Well put, CK! I think you'll like Ogunjobi as a 3-tech, but I don't see him as a fit for Miami - except as depth.
I wouldn't at all be surprised if Adams ends up the best DT in the class. Eats up man blocking, holds up well against DT's, and his speed doesn't hurt. If someone told me that Miami had to draft a DT in the first three rounds, Adams at 54 would be my target, assuming he lasts that long (don't think he should).
I think Wormley should play in a odd front. He's not a great fit anywhere in an even front, but I think he'll be very disruptive playing a 4/5-tech. He just doesn't have the juice to make a ton of plays as a 4-3 DE, and he's tall for a 3-tech/leverage could be an issue.
Agree on Brantley. Don't like him.
Watkins, Johnson, Jones and Vanderdoes are good calls for the 5th, but, because some teams will draft DT's just because they need them, I think they're likely to go higher than they should.
I think you're exactly right on Wormley in an odd front. Exactly right. Just doesn't fit anywhere in an even front but you get him in an odd front with that size and athletic ability, he can do some work.
I went ahead and looked at the DTs a bit more in prep for a radio/podcast guest spot. Wanted to cover the guys I mentioned I hadn't really covered. When I do this I like to open up dozens of videos simultaneously and just watch all of them in rotation so that I can keep in mind how they differentiate and how they compare to one another.
It's interesting but when it comes to Carlos Watkins, Caleb Brantley, Vincent Taylor, Jaleel Johnson, and Nazair Jones...I'm almost agnostic as to which of those guys I get. Price tag would be a large determinant for me, though I would understand if you'd want to rate a Nazair Jones a little bit lower, essentially making an analytics call. All of the above are do your job types that have strong, long arms, good at keeping leverage, but their feet and movement skills are not in any way special, nor are they particularly brutal with their strength.
I look at Charles Walker and I see Larry Ogunjobi. I look at Larry Ogunjobi and I see Charles Walker. They're very similar inasmuch as they are guys who can actually move like linebackers. Like how a nose tackle used to actually be a middle linebacker that was brought up to the line of scrimmage in the evolution of defensive schemes. They don't move like fast linebackers mind you, but they do move like them. They can work through trash and cover a lot of lateral space with their mobility and change of direction skills. They are strong enough, very typical strength for a 295-300 lbs type. Long arms, keep blockers at bay. But to me their pure maneuverability makes them special. You can really put Chris Wormley into this group, except that I think he has a limitation to an odd-front scheme that Ogunjobi and Walker do not necessarily have.
Dalvin Tomlinson is a little bit different animal. He actually plays like a nose, to me. Call it a modern football nose rather than a classic nose. His hand use and hand strength are beyond reproach. He can play with the leverage and the strength of a nose, but he's got more lateral abilities than a classic nose. Still, this guy isn't an athlete. Too many athletic limitations for me to feel like he's adding pass rush prowess to the line.
Since we're on noses, as I've said before, Josh Tupou of Colorado is your classic nose. Sometimes the NFL doesn't even want a classic nose. They want the modern update like a Tomlinson. What I think gives Tupou a chance is the fact he's got a big wing span, and shows some ability to work down the line against zone. His strength against double-teams just can't be beat. Not anyone in this class has that kind of pure power and heft.
I look at Elijah Qualls and Steve Tuikolovatu and it's really hard for me to be all that impressed or interested. You're looking at Domata Peko types. Classic fat guys with some lateral skills, stout strength, but not much in the way of forward explosive abilities.
Montravious Adams and Jonathan Allen are a breed apart because they exhibit the characteristics that could work at defensive end, but that just makes them all the more intriguing at defensive tackle because they've got the strength, forward explosiveness, heft, hand fighting brutality, and balance qualities that you need to see in a defensive tackle. But then you watch them step on the accelerator and it blows your mind.
Jarron Jones and Ralph Green are interesting to me, and I have them as pretty similar players though Jarron gets the better grade. They're tall, excellent wing spans. We're talking 7'1" for Jarron Jones and 6'9.5" for Ralph Green. They're linear penetration types that use their length to great advantage, especially in dominating passing lanes, while also maintaining balance and stability within the gap. That's a tough combination to master, that ability to explode into the gap off the snap but also stay upright and keep your balance. The length is key, and it's why guys like Brian Price and Will Sutton haven't been able to excel. The brutality and strength of a Jarron Jones in terms of ability to get blockers off balance and put them on their heels, make them uncomfortable as hell, is very impressive. Ralph Green has some of that too, but his initial explosiveness off the snap is consistently great. Ralph is a bit sloppy in his body and could use some work that way. Jarron is rumored to have character/work ethic issues.
So long as they have the strength, heft, and balance to stay upright, guys with this sort of wing span, even if they come out a bit taller than you'd like, are going to do a little better in the NFL nowadays than they used to because the NFL did away with the chop block on run plays. You can still cut players on run plays, but they can't be engaged while you do it. It used to be a way for OLs to keep DLs honest about using their hands and wing spans to hold OLs as they try and execute combo blocks and get out to the second level to influence the linebackers. Now the DLs have more license to do that unless the officials start calling it more which thus far they haven't.
Eddie Vanderdoes is a lot like Jarron Jones and Ralph Green, but not quite the same length. He's all about that initial explosion and constant, brutal upper body contact. He likes to spin off blockers and I'm curious what a DL coach will think of that. He's brutal, no doubt about it. Very strong and explosive off the get. But he tails off in the mobility and maneuverability department pretty significantly after the first moments, as he all the sudden starts playing like a fat guy. Ralph Green has some of that going on as well, but I think it's a bit more pronounced in Vanderdoes, who has questions both medically and from the standpoint of achieving to his potential.
I thought that Jake Replogle represented a little bit of a different archetype until he announced he's quitting football, which is too bad because he could've been intriguing. Like a Jared Odrick. I think that Patrick Ricard somewhat resembles this but would probably more aptly be compared to a Karl Klug. I'd have some interest in Ricard as he's got the athletic characteristics to make good on the tape.
Grover Stewart is another guy that should hold some interest. You just don't often run into a guy that can carry 350 lbs on a 6'4" frame and sport that kind of a build with that kind of athletic ability. It's really unique. Actually I didn't realize he conducted his pro day but I'm looking over the results and they're as impressive as I thought they would be based on the tape. We are talking a 5.14 forty with a 1.73 ten yard split at 6042 & 347 lbs. That's a comparable ten yard split to like a Sheldon Rankins or Kenny Clark from a year ago. I don't remember a guy like this since Paul Soliai was coming out of Utah.
