michael buchanon

[JerryFan]

Just curious what people think about Illinois DE Michael Buchanon. IMO he has a better pro trajectory then former teammate Whitney Mercilus. I would say the one thing Mercilus has on Buchanon is he would always swipe for the ball and strip a lot of them. Buchanon IMO is more athletic, has a much better burst off the line, has just as good of a pass rush, and will play the run much better. He was hurt most of the year this year and played through injuries and Mercilus racked up a lot of sacks for the simple fact that year Illinois had tons of pressure on the qb and it would consistently come from inside and flush the qb out.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

If we were still running a 34, he would absolutely be a guy I would be interested in. Now, I don't know how well he might translate to a 43 DE, which is where I think he would fit. It's hard to figure out if he will put on weight or not. He had his jaw wired shut last year and he lost a lot of weight because of it but he always had a lean body mass to begin with. If you take him, it's really more on what he did in the 2011 season rather then the 2012 season and then you have to consider how much of that was because of Mercilus and how much because of his own skills?

 

[xwalker]

Just curious what people think about Illinois DE Michael Buchanon. IMO he has a better pro trajectory then former teammate Whitney Mercilus. I would say the one thing Mercilus has on Buchanon is he would always swipe for the ball and strip a lot of them. Buchanon IMO is more athletic, has a much better burst off the line, has just as good of a pass rush, and will play the run much better. He was hurt most of the year this year and played through injuries and Mercilus racked up a lot of sacks for the simple fact that year Illinois had tons of pressure on the qb and it would consistently come from inside and flush the qb out.

How much I like a potential draft pick is dependent on where they are projected to be available.

Buchanon has some physical upside and looks great on some plays. He would be a good developmental backup to Ware at Weak-Side DE and could be used as a Nickel pass-rusher on the other side.

Buchanon's issue is lack of production and consistency.

I don't see the comparison to Mercilus.

 

[JerryFan]

If we were still running a 34, he would absolutely be a guy I would be interested in. Now, I don't know how well he might translate to a 43 DE, which is where I think he would fit. It's hard to figure out if he will put on weight or not. He had his jaw wired shut last year and he lost a lot of weight because of it but he always had a lean body mass to begin with. If you take him, it's really more on what he did in the 2011 season rather then the 2012 season and then you have to consider how much of that was because of Mercilus and how much because of his own skills?

I'm not a Mercilus hater I like the guy just fine. He was the benefactor on a lot of easy sacks where the qb was flushed his way and DC Vic Koenning was super aggressive and created a lot of confusion. I'm an Illinois fan so I know these players really well. Buchanan has every bit as much if not more pro potential then Whitney Mercilus. I read an article on cowboyszone stating Buchanan as a solid later round DE for us to pick up and I tend to agree. As evidence by me saying he has as much pro potential as Mercilus. Mercilus literally came out of nowhere even to the coaching staff at Illinois. He was slated as a guy who would split time with Tim Kynard and Justin Staples at DE and Buchanan was the guy on everybodys radar. Buchanan is a much better athlete and has a great burst when healthy off the line.