I don't have much faith in
Claudy Mathieu as a DE. He plays more like a tall DT and that's probably where he should end up. Even at his own level, when he had to come out to the edge against the offensive tackles that were taller and a bit more gifted, he wasn't really out-classing anyone the way he did against the guards and interior linemen at his level.
Jonathan Woodard is interesting. Fascinating body, and I like the way he gets his hands out and makes use of his long arms. He changes direction well. The strength comes from the fact he uses his hands well and gets behind his pads. I don't know about explosiveness but he can look and play like an athlete. I think he gets lost the more and more an offense gets east-west in terms of zone blocking in the run game or play fakes, screens, etc. He may have put on a bit too much weight at the NFL level. He came out 6'5" & 271 lbs when he was drafted by the Jags and now he's more like 6'5" & 287 lbs. It's a good build but it probably reduces his quickness.
Quincy Redmon is another guy that will be interesting. Most of what I could find was from 2016 but what little I have on him from 2017 is suggestive of some nice evolution and continued growth in his game. He's 6'4" & 253 lbs, and he tests and measures a lot like Dorance Armstrong except faster. He's got some really excellent hands and there's some natural basketball small forward type athleticism there. There's some good versatility in his game that has you wondering, because he plays well up, and also plays well with his hand on the ground.
I have to admit though, a guy who looks like this interests me because he's either just incredibly gifted genetically, or he works like hell, or both:
And hell, if things don't work out for Redmon at defensive end, I'd try him at tight end and see what he has to offer. He has an innate physicality and athleticism.
His story, if you didn't get a chance to read it, is really interesting. By Hal Habib.
http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2018/05/14/ultimate-underdog-miami-dolphins-de-overcomes-homelessness-temporary-paralysis/
In and out of shelters with his mother and brother his whole life.
When he was 9 years old playing football he laid his head down for tackle and woke in a helicopter on the way to the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down. He was in a wheelchair for 6 months. He couldn't walk, couldn't even talk. Had to re-learn everything.
That he ended up in sports again was a miracle itself, but then he broke his knee cap playing basketball and the doctors thought that surgery would end his sports career.
When he enrolled at a Catholic school, he was diagnosed with dyslexia. That diagnosis, and the help he's gotten with it since, led him to graduate Fairmont State as an honors student with a degree in criminal justice.
Was a preferred walk-on at West Virginia as a tight end, so he was on radar with big schools. He left because he thought he'd have a better shot at playing at a small school. Fairmont converted him to defensive end, where he became conference player of the year. But you can see that basketball/tight end in him still. Not a bad thing.
