DLine Review

[jday]

Greg Hardy , 26 , 6-5 , 280
DeMarcus Lawrence , 23 , 6-3 , 265
Randy Gregory , 22 , 6-5 , 255
Jeremy Mincey , 31 , 6-4 , 280

Tyrone Crawford , 25 , 6-4 , 290
Terrell McClain , 27 , 6-2 , 302
Ken Bishop , 24 , 6-0 , 300
Nick Hayden , 29 , 6-4 , 303

Chris Whaley , 24 , 6-3 , 285
Ryan Russell , 23 , 6-5 , 275
Jack Crawford , 26 , 6-5 , 288
Ben Gardner , 24 , 6-4 , 270
Davon Coleman , 24 , 6-2 , 295
Kenneth Boatright , 25 , 6-3 , 270
Lavar Edwards , 25 , 6-4 , 275
Efe Obada , 23 , 6-6 , 265
Jordan Williams , 22 , 6-4 , 282

Hardy: Top 3 (4-3) DE in the NFL, possibly #1. Plays inside also.
Lawrence: Ideal LDE in this scheme. Has RDE pass rush ability, but LDE run stopping ability.
Gregory: Elite athlete. Much better run defender than size would indicate.
Mincey: Cowboys best DE in 2014. Can play inside also.

T. Crawford: Took over the 3tech DT spot last season. Could become elite player.
T. McClain: Combo 1/3 tech DT. Nagging injuries all last season. Strength for 1tech, quickness for 3tech.
Bishop: Most dominant small college player that I've seen. Very strong with decent quickness for 1tech.
Hayden: Not strong or overly quick, but gets to plays outside or at LB depth which is important to Marinelli.

Whaley: Terrific looking player in college. Fell in draft due to injury. Played next to 2015 1st round pick Brown. Whaley often doubled despite playing next to Brown. Weight down to 269 at draft. Reported playing weight in college as high as 295. Possible 3tech or 1tech.

Russell: Looks the part of an ideal LDE with good strength and arm length. Played in 4-3 then 3-4 in college. Didn't always play to the whistle in college. Marinelli was already on him about giving all out effort in pre-draft visit.

Gardner: High effort player. Was a 3-4 DE in college. Very good measurable(s) except very short arms. Most success as pass rusher was on inside types rushes. Is he a LDE or 3tech DT? Reported to have added significant muscle in the off-season.

Jack Crawford: Played both DE spots and 3tech DT last season for Cowboys. Best game was at 3tech. Ended up on IR just past mid-season. Coaches reportedly like him.

Coleman: Has talent with very good quickness to play 3tech DT position; however, is the team joker and had issues with focus last season. May have irritated some coaches and players. Hardy came in and immediately got on him about taking workouts seriously.

Boatright: Played last season at both DE spots and a few snaps at 3tech DT. Coaches reported to like him.

Edwards: Impressive 10-yard and 3-cone times for this size. Very long arms (35-1/2"). Played early in the season. Eventually ended up on Practice Squad IR. Has all the measurable(s) to be a LDE, maybe even a RDE.
Obada: Freak athlete with no real experience playing football. Reported to be learning technique quickly. Rules for international players allow for an extra (11th) PS spot.

Williams: Not much info. Appears to have been a well liked and respected college player by Tennessee fans.

Summary: They have a lot of physical talent. Even bottom of the list guys like Edwards have impressive physical makeup. The final spots will likely come down to which of the young players want it the most and get the mental side of playing the scheme and using good technique.

Enjoyable breakdown, as always, Walker. We may not always agree, but I respect and appreciate your opinion just the same.

A few questions:

Who in your view are the other 2 43 DE's you lump in the top three? Like me, you are not as enamored with sacks as most are, when it comes to evaluating talent, so who takes the overall grade in your opinion?

In your opinion of D Lawrence - what tape are you basing that assessment on?

Who makes it?

This is by no means a challenge of your opinion; I am genuinely interested in your take.

 

[Kaiser]

Great OP, I think it shakes out like this -

RDE - Hardy, Gregory
3T - Crawford, McClain, Whaley
1T - Hayden, Bishop
LDE - DLaw, Mincey, Gardner

PS - Russell, Coleman, Obada

If/when Hardy is suspended Mincey starts on the right side with Russell on the roster. Russell moves to the PS when Hardy returns.

I'm tempted to put Lavar Edwards as a breakout candidate. To me he is the classic case of a guy with great physical skills who may (or may not) have a light go on. If he does he could be a very good rotation player. But who knows if things suddenly click for him.

 

[Fredd]

so, the DL on the DL is that they are looking up

 

[Bullflop]

Nice job putting that together, Walker. That's quite a "murderer's row." Now -- let's see if they can kill the QBs.

 

[DogFace]

Didn't know Jack Crawford was that big. Seems quick. Maybe he'll shine.

 

[Garrettop]

Training Camp can't start soon enough so we can start seeing these guys. Hopefully none of this:

 

[CCBoy]

The writeup was good overall, but hyperbole much on the above statement? There have been plenty of small college defensive linemen that are well beyond what Ken Bishop flashed. Guys like Leon Lett, Jethro Pugh and Harvey Martin in Dallas, and others like John Randle, Deacon Jones, Andy Robustelli - the list goes on and on.

OH, and you were alive and observing back then?

I was stationed in Germany when John Randle came out of A&I.

But for the record, Bishop is one of my pet cats also...

 

[xwalker]

Enjoyable breakdown, as always, Walker. We may not always agree, but I respect and appreciate your opinion just the same.

A few questions:

Who in your view are the other 2 43 DE's you lump in the top three? Like me, you are not as enamored with sacks as most are, when it comes to evaluating talent, so who takes the overall grade in your opinion?

In your opinion of D Lawrence - what tape are you basing that assessment on?

Who makes it?

This is by no means a challenge of your opinion; I am genuinely interested in your take.

It would be no fun if we agreed all the time.

Top DEs (4-3):
Mario Williams
JPP had the talent but only showed it in some games.
Wake
Quinn
I think Dumerville is still rolling.
Von Miller was a combo DE/LB that is really good but they're moving to 3-4.

I watched a lot of Lawrence's college game footage. Also, he did as well as could be expected as a rookie returning from injury.

I like Whaley of the bottom of the list guys.

I expect Bishop to make it, but he has to prove himself again. I would love it if he gets more snaps than Hayden.

It's a coin toss between Russell and Gardner.

Jack Crawford can play. I don't know his upside, but he won't hurt the team if he has to play.

Coleman and Edwards have good physical ability, but seem doubtful to make the 53.