Traditional Hybrid List DE/OLB - 2006

[Nors]

Players for the 34 Defense
January 3, 2006
- By Allen Trieu

The 3-4 defense has made a return as many teams have switched to it as their base defense over the past few years. The Steelers, Texans, Cowboys, Ravens, Browns, Chargers, Patriots and 49ers are among the teams who employ the defense whereas 10 years ago, it was mostly the Steelers and Carolina Panthers who ran it. As a result, these teams look for a different type of front 7 player in the draft. Here are some players who fit the bill.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
What You're Looking For: These are usually undersized defensive ends or pass rushing OLBs in college. What you're looking for is an athletic, fast player to come off the edge. Shawne Merriman, Jason Babin, and Demarcus Ware are among recent players drafted who were ends in college, but 3-4 OLBs in the pros. The key is switching from coming off the ball from a 3-point stance to a 2-point stance. The other key element is dropping into coverage. The 3-4 requires that these rush backers be able to drop into flats and matchup with tight ends and running backs in coverage. Ware does this well as does the Steelers' Joey Porter.
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1. Bobby Carpenter - Ohio State
Size: 6'3, 255 | College Positions: OLB, DE
Carpenter played OLB for the bucks, but put his hand down and rushed as a DE on passing downs. He has shown the pass rush ability to thrive as a rush backer in the 3-4 and has experience dropping into coverage from his linebacker spot even though that isn't necessarily his strength.

2. Manny Lawson - NC State
Size: 6'5, 245 | College Position: DE
Undersized as a true DE, Lawson has relied on his edge speed to get to the QB for the Wolfpack. He has great athleticism and quickness and has a great motor in pursuit, another key aspect of playing OLB in a 34. Lawson projects as a later day 1 pick, but could go in the 1st or 2nd to teams playing the 34 because he projects much better there.

3. Elvis Dumervil - Louisville
Size: 6'0, 256 | College Position: DE
Dumervil's sack total of 20 this year speaks for itself. This is a player who knows how to get to the QB. He has great speed off the edge and does a good job of getting the jump on the snap count. He doesnt have a lot of experience dropping into coverage, but he has the raw skills to be able to improve there.

4. Quentin Moses - Georgia
Size: 6'5, 248 | College Position: DE
Moses, a junior, is considering the draft and if he did, he's a player teams running the 34 need to pay attention to. He's athletic and can change directions well which is important if he is to drop into coverage. He also has a great motor and has proven he can be a great pass rusher as he had 12 sacks this season.

5. Mark Anderson - Alabama
Size: 6'5, 253 | College Positions: DE
Anderson is a super pass rusher, too undersized for a 4-3, but projects very well as an OLB



6. Quentin Groves - Auburn
Size: 6'3, 248 | College Positions: DE
At 248 lbs, Groves is very undersized for a DE. However, he does hold his ground pretty well for a smaller end. He also has the pass rush ability teams look for, I'd expect Groves to be high on the boards of teams running 34s.

7. Copeland Bryan - Arizona
Size: 6'4, 240 | College Positions: DE, OLB
This former walk-on really put together a nice senior season, finishing with 7.5 sacks, including weaking havoc against USC and their top OT prospect Winston Justice. He has a good deal of experience at OLB and in coverage, so he projects very well to the 3-4.

8. Gaines Adams - Clemson
Size: 6'5, 260 | College Position: DE
This junior is a relentless pass rusher. He had 8.5 sacks this past season.

9. Mkristo Bruce - Washington State
Size: 6'6, 255 | College Position: DE
A great pass rusher, Bruce is only a junior, but if he were to declare, he'd have a lot of 3-4 teams interested in him. He finished the year with 10 sacks and can definitely get to the passer, but is raw in coverage.

10. Stanley McClover - Auburn
Size: 6'5, 260 | College Position: DE
Another junior, McClover is very explosive off the edge, but is quite raw which affects his draft position.

11. Brandon Guillory - LA-Monroe
Size: 6'4, 240 | College Position: DE
Reportedly running as fast as 4.42 in the forty, Guillory is a poor man's DeMarcus Ware. His 10.5 sacks this season prove he can get to the QB.

12. Mike Kudla - Ohio State
Size: 6'3, 265 | College Position: DE
Kudla is a weight room freak who is going to test well at the combine. He has played well for the Buckeyes as a situational rusher and will remind scouts of former Buckeye and current Patriot Mike Vrabel.

13. Daryl Tapp - Virginia Tech
Size: 6'0, 270 | College Positions: DE
I think Tapp projects better as a 4-3 RDE, because he has struggled the few times he's been asked to play in space. However, as a pure rush LB, he has possibilities. The Chargers haven't asked Merriman to drop much, he has pretty much been a rush man and Tapp could fit a similar role.

14. Parys Haralson - Tennessee
Size: 6'2, 248 | College Position: DE
Undersized, Haralson's pass rush ability makes him a good candidate for the 34..

15. Pierre Woods - Michigan
Size: 6'5, 249 | College Positions: OLB, DE
Woods has played OLB in Michigan's 3-4 and when the Wolverines have featured four down linemen, Woods has rushed with his hand down too. He has shown good pass rush ability and would be a great later round pickup for a team that runs the 34.

OTHERS
16. Charlton Keith - Kansas
17. Chris Gocong - Cal-Poly - 6'1, 255
18. Jeremy Mincey - Florida - 6'3, 262
19. Willie Evans - Mississippi State - 6'2, 270
20. Javon Nanton - Miami - 6'3, 240
21. Ryan LaCasse - Syracuse - 6'3, 249
22. Brent Hawkins - Illinois State - 6'3, 244
23. Montez Murphy - Baylor - 6'6, 263
24. John Chick - Utah State - 6'4, 248
25. Terrence Royal - South Florida - 6'3, 255

 

[Tio]

With Burnett and Fujita here, we might hold off on these guys and hope we can solve this in house. I would sure like some of these guys...

 

[Dayton Cowboy]

Nors, does this mean you don't like Kudla from OSU as an OLB? Or do you just think the learning curve is too long a process for him to make the transition?

 

[ghst187]

Love Lawson and Carpenter. I would love to see a trade down and grab one of them or to STEAL Lawson in the 2nd round. Carpenter is probably the better pure LB that impacts day 1 but Lawson could have a little more upside.
I REALLY like Pierre Woods a lot in the later rounds, just like I liked Cato June a few years back instead of freaking BJ Tucker. The UM and OSU defenses really produce some good, NFL-ready players. Its good to draft guys from there. Plus they tend not to be Uof Miami style thugs.

 

[Nors]

Love Lawson and Carpenter. I would love to see a trade down and grab one of them or to STEAL Lawson in the 2nd round. Carpenter is probably the better pure LB that impacts day 1 but Lawson could have a little more upside.
I REALLY like Pierre Woods a lot in the later rounds, just like I liked Cato June a few years back instead of freaking BJ Tucker. The UM and OSU defenses really produce some good, NFL-ready players. Its good to draft guys from there. Plus they tend not to be Uof Miami style thugs.

good takes

 

[SALADIN]

Bobby Carpenter is the best player on that list. He's been overshadowed by Hawk his whole career at Ohio State and IMO is just as good an overall football player.

 

[Gaede]

I fully expect us to draft Bobby Carpenter at 18.

 

[rexrobinson]

I think in the long run Lawson (once he makes the transition to an OLB) will be better, this guy is the DeMarcus Ware of 2006.

Carpenter will get gobbled up early I think.

Lawson to me just has way too much athletic ability at the wrong position. He is fast, can jump high and is strong.

The case for Carpenter is really good however, he knows how to play in a 3-4 and he is successful at it. I still think he will be gone well before the 18th pick.

If we can get Lawson in the 2cd round I would claim it to be another genius Parcells type draft selection.


*ADD I forgot to mention I dont see Burnett being succussful in the NFL. It appears that he has pay me first, slacker type attitude and may have gotten by on his talent alone in college.

 

[Clove]

I think in the long run Lawson (once he makes the transition to an OLB) will be better, this guy is the DeMarcus Ware of 2006.

Carpenter will get gobbled up early I think.

Lawson to me just has way too much athletic ability at the wrong position. He is fast, can jump high and is strong.

The case for Carpenter is really good however, he knows how to play in a 3-4 and he is successful at it. I still think he will be gone well before the 18th pick.

If we can get Lawson in the 2cd round I would claim it to be another genius Parcells type draft selection.


*ADD I forgot to mention I dont see Burnett being succussful in the NFL. It appears that he has pay me first, slacker type attitude and may have gotten by on his talent alone in college.

I like Carpenter too, but you can't pass of a freak like Lawson period.

The guy will probably be the fastest defender on the board outside of Defensive backs and very small LB'rs.

His quickness is unreal, and him rushing the QB out of a 3-4 stance with Ware doing the same thing (Unless you have 2 extremely agile pro-bowl Tackles) someone's going to kill a QB.

 

[Bobo]

14. Parys Haralson - Tennessee
Size: 6'2, 248 | College Position: DE
Undersized, Haralson's pass rush ability makes him a good candidate for the 34..

I've read he's looked good in the SR Bowl practices so far. I was a little suprised he was ranked so low on this list. I think he's a 3rd or 4th round 3-4 olb worth considering.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Quintin Moses stayed in school.

Of the 2nd tier hybrids, I like Stanley McClover the best. Probably would have been a 1st round pick next year if he had stayed in school.