2015 Draft - Edge Rushers (1 Viewer)

TruSaint

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To get my mind off the loss I wanted to write a little about this year's class of edge rushers. If your team is in need of an edge pass rusher this is the year to do it because the position is absolutely stacked.

Here are my top 10 pass rushers and where I think they will get drafted:

1. Randy Gregory - top 5 - Gregory is perfect for a 3-4 OLB. He is tall at 6"6 and very long, perfect for a pass rusher to use that length to keep blockers out of his chest. Gregory does a good job of this. He is big, fast, strong, and has great pursuit and never gives up on a play. His numbers are down this year but it is because he is either getting double teamed, chop blocked from the get go, or getting chipped. After watching tons of tape on him the only negative I can come away with on him is his slow reaction time. He is usually the last player on the d-line to come off the snap but he is extremely fast, lightning bolt fast, which helps him compensate for this. He also does a great job using his hands violently. He can use every pass rush move in the book, swim, rip, spin, and a bull rush.

2. Dante Fowler Jr - top 10 - Fowler is this year's Jason Pierre Paul. Extremely athletic for a man of his size at 6"4 268. When he comes off the snap it looks like he was shot out of a cannon. The stats don't show it but he has been extremely disruptive at the line of scrimmage. He is extremely raw but has all the tools to be a premier pass rusher in the league which is why he will go high, when he figures out the technical aspects of the game he could be unstoppable.

3. Vic Beasley - top 12 - Vic might have the quickest get off of any player in the country, only rivaled by Shane Ray. He has every move but his spin move is lightning quick, dwight freeney like. He is constantly making plays and pressuring the QB and has a knack for shooting through gaps unblocked because his speed and get off are simply just too fast not allowing the blocker to get into position. One thing though, he is undersized, he is listed at 235 but I find that hard to believe, 220 is more like it. This shows up in the run game where he is almost non existent and you can see him get leveled and over-powered on a regular basis but it is not due to effort, he gives 110% effort all the time, but as far as pass rushing goes, he is simply an absolute terror. He will be a situational pass rusher until he puts on size and strength.

4. Shane Ray - top 18 - Just like Beasley, Ray is a lightning bolt off the edge, but where they differ is that Ray will either beat you with his speed around the corner, or use his under rated strength to bull rush you. He is 2nd in the nation in sacks and has been a force all year, go watch the Florida game, he simply dominated the game single handedly. A good comparison to me is a faster Aldon Smith.

5. Leonard Floyd - top 22 - Floyd is like beasley in the aspect of being undersized, he is listed at 6"4 230 but looks about 210 pounds soaking wet but he plays MUCH bigger than he is. I've seen him bull rush tackles that are twice his size. His athleticism, speed and violent hand usage are incredible. If he puts on a little weight, which he has the frame for being extremely long he could be a terror. He is still raw so it is scary to think of what he could become once the game clicks for him and he figures it out.

6. Shilique Calhoun - Great size at 6"5 256, and has a knack for making plays in the backfield, but once again, this is another raw prospect. He reminds me so much of Demarcus Lawrence last year, being that he is an athletic defensive end who is good both vs the pass and run. He could use a little more strength, and needs to work on his pass rushing moves but he was viewed as a top 10 pick before the season.

7. Markus Golden - top 25 - Golden, the opposite edge rusher to Shane Ray has been just as good, many of Ray's sacks have come from Golden's pressures. He is large and extremely strong at 6"3 260, but is surprisingly fast. He has a monster bull rush that he uses with his strength to blow up his blocker and uses his closing speed to finish the play. Think Paul Kruger but faster and more athletic.

8. Noah Spence - early/mid 2nd - This is a guy that has all the potential in the world, if you watched him play last year you saw it. He is big at 6"5 255, strong, and fast. (I know i'm sounding like a broken record with being quick and fast but that is how deep this edge rusher class is, perfect for 3-4 teams). His draft stock will draft because of the trouble he got in but he was looked at as a top 20 pick before the season.

9. Alvin Dupree - early/mid 2nd - at 6"4 267, Dupree is what you want in a defensive end, but he has surprising agility for a man his size and could fit in a 3-4 hybrid scheme. Like Justin Houston he is very strong and has a great bull rush but still quick enough to beat slower tackles off the snap. He doesn't have many holes in his game as he is also strong vs the run. He only has 3 sacks on the year but he has been much more disruptive than the numbers suggest. He has a great get off and has showed the ability to drop into coverage, I like him best as a 3-4 SOLB.

10. Hau'Oli Kikaha - late 2nd/early 3rd - Kikaha is a pass rushing terror, 13 sacks last year and was leading the nation this year at one point with 10. He gets by as an edge rusher with pure strength, a quick first step, and has the most violent hands of anyone in the draft. He is in the mold of Clay Matthews and should go much higher than where he will actually end up getting drafted. He is a fierce competitor and feisty athlete who is consistently delivery bone crushing hits.
 
Also feel free to post your personal rankings as well.
 
Eli Harold out of Virginia has caught my eye. Mid round sleeper. Could shoot up boards later on if he tests well.

Eli-Harold.gif


He's overcome the death of his mother to pancreatic cancer and was high on LSU's recruiting list but he choose to stay close to home.

6'4" 250lbs, can still bulk up a bit more. Crazy athletic and long? My kind of pass rusher.
 
Eli Harold out of Virginia has caught my eye. Mid round sleeper. Could shoot up boards later on if he tests well.

Eli-Harold.gif


He's overcome the death of his mother to pancreatic cancer and was high on LSU's recruiting list but he choose to stay close to home.

6'4" 250lbs, can still bulk up a bit more. Crazy athletic and long? My kind of pass rusher.

I literally almost added an 11th and 12th spot for Eli Harold and Nate Orchard from UT.
 
I always like your college player write ups a lot of good info:9: With the way this season is going you will be doing your mock drafts in December if not sooner:ezbill: After reading your list I would take Gregory I like the idea that he has a list of moves and speed you mentioned we really have not had a pass rusher at the OLB spot since the Dome Patrol.
 
I always like your college player write ups a lot of good info:9: With the way this season is going you will be doing your mock drafts in December if not sooner:ezbill: After reading your list I would take Gregory I like the idea that he has a list of moves and speed you mentioned we really have not had a pass rusher at the OLB spot since the Dome Patrol.

Thanks man! I was waiting for you to say something haha. And yes Gregory would be a perfect fit but he's going top 5 but I would love to get either dante fowler jr, shane ray or leonard floyd.
 
You're welcome yeah I would hate to end up with a record that gave us a top five pick. Ray would be a good pick too a faster Aldon Smith is a good thing. A top flight pass rusher would really open this dline up big time. I think if we were to go this route the three you mention may be a little more in line with what our draft pick could possibly be if this dumpster fire of a season persists.
 
To get my mind off the loss I wanted to write a little about this year's class of edge rushers. If your team is in need of an edge pass rusher this is the year to do it because the position is absolutely stacked.

Here are my top 10 pass rushers and where I think they will get drafted:

1. Randy Gregory - top 5 - Gregory is perfect for a 3-4 OLB. He is tall at 6"6 and very long, perfect for a pass rusher to use that length to keep blockers out of his chest. Gregory does a good job of this. He is big, fast, strong, and has great pursuit and never gives up on a play. His numbers are down this year but it is because he is either getting double teamed, chop blocked from the get go, or getting chipped. After watching tons of tape on him the only negative I can come away with on him is his slow reaction time. He is usually the last player on the d-line to come off the snap but he is extremely fast, lightning bolt fast, which helps him compensate for this. He also does a great job using his hands violently. He can use every pass rush move in the book, swim, rip, spin, and a bull rush.

2. Dante Fowler Jr - top 10 - Fowler is this year's Jason Pierre Paul. Extremely athletic for a man of his size at 6"4 268. When he comes off the snap it looks like he was shot out of a cannon. The stats don't show it but he has been extremely disruptive at the line of scrimmage. He is extremely raw but has all the tools to be a premier pass rusher in the league which is why he will go high, when he figures out the technical aspects of the game he could be unstoppable.

3. Vic Beasley - top 12 - Vic might have the quickest get off of any player in the country, only rivaled by Shane Ray. He has every move but his spin move is lightning quick, dwight freeney like. He is constantly making plays and pressuring the QB and has a knack for shooting through gaps unblocked because his speed and get off are simply just too fast not allowing the blocker to get into position. One thing though, he is undersized, he is listed at 235 but I find that hard to believe, 220 is more like it. This shows up in the run game where he is almost non existent and you can see him get leveled and over-powered on a regular basis but it is not due to effort, he gives 110% effort all the time, but as far as pass rushing goes, he is simply an absolute terror. He will be a situational pass rusher until he puts on size and strength.

4. Shane Ray - top 18 - Just like Beasley, Ray is a lightning bolt off the edge, but where they differ is that Ray will either beat you with his speed around the corner, or use his under rated strength to bull rush you. He is 2nd in the nation in sacks and has been a force all year, go watch the Florida game, he simply dominated the game single handedly. A good comparison to me is a faster Aldon Smith.

5. Leonard Floyd - top 22 - Floyd is like beasley in the aspect of being undersized, he is listed at 6"4 230 but looks about 210 pounds soaking wet but he plays MUCH bigger than he is. I've seen him bull rush tackles that are twice his size. His athleticism, speed and violent hand usage are incredible. If he puts on a little weight, which he has the frame for being extremely long he could be a terror. He is still raw so it is scary to think of what he could become once the game clicks for him and he figures it out.

6. Shilique Calhoun - Great size at 6"5 256, and has a knack for making plays in the backfield, but once again, this is another raw prospect. He reminds me so much of Demarcus Lawrence last year, being that he is an athletic defensive end who is good both vs the pass and run. He could use a little more strength, and needs to work on his pass rushing moves but he was viewed as a top 10 pick before the season.

7. Markus Golden - top 25 - Golden, the opposite edge rusher to Shane Ray has been just as good, many of Ray's sacks have come from Golden's pressures. He is large and extremely strong at 6"3 260, but is surprisingly fast. He has a monster bull rush that he uses with his strength to blow up his blocker and uses his closing speed to finish the play. Think Paul Kruger but faster and more athletic.

8. Noah Spence - early/mid 2nd - This is a guy that has all the potential in the world, if you watched him play last year you saw it. He is big at 6"5 255, strong, and fast. (I know i'm sounding like a broken record with being quick and fast but that is how deep this edge rusher class is, perfect for 3-4 teams). His draft stock will draft because of the trouble he got in but he was looked at as a top 20 pick before the season.

9. Alvin Dupree - early/mid 2nd - at 6"4 267, Dupree is what you want in a defensive end, but he has surprising agility for a man his size and could fit in a 3-4 hybrid scheme. Like Justin Houston he is very strong and has a great bull rush but still quick enough to beat slower tackles off the snap. He doesn't have many holes in his game as he is also strong vs the run. He only has 3 sacks on the year but he has been much more disruptive than the numbers suggest. He has a great get off and has showed the ability to drop into coverage, I like him best as a 3-4 SOLB.

10. Hau'Oli Kikaha - late 2nd/early 3rd - Kikaha is a pass rushing terror, 13 sacks last year and was leading the nation this year at one point with 10. He gets by as an edge rusher with pure strength, a quick first step, and has the most violent hands of anyone in the draft. He is in the mold of Clay Matthews and should go much higher than where he will actually end up getting drafted. He is a fierce competitor and feisty athlete who is consistently delivery bone crushing hits.
Excellent job as usual. And what a great idea to divert the attention from the game.

Is there any local talent on the radar?

We see mid to late rounders flourish all the time.
 
I like these posts from you although I wish you'd listed where they're from, but since I have to look up a few of these guys anyway I guess it doesn't matter right?

I saw what Shane Ray did to Florida, man he's relentless.
 
How do we get another true number one corner to go opposite lewis? Draft or trade/free agency. Our secondary will never be complete without another corner to go opposite lewis.
 
Excellent job as usual. And what a great idea to divert the attention from the game.

Is there any local talent on the radar?

We see mid to late rounders flourish all the time.

Thanks man, I've only watched tape on about 40 players, only local guys are jalen mills and la'el collins. I'll get into the draft deeper as the season goes on.
 
I like these posts from you although I wish you'd listed where they're from, but since I have to look up a few of these guys anyway I guess it doesn't matter right?

I saw what Shane Ray did to Florida, man he's relentless.

haha sorry i probably should have done that.
 
How do we get another true number one corner to go opposite lewis? Draft or trade/free agency. Our secondary will never be complete without another corner to go opposite lewis.

Well there are a million ways, draft one, sign one, develop one, but with our financial situation our best bet is to draft one. this is my big board for the saints in the 10-15 range:

1. dante fowler jr SOLB
2. trae waynes CB
3. Shane ray WOLB
4. Marcus Peters CB
5. Leonard Floyd WOLB
 
I like these posts from you although I wish you'd listed where they're from, but since I have to look up a few of these guys anyway I guess it doesn't matter right?

I saw what Shane Ray did to Florida, man he's relentless.

And ya shane ray is that good, not only is he relentless, but he produces, every game, consistently. He is the kind of player you want on your team. Also he is tailor made to be a 3-4 OLB with his size and speed. Like I said I compare him to a faster, smaller aldon smith, or possibly a stronger bruce irvin.
 

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