Good Defensive Line Crop This Year................
April 23, 2012 Deep crop of defensive linemen available in draft
By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 4/23/2012 9:46 AM
The following is the sixth of eight position previews in advance of the April 26-28 NFL Draft.
With an abundance of run stuffers and pass rushers available, many NFL analysts believe that defensive linemen could account for nearly one-third of the first-round picks in the draft.
LSU’s Michael Brockers, Mississippi State’s Fletcher Cox and Memphis’ Dontari Poe are widely considered the top tackles.
Brockers is a mammoth third-year sophomore who recorded 54 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss and two sacks in 14 games last season in his only year as a starter at LSU. The 6-5, 322-pounder also had one interception, one forced fumble and a blocked kick in the BCS championship game.
Pro Football Weekly’s 2012 Draft Preview describes Brockers as a “wet-behind-the-ears, extremely long-armed, gigantic plugger capable of stacking the inside or outside in an even or odd front.” The publication also notes that Brockers who could endure an adjustment period due to inexperience and immaturity.
Cox was a three-year contributor and two-year starter at Mississippi State, where he generated 56 tackles, 14½ tackles-for-loss, five sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery last year as a junior.
Dontari Poe
Predicting that Cox quickly could emerge as a Pro Bowl performer, PFW labels the 6-4, 298-pounder as a “strong, long, quick, athletic, powerful disruptive force who really came on late as a junior and possesses the position and scheme versatility to warrant top-10 consideration.”
Poe started all 12 games last season as a junior at Memphis, compiling 33 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss and one sack. He displayed freakish athletic ability at the Combine, bench-pressing 225 pounds 44 times to lead all participants and running a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash while weighing 346 pounds.
PFW calls Poe a “rare physical specimen capable of playing any type of scheme, but [he] would be most ideally suited on the nose in a 3-4 front.” The publication also notes that he “still needs to learn how to play the game, but [his] upside is off the charts and [he] easily could draw top-10 consideration.”
The consensus top ends in the draft are North Carolina’s Quinton Coples, Syracuse’s Chandler Jones, South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram and Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus.
Coples was a two-year starter at North Carolina, where he registered 59 tackles, 15½ tackles-for-loss and 10 sacks in 2010 and 55 tackles, 15 tackles-for-loss and 7½ sacks in 2011.
PFW describes the 6-6, 284-pounder as “a top-10 physical talent who lacks the heart, desire and glass-eating makeup desired in the trenches and must ratchet up the intensity if he wants to play against the big boys in the pros.”
Jones recorded 38 tackles, 7½ tackles-for-loss and 4½ sacks while missing five games last year as a junior at Syracuse with a knee injury he suffered in the season opener. PFW calls the 6-5, 266-pounder a “highly athletic, vine-armed, havoc-wreaking pass rusher with rare dimensions and a developing frame to fill out and become a pass-rushing force.”
Ingram generated 48 tackles, 15 tackles-for-loss and 10 sacks last year in his lone season as a starter at South Carolina. He scored three touchdowns in 2011, including a 68-yard run on a fake punt. PFW reports that the 6-1½, 264-pounder is a “unique athlete scattered across multiple positions on NFL draft boards, with the potential to line up on the edge or inside, where much of his production comes.” The publication also states that he “emerged as a playmaking force as a senior and will be best schemed rushing the passer.”
Mercilus also was a one-year starter at Illinois, where he compiled monster numbers in 2011. The 6-4, 254-pounder won the Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end after leading the country with 16 sacks and nine forced fumbles and topping the Big Ten with 22½ tackles-for-loss.
PFW describes Mercilus as a “very raw, straight-linish, speed/effort pass rusher who might have to be used in [a] specialty role initially before he is ready to handle three-down responsibility.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicts that nine defensive linemen will be selected in the first round: Ingram (No. 7 to Jacksonville), Poe (No. 9 to Carolina), Coples (No. 12 to Seattle), Cox (No. 15 to Philadelphia), Jones (No. 18 to San Diego), Mercilus (No. 19 to the Bears), Brockers (No. 25 to Denver), USC end Nick Perry (28th to Green Bay) and Cincinnati tackle Derek Wolfe (No. 31 to New England).
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This is a good thing since we need help at both DE and DT and it looks like we should be able to get in in the early rounds. It's nice to see the depth at DT since it means some good players will get pushed farther down into rounds two and three than may ordinarily have happened.
The guy who has me stumped is Chandler Jones. This kid seems to have come out of nowhere and climbed into the middle of the first round. Maycock has him rated as the #9 best overall player in the draft more than 20 spaces ahead of even Coples and Mercilus yet NFP had him rated as the #141 player in their rankings. I realize that may be too low the way he's seen now but how do you go from there to #9?????
Lovie has had a good look at both Jones and Mercilus but I haven't heard of any direct interest they've expressed in Coples. Does that mean there is no interest or that they've already seen all they need to see?
I'd love a draft that is heavy on lineman early on. If we can get our DE in one and then shoot for and OG/OT combination in rounds two and three, in either order, I think we'll have done well. The way the WR position stacks up we can still get a good player in the 4th (or a TE for those of you who still think we have a need).
I'm hoping we can find some help at Safety somewhere in the middle rounds too. We're still at least one man short back there and another LB would be nice. Maybe the kid from Florida State that Benji posted about is a fit, or one like him, that we can still get somewhere between four and six.
It's gonna be an interesting weekend. Much harder to predict than last year.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesMemphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe could be available when the Bears pick at No. 19.
Depth at defensive tackle took a major hit for the Chicago Bears with the departure in free agency of Amobi Okoye and the decision to release veteran Anthony Adams.
Outside of starters Henry Melton and Matt Toeaina, rising second-year man Stephen Paea is the only defensive tackle on the roster with experience, meaning this is likely a position the Bears would look to address in the NFL draft.
Interestingly, it’s believed the Bears haven’t used any of their NFL-allotted 30 pre-draft visits to host any defensive tackle prospects. The inactivity with potential prospects at the position could be viewed as one of the many smokescreens teams perpetuate in the days leading up to the draft.
The Bears relied on a rotation of five players -- Melton, Toeina, Okoye, Paea and Adams -- last season at defensive tackle, and that group combined for 13 sacks, including four from Okoye to rank No. 2 among the defensive tackles. Bears coach Lovie Smith spoke of wanting to improve the pass rush at the NFL combine.
That can’t be accomplished by simply adding to the workload of Paea, a second-round pick in 2011, who was inactive last season for the first five games. So look for the Bears to try to add an interior either through the draft or with undrafted rookies. The Bears will also look for more significant contributions from some of the young players on the current roster such as Jordan Miller.
“Everything needs to be ramped up,” Smith said. “But I like some of the things we were able to do on the defensive line [in 2011].”
The next 10: 11. Billy Winn, Boise State, 6-5, 295; 12. Jaye Howard, Florida, 6-3, 301; 13. Josh Chapman, Alabama, 6-1, 316; 14. DaJohn Harris, Southern California, 6-3, 306; 15. Hebron Fangupo, Brigham Young, 6-1, 323; 16. Mike Daniels, Iowa, 6-1, 290; 17. Rennie Moore, Clemson, 6-3, 270; 18. Markus Kuhn, North Carolina State, 6-5, 299; 19. Travian Robertson, South Carolina, 6-4, 302; 20. Marcus Fortson, Miami, 6-1, 301.
Position grade: A.
Analysis: This year’s class contains several strong interior pass rushers, which is somewhat of an anomaly. One of the hallmarks of Chicago’s system is the pass-rushing defensive tackle, and a player such as Poe, who possesses freakish athleticism, could be available at No. 19. A player like Iowa’s Mike Daniels could be a later-round consideration. At the very least, the Bears need to add depth at defensive tackle because of the departures of Okoye and Anderson.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesMemphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe could be available when the Bears pick at No. 19.
Depth at defensive tackle took a major hit for the Chicago Bears with the departure in free agency of Amobi Okoye and the decision to release veteran Anthony Adams.
Outside of starters Henry Melton and Matt Toeaina, rising second-year man Stephen Paea is the only defensive tackle on the roster with experience, meaning this is likely a position the Bears would look to address in the NFL draft.
Interestingly, it’s believed the Bears haven’t used any of their NFL-allotted 30 pre-draft visits to host any defensive tackle prospects. The inactivity with potential prospects at the position could be viewed as one of the many smokescreens teams perpetuate in the days leading up to the draft.
The Bears relied on a rotation of five players -- Melton, Toeina, Okoye, Paea and Adams -- last season at defensive tackle, and that group combined for 13 sacks, including four from Okoye to rank No. 2 among the defensive tackles. Bears coach Lovie Smith spoke of wanting to improve the pass rush at the NFL combine.
That can’t be accomplished by simply adding to the workload of Paea, a second-round pick in 2011, who was inactive last season for the first five games. So look for the Bears to try to add an interior either through the draft or with undrafted rookies. The Bears will also look for more significant contributions from some of the young players on the current roster such as Jordan Miller.
“Everything needs to be ramped up,” Smith said. “But I like some of the things we were able to do on the defensive line [in 2011].”
The next 10: 11. Billy Winn, Boise State, 6-5, 295; 12. Jaye Howard, Florida, 6-3, 301; 13. Josh Chapman, Alabama, 6-1, 316; 14. DaJohn Harris, Southern California, 6-3, 306; 15. Hebron Fangupo, Brigham Young, 6-1, 323; 16. Mike Daniels, Iowa, 6-1, 290; 17. Rennie Moore, Clemson, 6-3, 270; 18. Markus Kuhn, North Carolina State, 6-5, 299; 19. Travian Robertson, South Carolina, 6-4, 302; 20. Marcus Fortson, Miami, 6-1, 301.
Position grade: A.
Analysis: This year’s class contains several strong interior pass rushers, which is somewhat of an anomaly. One of the hallmarks of Chicago’s system is the pass-rushing defensive tackle, and a player such as Poe, who possesses freakish athleticism, could be available at No. 19. A player like Iowa’s Mike Daniels could be a later-round consideration. At the very least, the Bears need to add depth at defensive tackle because of the departures of Okoye and Anderson.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Until the last few weeks, Shea McClellin had been ignored by the draftniks. What the draftniks didn’t know is McClellin has been high on most team’s draft boards since the middle of last season. The so-called “experts” were looking at him as a mid-round pick when the truth is it will be a surprise if he doesn’t get drafted in the first round.
McClellin was a 2-star recruit in 2007. He redshirted his first year then played as a backup in 2008. He has been a starter at DE/OLB the last 3 years. This year he finished the season with 50 total tackles and 7 sacks and finished his career with 20.5 sacks.
McClellin was clearly the dominant player on Boise State’s defense. He lined up all over. He played on his feet as a 3-4 outside linebacker, down as a 4-3 defensive end (both right and left sides) and even some inside linebacker. He has good size at 6033 and 260 with 4.66 speed. While he didn’t show top strength at the combine with 19 reps he plays strong and can be explosive. When playing down, he gets off the ball very quickly. He has good hand use and does a very good job keeping blockers off his body. He moves very quickly laterally and easily clears piles. He has top instincts and is very quick to find the ball. He can be disruptive versus the run and is a very good pass rusher. He has the quick first step to get by his opponent and can dip his shoulder and get under blockers. He also does a good job with counter moves. He is an excellent pursuit player and it is not unusual to see him run a play down from the backside. He is a very good tackler. I don’t think I saw a missed tackle in four games viewed. When playing on his feet he shows equal pass rush skills. He also is used some in coverage usually dropping into the short flat zones. He shows good awareness in coverage and can plant and drive on the receiver once the ball is thrown. On tape you only see him in zone coverage so I was unable to grade man cover skills.
Overall, McClellin can be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 or a defensive end in some 4-3 schemes. Some of the 4-3 schemes where he fits are Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and Minnesota. I have heard some compare McClellin to Green Bay’s Clay Matthews. I don’t see that. Matthews is more explosive with a bit more speed and quickness. Still they have similar type games. Look for McClellin to be drafted in bottom third of the first round come Thursday night. He easily has the ability to be a solid starter as a rookie.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Just like Shea McClellin, who I wrote about yesterday, a prospect who has picked up a lot of momentum lately is defensive end Chandler Jones of Syracuse.
Jones is a 4th-year junior who redshirted in 2008, started some games but played mainly as a backup in 2009 and has been a fulltime starter the last 2 years at defensive end in a 3-man front.
Out of high school, Jones was a 2-star recruit who had offers from some Big East and MAC schools. He chose Syracuse because he is a central New York kid and his brother played for the Orange. His brother Arthur was a defensive tackle at Syracuse and now plays for Baltimore.
Jones is the type of player who got better every year. In 2009 he had 52 total tackles and 1.5 sacks, in 2010 he had 57 tackles and 4 sacks and then in 2011 playing in only 7 games he had 38 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He injured his knee in the season opener and missed the next 5 games.(the Bears seems interested in this kid but is there an injury concern? He came back to finish the season but............)
Jones has excellent DE size measuring 6053 and 266 with a frame that can easily hold more weight. He has great length with 35.5” arms. He doesn’t have great speed (4.8) but he is very quick for 10 yards and his agility is a good as any defensive end in the draft. He is also explosive with a 35” vertical jump and a 10’ long jump.
Jones has very good snap reaction and initial quickness. With his long arms he seldom lets his opponent into his body and for an underclassman he has good hand use. While his sack numbers for 7 games is above average, he gets a lot of pressures and hits on the quarterback. He also has a knack for getting his hands up and batting down passes. In the Pittsburgh game he got an interception by getting his hands up quickly. He shows a variety of moves when pass rushing, he can beat his man with speed to the outside, can use a counter move and come back inside and he can bull rush. He plays with good bend and stays low when charging. As a run defender, he is instinctive and quick to react. He finds the ball and makes plays. He shows strength and power at the point and is able to shed blocks quickly to get to the ball. I like his motor; he plays aggressively and consistently chases the ball. He is a very reliable tackler.
Overall, I’m hearing that some 3-4 teams see him as an OLB. I don’t see the suddenness they would want the player to have in coverage. I see him more as a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive end. If he is drafted by a 3-4 team, he will need to bulk up some to be a consistent 5-technique player. Though he played on the right side at Syracuse he is a better fit to play on the left side in the NFL. One thing is certain: this is a player with a lot of upside. He is young and is only going to get better. Look for Jones to get drafted somewhere between 12 and 22 on Thursday night.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Before reading this review by Gabriel I couldn't understand what the Bears may have seen in this kid as far as a first round pick goes and why Mike Maycock has him ranked so high. Now I'm beginning to get it.
He may not have the physical tools of Coples yet but the potential to build on is there and he also doesn't have the rap of not being a 100% guy all the time either. In comparison to Mercilus he's not as fast or maybe not as natural at rushing the passer right now but the potential of improvement is there. It's hard to compare their 2011 stats when Jones missed 5 games but he projects to possibly having 8-10 or more if he plays all we games. He got 4.5 in the last 7 coming off a knee injury.
Two things get my interest up. One, he a more sophisticated rusher at this point in his career. Gabriel says he can beat his man off the edge, counter move and bull rush whereas Mercilus is far more of a speed of the edge guy right now. The other is that he would seem to be a better run defender than Mercilus as well. Better at handling blocking at the point of attack and an ability to chase from the backside like Pep.
He's also bigger than Mercilus and according to Gabriel he can handle more weight without it affecting his play. This is a guy who can grow to Colpes size at about 280lbs and is roughly the same height and with a similar wingspan and a good vertical. What I see is a guy more suited to play LDE across from Pep day one. He looks like a younger and potentially better version of Izzy and right now LDE is where we need another guy.
Guys, I gotta throw this kid's name in that hat too. My guess is that if Coples doesn't fall he's the next best thing to him. Or if Seattle decides to take Mercilus instead of Coples as some project then we may have a choice between Jones and Coples at #19. Anyway you look at it there are now three possibilities for a good 4-3 DE and even a fourth if we include Perry in the mix.
I'm gonna take a stab at guessing Seattle won't pass on Coples. Just too much physical force to be had and Pete Carroll is another very good defensive HC. So at the end of the teens there sits Jones and Mercilus with San Diego sitting in front of us at #18 who Kiper says may also want a DE. We may end up with whichever they don't take at #19. If you recall they took Corey Liuget last year so they have some knowledge of Mercilus I'm sure.
After reading this and knowing what we all know about Mercilus and Coples if you could take any of these three who would it be?
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Thanks for that great breakdown and thanks to Windy for highlighting CJones beforehand. I'm really encouraged reading all this that we are gonna get a really good DE prospect since it now looks like there's 4 players who are legit 4-3, 1st round contenders.
Well, soul, it seems as if Chandler Jones is more of a work in progress than either Mercilus or Coples. Coples' biggest issues, his motor, have been well-documented, and because of that problem, his stats suffered during his senior year at North Carolina. Meanwhile, out of nowhere, comes Whitney Mercilus in 2011, who amasses the unheard of total of 16.5 sacks at the college level, which, remember, is only at most a fourteen game season depending on whether or not that player's team makes it all the way to both a conference championship game and a bowl. Mercilus amassed his impressive sack total in thirteen games last season because the University of Illinois made it to a bowl game.
So basically what we have is this: Chandler Jones is someone who people think might be good and, in the words of Greg Gabriel, is still a work in progress despite him being projected as going anywhere in the draft between picks twelve and twenty-fwo. Then there's Coples, who Mike Mayock has openly admitted that he thinks could be a bust due to his lackadaisical attitude toward the game itself. Finally, there is Mercilus, who put up the best numbers of all three players in his final season at Illinois playing in a superior conference (Big Ten) than both Coples (ACC) and Jones (Big East). To me, it's a no brainer. You take the safest bet there is, and to me, that's Mercilus. Mercilus will get bigger and stronger with help from our training staff, will learn techniques from Rod Marinelli, and we know he's a beast out on the gridiron. He's the one we should strongly consider taking in the first round.
So Dags, if Mercilus isn't on the board and it comes down to Coples and Jones who do you take?
I think you may have misread me about Jones. As a top pass rusher he may still be a WIP, or not. According to Gabriel he may actually be more advanced in his moves and his ability to bull rush than Mercilus and more prepared to play LDE and hold up against the run. College stats don't tell us all but at least they're comparative so long as players play against relatively equal levels of competition.
Mercilus stayed healthy and had 16.5 sacks in 12 games. Jones had 4.5 in 7 games after coming back from a knee injury. If he had been healthy for all 12 games his sack totals may have been 8-10 or more. The other factor to consider is his size. Mercilus struggles to keep 260lbs on him and he's about 6'3". Jones goes over 6'5" and Gabriel feels he can play above his current 266bs. Maybe as high as 280lbs which would put him in the range of guys like Coples and Pep.
Mercilus will never be 6'5" plus and it's pretty doubtful his frame could carry much more than 260-265lbs if he can even keep that much on. Jones = Coples with a little less college productivity but a better motor and a bit less size.
I'm just tossin' Jones name in the hat as a possibility. Seems to me we're likely to take on of the three on Thursday based on what we know now about the Bears needs and how the picks prior to them are shaping up. It's not a Mercilus vs Jones vs Coples debate. It's more of a Mercilus + Jones + Coples means we can get a very good DE with our first pick if that's the direction we go. I'll leave the actual pick up to Emery.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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