I'm just gonna put it out there, I feel our biggest issue was running too much zone. Our players as a whole are better in man defense. We know from his time in Atlanta [not sure how much he did it in Jax] that Mike Smith loves to fool the offense with multiple looks up front.. Linebackers showing blitz then dropping back.. Corners showing press, then turning to run with the wideout hoping for a quick throw and a pick...Imo, our defense is built to run man. Johnthan Banks is a top 15 man coverage corner, maybe top 10... in zone he is maybe the 60th best CB. He doesn't have the speed, but if you put him on the bigger 'possession' receivers he can win 90 percent of his snaps. Man coverage has always been a scary thought going up against an offense with speed at WR. We haven't had anyone to cover those kind of guys since Ronde left. Vernor is decent in man, but actually is a little better at zone imo. Grimes is a perfect fit and has some speed. But Hargreaves would be ideal going forward to pair with Banks. Talk about a dynamic 1-2 punch as 'man coverage' CBs. So let's say we draft Hargreaves [very good chance he represents BPA].. our CB's are set going forward and possibly 'loaded' in 2016.Safety is a little different. I don't know how great I feel about McDougald or Conte covering a guy like Greg Olsen all day.. That could be ugly. Imo safety is potentially the biggest need on the team. Even more dire than DE... We need to target a safety early who can keep up with the athletic tight ends that are seen more and more in today's game. I like Karl Joseph, Darian Thompson, and Vonn Bell as 2nd/3rd round guys. Justin Simmons, if the scouting team feels high enough on him, could be an option late if we go other directions early on.Moving onto the LBs. I love what we have in Lavonte and Kwon. In man defense you would have one LB covering the RB/FB [David and Kwon fit perfectly with their speed] while the other 2 LBs blitz or hold down a zone. Strongside backer is a need at this point but not a major one. Daryl Smith fits for now, and I think you can get a future starter at the position later in the draft [Eric Striker comes to mind]. LB seems pretty much set for a man defense scheme.And DL.. Man coverage doesn't put the same urgency on getting to the QB quickly. Of course it is important but with man coverage, guys usually take a little longer to separate, therefore giving the DLmen a better chance of finishing. McCoy and Smith would benefit greatly from running a man defensive scheme. It even gives us more breathing room to pass on guys like [Lawson/Spence/Ogbah] for a better overall prospect like Hargreaves.
