R4, P115: Joel Iyiegbuniwe, LB - W. Kentucky

College football and the NFL Draft

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UOK
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Iyiegbuniwe (pronounced ee-yay-boo-nee-way) slipped under the recruiting radar as an injury cut his senior season in high school to just four games. Then, he suffered an injury three games into his true freshman season with the Hilltoppers (he made one tackle), which resulted in his receiving a medical redshirt. The Bowling Green, Kentucky native finally played a full season in 2015, suiting up for 14 games as a reserve linebacker and special teams ace (19 tackles, one sack). That production led to a big sophomore season, as he earned honorable mention All-Conference USA recognition after starting all 14 games (64 stops, 10 for loss, 3.5 sacks, three pass break-ups). The compactly-built and quick Iyiegbuniwe decided to move on to the NFL after a junior year that saw him garner first-team all-conference accolades, leading WKU with 116 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss.

Iyegbuniwe put together a very strong campaign this season, but some of those numbers don't look translatable on the next level without a lot more work. His speed and athletic ability in coverage are big pluses in his favor. His NFL role may have to be as a backup weak-side linebacker with some cover talent who can become a top special teams worker.

STRENGTHS

Rangy, athletic frame
Plays with good speed in pursuit
Shows early burst in his scrapes to play past climbing blockers
Actively searches to strip the football and create opportunities to flip the momentum
Finished 2017 with three forced fumbles
Very smooth in his backpedal and when driving into space
Has athletic ability to warrant consideration as a cover linebacker in subpackages
Special teams talent to cover
Finished career with 11 tackles on special teams

WEAKNESSES

Gets caught coasting too much when the play is developing away from him
Needs to keep the motor activated
Slow to balance eyes between blockers and ball-carrier
Will need to improve ability to slip blocks on the next level
Gets stuck on blocks when he gets squared up
Too accepting of his fate and needs to fight it early with a strong punch
Awareness in zone coverage can be improved
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wab
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Well. Ok...
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G08
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Who?
9 PLAYOFF APPEARANCES IN THE PAST 35 SEASONS

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wab
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Armstrong goes the pick after... do not like.
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Pace must see something special in him, because absolutely nobody seems to know who the fuck this is.
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Hematite
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Special teams guy? Kinda confused by this pick.
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I don’t get this one. Future SS? The OT from Oregon was still on the board. I don’t know.


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Wasted pick in my opinion. I guess Pace will pick a punter in the next round? Either that or someone to add depth to the waterboy position.
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No idea what to make of this pick. Love the first couple days of the draft. This one is a bit of a head scratcher for me. I don’t see where he plays.
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I hope that Vic has a special plan.
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I feel like he's a guy who plays special teams and...that's it. He's Sam Acho lite.
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Rusty Trombagent
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this was the moment we turned on pace. the draft is ruined, football is done in chicago.
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Not gonna let this pick sully an otherwise great draft. But I don’t get it. Like at all.
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When considering the guys available, I don't like it. MLB with a little edge rusher to his game..I just feel there were more pressing needs and better talent out there.
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I'm confused on this one like everyone else. CB or edge seemed more pressing than a ST guy. Unless kwit is moving to edge and this guy is backup ilb?
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This screams of Ryan Pace getting cute with this "I am a Division II hipster" shit.
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He's okay, though I see more of a special team ace than a future starter in him.

They either don't care for Armstrong or didn't like the value there.
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dplank wrote:I agree with Rich here
RichH55 wrote: Dplank is correct
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" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Highlights
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Hematite
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Some scout was screaming for this guy, lets hope that guy has a job next year.
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NFL.com compares him to Darius Leonard, who I like a lot. Darius was drafted in the 2nd. This could be another small school gem!
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I feel like this dude is like a poor man's Minkah. A position-less dude who's always around the ball, can excel at ST while working in a rotation with Acho in certain defensive packages. Guessing Pace and Fangio liked his versatility and felt like he fell only this far for reasons unrelated to football and character.
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makaur wrote:Wasted pick in my opinion. I guess Pace will pick a punter in the next round? Either that or someone to add depth to the waterboy position.

If Michael Dickson is there in the 5th I hope we do draft a punter.
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Sports Exchange speaks highly of him, for what it’s worth. Had him as the 6th best inside linebacker. Probably Timu’s replacement. May also prove out my theory that Kawasaki moves outside.
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@Rich_Campbell

Joel Iyiegbuniwe just finished his teleconference with Bears media.
- Prefers to play ILB b/c he excelled there in college
- Extensive special teams experience
- Graduating in May pre-med (biology major)
- Born in Chicago & grew up in Bolingbrook
- Nicknamed "Iggy"
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I’m just gonna gloss over this one. Basically replaces Christian Jones I guess. Just smaller.
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UOK wrote:This screams of Ryan Pace getting cute with this "I am a Division II hipster" shit.

Uh. WKU is Div I and had had 5 players drafted in the two previous drafts.

First and foremost late picks are expected to be ST contributors. This kid will be.

NFL did a blurb or two on Joel I and LB’s like him. A new breed of ‘undersized’ run and chase LB who are perfect for the new NFL.
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And he’s a local kid. Awesome.
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wab wrote:Not gonna let this pick sully an otherwise great draft. But I don’t get it. Like at all.
This.

I'm scratching my head as Sweat was still on the board and a guard here would've been nice. I get it that Sweat's knee is a huge concern.
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Daniel Jeremiah did a write up on him...

https://beargoggleson.com/2018/04/28/da ... iegbuniwe/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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I think we need to hear Pace's PC.
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