Unlike on offense,
the defensive players are less well known, and the effects of athleticism on
their impact at the next level are much easier to quantify, but that doesn’t
mean that production isn’t a useful place to start. I find that it gives me a
good place to start in identifying productive mid-rounders and players that
will surprise at the combine. So yes production is a good place to start, but
athleticism numbers are a significant portion of the final grade.
If you’re a first
timer to my draft stuff I break from seven players into three groups: interior,
edge, and off ball linebackers (OBLB). Interior players play inside, or heads
up, of the tackles on the defensive line. Edge players are 3-4 OLBs and 4-3 DEs,
so pass rushers in both schemes. OBLBs are interior 3-4 linebackers or 4-3
linebackers who line up off the line of scrimmage and have more
responsibilities away from the line of scrimmage.
Interior Linemen
For both sets of
linemen athletic testing is a huge key. Yes, players that were productive have
a shot at the next level, but there are things you can do in college purely
through technique and scheme that won’t transfer over to the next level very
well where everyone is a freak.
Player | Class |
School (Conf) | Height, Weight
Tackles | Tackles for
Loss | Sacks | Pass Breakups | Forced Fumbles | Production Score
Highest Producers
Aikeem Coleman | Sr | Idaho (MWC) | 6’3”, 275 lbs
47 Tkls | 14 TFLs | 7
Sacks | 1 PBU | 3 FF | 220
Harrison Phillips | Sr | Stanford (P12) | 6’ 3”, 303 lbs
69.5 Tkls | 16.5 TFLs
| 7 Sacks | 0 PBU | 2 FF | 218
Rasheem Green | Jr | USC (P12) | 6’ 4”, 275 lbs
31 Tkls | 12.5 TFLs |
10 Sacks | 4 PBU | 1 FF | 209
Duke Ejiofor | Sr | Wake Forest (ACC) | 6’ 4”, 275 lbs
34.5 Tkls | 16.5 TFLs
| 7 Sacks | 1 PBU | 2 FF | 200
Tee Sims | Sr | App State (SBC) | 6’ 3”, 265 lbs
31.5 Tkls | 13.5 TFLs
| 9.5 Sacks | 0 PBU | 1 FF | 191
Dante Sawyer | Sr | South Carolina (SEC) | 6’ 3”, 275 lbs
24.5 Tkls | 5 TFLs |
3 Sacks | 5 PBU | 5 FF | 185
P.J. Hall | Sr | Sam Houston St (FCS) | 6’ 0”, 308 lbs
60 Tkls | 19 TFLs | 6
Sacks | 6 PBU | 1 FF | 175
JoJo Wicker | Jr | Arizona State (P12) | 6’ 3”, 273 lbs
36 Tkls | 13 TFLs | 7
Sacks | 1 PBU | 1 FF | 172
Tyquan Lewis | Sr | Ohio State (B1G) | 6’ 3”, 276 lbs
32 Tkls | 13 TFLs | 7
Sacks | 2 PBU | 2 FF | 169
Bruce Hector | Sr | USF (AAC) | 6’ 2”, 296 lbs
32 Tkls | 13 TFLs | 7
Sacks | 1 PBU | 1 FF | 169
Jamal Stadom | Sr | Troy (SBC) | 6’ 2”, 280 lbs
22 Tkls | 11.5 TFLs |
7 Sacks | 1 PBU | 1 FF | 168
Maurice Hurst | Sr | Michigan (B1G) | 6’ 2”, 280 lbs
42.5 Tkls | 13.5 TFLs
| 5 Sacks | 2 PBU | 1 FF | 161
Dalton Keene | Sr | Illinois State (FCS) | 6’ 3”, 282 lbs
45 Tkls | 13 TFLs | 8
Sacks | 6 PBU | 1 FF | 156
Breeland Speaks | Jr | Ole Miss (SEC) | 6’ 3”, 285 lbs
47 Tkls | 8 TFLs | 7
Sacks | 1 PBU | 1 FF | 154
RJ McIntosh | Jr | Miami (FL) (ACC) | 6’ 4”, 293 lbs
38.5 Tkls | 12.5 TFLs
| 2.5 Sacks | 7 PBU | 1 FF | 152
Here’s what I’ll say
about this group; You notice players during the season infrequently outside of
your Donalds or Suhs. I know Phillips, Ejiofor, and Hurst are all names I know
or have seen before. Coleman, Sims, Hall, Hector, Stadom, and Keene are all
players from small or FCS schools that will drop some but are names to at least
give a look. The rest are productive P5 teams that will almost certainly be
useful players but require athletic testing and further study to place them in
the class. I know this isn’t the most satisfying write-up so far, but I don’t
want to lie or bullshit my way through any of these articles, which are meant
to be a jumping off point statistically.
Edge Players
I will sound like a
broken record, but, where as interior players need athletic profiles to round
out their rankings, for edge players it’s a huge part. That said these guys are
more likely than their interior counterparts to get noticed by novices like me
while flipping around on Saturdays.
Player | Class |
School (Conf) | Height, Weight
Tackles | Tackles for
Loss | Sacks | Pass Breakups | Forced Fumbles | Production Score
Highest Producers
Uchenna Nwosu | Sr | USC (P12) | 6’ 2”, 245 lbs
61 Tkls | 11.5 TFLs |
9.5 Sacks | 13 PBU | 0 FF | 261
Joe Ostman | Sr |
Central Michigan (MAC) | 6’ 3”, 259 lbs
54.5 Tkls | 20.5 TFLs
| 14 Sacks | 0 PBU | 4 FF | 242
Anthony Winbush | Sr | Ball State (MAC) | 6’ 1”, 240 lbs
39.5 Tkls | 16.5 TFLs
| 11.5 Sacks | 0 PBU | 5 FF | 241
Bradley Chubb | Sr | NC State (ACC) | 6’ 4”, 275 lbs
56.5 Tkls | 25 TFLs |
10 Sacks | 2 PBU | 3 FF | 238
Marcus Davenport | Sr | UTSA (CUSA) | 6’ 6”, 259 lbs
44 Tkls | 17 TFLs |
8.5 Sacks | 4 PBU | 3 FF | 222
Ja’Von Rolland-Jones | Sr | Arkansas State (SBC) | 6’ 2”,
244 lbs
42.5 Tkls | 19 TFLs |
13 Sacks | 1 PBU | 4 FF | 214
Jeff Holland | Jr | Auburn (SEC) | 6’ 2”, 249 lbs
36 Tkls | 13 TFLs |
10 Sacks | 1 PBU | 4 FF | 207
Ogbonnia Okoronikwo | Sr | Oklahoma (BXII) | 6’ 1”, 243 lbs
61.5 Tkls | 17.5 TFLs
| 8 Sacks | 2 PBU | 3 FF | 206
Shaquem Griffin | Sr | UCF (AAC) | 6’ 0”, 223 lbs
59 Tkls | 13.5 TFLs |
7 Sacks | 3 PBU | 2 FF | 205
Olasunkanmi Adeniyi | Jr | Toledo (MAC) | 6’ 2”, 248 lbs
50 Tkls | 20 TFLs |
8.5 Sacks | 1 PBU | 3 FF | 203
Dalton Herrington | Sr | New Mexico State (SBC) | 6’ 2”, 230
lbs
97.5 Tkls | 16 TFLs |
6.5 Sacks | 6 PBU | 0 FF | 201
Richard Jarvis | Sr | Brown (FCS) | 6’ 2”, 236 lbs
69 Tkls | 14 TFLs | 9
Sacks | 1 PBU | 6 FF | 197
Anthony Ellis | Sr | Charleston Southern (FCS) | 6’ 0”, 245
lbs
52 Tkls | 16 TFLs | 9
Sacks | 1 PBU | 3 FF | 193
Mat Boesen | Sr | TCU (BXII) | 6’ 4”, 240 lbs
52 Tkls | 15 TFLs |
11.5 Sacks | 0 PBU | 3 FF | 187
Leon Jacobs | Sr | Wisconsin (B1G) | 6’ 2”, 245 lbs
47.5 Tkls | 9.5 TFLs
| 3.5 Sacks | 3 PBU | 1 FF | 182
Let’s start with
Ostman, Winbush, Rolland-Jones, Adeniyi, Herrington, Jarvis, and Ellis. They’re
all small school guys I don’t know much about. Now at the top Nwosu gets a huge
bump because of the breakup numbers, they’re double just about everybody else
and if you halved them he’d slot in right behind Jarvis. Chubb is the best edge
player in the draft and should only be aided by his athletic testing. Davenport
went into Senior Bowl week a hot commodity, but the former Roadrunner lost a
little shine with a lackluster practice week but showed up big in the game.
Will be an interesting case study at the Combine. Okoronikwo and Griffin will definitely
get looks at off the ball linebacker spots due to size but should get looks
here if only because of positional value. Holland and Boesen are P5 guys I need
to do more research on. A special note on Jacobs, it took me 5 minutes to
remember who he was, and I watch most Wisconsin games. That said, I think he
fits better as a bowling ball at ILB than as a pass rusher.
Linemen to Know
I combined linemen in
players to know for two reasons: one, depth of knowledge especially on the
interior, and because of the relative interchangeability in current line
rotations.
Vita Vea | Jr | INT | Washington (P12) | 6’ 5”, 340 lbs
37.5 Tkls | 5.5 TFLs
| 3.5 Sacks | 4 PBU | 0 FF | 97
Poona Ford | Sr | INT | Texas (BXII) | 6’ 0”, 306 lbs
28 Tkls | 8 TFLs |
1.5 Sacks | 1 PBU | 1 FF | 89
Taven Bryan | Jr | INT | Florida (SEC) | 6’ 4”, 291 lbs
29.5 Tkls | 6 TFLs |
4 Sacks | 0 PBU | 0 FF | 82
Da’Shawn Hand | Sr | INT | Alabama (SEC) | 6’ 4”, 282 lbs
18 Tkls | 3.5 TFLs |
3 Sacks | 1 PBU | 0 FF | 59
Hercules Mata’afa | Jr | Edge | Washington State (P12) | 6’
2”, 252 lbs
38 Tkls | 22.5 TFLs |
10.5 Sacks | 0 PBU | 2 FF | 180
Marquis Haynes | Sr | Edge | Ole Miss (SEC) | 6’ 3”, 233 lbs
36 Tkls | 11 TFLs |
7.5 Sacks | 0 PBU | 3 FF | 154
Rashaan Evans | Sr | Edge | Alabama (SEC) | 6’ 3”, 234 lbs
54.5 Tkls | 13 TFLs |
6 Sacks | 3 PBU | 1 FF | 139
Sam Hubbard | Jr | Edge | Ohio State (B1G) | 6’ 5”, 265 lbs
34.5 Tkls | 13.5 TFLs
| 7 Sacks | 0 PBU | 2 FF | 134
Lorenzo Carter | Sr |
Edge | Georgia (SEC) | 6’ 6”, 243 lbs
45.5 Tkls | 7.5 TFLs
| 4.5 Sacks | 0 PBU | 3 FF | 133
Kemoko Turay | Sr | Edge | Rutgers (B1G) | 6’ 4”, 252 lbs
46.5 Tkls | 7 TFLs |
4 Sacks | 1 PBU | 1 FF | 88
Jalyn Holmes | Sr | Edge | Ohio State (B1G) | 6’ 5”, 279 lbs
23 Tkls | 3 | TFLs |
2 Sacks | 3 PBU | 1 FF | 81
Harold Landry | Sr | Edge | Boston College (ACC) | 6’ 3”,
250 lbs
30.5 Tkls | 10.5 TFLs
| 8.5 Sacks | 0 PBU | 0 FF | 77
Vea and Ford are 1 or
0 techs (players that play over or shaded to one side of the center). The stats
won’t pop, but film and athleticism will be key for both. Bryan should stand
out in the pre-draft rounds, but a rough season in Gainesville leave something
to be desired. Da’Shawn Hand missed three games but showed all you need to know
about him in the National Championship Game. As for the edge guys, well Hercules
Mata’afa is going to rise up boards and will be a favorite for both myself and
draft twitter. Watch a couple minutes of his tape from Washington State and
you’ll see what makes him so exciting. Haynes is a slight edge player but
showed flashes in his four seasons in Oxford. Evans is a bit of a tweener and
may be better suited for LB but six sacks means he gets a look at edge first.
Hubbard was really good at Ohio State as a redshirt sophomore and many,
including myself, thought it would have been reasonable for him to come out
last season. Carter was another of the group that flashed in the
playoffs/championship game, but at 6’6” agility drills will be important for
the Georgia product. Turay has had injury issues throughout college, but he
shows that upside and bend to be a good pass rusher at the next level. Medicals
and testing will be key, but this a kind of (he’s been pointed out by others)
sleeper to watch at edge. Holmes’ production dipped after an injury that
knocked him out of the Nebraska game, but he’s a talent and should shine in the
pre-draft process like he did against Wisconsin in the B1G championship and
against USC in the Cotton Bowl. Last is Harold Landry. Statistically Landry was
a disappointment in 2017, but he battled through an ankle injury for most of
the season and put up killer tape in 2016. As long his testing is fine, I
wouldn’t have any qualms about drafting him highly based on a presumption of
return to his 2016 form.
I think edge is
pretty deep this season, but interior play is going to be harder to find after
a couple of guys towards the top.
Off Ball Linebackers (OBLB)
As we said above this
group includes all inside/middle linebackers and outside 4-3 backers. Unlike
linemen who are explosion players who need to convert mass and acceleration
into force, linebackers need to flow horizontally and attack vertically. What
makes evaluation here tricky is that a slightly lesser athlete with superior
comprehension and instincts can be a superior player to the superior athlete.
Player | Class |
School (Conf) | Height, Weight
Tackles | Tackles for
Loss | Sacks | Interceptions | Pass Breakups | Forced Fumbles | Production
Score
Highest Producers
Leighton Vander Esch | Jr | Boise State (MWC) | 6’ 4”, 240
lbs
116 Tkls | 8.5 TFLs |
4 Sacks | 3 Int | 4 PBU | 4 FF | 285
Frank Ginda | Jr | San Jose State (MWC) | 6’ 0”, 245 lbs
133.5 Tkls | 13 TFLs
| 2 Sacks | 0 Int | 3 PBU | 3 FF | 208
Chad Moore | Sr | Ohio (MAC) | 6’ 0”, 222 lbs
59 Tkls | 6.5 TFLs |
1 Sacks | 3 Int | 4 PBU | 2 FF | 194
James Hearns | Sr | Louisville (ACC) | 6’ 3”, 249 lbs
35.5 Tkls | 13.5 TFLs
| 7 Sacks | 0 Int | 3 PBU | 4 FF | 192
Richard Jarvis | Sr | Brown (FCS) | 6’ 2”, 236 lbs
69 Tkls | 14 TFLs | 8
Sacks | 0 Int | 1 PBU | 6 FF | 189
Al-Rasheed Benton | Sr | West Virginia (BXII) | 6’ 1”, 238
lbs
94 Tkls | 13.5 TFLs |
3 Sacks | 2 Int | 4 PBU | 1 FF | 189
Quentin Poling | Sr | Ohio (MAC) | 6’0”, 235 lbs
78 Tkls | 12.5 TFLs |
5.5 Sacks | 0 Int | 4 PBU | 3 FF | 189
Jayd Kirby | Sr | Kansas State (BXII) | 6’ 2”, 222 lbs
87.5 Tkls | 11.5 TFLs
| 4 Sacks | 0 Int | 4 PBU | 3 FF | 188
Tremaine Edmunds | Jr | Virginia Tech (ACC) | 6’ 5”, 250 lbs
84.5 Tkls | 14 TFLs |
3.5 Sacks | 0 Int | 2 PBU | 3 FF | 182
Jermaine Carter Jr | Sr | Maryland (B1G) | 6’ 0”, 228 lbs
70.5 Tkls | 6 TFLs |
3.5 Sacks | 0 Int | 3 PBU | 4 FF | 181
Eric Boggs | Sr | Appalachian State (SBC) | 6’ 3”, 236 lbs
77.5 Tkls | 9 TFLs |
4.5 Sacks | 2 Int | 6 PBU | 1 FF | 180
Genard Avery | Sr | Memphis (AAC) | 6’ 1”, 255 lbs
66 Tkls | 22 TFLs |
8.5 Sacks | 0 Int | 2 PBU | 2 FF | 179
Grant Ross | Sr | Air Force (MWC) | 6’ 1”, 225 lbs
69.5 Tkls | 9.5 TFLs
| 1 Sacks | 0 Int | 1 PBU | 4 FF | 177
Josey Jewell | Sr | Iowa (B1G) | 6’ 2”, 236 lbs
101.5 Tkls | 13.5
TFLs | 4.5 Sacks | 2 Int | 1 PBU | 1 FF | 176
D’Juan Hines | Sr | Houston (AAC) | 6’ 1”, 230 lbs
83.5 Tkls | 6.5 TFLs
| 0 Sacks | 1 INT | 1 PBU | 3 FF | 169
Vander Esch is the
real deal and a legitimately good prospect out of Boise State. Tremaine Edmunds
is a freak and is going to show out big time at the combine. And Josey Jewell
was everywhere for Iowa. After that I don’t have a solid grasp on these
players, but that’s kind of the point of all of this.
Players to Know
Roquan Smith | Jr | Georgia (SEC) | 6’ 1”, 225 lbs
111 Tkls | 14 TFLs |
6.5 Sacks | 0 Int | 2 PBU | 1 FF | 147
Skai Moore | Sr | South Carolina (SEC) | 6’ 2”, 218 lbs
77.5 Tkls | 8 TFLs |
2 Sacks | 3 Int | 2 PBU | 0 FF | 145
Jack Cichy | Jr | Wisconsin (B1G) | 6’ 2”, 233 lbs
52.5 Tkls | 7 TFLs |
1.5 Sacks | 0 Int | 2 PBU | 2 FF | 116
Short list of players
to watch here, mostly because I don’t know a lot of off ball linebackers by
name. That said Roquan Smith is a very athletic, very instinctive backer that
is going to blow up the combine and has the tape to back up a top pick. Skai
Moore has had poor luck over the last couple of seasons when it comes to
staying healthy but the way he stood out in his last full season means I’m
going to give him a chance to show he’s 100% back. Cichy was injured this
season as well before it really got started. Cichy burst onto the scene against
USC with back to back to back sacks in their bowl game. Cichy will be a day two
pick, but if healthy will be a major contributor for someone.
I’ll add Rashaan
Evans and Shquem Griffin as they’re tweener types between Edge and OBLB.
Shaquem Griffin | Sr | UCF (AAC) | 6’ 0”, 223 lbs
59 Tkls | 13.5 TFLs |
7 Sacks | 1 Int | 3 PBU | 2 FF | 174
Rashaan Evans | Sr | Alabama (SEC) | 6’ 3”, 234 lbs
54.5 Tkls | 13 TFLs |
6 Sacks | 0 Int | 3 PBU | 1 FF | 121
Cornerback
Cornerback is a tough
one for production because most offenses shy away from the best corners on a
given team. That said stats in general are a good place to identify players
with instincts who may end up productive later in the draft. Oh, one other
thing, pre-combine I have a lot of players that end up in all three DB
categories on my sheet so I will try to put players in just one category.
Player | Class |
School (Conf) | Height, Weight
Tackles | Tackles for
Loss | Interceptions | Pass Breakups | Forced Fumbles | Production Score
Highest Producers
Josh Jackson | Jr | Iowa (B1G) | 6’ 1”, 192 lbs
41 Tkls | .5 TFLs | 8
Int | 18 PBU | 1 FF | 491
DeShon Elliott | Jr | Texas (BXII) | 6’ 2”, 210 lbs
56.5 Tkls | 8.5 TFLs
| 6 Int | 9 PBU | 3 FF | 420
Jalen Davis | Sr | Utah State (MWC) | 5’ 10”, 185 lbs
28.5 Tkls | 5 TFLs |
5 Int | 15 PBU | 1 FF | 388
Darious Williams | Sr | UAB (CUSA) | 5’ 10”, 180 lbs
44 Tkls | 4 TFLs | 5
Int | 15 PBU | 0 FF | 348
Bradd Ellis | Sr | Ohio (MAC) | 5’ 10”, 177 lbs
49.5 Tkls | 2 TFLs |
2 Int | 19 PBU | 1 FF | 311
Parry Nickerson | Sr | Tulane (AAC) | 6’ 0”, 180 lbs
51.5 Tkls | 2 TFLs |
2 Int | 8 PBU | 0 FF | 302
Avonte Maddox | Sr | Pittsburgh (ACC) | 5’9”, 180 lbs
23.5 Tkls | 4 TFLs |
2 Int | 11 PBU | 3 FF | 294
Josh Cox | Sr | Central Michigan (MAC) | 5’ 11”, 191 lbs
71 Tkls | 2.5 TFLs |
6 Int | 4 PBU | 1 FF | 293
Levi Wallace | Sr | Alabama (SEC) | 6’ 0”, 176 lbs
39.5 Tkls | 4.5 TFLs
| 3 Int | 15 PBU | 0 FF | 290
Trumaine Washington | Sr | Louisville (ACC) | 5’ 10”, 181
lbs
37 Tkls | 1 TFLs | 4
Int | 10 PBU | 1 FF | 280
So what I said above
doesn’t really apply here, both Jackson and Elliott are very good players from
P5 teams that get the job done and should pan out well at the next level. Levi
Wallace was overshadowed by Minkah Fitzpatrick in Tuscaloosa but a good player
in his own right. Outside of that I don’t know specifics on the rest, so it’ll
be interesting to see how much the combine shakes all of this up.
Going to combine the DBs
to know like I did for linemen earlier because of ambiguity between position groups
for me at the moment.
Safeties
I combine safeties
here because so many teams list all, or most, of their DBs as DBs. As I keep
getting data, and watching players the groups will become better defined, but
for now we’ll combine them.
Player | Class |
School (Conf) | Height, Weight
Tackles | Tackles for
Loss | Sacks | Interceptions | Pass Breakups | Forced Fumbles | Production
Score
Highest Producers
Jeremy Reaves | Sr | S | South Alabama (SBC) | 5’ 11”, 204
lbs
87 Tkls | 7 TFLs |
1.5 Sacks | 3 Int | 8 PBU | 3 FF | 327
Kyle Queiro | Sr | S | Northwestern (B1G) | 6’3”, 220 lbs
46 Tkls | 5.5 TFLs |
0 Sacks | 5 Int | 9 PBU | 1 FF | 321
Josh Cox | Sr | DB | Central Michigan (MAC) | 5’ 11”, 197
lbs
71 Tkls | 2.5 TFLs |
0 Sacks | 6 Int | 4 PBU | 1 FF | 301
Armanti Watts | Sr | DB | Texas A&M (SEC) | 5’ 11”, 191
lbs
72 Tkls | 10 TFLs |
.5 Sacks | 4 Int | 5 PBU | 2 FF | 300
Justin Reid | Jr | SS | Stanford (P12) | 6’ 1”, 204 lbs
75.5 Tkls | 6.5 TFLs
| 1 Sacks | 5 Int | 6 PBU | 0 FF | 273
Jonathan Cook | Sr | DB | Memphis (AAC) | 6’ 0”, 198 lbs
70.5 Tkls | 5 TFLs |
0 Sacks | 2 Int | 13 PBU | 1 FF | 272
Reid broke into the
top 5 of the SS list, but otherwise these were the top players in the slightly
different production stats that I use for FS and SS. Watts is admittedly the
only player that I can remember watching over the last couple of seasons. He broke
out as a sophomore but missed time in 2016. He was consistent with a handful of
interceptions each season, and at least 50 tackles each of his four years in College
Station.
Players to Know
Duke Dawson | Sr | DB | Florida (SEC) | 5’ 11”, 195 lbs
28.5 Tkls | 2 TFLs |
0 Sacks | 4 Int | 9 PBU | 0 FF | 241
Denzel Ward | Jr | CB | Ohio State (B1G) | 5’ 10”, 191 lbs
33.5 Tkls | 2 TFLs | 2
Int | 15 PBU | 0 FF | 239
Derrick Tindal | Sr | CB | Wisconsin (B1G) | 5’ 11”, 181 lbs
23.5 Tkls | 1 TFL | 2
Int | 10 PBU | 2 FF | 232
Nick Nelson | Jr | CB | Wisconsin (B1G) | 5’ 11”, 208 lbs
30.5 Tkls | 1 TFLs | 0
Int | 21 PBU | 0 FF | 232
Derwin James | RSo | DB | Florida State (ACC) | 6’ 3”, 215
lbs
66.5 Tkls | 5.5 TFLs
| 1 Sack | 2 Int | 11 PBU | 0 FF | 221/231
Kevin Tolliver II | Jr | CB | LSU (SEC) | 6’ 3”, 204 lbs
21.5 Tkls | 2 TFLs | 1
Int | 10 PBU | 2 FF | 206
Minkah Fitzpatrick | Jr | DB | Alabama (SEC) | 6’ 1”, 202
lbs
49 Tkls | 8 TFLs |
1.5 Sacks | 1 Int | 8 PBU | 1 FF | 189/198
Ronnie Harrison | Jr | DB | Alabama (SEC) | 6’3”, 214
58.5 Tkls | 4.5 TFLs
| 2.5 Sacks | 3 Int | 4 PBU | 0 FF | 183/194
Carlton Davis | Jr | CB | Auburn (SEC) | 6’ 1”, 203 lbs
31.5 Tkls | .5 TFLs |
1 Int | 11 PBU | 1 FF | 188
Donte Jackson | Jr | CB | LSU (SEC) | 5’ 11”, 175 lbs
40.5 Tkls | 3.5 TFLs
| 1 Int | 10 PBU | 0 FF | 164
M.J. Stewart | Sr | CB | UNC (ACC) | 5’ 11”, 198 lbs
39 Tkls | 5 TFLs | 0
Int | 12 PBU | 0 FF | 161
Alabama
(Fitzpatrick/Harrison), Wisconsin (Tindal/Nelson), and LSU (Tolliver
II/Jackson) all have two players on this list. Fitzptarick, Nelson, and
Tolliver II are the tops of their respective pairs, with Harrison/Jackson next
and Tindal at the bottom of that six. Jackson for his part is angling to run fast
in Indy with a series of tweets at Adidas shouting his claim to speed throne. Ward
is right up towards the top of my prospective board alongside Fitzpatrick,
Dawson is a solid prospect from Florida. Derwin James might be the best DB of
the bunch when all said and done, but he’s coming off a season in which he didn’t
seem to move past, past injuries, until the end of the season when he seemed to
regain All-American form. Davis and Stewart were very good on P5 squads and should
be day 2 prospects at worst.
So there we are, a
much less definitive preview than my offensive one, but it’s a good placed to
start and we’ve at least taken note of around 90 different defensive players as
we look to Indy for greater insight and data.
