cowboyjoe
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Davie is a high cut kid who I can't see playing with much power at the next level.
He’s a little more than just a guy
Northwestern outside linebacker Quentin Davie has received a lot of praise up until this point in the season due to his strong play and was one guy who seemed to be building some momentum during the early part of the year. However, I wasn’t a big fan of his on tape this summer and was going to hold off on my reservations on him until I saw him vs. some Big Ten competition. And in all honestly after seeing him this weekend, I wasn’t real impressed. He’s a high cut kid who does display solid range for a guy his size. However, he isn’t real physical at the point of attack even vs. the tight end, doesn’t display much power on contact as a bull rusher and gets too leggy when asked to drop and redirect in coverage. Now his size, length and above-average athleticism will likely get him drafted, but the idea this guy can be a dynamic starting outside linebacker in the NFL is completely off base in my mind.
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A man on a mission
So much was made of the dominant night by Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn Saturday evening. However, the one guy who continues to make an impact for me up front is DT Christian Ballard. For a guy his size — 6-4, 300 pounds — I don’t know if there is another defensive lineman in the nation who can run sideline-to-sideline as well as he can. Plus, he’s explosive off the snap, uses his hands well to slip blocks and plays with good leverage. Plus, he offers a lot of versatility in terms of the next level, as I could see him as a three-technique in more of a one-gap scheme. I could see him playing as a strong side end and kick inside on passing downs in a 4-3. And I could certainly see him as one of the prized five-techniques in the entire draft. He possesses good length/athleticism, plays hard and because of his versatility this guy looks like one of the safer potential three-down starting caliber linemen in this year’s draft.
His competition
However, one guy who could knock Ballard down a peg or two as far as the fight for the top five-technique position battle goes is Alabama’s DL Marcell Dareus. Dareus, at 6-3, 306 pounds, possesses one of the largest lower halfs in the country and is really able to sit into his stance, generate a burst off the football and keep his pad level down into contact. However, what makes him such a unique prospect is his combination of lateral suddenness, body control and power. He has the ability to slip blocks on the outside as a pass rusher, knife his way up the field and fight off blocks in order to get after the quarterback. He plays the run with good integrity as well, anchoring routinely at the point of attack and knows how to set the edge on the outside and work in pursuit.
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Scouts-notebook-defense-2088.html
