Stephen Hodge

[Guest Aloysius]

Hodge is a Day 2 guy I'm really hoping the Browns consider drafting. The 6'0", 234 pound safety had one of the greatest bowl game performances I've ever seen in December, then put up some good to great times at the Combine last month. nfldraftscout has his 40 time at 4.58, but some clocked him as fast as 4.49.

 

From what I've heard, most teams that talked to Hodge at the Combine were interested in him as a 4-3 weakside linebacker, but others think he can play safety. Sobo has him at #6 on his safety rankings, just ahead of Mizzou's William Moore.

 

Either way, he's a guy who should be able to carve out a niche for himself in any defense. If he's good enough in coverage, we could play him at safety. If not, we could always find him a sub package role in which he could blitz (he notched 8 sacks his junior year) and cover smaller areas. His role would be similar to the hybrid S/cover LB role that the Pats were planning to carve out for Tank Williams before he got hurt.

 

And even if he doesn't play on defense, he'd be an asset for us on special teams. In the bowl game alone, he notched two special teams tackles.

 

Unfortunately, Hodge has some character baggage; Heck already filled in some of the details:

 

"Arrested in April 2007 for unlawful carrying of a weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm…case eventually dismissed. Police report said Henson had a handgun, then handed it to teammate Stephen Hodge who fired several rounds into the air."

Hopefully, it was an isolated incident and won't push him off ManKok's draft board. There's so much to his game that a coach looking to establish toughness on defense would love.

 

And here are some highlights from Hodge's great bowl game performance (he's #29). Just great, great stuff.

 

Bigger, higher quality clip here.

 

As of now, nfldraftscout has Hodge projected as late 6th/early 7th Round pick. I expect he'll go higher than that, but he'd be a tremendous value if we got him in the 6th.

 

Assuming the character issues aren't found to be serious, I'd love to see him in a Browns uniform next year.

[Guest Aloysius]

Here are some reports from the Texas vs. The Nation game and practices:

 

Monday:

Stephen Hodge (S/LB-TCU) - Hodge clearly loves to hit. He blew up Frank the Tank Summers, lowering the boom on a hit that resonated throughout the Sun Bowl, and he seemed to be lining up would be victims on most plays.

 

Tuesday:

Stephen Hodge (S/LB-TCU) - Hodge’s game is full of big hits and big plays, and he recorded an interception in 11 on 11s that got his teammates pumped up.

 

Game:

Stephen Hodge (S/LB-TCU) - Like Anderson, Hodge doesn’t fit in NFL defenses - playing with a linebacker’s mentality at safety, but being a little small for an LB and lacking the coverage skills of a defensive back. Still, he was always around the ball, and flew in like a hawk when he had the read on a play. Hodge impressed by blowing up a Brannan Southerland screen pass - giving the lead blockers nothing to hit - and by coming up to force an outside run back into traffic. If Hodge goes by the wayside like recent LB/S tweeners Darnell Bing and Ernest Shazor, it won’t be for a lack of aggressiveness.

[Guest Aloysius]

I'm telling you, folks - this guy's special.

 

 

 

 

[Guest mz.]

Don't tell us, tell Mangini

[heckofajobbrownie]

It's a tough call because we don't know the answer to the big question: can he cover?

[Guest Aloysius]

It's a tough call because we don't know the answer to the big question: can he cover?

Yeah, that's the issue. My sense is that he'd be best suited playing 4-3 Will; the guys at nfldraftscout compare him to Michael Boley, which makes a lot of sense.

 

Still, I think we'd be able to find him a role in our defense: both as an in the box/blitzing safety and as a cover LB. And even if he fails in those roles, he'll be a great special teams player.

[Guest Aloysius]

The Cowboys drafted Hodge in the 6th round with the plan of converting him into a 3-4 inside linebacker.

 

Really wish we'd drafted him. Maybe he isn't a perfect fit for Mangini's class of smart, high character players, but neither is Coye Francies.

[YtownBrownsBacker]

The Cowboys drafted Hodge in the 6th round with the plan of converting him into a 3-4 inside linebacker.

 

Really wish we'd drafted him. Maybe he isn't a perfect fit for Mangini's class of smart, high character players, but neither is Coye Francies.

 

Hodge is a pefect fit for the new hybrid (nickle) LB 3-4 teams are adding. Should end up as a big impact on special teams and fit much like Maiava will fit for the Browns.

[Oldcrow1945]

The Cowboys drafted Hodge in the 6th round with the plan of converting him into a 3-4 inside linebacker.

 

That article is hilarious........By the time the writer gets to the third paragragh he has Hodge playing all three LB positions!

 

"We are going to try and play him in the middle although the weakside is the usual side for a player like Hodge and he'll see time there. But we don't want to limit him to that. We want him to learn to play the strong side as well, even though he's never played any of them"....That's the article paraphrased.

 

Huh?

[Guest Aloysius]

Hodge is a pefect fit for the new hybrid (nickle) LB 3-4 teams are adding. Should end up as a big impact on special teams and fit much like Maiava will fit for the Browns.

Exactly. And it looks like he's making the transition quite smoothly.

 

Hodge is off to a good start. During a one-on-one drill, more or less an offensive drill in which the receiver holds the advantage, Hodge did not allow a completion.

 

“He had a shutout,” Phillips said. “He’s talented coverage-wise.”

And his LB coach pretty much loves him:

 

"The biggest thing with him is that he's so natural and instinctive in his drops. That's the thing that you're born with. The thing that sticks out with Hodge is he has excellent ball skills, and he has great space instincts. He has a great feel for coverage - when to speed up, when to slow down, when to break on the ball, when not to break on the ball. He has a great feel for routes and things for that nature. He's instinctive in coverage. Along with that, you have a kid that's bright-eyed, smart and competitive. ... We really think that early on - everything is all premature until we get pads on - but he has a chance to really fulfill a role as a great special teamer and maybe in our dime package. Therefore, while he's developing as a linebacker and learning a new position, he could have great value to this team. ... He's an excellent blitzer from the secondary, and that also is going to bode well with our dime package and sub, where we like to blitz our ILBs. ... He's 238, 5-11 or 6-foot. He's as big as Zach Thomas, and he's got great instincts in space and can run-hit. We'll see. Nobody thought Zach Thomas could play, either. (His size) doesn't concern me. I just like his great instincts."

I think this guy's going to be better than Maiava. And the Cowboys got him in the 6th round.