The run game is less important in the NFL than ever before as the passing game continues to evolve. That said, it’s still part of the game and as offenses stock up and more athletic and versatile running backs, defenses need to respond with better athletes on their side of the ball as well.
Unfortunately for the Cleveland Browns, middle linebacker Joe Schobert is one of the weaker athletes at his position.
Based on on Schobert’s numbers from the 2016 scouting combine, here’s a look at how his measurables compare to other off-ball linebackers, via MockDraftable:
Due to his limited speed and change-of-direction ability, Schobert lacks the range necessary to play linebacker at a high level in today’s NFL.
In 2018, Schobert was used almost exclusively as an off-ball linebacker—this is extremely common for players in his role in today’s NFL, as the increased passing rate forces teams to be prepared for the pass on nearly every down. However, due to Schobert’s limited range, this role often leaves him in no-man’s land, unable to recover and make an impact play on the ball carrier once he diagnoses the run play.
To demonstrate Schobert’s lack of range, I charted all of his tackles versus the run in 2018. Here’s what his season looked like in heat map form:
As the heat map demonstrates, the overwhelming majority of Schobert’s tackles in the run game were made on rushes between the tackles after the running back gained a few yards.
Of Schobert’s 69 tackles in the run game, only eight were made at or behind the line of scrimmage (11.6 percent). That rate ranked as the eighth worst among linebackers with at least 50 run-game tackles, according to Pro Football Reference.
We can further evaluate Schobert’s performance with data from Sports Info Solutions (these overall tackle numbers will be slightly different, and probably more reliable than PFR’s which come from the unreliable tackle stats generated by teams). According to SIS, Schobert made 44 tackles on running plays and 34 (77.3 percent) were against runs classified as dive or power plays (typically runs up the middle).
Schobert’s role in the Browns defense dictates that he will have an elevated rate of tackles on plays up the middle, but even compared to his peers this is an extreme rate. No other linebacker with at least 35 run-game tackles had a higher rate than Schobert.
In other words, no one has a more limited range than Schobert.
Now that we’ve established Schobert’s inability to have a sideline-to-sideline impact on the game, we should also addressnz the issue of bringing the ball carrier to the ground. Not only does Schobert struggle to get in position to make plays, but once he’s there, he has a tendency to whiff.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Schobert’s missed tackle rate of 9.82 percent ranked dead last among linebackers with at least 50 tackles (tied with teammate Jamie Collins).
Those who defend Schobert’s role in the Browns defense will point to his success in coverage (there’s some truth to this, and I’ll addressnz this in another piece in the near future), but strictly based on his performance against the run, his long-term viability in the defense is a question mark. And with the ultra-athletic Lamar Jackson now taking up residence within the division, the Browns should seriously consider finding a more capable middle linebacker for the job of spying on Jackson twice per yer.
