Just a week from now, the 2024 NFL Draft will have concluded and everybody will most likely be proven wrong (even myself). However, that's not gonna stop us here at CheeseheadTV from writing; because you know what, every dog has his day. And I know a certain dog, one named Brian Willis Gutekunst better have a hell of a day and/or days come Thursday night. I don't give out this free chicken for nothin! Joseph's Gems is back one more time (or is it?) as we dig deep, into the depths of this 2024 Class and see where the real superstars of the NFL's future await.

Part V of the 2024 Gems Series covers Missouri Linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper. 

(I felt I owed you guys at least one LB)

Ty'Ron Hopper was born in North Carolina but played his football for Georgia powerhouse Roswell. Hopper was a 4-Star recruit across the board for ESPN, Rivals, and 24/7, hailed as the 4th best OLB Prospect in the country, besting others in the 2024 Draft Class such as JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau. He received too many offers to name, but the notables included Alabama, Miami, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Minnesota, West Virginia, and Georgia Tech. Wanting to be close to home I suspect but also wanting the opportunity to play for a premium school, it was a dead heat between South Carolina and Florida where he eventually committed. Unfortunately, my hometown Gators were a mess back then (and kinda still are). Not wanting to wait for Billy Napier to rebuild the program (I use that term lightly), Hopper bolted for the upstart Eliah Drinkwitz and the Tigers.

Ty'Ron is more in the mold of the modern linebacker for the pro game. He's got some length but not necessarily stocky. He's your run-and-chase/see-ball-get-ball kind of linebacker. He showcased sideline-to-sideline speed which gave him the ability to be rarely out of position to make a play. He has a high motor and will chase down even some of the more speedier WRs by taking smart angles to the football. His strength is more than functional, but plus offensive linemen will give him fits if they latch on to him. In the fray he occasionally gets lost (run & pass), which I think is probably from misdiagnosis, but that can be coached up. I hate that Mizzou did not give him many chances to rush the passer, but their defensive scheme does not play to the MLB getting after the QB. Hopper was tasked with dropping back into the to take away the intermediate middle, plugging the run, making sure the front seven didn't get stretched by flushing the play back inside, and spying on the QB just in case he wanted to roll the dice and leave the pocket. Of these three things, Hopper executed them to near perfection if you ask me.

Not the best tape, but it gives you an idea of how he plays the position:

Where does Hopper fall in this year's class? Whew! That's tough.  Let's say Texas A&M's Edgerrin Cooper and N.C. State's Payton Wilson are gridlocked at #1 and #2. I'm trusting the tape to allow Michigan's Junior Colson to be #3 (Which somewhat gives me pause). I love North Carolina's Cedric Gray, so he takes the #4 spot. While Jeremiah Trotter Jr has amazing instincts, he's too small for me and likely the Packers as well, so I would actually slot Hopper and Texas' Jaylan Ford right in front of him to round out the Top 7. There are too many names to even think about going past that number.

Is Tyron Hopper a Gem? I'm going to enjoy breaking him down. But just in case you're just joining us, what's a Gem?

Size - Adequate height and weight for the position (Within my parameters but with historical precedents, more on that later)

RAS - Must be able to compete at the NFL Level

Production - Gotta be a stat sheet stuffer. 

Competition - Power 5 vs Group of 5 vs FCS and below, it matters. 

Gems have to check at least 3 out of 4 of those boxes. If a player checks all 4, consider him SOLID GOLD as Certified by your favorite "GM-ologist" (Get it?)

Size

Hopper measured in at 6'2, 231lbs with 31 3/8th arms and 8 7/8th hands. Arm length could be better, but at 6'2 you're only going to get so much. Most might want him to put on more weight, and I imagine he probably will. Again, the modern-day linebackers aren't going to be masses of muscle anymore, just slightly bigger safeties. I don't want him to lose the explosion he does have so I probably wouldn't want him past 238-241. But he fits the new mold for an NFL linebacker. Check.

RAS

Ty'Ron did not test as great as his tape shows. But you see the explosion if nothing else. This is where the advanced metrics come into play, because you don't run down Georgia's Ladd McConkey on film and only can run 4.68. Maybe he needed a better team for draft prep. The bench is concerning, but the tape reveals that he occasionally has problems getting guys to the ground. His agility is concerning, but he was tasked with playing what was in front of him. Typically your average MLB is only just "good" or "okay" in agility testing anyway. What gives me hope for his selection is Gutekunst took Isaiah McDuffie who tested slightly worse than Hopper, and has turned out to be a contributor on Special Teams with the ability to rotate in occasionally on Defense as well. Hopper has more length and more explosion. However, the average threshold for Gutekunst has been 7.58, Hopper is just a bit off, unfortunately. No Check.

Production

It can be hard to characterize future MLBs as productive because they often are doing the "dirty work" while everyone else gets to have all the fun. In the 3 years of Hopper playing significant snaps he tallied 191 total tackles with 128 of them being solo...that's REAL effort/motor right there. Once again, night really asked to rush the passer, but was able to essentially average 3 sacks a year which was exclusively off the play breaking down and Hopper being able to slam the QB down before they could take off and run. His coverage stats were serviceable as well, with 2 pass breakups per year average and even getting his hands on an interception. Double Check.

Competition

Do I really need to get into this? It's the SEC. Hopper saw Georgia LSU, Tennessee, and Kentucky every year, and from his Florida days had to deal with Florida State twice, in addition to Oklahoma, Ohio State, Wake Forest, and Utah for non-conference opponents. For 2022 he was Top 5 in Solo Tackles and Tackles for Loss in the conference. He's proven he can hold up. Triple Check

Certification

Size? Check.

RAS? Nah.

Production? Check.

Competition? Check.

Based on my findings, Missouri's Ty'Ron Hopper is a Certified Gem who should be a priority selection on the back end of the 4th Round!!!!

Will the Packers be interested in Ty'Ron Hopper?

The Packers did bring in Ty'Ron Hopper for a "Not Top 30" Visit. While the RAS is concerning, the tape tells you not to worry about it. He needs to get stronger, and there are some intellectual concepts he needs to work on. I fully believe that Coach Haf won't ask or require too much of anyone in Year 1 of him calling the Defense, which should ease Hopper's transition to the pros. There's not a lot of Packer-esque LBs in this year's class, and just because the main guys fit doesn't mean Gutekunst has to drop the capital right then and there. This could be a case of maybe a guy like Hopper, Gray, and Ford get selected late and we just see who pans out. At the very least, I see Hopper as a Dime or some other sub-package LB where we need a guy who will keep the short stuff to minimal gains if not an incompletion or tackled in the backfield. I didn't speak on it but his ST Value should not be understated either. Lot of stuff to unpack here honestly, but I have some real hope for Hopper either way.

Thanks for checking out Gems Part V, let me know how you feel in the comments. But stay focused, the 2024 NFL Draft is almost upon us.

#GPG

UPDATE - The Packers selected Hopper with the 91st Overall Pick in the 2024 NFL Draft