Listen, I’m going to be honest with you guys. We’re almost a month removed from the 2021 NFL Draft, and while I concede to understanding the vision behind the Tennessee Titans selecting former Georgia Bulldogs stud linebacker Monty Rice, I still don’t quite think I’m ready to say I agree with the pick. For me, it’s just about the value – this was a guy that was way over-drafted while better values at wide receiver were on the board. That’s stuck in my craw. Like, I understand that the future is a little uncertain at inside linebacker beyond 2021, but you probably could’ve snagged the dude later in the draft. That’s all I’m saying.
Nonetheless, as big J journalists, we have to move on, put our opinions aside, and write about the dudes that are here. While I was scouring the internet for film, highlights, and scouting reports on Rice, I came across this little gem. This is from when Georgia played the Mississippi State Bulldogs back in 2017. It’s the final minute of the game. Georgia had kept Mississippi State out of the end zone for the entire game. Instead of resting on their laurels and riding the clock out, Georgia made a hell of a stand on the goal line to keep the Bulldogs from scoring a touchdown in the game at all. Key to this goal line stand was Rice making a hell of a run stop.
Monty Rice absolutely stuffing the run on the goal line to keep MS State from scoring at all in that 2017 game is cold as hell. pic.twitter.com/nixweqhlXv
— The Unofficial Titans Podcast (@TitansPod) May 5, 2021
Absolutely LOVE the look on Dan Mullen’s face here. That’s the face of a man who is completely helpless against this Georgia defense. Now, this is what you call football character, folks. This is undoubtedly part of the reason that Monty Rice was so high on the Titans’ list. I found him to be an athletic and instinctual linebacker, a guy who has a similar skillset to Rashaan Evans, or at least….what the Titans expected Evans to be despite a clear regression in 2020. But, the intangibles shown on this goal line stand are the types of things you just can’t coach. That’s taking pride in the defense you play. That’s saying “hey, let’s finish this thing out,” even though a Mississippi State touchdown would have done absolutely nothing to take away from Georgia’s defensive performance. That’s the competitive spirit of an assassin, and in case you didn’t know, assassins kill people. So, like…we’re talking a literal ‘life and death’ kind of competitiveness. That’s what Monty Rice will bring to training camp this summer. Time will tell if he was worth the over-draft.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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