Hau’oli Kikaha graded out as 48th out of 97 qualifying linebackers on Pro Football Focus last season. So while the position change to defensive end makes sense to a lot of us, it’s worth noting he was graded as a “middle of the road” NFL linebacker by those guys last season. By no means are those guys gospel, of course, but it offers some context. James Laurinaitis, Stephone Anthony and Dannell Ellerbe all graded much worse than that, by the way. Interestingly, he was middle of the pack due to his run support. PFF graded him with a 77.6 run support grade. By comparison, his pass rushing grade out of 100 was 44.5 and his coverage grade was 54.3. Surprising, because the Saints drafted him based on his pass rushing potential. His 19 sacks playing for Washington in 2014 as a college player and his 4 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in 2015 led credence to that potential, so it’s surprising he graded so poorly. There’s no question he was stoned on the edge often, though. His sacks were more about effort and relentless pursuit than skill or explosiveness. Still, rushing more consistently from the edge as an end should provide more pass rushing opportunities and it seems clear he will likely improve in this area. So does the position switch even make sense?
Well, that’s not as obvious as it seems. Kikaha set the edge well as a linebacker playing outside the tackle box and was terrific in backside pursuit, but can he play face up with a left tackle and handle the mammoth size they all have? Kikaha weighs 246lbs and unless he’s gaining a decent chunk of size (without losing the little speed he has), it’s going to be hard for him to withstand how physically imposing it is to play on 1st and 10. Does this mean he’s a better fit as a situational pass rusher? It would be a shame to lose his run stopping strengths but I’m not convinced those assets are going to be visible on 1st and 10 as a defensive end on a standard dive play. In fact, I’m worried he’ll get mauled.
I think we can all agree that having Kikaha rush the passer more is an asset and having him cover less is a no brainer. But his size combined with his run support ability playing as a linebacker outside the tackle does mean, in my opinion, he’s a better fit for that position on running plays. He’s obviously a better fit as a 4-3 end on pass rushing plays. And at the end of the day, pass rushing is how he’s going to make the biggest impact on the field. This all adds up to the “tweener” label he had coming in.
So, I *think* the move to end makes sense. But I question how valuable he can be on 1st and 10. I’d like to believe he can at least hold his own, but the Saints have to consider the possibility that he might be a liability in those situations. How do you see this playing out? Do you like the change?
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