* indicates underclassman
+ indicates moving up
- indicates moving down
n indicates no movement Defensive End 1. *Julius Peppers - North Carolina (+)
Reminds me of Jevon Kearse. Can do it all. Excellent edge pass rusher, very good against the run and even had two interceptions during his junior year. Can run and when he catches you he is a sure tackler.
2. Kalimba Edwards - South Carolina (+)
Reminds me of Jason Taylor. Could play OLB as well. Great size, speed and athletic ability. At times he is unblockable coming off the edge. Needs a little work against the run, but is already pretty good. Huge upside.
3. Dwight Freeney - Syracuse (n)
Reminds me of Simeon Rice. A great edge rusher. Is really too small to play DE in the NFL, but seems to lack the athletic ability to play LB. May only play on passing downs, but will get to the QB.
4. Alex Brown - Florida (-)
Reminds me of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila when he wants to. Devasting edge rusher who has improved against the run. If he played hard every down would be as well thought of as Peppers and Edwards, but he doesn't. If an NFL coach can light a fire under him he could be great.
5. Akin Ayodele - Purdue (+)
Reminds me of Joe Johnson. A great pass rusher. Used to play OLB and is no match for most OT's. Not very good against the run. Has a great motor.
6. Kenyon Coleman - UCLA (+)
Reminds me of Reggie White. A power rusher off the end. Won't beat you with speed, but will knock you around. Has a long wing span and is hard to throw over. Since he doesn't rely on speed to get to the QB, he is often standing on the end of the line when teams run wide and is a good open field tackler.
7. Greg White - Minnesota
Underrated. Is a good edge rusher and also a good run defender. Shows good quickness and plays hard. Does find himself out of position a lot and takes himself out of plays way too much.
8. Bryan Thomas - UAB (+)
Reminds me of Marcus Jones. Has great technique and good speed off the edge. Has multiple moves and is hard for OT's to get a read on. He sometimes is so intent on getting the QB that he runs himself out of plays.
9. Will Overstreet - Tennessee (-)
Reminds me of Kenny Mixon. Great quickness and speed for a DE, but in lost against the run.
10. Dennis Johnson - Kentucky (+)
An underacheiver for two years, he finally had a breakout season this year with 12 sacks. Hasn't yet played his best football.
11. Nick Rogers - Georgia Tech (n)
A poor man's Dwight Freeney. A pin-your-ears-back pass rusher who was sometimes unstopable in college. His problems in the NFL will come when teams run at him, he is just not big enought to hold up at the point of attack.
12. Gregory Scott - Hampton (+)
Reminds me of Grant Wistrom. Is very fast on the pass rush. Makes plays like a LB. Is out of position a lot because of his speed. Needs to work on his technique.
13. Bernard Jackson - Tennessee (n)
Is an explosive pass rusher off the end. Is not very big and can be run at. Had a good senior season to solidify his draft status.
14. Ryan Denney - BYU (-)
Plays hard and is very fast off the edge. Can make plays against the run as well. He just isn't as stong as you would like an NFL DE to be.
15. Raheem Brock - Temple (+)
A solid pass rusher and a solid tackler. Will slip a bit in the draft because he doesn't have one triat that really stands out. Is a better pash rusher than most people appear to think he is at this point.
16. Carlos Hall - Arkansas (-)
A terrific athlete who hasn't quite put it all together yet. At his best when the play is run away from him so he can use his athletic ability to run the play down. Not that stong at the point of attack and not a great edge pass rusher. Skills are there if teams are willing to dig deep enough.
17. Conner Stephens - Mississippi State (n)
Is a very good pash rusher who plays every down with a passion. Is a little weak in the run game, mostly because he lacks the lower body strength you would like an NFL DL to have. If he spends a year on a practice squad and gets stronger in the run game he could be productive down the road. Defensive Tackle 1. John Henderson - Tennessee (n)
Reminds me of Keith Hamilton. Very quick at the start of plays. Gets pretty good push as a pass rusher. Double and triple teams don't bother him. Plays his best when the game means the most.
2. Ryan Sims - North Carolina (+)
Reminds me of Corey Simon. This guy has been rocketing up the board during the season and will continue to climb before the draft. An excellent run stopper and good power pass rusher. Has a great combination of intelligence and desire. Has a great motor. Makes a lot of plays just because he wants it.
3. Wendell Bryant - Wisconsin (n)
Reminds me of John Parella. Is very quick and disruptive at the line of scrimmage. Is hard for one man to block. Moves up and down the line of scrimmage well. Not a great pass rusher, but is functional.
4. *Albert Haynesworth - Tennessee (+)
DT keeps getting deeper and deeper in this draft as underclassmen continue to come out. Some people feel when it is all said and done that Haynesworth will be better than college teammate John Henderson. He has a huge wing span and his combination of size, quickness and ability to play with leverage make him almost immpossible for one man to move in the running game.
5. Alan Harper - Fresno State (+)
Reminds me of Trevor Pryce. Needs to run games up front to be an effective pass rusher. Makes more plays in the run game than you think. Has good footwork and can make plays all up and down the line.
6. Anthony Weaver - Notre Dame (n)
Reminds me of Josh Evans. A little light, he tends to get manhandled in the running game. Is a good pash rusher when you play games with line. Won't make a lot of tackles in the running game, just trys to occupy his blocker.
7. Eddie Freeman - UAB (n)
Reminds me of LeRoi Glover. Quick off the ball. Plays hard all the time. Needs to refine his overall game a little, but has a ton of upside.
8. Larry Tripplett - Washington (-)
Reminds of Sam Adams. A huge load inside. A prolific run stopper who at times can collapse the pocket. Just needs to play harder more often.
9. Dorsett Davis - Mississippi St (-)
Reminds me of Chester McGlockton. Is extremely quick for his size. Strong enough to move guys around on the line. A good run stopper and descent against the pass. Takes some plays off.
10. Nate Dwyer - Kansas (n)
A big powerful run stopper that right now isn't very good at rushing the pasher.
11. Monsanto Pope - Virgina (n)
Undersized for a DL but surprisingly his strength is stopping the run. Is very smart and never out of position, a coaches dream.
12. Rocky Bernard - Texas A&M (+)
Is a bit undersized, but plays harder than everyone else on the field. Is a great athlete and a very good pash rusher from the ineterior DL. Is not big and strong enough to hold when he is run at however.
13. Josh Shaw - Michigan State (-)
Very undersized for a DL. On the plus side he is quicker than most offensive linemen, but once they get their hands on him he is out of the play. Plays very hard and his motor never stops. |
