Potential Defensive End targets, post combine.
Michael Bennett is officially gone; pass rush just became a major priority for the Seahawks. When looking at defensive end, the key components are the three cone drill and the 10 yard split. Three cone drill shows their ability to bend and lean around corners to get to the quarterback. The 10 yard split is all about initial burst and quickness. Todd McShay of ESPN.com wrote an excellent piece explaining the numbers to know by drill and what they mean.
For the three cone drill, a good number is anything 7.09 seconds or below. An excellent number for a pass rusher is anything sub seven seconds. When looking at the combo guys, pay more attention to the 10 yard split.
After trading Bennett and bringing Ken Norton Jr. back as the defensive coordinator, I think Seattle is going to get back to their Super Bowl days of having four actual pass rushers on the field on obvious passing downs. That means some hybrid defensive end / tackle guys and speed rushers off the edge. Here is a look at what the draft has to offer.
Defensive Ends
Harold Landry – 6’3″ – 252 lbs. – 1.59 10 yard split – 6.88 sec. 3 cone – Boston College
Seattle Seahawks
Landry is a guy I really like. He didn’t have the production this past season, but the year before he had 16 sacks. He is a little tight in the backpedal, which is fine for me in Seattle. I want him at defensive end. Landry has good feet, but looked at the bag each time in the stack and shed. The Boston College standout really needs to just come forward. He has the skills for more, but his best skill is rushing the passer. He looked natural getting around the corner. Leaned well and exploded his hands and hips through. Hands were not as violent, however. Had some pop in his hands in the stack and shed, but didn’t look to stack, was just hitting the bag to thump. Hips looked nice in the transition to shed, however he put his head down the entire time. I wanted Landry to look poor in the linebacker drills to limit the amount of teams looking at him, but he showed a nice change of direction. Really opened his hips well, although still tight in the back pedal, but flipped his hips like a pro. He could be a rush linebacker in a 3-4 also.
Dorance Armstrong Jr. – 6’4″ – 257 lbs. – 1.73 10 yard split – 7.12 sec. 3 cone – Kansas
Armstrong is a tweener defensive end / linebacker prospect. His specialty is getting after the quarterback right now. He exhibited a great club and bend, but needs to learn the rip. He demonstrated the swim instead. Didn’t show the rip either direction in the club and rip drill. Bent his waist, not his hips in the stack and shed drill, and his hands pushed down, rather than up as you are supposed to. He is a raw talent, needs technique work. The Kansas product showed nice change of direction in linebacker movement drills. Needs to learn the drop, but he looked smooth even when he had no clue what he was doing. He has some talent that just needs to be unlocked.
Ade Aruna – 6’5″ – 262 lbs. – 1.60 10 yard split – 7.53 sec. 3 cone – Tulane
Aruna is a relatively unknown player to most. He played at Tulane and played out of position as a five technique defensive tackle. During the drills he displayed powerful hands, but didn’t have good rip or club technique. Really just beat the bag up with a straight punch then ran around it. His first time through the stack and shed looked perfect, but he rushed it on the way back and lost the form. Bent at the waist consistently throughout the day. Nice change of direction and really was able to unlock his hips. Raw prospect with definite burst.
Marcus Davenport – 6’5″ – 264 lbs. – 1.63 10 yard split – 7.20 sec. 3 cone – UTSA
Davenport will likely go in the top 10 to 12 picks. He just keeps flying up the boards since the Senior Bowl. He is a raw, fluid athlete, but it feels like he has a lot to learn. Displays a great club, rip and lean. Needs to club with more authority, but hit the bag well and used it to bring his rip arm through as you are supposed to. During the stack and shed, he looked down, and didn’t drop his hips at all. Will definitely need to work on stack and shed. Looked very comfortable and showed a nice change of direction in each drill. Looked very capable in the linebacker drills. Hips opened up well. His basketball background helped him to catch the ball better than the other prospects too. Mike Mayock of NFL Network compared this guy to beast defensive end Ziggy Ansah several times throughout the day.
Sam Hubbard – 6’5″ – 270 lbs. – DNP 10 yard split – 6.84 sec. 3 cone – Ohio State
Hubbard is a real nice prospect. He had some flaws in his game, but this guy will be a player. Hubbard had an extra step in the club and rip, and pedaled wide around the corner. The Ohio State product is a true technician with his hands. He doesn’t look like a fluid athlete, but he definitely understood what and how you are supposed to do the stack and shed. Sam Hubbard is a starter in this league. Hubbard is technically sound, but not highly athletic. Although, his three cone numbers would beg to differ with my assessment of him as an athlete. He can do either job based on technique, but he looks more like a defensive end to me. He felt like a poor man’s Joey Bosa.
Kylie Fitts – 6’4″ – 265 lbs. – 1.61 10 yard split – 6.88 sec. 3 cone drill – Utah
Fitts really surprised me today. He is very injury prone, so he is a little under the radar. On the field, he moves well, but had some trouble breaking down coming forward. This showed he either hadn’t practiced the breakdown or his hips were tight. He bent well and handled the bags well in the club and rip, leading me to believe he hadn’t practiced the breakdown. He didn’t show the violent punch that others did, but ripped and bent well. One of the few prospects who actually displayed the rip technique. Fitts treated the stack and shed like a speed drill. Struck low and soft on the stack, looked down and bent at the waist on the shed. He chopped his feet through the cut in the pursuit drill slowing him down. Fitts looked very nice in the linebacker drills showing nice movement skills. His three cone and 10 yard times are excellent for a defensive end. He is worth remembering come draft day. Reminded me a lot of Matt Judon of the Baltimore Ravens.
Arden Key – 6’6″ – 238 lbs. – DNP 10 yard split – 7.16 sec. 3 cone – LSU
I was interested to see what Key is all about. Coming into the season, he was a top 10 pick candidate. Now he is leaning more toward the 2nd or 3rd round. At 238 pounds, he looks like he is a linebacker only. He will need to put on more weight to play at defensive end. He shows good quick movement, and looked really good through the bags. No violence in his hands; he pushed the bag hoping to just burst by it. He needs to be really quick off the ball to win. Looked really great in the stack and shed, which was surprising after the other drills. He bent well, looked like a basketball player in the stack and shed. Key’s hips were great. Really used his long arms to create a nice stack. He showed a good change of direction. He is a nice athlete, but he looks raw. I can see why he is falling.
Hercules Mata’afa – 6’2″ – 262 lbs. – 1.64 10 yard split – 7.24 sec. 3 cone – WSU
I wanted to see an amazing work out from Mata’afa. I know what kind of heart and motor he has, and I would want him on my team. He is a guy you find a place for, because he won’t stop working. During drills, he showed tight hips, but great burst. The former Coug looked good through the bags. One of the few players who kept his head up the whole time, but stepped on a bag because of it. Mata’afa got off-balance trying to club so hard, it made him miss the next bag almost completely. Initial burst was good in the club and rip. However, his club was still a little awkward, and he didn’t rip either time. Bent decently, which is a needed pass rush trait. Mata’afa understood the stack, but rushed it. He showed a good shuffle in the shed and bent the knees as you are supposed to. You could see glimpses of excellent change of direction, but played too fast all day. Lost balance. Not good for a lineman. Later, he cheated the linebacker drill, and wasn’t watching the coach. He broke before he was supposed to, thus making it difficult to determine how his lateral movement was. Got literally no distance in his back pedal. Looked like he had his feet moving for an up/down. Linebacker back pedal is about gaining distance in the drop, not just chopping your feet. I really like Mata’afa as a football player and I think he will be a special teams demon. I just don’t know where else he plays yet.
Josh Sweat – 6’5″ – 251 lbs. – 1.55 10 yard split – DNP 3 cone – Florida State
Sweat was an injury prone guy with a ton of talent in college. That trend continued. He ran a blistering 40 and then didn’t run another drill, apparently due to injury.
Trevon Young – 6’4″ – 258 lbs. – 1.62 10 yard split – 6.99 sec. 3 cone – Louisville
Young is intriguing. He didn’t jump off the screen to me as a freak pass rusher, but his 10 yard and 3 cone were among the best. Young didn’t back pedal well at all, and will be best coming forward. He cheated the change of direction drill, he purposely started behind the bag, making it easy to get through with speed. With that being said, he looked fluid still. During the club and rip, he resorted to a slap and back pedal to get around the bags. Swam each time, no rip even demonstrated. Good punch for the stack, but stiff in the transition to the shed. Then bent and looked at the bag in the shed. He definitely needs some work. High and tight hips in change of direction, although his 3 cone says otherwise. Looked away from the ball and the coach in the linebacker drill. That is important because a linebacker always needs to see the ball. Needs work on this too. He looks like a prospect who needs work, but he brings good size, speed and explosion.
Hybrid Defensive End / Tackle
These are the Michael Bennett hybrid guys.
Chad Thomas – 6’5″ – 281 lbs. – 1.70 10 yard split – DNP 3 cone – Miami
Thomas has more questions off the field than on it. He is fluid for as big as he is. Displays decent movement, but looked a little high at times struggling with the back pedal. Violent hands, really violent. Rip and lean weren’t impressive compared to the club. Looked really good in the stack and shed. Feels like he definitely has the ability to be an inside pass rusher and a base defensive end. Struggled changing direction, and got really high in his cuts. At his size, they tried him in the linebacker drills and he dropped effortlessly, transitioned to the slide and then broke on the ball well. There is something to like with this guy, that is for sure.
Andrew Brown – 6’4″ – 296 lbs. – 1.73 10 yard split – 7.51 sec. 3 cone – Virginia
He didn’t produce much in college, but I think he was in the wrong system. This guy looks like a base defensive end who moves inside on passing situations. He is stout against the run, and then a nice 1 technique straight up the field guy from the inside. He has long thin legs, usually not seen in defensive linemen. Makes you wonder about his base on the inside. Brown showed powerful, really violent hands for the club, and a good lean. Like most of the players, he needs to work on the rip. Brown looked really good in the stack and shed. Bent the knees, and showed powerful hands in the stack. Then gathered well and bent the knees again to hit the next shed. That’s just how you are taught. Struggled a little on the cut in the pursuit drill. This is a 5 star guy, who never lived up to it. I think there is a lot to like here.
John Franklin – 6’4″ – 278 lbs. – 1.71 10 yard split – 7.36 sec. 3 cone – Stephen F. Austin
Great movement skills for a guy his size. However, he needs to get lower and work on bending his legs more. He looked good through the bags, but needed to keep his head up. Slapped and then jumped outside, so he could get around the bag quicker during the club and rip drill. Not good technique at defensive end. You want to stay tight and lean around the corner so your shoulder touches the bag. Looked really good in the stack. Had to regather his feet to prepare for the shed. Tried to keep his head up, but didn’t maintain it. Nice change of direction for a man his size.
Da’Shawn Hand – 6’4″ – 297 lbs. – 1.71 10 yard split – 7.98 sec. 3 cone – Alabama
Hand is a run stuffer; I don’t see him as a defensive end at all. He showed tighter hips than teammate Da’Ron Payne, but they put Payne in the tackle drill and Hand in the end drill. It also felt like there was a wind up to his speed. He did show nice violent hands, didn’t lean well, but the club and rip was nice. Really cheated the stack and shed drill. Barely tapped the bag and bent at the waist to shuffle to the next bag. In all the drills, his hips were really tight and he looks like a waist bender. That can be a problem for a guy who will need to make a living inside in the traffic. He really plays high.
Jalyn Holmes – 6’5″ – 283 lbs. – 1.72 10 yard split – DNP 3 Cone – Ohio State
I am not sure Holmes has the skill set to be on the outside. The problem is, he doesn’t have the size to be on the inside every down either. He does show good movement coming forward, but has really stiff hips. Holmes also struggled to move backward. He slapped in the club and rip, then looked a little too tight; couldn’t lean. Displayed a swim rather than a rip. Holmes looked good in the stack, but his lateral movement getting to the shed looked a little rushed. His feet came together. On the football field, he would have ended up on the ground. Stiff athlete. Try hard guy who was buried behind other more talented guys at Ohio State. He is a guy you want on your team for the locker room. I am just not sure he will do much on the field.
James Looney – 6’3″ – 287 lbs. – 1.67 10 yard split – 7.32 sec. 3 cone – Cal
He is a defensive tackle, more than a defensive end. He didn’t move real well. Looney looked off-balance in all the movement drills. He stood too high and popped almost upright out of his stance. That made his club and rip too high, almost pointless. He did better the second time, but still too high. This guy is definitely a waste bender. He does show some quickness for his size, but everything just looks uncomfortable. Feels like a guy who wins on desire.
Kentavius Street – 6’2″ – 280 lbs. – 1.67 10 yard split – DNP 3 cone – NC State
Street looked like a beast in his 40 yard dash displaying tremendous 10 yard split times. Then didn’t perform the rest of the day.
Breeland Speaks – 6’3″ – 285 lbs. – 1.65 10 yard split – 7.63 sec. 3 cone – Ole Miss
Tight in all drills, but there was something to like about his game. He looked comfortable in the bag drill, and showed very nice movement. Nice solid club, but the rip was tight as well. Bent around the corner, needed to lean in more to make the turn more efficient. Swam the bag rather than ripping through. A lot of the guys did this. Swim is a good move, but not the right move for this drill. Opens up your chest for the lineman to hit. A good lineman will take the rusher right out of the play when he sees their rib cage. Stood up completely straight to stack in later drills, then bent at the waist down to shed. Brought his eyes down each time too. Stack and shed was not a good drill for this guy.