The Big Ben Gardner Thread

[Teague31]

DE Stanford

Good pick in the 7th

 

[guag]

Agreed.

 

[IAmLegend]

Pick 231 (great value. Slipped because of injury)

6'4" 277 lbs.

Welcome to Dallas.

 

[RS12]

If two of these five 7th rounders make any impact that would be a plus.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

very happy with this pick!

 

[AKATheRake]

Get me Quarles and Jeffcoat.

This guy is LDE but very slow.

 

[TheCount]

Brilliant pick. Almost makes up for Hitchens. Gardener is an athletic freak that totally flew under the radar thanks to a combine snub. I live athletic upside on late round guys.

 

[xwalker]

Good 10-yard split and very good ss, 3-cone and vert.

Height: 6041
Weight: 262
40 Yrd Dash: 5.03
20 Yrd Dash: 2.83
10 Yrd Dash: 1.69
225 Lb. Bench Reps:
Vertical Jump: 39 1/2
Broad Jump: 10'02"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.24
3-Cone Drill: 6.98

I guess that he is a SDE, but he is good as an inside rusher. Could bulk up a little and be a Nickel DT.

 

[Teague31]

Archer saying he will play DT for us

 

[casmith07]

What a bum, can't believe it - another 7th rounder on a depth guy. We should be drafting All-Pros at this point in the draft, we have to do it now or never.

Jerry sux.

 

[TheKey]

Fell to 7th round due to torn pec muscle

 

[sbark]

athletic freak?........possible work toward 3 tech backup snaps along with some snaps at DE?

 

[guag]

Archer saying he will play DT for us

Good, we need some DT help too. Hope we pick one up with these last picks.

 

[TheCount]

Good 10-yard split and very good ss, 3-cone and vert.

Height: 6041
Weight: 262
40 Yrd Dash: 5.03
20 Yrd Dash: 2.83
10 Yrd Dash: 1.69
225 Lb. Bench Reps:
Vertical Jump: 39 1/2
Broad Jump: 10'02"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.24
3-Cone Drill: 6.98

I guess that he is a SDE, but he is good as an inside rusher. Could bulk up a little and be a Nickel DT.

I don't think there's any doubt they want him at SDE. The time you have for him at his pro day 40 is also the slowest I've seen.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Good 10-yard split and very good ss, 3-cone and vert.

Height: 6041
Weight: 262
40 Yrd Dash: 5.03
20 Yrd Dash: 2.83
10 Yrd Dash: 1.69
225 Lb. Bench Reps:
Vertical Jump: 39 1/2
Broad Jump: 10'02"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.24
3-Cone Drill: 6.98

I guess that he is a SDE, but he is good as an inside rusher. Could bulk up a little and be a Nickel DT.

Holy smokes he is athletic. His iron triangle, 3 cone and shuttle score are excellent for 260 lbs. Would like a better 10 yard split though.

 

[jobberone]

His vert and BJ would have been among the best at combine DEs

 

[IAmLegend]

Strengths:

• Very physical

• Great use of hands to shed blocks

• Able to use hands and feet at same time

• Can contribute some pass rush from the inside

• Instinctive

• Surprising burst

• Extremely strong hands

• Excellent motor

• Strong for his size

• Displays a mean streak

• Scheme versatility

• Intelligent

Weaknesses:

• Durability, coming off a torn pectoral injury

• Tweener defensive end/tackle

• Lacks speed around the edge

Summary: Ever since Jim Harbaugh took over Stanford, the Cardinal has featured a lot of tough physical players who control the line of scrimmage. Harbaugh recruited Gardner to Palo Alto from Mequon, Wisconsin because Gardner is a perfect fit for that style of play. At Stanford, Gardner was a nasty defender who spent the past three seasons as a bully up front.

Gardner was playing really well for Stanford in 2013 before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season after eight games. Gardner going down was a huge loss for the Stanford defense, and he was never truly replaced. Gardner was providing a lot of disruption with some big plays. In his eight games, he recorded 19 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The stats don't illustrate it, but Gardner helped teammate Trent Murphy lead the nation in sacks.

Gardner had a strong 2012 season with 49 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, five passes batted and a huge forced fumble - against Notre Dame. He had 35 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks in 2011.

To go along with his physicality, Gardner is very intelligent. He reads plays well and routinely gets in a position to help stuff runs. Gardner has more burst than one would think as a pass-rusher. He has excellent hands to shed linemen and cause disruption. Gardner also gives great effort and doesn't take plays off. He and Murphy formed a fabulous inside-outside tandem in the first half of the 2013 season for the Cardinal. Gardner played defensive end and tackle for Stanford.

At the next level, Gardner would fit best as a five-technique defensive end in a 3-4 defense. He has the length and strength at the point of attack to occupy offensive tackles and free up edge-rushers. Gardner would be a tough run-defender against tackles with the ability to offer some pass rush. In a 4-3 defense, he could move around the line but would probably end up as a left defensive end taking on right tackles.

 

[thechosen1n2]

Pick 231 (great value. Slipped because of injury)

6'4" 277 lbs.

Welcome to Dallas.

Poor mans Jared Allen.

 

[guag]

Archer saying he will play DT for us

According to his NFL.com draft profile:

... has the lumbering, heavy movement skill of an interior player. Has a frame that looks nearly maxed ...

He can play inside it seems, but probably can't get much bigger than his 260-ish weight.

 

[Woods]

I think he may be a 3 tech for us