Anthony Spencer DE Purdue
STRENGTHS
Anthony is a smart, quick, set-you-up-for-the-kill DE. He has a knack for changing the line of scrimmage. He shows good strength and uses his hands very well. He does a solid job handling his responsibilities in the running game and is a strong team player. Anthony understands team football and situational football. He is very athletic with those nice long arms that help him to keep his opponent away from his body. He can do all the pass rushing moves and will use every one of them against you in a game so that the OT has no idea what is coming next. He is going to be a hell of a player at the next level and is very underrated right now.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE
He is undersized -– so what! COACH BETTER. What are you so afraid of? Drafting a player who can actually change the line of scrimmage, sack the QB and cause fumbles? If you are scared of drafting a player like that because he is “undersized”, then stay far away from drafting Anthony! Anthony will always have some problems handling the run when he is double-teamed. So what?! So do most of the weak side DE’s in the league.
TALENT BOARD ROUND: 1
Yes, Anthony could play OLB in a 3-4 defense, but I believe that if you want him to impact in his first year like Mike Anderson (DE Chicago Bears – see archives), just let him put his hand down and rush the passer. He will have more of an immediate impact. Will DeMarcus Ware eventually be a good OLB in a 3-4 defense? Yes, but his impact for your team is when he rushes the passer and you are making his LTI longer if you try to make him a complete OLB his first year. Anthony will eventually be one of the better OLB’s in a 3-4 defense, but for his first two years, just let him put his hand down and rush the passer. Your defense will be better right away if you do that instead of trying to make Anthony a 3-4 OLB. There are a number of reasons I think players with talent like this will be better for your team if you let them just be pass rushers the first few years instead of every down players learning a new position. 1) They lack the physical stamina to play a full sixteen game schedule. 2) You give them some immediate success in the league, which makes them want to work harder to stay on the field longer. 3) You just can’t beat a fresh pass rusher coming into the game against a tired OT. 4) You make a defense, game plan for another person other than your starters. Now, what have you accomplished by working Anthony this way instead of trying to make him a full time OLB or full time DE right away? Anthony will impact more for your defense his first year and second year while he is learning and getting bigger and stronger. Also, the player will be less likely to get injured because he will have a chance to be in better shape. If DeMarcus Ware had been handled this way instead of playing full time right away, the Cowboys defense would have been impossible to deal with for the last two years instead of just being a young, up and coming defense for the last two years. DeMarcus still would have learned the position and matured. The Cowboys are very lucky he did not get injured in the process. DeMarcus would have had the same imposing impact that Mike Anderson has had for the Bears. Draft Anthony and give him a chance to impact in his first year. Don’t let him waste a year or two learning a new position or learning to be a full time DE for the future. The future is now in the NFL and LTI is more important now than potential “down the road” talent.
- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)
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Jarvis Moss DE/OLB Florida
STRENGTHS
Jarvis is a very athletic DE with excellent quickness off the line of scrimmage. He shows good change of direction skills and when he gets a jump on an OT, he is close to impossible to stop before he gets to the QB. He is a smart kid and understands situational football. Jarvis has the speed and burst to run down plays easily from behind and he shows some leadership skills by his play on the field. Jarvis is athletic enough to play in any kind of defense and he reminds me a lot of Jason Taylor (DE Miami Dolphins).
NEEDS TO IMPROVE
He struggles making tackles when being blocked head-on in the run game. He needs to get a lot stronger without losing his quickness, which could be a problem. Jarvis was suspended for a game this year and has had significant medical problems in his past that need to be evaluated. In spite of this, he could impact right away as a pass rush specialist.
TALENT BOARD ROUND: 2
I don’t believe that Jarvis will have too many problems adjusting to the next level and impacting, but I do believe that he will have to be brought along slowly because of his past medical history. He needs to get a lot more strength and bulk to handle the pounding at the next level. He shies away from contact on the running plays, which will make him more of a pass rush specialist for his first few years. My big concern with that is I don’t have confidence that Jarvis will work hard enough to become more than a pass rush specialist. I think he will be very happy just coming on the field and having everyone fear him as a pass rusher. I don’t blame the kid. Why should he strive to become a complete player when he can make plenty of money just being a pass rush specialist? I think that as his body matures, he adds bulk and after his first contract is up and teams do not want to pay what his agent insists he should be paid -- that is when he will be motivated to become a full time player and I think he will be a good one. Jarvis has the athletic talent to play in a 3-4 defense as an OLB, but that ugly “I don’t want to tackle on running plays” attitude is going to rear its ugly head if he does play that position on every down. You saw it early in the championship game when Ohio St ran the ball around and right past Jarvis. The big gains to his side in the run game were enormous. However, later in the game, you saw Jarvis camped out in Troy Smith’s face, causing all types of havoc when Ohio St had to pass to catch up. Jarvis will impact as a pass rusher his first few years. This is why he just might be picked in the first round; however, personally for me, his former medical history directly affects his overall toughness and I’m convinced that is going to affect him becoming a complete player before his first contract is up!
- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)
I actually like Michigan, my friend David Terrell went there. But I'm a real Miami Hurricanes fan!
