DanTheMan 2015 Draft Film Review

[dantheman41]

Za'Darius Smith (Edge Rusher) Kentucky

Positives: Perfect blend of size and length. Never gives up, relentless motor. Shocks defenders with his arms. Really strong upper body.

Negatives: Gets in way too many personal battles. Doesn't always play with power, see him driven back way too often. Gives you very little in the pass rush department. Doesn't have the explosion to disengage offensive lineman.

Comparison and Where He Fits on Our Team: Prototypical left end. Mixed on the player. He jumps off the screen for about 3 plays a game, and the rest of the game he can't get off a block. He has some things you can't teach. A mid round pick for me. If we draft a LE, I would take Markus Golden over him.

 

[dantheman41]

I just think your expectations might be a little too high though...unless we have a top 10 pick or want to spend $10+M on a free agent I don't see where the super fast RE is coming from. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for us to have a Shane Ray type, but I just don't see a way it's happening in the near future. Rod is going to have to figure it with guys like Lawrence and mid tier FA's like a Brandon Graham.

Don't agree at all. I thought Jeremiah Attaochu last year had outstanding explosion in 2nd round. I'm not saying we need a super fast RE. We need someone with explosion though. I think Vic Beasley and Bud Dupree have outstanding RDE potential and they aren't top 10 picks.

 

[dantheman41]

Not all good pass rushers are speed freaks. Terrell Suggs 4.84 forty and Elvis Dummerville 4.75 forty.

Suggs is the player that Lawrence reminds me of.

You guys are getting me wrong. I am not saying we need a speed freak, but we need someone who has a tool belt to rush the passer. By the way, Terrell Suggs was ridiculously athletic. He didn't time well, but he was known as being a speed freak who was ridiculously athletic.

And Dumervil has probably the strongest lower body out of any outside rusher in the NFL. Lawrence isn't even close to the athlete Suggs was in his early years. He was a freak.

 

[dantheman41]

And btw I would put kid from UCLA at RE as well. He has more then enough explosion for a RE. He's a darn good football player, but his injury concerns do scare me.

 

[dantheman41]

This is scouting report on Terrell Suggs:

"Suggs is an undersized speed rusher who is trying to make as big an impact as Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers did last year. He may be on the small side but is incredibly quick and causes havoc. He set the single season sack record, previously held by Peppers. Because of his size, he will probably struggle a bit in the running game. He has a strong upper body and will use it to keep blockers off of him. He is so quick off the line, he is almost impossible to get a hand on."

 

[dantheman41]

Danielle Hunter (Edge Rusher) LSU

Positives: Has a really good frame to work with. Plays a lot stronger then his weight suggests. Excellent height and length. Has a really big ceiling with real opportunities to get better.

Negatives: Shows no real pass rush moves or traits. Doesn't have great explosion or burst, which is scary considering he only weighs 240 pounds. Needs to probably put on a good 10-15 pounds to play DE in NFL. Has bust potential.

Comparison and Where He Fits on Our Team: Doesn't do anything great. Needs to add some weight. Has a big ceiling if he can develop some pass rush moves. I don't see ever being a starter at next level. Good rotational player.

 

[tm1119]

Don't agree at all. I thought Jeremiah Attaochu last year had outstanding explosion in 2nd round. I'm not saying we need a super fast RE. We need someone with explosion though. I think Vic Beasley and Bud Dupree have outstanding RDE potential and they aren't top 10 picks.

I wanted to Attaochu as well....but at the end of the day we traded an extra pick to specifically target Lawrence. And I'm sure Rod was a driving force behind that. Something tells me that the front office and Rod aren't thinking that RE is as much of a need as we do.

 

[dwreck27]

Hey dan wouldn't mind seeing you look into Anthony Chickillo out of Miami(FL) i follow the program closely as a fan and he was a very highly recruited kid coming out of High School but i don't think he fit the scheme they were running at Miami and i think he could be a guy who we could maybe grab in the middle rounds cause i think he has potential given proper coaching and correct scheme..

Thanks.

 

[dantheman41]

Hey dan wouldn't mind seeing you look into Anthony Chickillo out of Miami(FL) i follow the program closely as a fan and he was a very highly recruited kid coming out of High School but i don't think he fit the scheme they were running at Miami and i think he could be a guy who we could maybe grab in the middle rounds cause i think he has potential given proper coaching and correct scheme..

Thanks.

Awesome! Would love to watch him.

 

[rags747]

Great stuff, can u possibly add in height and weight to your rankings?

 

[Oh_Canada]

You guys are getting me wrong. I am not saying we need a speed freak, but we need someone who has a tool belt to rush the passer. By the way, Terrell Suggs was ridiculously athletic. He didn't time well, but he was known as being a speed freak who was ridiculously athletic.

And Dumervil has probably the strongest lower body out of any outside rusher in the NFL. Lawrence isn't even close to the athlete Suggs was in his early years. He was a freak.

Suggs was measured at 6-3 and 3/8, and weighing 257 ("I should have stayed at 260."). His long jump was 9 feet, and had a 32.5 inch vertical. His 40 time was around 4.85, his 20-yard shuttle 4.33, and the in the three cone drill he was clocked at 7.48.

That was Suggs' pro day.

Think you are overstating his "athleticism" a bit, Lawrence out did him in pretty much every measurable.

 

[AsthmaField]

Suggs was measured at 6-3 and 3/8, and weighing 257 ("I should have stayed at 260."). His long jump was 9 feet, and had a 32.5 inch vertical. His 40 time was around 4.85, his 20-yard shuttle 4.33, and the in the three cone drill he was clocked at 7.48.

That was Suggs' pro day.

Think you are overstating his "athleticism" a bit, Lawrence out did him in pretty much every measurable.

Yeah, that was the talk at the time. Suggs had big time production in college that had all the scouts drooling but then the combine came and all the air went out of the scouts balloons.

Suggs was at the very center of the production vs measurables debate in 2003.
__________________________________________________________________
From a USA Today article at the time:

Terrell Suggs is having another NFL workout party Friday. The former Arizona State end bagged an NCAA-record 24 sacks last season and is a likely top-10 pick in the April 26-27 draft. With an explosive first step, he's the premier edge rusher in the crop.

But Suggs will hit the campus track again in front of the scouts' stopwatches in an attempt to set the record straight about his speed, following a horrendous workout before 31 of the league's 32 teams March 26. After running the 40-yard dash in the 4.8-second range — much slower than advertised — Suggs wants a do-over.

Had Suggs (6-3, 262) clocked less than 4.6, he might have cemented his status as a top-five pick and a certified rare breed.

The slower time, though, may be a swing factor for some teams at the top of the draft. It also didn't help Suggs that he posted an average vertical jump (33 inches) and had 19 repetitions in the 225-pounch bench press (the average for linemen in last year's draft was 25) — and, according to one NFL coach, sent a poor message when he lifted weights while wearing CD headphones.
__________________________________________________________________

Suggs wasn't looked at as anything close to an athletic freak. Had he posted freakish athletic numbers, he likely would have gone in the top 3 picks.

Suggs just goes to show that measureables are just part of the equation when talking about a football player.

 

[JDSTAR]

I'm wondering if you could check out Andre Monroe, DT from Maryland, when you get to that position. Someone introduced us to him with a post made here a few months ago, and since watching a bit of his tape, I've become a huge fan!! Snubbed from the combine and not even considered a top snub from the combine. I personally would take him in the 4th and feel like I stole him from 31 other teams. Undersized and incredible. Thank you for your posts. I really enjoy getting your opinions on these players.

 

[xwalker]

I'm wondering if you could check out Andre Monroe, DT from Maryland, when you get to that position. Someone introduced us to him with a post made here a few months ago, and since watching a bit of his tape, I've become a huge fan!! Snubbed from the combine and not even considered a top snub from the combine. I personally would take him in the 4th and feel like I stole him from 31 other teams. Undersized and incredible. Thank you for your posts. I really enjoy getting your opinions on these players.

It's difficult to find much game footage of him. He looked terrific against West Virginia. He's very smallish at 5-11, 275.

 

[dantheman41]

Great stuff, can u possibly add in height and weight to your rankings?

Sure... But more accurate gage is at senior bowl

 

[dantheman41]

Suggs was measured at 6-3 and 3/8, and weighing 257 ("I should have stayed at 260."). His long jump was 9 feet, and had a 32.5 inch vertical. His 40 time was around 4.85, his 20-yard shuttle 4.33, and the in the three cone drill he was clocked at 7.48.

That was Suggs' pro day.

Think you are overstating his "athleticism" a bit, Lawrence out did him in pretty much every measurable.

Are you going to say Lawrence will be as good or even better then Suggs? Lawrence doesn't have anything close to his first step, come on man. Don't read too much into times, watch the tape.

Suggs was a top 10 pick even after his bad workouts. I will be absolutely shocked if Lawrence turns into a premier pass rusher. If he does, every single one of you can call me out on it and please do. I'm not afraid to have strong opinions, and Lawrence will never be the player Suggs has been.

Lawrence will never be the top pass rushing option on a good defensive line. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd option to get to the QB, but never THE guy. I watched every possible game of Lawrence I could get my hands on at Boise State so don't tell me I haven't seen enough of him.

If Lawrence turns into Anthony Spencer in his prime, I will be THRILLED!

 

[dantheman41]

Lynden Trail (Edge Rusher) Norfolk State 6'6 262

Positives: Plays with a nastiness on the line. Built like JPP, awesome size and length. Very strong and really good use of hands. Very good tackler. Very large ceiling.

Negatives: Very delayed reaction off the snap. Does not dominate the inferior competition enough for my liking for a small school guy. Very raw, needs to be coached up. Almost looks like he's not trying at times, not sure if thats a good thing or bad. Does not always play aware, looks like he doesn't know what he's doing all too often. Doubt his football IQ.

Comparison and Where He Fits on Our Team: Need more tape of this guy. Off of what I have seen, not impressed at all. Really worries me his lack of interest running at times. Reminds me of Clowney where he just thinks he is too good for his competition, and isn't even going to try. I think this guy definitely has ability, but the question is 'does he love football?' Not a huge fan. Not interested in drafting a big ceiling guy like this who comes from small school who has serious bust potential. No thanks.

 

[dantheman41]

Henry Anderson (DT) Norfolk State 6'6 287

Positives: Plays with excellent intelligence and football awareness. Really good play recognition. Non stop motor. Very strong, and excellent against the run. Really good combination of size and weight. Good tackler. Very instinctual. Makes a lot of plays and is always around ball carrier. Position flex. Is a finisher, gets his guys on the ground.

Negatives: Probably his ideal fit is as a 3'4 DE. Not great quickness or athleticism. Difficulty getting off blocks. Needs to continue to refine his pass rush ability.

Comparison and Where He Fits on Our Team: Solid football player and really really like him as a mid round guy. Depending on what he weights at combine, he can play as a 1 tech or a 3 tech. This would be an excellent 3rd or 4th round pick for us. Great rotational player and an upgrade from Terrell McClain or Ken Bishop. Will never be a 10 sack guy, but can definitely generate lot more pass rush then Nick Hayden as that 1 tech.

 

[dantheman41]

Michael Bennett (DT) Ohio State 6'2 288

Positives: Played his best against the best competition. Good first step. Relentless, non stop. Will literally use 3 pass rush moves on you in 1 play. A fighter, keeps fighting and fighting even when double teamed. Has a really good spin move, which is rare for a DT. Times the play count really well. Penetrator, very disruptive.

Negatives: On the ground way too much. Does not move well in open field or side to side, he isn't going to time well at combine. Does not wear his weight well, has a lot of fat for a 288 pounder.

Comparison and Where He Fits on Our Team: Really like the player, but he isn't a first rounder in my eyes. If he is around for our 2nd round pick, I would be ecstatic. Really good interior pass rusher who is very disruptive, can never have too many of those. I would like to see him lean out a little. Maybe play at 280ish, rather then 290. Would be more explosive and move better. But nonetheless a really good football player.

 

[Oh_Canada]

Are you going to say Lawrence will be as good or even better then Suggs? Lawrence doesn't have anything close to his first step, come on man. Don't read too much into times, watch the tape.

Suggs was a top 10 pick even after his bad workouts. I will be absolutely shocked if Lawrence turns into a premier pass rusher. If he does, every single one of you can call me out on it and please do. I'm not afraid to have strong opinions, and Lawrence will never be the player Suggs has been.

Lawrence will never be the top pass rushing option on a good defensive line. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd option to get to the QB, but never THE guy. I watched every possible game of Lawrence I could get my hands on at Boise State so don't tell me I haven't seen enough of him.

If Lawrence turns into Anthony Spencer in his prime, I will be THRILLED!

I never said anything of the sort, you said Suggs was far and away the better athlete which simply isn't true. I think Lawrence will hit double digit sacks multiple times in his career, will he have Suggs career? Probably not, but Suggs best year was 2011 with 14 sacks and 70 tackles as a olb, his longevity is impressive but he isn't Reggie White. Btw, I don't think Suggs has the same career in the 4-3 as an end.