Were we really a "good defense" last season? When it came to PPG, yea we were, but pass D is what killed us. Also, not being able to cover TEs killed us(have always killed us for a long time. Foote also got exposed from this). Something Kendricks is great at. He's also a good run defender(something Shaq Thompson is not very good at. Shaq does nothing better than Kendricks). Is he short for an ILB? Sure, he is, but so are division rivals Bobby Wagner & Navarro Bowman. Kendricks plays bigger than he is. Him & Dawson are the only ILBs worth a first round pick, IMO. We can't trust D.Wash & Weatherspoon is coming off of 2 big injuries. Minter has been a disappointment too.
If Kevin Johnson & Marcus Peters are off the board, then I would be ecstatic with this pick.