My ongoing random college analysis:

[xwalker]

I feel like I'm being set up a little bit here but I'll take a shot.... The highlight film you provided, as with all highlight films, shows some amazing plays by Nevis but because I didn't want to base my opinion off of just that I looked some more and found this: http://draftbreakdown.com/video/drake-nevis-vs-bama-vs/ Alabama has a great offensive line so I thought It would be a good test of his abilities. I thought he played well showing good strength at the point of attack and the ability to penetrate and be disruptive. I thought Sutton did better splitting blocks but Nevis held up against the run better. The bad part about that is since Drake is no longer on our roster, Rod must no believe in him. Can he make Sutton into more than Nevis was? No one really knows because as we all know, you have to have the "want to" to play for Rod. As I said, I think Sutton is more disruptive which is saying something because I thought Nevis had some nice moments for us last year. ... not great but something to work with. In summary, I believe that Sutton is more penetrating and that seems to be something Rod desires and maybe Rod can get more use from him than Nevis.

Nevis played with excellent effort. I was amazed how often he made it out to the flat to get in on a tackle.

Nevis had a great 1st step but couldn't get off blocks if he didn't win initially. He was an example, IMO, of the importance of arm length. Some of the super strong guys can overcome short arms, but in general it can be a big problem for some players. Height can help overcome short arms, but Nevis and Sutton are both under 6-1.

 

[starfrombirth]

Dominique Easley
PositionDTSchoolFlorida
Height6' 2"Weight288 lbs
ClassSeniorNumber2

Dominique is an enigma folks. His physical traits don't jive with his physique at all. He has elite speed for a lineman not good, not great, but elite and I'm not just talking interior linemen but DE's as well. He has more speed than any dlineman not named Barr (if you count him as dline instead of linebacker). Yes folks he is faster than Clowney. His problem tho is that he plays with zero strength... none whatsoever. At almost 290 lbs you would expect him to be stronger... he's not. His whole game is predicated on speed and penetration and he does a great job of playing violently and getting past the blocks. However, if the oline can stabilize in front of him it's all over. Easley commands the other teams full attention often commanding double and triple teams often with blatant holds. In fact he was a lot of the reason Floyd was so good. They couldn't double both of them (as the saying goes). If it wasn't for his knees he would be being talked about in the same breath as Donald and Barr. His strength or lack thereof drops him out of Clowney's class. Guys and gals this guy is good and if we have a chance to take him in the 2nd we need to jump on it and do everything in our power to keep his knees healthy.

Additionally he carries his weight really well looking like he could add another 10-15 lbs of muscle and maintain his speed... Just an FYI

 

[jobberone]

I have to tell you Tuitt and Ellis are some of the better overall prospects I've looked at this year. I like both of them better than the idea of taking Barr on trying to make him fit. Barr is a really good linebacker but as a DE he lacks strength. Barr is :

Anthony Barr
PositionOLBSchoolUCLA
Height6' 4 7/8"Weight255 lbs
ClassSeniorNumber11

Barr has good speed with the frame to add another 15-20 obs of muscle. He could be a good DE someday but not right now. He lacks strength and doesn't play with leverage at all. He was routinely blocked by tight ends and he was never doubled... ever. This would be a huge reach in the 1st if you expect him to play DE every play.

I don't get into the draft like you guys so I'm just throwing out an uneducated thought. He sounds like a Will but I have limited knowledge of his play. Does he have the hips for it. I also get images of Urlacher hearing you guys talk about him.

 

[jobberone]

Dominique Easley
PositionDTSchoolFlorida
Height6' 2"Weight288 lbs
ClassSeniorNumber2

Dominique is an enigma folks. His physical traits don't jive with his physique at all. He has elite speed for a lineman not good, not great, but elite and I'm not just talking interior linemen but DE's as well. He has more speed than any dlineman not named Barr (if you count him as dline instead of linebacker). Yes folks he is faster than Clowney. His problem tho is that he plays with zero strength... none whatsoever. At almost 290 lbs you would expect him to be stronger... he's not. His whole game is predicated on speed and penetration and he does a great job of playing violently and getting past the blocks. However, if the oline can stabilize in front of him it's all over. Easley commands the other teams full attention often commanding double and triple teams often with blatant holds. In fact he was a lot of the reason Floyd was so good. They couldn't double both of them (as the saying goes). If it wasn't for his knees he would be being talked about in the same breath as Donald and Barr. His strength or lack thereof drops him out of Clowney's class. Guys and gals this guy is good and if we have a chance to take him in the 2nd we need to jump on it and do everything in our power to keep his knees healthy.

Additionally he carries his weight really well looking like he could add another 10-15 lbs of muscle and maintain his speed... Just an FYI

Sounds like a 3 esp on passing downs or a WDE. Haven't seen much of him either. I don't remember him a great deal in the SC game but I wasn't watching him either.

 

[xwalker]

Dominique is an enigma folks. His physical traits don't jive with his physique at all. He has elite speed for a lineman not good, not great, but elite and I'm not just talking interior linemen but DE's as well. He has more speed than any dlineman not named Barr (if you count him as dline instead of linebacker). Yes folks he is faster than Clowney.

His problem tho is that he plays with zero strength... none whatsoever. At almost 290 lbs you would expect him to be stronger... he's not. His whole game is predicated on speed and penetration and he does a great job of playing violently and getting past the blocks. However, if the oline can stabilize in front of him it's all over. Easley commands the other teams full attention often commanding double and triple teams often with blatant holds. In fact he was a lot of the reason Floyd was so good. They couldn't double both of them (as the saying goes). If it wasn't for his knees he would be being talked about in the same breath as Donald and Barr. His strength or lack thereof drops him out of Clowney's class. Guys and gals this guy is good and if we have a chance to take him in the 2nd we need to jump on it and do everything in our power to keep his knees healthy.

I don't know how you came to that conclusion. A DL that rushes up-field on every down is going to get out of position and look silly on occasion, but I don't see a lack of strength with Easley.

Here are two examples:
http://draftbreakdown.com/video/dominique-easley-vs-miami-2013/

time:
3:40
6:20

 

[tm1119]

I don't get into the draft like you guys so I'm just throwing out an uneducated thought. He sounds like a Will but I have limited knowledge of his play. Does he have the hips for it. I also get images of Urlacher hearing you guys talk about him.

Barr is a pass rusher, he doesn't have a clue what he is doing in space. He might stand up and play the strong side LB sometimes, but I'd guess his hand would on the ground a good 75% of the time if drafted by us. He has the frame to keep adding weight and strength.

 

[starfrombirth]

I don't get into the draft like you guys so I'm just throwing out an uneducated thought. He sounds like a Will but I have limited knowledge of his play. Does he have the hips for it. I also get images of Urlacher hearing you guys talk about him.

He is a little stiff turning and running but isn't too bad.. I think it's more a matter of technique and anticipation with him. This is where the "2 years" on defense show up. He will get better at this but is part of the reason why he projects to a 3-4 lb more than a 4-3 DE. He is much better going forward than backwards but lacks the frame to hold up against NFL level blocking. He has all the tools to be great "someday" but he isn't great yet. He really does look like a 3-4 lb'r to me.

 

[starfrombirth]

I don't know how you came to that conclusion. A DL that rushes up-field on every down is going to get out of position and look silly on occasion, but I don't see a lack of strength with Easley.

Here are two examples:
http://draftbreakdown.com/video/dominique-easley-vs-miami-2013/

time:
3:40
6:20

I do see what you're talking about on those plays, especially at 3:40. That was a good example of strength. The one at 6:20, although some strength was involved, was more an example of speed. The center looked like he was expecting to block in another direction when suddenly Easly is pounding him up under his right shoulder pad This is a good thing for Easley. The vast majority of the time, however, I didn't see it. I would still take him as I think those plays show that he can get stronger as well as transforming speed into power. I really like him.... a lot.

 

[xwalker]

I do see what you're talking about on those plays, especially at 3:40. That was a good example of strength. The one at 6:20, although some strength was involved, was more an example of speed. The center looked like he was expecting to block in another direction when suddenly Easly is pounding him up under his right shoulder pad This is a good thing for Easley. The vast majority of the time, however, I didn't see it. I would still take him as I think those plays show that he can get stronger as well as transforming speed into power. I really like him.... a lot.

I think what you are seeing is that all out pass rushing puts a DT in a bad position at times. When an OL or a double-team gets a good block on a guy that is trying to shoot a gap, he will tend to get blown up. This is especially true when he is trying to shoot a gap using a pass rushing technique but the play is a run.

Physically, I don't see a lack of strength or ability to play with leverage. I could find many similar plays to the one a 3:40.

 

[starfrombirth]

I think what you are seeing is that all out pass rushing puts a DT in a bad position at times. When an OL or a double-team gets a good block on a guy that is trying to shoot a gap, he will tend to get blown up. This is especially true when he is trying to shoot a gap using a pass rushing technique but the play is a run.

Physically, I don't see a lack of strength or ability to play with leverage. I could find many similar plays to the one a 3:40.

I guess we can't agree on everything. In this, I defer to your superior experience sir!!

 

[starfrombirth]

Aaron Lynch
PositionDESchoolUSF
Height6' 5"Weight249 lbs
ClassRS SophomoreNumber19

I watched 3 games of his against Michigan State, UConn, and SMU and I didn't feel he played with strength or passion. I know that he probably has some display of strength somewhere in there but by and large he gets stoned. He does have speed, I admit but he often quits on the play even tho it's still going on within just a couple yards of him. This gave me a really sour taste on him. I would use a late round pick on him just to see if maybe he can be coached up or grow up but I would be really upset if we took him early.

 

[xwalker]

Aaron Lynch
PositionDESchoolUSF
Height6' 5"Weight249 lbs
ClassRS SophomoreNumber19

I watched 3 games of his against Michigan State, UConn, and SMU and I didn't feel he played with strength or passion. I know that he probably has some display of strength somewhere in there but by and large he gets stoned. He does have speed, I admit but he often quits on the play even tho it's still going on within just a couple yards of him. This gave me a really sour taste on him. I would use a late round pick on him just to see if maybe he can be coached up or grow up but I would be really upset if we took him early.

I like his on-field abilities a lot, but I wouldn't take him before the 5th round.

 

[starfrombirth]

Chris Smith
PositionDESchoolArkansas
Height6' 1"Weight266 lbs
ClassSeniorNumber42


Anaalysis - Has good speed and quickness with adequate power but not elite in any of them. He lacks the physical superiority of other DE's like Tuitt, Barr, or Hagemen. I'm not sure what people were seeing to say he is better than Demarcus Lawrence either. In fact while watching him, I found myself watching this guy more and was much more impressed:

Trey Flowers
PositionDESchoolArkansas
Height6' 4"Weight267 lbs
ClassSeniorNumber86
All-Star---40 Time---


Analysis - Played with very good power against good competition. Had good speed and penetration to disrupt the backfield and is generally disruptive often creating opportunities for his teammates. Used good technique to keep contain and found the ball consistently. Has a good motor and continually tracks the play to the whistle.

 

[starfrombirth]

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