I think it's safe to say Mingo will never be a Von Miller as a pass rusher, but I think he can become elite defending the pass. With more coaching he can eventually be the answer to athletic tight ends. I don't think the kid is a complete bust, just not worth a top 10 pick.

Agreed. Mingo isn't a bust ala Aaron Curry but more like a Wimbley type bust.....turns out to be a decent player who wasn't great. Curry and the like are just aweful....don't see that with Mingo

Mingo had TWO sacks this season. That is unacceptable. He whiffed on a LOT of tackles. So he can't tackle very well. He takes bad lines. He has real trouble setting the edge. He isn't a force in the pass rush.... We took to calling him Bigfoot in the game threads as he's rarely seen. If we're going to keep running a 3-4 we NEED production from our linebackers. Linebackers DRIVE a 3-4 defense. Sheard is out of place at linebacker. So if we keep the 3-4 then we should trade Sheard. Mingo is NOT working out as a linebacker. So sit him or trade him. We need linebackers that KILL quarterbacks. That DESTROY running backs. That DRIVE the defense. We need a LOT of linebackers this off season. Or we need to switch to a 4-3.

And I would NOT cry if we hired ourselves a new DC.

I am willing to wait and see how he plays next year with 2 arms. I think that he played hard this year, and did the work to learn coverages well. I think that he can be effective in that role. I also think that he can be effective as a situational rusher. He won't be everything that people hoped or expected, but that doesn't mean that he can't become a really solid to above average pro.

If we're willing to accept mediocrity at the linebacker position then this defense will never be good let alone great. Mingo is a liability in the run game. He's not an effective pass rusher. So what if he can cover? He won't get the chance if teams run the ball right down our throats every week.

Keep him if we must, but for crying out loud draft us some KILLERS to start. Let Mingo come in off the bench once the game is in hand.... When he won't KILL us in the run game.

I don't question Mingo's effort or professionalism. He seems like he tries hard and is a good person.

As a result, I couldn't possibly list him in the same category as Manziel, Gordon, or Gilbert.

He obviously was playing injured and wasn't very effective, but I'm willing to bet he'll improve (at least slightly)

mingo is a bust. he was a bust when we drafted him and many scouting reports questioned his ability. He isn't strong enough to be in the NFL he also lacks the reaction time.

http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2012/12/barkevious-mingo-scouting-report.html

Overview:
Mingo is an athletic pass rusher who possesses some freakish ability in terms of pass rushing. – raw in the truest sense of the word.

Mingo relies solely on his athleticism, acceleration, flexibility and length to be a disruptive force in college football. He has a lot of work to do both in terms of getting stronger and learning how to play with the proper technique.

Early on Mingo would be unable to play on run downs, but in a pass oriented NFL the pass rush ability that Mingo can exhibit will be valued highly.

Mingo does possess some versatility, some see him as a 4-3 DE while others as a 3-4 OLB. Bruce Irvin was the 15th pick in the draft and Mingo if he develops properly has a much much higher ceiling in terms of overall ability.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2013/profiles/barkevious-mingo?id=2540140

Weaknesses
Very lean player, likely too thin in the hips to grow into an every-down defensive end. Needs to shed more consistently to prevent plays from getting outside of him. Long legs get in his way at times when trying to change directions quickly. Often gets too focused on scrapping with his blocker instead of getting his eyes in the backfield to find the ball. Did not progress in terms of pass rush moves during his career. Great player off the snap of the ball, but too often allows the offensive tackle to recover because he lacks a move to disengage.
NFL Comparison
DeMarcus Ware
Bottom Line
Mingo looks almost too lean to handle the physicality of NFL linemen, but has surprising strength to go along with the elite length and straight-line speed to rack up big sack numbers (he had eight in 2011) and track down ball carriers (15 tackles for loss) as a 3-4 rush linebacker at the next level. He is a boom-or-bust prospect. Mingo's production dropped as a junior, and he failed to show much overall growth in his game over the course of his career. However, KeKe flashed the talent and projectable skills to be a dominant NFL pass rusher, and a position switch will likely serve him well, as the LSU Tiger was too often asked to play in a tight alignment on the strong side in college -- a poor use of his strengths.

http://fftoolbox.scout.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?prospect_id=3334

One unique problem he has is that he is so quick off the edge that he will sometimes go after the quarterback recklessly, causing him to miss the big play. Against the run, he has a long way to go. He will require a year or two to add bulk to his frame and he will continue to fill out in his first few years in the league.

One tricky aspect of scouting Mingo is that LSU uses a rotation along their defensive line because of incredible depth. There's nothing on tape to suggest he lacks a motor or tenacity to his game though.

Mingo will likely begin his career as a pass-rush specialist as he transitions into the role of a 3-4 OLB. In particular, his tackling technique in open spaces will need refinement as well. These small criticisms take away attention from the overwhelming positives in his game.

Mingo projects as a Top 15 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.


http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2013bmingo.php

There is no doubt that Mingo has to play outside linebacker in the NFL regardless of it being in a 3-4 or 4-3 defense. He isn't strong enough to hold his ground against offensive linemen, and as a result there is no way he can hold up with his hand in the ground.

Last season, Mingo's run defense was a liability. Teams had success running straight at him. Offensive tackles pushed him off the ball and moved him out of his gap. They could ride him out of plays and keep him from having any impact. College offensive linemen who aren't NFL prospects were able to push Mingo around. It was ugly. Mingo disclosed that he played the 2012 season in the 230s, so he was poorly misfit as a defensive end. Still, Mingo's run defense at the point of attack needs to improve massively in the NFL.


Mingo needs to improve his pass-rushing moves to the inside and could use more work on a spin move. He is too reliant on a pure speed rush around the corner. In the NFL, he won't be able to beat tackles by racing them around the corner on every down.

My thoughts:

Mingo hasn't grown one bit in the NFL... I'd argue that he regressed a little.

J/C...

At least he never quit - ala The Trinity of Quit.

Could the team do better by upgrading, sure, but he's about problem #59 with the Browns right now.

He's a 24-year old millionaire, not a kid.

I always thought he looked like he was trying to dry hump defenders to the ground when tackling, just looks so odd even before the arm injury.

Mingo is so so... Only thing I hope that he improves on is making better reads... often times he over-pursues, especially against the run, and boom... he's out of position and the offense gets a huge gain.

Other than that.. he's a keeper.He can get to the QB. But a little of a liability against the run.

I think our concern should be focused on offense. Leave Mingo alone.

Mingo appears like he's playing on ice skates 90% of the time ... I hardly ever see him pursue the ball at 100% and tackle on impact ... it's like he has no coordination

Decide what he is, what he is good at, and coach him more. A pass rusher who gets called on to cover, can't stuff runs, chases plays, not great at anything. Make him play situationally, get him to change his game some more if he is to be kept. Gets out of position pretty regularly, going inside and offense owns the edge. Happened regularly.

Like him, but a liability.

Almost wonder if he wouldn't be better as a TE (or at least on a trial basis).

Get him out of a place where he has to decipher what to do and where to be and instead put him in a position where he gets to dictate what happens. Put that body size and athleticism to use.

Mingo looks a lot better playing contain on the edge and defending the run than he did earlier in the season.

I still don't think he's worth the 6th overall pick but he is by no means a bad player.

Keep him around and in the rotation, but still explore other OLB options in free agency and the draft...

If Kansas City franchise tags Justin Houston, I EASILY give up a 1st and 3rd for him. The odds of those picks even coming close to producing at the level Houston has is almost impossible.

If I'm KC I'm not giving up 22 sacks for the 12th pick and a 3rd...

I lock him up forever and et him lead my Defense as I fix my offense..

Only way KC keeps him is if he agrees to a contract extension. If they tag him, we can go after him.

I have been disappointed in Mingo this year. He just isn't dominant enough to warrant such a high pick.

With that said, the coaches seem to like him because he plays a ton of plays. He is on most defensive snaps and is in on a ton of special teams' plays.

I think the Browns are using him more as a solid player than a dynamic one. That doesn't justify his high draft status, but it sure beats the picks that were used on TRich, Weeden, Gilbert, Gordon, and Manziel.

Thank God for rookie contracts.

Mingo...all I can is wow with him...

I'll give Kudos to him for playing through a shoulder injury and he does have a really good motor...but...

Watch the kid and realize...before he is at the play, he is already having problems...the guy is always tripping over something or loosing his balance or coming at the play all wobbly...He tackles way too high, and everyone always breaks his tackle...he tries swinging on someone praying to make a tackle...when he pass rushes, he is often flung around or gets thrown onto the ground...he has really no moves...he just really takes himself out of many plays...by poor angles and no football strength...the gyu is someone whom should model football jerseys, but never really play on Sundays...He has had his entire college career and 2 full years in the NFL to develop (strength and refining skills) and still resembles a college freshman out there...

I do wonder how much/or if any better he would look and perform without that shoulder injury...we should see next year...

And to add Aaron Curry looked like a really good-very good LB his first couple years...he had a knee injury I believe and never recovered from it...lost his speed and tracking ability...that's why he failed

I really cant compare Mingo to anyone but Chaun Thompson...both looked like a freak with a jersey on, high cut bodies...but on the playing field were completely lost and ineffective...all speed, and no football IQ

Our offense is ranked 23 overall...ditto for our D...both need help as that's near the bottom for both

I'm willing to bet you can plug Ricky Sapp (whom has a similar build to Mingo, and is like a PS type of player) and have the same results...I see very little in Mingo...just seems when Mingo is on the field, it seems like we are only playing with 10 football players on defense.

Then why does he earn so much playing time from the coaches? He plays way more than Sheard.

I too was on the disappointed side until the Coaches praised him playing hurt and that the shoulder would not fully heal till he stops playing this season. Then when I watched him... I would nod my head and give the benefit of the doubt for the lack of an explosion of shoulder under the ball handler pads and finish the tackle.

Then I observed the last 3-4 games a little different Mingo.
1. His play improved in his angles on the run Coverage and also his pass rush. I thought no sack but he rushed the QB or got the QB out of the pocket.

2. The last couple of games he actually started to make complete tackles with wrap ups and get the runner to the ground.

3. Finally I saw some explosion from him...Sadly he got fined for his best explosive pass rush. But you can see there was no hesitation from the Shoulder injury.

I thought the final product I was seeing from Mingo shows promise. I posted negatives about him until I was convinced by the coaches how hard it was to play with his hurt shoulder...which if hurt truly is tough on a LB.

So yeah he still is a project. I think he can be a weapon in the future as all learn this D. Adding 10-15 pounds a season will not be easy but that would be the most to expect. Unless we are Steelers and take PEDs to hasten the process.

jmho

I agree with you EO. he couldn't play at full speed with a bum shoulder. Also, he couldn't get any stronger because he couldn't lift weights. I think with more reps and full health he will improve and get stronger.

In all honesty, defensively our OLB is the worst (our CB, Dline, even S and ILB depth seemed much better) I don't think Sheard fit our scheme too well...heck I'm not even sure he fits 3-4 defenses...seems like I always saw more of Mingo early in games and more of Sheard later in games? Sheard was essentially our main back up LB for a majority of the season...yet his stats were essentially better than Mingos...I think the scheme hurt both players both seemed lost much of the time...and I don't think either are very good players...though Mingo looked a lot better in the Atlanta game when he was let loose a little more

Just a personal observation, Mingo always had one of the smallest frames I've ever seen for any front-7 hybrid player in the NFL, and I've argued this since before he came into the league. He's not going to get bigger and stronger. His game was always speed, and his weakness was always strength and the ability to be physical. He's THE softest OLB/DE in the NFL today.

If he's ever going to be worth anything to this team, it's going to be moving towards the QB and beating people with quickness. He's never going to be anything but bad against the run, and because of that he's going to have to be a one-trick pony.

I'll gladly give him applause for not being a "bad apple" and for playing hurt all year. Conversely, I'm not at all optimistic he'll end up being anything but mediocre. If he's going to earn his keep the Browns simply must stop dropping him into coverage and find a way to get him going up-field. He's a waste of a player right now and is on the verge of no longer being a Brown if he doesn't make huge strides in his 3rd season.

Mingo has already surpassed my expectations in that he is adequate. He will never be a special player but he is what he is. He had absolutley no skill coming out of college. He was a 4th round talent.

I certainly don't consider 2 sacks to be "adequate." I consider that to be utter failure.

To be fair, he doesn't get to rush the passer much. They have him sealing the edge---where he did a much better job than Sheard did this year----and playing in pass coverage.

While I agree Mingo was better, they both were not very good... the questions I have are was it the scheme or did they vacate their point of responsibility improperly?

What's the proper rebuttal for the term "to be fair"?

To be more fair?

While I wouldn't agree he set the edge better than Sheard, I do fully agree he didn't get to rush the passer as much as last year, hence my statement the only way to get any value from him is to get him going upfield more. On that note, according to PFF, Mingo rushed the passer 119 fewer times compared to 2013 (217 times) and produced 3 fewer sacks.

The ratio of produced sacks compared to number of rushes doesn't paint a favorable picture. Now to be fair (there's that damned term again!) sacks aren't the true measure of a guys worth. I don't have the stats for number of pressures or QB hits so it's hard to truly and accurately paint how well he got to the QB, but I haven't seen him be able to be a real disruptor at all as a pro.

We typically agree more than disagree on players, but we view Mingo in two very different lights. I'd imagine the one thing we completely agree on is that they absolutely MUST find a way to get Mingo using his speed as a disruptor in the offensive backfield or he's a waste.

Teams don't draft guys #6 overall to drop into coverage.

I happen to have a belief, though I can't back it up with any empirical evidence, that they used him in coverage because they didn't believe he had more value coming upfield. I hope that's because of his shoulder and not because they don't believe in him at the LOS.

Right now he's following the career path of Phil Taylor, and that's very bad news for this team.

I was disappointed in Mingo's play this year, so we don't completely disagree. He was solid, but at number 6--you should be explosive.

I wouldn't compare him to Taylor because Mingo is not lazy. The guy is in supreme shape. He plays a lot of downs on the field and is in on special teams. He also played through injury. Taylor is lazy, is in terrible shape, is off the field even when healthy for a large percentage of plays, and has missed a lot of time because of injuries.

They both suck.

One just tries harder than the other.

One thing I always noticed about Phil Taylor...he plays better after the whistle then during the actual play...much like Lava did lol

'How Barkevious Mingo adapted to his new role with Cleveland Browns and what it means to his future'

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/12/barkevious_mingo_browns.html

By Tom Reed, Northeast Ohio Media Group on December 31, 2014 at 6:00 AM, updated December 31, 2014 at 6:08 AM

BEREA, Ohio – Barkevious Mingo did not play like a former No. 6 overall pick this season. He might never supply the production to justify that lofty status even with two good shoulders.

His statistics – 42 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery – don't suggest a significant impact on the Browns' defense.

But Mingo's season of sacrifice finished in stark contrast to the ones of this year's two first-round picks, Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel. It also was an improvement on his own performance from his rookie year despite what the numbers reflect.

Put another way, you're not going to find teammates or coaches criticizing his lack of effort or maturity.

The LSU product played hurt most of the season, saddled by a shoulder harness that made it difficult for him to use both arms. The outside linebacker also agreed to switch roles, spending more time dropping into coverage and tracking tight ends than rushing the passer.

The result: Mingo rushed the quarterback just 217 times -- a whopping reduction of 119 opportunities from a year ago according to ProFootballFocus.com – and he registered three fewer sacks.

In the bigger picture the Browns were much better against the pass finishing: first in opponent quarterback rating (74.1), second in interceptions (21), fourth in takeaways (29), eight in passing yards per game (224.5) and ninth in scoring defense (21.1 points).

Coach Mike Pettine recently addressed Mingo's selfless effort.

"He had a great attitude about it this year," Pettine said. "I know that the production wasn't necessarily there with him, but he made a lot of plays kind of behind the scenes where he caused production for other guys whether it was causing a quarterback to step up or keeping a quarterback hemmed in the pocket or covering a tight end . . . .

"He did a lot of those thankless jobs, and he did them well. He graded out well, at times. I just know everybody wants to just look at sack production, and for what we ask of him, that's not his primary job."

Cue the fan eye rolls. That hardly sounds like the job description of a top-10 pick. Mingo, 24, probably would be the first to agree.

But Pettine and defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil love to disguise coverages and confuse quarterbacks. Mingo used his athleticism and length (6-foot-4, 240 pounds) to help defend the pass game in ways he never envisioned.

"Up until last year I was going forward, hitting quarterbacks," he said. "That's what (the previous management team) brought me here for. It's what I enjoy doing. At some point I'd love to do it again.

"(But) I feel like I did a lot of growing, playing a new role this year. You're graded on production and from that standpoint it's not where I wanted to be overall. Playing wise, though, I thought I did a good job."

Browns inside linebacker Karlos Dansby said the mistake some young players make is never thinking they'll have to evolve. Dansby, 33, shed weight midway through his career to adjust to a game that forced him into more pass coverage.

"If you don't (change) with the league, you're going to be out of the league," he said. "It's just how the game goes.

"You've got to be able to make adjustments on the fly. There are a lot of young guys coming into this game nowadays, and they don't understand that . . . You've got to point them to it and get them closer to the reality of the situation."

Mingo knew in training camp 2014 would mark his most challenging season in football. Then, he injured his shoulder in the opening weeks and elected to play through the pain rather than "shut it down," Pettine said.

The linebacker should have a better idea later this week if he requires surgery. Mingo said he has full range of motion when he's not wearing the harness.

"He's been fighting it all year long," O'Neil said of the injury. "Like I said earlier in the season, he's been a warrior, but men play on Sunday."

Consistency remains an issue, Pettine said, but he thought Mingo played better as the season unfurled. The linebacker was more noticeable over the past five weeks than at any point since opening his career with sacks in three straight games.

In fairness to Mingo and the group that drafted him, none of the 2013 first-round edge rushers save for the Lions' Ziggy Ansah (No. 5 overall) have compiled good numbers. The Dolphins' Dion Jordan (No. 3 overall) has three sacks in 26 games

Mingo recognizes he must get stronger and finish more plays which his speed puts him in position to make. He ranked tied for third on the Browns with nine missed tackles.

A week ago, Mingo said he was anxious to discuss his future role with the coaching staff during exit interviews. You get a feeling the club is still searching for his identity within its defense.

The Browns (7-9) ranked tied for 27th with just 31 sacks. Will they give Mingo more pass-rush chances in 2015? They need a front-seven presence that puts fear into opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators.

Don't be surprised to see them address it through the draft. What would that mean for Mingo? All Pettine would says is he looks forward to getting No. 51 back next season healthy.

'I just think we have a better feel for him and his skill set," the coach said.

Browns fans should expect more from their first-round picks than role players. But in becoming more versatile Mingo took a step forward -- even as he spent much of it backpedaling.



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