Prospect Analysis

[Smokey Robinson]

Thought I would share some prospect analysis from NFL.com for a few of the top guys. I think they are solid breakdowns that are worth the read.

Shane Ray

Strengths

Explosive athlete in every sense. Has elite power for his size and explodes off the line like a coiled spring. Rushes passer with extreme passion and purpose. Has fast, violent hands with advanced understanding of how to use them. Tough and plays with bad intentions on each snap. Uses rip to get under linemen and out-leverage them. Played 4-3 defensive right end in base but rushed from three-technique in some sub-packages. Once he gets to blocker's edge, they struggle to recover and redirect. Rare ability to post inside leg and get his body turned sharply and quickly around it toward quarterback. Excellent change-of-direction talent. Has natural coordination of head fakes, footwork and hand usage in pass rush. Works hard to stand his ground against power. Has power in upper body and hips to punch and dispatch with tight ends against run. Rarely runs past the arc as a rusher and will fight to come back underneath if he gets on the high side. Was able to drop into space with no issues when asked.

Weaknesses

Lacks ideal length as an outside rusher. At times was engulfed and glued to the bigger tackles he faced. Can get too focused on hand fighting if he doesn't win with hands early in pass rush. Will occasionally stunt himself out of a play, opening up running lane. If rushing from inside, must learn to set up teammates when running "T/E" (tackle first, end under) twists. Relies on arm-over inside and slap/rip outside -- needs more variety to pass rush.

NFL Comparison Chris Clemons

Bottom Line

It's hard to find many weaknesses for Ray. He pursues the quarterback and the ball like it's his last snap. An alpha male packaged in an explosive frame, Ray has the traits and skills to be a dominant pass rusher and potential Pro Bowler. He also has the athleticism and strength to play in any defensive front.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/shane-ray?id=2552451

 

[Smokey Robinson]

Leonard Williams

Strengths

Supremely gifted interior lineman with length, athleticism and elite power. Lined up just about everywhere along the line at one point or another. Able to jolt offensive linemen with powerful hands and is extremely hard to redirect for offensive linemen once he gets going downhill. Explosive hip snap to leverage blockers and is rarely moved from his gap. Often a read-and-react two-gapper and plays peek-a-boo with running backs while discarding blockers at will when he's ready to tackle. Too much play strength for zone blockers to cross-face him. Fires out with low pad level when playing the run and is difficult to submarine on short yardage. Has feet and brute force to recover and get back into a play after being beaten early. Dangerous pass rusher from twist game, showing big closing burst. Effort rusher who will eventually get home if single-blocked. Beginning to develop spin move as pass-rush counter. Showed intriguing potential as a pass-rushing end in space. Frame able to hold more weight and muscle.

Weaknesses

Is a little late out of his stance off the snap. Must learn to consistently fire hands out as weapons. Slow to transition from run stopper to pass rusher when teams throw on first down. Pad level rises and legs straighten out as pass rusher. Base will narrow, slowing momentum and limiting full potential of his bull rush. Hasn't learned to set up offensive linemen or string together pass-rush moves yet. Doesn't always play to capacity and pursuit is lacking when play heads away from him. Still very raw. Wins with physical tools over skill.

Sources Tell Us "You can't over-think this one. It doesn't matter how raw he is because he's got freakish qualities that are rare for men his size. I think he has a chance to be as good as Kevin Williams. That's his comp." -- NFC Director of Scouting

NFL Comparison Kevin Williams

Bottom Line

Enormously powerful defensive lineman. Has the look and feel of the biggest, strongest kid on the playground but hasn't figured out how to unlock his natural gifts and consistently dominate the rest of the kids on the playground just yet. Williams can play in an odd or even front, and is able to hold the point as a two-gapper or disrupt upfield. With coaching and more experience, Williams should be able to match the athleticism with the power and become a consistent Pro Bowler with a ceiling that goes even higher than that.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/leonard-williams?id=2552486

 

[Smokey Robinson]

Dante Fowler JR

Strengths

Well-built, athletic frame with very long arms. Has transformed body since coming in, losing 25 pounds while adding substantial explosiveness in space. Versatile -- was moved around field for Gators. Can rush from two- or three-point stance. Good first-step quickness. Uses improving spin move to counter when rush stalls high-side. Can dip and turn corner against upright tackles. Slants inside with devastating quickness. Well-timed arm over to whip lungers. Rangy in pursuit. Has hips and feet to change direction seamlessly. Can chase play-side running back to sideline and terminate with very little angle. Length to stifle cut blocks. Strong hands and arm extension to set edge and maintain.

Weaknesses

Bounced all over the field. Raw pass rusher. Still learning nuances of the position. Needs more coordination between hands and feet. Pass-rush approach lacks efficiency and includes too much wasted motion. Expected "speed-to-power" conversion inconsistent on tape. Tackles with length can lock him out and run him over the top. Average lower-body strength with limited window to fend off power. Limited recovery talent when beaten early in snap. Inconsistency against downhill running game is a concern.

Sources Tell Us "He's had to play at different weights and different spots on the field, and I think he's finally understanding how to use his athleticism to dominate a game. He will be way better in the pros than what he is now." -- AFC East college director of scouting

NFL Comparison Khalil Mack

Bottom Line

Strong-side 3-4 outside linebacker with the physical traits and above-average potential to set the edge or spill runs wide to an early demise. Fowler is a competitive pass rusher getting by on athleticism and inside moves right now, but has a Pro Bowl ceiling with double-digit sack potential if he takes coaching and addresses his rush technique.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/dante-fowler, jr.?id=2552437

 

[Smokey Robinson]

Randy Gregory

Strengths

Tall with long levers and a lean, sinewy build. Batted down four passes in 2014. Stronger than expected at point of attack. Able to lock out and stay square against big offensive tackles and can whip most tight ends. Unhinges and gets tentacles on running backs bursting through gap. Room for more thickness on long frame. Competitive and shows toughness against run. Can chase and limit outside runs with speed. Secondary motor to stay in hunt downfield as tackler. Explosive hips. Gets instant change of direction to hound quarterbacks in play-action. Played standing up and with hand in ground. Rushed occasionally from ILB spot. Stride and second gear for quick close. Has bend and hips to convert speed to power. Showed improved timing and understanding of how to set up inside pass-rush move as season progressed. Hands are a blur. Explosive play traits to overwhelm technically deficient tackles. Can counter and recover from cut blocks. Flashes plus hand-feet coordination. As blitzer from ILB, will coil and explode into guard on contact step. More than tough enough. Willing to take on pulling guards with low pad level and aggressive pop.

Weaknesses

Thin through trunk and will play with a narrow base, causing balance issues. Almost always last player out of his stance at snap. Technique and feel as pass rusher lacking at this point. Thinks rather than plays. Takes occasional false steps as stand-up rusher. Time-waster. Too much time stutter-stepping tackles rather than exploding upfield. Fails to stress the high side of tackles to get them rocking. Makes it too easy for tackles to quick-set him. Plays man in front of him rather than "seeing through" to quarterback. Lacks creativity as rusher. Gets punched with his shoulders still squared rather than on an angle, which robs ability to turn edge. Doesn't process what he sees very quickly. Marginal play strength in pass rush and can be redirected. Was manhandled by Wisconsin blockers on two long touchdown runs by Melvin Gordon.

Sources Tell Us "He's super raw, but those physical tools are through the roof. That's why you pay coaches." -- NFC scouting director

NFL Comparison Dion Jordan

Bottom Line

A 3-4 outside linebacker with the length, toughness and closing burst to immediately help a run defense. Gregory could stand to add more weight to his frame and needs plenty of technique work and a patient coach for his pass-rush skill to match his traits. High-ceiling, low-floor prospect.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/randy-gregory?id=2552446

 

[Smokey Robinson]

Danny Shelton

Strengths

Bends well for a big man and has ability to play with leverage. Space-eater who is able to maintain good positioning against double teams. Consistently gets his hands inside offensive linemen first. Controls, sees it and sheds to make tackles. Surprising ability to swat cut blocks and chase stretch plays laterally. Played a high percentage of Washington's defensive snaps. Has the strength and athleticism to dominate in the running game.

Weaknesses

Despite girth and leverage potential, can be a little inconsistent at getting push off snap. Dominates lesser centers but doesn't seem to look nearly as dominant against more talented centers. Will quit on a play when he's blocked. Produced eye-catching sack numbers for his position in 2014, but much of it was against lesser competition. Must work to keep weight in check.

NFL Comparison Alameda Ta'amu

Bottom Line

With his thick frame and powerful upper body, Shelton has moments where he can dominate at the point of attack. He was forced to chase sideline to sideline due to the nature of Pac-12 offenses, but when he faced downhill competition like Stanford, he stepped up. Shelton is an above average interior pass rusher for a man his size thanks to his surprising athleticism. He is a fit in a two-gap scheme and could benefit from playing fewer snaps than he was forced to play at Washington.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/danny-shelton?id=2552325

 

[BearsFan51]

Dante Fowler JR

Strengths

Well-built, athletic frame with very long arms. Has transformed body since coming in, losing 25 pounds while adding substantial explosiveness in space. Versatile -- was moved around field for Gators. Can rush from two- or three-point stance. Good first-step quickness. Uses improving spin move to counter when rush stalls high-side. Can dip and turn corner against upright tackles. Slants inside with devastating quickness. Well-timed arm over to whip lungers. Rangy in pursuit. Has hips and feet to change direction seamlessly. Can chase play-side running back to sideline and terminate with very little angle. Length to stifle cut blocks. Strong hands and arm extension to set edge and maintain.

Weaknesses

Bounced all over the field. Raw pass rusher. Still learning nuances of the position. Needs more coordination between hands and feet. Pass-rush approach lacks efficiency and includes too much wasted motion. Expected "speed-to-power" conversion inconsistent on tape. Tackles with length can lock him out and run him over the top. Average lower-body strength with limited window to fend off power. Limited recovery talent when beaten early in snap. Inconsistency against downhill running game is a concern.

Sources Tell Us "He's had to play at different weights and different spots on the field, and I think he's finally understanding how to use his athleticism to dominate a game. He will be way better in the pros than what he is now." -- AFC East college director of scouting

NFL Comparison Khalil Mack

Bottom Line

Strong-side 3-4 outside linebacker with the physical traits and above-average potential to set the edge or spill runs wide to an early demise. Fowler is a competitive pass rusher getting by on athleticism and inside moves right now, but has a Pro Bowl ceiling with double-digit sack potential if he takes coaching and addresses his rush technique.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/dante-fowler, jr.?id=2552437

Fowler reminds me more of Melvin Ingrahm and not at all of Khalil Mack. Mack was explosive and powerful and possessed an advanced skill set for hand and technique use. Fowler is raw and not quite as athletic. I think he's a classic tweener who'll struggle to find a position. Not enough length to consistently win as a base DE not enough burst to win as a 3-4 OLB. Linebackers should explode past bigger tackles or be set to physically battle them as DEs. If you're in between you're struggling to keep a job and have a defined role.

 

[PolarBear]

Gregory's comparison to Dion Jordan is very accurate. Something I have been saying on this board for awhile. Just like Jordan he will also bust.