You were wrong to say: Darius Leonard, LB
There is a misconception that Darius Leonard is one of the best linebackers in the NFL. I’m not going to fight that battle right now, but I would love to just point out that PFF had him as the 70th ranked off ball LB this week, he missed two tackles and allowed a completion every time he was targeted.
Anyway, that is neither here nor there. The point is that even if you do think he is a good LB, where does he fit on this roster?
If you think he is going to be the off ball, rangy linebacker that Jayon Brown is you have to know that you are getting about the same pass rush pressure either way based on the 2018 stats (maybe more from Brown) while losing some ability in coverage based off the one game we have seen this year.
I guess you could make the argument that he could fight for Evans spot, but neither in college nor in the NFL has he shown the ability to line up at EDGE and rush the passer on the line of scrimmage. You lose that versatility that made Evans so interesting. Also, Leonard isn’t quite as punishing as Evans when he gets a chance to put the helmet on a player.
So even if there is a slight upgrade opposite Brown it isn’t in the top-3 on my list.