Bears Show Interest in Mercilus.............

Inside the Bears



Bears interested in Illinois DE Whitney Mercilus

By Mark Potash on February 25, 2012 3:37 PM | 3 Comments | No TrackBacks




There are three podiums and eight round, eight-seat dinner tables for player interviews in the media center at the NFL Scouting Combine -- the podiums for the Andrew Lucks and Michael Floyds; the tables for the Isaiah Peads and Jake Bequettes.


Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus, a late-bloomer in college who is rising rapidly on the draft charts, literally transitioned from the lower group to the higher one on Saturday. His media interview started at a table. But when he was inundated by reporters and cameras, he was quickly escorted to a podium.


That's how quickly things have been happening for Mercilus. The 6-3, 260-pound Akron, Ohio native was a revelation during the college season. Coming in with just two starts in three years at Illinois, he led the nation with 16 sacks, tied an NCAA record with nine forced fumbles, had 22 1/2 tackles-for-loss and won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end.



He applied for an evaluation from the NFL advisory committee after that breakout season and was given a third-round grade. He entered the draft anyway and now is projected to go late in the first round and being compared to the New York Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul, who played one year of major-college football at South Florida and was drafted 15th overall in 2010.


When he was asked which teams had shown interest in him, Mercilus listed the ''Bears, Chargers, also the Bills'' -- in that order. Ourlads.com, a well-respected scouting web site, currently projects the Bears to select Mercilus with the 19th pick in the first round of the NFL draft.


It's the nature of the draft evaluation process that Mercilus' impressive performance at Illinois is actually a point of contention -- how did he go from two starts in the previous two seasons (after redshirting as a true freshman) to 16 sacks and 22 1/2 tackles-for-loss in one year?


''I just was able to put everything together,'' he said. ''I was still learning the game. I was still young. I was still a raw talent. I showed signs of life. Showed flashes in games at time, and I just finally put it all together.''


Mercilus' ability to force fumbles certainly has to interest the Bears and coach Lovie Smith. Bears defensive linemen combined for four forced fumbles last year -- three by Julius Peppers and one by Israel Idonije.


"I just have a knack for it,'' Mercilus said. ''I just time it up right. Throughout the game I was able to watch the quarterback's movements and just see him open up and then I just go in there and just knock it away as soon as I could."

Mercilus story similar to Pierre-Paul

Illinois defensive end had 16 sacks as a junior. Terry McCormick

Share
Print This February 25, 2012, 01:38 PM EST



296 Share
Email0

http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c191...c/hotsheet.png


INDIANAPOLIS _ Whitney Mercilus of Illinois has a story that is very similar to another young defensive end who entered the NFL Draft a couple of years ago.


Mercilus is the son of Haitian immigrants and freely admits that he still was learning the game early in his college career until he put things together with a 16-sack season as a junior for the Illini in 2011.


If Mercilus' tale sounds familiar, it is somewhat comparable to New York Giants star Jason Pierre-Paul, who arrived in New York as a first-round pick with only one season of Division I success under his belt. But during the Giants' run to the Super Bowl this season, Pierre-Paul emerged as perhaps their most dominant defender.


Asked about his success this year after just two sacks in two years at Illinois, Mercilu said, “I just was able to put everything together. I was still learning the game as a redshirt sophomore and redshirt freshman. Just last year, studying myself more and seeing what I do best, I just put it all together for last season, and I broke out last season.


“It was just due to hard work. That's all I have to credit it to. It just didn't happen. I made it happen.... I was still learning the game. I was young. I was a raw talent. I would show flashes in games at times and I was finally able to just put it all together.”


Mercilus is flattered by the comparisons to Pierre-Paul, and said he is ready for his hard work to pay off to help his parents who instilled the value of hard work into him.


“My parents are Haitian immigrants. I can't give you a dateline on when they came here or anything like that,” he said. “They worked for everything. They broke their backs for a number of years just to put food on the table for me and my brother and my sister and they instilled those values in us to just work hard and never give up on anything in life. Just keep pushing forward and you can do great things. And it definitely happened.”


Follow me on Twitter @TitanInsider247 and @terrymc13

Let me know when Whitney does 20 consecutive backflips like JPP. Perry is not only the more proven prospect and more flexible athlete, but also has the same huge upside. Given the choice between the two, I take Nick every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

No matter how good he works out at the Combine I believe Mercilus is another of those "athlete types" that Lovie always seems so enamored with. He's had one productive year, albeit very productive, but I think that' where the comparison to Pierre-Paul stops. Well that and immigrant Haitian parents.

JPP is just about the size of Pep at 6'5" and 280 lbs whereas Mercilus is only 6'3" and 260 lbs or about the size of Osi or Cliff Avril. It's not that guys those guy aren't great pass rushers but they don't dominate like Pep does and JPP is beginning to do as he matures.

We definitely need another pass rusher but Mercilus seems to me like a big gamble at #19. No question that he's fast and athletic but without good technique athleticism will only get you so far in the NFL. You can win at the college level that way but not always in the pro. Marinelli is a good teacher and I have no doubt he could make him better but spending a pick that high on him seems to big a risk.

I look at him somewhat like I did Paea last year. I wanted the guy but not more than an OT and not in the first round. It's somewhat the same here very late in the first or somewhere in the top of two he may fit but I think he's too big a risk at #19. JMHO.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

Let me know when Whitney does 20 consecutive backflips like JPP. Perry is not only the more proven prospect and more flexible athlete, but also has the same huge upside. Given the choice between the two, I take Nick every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

---

No doubt but chances of him lasting until #19 aren't all that good unless for some reason Ingram shoots back up into the top 20. You can see what I wrote in my opinion about Mercilus. It's a nice human interest story about how the sons of Haitian immigrants are about to make good but to me that's about where the comparison stops. That and the fact that they both play DE.

Yeah, I don't see him still there at 19

I hope we get a DE. Mercilus would be the guy I hope we get tbh

Great player but i pray Floyd slips to us at 19.

This is what I find so interesting this time of the year. Here's an article from the SunTimes saying that Mercilus is rising up the boards and that Ourlads now has him going to the Bears at #19. Conversely the NFP had him going at #32 to the Giants but now has him losing ground into the 2nd round with guys like Jared Crick. Vinny Curry, Cam Johnson and Fletcher Cox surpassing him. NFP has him ranked #88 overall which would say 2nd round pick. Somebody is gonna be wrong.

Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus shooting up charts

BY MARK POTASH mpotash@suntimes.com February 28, 2012 10:00PM


http://www.suntimes.com/csp/cms/site...YPE=image/jpeg The Bears are interested in Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus, who has a knack for forcing fumbles. | AP





Updated: February 29, 2012 2:16AM


INDIANAPOLIS — There are three podiums and eight round, 10-seat dinner tables for player interviews in the NFL Scouting Combine media center at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis — the podiums for the Andrew Lucks and Michael Floyds, the tables for the Isaiah Peads and Jake Bequettes.


Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus, a late bloomer in college who’s rising rapidly on the draft charts, literally transitioned from the lower group to the higher one in an instant last week. His media interview started at a table. But when he was inundated by reporters and cameras, he was quickly escorted to a podium.


That’s how quickly things have been happening for Mercilus. The 6-3, 260-pound Akron, Ohio, native was a revelation during the college season. Coming in with only two starts in three years at Illinois, he led the nation with 16 sacks, tied an NCAA record with nine forced fumbles, had 221/2 tackles for loss and won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end.


He applied for an evaluation from the NFL advisory committee after the breakout season and was given a third-round grade. He entered the draft anyway and now is projected to go late in the first round and is being compared to the Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul, who played one year of major-college football at South Florida and was drafted 15th overall in 2010. (I hate to say it but this may be one of those instances where a player is way too over-hyped in the press. Drawing parallels to JPP is unfair to both guys. The only real parallel is that they're of Haitian descent.)


When he was asked which teams had shown interest in him, Mercilus listed the ‘‘Bears, Chargers, also the Bills’’ — in that order. Ourlads.com, a well-respected scouting website, projects the Bears to select Mercilus with the 19th pick in the first round.


‘‘Mercilus is a speed rusher with excellent athletic ability,’’ one NFL scout said. ‘‘The question [is], will he be a one-year wonder or an up-and-comer? He could be productive as a 3-4 outside linebacker or a 4-3 edge guy.’’

With Israel Idonije a free agent — and coming off a five-sack season playing opposite double- and triple-teamed Pro Bowler Julius Peppers — a defensive end could be high on the Bears’ priority list. (That is the $64,000 question isn't it. Taking guys like Mercilus high in the 1st is a huge risk. Good pass rushers aren't a place to go cheap on. I'd rather sign MWill as a sure thing than risk it in the draft on Mercilus unless we got him somewhere after the #19 pick)


It’s the nature of the draft-evaluation process that Mercilus’ impressive performance at Illinois is actually a point of contention — how did he go from two starts in the previous two seasons (after redshirting as a true freshman) to 16 sacks and 221/2 tackles for loss in one year?


‘‘I just was able to put everything together,’’ he said. ‘‘I was still learning the game. I was still young. I was still a raw talent. I showed signs of life, showed flashes in games at times and I just finally put it all together.’’ (Well of course that's what you'll say and maybe that's true but then again maybe you just finally busted your ass for one year in order to make yourself a high draft pick. To me there's something suspicious about the NFL Advisory Committee giving him a 3rd round grade and his now being ranked as a mid 1st round choice. He's a guy you have to do a lot of homework on to see what you've really got)


Mercilus’ ability to force fumbles certainly has to interest the Bears and coach Lovie Smith. Bears defensive linemen combined for four forced fumbles last year — three by Peppers and one by Idonije. “I just have a knack for it,’’ Mercilus said. ‘‘I just time it up right. Throughout the game, I was able to watch the quarterback’s movements and just see him open up, then I just go in there and knock it away as soon as I could.”


Mercilus’ 4.68 time in the 40-yard dash was fourth among defensive ends at the combine. ‘‘I have a good first step,’’ Mercilus said when asked what makes him a good pass rusher. ‘‘And I’m able to wear out players, too. I have a never-ending motor, and I keep going [in] the fourth quarter until somebody is dog-tired and take advantage of them.’’ (To me this would be a real positive to add to his rather impressive physical skills. I'll trust Emery's judgement on this guy. I have a feeling he'll have a book on this guy many pages thick)

Absolutely love the non-stop motor bit, always good to hear. As far as drafting him, he could turn out to be a beast of a player.. however I feel like we need to nail these early picks and I'm always weary of one year producers. Will be interesting to see how FA plays out because that'll be the key to how we use our first rounder.*