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.
I wanted to drop by this thread to say that I love watching Nick Bolton tackle people. He tackles like a linebacker should. He hits hard and wraps up. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rain Man:
I wanted to drop by this thread to say that I love watching Nick Bolton tackle people. He tackles like a linebacker should. He hits hard and wraps up.
Yeah. This dude is old school. It's fantastic to see. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rain Man:
I wanted to drop by this thread to say that I love watching Nick Bolton tackle people. He tackles like a linebacker should. He hits hard and wraps up.
Been a long time since we had one of those. Even though DJ was a good tackler, he was far from a hard hitter. Bolton seems to know when to go for the hard hit and when to wrap up for the sure tackle. And sometimes he even does both lol. [Reply]
Bolton is gonna be my next jersey. Love the way he plays. Can’t wait to see how he progresses over the next few years. Kinda reminds me of Zack Thomas. [Reply]
Stud! He is the third best rookie on the team. Bolton is a heat seeking missile out there. He has instilled a level of toughness that has been lacking since DJ retired. Him and Melvin Ingram have been two massive additions to this unit since the Super Bowl.
New game, we're taking it all this year. I laugh when teams run it now. This defense is taking it to the next level. Over the last month it's been top 10 overall. The slow start was dreadful but it's found itself. [Reply]
Originally Posted by scho63:
Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Willie Gay and Nick Bolton.
4 great youngsters for many years to come.
Don’t forget Thornhill. And idgaf... I’m willing to die on this hill.... Powell is gonna be a really good receiver for us in the not too distant future. I think he’s gonna be that x receiver we’ve been hoping Gordon would be. He was one of my favorite picks, just think he has to grow into the role, and learn the offense before Andy and Pat trust him. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Coochie liquor:
Don’t forget Thornhill. And idgaf... I’m willing to die on this hill.... Powell is gonna be a really good receiver for us in the not too distant future. I think he’s gonna be that x receiver we’ve been hoping Gordon would be. He was one of my favorite picks, just think he has to grow into the role, and learn the offense before Andy and Pat trust him.
He's buried deep on the depth chart. Even Fountain is above him and he's not recorded a single snap. This is basically a red shirt season for him. Next year he'll have to grow a lot to stay with the team. [Reply]
Bolton has been a key component in our improvement on defense. He's active and physical, something we sorely missed at LB. I just hope that Gay can stay healthy now. [Reply]