Defensive End
Indiana
6-3 261
40 time: 5.08
Draft board overall prospect rank: NR
Draft board defensive end rank: NR
Overall rating: 42*
7/23/09: Greg Middleton is an interesting prospect. He had an amazing 16 sacks in 2007, showing that he has the capability to do great things, but he followed that with 4 sacks last year. He has great strength, both upper and lower body strength, but isn’t a great run stopper. He runs a very pedestrian 40, even for his large size, but has a great history of getting to the quarterback. He projects as a left end in the NFL because he’s not a good enough of a run blocker to play up front in a 3-4 or inside in a 4-3 and he’s not a quick enough pass rusher to play right end in a 4-3 or rush linebacker in a 3-4. When right, he has the ability to run over and overpower offensive linemen to get to the quarterback, but he has shown that he isn’t always right. The upside is there for him to be a force on a 4 man defensive line, taking on two blockers, but he’s very inconsistent. I would still take a risk on him, as a flier, based on what he has done in the past, in the 3rd or 4th round range, but he has the potential to do a whole lot of nothing as an NFL player, as he may prove to be too big and slow to be a legitimate pass rusher. He carries a lot of extra weight, isn’t as tall as you’d like a defensive end to be, and he’s not very gifted athletically. You here it all the time about NBA prospects and NFL players, they gave great length. Scouts are always going on and on about prospects’ length, “great length” might be one of the most overused phrases on NBA and NFL draft days, but Middleton is a guy who simply does not have great length for his height and that hurts him as a pass rusher. If he has another good season, with 8+ sacks, he could shoot up into day 1, as he would have proved to scouts that he is a big time pass rusher and that 2007 was not a fluke. Even if he does not prove this season that 2007 was a fluke, I’d still use a 4th rounder on him, because, while it may have been a fluke, it was a pretty damn good fluke. I currently do not have him ranked on my top 100 prospects big board, but that could change as the season goes on. In fact, I am currently debating moving him up, giving him a 3rd round grade, and putting him in the next edition of my top 100 prospects.
NFL Comparison: Poor man’s Dewayne White
*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here
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