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.
I'm interested to see if we play more nickel defense this year compared to last year now that we have a little more versatility at the linebacker spot with Nick Bolton essentially taking Damien Wilson's roster spot. Added to that, hopefully, is Gay taking the next step and gaining comfort in the scheme.
Spags rolled out a ton of dime defense last year, especially in the playoffs. We had the bodies at DB to do that, but I think we'll see more packages with two linebackers this year vs last year.
One thing Bolton has shown on tape is that he knows how to play an area in zone coverage, which is something we really lacked last year and why Nieman got so many snaps. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare:
You really believe Bolton is the second coming of Mike Singletary considering how snide your rebuttal is
No, I think he's a high caliber starting linebacker prospect.
I expect he'll play significant snaps in '21, and I expect he'll take Hitchens job in '22.
I think given his instincts, intelligence, and the playmaking ability he shows on tape he's a good, solid bet to be a good NFL linebacker for us as we chase championships for the next several years.
If you want to argue that you're leery of the 4th and 5th round picks due to being athletic projections and short on production in college, I can understand that.
Both second round picks were top flight prospects at their positions and it seems nutty to disregard the tape as well as literally every single projection and declare either of them 'rotational players' as their potential ceiling.
Barring injury, Bolton is going to be a fine LB. He's just good at football. [Reply]
Originally Posted by SuperBowl4:
I think I was the first one to say NICK ****ING BOLTON on the CP draft day thread before the CHIEFS selected NICK ****ING BOLTON!
The pick shouldn’t have surprised anyone really that much, especially when you take a step back.
We had a giant hole at one of base LB positions.
We were one injury away to Hitch or Gay from seeing Ben Niemann FULL TIME. That is how your defense takes a turn for the worst fast.
We needed a long term solution to take over for Hitchens when he is a cap casualty next year.
As Franchise pointed out, if Bolton becomes 2020 Anthony Hitchens, that’s a great pick. A guy who is a great leader and does a solid to good job in all phases, lines everyone up (making everyone else better).
He doesn’t need to be the athletic run-and-chase freak LB, we need Gay to become that guy. And Bolton will make a lot of plays that way too I think, but it’s the intangible stuff he really is coming in to take over once Hitchens is moved on. [Reply]
Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19:
The pick shouldn’t have surprised anyone really that much, especially when you take a step back.
We had a giant hole at one of base LB positions.
We were one injury away to Hitch or Gay from seeing Ben Niemann FULL TIME. That is how your defense takes a turn for the worst fast.
We needed a long term solution to take over for Hitchens when he is a cap casualty next year.
As Franchise pointed out, if Bolton becomes 2020 Anthony Hitchens, that’s a great pick. A guy who is a great leader and does a solid to good job in all phases, lines everyone up (making everyone else better).
He doesn’t need to be the athletic run-and-chase freak LB, we need Gay to become that guy. And Bolton will make a lot of plays that way too I think, but it’s the intangible stuff he really is coming in to take over once Hitchens is moved on.
I've come around. I wasnt excited about taking a LB'er who isnt of the Ryan Shazier type with our first pick. But theres no doubt that was our absolute weakest group last year, maybe even after the offensive line was decimated. [Reply]
