in the second round, but an absolute reach in the first. Nothing about what this guy has actually shown on the field says first round pick. The only reason that a team would pick him is that they believe they can sculpt this man into the perfect pass rusher. And to be fair to Faulk, he does have all the tools to develop into a good pass rusher. Provided he gets to the right coach. To use a metaphor, he feels like every athletic QB that teams draft who want to get Josh Allen. What happens if you don’t develop them properly though? You get Tim Tebow or Anthony Richardson.
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Keldric Faulk’s Draft Profile
