mayoclinic

USC DE Everson Griffen has been getting a lot of 1st round predictions recently. Mel Kiper and Bucky Brooks both have him going #17 to Tennessee in their most recent mocks, as does WalterFootball.com (which has Tennessee picking at #16). Kiper has him #17 on his latest big board. Matt Maguire of WalterFootball has him going #23 to Green Bay as a 3-4 OLB. NFLdraftscout ranks him the #14 overall prospect and Chad Reuter has him going #8 to Oakland.

Does Griffen project purely to 4-3 DE, or can he also play 3-4 OLB? He's reportedly bulked up from 265 to 280 this year but supposedly still has 4.6 speed and excellent agility. He's 6'3" but reportedly has very long arms. He played standing up as well as in a 3-point stance for USC.

Here's a recent scouting report on Griffen from mockingthedraft.com:

Everson Griffen
6'3, 280 pounds
Defensive end
Southern California

Pass Rush/Closing Ability/Moves and Counter Moves: Slow to develop off the edge. Tries to set up moves but instead creates more time for the blocker to set up. Does not burn off the edge. Needs to refine rip and swim moves.

Pursuit/Lateral Movement and Agility: Moves very well for a 280 pounder. Very nimble in the teenches when he needs to be. Moves down the line on runs away from him low and with force. Can avoid the cut blocks by using his agile hips and light feet.

Quickness/Explosion: Can move quickly in short space. Explodes out of his stance and can get in to the blocker right away, gaining control of the engagement. Lacks the top tier explosion off the edge

Run Defend/Recognition: Strong presence against the run. Very hard to move and sheds blocks well. Can get from one end of the tackle box to the other before the back reaches the line of scrimmage. Reads the motion of the offensive line and well and gets himself in to position consistently.

Size/Length/Hand Size: Has the ideal body for the 4-3 defensive end. Long, thick arms that hold a lot of power. A strong 280 pound frame that is put together nicely.

Strength/Ability to Shed Blocks: Constantly the strongest player in the trenches when it comes to the upper body. Delivers a blow with his intitial punch. Lacks the base power to hold ground against a road grading offensive tackle. Can get off a block with his combination of power and quickness. Maintains separation and prevents blocker from locking on.

Tackling: Powerful tackler that wraps up well. Uses his entire body to make a tackle, making it full of force and power. Sound technique.

Technique/Hand Use/Leverage: Plays low with a flat back which enables him to get full power from his hips. Technique as an edge rusher is inconsistent, uses too much bull rush and not enough moves. Has outstanding hands that are strong and powerful.

Versatility: Plays left and right, inside and outside, in a stance and standing up. His best role may be at left defensive end in a 4-3 but he can be moved around in certain packages to create mismatches. Has a nice blend of power and speed, thus making him an option along the line.

Final Word: Griffen is another Trojan that never reached his full potential that many thought was there when he entered the college game. With that said, Griffin had his best year in 2009 and he may be blooming at the right time. He is the perfect fit for a team searching for a left defensive end that can play the run but surprise with his ability to get to the passer from any angle. Defensive Coordinators that like to get creative will like Griffen the most. He has been involved in a couple of off the field skirmishes but no charges have been filed. He appears to have dedicated himself to the game after a couple of years of trying to let his talent get him by. He could end up in the first round if he works out well but production wise, he is a second round caliber defensive end.

Everson Griffen NFL Draft scoutingreport - Mocking The Draft

He doesn't sound like a speed rusher off the edge, but he does sound like he could be a very good strongside 3-4 OLB with his ability to set the edge, shed blocks, drop into coverage, and read and react. I haven't seen enough of him to make any judgments, and he does have the inconsistency label. I'd be curious what other people think.

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BillBelichickFan79

I agree with your assessment of him.

Personally, I think he's a better fit as a 4-3 DE. I think he'd be great on a team like the Eagles. Juqua Parker will be 32 at the start of next season and Andy Reid and Co. love to draft guys on the O-Line or D-Line.

A D-Line of Griffen-Patterson-Bunkley-Cole would be sick for the Eagles.

mayoclinic

I haven't touted him as a potential strongside pass rusher because I haven't seen enough of him and my sense is that he's more of a 4-3 DE. It sounds like there's a good chance he could be a workout warrior and impress at the combine, however. I thought he would be a nice fit for a team like Jacksonville, as a consolation prize since Derrick Harvey will probably not last to #10-11.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

mayoclinic

FWIW, here's a profile on Griffen from The Huddle Report:

Everson Griffen DE/LB USC

TALENT BOARD - Round 2

STRENGTHS

Everson is a stand-up DE with excellent speed and change of direction skills to rush the passer. He is strong at the point of attack and does an excellent job using his hands to keep offensive lineman away from his body so that he can get off blocks and make tackles in the run defense. Everson is smart and understands his assignments; he looks to be very coachable along with being a good teammate. Teams using a 3-4 defense should be very interested in drafting Everson because in his college defense, Everson was used as both a down lineman and as a stand up rush the passer DE who played on either side of the defensive line.

NEEDS TO IMPROVE

Although Everson looks and plays at times like a linebacker, he was not used very much in pass coverage and did not do much dropping off the line into passing lanes. He will have to go to the combine and prove that he has those LB abilities if he wants to move up in this draft. From what I see on the field, I think he has those skills but he will have to slim down to see if he can gain some quickness. Everson is fast, but not quick. This means that as a DE in a 4-3, he will have to learn the tricks of the trade and will need good coaching to free him up to rush the passer.

BOTTOM LINE

Everson is a good solid player with excellent overall skills to play in different types of defensive systems. He just doesn't have that lightning quick burst that a true pass rusher needs to have to be the type of player offensive coordinators need to be aware of when game planning. Right now, Everson is an effort DE and if you make a mistake defending him, he will make you pay. He looks on film to be a quality type of kid that every defense needs to be successful. If you team him with the right players, this kid becomes a star. If you are expecting him to be your main man, that might be a mistake on your part. If you are a good coach, you can't lose drafting this kid in any round providing you have enough skill players around him. Personally, I think if he slims down (and this is not a knock on his weight, just an observation), he just might be a hell of a MLB in the right system. I think you have a lot of options with this kid and he could sneak into the first round if his workout numbers are outstanding. In my opinion, I think that he fits the New England Patriots' defensive system really well.

Drew Boylhart 12/09

Fairly interesting profile. Sounds like he has a lot of skills which might make him a good strongside DE/OLB.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

NePatriots

I'm a fan of Everson, although I think a team will overdraft him in the teens. He makes 1st round plays, but I've seen him loaf at times. Contrary to what THR (whom I respect alot) thinks, I don't think EG diagnoses plays well enough to play MLB.

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mayoclinic

I agree with you that someone will draft Griffen in the teens. I think he will put up big numbers at the combine, and could go as early as Oakland at #8, though I think it's likely that he ends up the #2 DE off the board after Derrick Morgan and goes #11 to Jacksonville, #17 to Tennessee, or #19 to Atlanta. I hope he pushes Carlos Dunlap down a few spots to us.

I don't think he's an MLB or SILB at all, though he is very stout against the run. But I think he could be a strongside OLB for us. He doesn't have quite as good length as Carlos Dunlap or Jason Pierre-Paul, but he reportedly has very long arms, has enough speed to pursue, and the ability to drop into coverage. Not a bad option if Dunlap and JPP are gone. Those 3 will fight it out for position after Derrick Morgan, IMHO, unless Brandon Graham puts up a dominant performance at the Senior Bowl.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

TriplecHamp

He seems like the perfect 4-3 end to me but that doesn't mean he cant play OLB.

patsfan-1982

if he could play OLB i would like him to be a pat usc LB's have been realy good the last few year

TriplecHamp

lol you know, last year when people were hating on Cushing, Matthews and Maualuga they were pointing at Troy and Lofa as the only good SC backers to come out of SC recently. Oh how one year can change things!

mayoclinic

I never new Polamalu was a linebacker at USC.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi