RD3 P64: Zacch Pickens, DL - S. Carolina

[wab]

Hate this pick

This guy takes over from VJJ as the worst R3 pick in living memory.

Busty McBustface

I love that you are either irrationally positive or irrationally negative with zero middle ground. It’s a refreshing brand.

[thunderspirit]

Hate this pick

This guy takes over from VJJ as the worst R3 pick in living memory.

Busty McBustface

I love that you are either irrationally positive or irrationally negative with zero middle ground. It’s a refreshing brand.

DD is one of a kind. His passion is contagious.

Give him a Snickers, tho.

[Bearfacts]

Can't see a whole lot wrong with this pick. I might have preferred Keeanu Benton but Pickens carries a similar grade and played in a similar fashion in college. Poles needed a decent 3tech prospect to develop and he's it. Javon Hargrave was a 3rd round pick too.

[Atkins&Rebel]

I love that I was watching the combine drills and picked this kid out of the crowd.

[EricTighe]

Don’t judge, Prudey McPrudeface.

I don't expect anyone to keep up with me in the beer drinking department. I'm from LaSalle-Peru. It's both genetic and cultural.

Grandparents on Dad side are Irish. Mom side came before 1776 from Germany so DNA speaking I may have you beat

[IE]

I don't expect anyone to keep up with me in the beer drinking department. I'm from LaSalle-Peru. It's both genetic and cultural.

Grandparents on Dad side are Irish. Mom side came before 1776 from Germany so DNA speaking I may have you beat

I'm the opposite but similar. Irish on the Mom side (her Mom came over on the White Star lines in 1912 from Belfast - Moran and McCafferty). My Mom's Dad was Croatian (Supan, shortened from something like Supancic). I'm almost all German/Hungarian/Austrian on my Dad's side. Hard to tell exactly because it was the Austria-Hungarian Empire wasn't even established when they emmigrated. My Dad's Dad was clearly of Hungarian origin, given our last name (Kasza). My Dad''s Mom was a Sonnenberg and an Adrian ... so Deutsch. I'm a mutt with beer drinking prowess. LOL

But trust me it is the LP heritage that is the trump card. I've never met anyone who can drink the volume and speed of beer as my hometown homies. *Maybe* in a German Octoberfest beer hall - maybe. But that would still be a tie at best. German Irish and Polish area. I know you never heard of it but it's true. And tragic. lol

[Middleguard]

All 8 of my great-grandparents came to the US as children from a small region near Stuttgart but were all unrelated. I have been drinking 4, then 5, now 6 beers a day from my 2-tap kegerator for the last 30 years and am still 6' 270.

Edited because I only weigh 170. Too many football stats!

[IE]

All 8 of my great-grandparents came to the US as children from a small region near Stuttgart but were all unrelated. I have been drinking 4, then 5, now 6 beers a day from my 2-tap kegerator for the last 30 years and am still 6' 270.

Edited because I only weigh 170. Too many football stats!

LOL, well I"m 6' 270. Normally around 240 but my damn knees have been keeping me from cardio & need to be replaced pronto. Big bones.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

[HisRoyalSweetness]

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer on DL Zacch Pickens
Apr 28, 2023

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer discusses new Bears defensive lineman Zacch Pickens with the media via Zoom.

https://www.chicagobears.com/video/sout ... ch-pickens

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Gipson and Walker are the starters and will have 2023 to prove out.

I think with a substantially upgraded interior DL, that our current EDGE guys will be A LOT more productive.

[UOK]

Gipson and Walker are the starters and will have 2023 to prove out.

I think with a substantially upgraded interior DL, that our current EDGE guys will be A LOT more productive.

As Bears HOF coach John Fox once said, "a rising tide lifts all boats."

[thunderspirit]

Physically, Quinnen Williams is a closer comp, but this one is close, and it fits the play style well.

https://ras.football/ras-compare/?&p1=2 ... 935&pos=DT

[Shadow]

I like this guy. In his presser he said he has never had consistent coaching even at High School. Lets see what he turns into with good coaching.

[LacertineForest]

Did this image change since you originally posted it? It's for Shakel Brown, a DT from Troy.

Here is an image I found for Zacch Pickens' RAS:

[IE]

On SCR Spiegs was talking about how Marinelli said out of all the measurables the broad jump is the single most meaningful tell in determining 3T success. He said it is the best measure of the sort of explosiveness needed for success. Interesting.

I understand Pickens was #1 in broad jump for DT in the draft.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

I saw this interesting nugget earlier from Jason Lieser of the Sun Times:

"Pickens is far from polished, but it was evident in Poles' comments that he's confident taking hyper-athletic players and trusting his coaching staff to refine them. He also showed how detailed and analytics-driven the personnel department is by pointing out that Picken's bone density indicates he can continue to grow."

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2023 ... -nfl-draft

At a shade under 6'4 and 291lb that's interesting. nfl.com lists these as his weaknesses:

• Average frame.

• Below average anchor as two-gapper.

• Gives initial ground to quality drive blockers.

• Unlikely to crank up an NFL-caliber bull rush.

• Elevated pad level gets his rush redirected.

The last point can be addressed through coaching. If he can indeed "continue to grow" then that should go some way towards addressing the other four.

[Bearfacts]

Pickens himself has explained how he felt he hasn't received the type of coaching he wanted throughout his college career and hopes that can be improved upon now. He was also used more as a run stopper in college and yet everything points to him actually being one of the better 3 tech prospects in the draft. If he'd played as a penetrating DT at SC would he have been ranked and drafted higher?

There are the things Poles appears to be counting on. This and optimizing him psychically so that he and Gervon Dexter may be used more interchangeably on the DL. But at least initially I believe it's pretty clear what role they have in mind for Pickens. He's far from being a finished product but we keep hearing what great teachers the Bears coaching staff is. Here's a kid to prove that with.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Bearlissimo's look at Pickens' tape:

[G08]

[HisRoyalSweetness]

[AZ_Bearfan]

[UOK]

[wab]

I shit you not, I saw Pickens drop back in coverage during his the KC game on one play.

I have no idea what they are asking these guys to do, or why.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

I mean you just have to laugh

[karhu]

Would ya believe that Braxton Jones leads the NFL in pass-blocking win rate? 'Cause the same source says he does. Just sayin'.

Also, Pickens is a 3T. And Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

[thunderspirit]

Also, Pickens is a 3T. And Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

Pickens is a 3T, and Dexter is a 1T, and yet the Bears seem to want them aligned as a 1T and 3T, respectively.

[wab]

Yeah for whatever reason they have them flipped. They don’t seem to be asking Pickens to pass rush much, if at all.

I have no idea what they are trying to do with this defense.

My only hope is that it was Williams and that Flus can fix the problem over the next couple of weeks.

[karhu]

Also, Pickens is a 3T. And Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

Pickens is a 3T, and Dexter is a 1T, and yet the Bears seem to want them aligned as a 1T and 3T, respectively.

Continues to amaze me, yep. I didn't even mind it as an experiment, but now I wonder what those guys could've shown in training camp that led anyone to believe that this was a good idea.

Only silver lining here is the sheer amount of untapped potential on the roster. Not that it's division-winningly great or anything, but I think a good coaching staff gets a ton more out of this defense.

[southdakbearfan]

Pickens is a 3T, and Dexter is a 1T, and yet the Bears seem to want them aligned as a 1T and 3T, respectively.

Continues to amaze me, yep. I didn't even mind it as an experiment, but now I wonder what those guys could've shown in training camp that led anyone to believe that this was a good idea.

Only silver lining here is the sheer amount of untapped potential on the roster. Not that it's division-winningly great or anything, but I think a good coaching staff gets a ton more out of this defense.

How do you know it’s not division winning great though?

Niners 3 seasons pre Harbaugh 7-9, 8-8, 6-10 with 2 all pro selections, both Patrick Willis.


Niners with Harbaugh - 13-3, 11-5, 12-4 then 8-8 after pissing contest with management last season. Bust QB resurrected, traded for picks, Super Bowl reached, numerous all pro players every year. Division titles and contention with virtually the same roster.