Rams take OLB Terrell Lewis at 84

TERRELL LEWIS | Alabama 6052 | 262 lbs.

A four-star defensive end recruit out of high school, Lewis was the No. 1 player from the D.C. area and was considered a top-10 recruit at his position in the country. He originally pledged to Ohio State following his junior season, but decommitted a few months later and started taking more visits. After considering offers from Florida, Penn State and nearby Maryland, Lewis was drawn to the winning tradition at Alabama on signing day. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree (December 2019). Lewis elected to skip his final season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft, skipping the team’s bowl game. He accepted his invitation to the 2020 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Toned, moldable frame with V-shaped back and room to get stronger…naturally explosive, firing off the snap with springs in his lower body…creates leverage with his initial quickness and length, delivering pop at contact…nimble lateral movements to sidestep blocks and threaten multiple gaps…skilled on loops and stunts…excellent pursuit and closing speed, eating up grass with long, light strides…fluid hip action to bend or introduce a spin move…quickly comes to balance, sink his weight and redirect in space…experienced standing up and dropping…doesn’t lack for confidence and has been praised by the Alabama training staff for his attitude working back from several injuries.

WEAKNESSES: Lean-muscled body type and must get stronger, especially in his lower body…eager hands and long arms, but timing and purpose of his attack lack refinement…flashes a base understanding of various moves, but struggles with the set up and execution…explosive in a straight line and can bend, but must do a better job with his cornering athleticism to soften the edge…unbalanced base strength after extending into blockers…struggles to calm his feet and finish tackles in space…suspended the first half of the 2019 season opener after he missed a team function…only four career starts with below average career production (played 55.7% of snaps in 2019)…durability is a red flag, missing most of two seasons due to a right elbow injury (September 2017) and torn ACL in his right knee (July 2018); also missed one game (September 2019) after hyperextending his surgically repaired right knee, requiring a minor procedure.

SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Alabama, Lewis played Sam outside linebacker in head coach Nick Saban’s 3-4 base scheme, rushing from both a two- and three-point stance. He missed almost all of the 2017 and 2018 seasons due to injuries, but stayed on the field in 2019 and reminded everyone of his freakish tools. Different than most Alabama pass rushers under Saban, Lewis has the long frame and sudden athleticism to disrupt the pocket. However, his play motor is better than his instincts and he must introduce more variety and shed strength into his rush plan. Overall, Lewis is still unrefined with his setup and feel as an upfield player, but he is long, rangy and explosive with similar upside as Danielle Hunter when he entered the league, projecting as an impact NFL pass rusher if he reaches his potential and stays healthy.

from 2020 Senior Bowl: 10 players whose great week of practice will only improve their NFL Draft stock: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2020-senior-bowl-10-players-whose-great-week-of-practice-will-only-improve-their-nfl-draft-stock/

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Terrell Lewis, EDGE, Alabama

The biggest question facing Lewis coming into the 2019 campaign was if he could stay healthy. He missed 2018 with an ACL injury and most of 2017 with an elbow injury. But in 10 games last season he had 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, and he showed up in Mobile looking every bit the part of NFL Pass Rusher. He’s 6-foot-5, 258 pounds and some NFL evaluators think he can add even more weight because at this stage of his development he’s a much at getting into the backfield than dropping into coverage.

#SeniorBowl Alabama DE Terrell Lewis with a very nice rep against St. Johns LT Ben Bartch. Bartch typically plays on the left side, lines up at RT here which is an extremely difficult transition: pic.twitter.com/mUEFl8eJaT

— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) January 22, 2020

Greg Beacham@gregbeacham
Sean McVay says Terrell Lewis is a guy that the Rams really coveted. Les Snead thinks Lewis’ injuries were kinda freak things.

McVay says he looked mad on TV when the Rams drafted Terrell Lewis because he was dialing the wrong number for Lewis and couldn’t get through.

Terrell Lewis can be the Rams’ next great edge rusher, if he stays healthy
Retired defensive end Stephen White thinks Terrell Lewis might have the highest ceiling of any draft prospect in years.

Stephen White

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2020/3/27/21194600/terrell-lewis-nfl-draft-2020-injury-history-highlights-edge-rusher-von-miller-rams

Former Alabama edge rusher Terrell Lewis missed the majority of his college career with injuries. One of those was a torn ACL, which is pretty serious. Last season, he missed two games due to injury and elected not to play in Alabama’s bowl game against Michigan. In the four games I watched for this breakdown, he didn’t record a single sack, either. His technique in all phases also needs a little bit of work.

How, then, can I say with a straight face that three years from now we may be debating whether Lewis or Ohio State’s Chase Young is the best edge rusher to come out of this draft?

I’m glad you asked!

First off, let’s talk about Lewis’ size.

I have never been more thrown off by a player’s jersey number as I was while watching Lewis run around with that No. 24 on. But it wasn’t just that. While the guy is 6’5 and weighed in at 262 pounds at the combine, he actually is built like a strong safety. Well, until you see him standing beside an actual strong safety.

Sometimes I’d miss where Lewis was on the field because my brain would just reject the notion that I was supposed to be looking for a dude wearing No. 24 rushing the passer.

And just to be clear, Lewis is a hair taller and just about the same weight as Young. Lewis’ arms are actually a little longer than Young’s, as well. Needless to say, Lewis has the size to play the position, even if it’s sometimes hard to tell just looking at him. Hell, both he and Young are kinda like a Create-A-Player when it comes to their stature.

What Lewis does well: Making plays from everywhere

In addition to being pretty much the perfect size for an edge rusher, Lewis also possesses uncommon athletic ability. That is evidenced by Alabama using him in so many different ways. He lined up on the edge and rushed the passer, and he dropped back into coverage quite a bit as well.

And I’m not talking about some bullshit, half-assed zone drops. He played man-to-man out of the backfield several times, and looked damn good doing it for the most part.

Alabama also had him blitzing both from off the ball, and up at the line of scrimmage for the double A-gap variety. The Tide even stuck him inside as a hand-in-the-dirt three-technique a few times and he acquitted himself well there, too.

Lewis looked pretty much the same no matter what, and he is going to be able to make plays wherever he lines up in the NFL.

Some people don’t think about power when they are talking about athleticism, but I believe it all goes together. Lewis may not be the strongest defensive end you have ever seen, but I watched him stand his ground against a lot of bigger dudes, so I have no worries about him being strong enough to play the position. In fact, when he really learns how to convert his speed into power on a more consistent basis, that may end up being one of the strongest parts of his game, pun intended.

Then there’s Lewis’ technique. I know some of you are thinking, “Wait a minute, I thought Steve said his technique was a problem,” but that’s just because you can’t read. What I actually said was his technique “needs some work” because it does, but that’s so he can transform from a good player to potentially a great one. Remember, I’m not comparing him to some sloppy dude here. Young is one of the better pro-ready prospects I’ve ever broken down.

Lewis isn’t where Young is now, but Lewis’ jump on the next level could be astounding. One of the main reasons is because he just hasn’t played that much football in the last several years. The lack of game reps seems to be reflected in his inconsistent technique at times.

Most of the basic stuff he was asked to do was no problem for Lewis. He has a good get-off whether standing up or out of a three-point stance. He also comes off and gets full extension well when taking on blockers. He changes direction well after the snap and has a pretty good feel for the game.

It isn’t like he is a bad player as is. But I can see him being so much more.

Where Lewis can improve: Sharpening his technique

While Lewis takes on blockers pretty well, there were too many times when he didn’t escape off the block to make the tackle until it was too late. That’s the kind of thing you normally get better at as you get more game reps. It’s not that he couldn’t escape off of blocks, but it was more of a timing issue. And sometimes probably just laziness, trying to reach out for a tackle instead of, say, making a rip move first to clear himself from the blocker and put himself in better position to take the ball carrier down.

That also applies to Lewis as a pass rusher, and rushing the passer is probably where he has the most room to grow. Don’t get me wrong, I thought he showed a nice array of moves for a college edge rusher, and there is already a lot of good stuff to work with for any NFL defensive line coach. It’s just that with a little bit of polish, Lewis will be able to convert more of his pressures into sacks.

For instance, Lewis has the makings of being dominant with his long-arm move — and that’s where having longer arms come in pretty handy. He did a really good job of coming off the ball like he was going to attempt a speed rush to get the offensive tackles bailing out, then stabbing them right in the chest with his inside hand and jolting them backward.

The problem would come when Lewis wouldn’t go ahead and escape off the move before the blocker could recover. He would end up stuck too long on the block, which would give the quarterback time to either throw the ball, or step up in the pocket and away from his pressure. Once he gets more consistent with using his outside hand to swipe and then finish with a rip or arm-over, offensive linemen are going to catch absolute hell trying to stop that move.

While Lewis has the athleticism to be a finesse guy, he also had plenty of success as a power rusher too. Being able to get off those power rushes just a touch quicker is going to make a huge difference in his production.

At the same time, Lewis is one of those guys who can win around the corner, and it seems like those kinds of pure speed rushers are in short supply these days. I did find it interesting that while Lewis had such an explosive get-off at his disposal, I didn’t see him trying to burn the edge much. A guy as fast as he is, with that level of athleticism, he should be dipping and ripping more unless and until the offensive tackles show they can stop it.

I also thought he could’ve used his cross chop a little more. It was almost shocking to see him use different moves because he used some of them so sparingly. As he continues to sharpen his technique, he is probably going to see a lot more success running around blockers.

Lewis’ NFL future: The next Von Miller (if healthy)

You know who I kept thinking about while watching Lewis flash for four games?

Von Miller.

That’s who Lewis reminded me of when he would make an explosive play seemingly out of the blue. So I decided to look up Miller’s combine numbers.

He hit a 37-inch vertical and a 126-inch broad jump. Lewis notched the same vertical and a 124-inch broad jump. But Miller weighed in at “only” 6’3 and 246 pounds.

Take from that what you will. While I admit Miller had much better technique coming out than Lewis currently possesses, there isn’t any role Miller plays on the field that I don’t think Lewis could do, too. There is a distinct possibility that one day Lewis will be doing a lot of the same things just as good or better than Miller.

Yeah, I said it.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the injuries. As somehow who went through his share of injuries both in college and in the NFL, I’m a little sensitive to the label “injury prone,” especially when we are talking about major injuries like Lewis suffered in college. I am unaware of any exercise or stretch that will prevent an ACL tear. Trust me, if such a thing existed every football player would be trying it.

At the same time, the truth is one of the most important abilities of any player is availability. That is the cold business side of the game, and of course it has to factor into any draft evaluation. None of us have a crystal ball, so Lewis might go out there the first play of his career and get injured again, or he might play the next decade without missing a rep. There’s no way to know for sure.

Since I have no interest in seeing his medical records, and because I generally hate talking about injuries, I’m just going to assume Lewis stays healthy as a pro. If he does, the sky really is the limit with this kid. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a college player with this much upside. I am damn near positive I’ve never done a breakdown with a guy whose ceiling was any higher.

I could easily spin Lewis missing so much time to injuries in college to there not being as many miles on his body. He really only played two seasons, and he’s still only 21. He already has a potent spin move to work as a counter off his speed rushes, so he’s ready to get on the field and get pressure early on his career.

That, ladies and gentlemen, gets me excited! Once you see him in the NFL, I think you will be excited too.

Lewis may be floating under the radar due to injuries and his mostly underwhelming statistics, but if he can just stay healthy, he could be the kind of NFL edge rusher offensive coordinators have to gameplan around. I have no idea how his injury history will affect where he’s drafted, but no matter when or where he goes, it’s all going to come down to his health.

If he can find a way to stay on the field, Lewis will be able to impact the outcome of games on an outsized level eventually. And if that happens, the barbershop debates over him and Young are going to be epic a few years down the road.

Rams rookie Terrell Lewis was a 5-star recruit out of Washington DC named "Terrell Hunt" in 2016. He is now as he was then an "absolute freak" but he is now as he was then also a major unknown. Here’s some of what we knew then and all of what we know now https://t.co/hgdjQMwH6p

— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) April 28, 2020

Two different fan views of Lewis.

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merlin

Lewis lasted on the board for a reason. It wasn’t just the injuries. He’s a high end talent, but his tape wasn’t dominant and he needs to work on his technique to maximize his ability. In the LSU game his best pressures were inside moves. On the outside moves both OTs handled him for the most part. He’s got a good amount of snaps where he disappears or lets guys seal him off without too much contesting it IMO.

I don’t like his balance either tbh. He’s stiff and his weight seems to stay up high which is not something you see with rare pass rushers. The rare guys can power through with good balance or they’re bendy and can shift their weight and he has neither really.

But the guy is a freak in terms of his physical gifts, and he has missed so much time on the field that the Rams probably felt “why not.” IMO if he develops into a top rusher for us it will be with technique coaching because of the above. He’s long with plus size so if he can get that technique down quickly I think he can be a very good OLB who fits the scheme who can get better and better. And I can’t complain where the Rams took him, it was good value if they can get the full effort without him getting injured.

LSURAM

Terrell Lewis

I have been watching a lot of rebroadcasts of college football games in particular games that include Rams’ draftees. I’ve watched a couple of Bama games from last season and watched Lewis. I came away with a general sense that Bama players are very disciplined and all where they need to be. That sometimes looks like they are waiting for someone else to make a play. Being around athletes that are returning from injury there tends to be some cautiousness the first year back. I think Lewis holds the edge quite well and the games I watched the teams tended to run opposite of him. That being said he had some plays where he could make a tackle for a loss or get pressure on the QB and I saw a different gear which was encouraging.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by zn.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/05/13/nfl-rams-terrell-lewis-draft-chris-shula/

defensive coordinator Brandon Staley clearly has a “type” when it comes to his outside linebackers, as both Floyd and Lewis stand 6-feet-5 with excellent length and size on the edge. They each boast plenty of athleticism, too.

Outside linebackers coach Chris Shula had some high praise for Lewis prior to the draft on a conference call, complimenting his athleticism and explosiveness.

“He’s just a rare blend of size and speed. Usually guys that are that big and long don’t have the explosive get-off that he has,” he said.

…

General manager Les Snead was also thrilled to come away with Lewis in the third round, and he had this to say about the Alabama product.

“It’s a bonus that this kid’s got that unbelievable, very unique first-step explosiveness,” he said. “Disrupt and kind of give those QBs – make it a tough day on offensive linemen.”

Rams Believe Healthy Dose of Draft Pick Terrell Lewis Will Improve Pass Rush

Gary Klein

https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2020-06-16/

In their quest for an edge-rushing presence, and to mitigate the loss of two dynamic players, the Rams selected Alabama’s Terrell Lewis in the third round of the NFL draft.

New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley intimated that the Rams got a potential steal.

“His talent is not indicative of where he was drafted,” Staley said during a video conference with reporters.

So far, Staley has only been able to evaluate Lewis in a virtual setting. The real test will come when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted enough for Rams players and coaches to finally get onto the field.

But Lewis looks the part of a top prospect.

At 6 feet 5 and 262 pounds, he adds size, speed and a potentially disruptive presence to a Rams pass rush that is led by star defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

“They told me how much they believe in me and my abilities,” Lewis said April 24, the day he was drafted. “They can’t wait to display it to every other team that passed up on me, and I can’t wait either.

“Just ready to get to work and make everybody else pay for the wait.”

Lewis is expected to help fill a void left by the departures of outside linebackers Dante Fowler and Clay Matthews.

Last season, Fowler recorded a career-best 11½ sacks. Matthews added eight for a team that finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons under coach Sean McVay.

After the season, McVay cut ties with veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and hired the 37-year-old Staley, an outside linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos the last three seasons.

In March, the Rams released Matthews, and Fowler left to sign a $45-million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Rams moved quickly to replace Fowler, signing edge rusher Leonard Floyd. The 2016 first-round pick had underperformed in four seasons with the Bears — he never had more than seven sacks in a season — but his background playing under Staley helped convince the Rams he was worth a one-year, $10-million prove-it contract.

A month later, after selecting running back Cam Akers and wide receiver Van Jefferson in the second round, the Rams chose Lewis.

On an Alabama team full of NFL prospects, Lewis was considered among the most talented, but injuries apparently affected his draft stock.
Lewis was sidelined 10 games during the 2017 season because of an upper-arm injury. He returned for the national championship game and had seven tackles and a key sack in the Crimson Tide’s 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia.

Lewis sat out all of the 2018 season because of a torn knee ligament. He played in 10 games last season and had 11½ tackles for lost yardage, six sacks and two pass breakups.

“He’s had some injuries, but I think they’ve been some freak instances,” McVay said. “You look at when this guy is able to play, he’s healthy, he’s ready to go.”
Lewis will compete to start opposite Floyd in the Rams’ hybrid 3-4 scheme.

Fourth-year pro Samson Ebukam, who has started 21 games, Obo Okoronkwo, Natrez Patrick, Justin Lawler and Jachai Polite are other outside linebackers who will compete for playing time.

Lewis joins a roster that also includes former Alabama defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson. The Rams signed Robinson in March after he played four seasons for the Detroit Lions. Robinson said he spoke to Lewis during return visits to Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2016 and 2017. He also called Lewis after the draft.

“He has the intensity, tenacity just to … tear things up,” Robinson said. “He really gets after it. He plays the game smart, and he does everything he’s supposed to do. And I feel he can get off that edge and be a burning thing off the edge.”

Lewis is looking forward to contributing to the Rams’ defense. Alabama, under coach Nick Saban, prepares players for the NFL, he said.
“I think we go through an NFL process in college,” he said. “When you get to the NFL, you know the game.”