Andrew Billings is one of the most intriguing prospects in this entire draft. In a draft class that is absolutely loaded at defensive tackle, Billings might just be the best player that nobody is talking about. The former Baylor Bear is a load of a man with awesome power, a non-stop motor, and arguably the highest ceiling of any defensive lineman in this draft. Billings broke a Texas state lifting record while still in high school, and his film shows that his power most definitely translates to the field of play. What’s more he is a near perfect fit for one of the Saints biggest needs. Billings is scheme versatile and is built to be able to play at the nose tackle as well as a 3-technique. Billings greatest attribute might be his youth though. At only 21 years of age Billings would be a welcome addition to the Saints youth movement on defense.
While players like Alabama’s A’shawn Robinson and Ole Miss’s Robert Nkemdiche have gotten a lot of the attention throughout the build up to the draft (for different reasons mind you) Billings has quietly built up his draft stock. Billings doesn’t have a national championship win behind a dominant defensive front like Robinson, and he doesn’t have the freakish athleticism of Nkemdiche, but honestly I think he’s a better prospect than the two combined. Let’s take a look at him and see why I’m so high on this monster.
Andrew Billings: DT Baylor
HEIGHT: 6’1″
WEIGHT: 311 LBS
31 reps of the bench press at the combine
Strengths:
Ironically enough Billings greatest strength is, well, his strength. It’s not a stretch to say that Billings is probably the most physically powerful athlete in this year’s draft. He’s capable of overpowering, and even dominating multiple blockers at once with nothing more than raw strength. That is NOT to say that Billings is all power with no finesse, it isn’t that he doesn’t have technique, but that he doesn’t always rely on it. Like any prospect Billings will need some coaching to truly reach his potential, and serving on a line with veterans like Cam Jordan and Nick Fairely (yes him too) would no doubt help Billings to develop into the force of nature he is capable of being. You simply can’t teach the kind of power he has, and Billings motor makes that power all the more dangerous for opponent’s because he doesn’t simply come at you with one burst, hes capable of grinding opponents down into dust.
Don’t simply think the appeal of this player is just in his achievements in the weight room though. Andrew Billings is more than just a power lifter or a one trick pony. What makes him special isn’t his strength; as impressive as his kind of raw power is it’s not unique in the NFL. What makes Billings worth being the first player the Saints take in this draft has nothing to do with his upper body at all, but with the place where all great athletes are built…his feet.
Andrew Billings has surprising quickness for a man his size, but more than that he has an incredible sense of balance and a great stability in his frame that simply is not normal for a man of his size. Billings technique can cause him to get off balance at times, but when you see him move in open space or on stunts is when you get a sense for just how well built this athlete truly is. Turn to about the two-minute mark in the video below and you can watch Billings chase a running back out of bounds more than twenty yards down the field, and a few seconds later you can watch him masterfully shift his weight to contain TCU QB Trevone Boykin and bring him down for the Sack.
It’s his balance and short area quickness in combination with his power that makes Billings such an incredible prospect. And while at times he does come across as raw (although not as raw as you might think), you have to also realize that Billings is only 21 years old. He has a great motor, tremendous maturity, and all the tools to be a dominating force on the interior (something the Saints DESPERATELY need). If I could pick one player for the Saints not named Myles Jack, it would be Andrew Billings.
Weaknesses:
With that said, Billings is NOT Jack, and unlike Jack you won’t be reading any statements from me saying he doesn’t have any true weaknesses. Billings may be a power house with surprising body balance for man his size, however he doesn’t have the speed or quickness of a Rankins and certainly doesn’t have the eye-popping physical gifts of Nkemdiche. Realistically though you can’t expect any prospect to be perfect, and Billings does posessess the ability to push the pocket and rush the passer which is what the Saints need, however the same youth that gives him such upside is also his greatest weakness. Billings wasn’t a defensive lineman in high school, he played on the other side of the ball. He’s a recent convert to the defensive side of the ball (which does a lot to explain why sometimes his technique is raw).
Billings simply lacks experience and reps on that side of the ball and he clearly needs additional development. The Saints already have a couple of developing interior lineman in Tyeler Davison and Bobby Richardson, so why take the risk of getting a guy who might only be rotational at best? Billings certainly has the tools to become something special, but the Saints have to ask themselves the question of whether or not they are willing to take that risk. Billings lack of experience sheds doubt on how high his floor is, and to me the thing that sets apart a first round pick from the others is their floor. A high ceiling is great, but when its your biggest investment you want to be able to guarantee a minimum return that is acceptable.
The Verdict:
After watching Billings a few weeks ago I first became high on him as the Saints pick, and now that we’re coming up on the draft I decided to take a second look at him. What I found was that instead of finding more flaws and reasons not to like him, I became more sure of him being the right player for the team. Billings is in my opinion just as good against the run as A’Shawn Robinson (the ONLY reason to take him), yet he also possesses other traits that Robinson doesn’t. I’ve gone over the upside he has and at his peak I believe Billings could become a very similar player to Aaron Donald of the LA Rams. But, like I just said above what makes a player a first round pick to me is the certainty of getting at least an acceptable amount of production and positive impact from them.
Billings gets a more than passing grade in that department now in part because the Saints already added Nick Fairely to go along with Richardson and Davison on the interior. What the Saints don’t have is a powerhouse who can eat up blockers and keep the linebackers clean (sorry John Jenkins…you’re too inconsistent). I have no doubt that at minimum Billings can be highly effective in that role, but the reality is that even if that is his only role Billings will still manage to work his way into the backfield a few times a game, which is something we haven’t seen from a Saints interior defensive lineman in a long time.
My ideal scenario is for the Saints to trade back 4-5 spots from 12 in order to pick up another pick in the early to mid rounds and to then select Billings at that spot. However, if they don’t think he will be there at 16 or so…I have no problem with them selecting him at 12. The Saints desperately need a player with his attributes, and he could just be one of the key pieces to unlocking the team’s defensive potential (yes it actually does exist pessimists!!!).
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