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THE SCOUT'S NOTEBOOK
TOP 3-4 DEFENSE PROSPECTS FOR 2010 DRAFT
by Colin Lindsay, Editor and Publisher, Great Blue North Draft Report
March 29, 2010
One of the emerging problems of traditional rating systems for potential draft prospects, especially on the defensive side of the ball, is the fact that there are really two quite different base defenses in the NFL which generally require different skill sets, especially in the front seven. There are, for example, as many as 13-14 teams currently running a 3-4 defense, yet for the most part, just about all prospect rating systems tend to still rank players on a scale more related to a standard 4-3 defense.
In fact, it has been suggested that popular draft ranking systems, including that of the Great Blue, further break down defensive linemen and linebackers, especially OLBs, into 3-4 and 4-3 categories. One of the problems of that, of course, is that many players can’t be pigeon-holed into one system or the other in that they are versatile enough to play in both, however, it is an idea that many of us will have to consider in the future, especially as more and more teams switch to 3-4 schemes. .
That said, it looks like teams that do currently run a 3-4 defense are going to find some pretty good players to fit that scheme in the 2010 draft, especially edge rushing OLBs and DEs. At the same time, there will be a lot of big DTs available in next month’s draft, however, it doesn’t look like there will be an overload of natural 3-4 NTs. Here's a quick oveview how each position is shaping up with less than a month to go until the draft, although again one hates to pigeon-hole players as there are a number of traditional 4-3 LBs who surely could also play on the outside in a 3-4.
Outside linebacker: The strength of the 2010 draft when it comes to the 3-4 defense looks like it will be the OLBs. Sergio Kindle of Texas, Michigan’s Brandon Graham and Jerry Hughes of TCU, for example, are quick, highly productive tweener collegiate DEs who should be able to make a rather seamless shift to 3-4 OLB at the next level. All three are explosive coming off the edge and have enough agility to be at least adequate playing in reverse when asked. Kindle and Graham, in particular, look to locks to be selected somewhere in the first 25 picks this year, while the rising Hughes, who could ultimately be the best of the bunch in the NFL. As well, there should be a ton of depth when it comes to selecting 3-4 OLBs this coming April. Indeed, there could be as many as 10-12 very good 3-4 OLBs who aren’t drafted at all this year and could be there for taking in free agency.
TOP 10 3-4 OLB PROSPECTS FOR THE 2010 DRAFT
#
Player
School
College
POS
H/W
SP
Projection
1
Sergio Kindle
Texas
DE/LB
6-3, 250
4.70
Top 15-20
2
Brandon Graham
Michigan
DE
6-1, 268
4.70
Top 20-25
3
Jerry Hughes
Texas Christian
DE
6-2, 255
4.69
1st
4
Ricky Sapp
Clemson
DE
6-4, 252
4.70
2nd
5
Jason Worilds
Virginia Tech
DE
6-1, 255
4.55
2-3
6
Koa Misi
Utah
DE
6-3, 251
4.75
2-3
7
Thaddeus Gibson
Ohio State
DE
6-2, 243
4.75
3-4
8
Eric Norwood
South Carolina
DE
6-1, 245
4.75
4-5
9
O'Brien Schofield
Wisconsin
DE
6-2, 221
4.75
4-5
10
Arthur Moats
James Madison
DE
6-0, 246
4.66
6-7
Others to consider: Adrian Tracy, William&Mary; Dexter Davis, Arizona State; Larry Hart, Central Arkansas; Antonio Coleman, Auburn; George Selvie, South Florida; Alex Daniels, Cincinnati; Simoni Lawrence, Minnesota; Kavell Connor, Clemson; Albey McClennan, Marshall; Junior Galette, Stillman; Justin Cole, San Jose State
Defensive end: The 3-4 DE includes an interesting amalgam of bigger 4-3 DEs and often smaller, quicker DTs. And like their counterparts at OLB, the 3-4 DE crop at the 2010 draft will be realtively strong. If the light ever goes on, Florida DE Carlos Dunlap could be one of the best players in this year's draft period. And while he is primarily a 4-3 prospect, the 277-pound Dunlap could easily add another ten pounds or so and take on the look of a prototype 3-4 size. Meanwhile, Jared Odrick of Penn State was a 4-3 DT in college, but has the long arms and the quick first step to make the transition to a 3-4 DE. Both Dunlap and Odrick are later first round prospects, while DTs Tyson Aluala of California and Texas' Lamarr Houston are mid-to-late second round candidates. There is a little bit of a drop-off after the top 4 guys, however, like the situation at OLB, there is a lot of depth among 3-4 DE prospects.
TOP 10 3-4 DE PROSPECTS FOR THE 2010 DRAFT
#
Player
School
College
POS
H/W
SP
Projection
1
Carlos Dunlap Florida DE
6-6, 277 4.71
Top 25
2
Jared Odick Penn State DT
6-5, 305 5.05 Top 25-30
3
Tyson Aluala California DT/DE
6-3, 295
4.95
2nd
4 Lamarr Houston
Texas
DT
6-3, 305
4.92
2nd
5
Alex Carrington Arkansas State DE
6-5, 285
4.95
3-4
6
Brandon Deadrick
Alabama
DE
6-4, 314
4.90
4-5
7
Geno Atkins Georgia DT
6-1, 293
4.82
4-5
8
Earl Mitchell Arizona DT
6-3, 315 4.78
5-6
9 C. J. Wilson East Carolina DE
6-3, 290
4.90 5-6
10 Clifton Geathers South Carolina DE
6-7, 298
5.05 6-7
Others to consider: E.J. Wilson, North Carolina; Nate Collins, Virginia; Lorenzo Washington, Alabama; Sean Lissemore, William&Mary; Jeff Fitzgerald, Kansas State, John Fletcher, Wyoming; Malcolm Shephard, Arkansas; Doug Worthington, Ohio State; Averill Spencer, Southern California. Also note there are a number of other DTs that could make the move to 3-4 DE, although they are probably more likely to be drafted as DTs including Mike Neal of Purdue, Arthur Jones of Syracuse, Jeff Owens of Georgia, Boo Smith of Louisiana Tech, Corey Peters of Kentucy, Mick Williams of Pittsburgh and Temple's Andre Neblett.
Nose tackle: While both the OLB and DE positions are relatively deep for the 2010 draft, the same can't really be said at NT. Indeed, mammoth Alabama DT Terrence 'Mount' Cody could very well be the only true top nose tackle type this year, although even the former Tide star played in a 4-3 scheme in college. And while it appears that Cody could slip into the latter part of this year's opening round, Dan Williams of Tennessee, who will get long looks from both teams looking for a 3-4 NT as well as a more traditional 4-3 DT, will likely go sooner. Meanwhile, both Cam Thomas (6-4, 330) of North Carolina and Linval Joseph (6-4, 328) of East Carolina, a couple of huge run stuffers likely to be taken in the middle rounds next month, could also find a home as NTs at the next level. However, while there are a lot of other big guys out there who could provide some depth at NT down the road, there really aren't many other top quality propsects at the position. DTs that will get some later round or free agent consideration on the nose include Ekom Udofia of Stanford, Abe Koroma of Western Illinois, Aleric Mullins of North Carolina, and Martin Tevaseu of UNLV, while 341-pound Travis Ivey of Maryland could be something of a sleeper.
TOP 3-4 DEFENSE PROSPECTS FOR 2010 DRAFT
by Colin Lindsay, Editor and Publisher, Great Blue North Draft Report
March 29, 2010
One of the emerging problems of traditional rating systems for potential draft prospects, especially on the defensive side of the ball, is the fact that there are really two quite different base defenses in the NFL which generally require different skill sets, especially in the front seven. There are, for example, as many as 13-14 teams currently running a 3-4 defense, yet for the most part, just about all prospect rating systems tend to still rank players on a scale more related to a standard 4-3 defense.
In fact, it has been suggested that popular draft ranking systems, including that of the Great Blue, further break down defensive linemen and linebackers, especially OLBs, into 3-4 and 4-3 categories. One of the problems of that, of course, is that many players can’t be pigeon-holed into one system or the other in that they are versatile enough to play in both, however, it is an idea that many of us will have to consider in the future, especially as more and more teams switch to 3-4 schemes. .
That said, it looks like teams that do currently run a 3-4 defense are going to find some pretty good players to fit that scheme in the 2010 draft, especially edge rushing OLBs and DEs. At the same time, there will be a lot of big DTs available in next month’s draft, however, it doesn’t look like there will be an overload of natural 3-4 NTs. Here's a quick oveview how each position is shaping up with less than a month to go until the draft, although again one hates to pigeon-hole players as there are a number of traditional 4-3 LBs who surely could also play on the outside in a 3-4.
Outside linebacker: The strength of the 2010 draft when it comes to the 3-4 defense looks like it will be the OLBs. Sergio Kindle of Texas, Michigan’s Brandon Graham and Jerry Hughes of TCU, for example, are quick, highly productive tweener collegiate DEs who should be able to make a rather seamless shift to 3-4 OLB at the next level. All three are explosive coming off the edge and have enough agility to be at least adequate playing in reverse when asked. Kindle and Graham, in particular, look to locks to be selected somewhere in the first 25 picks this year, while the rising Hughes, who could ultimately be the best of the bunch in the NFL. As well, there should be a ton of depth when it comes to selecting 3-4 OLBs this coming April. Indeed, there could be as many as 10-12 very good 3-4 OLBs who aren’t drafted at all this year and could be there for taking in free agency.
TOP 10 3-4 OLB PROSPECTS FOR THE 2010 DRAFT
#
Player
School
College
POS
H/W
SP
Projection
1
Sergio Kindle
Texas
DE/LB
6-3, 250
4.70
Top 15-20
2
Brandon Graham
Michigan
DE
6-1, 268
4.70
Top 20-25
3
Jerry Hughes
Texas Christian
DE
6-2, 255
4.69
1st
4
Ricky Sapp
Clemson
DE
6-4, 252
4.70
2nd
5
Jason Worilds
Virginia Tech
DE
6-1, 255
4.55
2-3
6
Koa Misi
Utah
DE
6-3, 251
4.75
2-3
7
Thaddeus Gibson
Ohio State
DE
6-2, 243
4.75
3-4
8
Eric Norwood
South Carolina
DE
6-1, 245
4.75
4-5
9
O'Brien Schofield
Wisconsin
DE
6-2, 221
4.75
4-5
10
Arthur Moats
James Madison
DE
6-0, 246
4.66
6-7
Others to consider: Adrian Tracy, William&Mary; Dexter Davis, Arizona State; Larry Hart, Central Arkansas; Antonio Coleman, Auburn; George Selvie, South Florida; Alex Daniels, Cincinnati; Simoni Lawrence, Minnesota; Kavell Connor, Clemson; Albey McClennan, Marshall; Junior Galette, Stillman; Justin Cole, San Jose State
Defensive end: The 3-4 DE includes an interesting amalgam of bigger 4-3 DEs and often smaller, quicker DTs. And like their counterparts at OLB, the 3-4 DE crop at the 2010 draft will be realtively strong. If the light ever goes on, Florida DE Carlos Dunlap could be one of the best players in this year's draft period. And while he is primarily a 4-3 prospect, the 277-pound Dunlap could easily add another ten pounds or so and take on the look of a prototype 3-4 size. Meanwhile, Jared Odrick of Penn State was a 4-3 DT in college, but has the long arms and the quick first step to make the transition to a 3-4 DE. Both Dunlap and Odrick are later first round prospects, while DTs Tyson Aluala of California and Texas' Lamarr Houston are mid-to-late second round candidates. There is a little bit of a drop-off after the top 4 guys, however, like the situation at OLB, there is a lot of depth among 3-4 DE prospects.
TOP 10 3-4 DE PROSPECTS FOR THE 2010 DRAFT
#
Player
School
College
POS
H/W
SP
Projection
1
Carlos Dunlap Florida DE
6-6, 277 4.71
Top 25
2
Jared Odick Penn State DT
6-5, 305 5.05 Top 25-30
3
Tyson Aluala California DT/DE
6-3, 295
4.95
2nd
4 Lamarr Houston
Texas
DT
6-3, 305
4.92
2nd
5
Alex Carrington Arkansas State DE
6-5, 285
4.95
3-4
6
Brandon Deadrick
Alabama
DE
6-4, 314
4.90
4-5
7
Geno Atkins Georgia DT
6-1, 293
4.82
4-5
8
Earl Mitchell Arizona DT
6-3, 315 4.78
5-6
9 C. J. Wilson East Carolina DE
6-3, 290
4.90 5-6
10 Clifton Geathers South Carolina DE
6-7, 298
5.05 6-7
Others to consider: E.J. Wilson, North Carolina; Nate Collins, Virginia; Lorenzo Washington, Alabama; Sean Lissemore, William&Mary; Jeff Fitzgerald, Kansas State, John Fletcher, Wyoming; Malcolm Shephard, Arkansas; Doug Worthington, Ohio State; Averill Spencer, Southern California. Also note there are a number of other DTs that could make the move to 3-4 DE, although they are probably more likely to be drafted as DTs including Mike Neal of Purdue, Arthur Jones of Syracuse, Jeff Owens of Georgia, Boo Smith of Louisiana Tech, Corey Peters of Kentucy, Mick Williams of Pittsburgh and Temple's Andre Neblett.
Nose tackle: While both the OLB and DE positions are relatively deep for the 2010 draft, the same can't really be said at NT. Indeed, mammoth Alabama DT Terrence 'Mount' Cody could very well be the only true top nose tackle type this year, although even the former Tide star played in a 4-3 scheme in college. And while it appears that Cody could slip into the latter part of this year's opening round, Dan Williams of Tennessee, who will get long looks from both teams looking for a 3-4 NT as well as a more traditional 4-3 DT, will likely go sooner. Meanwhile, both Cam Thomas (6-4, 330) of North Carolina and Linval Joseph (6-4, 328) of East Carolina, a couple of huge run stuffers likely to be taken in the middle rounds next month, could also find a home as NTs at the next level. However, while there are a lot of other big guys out there who could provide some depth at NT down the road, there really aren't many other top quality propsects at the position. DTs that will get some later round or free agent consideration on the nose include Ekom Udofia of Stanford, Abe Koroma of Western Illinois, Aleric Mullins of North Carolina, and Martin Tevaseu of UNLV, while 341-pound Travis Ivey of Maryland could be something of a sleeper.