2022 IDL/PTP Draft Prospects

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Let's get a little more specific. Want to use this thread to talk about IDL, interior defensive linemen, 0, 1, 3, 4, 5 techniques ... I wrote a few post about what opposing teams have done to our DL and what we might need to stop it. (Please no mock drafts) Maybe an idea of who you like and whwre they might fit where.

Here's one of the dumb post ...

"On early/base downs were playing a lot of our Okie front a "head up" look where you have 5T 0 5T (5T are outside eye or outside shoulder almost head up) leaving G unblocked so LB have to take 'em. 5T will go inside / outside depending on the play.

Mixed in with some 3T 0 3T (3T shaded outside eye or outside shoulder guard) & 4i 0 4i (4i shaded inside eye or inside shoulder of tackles) or "tite" which NFL borrowed from colleges. Again you'll see variations mixed in but we've been playing a lot of the 505 as a base in early downs.

The problem is twofold imo. Teams that can really bully you in the ground game and are efficient running duo (two double teams) and inside - mid zone can just double or prioritize our 0 or 1 and a 5T. And we're not getting off blocks or up field. We're getting washed out the play. We've actually used Wise inside to try to get vertical upfield with little success.

We're fine against smaller offensive lines or one that might not have as much chemistry or frankly talent up front but have had problems against some of the more top tier lines. Bills, Atlanta, Jete, Carolina but teams that have an identity have been more of a problem. Not breaking news you'll have more trouble with better more established lines but those are the teams you'll have to face to get where we want to go and we still need to figure out a plan up front. Again we've adjusted a little in terms of alignment (shifting from 5T to 4i) and personnel (Wise and Davis) but we're not getting the results we want upfront.

Another issue is how you want to defend the run, right? Take from coverage, sacrifice up front. You have guys like Fangio and Staley using a lot of tite or Mint in Sabanese and give up a gap and half. Sacrifice a little pass rush, put a shell over the top and rotate Saf down in the box. Essentially giving up the +1 and trying to stop the run while combating early passing downs.

However you're approaching it, it's clear we need to beat doubles if we're going to keep up with this and no matter the front or alignment we need an upgrade at IDL/NT spot. God and Guy have been inconsistent tbh. Both contribute and have good sequences, neither has been bad all year but it inconsistent. And going forward we really need to think about investing in those positions (versatile 5T that can rush / stop the run) or another Warren type along with a legit NT. Jordan Davis, Travis Jones or someone in the 4th / 5th round but really plays the part. Right now we have 3 bodies doing serviceables job but we need another big time talent up front.


TLDR:
We need a real slot to make things easier on Mac. Alleviate some pressure from MOF. Take advantage of matchups from different positions. This is the one thing that would help our offense the most imo from a "target" pov.

We're handling smaller OL's that don't have an identity or real chemistry - Atlanta, Jete, Bills (up until recently lol), Carolina but losing the physical battle to better ones. Personnel / Alignment needs tweaking if we're going to continue this way. Specifically 5T and 0/1."


With that said let's get into some of the names who could help. Who's "unique" (Davis, Jones, Leal, Wyatt & Winfrey) among their position in terms of skill set. And who might be a good fit for us.


Top 30-40

0/1 Tech
Jordan Davis - from Charlotte, grew up playing basketball and was pretty decent. Didn't really start playing football until JR/SR in HS so he wasn't that heavily recruited (recruited as OG) Played mostly nose but spent time at 3T in an odd front at UG. Everyone raves about him as a person. Very humble, good person, gentle giant off the field.



Mountain of a man with incredible play strength, size & motor. Heavy heavy hands with plus placement & grip strength. Can stack & shed, drive his man into the backfield and handle double teams with relative ease. Eyes could be more disciplined in the backfield. Plus motor, effort & hustle. He'll be on a limited snap count at least short term but he's a hustler with good range for his size. Limited lateral movements but he's a handful & always looking to make a play. He'll never be a pass rusher but can change early downs with the best of them. Inconsistent jump off the line but very good when on. Played a good amount of 3T and can move around a little. Lined up in the backfield on offense. He's not a normal big boy.


Travis Jones - local kid that had offers from Rutgers (originally committed there) & BC. Like Davis played played some OL before DL. Dedicated himself to working on his body shedding bad weight and getting stronger.

6'4/330 with 34 + arms. Natural 0/1T in an odd front. Plus eyes that stay on the ball. Flashes colors to one side before can plugging another gap. Faced a ton of doubled very comfortable in that role. Decent set of hands and moves to free himself. Bull rush, long arm, snatch. He's a worker with plus effort but movements get a little segmented at times. Inconsistent jump and explosion. Like Davis not much upside as a pass rusher. Just isn't there but he'll occasionally be "too much" for a smaller linemen and can win a battle here and there. Like Davis he's a clogger who can reset and help win early downs, short yardage.


Top 125

Neil Farrell - From Alabama. Decent recruit with offers from everyone.

Farrell looks the part but I believe he might be best served in a defense like Indy, Cleveland or Dallas but I'm not a pretend coach just a pretend scout. Lacks twitch to jump off the ball but is a decent snap jumper (there's a difference) Very solid north south player that can do a few things in between A & B but lacks true COD. Plus play strength and grip strength. He can bench an OL'm, control them, push a pocket. Good eyes and awareness on the ball. Not much of a pass rush threat besides bull rush and snatch. Not someone who will consistently work down the line. Again not sure he could be a one man gang & star of the show in an odd front most of the time.

Other names ...

Top 125
John Ridgeway

Top 150-200
Otito Ogbonnia
Marquan McCall
Noah Elliss

udfa
Kevin Atkins
Tyarise Stevenson


Top 40

3-5 Tech
Devonte Wyatt - Georgia native who played everything from track & field to wrestling. Big name recruit that originally committed to South Carolina. Arrested a few years on misdemeanors but charges dropped.

Really nice blend of size, technique and speed. Wyatt can penetrate vertically or chase and pursue down the line/backside. Very nice first step has a little twitch. Very good hand placement but hands could be a little more violent/active. He can disengage and get off blocks though. Handles himself well enough at the poa not a lot of push back but he can't consistently handle double teams. More 3T than 5T. Play recognition could improve. Wyatt can use the space around him and use his flexibility in situations like that & knife through a line. Has some dog in him he'll let you know he's there and isn't shying away from physicality. Most complete 3-5T in the class.


Top 75

Perrion Winfrey - From Chicago little known recruit that's been playing football forever. Struggled with school / qualifying grades went juco.

At times he's explosive getting upfield. He can get vertical with the best of 'em. Hes probably one of the purest 3T in the draft. Heavy hands with long vines for arms, incredible wingspan. Plus motor, effort and attitude. He doesn't stop trying to make a play. Limited high cut athlete that can't change direction. Played out of position on college. Technique has been lacking and hasn't improved. Lots of potential in an attacking/slanting scheme. Has to become more patient vs the run. And play with better pad level they go 1-2 with him. If he hits he could be one of the best IDL in the draft but he's got some work to do and that's not easy to do in the league. You really have to hit the ground running. I'd say he would be a great fit on Dallas but he's got a unique skill set compared to the others at his position. So I'm sure he'll be in demand.


Top 30-40

DeMarvin Leal - From SA, Texas big time recruit with offers from Alabama, Clemson and Texas.

Put together very well proportioned, thick throughout his entire body. Explosive off the ball, movements are smooth, quick with no lumbering. Put together very nicely, smooth transition step to step vertically and laterally. Variety of moves including smooth spin and swim very light feet. Can bounce off his steps. Played all the line out of necessity but he's a pure 3T with 5 potential. Can occasionally rush over the ball or outside in 6T. Has to get stronger overall but hands could improve as well as his lower half. He'll probably never be a real two gap player but his skill set is unique in this draft and others tbh. He might not be for everyone but has a lot potential as a disruptive IDL playing the run.




Top 125-150

Eyioma Uwazurike - from Detroit with Nigerian background. Played multiple sports growing up. Steuggled with school or probably would have went to UM or State. He'll be 24 soon.



6'6/315 with 35 Ball of clay that still needs to be molded and smoothed out. The talent and drive appear to be there. He has to really harness his technique, patience and processing. Played a good amount of 4i & 5T at Iowa State. Love his motor, energy and toughness. Very durable. He's a tough person, player and will fit right in most locker rooms. Hands and placement on punches and strikes really improved as well as his path and steps to the QB. He does a great job avoiding, knifing through blocks he'll occasionally take himself out a play. Inconsistent taking on and finding the ball but he's improved. Has to improve his pass rush plan and variety.




Chris Hinton - from Georgia played basketball as well as football. Big time recruit 5 stars.

Short arms but really knows how to utilize his length. Tough player that knows his role. Isn't flashy or explosive. He's there to control, disrupt and let others shine playing off the ball. Plus grip strength, heavy hands, can extend and press his man. Isn't going to jump off the screen but reliable and smart.




Other names to know ...

Top 75-100

Phidarian Mathis (cross between Ashawn Robinson & Marvin Austin) Not "unique" but a plug & play IDL.

Top 125-150
Matthew Butler (has a little juice to him, nice jump. He'd work in an attacking scheme that manipulates pressure but not sure for us)

Kalia Davis (like Butler he's very quick, light on his feet. Like Butler he can use his quicks to knife and built in {6'1"} leverage for power,)

late/udfa
Jayden Peevy (enormous wingspan/arm length & body/size. Big ball of clay that lacks fundamentals/technique)

 

[captain stone]

I also like Uwazurike as a mid-Day 3 chess piece, but only after we have already drafted a NT & DE...

Interesting that Mathis is listed with the 3/5-techs and not the 0/1s...

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

I also like Uwazurike as a mid-Day 3 chess piece, but only after we have already drafted a NT & DE...

Interesting that Mathis is listed with the 3/5-techs and not the 0/1s...

Mathis isn't a true nose or shade. He's only 310-315 with long arms. He was an end in Saban's 34 even though he saw reps over the ball. He's an ideal 3-5T for us. He's not "unique" but one of the more straightforward projections in the class.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

Mathis isn't a true nose or shade. He's only 310-315 with long arm. He was an end in Saban's 34 even though he saw reps over the ball. He's an ideal 3-5T for us. He's not "unique" but on of the more straightforward projections in the class.

that is where I see Godchaux as well for us going forward. I think he can play really solid next to a bigger NT when he playes the 3 T

 

[captain stone]

that is where I see Godchaux as well for us going forward. I think he can play really solid next to a bigger NT when he playes the 3 T

Guy & Barmore would also be more effective next to a bigger (and more talented) NT.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Thirty years ago, Clemson’s Chester McGlockton ran 40 yards at the NFL scouting combine in 5.05 seconds. He stood 6 feet 4 inches and weighed 337 pounds, but with his tendency to balloon up there’s no telling what he might have been a week later.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a 350-pounder run like this guy runs,” Ron Hughes, the Detroit Lions’ director of player personnel, said in April 1992. “But he’s got some holes in him, too.”

Holes? McGlockton didn’t try on half the plays at Clemson, was an obnoxious individual and didn’t like practicing.

McGlockton, with his 29-inch vertical jump and 8-8 broad jump, was praised for what was then regarded as one of the greatest big-man workouts ever. His story has currency because of what Jordan Davis did at the combine in February.

Davis’ numbers reverberated from Lucas Oil Stadium: 6-6 ½ and 341, a 4.78 40, a 32-inch vertical jump and a 10-8 broad jump. Almost overnight, the Georgia nose tackle achieved a strange notoriety for what he did wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

For a variety of reasons, McGlockton was one of eight interior defensive linemen cited by today’s fraternity of scouts as comparable in some ways to Davis. Scouting lives on comparisons between one player and another, and so it was with Davis.

Here are sketches of the eight players.

1991: Louisville’s Ted Washington (6-4, 303) was the 25th pick by the 49ers. I’m looking at the Group 4 combine results sheets, and his weight really was just 303. A month later, he was reportedly 330. Pro Football Reference lists 365 as his career weight. Citing various injuries, he didn’t run the 40. Playing for seven teams, he started 204 of 236 games and finished with 34 1/12 sacks. He made the Pro Bowl four times. Said Green Bay VP Tom Braatz before that draft: “He’s not going to run down anybody. He’s a size-strength bull rusher.” Said an NFC executive this month: “Ted Washington is the comparison. No, he couldn’t run like Davis, but he could control the middle like him.”

1992: McGlockton was the 16th pick by the Raiders. He started 151 of 179 games, made four Pro Bowls and registered 51 sacks. “Chester should have been the greatest defensive tackle in the history of the game,” one scout said. “Maybe this guy (Davis) is like him.”

1994: Ohio State’s Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson (6-3 ½, 327 at the combine) was listed at 340 for his career by PFR. He didn’t run in Indy, but dropped his weight to 313 for a March workout in which he ran 4.85. Years later, a Bengals scout told me they clocked him at 4.72. At the time, Hughes said Wilkinson was the best defensive tackle since Mean Joe Greene. Other scouts said he reminded them of Reggie White and Cortez Kennedy. “To my way of thinking, you really, really need to get people after the passer,” Bills GM John Butler before the draft. The Bengals took him with the top pick of ’94. Wilkinson never made the Pro Bowl but started 182 of 195 games and finished with 54 ½ sacks.

1994: Sam Adams of Texas A&M went eighth to the Seahawks. Citing injury, he didn’t run at the combine. “I hear guys say he’s got talent like Bruce Smith,” Broncos scouting director Jeff Smith said. “He’s got that kind of talent, but he’ll have to mature.” What the 6-2 Adams, who was 292 at the combine, eventually did was change his body until he became a 350-pound nose tackle but one still possessing the ability to run and make plays. He started 177 of 226 games for seven teams, finishing with 44 sacks and three Pro Bowls.

2001: Georgia’s Marcus Stroud (6-6, 321 at the combine) ran 5.12 with a 30-inch vertical and a 9-2 broad jump. He was most often compared to Washington. “Ted Washington is wide but this kid isn’t wide,” Saints GM Randy Mueller said. “But he’s strong and powerful at the point like Washington.” Drafted 13th by the Jaguars, Stroud would go on to start 129 of 146 games, log 29 ½ sacks and make three Pro Bowls.

2002: Georgia’s John Henderson (6-7, 306 at the combine) ran 4.98 at pro day to go with a 27 ½ vertical and a 9-2 broad jump. His career weight was listed as 335 by PFR. “He doesn’t fit all this movement stuff,” Titans director of player personnel Rich Snead said. “But when you watch him take off and run, there’s five or six plays a game no one else can do.” Drafted No. 9 by the Jaguars, he started 125 of 146 games, had 29 sacks and made two Pro Bowls.

2002: With the 15th selection, the Titans took Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth (6-5 ½, 320 at the combine). He didn’t run the 40 there, but a few weeks later ran in the mid-to-high 4.8’s on a hard indoor track in Knoxville. Teams converted that to 4.93 on FieldTurf. His vertical jump was 30, his broad jump was 8-7. “This is a huge man who can absolutely dominate a football game, the whole game,” one scout said. “He’s exceptionally quick and can run like hell. Talent-wise, this guy is like McGlockton.” PFR listed his career weight at 335. “Haynesworth was so much more creative as a pass rusher,” an AFC scout said last week in making the comparison to Davis. In 123 games (92 starts) he tallied 30 ½ sacks and made two Pro Bowls.

2012: At Memphis, Dontari Poe (6-3 ½, 346 at the combine) played three seasons for teams that went 5-31 and fielded hideous defenses (yield of 36.6 points per game). Until Indy, he was nowhere at D-tackle behind Mississippi State’s Fletcher Cox and Louisiana State’s Michael Brockers. Then, at the combine, he ran 4.90 with a 29 ½ vertical and a 8-9 broad jump (plus a crazy 44 reps on the bench press). “He made it even worse for himself when he blew away the combine,” Chargers GM A.J. Smith said. “It just became more magnified. ‘Oh, my God, look at the gifts this man has.’” Poe went 11th to the Chiefs, one slot before Cox and three before Brockers. He started 125 of 128 games, posted 20 ½ sacks and reached two Pro Bowls.

Now comes Davis’ turn. It’s difficult to compare workout numbers from today to a generation ago because the training methods are so vastly superior. Helping football players prepare for the combine 40, tests and drills is a cottage industry. Nevertheless, every move Davis makes in the NFL will be analyzed like never before because of his performance at the combine.

“He’s got the story and everybody loves him,” said one personnel man. “I just don’t know what you do with him in the modern game. You’d like to have him, but if you’re not rushing the passer I don’t want anything to do with you in the first round.

“You get the quarterback, you get the playmakers and a guy to mess up the quarterback. It’s a pretty simple concept. Matthew Stafford, now Cooper Kupp and, on defense, Aaron Donald. Davis is a giant, but he’s not in on passing downs.”

This is a strange class of interior players in that DeMarvin Leal is the only underclassmen among the top 10. That number was 5.2 top-10 juniors over the last five years. A partial explanation would be that this group isn’t up to snuff with those of the past when it comes to talent.

“There’s no one you’re saying is going to be a difference-maker,” said one scout. “If you get them at the right time, yeah. But I would not overvalue any of these guys.”

Seventeen scouts were asked to rank the players 1-2-3-4-5, with a first-place vote worth 5 points, a second-place vote worth 4 and so on.

Davis led with 75 points and 10 firsts followed closely by his teammate, Devonte Wyatt, who had 66 and six firsts. Rounding out the vote were Logan Hall (26), Leal (25, one first), Phidarian Mathis (24 1/2), Travis Jones (20 ½), Perrion Winfrey (13), Matthew Butler (two), Zach Carter (two) and Neil Farrell (one).

JORDAN DAVIS, Georgia (6-6 ½, 341, 4.78, 1): Everyone in the league is confident that he can stop the run. “You run right at him and he’s strong as an ox,” said one scout. “He tosses guys.” Finished with 91 tackles (12 1/2 for loss), never forced a fumble in a four-year career. “He will flat overpower blockers,” said a second scout. “He plays square and can move laterally along the line of scrimmage. When he exerts his will he can’t be moved off the line of scrimmage. He’s blessed with agility, quickness and strength. You can see him get out and chase. He’s got rare speed to close on guys coming out of the stack. (Vince) Wilfork was a dancing bear early in his career, and he’s definitely faster than Wilfork. The big question is, what can he give you as a pass rusher?” In 47 games (33 starts), he had seven sacks. “No matter what his 40 time is, he’s never going to be a pass rusher in this league,” a third scout said. “He’s just too big. It’s a problem. He is outstanding at what he does, but how many plays a game is that going to be? I’d like to have him, but for 25 snaps a game I don’t know if that’s really worth taking him there (first round).” Georgia removed him on passing downs. He averaged just 25.2 snaps in 2021, 32.9 in ’20. “He’s got to play more often and work on his conditioning,” said a fourth scout. Weighed as much as 370 in Athens. Scouts liked the fact that he weighed 341 at both the combine and pro day. “His weight problem worries me,” said a fifth scout. “They ran him on the treadmill every day after or before practice. Great kid, but I don’t know that he loves, loves, loves football.” Scored 18 on the Wonderlic test.
“I think he’s two generations late,” said a sixth scout. “The Gilbert Browns, nobody really does that anymore and that’s kind of what this guy is. Except he’s 6-6. He’s a 3-4 nose and somewhat of a two-down player. I recognize the height-weight-speed but the player, he’s just OK. Georgia runs a pro-style defense and they didn’t see pass rush in him. I don’t think the NFL has seen pass rush in him. Then he tested exceptionally well at the combine so now people are back to kind of buying in.” One team removed him from consideration because he didn’t fit their defense.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Most unique: Davis, Jones, Wyatt, Winfrey, Leal?

 

[50-yard-line]

Most unique: Davis, Jones, Wyatt, Winfrey, Leal?

First week of the college season (I think), I mentioned Davis to you...at the time, you were thinking second or third round, if I recall correctly.

I wonder if there's a Mathis-Barmore connection to be exploited.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

First week of the college season (I think), I mentioned Davis to you...at the time, you were thinking second or third round, if I recall correctly.

I wonder if there's a Mathis-Barmore connection to be exploited.

Yea that might have been the NFL draft committee but 2nd sounds right where I had him. They gave him a 3rd last year.

I think Mathis would be a great add in the 3rd if we could get him. He'd be a nice understudy to Guy & God.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

Thirty years ago, Clemson’s Chester McGlockton ran 40 yards at the NFL scouting combine in 5.05 seconds. He stood 6 feet 4 inches and weighed 337 pounds, but with his tendency to balloon up there’s no telling what he might have been a week later.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a 350-pounder run like this guy runs,” Ron Hughes, the Detroit Lions’ director of player personnel, said in April 1992. “But he’s got some holes in him, too.”

Holes? McGlockton didn’t try on half the plays at Clemson, was an obnoxious individual and didn’t like practicing.

McGlockton, with his 29-inch vertical jump and 8-8 broad jump, was praised for what was then regarded as one of the greatest big-man workouts ever. His story has currency because of what Jordan Davis did at the combine in February.

Davis’ numbers reverberated from Lucas Oil Stadium: 6-6 ½ and 341, a 4.78 40, a 32-inch vertical jump and a 10-8 broad jump. Almost overnight, the Georgia nose tackle achieved a strange notoriety for what he did wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

For a variety of reasons, McGlockton was one of eight interior defensive linemen cited by today’s fraternity of scouts as comparable in some ways to Davis. Scouting lives on comparisons between one player and another, and so it was with Davis.

Here are sketches of the eight players.

1991: Louisville’s Ted Washington (6-4, 303) was the 25th pick by the 49ers. I’m looking at the Group 4 combine results sheets, and his weight really was just 303. A month later, he was reportedly 330. Pro Football Reference lists 365 as his career weight. Citing various injuries, he didn’t run the 40. Playing for seven teams, he started 204 of 236 games and finished with 34 1/12 sacks. He made the Pro Bowl four times. Said Green Bay VP Tom Braatz before that draft: “He’s not going to run down anybody. He’s a size-strength bull rusher.” Said an NFC executive this month: “Ted Washington is the comparison. No, he couldn’t run like Davis, but he could control the middle like him.”

1992: McGlockton was the 16th pick by the Raiders. He started 151 of 179 games, made four Pro Bowls and registered 51 sacks. “Chester should have been the greatest defensive tackle in the history of the game,” one scout said. “Maybe this guy (Davis) is like him.”

1994: Ohio State’s Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson (6-3 ½, 327 at the combine) was listed at 340 for his career by PFR. He didn’t run in Indy, but dropped his weight to 313 for a March workout in which he ran 4.85. Years later, a Bengals scout told me they clocked him at 4.72. At the time, Hughes said Wilkinson was the best defensive tackle since Mean Joe Greene. Other scouts said he reminded them of Reggie White and Cortez Kennedy. “To my way of thinking, you really, really need to get people after the passer,” Bills GM John Butler before the draft. The Bengals took him with the top pick of ’94. Wilkinson never made the Pro Bowl but started 182 of 195 games and finished with 54 ½ sacks.

1994: Sam Adams of Texas A&M went eighth to the Seahawks. Citing injury, he didn’t run at the combine. “I hear guys say he’s got talent like Bruce Smith,” Broncos scouting director Jeff Smith said. “He’s got that kind of talent, but he’ll have to mature.” What the 6-2 Adams, who was 292 at the combine, eventually did was change his body until he became a 350-pound nose tackle but one still possessing the ability to run and make plays. He started 177 of 226 games for seven teams, finishing with 44 sacks and three Pro Bowls.

2001: Georgia’s Marcus Stroud (6-6, 321 at the combine) ran 5.12 with a 30-inch vertical and a 9-2 broad jump. He was most often compared to Washington. “Ted Washington is wide but this kid isn’t wide,” Saints GM Randy Mueller said. “But he’s strong and powerful at the point like Washington.” Drafted 13th by the Jaguars, Stroud would go on to start 129 of 146 games, log 29 ½ sacks and make three Pro Bowls.

2002: Georgia’s John Henderson (6-7, 306 at the combine) ran 4.98 at pro day to go with a 27 ½ vertical and a 9-2 broad jump. His career weight was listed as 335 by PFR. “He doesn’t fit all this movement stuff,” Titans director of player personnel Rich Snead said. “But when you watch him take off and run, there’s five or six plays a game no one else can do.” Drafted No. 9 by the Jaguars, he started 125 of 146 games, had 29 sacks and made two Pro Bowls.

2002: With the 15th selection, the Titans took Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth (6-5 ½, 320 at the combine). He didn’t run the 40 there, but a few weeks later ran in the mid-to-high 4.8’s on a hard indoor track in Knoxville. Teams converted that to 4.93 on FieldTurf. His vertical jump was 30, his broad jump was 8-7. “This is a huge man who can absolutely dominate a football game, the whole game,” one scout said. “He’s exceptionally quick and can run like hell. Talent-wise, this guy is like McGlockton.” PFR listed his career weight at 335. “Haynesworth was so much more creative as a pass rusher,” an AFC scout said last week in making the comparison to Davis. In 123 games (92 starts) he tallied 30 ½ sacks and made two Pro Bowls.

2012: At Memphis, Dontari Poe (6-3 ½, 346 at the combine) played three seasons for teams that went 5-31 and fielded hideous defenses (yield of 36.6 points per game). Until Indy, he was nowhere at D-tackle behind Mississippi State’s Fletcher Cox and Louisiana State’s Michael Brockers. Then, at the combine, he ran 4.90 with a 29 ½ vertical and a 8-9 broad jump (plus a crazy 44 reps on the bench press). “He made it even worse for himself when he blew away the combine,” Chargers GM A.J. Smith said. “It just became more magnified. ‘Oh, my God, look at the gifts this man has.’” Poe went 11th to the Chiefs, one slot before Cox and three before Brockers. He started 125 of 128 games, posted 20 ½ sacks and reached two Pro Bowls.

Now comes Davis’ turn. It’s difficult to compare workout numbers from today to a generation ago because the training methods are so vastly superior. Helping football players prepare for the combine 40, tests and drills is a cottage industry. Nevertheless, every move Davis makes in the NFL will be analyzed like never before because of his performance at the combine.

“He’s got the story and everybody loves him,” said one personnel man. “I just don’t know what you do with him in the modern game. You’d like to have him, but if you’re not rushing the passer I don’t want anything to do with you in the first round.

“You get the quarterback, you get the playmakers and a guy to mess up the quarterback. It’s a pretty simple concept. Matthew Stafford, now Cooper Kupp and, on defense, Aaron Donald. Davis is a giant, but he’s not in on passing downs.”

This is a strange class of interior players in that DeMarvin Leal is the only underclassmen among the top 10. That number was 5.2 top-10 juniors over the last five years. A partial explanation would be that this group isn’t up to snuff with those of the past when it comes to talent.

“There’s no one you’re saying is going to be a difference-maker,” said one scout. “If you get them at the right time, yeah. But I would not overvalue any of these guys.”

Seventeen scouts were asked to rank the players 1-2-3-4-5, with a first-place vote worth 5 points, a second-place vote worth 4 and so on.

Davis led with 75 points and 10 firsts followed closely by his teammate, Devonte Wyatt, who had 66 and six firsts. Rounding out the vote were Logan Hall (26), Leal (25, one first), Phidarian Mathis (24 1/2), Travis Jones (20 ½), Perrion Winfrey (13), Matthew Butler (two), Zach Carter (two) and Neil Farrell (one).

JORDAN DAVIS, Georgia (6-6 ½, 341, 4.78, 1): Everyone in the league is confident that he can stop the run. “You run right at him and he’s strong as an ox,” said one scout. “He tosses guys.” Finished with 91 tackles (12 1/2 for loss), never forced a fumble in a four-year career. “He will flat overpower blockers,” said a second scout. “He plays square and can move laterally along the line of scrimmage. When he exerts his will he can’t be moved off the line of scrimmage. He’s blessed with agility, quickness and strength. You can see him get out and chase. He’s got rare speed to close on guys coming out of the stack. (Vince) Wilfork was a dancing bear early in his career, and he’s definitely faster than Wilfork. The big question is, what can he give you as a pass rusher?” In 47 games (33 starts), he had seven sacks. “No matter what his 40 time is, he’s never going to be a pass rusher in this league,” a third scout said. “He’s just too big. It’s a problem. He is outstanding at what he does, but how many plays a game is that going to be? I’d like to have him, but for 25 snaps a game I don’t know if that’s really worth taking him there (first round).” Georgia removed him on passing downs. He averaged just 25.2 snaps in 2021, 32.9 in ’20. “He’s got to play more often and work on his conditioning,” said a fourth scout. Weighed as much as 370 in Athens. Scouts liked the fact that he weighed 341 at both the combine and pro day. “His weight problem worries me,” said a fifth scout. “They ran him on the treadmill every day after or before practice. Great kid, but I don’t know that he loves, loves, loves football.” Scored 18 on the Wonderlic test.
“I think he’s two generations late,” said a sixth scout. “The Gilbert Browns, nobody really does that anymore and that’s kind of what this guy is. Except he’s 6-6. He’s a 3-4 nose and somewhat of a two-down player. I recognize the height-weight-speed but the player, he’s just OK. Georgia runs a pro-style defense and they didn’t see pass rush in him. I don’t think the NFL has seen pass rush in him. Then he tested exceptionally well at the combine so now people are back to kind of buying in.” One team removed him from consideration because he didn’t fit their defense.

That’s what I am saying, Davis is no first round value if you don’t project him to be a force in the passing game as well. You can find solid NT later on where snap count value to the team and draft position meet.
We gotts go passing offense or passing defense first. DE or CB is a must and there shouldn’t be two opinions about it.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

That’s what I am saying, Davis is no first round value if you don’t project him to be a force in the passing game as well. You can find solid NT later on where snap count value to the team and draft position meet.
We gotts go passing offense or passing defense first. DE or CB is a must and there shouldn’t be two opinions about it.

I agree 100 percent.

Someone is overdrafting Davis. When that team realizes davis brings nothing in the passing game and nothing outside the “a” gap in the running game and gets winded after 3 straight plays, that team’s draft room is going to need therapy!

 

[Patriot Missile]

I agree 100 percent.

Someone is overdrafting Davis. When that team realizes davis brings nothing in the passing game and nothing outside the “a” gap in the running game and gets winded after 3 straight plays, that team’s draft room is going to need therapy!

We don’t have to worry about it. He’ll be selected by the Vikings, Saints, Chargers or Eagles is my guess.

Personally I’d love to have a player like that who can instantly improve your run game, has a chance due to his physical traits to develop some pass rush ability, while swallowing up two players so your other teammates can rush as well.

I do like Wyatt and Jones so I’d be happy with any of the 3.

 

[50-yard-line]

We don’t have to worry about it. He’ll be selected by the Vikings, Saints, Chargers or Eagles is my guess.

Personally I’d love to have a player like that who can instantly improve your run game, has a chance due to his physical traits to develop some pass rush ability, while swallowing up two players so your other teammates can rush as well.

I do like Wyatt and Jones so I’d be happy with any of the 3.

A little discipline on the diet, dedication to the pro game…I look at this kid and see Vita Vea.

High character by all accounts. Smart.

Vea was ahead of him coming out of college, I think.

One thing about his snap count issue: he was on a team LOADED with DT/DE talent. It’s not like sitting him for a Walker or Wyatt or Smith - and with Tindall, Dean, and Walker at the next level…is it more that he couldn’t help in the pass rush, or that they just had so much talent better suited to it?

I don’t know, I just love the kid.

 

[captain stone]

That’s what I am saying, Davis is no first round value if you don’t project him to be a force in the passing game as well. You can find solid NT later on where snap count value to the team and draft position meet.
We gotts go passing offense or passing defense first. DE or CB is a must and there shouldn’t be two opinions about it.

I agree 100 percent.

Someone is overdrafting Davis. When that team realizes davis brings nothing in the passing game and nothing outside the “a” gap in the running game and gets winded after 3 straight plays, that team’s draft room is going to need therapy!

Well as long as we get Somebody (or Two) to fill the 0/1-tech positions, be it Davis, Travis Jones, Neill Farrell, Otito Ogbonnia, Noah Elliss, Marquan McCall, DJ Davidson or the Vanilla Gorilla John Ridgeway.... Where's the beef, Billy? Right here!

 

[jays52]

It's the biggest team need and he's a generational nose tackle prospect. His film is absolutely absurd. Tossing around SEC linemen like childen and just utterly ahniliating the blocking schemes. He really does have a wow factor when you watch him play. Most of the patriots issues came in defending the run in sub. Plug in Davis with Barmore and they will finally be able to let Duggar run around unmolested in the box and make plays. He's a force multiplier of the highest order. I really hope teams talk themselves out of him because of the "muh pass rush" thinking.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

That’s an absurd win rate for a NT
Its a shame Leal didn’t really progress this season he would be a perfect fit for DE here on early downs and DT on passing downs next to barmore inside. I remember you talked about him a lot before the season. Well at least now we have a shot to draft him, if he had live up to the hype he would be a top 5 pick

 

[holyredeemer]

That’s an absurd win rate for a NT
Its a shame Leal didn’t really progress this season he would be a perfect fit for DE here on early downs and DT on passing downs next to barmore inside. I remember you talked about him a lot before the season. Well at least now we have a shot to draft him, if he had live up to the hype he would be a top 5 pick

There’s a lot of front 7 talent in this draft. Maybe a lack of generational talent, but definitely not a lack in the type of guys Bill loves. If we don’t come outta this thing with at least 2 guys that can upgrade our front 7 by seasons end, I’ll be pretty bummed.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

That’s an absurd win rate for a NT
Its a shame Leal didn’t really progress this season he would be a perfect fit for DE here on early downs and DT on passing downs next to barmore inside. I remember you talked about him a lot before the season. Well at least now we have a shot to draft him, if he had live up to the hype he would be a top 5 pick

One of my favorite scenarios is trading back fweor another 3rd. Picking up Jones with first pick. Trading back up RD2 for BPA. Maybe get lucky and get one of guards if they slip.

Yea I really like Leal but TAMU didn't really do him any favors rushing him outside that much last year. Wish he was 10 lbs heavier. Maybe he can really max out, we'll see.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

One of my favorite scenarios is trading back fweor another 3rd. Picking up Jones with first pick. Trading back up RD2 for BPA. Maybe get lucky and get one of guards if they slip.

Travis Jones Kyler Gordon and Cole Strange with our first 3 picks don't seem too unlikely and good value/need

Yea I really like Leal but TAMU didn't really do him any favors rushing him outside that much last year. Wish he was 10 lbs heavier. Maybe he can really max out, we'll see.

or Leal in the second round?

Leal-Jones-Barmore

passing down: uche/x-leal-barmore-judon