Originally Posted by :
Bolton played in all 13 games as a true freshman (22 tackles, one sack) after earning Dallas Morning News first-team all-state honors at Lone Star High School (130 tackles, 16 for loss, five interceptions). He went from promising youngster to SEC star in 2019, earning first-team all-conference honors after leading the league with 8.9 tackles per game (107 total, 7.5 for loss), intercepting two passes and breaking up eight others in 12 starts. He was named second-team Associated Press All-American, first-team All-SEC and a Butkus Award finalist in 2020, leading his defense with 95 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss (including two sacks), while breaking up five passes in 10 starts. Bolton's father, Carlos, played football at Louisiana Tech. -- by Chad Reuter
Overview
When you think about strong, forceful inside linebackers, Bolton is the type of player you might be envisioning. He's going to fall below typical NFL starter standards from a size standpoint, but his rugged frame and forceful demeanor help make up for it. Play recognition and pursuit instincts help carry him to the football and he's a message-sending striker when he gets the runner squared up. He has functional short-area burst between the tackles but will struggle to run down the outside run if he's not close enough to the action. He will need to lean heavier on his instincts to help speed him up because of size and speed limitations. Bolton plays with good field recognition when dropping into zone and has a history of making plays on the football in coverage. He's a three-down linebacker who can make an immediate contribution on special teams and has the potential to become a future starter. Strengths
Very tough with a physical edge.
Plays with demeanor teams look for in the middle.
Field-savvy with instincts to diagnose misdirection.
Identifies and communicates.
Heavy hands with good pop to take on blocks.
Pursues ball-carrier with patience and leverage.
Fluid alterations to his pursuit angles.
Excellent feel for attack timing downhill.
Meets runners with violent collisions in the hole.
Strikes like he's trying to send a message.
Great awareness and ballhawking as spot dropper.
Has enough man-cover talent to play on all three downs.
Thrived on kick- and punt-cover teams early in his career.
Weaknesses
Average lateral quickness traps him behind climbing blocks.
Inconsistent to strike and separate from blockers.
Needs to improve angles to elude box traffic.
Might need to take a few more chances as a pro.
Top-end speed appears below average.
Loses ground when pursuit flows wide.
Below-average lateral agility as open-field tackler.
Will have to play quicker to deal with NFL slashers.
Bolton has missed only 1 tackle in 6 games. That’s exactly what this defense needs…consistency.
He’s never gonna be a good pass defender but as a MLB that’s what you want. Draft a better safety to cover TE’s and also use Gay to defend those as well [Reply]
He's got really good instincts, which allows him to play faster than his measured times would indicate. I would imagine as time goes on and he learns more, that will show even more. Looks like a damned good pick so far. [Reply]
He's good at run stuffing at this point, however, he still struggles in pass coverage. Some are just bad drops in zone or getting to the flats, that should improve. [Reply]
He's been very good at diagnosing runs early and getting up towards the line of scrimmage before blockers can engage at the second level. He'll have lots of opportunities against the Titans to put that skill to use. [Reply]
I understand the positional value argument, but this team just needs good football players right now.
One of our best players is a TE and another is a S and another is a.. well, was a DT. Our best linemen are a G and a C. Conventionally those positions would be considered low value. [Reply]
If we can get just some of the ghosts into the positive column, the defense can get us to at least in the 15-25 ranking range, rather than 32 in every category like we are now.
If our defense can give the ball back to Mahomes more, and get a handful of stops, the offense can begin to rebuild its confidence, not press as much, and settle back into a playoff contender.
If we make the playoffs even as the 7 seed, anything can happen from there. [Reply]
If we can get just some of the ghosts into the positive column, the defense can get us to at least in the 15-25 ranking range, rather than 32 in every category like we are now.
If our defense can give the ball back to Mahomes more, and get a handful of stops, the offense can begin to rebuild its confidence, not press as much, and settle back into a playoff contender.
If we make the playoffs even as the 7 seed, anything can happen from there.
If this team pulls their head halfway out of their ass the rest of the AFC will be shitting their pants in the playoffs.
Nobody will want to face the Chiefs because they know the ceiling is higher than any other teams’ ceiling. (Maybe not TB. They are rolling) [Reply]
Originally Posted by notorious:
If this team pulls their head halfway out of their ass the rest of the AFC will be shitting their pants in the playoffs.
Nobody will want to face the Chiefs because they know the ceiling is higher than any other teams’ ceiling. (Maybe not TB. They are rolling)
That’s the problem though, they only got out to their ears against a bad Washington team and have pulled an ostrich act against contenders. [Reply]