2013 DL thoughts (long)

Feb 11, 2013, 12:56 PM

First and foremost I want to say SCREW the SEC! if not for Auburn and Ole Miss paying everyone and their grandma then we most likely would have grabbed Lawson and Adams. That being said we've got who we got and there is a lot of talent here to feel good about the DL next year.

SDE:
1) Goodman is gone and while he was always a solid player he didn't crack the realm of a beast until the LSU game, which was a great time for the light to come on. Tavaris barnes will get the first look at starting here and he is a solid player. I like the technique he shows and he got more and more PT as the year went on. He's not a pure pass rusher and seems more of a run stopper right now.

2) I expect Shaq Lawson to come in and take the back up spot from Kevin Dodd. Dodd played some this year but not a lot so there's not much to go on with him. Lawson was an underrated DE last year but would have seen the field a lot in 2012. he's got a great motor, good first step, and knows how to use his hands. Spending a year at hargrave helps immensely as he's got another full year under his belt and he excelled there. I'm a little concerned with his weight but hope that him coming in during spring will help him get to where the coaches want him.

3T:
1) Josh Watson is one of my favorite players on our team. he's a well spoken man on interviews and has a tough mindset. He's was all but written off by some but came in and balled out this year. He plays with intensity and he's technique improved over the year to the point that teams couldn't really play him one on one because he'd win more battles then he's lose. he's got a pretty good pass rush and has improved as a run stopper. I don't see him losing his starting spot until possible later in the year if Watkins and Reader come on in a big way.

2) Deshawn Williams is a solid player. He's great against the run and knows how to plug holes. Like the rest of the DTs he started off a bit shaky early in the year but as time progressed he became a force. he's not great at rushing the passer but does have some burst off the line. I like him a lot and think he'll continue to see decent PT.

NG: Grady Jarett was under rated coming out of HS. because of his height and and speed he was rated at 3 stars when he was easily a high 4 to anyone that watched him. He looked similar to Brandon Thompson in HS. He's motor is monstrous and his played wrestling so he understand leverage and uses it to ruin opposing OGs. While Goodman got most of the accolades in the bowl game Jarett was literally a half second away form each of those sacks ready to bring down their QB is Goodman didn't. This is a big reason why they couldn't double Goodman, Jarett was getting pressure as well. He's a road grader and I expect him to continue to improve and ruin anyone that lines up against him.

2) DJ reader is once against another player under rated in HS. He's first step is very explosive for such a big guy and if his conditioning was better he'd have played more last year. He's farther along technique wise then Watkins hence him getting more PT but this kid can play. He really showed his stuff against VT and think he can be another Brandon Thompson like player if he sticks with FB full time. Not sure how playing Baseball will help but I think he should stick with crushing OGs.

Carlos Watkins can play either position I believe and was one of the highest rated DTs in the country out of HS. He hasn't put everything together as well as Reader has but he was just a freshmen and played some good snaps. His technique will need to improve as he seems to just like to bull rush opposing OGs which is what he did so well in HS but in college he'll need to learn to use his hands better. I have no doubt he'll be a force once he learns more under our excellent DL coaching staff.

We are five deep at the DT spot and so we can RS Pagano which I believe will happen.

WDE:
1) Corey Crawford has shown flashes of elite skill but has yet to put it all together. he's a solid player but not the pass rusher that we'd thought he'd be, again he's a young player so I ct him some slack. I think he needs to trim some weight though. 270 lbs is a bit big for a WDE and he either needs to lose it or move over to SDE. He's good against the run and again I think he'll be a good player. it's time for him to step up and show us what he's got.

2) Vic Beasly is our best pas rusher. He's a freak athlete that is so fast that he blows past OTs. If he can ad a bit more weight then he'd be the starter. he's too small right now and is a liability in running plays. If he learns more technique then teams will have a very very hard time stopping him because of his speed. As it is he just speed rushes every down like Branch did and while it works for both of them he needs more move to be a terror that I know he can become.

Martian Akien comes off of a RS and I have heard pretty good things about his toughness, mean streak, and skill. I don't know how much he'll play but I expect him to get a long look if Beasly's weight is still too small or if Crawford doesn't play as well as we hope.

Ebo and Rogers will be good players but I think both RS. Ebo is a freak athlete who looks ready to start from day one but NY does not have the best coaches in HS and his technique is lacking. i think a RS would be very good for him though since he was an early enrollee it's very possible that he could avoid a RS and play. Rogers should RS to work on his technique as well and his conditioning but down the road he should be good.

Losing out on so many highly talented players sucks but there not much you can do when other teams are going to cheat unless you chest yourself. that being said our DT pool is deep and very talented and should be a strength this year. We have numbers at DE we just need them to mature and step up to the plate for us.

Agree, disagree, any other comments?

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2013 DL thoughts (long)

Re: 2013 DL thoughts (long)

Re: 2013 DL thoughts (long)

Crawford is probably going to move to SDE

Lawson is too big to be a WDE

He's smaller than Crawford

Re: 2013 DL thoughts (long)

Thanks***

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