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A look into our "interesting" rookie.
REST OF THE STORYHouston Texans Rookies: Figuring Out Sonic Sam Montgomery
The reaction to the pick has been one of a bit of confusion because no one knew how Sam Montgomery was on the draft board and where he fits on the field. With a little time, we can figure it all out.
First, I think Montgomery's personality is just quirky. He's an interesting cat with a lot of things on his mind. I don't think he's a quitter nor do I think he doesn't love football. In this case, I think Houston has the perfect locker room for this guy. Arian Foster writes poems and ponders philosophy, Antonio Smith is a self-proclaimed Ninja Assassin (part-time Cowboy), Ben Jones eats turf, and Brian Cushing is an all-around lunatic (in a good, charming way), just to name a few.
As for Montgomery, the pick is one with a ton of value. The pre-draft consensus was that Sonic Sam was a second round talent, meaning immediately capable of contributing, be it starting or rotational, next season. If you want to go a step further, a Mr. Mel Kiper, Jr. once had Montgomery as a top-five talent as recently as one calendar year ago. Let's see that talent on display. Here's an ESPN highlight video, and I'll link a game video below.
Sam Montgomery vs Alabama 2012 VIDEO
You'll notice a huge knock on Montgomery from the get-go. He has a lot of work to do on improving his snap recognition and reaction times. There are times where he clearly is the last man to move onscreen. As one scouting report guesses, it's almost as if Sonic Sam is watching the tackle and not the ball. It's a game of inches and Montgomery's reaction could be all the time a professional tackle needs to engage and keep him occupied.
It's hard to judge how he plays and translates because LSU has him more as a defensive end in tight and more on the tackle than outside him, as opposed to how Houston will use him as a strong-side linebacker who will set the edge. What'll help Montgomery there are his long arms, his ability to get underneath and fight with this bigger tackles, and a very competitive spirit. You'll see that all on display perfectly at 3:10. That's exactly what Wade Phillips will look for him to do on run plays. I strongly don't buy into the "quitter" or "lazy" talks. Sure, he may not have been amped up to play creampuffs, but he definitely rises to the occasion against competitive teams. He wasn't an All-American and All-SEC player for nothing.
The ESPN video shows the exciting part more than the in-game footage, but Montgomery can flat out move after the snap. His speed, his quickness, his ability to run down plays across the field at 262 pounds is phenomenal. This is his speed before he drops down into the 250s to play linebacker for Houston. Dropping weight and converting fat into muscle should help Montgomery become quicker and move a bit more fluidly. He doesn't look like a naturally big man, so I think his work with Strength and Conditioning Coach Cedric Smith will be a big help to Montgomery's game.
Pass-rushing wise, I like Montgomery's spin move. He could work on tightening the rotation, but it's a good move. His bull rush, despite the slow get-off, isn't bad. As lanky as Sonic Sam is, there's a lot of strength there. It's rare to see him washed aside. He does do a good job of trying to fight for interior hand position, but I'm not seeing a lot of hand use on shedding blocks, a common rookie problem. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of a more athletic, not-quite-as-strong Brooks Reed rushing the passer.
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