Updated 4/17/10
QB RB WR TE OT G C NT DT 3-4 DE DE RLB OLB MLB CB S K P
100 Once in a decade prospect
95-99 Elite talent
90-95 Solid top 10 pick
85-90 Solid first round pick
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick
65-70 3rd-4th round pick
60-65 4th-5th round pick
55-60 5th round pick
50-55 6th round pick
45-50 7th round pick
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp
30-40 Career practice squader
20-30 No NFL future
0-20 No football future
1. Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska) 99
People who love stats get high off of Suh’s stat card. Over the last two years, Suh has 158 tackles, 19 sacks, 3 picks, and 2 touchdowns all as a 6-4 300 pound defensive tackle. He also led his team in pass breakups this year with 10. There’s a reason he received the most Heisman votes of any defensive lineman in NCAA Football history. He may be the most dominant defensive lineman of the decade. He can play both the 3-4 defensive end position and the 4-3 defensive tackle position. He will make a huge impact on the huge from the moment he enters the NFL. I can’t see him falling past the Lions at #2 and he could be the first defensive tackle to go #1 overall since Dan Wilkinson in 1994.
2. Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma) 96
If it weren’t for Suh, we’d all be singing McCoy’s praises right now. He would have been a lock first round pick last year and he came back and followed up his 6.5 sacks in 2008 with a repeat performance this year of 6.5 sacks. He is a top ten pick lock and could go in the top 3, along with Suh, the first time a defensive tackle has gone in the top 3 since 2000. He would be an ideal fit as a 4-3 one gap penetrator in a zone scheme defense but he can play the 3-4 as a defensive end and all 4-3 schemes.
3. Dan Williams (Tennessee) 86
1/30/10: Williams was a big disruptive force all game and really pushed the defensive line back in a big way. However, what really impressed me is, at 325 pounds, how mobile he is. He moved around great and actually covered a running back and prevented him from catching the ball out of the backfield. He also had a pass deflection. He can play any scheme, unlike Terrence Cody. He’s big enough to play 3-4, but also fast and agile enough to play defensive tackle in a 4-3, and he actually has experience in a cover 2 scheme at Tennessee so, despite his size, he can play that scheme at the next level. I can’t see him falling past Tennessee at 16, who needs a big defensive tackle to play in their cover 2 defense. I currently have him ranked as the top nose tackle ahead of Terrence Cody because of his scheme versatility, even though Cody is a better natural run stopper. Cody also weighed in at 15 pounds higher than expected at his weigh in which is not good.
Williams is the more versatile of the two elite nose tackle prospects this year as he can also play 4-3 defensive tackle and is a true 3 down nose tackle. He moves extremely well for his size and gets a great push up front, but he is nowhere near as physically dominant as Cody.
4. Jared Odrick (Penn State) 85
1/27/10: After Suh and McCoy go off the board early, Odrick makes a great case to be the next 3-4 defensive end chosen by displaying great agility, size, and hand use this week. He could also push Brian Price to be the 3rd defensive tackle chosen as well.
Very good agility for his size and good use of his hands to shed blockers, but a DUI back in March of 2009 could hurt his stock. He fits one gap penetrating schemes and also as a 3-4 defensive end. I think he actually would be better at the next level as a 3-4 defensive end which is good because a ton of teams have switched to the 3-4 lately creating a bigger need for natural 3-4 defensive ends like Odrick.
5. Brian Price (UCLA) 85
Burst onto the scene with 7 sacks as a junior this year and should be able to turn that into a first round selection. He may be a bit of a one hit wonder, but if he continues his physical dominance at the next level, he will be a very solid player in the NFL as either a 4-3 defensive tackle or 3-4 defensive end.
6. Tyson Alualu (California) 79
Not a great athlete, but makes up for it with hustle and work ethic which is a major plus for his draft stock in my eyes. He also has experience in a 3-4 scheme as a defensive end, which gives him an advantage over the other 3-4 defensive end prospects in this draft class. He has 13 sacks over the last 2 years and always seems to be in good position to make the tackle. He isn’t an ideal 4-3 defensive tackle at 4-3, but he’ll fit some schemes and can move inside on nickel packages. He can also play some 4-3 left end depending on how a team views him because he has experience as an edge rusher.
7. Mike Neal (Purdue) 79
1/30/10: Neal had a bunch of nice hustle plays that won’t really show up on the stat sheet and was a huge part of the front 7 domination by the north. He’s a big undersized to be a defensive tackle, but he fits perfectly as a Darnell Dockett type 3-4 defensive end and I think he goes in the 2nd round.
One of my favorite sleeper prospects, a 4th round pick in many people’s eyes, but a 2nd round prospect here. 10 sacks in 2 years is good, a 4.95 40 at 6-4 300 pounds is better, actually I’m surprised he’s not getting more hype, but the best thing about him is his tenacity and his hustle on the field. Some smart GM could snatch him in the 2nd or 3rd round so he’s likely going to a good home. He reminds me of Darnell Dockett.
8. LaMarr Houston (Texas) 78
3/1/10: There were questions about his height and because of that, his ability to play 3-4 end, but measuring in at 6-3 instead of 6-1 or 6-2 will help. So will a 4.85 40 at 305 pounds and 30 reps on the bench press.
1/30/10: He had a nice hustle play on a 4th down stop, in which he snuck into the backfield and made the play and overall he just showed why he was one of the best players on Texas’ defense last year with 7 sacks. This game, along with favorable reports out of Senior Bowl practice week, could shoot him into the 2nd round.
A bright spot on a relatively weak Texas defense this year, at least in relation to the offense. He stepped up big time in the National Championship game with 10 tackles and a sack and ended up with 7 sacks on the season against elite competition. He’s a nice 3rd round sleeper with upside, but his form needs some correction and he’s undersized height wise at 6-1 or 6-2.
9. Arthur Jones (Syracuse) 73
An amazing physical specimen who has shown flashes of brilliance on the field, but has never quite put it together enough for me to consider him a 1st round prospect. Because of a knee injury late last season, he won’t be a 1st round prospect and if his knee doesn’t check out at the combine, he could slip even more.
10. Vince Oghobaase (Duke) 69
3/1/10: On a day of fast 40 times for defensive tackles, that 5.43 40 is going to stand out in a bad way. Especially since he only put up 27 reps on the bench at 303 pounds. I have a feeling his knee might not be 100% which is bad for his stock.
I loved him before the season, but injuries and inconsistencies on the field have brought him back down my board after I called him a 1st round prospect last year. If he can put it all together, he’s a fierce intimidating force on the defensive line as a 315 pound pass rusher who can control multiple blockers and make the edge rushers even better. He can play in both 4-3 and 3-4 schemes.
11. Geno Atkins (Georgia) 62
3/1/10: On a day of surprisingly fast 40 times for defensive tackles, it would take a lot to get noticed. A 4.75 at 293 pounds with 34 reps on the bench press will do that.
1/30/10: He’s an undersized defensive tackle who hasn’t been good since his sophomore year, but he did make a few nice hustle plays to break up the play in the backfield and actually ran down a running back from behind at one point, something very few defensive tackles can do.
Showed himself as one of the more athletic defensive tackles in the combine and he showed his pass rushing skills as a defensive tackle in the Senior Bowl. He didn’t do much at Georgia over the last two years which is why I am not considering him a 3rd rounder yet. I wouldn’t do that based on purely his Draft Pre-Season, but he did have 7 sacks as a sophomore in 2007. He lacks elite size at 6-1 293 and I don’t think he can play 3-4 end because of his lack of height.
12. Jeff Owens (Georgia) 58
An athletic freak with huge upside and great measurables with 44 reps of 225 pounds and a 4.97 40 at 6-1 304, but the on the field production was not there and the tape isn’t very good despite Georgia’s strong defensive line as a whole. He’s a risk and Al Davis could draft him in the 2nd, but he has some upside.
13. Jay Ross (East Carolina) 57
4/2/10: I don’t get this decision. Ross played all of his college career at 315-320 pounds. He played fine and could have been a nose tackle in the NFL and gotten drafted about 2 rounds earlier than if he had not been viewed as a nose tackle prospect. The weigh was not hampering his agility. Yet, he still decided to drop 13 pounds, to 302, which is not nose tackle size. It helped his 40 time, 4.99, but losing the ability to play that coveted position hurts his stock. Instead of 4th round range, he’s looking at 5th or 6th. I drop him from a late 3rd round prospect to a 5th.
Not your average nose tackle, Ross is only 315 pounds, but uses every bit of it to his advantage and uses his hands well. He can also play 4-3 defensive tackle or 3-4 defensive end and actually had a pick this season, though a statistic dip from 4.5 sacks last year to 1.5 this year hurt him because of his lack of elite size.
14. D’Anthony Smith (Louisiana Tech) 56
A fairly standard one gap penetrator who can’t play the 3-4, he may get lost among the defensive tackle depth this year because he doesn’t do anything too special.
15. Earl Mitchell (Arizona) 52
Undersized at 285, and a former tight end so his frame may be maxed out, but 6 sacks last year in the Pac 10 is something intriguing. He’s only a 4-3 guy, but he’s learned the position well and improves every week with a strong motor so he has some upside.
16. Mick Williams (Pittsburgh) 49
17. Nate Collins (Virginia) 47
18. Swanson Miller (Oklahoma State) 45
19. Alan-Michael Cash (NC State) 45
20. Boo Robinson (Wake Forest) 42
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