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travisduncan
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The Seahawks will get their first look at potential pass rushers at the NFL combine February 22 – 28, 2012 in Indianapolis. At that time they'll also find out via coin flip with the Kansas City Cheifs if they will draft 11th or 12th. The following is a breakdown of top defensive ends the Seahawks will no doubt be watching.
Quinton Coples, a defensive end, out of North Carolina could potentially be more connected to the Seahawks draft plans than any other non-quarterback. It's just a matter of if he is available at 11/12th.
Mel Kiper Jr. slates him as an ideal defensive end in a 4-3 scheme such as the Seahawks and the 7th best player overall in the draft.
Todd McShay of Scouts, Inc and ESPN has Coples a little higher on his board, 4th overall. He writes, "There have been questions about Coples' work ethic and motor, but he dominated at the Senior Bowl and his upside as an all-around defender will make him a coveted player on draft day"
Another name you will hear connected with the Seahawks is Whitney Mercilus, a defensive end out of Illinois. At this point it doesn't appear likely the Seahawks would spend the 11th/12th pick on him, but if he's there at the 43/44th pick he would be a major find.
Mercilus recorded 16 sacks in his junior year for the Illini, to lead the all of College Football and the Big Ten. He also led the nation in forced fumbles with nine.
That's exactly the type of player Carroll wants, a turnover machine who gets to the quarterback. The only question is, will Mercilus be there? Will he be as productive against NFL offensive tackles as he was in the Big Ten?
According to Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN the answer to those questions are yes and no. Yes he will be there at 11 and no he won't be as productive because Kiper has Mercilus slated going 28th overall to the Green Bay Packers.
The knock on Mercilus is that some of his sacks came against weaker offensive linemen, the likes he won't ever see in the NFL.
Mocking the Draft.com reports "He led the country in sacks in 2011 with an impressive 16. However, it remains to be seen whether Mercilus can translate his success to the NFL. While he is pretty good at getting leverage off the snap, he tends to break down a bit through contact and can get driven out of plays by stronger offensive linemen. A lot of his sacks came when he was able to pin his ears back and get after the QB without having to worry about playing the run. That could be partly due to his inexperience, but he looks like a guy who will start his career as a situational pass rusher while he develops his run-stopping. There are also some questions about his best position, as he seems to look lost and stiff when he is playing in space. Teams who run a 3-4 would probably best look elsewhere, unless he shows well in linebacker drills at the Combine."
Meanwhile Melvin Ingram out of South Carolina is the one guy who is consistently slated to be drafted right in the middle o the first-round, not too high where he won't be available but he wouldn't be such a gamble at the 11th or 12th pick. Todd McShay has the Dolphins taking Ingram with the 8th pick. Kiper has the Seahawks taking him. Kiper writes, " Ingram is just big enough to fit this system as a 4-3 defensive end, and should add a boost to the pass rush early."
NFL Draft Scout has him ranked at the 19th overall player in the Draft and had this scouting report:
Scouts like the versatility Ingram shows in the Gamecocks' defense; he line up outside either tackle, move to tackle on third down, and rush the passer standing up inside or off the edge. If he wants to go from his current mid-round grade to a late-rising first round prospect during 2011, however, he must fulfill his potential by showing more consistency using his hands and pressuring tackles off the snap.
Another pass-rusher slated right at 11 or 12th is Courtney Upshaw out of Alabama who led the dominant Crimson Tide defense and won a National Title. Upshaw played outside linebacker at 'Bama but was making the transition to defensive end when he participated at the Senior Bowl.
Here is what NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said about Upshaw:
"I think he's one of the few guys where you can line him up as a 4-3 defensive end and he'd be great, and I think the 3-4 teams are going to love him at outside linebacker. I just watched the national championship tape the other day and what jumps off the tape is, No. 1, the talent and ability, but No. 2, they really coach them well. Their kids are so fundamentally sound it helps them at the next level."
Finally there is defensive end Nick Perry out of USC, who Pete Carroll recruited back in 2008.
Perry is slated to be a late-first rounder, and quite a few mocks have him going 20th overall to the Tennessee Titans. But schematically most think he'll wind up in a 3-4 defense.
Here is what NFL Draft Scout said about Perry:
Perry is a hybrid pass rusher and will probably be limited to a 3-4 scheme, but shows the footwork and fluid range of motion to hold his own in space. He plays fast and hard, but his lack of ideal size and length are a cause for concern ? looks like a top-40 selection who will be valued more by 3-4 defenses.
Other prospects that might be available at defensive end in the early second-round include Andre Branch out of Clemson (who might find himself as an NFL linebacker) Chandler Jones out of Syracuse, and Jared Crick out of Nebraska.
Quinton Coples, a defensive end, out of North Carolina could potentially be more connected to the Seahawks draft plans than any other non-quarterback. It's just a matter of if he is available at 11/12th.
Mel Kiper Jr. slates him as an ideal defensive end in a 4-3 scheme such as the Seahawks and the 7th best player overall in the draft.
Todd McShay of Scouts, Inc and ESPN has Coples a little higher on his board, 4th overall. He writes, "There have been questions about Coples' work ethic and motor, but he dominated at the Senior Bowl and his upside as an all-around defender will make him a coveted player on draft day"
Another name you will hear connected with the Seahawks is Whitney Mercilus, a defensive end out of Illinois. At this point it doesn't appear likely the Seahawks would spend the 11th/12th pick on him, but if he's there at the 43/44th pick he would be a major find.
Mercilus recorded 16 sacks in his junior year for the Illini, to lead the all of College Football and the Big Ten. He also led the nation in forced fumbles with nine.
That's exactly the type of player Carroll wants, a turnover machine who gets to the quarterback. The only question is, will Mercilus be there? Will he be as productive against NFL offensive tackles as he was in the Big Ten?
According to Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN the answer to those questions are yes and no. Yes he will be there at 11 and no he won't be as productive because Kiper has Mercilus slated going 28th overall to the Green Bay Packers.
The knock on Mercilus is that some of his sacks came against weaker offensive linemen, the likes he won't ever see in the NFL.
Mocking the Draft.com reports "He led the country in sacks in 2011 with an impressive 16. However, it remains to be seen whether Mercilus can translate his success to the NFL. While he is pretty good at getting leverage off the snap, he tends to break down a bit through contact and can get driven out of plays by stronger offensive linemen. A lot of his sacks came when he was able to pin his ears back and get after the QB without having to worry about playing the run. That could be partly due to his inexperience, but he looks like a guy who will start his career as a situational pass rusher while he develops his run-stopping. There are also some questions about his best position, as he seems to look lost and stiff when he is playing in space. Teams who run a 3-4 would probably best look elsewhere, unless he shows well in linebacker drills at the Combine."
Meanwhile Melvin Ingram out of South Carolina is the one guy who is consistently slated to be drafted right in the middle o the first-round, not too high where he won't be available but he wouldn't be such a gamble at the 11th or 12th pick. Todd McShay has the Dolphins taking Ingram with the 8th pick. Kiper has the Seahawks taking him. Kiper writes, " Ingram is just big enough to fit this system as a 4-3 defensive end, and should add a boost to the pass rush early."
NFL Draft Scout has him ranked at the 19th overall player in the Draft and had this scouting report:
Scouts like the versatility Ingram shows in the Gamecocks' defense; he line up outside either tackle, move to tackle on third down, and rush the passer standing up inside or off the edge. If he wants to go from his current mid-round grade to a late-rising first round prospect during 2011, however, he must fulfill his potential by showing more consistency using his hands and pressuring tackles off the snap.
Another pass-rusher slated right at 11 or 12th is Courtney Upshaw out of Alabama who led the dominant Crimson Tide defense and won a National Title. Upshaw played outside linebacker at 'Bama but was making the transition to defensive end when he participated at the Senior Bowl.
Here is what NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said about Upshaw:
"I think he's one of the few guys where you can line him up as a 4-3 defensive end and he'd be great, and I think the 3-4 teams are going to love him at outside linebacker. I just watched the national championship tape the other day and what jumps off the tape is, No. 1, the talent and ability, but No. 2, they really coach them well. Their kids are so fundamentally sound it helps them at the next level."
Finally there is defensive end Nick Perry out of USC, who Pete Carroll recruited back in 2008.
Perry is slated to be a late-first rounder, and quite a few mocks have him going 20th overall to the Tennessee Titans. But schematically most think he'll wind up in a 3-4 defense.
Here is what NFL Draft Scout said about Perry:
Perry is a hybrid pass rusher and will probably be limited to a 3-4 scheme, but shows the footwork and fluid range of motion to hold his own in space. He plays fast and hard, but his lack of ideal size and length are a cause for concern ? looks like a top-40 selection who will be valued more by 3-4 defenses.
Other prospects that might be available at defensive end in the early second-round include Andre Branch out of Clemson (who might find himself as an NFL linebacker) Chandler Jones out of Syracuse, and Jared Crick out of Nebraska.
