Will Black be any better than Will Allen

[Detrimental]

Black is a better tackler than Jackson. Barring injuries, he should start all 16 games at FS.

  And while he may miss some, Tanard is a good football player.

He will be back, and will get the starting nod, before too long.  I like him in coverage, he makes a mistake once in a while...but he is a good ballhawk.  And Black hasn't done anything at the NFL level yet, so I'll wait and see.

The year before last, he missed more tackles per game start than Sabby. He's an elite coverage specialist though. You're right, I like kids chances though. Either way, we should be much better in the secondary with Black and Jackson back there.

[GrimmReaper]

I think Black will be better than Will Allen was. Will Allen was terrible. There is no guarantee, but I am one who would be completely shocked if Black turns out to be anything less than a quality starting safety for us. He definitely has the skills and the athleticism. He is a sure tackler, has great ball skills, and has great instincts.

He's short, but he has a 36" vertical. He ran a slow 40, but he had the best 60 yard shuttle time. As long as they stick to football and a track meet doesn't break out in the middle of the game he will be fine. I expect Black and Grimm to be starting here for a long time to come. I believe he would be successful, and an upgrade over Jones even if he were pressed into action this coming year as a rookie.

[ryan24]

I think Black will be better than Will Allen was. Will Allen was terrible. There is no guarantee, but I am one who would be completely shocked if Black turns out to be anything less than a quality starting safety for us. He definitely has the skills and the athleticism. He is a sure tackler, has great ball skills, and has great instincts.

He's short, but he has a 36" vertical. He ran a slow 40, but he had the best 60 yard shuttle time. As long as they stick to football and a track meet doesn't break out in the middle of the game he will be fine. I expect Black and Grimm to be starting here for a long time to come. I believe he would be successful, and an upgrade over Jones even if he were pressed into action this coming year as a rookie.

I don't think the Bucs can play with Black and Grimm as the safeties.

[GrimmReaper]

I think Black will be better than Will Allen was. Will Allen was terrible. There is no guarantee, but I am one who would be completely shocked if Black turns out to be anything less than a quality starting safety for us. He definitely has the skills and the athleticism. He is a sure tackler, has great ball skills, and has great instincts.

He's short, but he has a 36" vertical. He ran a slow 40, but he had the best 60 yard shuttle time. As long as they stick to football and a track meet doesn't break out in the middle of the game he will be fine. I expect Black and Grimm to be starting here for a long time to come. I believe he would be successful, and an upgrade over Jones even if he were pressed into action this coming year as a rookie.

I don't think the Bucs can play with Black and Grimm as the safeties.

I think they would make a great combo. Grimm is great near the LOS, and Black is great playing centerfield.

[ISLAND BUCS]

It seems that Black is just a tad small.  And then he also seems slow-----4.76 at the combine.  DE linemen were recorded faster, for eg. Kerrigan at 4.71.

Will being somewhat small and somewhat slow be a problem???

I know anticipation can make up for lack of straight out speed, but some of the WR's are considerably faster.

[michael89156]

He knows who he is and I like that about him.



ahmadblack35 Ahmad Black
Lol I guess in college football u dont have to be good at all..just play sorry and run a good 40, that's all that matters lol
28 Apr »


 ahmadblack35 Ahmad Black
Haha I think it's funny I keep hearing I'm too short to play in the NFL but I had the highest vertical among the safeties..crazy huh smh
28 Apr

That is good stuff there.  This man knows who he is,  and I love the confidence.  No BS there.

[threadkiller]

It seems that Black is just a tad small.  And then he also seems slow-----4.76 at the combine.  DE linemen were recorded faster, for eg. Kerrigan at 4.71.

Will being somewhat small and somewhat slow be a problem???

I know anticipation can make up for lack of straight out speed, but some of the WR's are considerably faster.

If you're maning up your safeties with receivers, you've got problems pretty much no matter who your safeties are.  If you know where you're going a half a second faster then the other guy, you can be a half a second slower to get there and arrive there at the same time.  Since you're not usually going 40 yards to get from point a to b, the reaction time becomes as important (if not more so) then the straight line speed.  Granted, you'd rather have great football players who run 4.4 40's.  The rub is you don't normally get those kind of guys in the 5th round.  When you get a guy who you can even reasonably expect to compete for a starting position in the 5th round, it's generally a win (unless you just really sucked there to begin with). 

[wolfet]

I love Black and think it more likely that he is Grimm 2.0 than Allen 2.0.  My only worry is health long term at the safety position.  Not sure he has the body to hold up long-term, but I believe he will go down as a steal for us like Grimm.

[Bucko40]

Oh hell yeah he will be. Don't let his size fool ya. Kids a Baller. Don't be surprised if he's not pushing for starting time by end of the season if not sooner.

[sunrisejeff]

Agreed and he is short but not what I would consider small.  He is well built so I don't think injuries will be a huge concern.  Fact is the kid was dominant in one, if not THE, toughest conferences in college football so it won't surprise me at all to see him be competitive in the NFL.  That being said I'm a huge Gator fan so my homerism is in full effect lol!

[ryan24]

I think Black will be better than Will Allen was. Will Allen was terrible. There is no guarantee, but I am one who would be completely shocked if Black turns out to be anything less than a quality starting safety for us. He definitely has the skills and the athleticism. He is a sure tackler, has great ball skills, and has great instincts.

He's short, but he has a 36" vertical. He ran a slow 40, but he had the best 60 yard shuttle time. As long as they stick to football and a track meet doesn't break out in the middle of the game he will be fine. I expect Black and Grimm to be starting here for a long time to come. I believe he would be successful, and an upgrade over Jones even if he were pressed into action this coming year as a rookie.

I don't think the Bucs can play with Black and Grimm as the safeties.

I think they would make a great combo. Grimm is great near the LOS, and Black is great playing centerfield.

They bring similar skills and, while I think Black has great instincts, his poor footspeed will become a factor in the NFL.

[The Anti-Java]

Now that I have cooled off and become rational again, I hope both Talib and Tanard are coming back strong.  I like this Black dude, seems to have a little chip on his shoulder.

[Pepsi]

I know he fell because of his combine 40 time alone which was lucky for us. I think he just had a bad day for running the 40. I checked the top performers list on NFL.com and he was in the top half of almost every single work after the 40 (in the safety group).

3rd in the bench with 18 reps
1st in the vertical jump at 35'5' inches
3rd in the broad jump - 9'11"
1st in the 3 cone drill - 6.85
6th in the 20 yard shuttle - 4.20
2nd in the 60 yard shuttle - 11.25

His work out numbers were actually good and if you've seen him play you know his size isn't going to be a problem at all. I bet if he ran the 40 again it would definitely be faster. He probably wouldn't have been on the Gators in the first place if they thought he was slow. They love fast guys. Also, it's not like you sprint once in a football game and then your done. Can you do it again and again at a fast speed is what should also be considered, and I can say that Blacks 2nd place in the 60 yard shuttle might indicate that he has that endurance. Or it might not, but what is evident is the way he plays on the field and judging by what I've seen, this kid might a steal.