Why did he drop so far in the draft? Knew nothing about Avery predraft
As
@Randolphkeys had mentioned, it’s partly a product of him being one of the very few bright spots on a lackluster Memphis defense.
Additionally, he bounced around positions at Memphis. He played inside and outside linebacker, as well as some defensive end. Personally, I find this to be a good thing as it shows the versatility of his game. He was successful anywhere they put him.
Playing a lot of OLB and DE, he was likely categorized as under-sized at 6’1 with a perceived lack of length for the position. Just another “high motor, undersized pass rusher.”
I think that categorization ignores his strong technique and hand-use as a rusher, which he spent summers developing with Chuck Smith. Frankly, the dude has displayed an impressive repertoire of moves given the fact that he was not a 4-year defensive end.
I also think that he didn’t get enough credit for his effective play as an inside linebacker at different points in his career.
In some NFL circles, he may have been labeled as too small for 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB and unproven as a 4-3 SAM or MIKE. A guy who lacked an ideal position. There was too much of an attempt to label him and not enough focus on him just being a damn good football player.
Enter Gregg Williams. The man is a lot of things, but as a coordinator, he’s one of the best at positionless defense. He puts a premium on versatility. That’s probably why Avery ended up in Cleveland—Dorsey saw a guy with a multitude of skills, including rush skills, and didn’t care to fit the player into a simple box. Williams would find a way to use him. Turns out, he’s flourished thus far.
Genard Avery has been effective in every single role he’s ever played, and seems to be a very hard worker. He has a lot of speed and skill that, fortunately for us, were overlooked.
If a redraft happened today—even after just three weeks of NFL action—I think he sneaks into the late first round.
