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.
Originally Posted by The Franchise:
Hopefully this means Hitchens is gone after this year.
It has to be. They can save a ton of cap room by going with Bolton.
Quite frankly, if that's the plan, it's a very good one.
Everybody knows I'm not high on drafting LB's high but it's still all about value. We got a guy that had value in the 30-35th pick range at 58. That's a tremendous get, regardless of position.
And no I don't think Bolton is a jump-off-the-page athlete. But the simple fact is that the kid is a very good all-around LB. He doesn't have a ton of weakness, he's not one-dimensional.
Freakish athleticism is all well and good on the outside but in many ways, you want your MLB to quick, smart, and fearless. I think that's what Bolton brings. [Reply]
Originally Posted by staylor26:
BuT PoSiTiOnAl VaLuE
That's just the thing. Positional value doesn't just flat out trump player value.
We got a guy at 58 that probably should have gone about 25 picks higher. That's a tremendous amount of value, much more than you gave up taking a LB over say, a DE.
In the end, Bolton was a high value pick and he'll be even more so once Hitchens and his salary are gone. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
That's just the thing. Positional value doesn't just flat out trump player value.
We got a guy at 58 that probably should have gone about 25 picks higher. That's a tremendous amount of value, much more than you gave up taking a LB over say, a DE.
In the end, Bolton was a high value pick and he'll be even more so once Hitchens and his salary are gone.
AND he's a high floor player, in my opinion.
He's not going to Dorian O'Daniel on you.
He's smart, and instinctive. He's not going to suck. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
It has to be. They can save a ton of cap room by going with Bolton.
Quite frankly, if that's the plan, it's a very good one.
Everybody knows I'm not high on drafting LB's high but it's still all about value. We got a guy that had value in the 30-35th pick range at 58. That's a tremendous get, regardless of position.
And no I don't think Bolton is a jump-off-the-page athlete. But the simple fact is that the kid is a very good all-around LB. He doesn't have a ton of weakness, he's not one-dimensional.
Freakish athleticism is all well and good on the outside but in many ways, you want your MLB to quick, smart, and fearless. I think that's what Bolton brings.
I agree with this, he is a MLB! His lack of overall speed is offset by his ability to read the play quickly. Allowing a quicker first jump to the play( hole ) and meanness to hit the ball carrier.
If he brings that to the pro level, it will serve him well as a run stopper, as well as sweeps, screens and quick slants. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
It has to be. They can save a ton of cap room by going with Bolton.
Quite frankly, if that's the plan, it's a very good one.
Everybody knows I'm not high on drafting LB's high but it's still all about value. We got a guy that had value in the 30-35th pick range at 58. That's a tremendous get, regardless of position.
And no I don't think Bolton is a jump-off-the-page athlete. But the simple fact is that the kid is a very good all-around LB. He doesn't have a ton of weakness, he's not one-dimensional.
Freakish athleticism is all well and good on the outside but in many ways, you want your MLB to quick, smart, and fearless. I think that's what Bolton brings.
If Bolton turns out to be our next great LB- it might be fate that the pick was #58. That is a good number in Chiefs history. [Reply]
