Pass Rushers: The 2014 Draft Class Examined

OK this is where it gets interesting. I intended to order this series of positional rankings and evaluations based upon the 49ers’ needs as I saw them. When I started writing these like three weeks ago or whatever (how time flies), I probably would have gone with safety at this point. With Aldon Smith doing whatever the hell he’s doing and probably out for an extended period of time I’m going to jump pass rusher over safety as a top priority.

Here are some reasons for my doing this:

Yes Corey Lemonier was very impressive as a pass rusher in his rookie season. Yes I like him a lot and have very high hopes for him as a player. Yes Dan Skuta and Lemonier did platoon very well together in the five games we played without Aldon Smith…BUT…

1) You can NEVER have enough pass rushers. Baalke knows this and clearly places a premium on pass rushers based on his previous draft-day decisions.

2) We are one more run-in with the law or injury away from having a very mediocre pass rush and linebacking corps. Could you imagine if Ahmad Brooks or Lemonier or even Skuta went down with injury? It’s honestly a horrifying thought.

3) Personally, I not only enjoy evaluating pass rushers more, I’m much better at evaluating pass rushers than safeties. Check my past rankings (B.B. '12 / B.B. '13) and you can see this clear as day. I had Eric Reid ranked well outside the 1^st Round, but I generally nail it on pass rushers. For my own selfish reasons, if for some reason I don’t get around to more evaluations I’d rather have pass rushers on public record than safeties.

4) As this blog isn’t completely meant for 49er fans (though I doubt fans of many other colors read it) I feel it’s appropriate to prioritize the more valuable position. Pass rushers are always at a premium for all 32 teams. Safety is usually a team specific need in the early rounds.

One last thing of note: I’m grouping together the “pass rushers” regardless of their college position or their position of best fit in the NFL. Some guys will fit much better in specific schemes, but when it’s all said and done teams find ways to get pass rushers on their roster and on the field regardless of their scheme fit (Bjoern Werner, widely considered “just” a 4-3 end, was drafted by the 3-4 playing Colts as an OLB). I will make a note of each prospect’s presumed position of best fit and their assumed scheme versatility, but any of these guys can be taken by any team running any defense and I wouldn’t be surprised so neither should you.

from nfl.si.com

1. Jadaveon Clowney, South Carolina (6’5”, 266 lbs.)

But Khalil Mack. But Clowney has work ethic issues. But the hype. But, but, but.

Shut up. Just shut up. You sound stupid.

Jadaveon Clowney is the best pass rusher in this draft. He is the best pass rusher for any scheme and for any position. He can stand up and rush from a two-point stance off the edge. He can put his hand in the dirt and bend the corner on a speed rush from a three-point stance in a wide-9 set. He can line up at the 5-technique and bull rush his way to the QB. He can line up inside in a four man front and shoot the gap to penetrate.

He was built by some fictional gridiron gods to rush the quarterback.

Ideal length? Check. Ideal weight? Check. Ideal speed? Check. Ideal agility? Check. Ideal explosiveness? Check, check, and one more check. Ideal instincts? Check.

Clowney is as quick as Von Miller, as natural as Aldon Smith, as athletic as Julius Peppers, and packs a punch like J.J. Watt.

Clowney is once-in-a-decade. Clowney is the best player in this draft.

He also isn’t that much better than the next best pass rushers, because this draft class is absolutely loaded.

Clowney is a top-3 pick. If he somehow makes it past pick No. 2, there is no chance he makes it past Jacksonville at pick No. 3.

from buffalo.com

2) Khalil Mack, Buffalo (6’3”, 251 lbs.)

Fine, I caved. I’ve had Anthony Barr above Mack for a while, but I’m starting to lose complete faith in Barr after watching more and more of his tape.

Mack, on the other hand, is a steady presence for Buffalo, pretty much dominating the competition every single game, be it against some crap college I barely knew existed or the Ohio St. Buckeyes. The guy is explosive. His first step is second to none. He does remind me of Von Miller in a lot of ways, but I don’t think he’s got quite the same looseness and bend around the edge.

He may be more powerful though, and I do think he is a more complete player than Von Miller, who is pretty much a one-trick pony—although that one trick is extremely useful and important and he does it amazingly well—bust through the line of scrimmage and penetrate.

Mack seems to have more strength to anchor and hold the edge against the run and the instincts and vision to drop into coverage and roam the middle of the field more. Whereas Miller is strictly an edge player, I think you could move Mack all over the formation, even standing him up as an inside backer to blitz the quarterback in more exotic looks.

Mack also has a knack for forcing fumbles, holding the all-time NCAA record in that category. That’s a valuable trait, and one that is probably as instinctual as it is learned.

He is very developed as a pass rusher in terms of technique and variety of moves. Throw on a game and you’ll see him go through the entire book of moves; swim, spin, rip, bull rush, speed to power, bend the edge, loop inside, jab step, etc. The guy knows how to toy with left tackles.

He gets knocked backwards of Clowney for two reasons; his size and his level of competition. 6’3” is adequate for a pass rusher, but not ideal. He may struggle against more rangy and athletic tackles as the next level, not so much as a pass rusher where his explosive first step probably mitigates the few inches he loses to longer players, but in the run game, where he may lose leverage in an anchor position. Mack also played in the MAC (no pun intended), which in no way at all compares to the talent levels and game-in game-out rigors of competing in the SEC.

Mack’s size does somewhat limit his scheme versatility. He can’t rush from a down position in the inside of a four man front. He actually would probably need to bulk up if he were asked to man a 4-3 right end spot primarily. He does not have the bulk to play power end (or left end) in a 4-3. He is probably best suited to being a 3-4 outside linebacker, but he can be moved around the 3-4 at will, and put his hand in the dirt in obvious passing situations.

Mack is a top-8 pick. He will not make it past the Minnesota Vikings. I doubt he makes it out of the top-6.

from bleacherreport.com

3. Anthony Barr, UCLA (6’5”, 255 lbs.)

If you were building a 3-4 OLB you would end up with Anthony Barr. He’s basically the exact same size and build as Aldon Smith. Let’s use Aldon as the baseline for our comparison here.

Aldon played 4-3 DE in college, and actually occasionally lined up inside as well to rush the passer. That background made him a dangerous pass rusher from the day he stepped onto an NFL field. Aldon has superior strength and instincts when it comes to getting to the quarterback.

Barr is a bit more thin framed (just a bit) and considerably less powerful than Aldon Smith. He does, however, mimic Aldon’s insane burst off the edge and his unparalleled ability as a “run and chase” pass rusher—closing speed to sack the quarterback from the blindside before they can even sense the danger coming.

Barr also is a more fluid athlete than Aldon. What he lacks in power he makes up for with absurd agility and looseness for a man of his size. Having played OLB in college Barr already has some background dropping into coverage and even playing in man coverage against tight ends. Is he great at either of these things? Not really.

But Barr is also just a baby when it comes to playing the position. He entered college as a running back, only making the switch to OLB in 2012, where he made an immediate impact. In his first two seasons playing OLB ever, at any level Barr racked up 23.5 sacks and 41.5 tackles for loss. Against the Pac-12. That is crazy good.

Barr projects as the ideal 3-4 OLB, but he can play OLB in a 4-3 in a similar role to Von Miller, and he can even bulk up and be asked to play primarily as a 4-3 right end, though I don’t think that is really all that wise given his skill set.

Given a couple years in NFL weight training to continue to add to his frame and power, plus the necessary development he’ll get both as a pass rusher and in coverage, it’s not hard to see Barr as a perennial all-pro in a 3-4 scheme.

Barr should be picked in the top-10, and he probably will be, but if he’s not he won’t last for much longer. His range is picks 5-20.

from cowboysblog.dallastimes.com

4) Kony Ealy, Missouri (6’4”, 273 lbs.)

There are couple general trends working in Kony Ealy’s favor. First and foremost is that the “raw athlete” pass rusher has grown in popularity over the last few years, and for good reason as they tend to make an immediate and lasting impact. Think of Jason Pierre Paul, Aldon Smith, Chandler Jones and Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah.

Secondly is that he is a Missouri Tiger, and for whatever reason Mizzou just pumps out quality defensive lineman. Justin Smith is a Tiger, Aldon Smith is a Tiger, and last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, Sheldon Richardson, came out of Mizzou as well.

I personally think that Kony Ealy and Ziggy Ansah are extremely comparable prospects, and Ziggy was the fifth overall selection last year. They have practically the exact same body type and athletic prowess. Both are explosive rushers for their size, but both lack the hip fluidity to function primarily as 3-4 OLBs so they are by far and away best suited to play 4-3 end. Ealy has the size to play on either side of the line as a DE, as well as man the middle of a four man front on passing downs.

Ealy’s single weakness—and that’s actually misleading because it’s a weakness that is far ranging—is his development as a football player. He has all the tools, but very few of the tricks. That problem has become increasingly solvable and in a decreasingly short amount of time. Pass rushers are in such high demand that little things like “development” and “football instincts” can largely be ignored in favor of “crazy-ass athleticism and size,” with the feeling being that the former things can be taught. It seems like more often than not nowadays coaches and GMs are right about this.

So, more than any other position (BY FAR), I am willing to overlook development in favor of natural ability and athleticism with pass rushers. Sure, Ealy plays like a Pop Warner kid. His pad level is too high, he is horrible at establishing and maintaining leverage, he has a limited array of pass rush moves, he gets washed out of the play because he uses bad technique and doesn’t anchor with his lower body (trying to outmuscle offensive lineman with nothing but his upper body), he has really bad eye discipline and loses sight of ball carriers and quarterbacks on the move or off play action.

But the guy is 6’4” 274 and moves like someone half his size and plays a position where all those things listed above can be taught relatively quickly to players that are serious about learning and where physical ability trumps taught techniques anyway, so he’ll be drafted in the first round and rightfully so.

In fact, I would draft him in the top-10, definitely top-15, but I suspect his true range is somewhere between picks 15-32.

from thenewsportsguru.com

5) Scott Crichton, Oregon St. (6’3”, 273 lbs.)

Crichton has grown on me somewhat as I’ve done my evaluations, partially because I’m starting to like him as a player more, and partially because I like other pass rushers less and less. Trent Murphy I’m looking at you.

Crichton is by no means a finished or developed product, but he’s not as raw as Barr or Ealy. He has great burst off the snap and he is the most physically developed (in terms of musculature) of all the pass rushers so far listed. At 6’3” 273 Crichton is a powerful player and he uses his strength to his advantage. He is a good tackler and defends the run well.

Crichton’s biggest flaw is his stiffness. He doesn’t consistently display the necessary fluidity to bend the edge. He sometimes looks a little slow and awkward when he attempts pass rush moves that require lateral agility (like a spin move).

He is also somewhat raw as well. He plays with poor pad level fairly often, and he definitely could use refinement with his pass rush moves.

However, Crichton was a very productive pass rusher in a very good conference, so he’s clearly got some sort of blend of talent and development and effort which allows him to get to the quarterback. He is stout and strong at the point of attack and he is a tenacious, high motor defensive end. He defends the run better than any other the other 4-3 ends I have evaluated thus far.

Due to his hip tightness and lack of overall athleticism Crichton is probably limited to teams that run a 4-3, but he does offer the versatility to line up on either side of the line as well as in the middle due to his bulk and wide frame.

Crichton will likely be selected between picks 20-40, and I have him graded as a borderline first rounder.