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NEWS AND INFORMATION ON THE NFL DRAFT |
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NEWS AND INFORMATION ON THE NFL DRAFT |
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2012 DRAFT PREVIEW: DEsOverview: Defensive end was one of
the primary positions of choice at the 2011 draft when 9 DEs were
selected in the opening round. Even at that, though, the position
didn't quite live up to pre-draft expectations as several top prospects
at the position went somewhat later than expected. In contrast,
expectations at DE in 2012 will likely be much lower. The one exception
may be North Carolina's Quinton Coples, a potential top 5 pick this
coming April; indeed, if Stanford QB Andrew Luck opts to return to
school for his senior season, it would not be out of the question for
Coples to be a serious candidate to be the first pick overall. Coples,
who had 10 sacks last fall working primarily as an interior DT, is a
full-sized - think Reggie White - 6-6, 285-pounder with a nice burst,
as well as a solid motor and work ethic. There are also several other
very disruptive collegiate DEs across the country including Bruce Irvin
of West Virginia and Bruce Lindsey of Pittsburgh, and juniors Brandon
Jenkins of Florida, Donte Paige-Moss of North Carolina, and Troy's
Jonathan Massaquoi, however, they are all somewhat undersized and are
thought to be better fits at the next level as 3-4 rush OLBs. There are
also some other potentially interesting traditional 4-3 type DEs in the
2012 draft field including Devin Taylor and Melvin Ingram of South
Carolina, Vinny Curry of Marshall, Andre Branch of Clemson, and Julian
Miller of Virginia. Each has pretty good size, but none has explosive
speed and none is considered to be a lock to be even a late-first round
pick, although they'll all likely get some second-day or mid-round
consideration. The bottom line, though, is that this doesn't look like
it is going to be a particularly deep year for traditional DEs this
coming year. It also doesn't look like there will be much help coming
from outside the ranks of D1A schools as most of the top returning
lower-level pass rushers are LB-sized types. Brian McNally of New
Hampshire, though, could get some mid-to-late round looks.
While it may not be a great year for traditional 3-4 DEs, there should be a relatively solid corps of 3-4 DEs this coming April. Jared Crick of Nebraska and Boise State's Billy Winn, for example, have late first round potential, while there is a stromg second-tier group at the position including Vince Browne of Northwestern, Arkansas' Jake Bequette, Logan Harrell of Fresno State Ryan Van Bergen of Michigan and Trevor Guyton of California. In fact, each of the guys in the latter grouping could also get some looks as 4-3 DEs, but none of them are particualrly fast or explosive; indeed, they are generally considered to be more 3-4 types because they aren't overly fast. Top 15 4-3 DE Prospects
Top 10 3-4 DE Prospects
Future file: There also aren't a lot of other underclassmen out there with the potential to emerge as top-flight DE prospects for this year's draft, although pro scouts will at least keep an eye on juniors like Alex Okafor of Texas, Missouri's Brad Madison and Nick Perry of USC just in case. In fact, the next wave of great DEs may still still be a year or two away. There is, for example, a solid sophomore class of DEs across the country including Ronald Powell of Florida, Texas' Jackson Jeffcoat, William Gholston of Michigan State, Damontre Moore of Texas A&M, and Barkevious Mingo of Louisiana State. The guy just about every pro scout would take in a heartbeat, though, is incoming South Carolina fresman DE Jadeveon Clowney, arguably the top recruit in the country this year at any position. If you have comments or suggestions, e-mail the Editor, Great Blue North Draft Report. The GBN can also be reached by phone at (613) 692-1088 or regular mail at 320 Shadehill Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2J 0L6. Great Blue North Draft Report Privacy Policy. The GREAT BLUE NORTH DRAFT REPORT is a division of SQUITERLAND ENTERPRISES, Ottawa, Ontario,Canada |