Ryan Kerrigan,Cameron Jordan,Phil Taylor Plus Other Defensive Line Notes 2011

Ryan Kerrigan,Cameron Jordan and Phil Taylor plus other defensive lineman notes


DL: Pierre Allen (Nebraska) – 6037, 273. Long arms 35 3/8”, big hands
10”. Flashed versatility to rush the passer and play the run. Needs more
consistency and better hand use to disengage from the blockers. Has tools to
develop. Christian Ballard (Iowa) – 6041, 288. Long arms 33 ½”, hands
10”. Versatile 3-4 or 4-3 tackle or end. More of a run stuffer than a pass
rusher. At times was dominating in drill work. Flashed quickness off the snap
and a sudden inside slant move. Jeremy Beal (Oklahoma) – 6023, 268.
Arms 33”, hands 10”. Had a solid week in Mobile. Is he a 3-4 or a 4-3 end?
Has talent. A good effort player who is quick in angle and slant schemes. Had
a sack and four tackles in the game. Doesn’t wow you with a splash hit, but
does the little things to help you win. Sione Fua (Stanford) – 6016, 307.
Arms 33 ¼”, hands 10 ¾”. Plays with leverage, power, and quickness. Explosive
in his play and use of hands. Skates down the line with good lateral quickness.
Doesn’t stay blocked. Good interior instincts to read and react. Undersized
for an NFL nose tackle. Needs girth. Cameron Jordan (California) – 6041,287.
Long arms 34 ½”, hands 11 ¼”. Had an impressive week of practice.
Explosive edge speed and power. Quick hands to stab, punch, and extend his
arms to gain separation. Solid versus the run and can push the pocket. Can
play in both the 4-3 and 3-4 schemes. Bright eyed, smart, and a high effort
fast twitch player. Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue) – 6037, 255. Arms 33 ½”.
Repeatedly impressed with his get-off quickness. Plays like he has a Roman
candle in his britches. Fast twitch with an electric spin move. Can’t be single
blocked. Was rusty early in the week, but it didn’t take long to show his
wares. A highly motivated competitor who had 5 tackles, 3 for losses, and a
sack in the game. A 3-4 edge rushing beast. Stephen Paea (Oregon State) –
6011, 295. Arms 33 ½”, hands 10 3/8”. Injured knee on Monday and did not
play in the game. Ian Williams (Notre Dame) – 6013, 311. Leverage
player who clogs up the inside running lanes. Beat guard Clint Boling for a
sack. Finished long pursuit. Good effort player who plays the best on the
edges of the inside blockers. Finds the ball quickly. Terrell McClain (South
Florida) – 6030, 310. Replaced Stephen Paea after he was injured on the first
day. Had a strong Shrine Bowl game week and was added to the Senior Bowl.
A disruptive penetrator in the backfield. Explosive in his movement. Quick
to shed and locate ball. Strong enough to stack and split a double team. Sam
Acho (Texas) – 6016, 257. Arms 33 5/8”. Projects to a 3-4 rush end. Worked
on pass drops in practice. Beat North tackle Nate Solder for a sack in the
game. Good first step quickness. Plays with leverage. Chases and finishes on
plays away. Disruptive player who gets in the throwing lanes or pressures
quarterback. Allen Bailey (Miami) – 6032, 278. Arms 34 ½”, and hands 10
1/8”. Had his work cut out for him on game day. Was stuck and controlled by
Nate Solder most of the game. Gave good backside hustle to finish plays
during the week’s team period. Plays with intensity, strength, and quickness.
Jarvis Jenkins (Clemson) – 6037, 309. Arms 33 ¼”. Active in his play.
Gets his hands up and into throwing lane. Quick first step. Physical against
the run when he keeps his pad level down. Works his feet and hands to press
the pocket and rush the quarterback. Pernell McPhee (Mississippi State) –
6027, 274. Arms 34 3/8”. He hustles to the ball when he sees it. He had a
strip and forced fumble in the game. However, his instincts are questionable.
He doesn’t seem to feel “it” or have a nose for the ball. Gets walled off at
times. Gives a solid effort every play. Chris Neild (West Virginia) – 6017,
313. Hands 11”. Blue collar worker who sheds and hustles to the ball. “Kelly
Gregg” type nose tackle. Stacks block in the hole. Can read blocks and has
the footwork and feet to get leverage. Good awareness for draws and screens.
Brooks Reed (Arizona) – 6024, 257. Hands 10 1/8”. Quick twitch edge
player who is relentless on the field. Beat Anthony Castonzo for a sack
during the game. Quick spin move. Can stand up or put his hand down to rush
the passer. Finishes long pursuit. Chases play down. Sudden first step. Phil
Taylor (Baylor) – 6034, 227. Arms 33 ¾”, hands 10 ¾”. A physical player with
rare power. Pushes the pocket with a strong and leveraged bull rush. Can stop
and stack at point. Hard to tie up on a reach block. Good leverage on blocks.
Strong hand control. Good change of direction for a big man. Has two gap
ability. Closes off inside with authority. Cedric Thornton (Southern Arkansas)
– 6035, 299. Arms 34 ½”, hands 10”. Physical player who used an explosive
club move during practice. Good effort player. Did not look out of place.
Pushes the pocket. Disruptive in his play. Sudden first step quickness. Can
improve his pass rushing technique and improve his hand use, but he has the
strength to knock an offensive lineman off balance.

East-West Shrine Game Defensive Linemen

Greg Hardy (Mississippi) – 6037, 279, long arms 34”. Explosive edge speed. Can turn the corner and flatten down the line. Can turn speed to power on his pass rush. Gains an advantage with his first upfield step get off. Speed, acceleration and talent are first round caliber. Doesn’t play consistently at a high level. Rahim Alem (LSU) – 6024, 260, arms 33 ½”, hands 10 ¼”. Jackrabbit quickness off on the snap. Disruptive when he turns the corner. Top effort every down. Strong week of practice and in the game. May be a nickel pass rusher only. Nate Collins (Virginia) – 6017, 288, arms 33 1/8”. Strong week of practice. Undersized for an inside player. Good awareness. Gets into throwing lanes with his hands up. Mike Neal (Purdue) – 6027, 298, hands 10 1/8”. Off on snap. Can shock blocker working low to high. Picks his spots. Plays hard then disappears. Doesn’t stay blocked. Quick to disengage and separate. Has talent. A one gap 3-technique player. Earl Mitchell (Arizona) – 6011, 289, arms 33”, hands 10 ¾”. Thick and powerful lower body. Explosive first step quickness. Good effort player that plays with leverage and goes to the whistle. Jaron Baston (Missouri) – 6000, 309, hands 10 ½”. Shorter than ideal for an edge player. An innate bull rush type, push the pocket guy. Plays on the line of scrimmage. Steady and consistent in his play. Jeffrey Fitzgerald (Kansas State) – 6035, 271, arms 33 ½”, hands 10”. Quick and strong. Can play the run at him or go around an offensive tackle on a pass rush. Gets hands up in the throwing lane. Can play inside on an edge or 4-3 end. Lindsey Witten (Connecticut) – 6043, 248, extra long arms 34 5/8”. Struggled to get off blocks in practice. Needs to get stronger against the run. Has a burst off the edge. Fluid and athletic. Doug Worthington (Ohio State) – 6047, 288, arms 33 5/8”. Plays high. Must work to bend his knees to lower his pad level. An angular good effort player that struggles to separate. Occupies two blockers. Willie Young (North Carolina State) – 6044, 251, arms 34 ½”, hands 10 1/8”. Quicker than fast. Above average instincts. Scheme specific player that needs more size and strength to stack the run at him. James Ruffin (Northern Iowa) – 6032, 266, arms are shorter than ideal 31 7/8”, big hands 10”. Flashes some edge speed, beating Chris Scott around the corner for a sack in the game. Good effort on special teams. Needs more rushing technique. Has some talent and tools for the next level. Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (Washington) – 6024, 250, arms 33 1/8”, hands 10 1’8”. Good effort player on plays away. Locks out and controls the blocker with his hands. Doesn’t stay blocked. Undersized for a defensive end, but has pass rush skills and moves to pressure the quarterback. Martin Tevaseu (UNLV) – 6012, 329, arms 33”, hands 10 ¼”. Gets some inside push in his rush. Can be easily driven out of hole if he doesn’t play low.

Senior Bowl Defensive Linemen

Tyson Alualu (California) – 6022, 291. Power player with a thick lower body. A top effort, every down disruptive player that will punch and spin. Plays with explosiveness and leverage. Naturally strong. Shorter than ideal to play a 5-technique end in a 3-4 scheme. May be a one gap under tackle. Alex Carrington (Arkansas State) – 6052, 284, hands 10 ½”. A 3-4 two gap end candidate that can grab cloth and keep blockers off his linebackers. Can turn speed to power while rushing the passer. A strong week of practice where he gave a consistent effort. Brandon Graham (Michigan) – 6010, 263, arms shorter than ideal at 30 ½”. Explosive first step quickness. Good use of hands to knock down the pass protector’s punch. Excellent positional agility and lateral quickness. Flattens out well against the outside run. Consistent to bend and push the pocket in his pass rush. Relentless in his play. Works to finish. Makes a blocker work from snap to whistle to block him. A natural knee bender. Senior Bowl MVP. Austen Lane (Murray State) – 6060, 267, arms 33 ¾, hands 10”. Has both length and quickness. Recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the game. A raw athlete that has good arm length and big hands for the position. Needs to get stronger at the point of attack in the run game. Good lateral quickness. Mike Neal (Purdue) – 6027, 293, arms 33”, hands 10 ¼”. Can anchor the point of attack if he stays low. A one gap under type tackle. Added to the Senior Bowl roster after a good showing at the East-West Shrine Game. Missed some tackles going for the strip. Flashes explosive quickness. Jared Odrick (Penn State) – 6051, 301, arms 34 ¼”. Versatile enough to play any front position in the 4-3 or the end position in a 3-4 scheme. Pushes the pocket from the inside. Strong enough to hold the point of attack. Can two gap. Strong hands to keep from letting the blocker seal his linebackers. Instinctive, tough, and physical in his play. Impressive week of practice. D’Anthony Smith (Louisiana Tech) – 6020, 300. Athletic and quick for a defensive tackle. Played defensive end in college but lacks the length and must play inside. Struggled during the week with double teams. Battled Jon Asamoah the first day in 1 on 1 drills. Will need technique work as a one gap inside run stopper. Cam Thomas (North Carolina) – 6037, 331, long arms 34 ¼”, big hands 10 ¼”. Has the raw tools to play on Sunday, but lacks consistency and intensity. Beat Alabama’s Mike Johnson for a sack in the game. Has the size and girth to contribute as a nose tackle. Plays high. A flash player that may give a team 25 plays a game. Geno Atkins (Georgia) – 6013, 286. Undersized for an inside run stuffer, but has a quick first step. Beat Mike Iupati for a sack in the game. Must play in a penetrating type scheme where he can one gap and be disruptive. Terrence Cody (Alabama) – 6040, 370, long arms 34”, huge hands 11 ¼”. Good feet for a big man. A power two down player with good balance. Tackle to tackle player. Needs discipline to keep his weight down. Has always struggled with his weight. Presses and pushes the pocket with size and strength. Small ankles for his girth. Antonio Coleman (Auburn) – 6015, 255. A 3-4 outside linebacker pass rusher. Flashes first step quickness. Has some natural strength and playmaking ability. Lamarr Houston (Texas) – 6026, 302, arms 33”. Inside three tech player. Gets rolled out when he plays high. Must get penetration with first step quickness or gets washed down. Quick off the ball. Plays with a good tempo. Used as a fullback at Texas on the goal line. Must work to play low and with knee bend. May have slowed down a step with extra added weight. Brandon Lang (Troy) – 6036, 260, small hands 8 ½”. Gets walled off and stuck on block. Did not jump out with any special skills in practice or the game. Best move all week was a club move that knocked tackle Chris Scott to the ground. Looked athletic dropping and getting depth in pass coverage. Jeff Owens (Georgia) – 6012, 304. Struggled during the week. Is one year out from knee surgery and more was expected at this point. Undersized for an inside push player. Plays with leverage. Gets stuck on blocks and is slow to separate. O’Brien Schofield (Wisconsin) – 6021, 238. Was invited to the Senior Bowl after an outstanding week at the East-West Shrine Game, transitioning from defensive end to outside linebacker. Tore an ACL in his left knee during the first day of pass rush drills. George Selvie (South Florida) – 6044, 247, good arm length 33 ¾” for an edge rusher. Sudden first step. Explosive off the snap. Good change of direction. Needs to get stronger to play the run at him. A nickel pass rusher that needs to add more to his bag of pass rushing tricks. Dan Williams (Tennessee) – 6022, 329, long arms 33”, hands 10 1/8”. Physical run stuffer and pocket pusher in the pass game. Plays low with good leverage. Strong bull rush. Disruptive player that can split a double team. Space eater. Thick lower body. Explosive first step. Gave up no quarters to Mike Iupati in the game. Smart play on screen pass holding up the back so he couldn’t release. Ascending player. CJ Wilson (East Carolina) – 6030, 284. Played left end within scheme as a contain rusher. Flashes a punch to shock the blocker like he did on Chris Scott.