- submitted by Long Ball, DOF

Should we sub-title this chapter “The Pretty Boys of the Big Uglies”?  Speed-demon pass rushers have been in great demand since the great Deacon Jones coined the term “sack” to define the tackle of a quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.  If you have ever watched film clips of Deacon Jones terrorizing quarterbacks, you would take issue with the definition “the tackle of a quarterback behind the line of scrimmage” – but that’s a topic for another post.

The defensive end position in a 4-3 alignment has evolved through the years – no longer is a tall, angular athlete that can block passes and play the run an absolute requirement.  Shorter, quicker players that can play the run with leverage and beat their much larger opponents (offensive tackles) with quick moves and speed rushes are also in demand.

And then we have the 3-4 Outside Linebacker (OLB) – first things first – just because a 4-3 DE is smaller than some of his counterparts and has a pretty good 40 time does not necessarily mean he can successfully make the transition.  Not only will a 3-4 OLB have pass rush responsibilities, but he must also be “fluid in the hips” to be able to run and cover backs in the flat, as well as short to intermediate passes.  He must also be able to utilize leverage in fighting off blocks standing up, as opposed to a 3 point stance.  Anticipation is another attribute that will be required to play the position.

The 2010 draft class is a study of contrasts:  there are defensive ends that can play in either the 4-3 or 3-4 alignment, there are defensive ends that are strictly 4-3 defensive ends, there are outside linebackers that are strictly 3-4 OLB’s and there are hybrids that can play either 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB.  As a result, arriving at an absolute ranking is difficult, if not impossible; therefore, I will rank the prospects in three categories (4-3 and 3-4 DE, 4-3 DE and 3-4 OLB) and allow the reader to project which prospect would best fulfill their team’s needs.

4-3 and 3-4 DE:  Carlos Dunlap (6’6”, 290 lbs) of Florida has drawn favorable comparisons to Mario Williams and may be the best combination of size, strength and speed in this draft class.  He utilizes his length well and has been a consistent performer in the SEC over the past two years.  His suspension from the SEC Championship Game due to a DUI has caused scouts to question his maturity – however, Long Ball isn’t so old as to not remember having a drink or two in college!

Corey Wooton (6’6”, 280 lbs) of Northwestern is explosive for his size and uses his hands extremely well to get to the corner.  Despite playing tall on the edge, he manages to maintain his leverage against running plays.  A leader on and off the field, has an excellent work ethic.

Alex Carrington (6’5”, 284 lbs) of Arkansas State had an exceptional Senior Bowl and moved up the board with his performance against offensive linemen from larger schools.  Does not possess the explosion of the first two prospects, but is “country-boy strong”, collapsing blocking schemes of offensive lines.

An underclassman (whose decision hacked off the old ball coach) that could be a gem in the rough is Clifton Geathers (6’7”, 281 lbs) of South Carolina.  His older brother Robert Geathers, Jr. left Georgia early and was a 4^th round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals, and his father Robert Sr. and uncle Jumpy also played in the NFL, so the genes may be working in his favor.

4-3 DE:  This section of the series is going to sound extremely negative, because each of the top 4 prospects fall short in the attributes necessary for a top-notch 4-3 DE.  I know I should look at the body of work instead of one game, but Derrick Morgan (6’4”, 272 lbs) of Georgia Tech was a non-factor against Iowa in the Orange Bowl.  He had no success against Bryan Bulaga (my #1 LT prospect), but was even handled by the red-shirt freshman RT Riley Reiff.  Morgan was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, but so were Chris Long and the late Gaines Adams and they struggled early in their respective NFL careers.

Everson Griffen (6’3”, 278 lbs) of USC may have to convert to a 3-4 OLB, as he does not hold up against the run.  He is a work-out warrior and will impress scouts at the Combine with his speed in the forty and weight-room reps; however, his weight-room strength does not translate to the field as he is inconsistent in ability to hold up at the point of attack.

The highest ceiling may well belong to Jason Pierre-Paul (6’6”, 265 lbs) of USF, as the former basketball player exhibits “freakish” athleticism.  He utilizes his speed and length well in pass-rush but will need to build strength to hold up to the rigors of the NFL game.  There are technique issues, as he loses balance and ends up on the ground far too often; nevertheless, there are DL coaches frothing at the mouth at the opportunity to “coach him up”.

I like Brandon Graham (6’1”, 263 lbs) of Michigan – and I really liked his MVP performance at the Senior Bowl.  He has a non-stop motor and finds a way to beat the man across from him.  Yes, he does not have ideal height – neither does Dwight Freeney – but he utilizes leverage about as well as any prospect I have graded.  He works fairly well in space, needs to work on his back-pedal, but might be able to play the 3-4 OLB like his former teammate, Lamarr Woodley.

A dark horse that caught my attention during the Senior Bowl was Austen Lane (6’6”, 267 lbs) from Murray State – he more than held his own against the offensive linemen from the larger schools.  He dominated Ohio Valley competition:  68 tackles, 22 for loss and 12 sacks his junior season and 64 tackles, 19.5 for loss and 11 sacks his senior season.  Lane will need to build up his strength in the pros, but possesses the athleticism and speed to start out as a situational pass-rusher (clocked a 4.58 forty and has a 35” vertical).

3-4 OLB:  As previously stated, Griffen and Graham have work to do in order to play OLB – Pierre-Paul may have the athleticism, but if he adds to his frame, he will most likely stay at DE.  Ricky Sapp (6’4”, 248 lbs) of Clemson and Sergio Kindle (6’4”, 255 lbs) of Texas are considered first round material at the position.  Sapp has the straight-line speed, already excels as a pass-rusher and drops into zone coverage well, with the balance and agility to redirect in space.  One concern – from a respected NFL scout “better athlete than football player”.  Kindle is not quite as fast as Sapp, but possesses excellent “football speed”.  Another natural athlete, Kindle defends the running game better than Sapp and displays the same pass-rushing skills.

Jerry Hughes (6’2”, 257 lbs) of TCU led the nation as a junior with 15 sacks and followed with 11.5 his senior season, although every team game-planned for his presence.  The former running back is fluid in space, having played in different areas in TCU’s 3-3-5 alignment.  Hughes will be good value in the second round.

Can lightning strike a couple more times?  A pair of pass-rushing teammates from the school that produced DeMarcus Ware entered this year’s draft:  Brandon Lang (6’4”, 260 lbs) and Cameron Sheffield (6’3”, 256 lbs) of Troy.  These players are raw, but disrupted offenses in the Sun Belt Conference and should be available in the mid to late rounds.

OK folks, I’m providing you all my smarts – now, it’s time for a test!  (You didn’t think we would go 4 chapters without me checking to see if you were paying attention, didja?)  I provided my choices for an offensive line made up of this year’s prospects – and if you’ve already forgotten, go back to the end of Chapter 2!  Your assignment is to prepare a 7 man defensive front from this year’s prospects to attack that offensive line and post it as a reply to this post.  And yes, you can utilize either a 4-3 or 3-4 alignment – sound like fun?  Let’s see what you got!

The Big Ugly Hisself,

Long Ball