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With the NFL draft now right around the corner, we have one last position group to parse through before our 2015 NFL Draft Breakdown Series comes to a close. We finished up the offensive side of the ball last week, and have gotten through most of the defense so far.

If you missed the previous installments of the series, you can go and check out the other positional breakdowns here:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Line
• Pass Rushers
• Linebackers
• Cornerbacks

Finally we’ve arrived at our last breakdown, examining a group of safeties that are coming into the NFL at a very strange time for the position.

Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor still give teams hope that they know what they’re doing when evaluating safeties. Thomas is the prototypical center fielder, while Chancellor fills the in-the-box tackler role. However, Thomas is one of the hardest hitters in the league, and Chancellor runs well in both zone and man coverage.

Another traditional safety who general managers can wrap their heads around is Devin McCourty, a converted corner. Calvin Pryor and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix were valued as first-round picks, but Deone Bucannon and Jimmie Ward unexpectedly sneaked into the end of day one. Four safeties were taken in the first 33 picks in 2013 as well. Teams need versatile defenders in the middle of the field, to play outside linebacker and nickel corner and cover deep middle, and over the past few years they’ve been willing to pay a premium to acquire them.

Day One:

• Landon Collins, Alabama
• Damarious Randall, Arizona State

Safety is considered to be one of the weakest position groups in this draft, and the player who has been at the forefront of the class is Collins, whose stock epitomizes the league’s feelings about the class as a whole.

Collins is not going to come in like Ward and cover slot receivers as a nickel corner. He isn’t going to go back to deep center field and track down the long throws like Clinton-Dix does. He isn’t even going to be a hybrid safety like Pryor who can play in the box and down the field. Collins essentially has one strength, and one strength only: coming up and stopping the run from the strong safety position.

Teams might not mind adding that skill to the team, but it has diminished value in today’s NFL. First of all, defensive backs who tackle well don’t always translate that skill to the pro game. Pryor struggled with it early last year, and even a cornerback like Dee Milliner went from being the nation’s best tackler at his position to one of the NFL’s worst his rookie year.

The hope is that Collins can be a bigger, stronger version of Bucannon, which is fine. Of course, that considerably narrows down his list of potential suitors. The Eagles and Patriots have need at the position, but will likely look for a more versatile player. And while the Cowboys, Ravens, and Panthers could add a safety, those three teams figure to value a player with coverage skills over a run stopper. The Steelers and Colts are both looking to replace safeties. The Colts could be wary of taking another player in the mold of LaRon Landry, and Troy Polamalu is above simply being replaced, but no matter where Collins goes, I imagine his struggles in coverage will be a subject of conversation in the draft room.

For anyone who believes those problems are overstated, the last two defensive drives of the Ole Miss game should be submitted into evidence. With Alabama up a touchdown, Collins is lost in no-man’s land during a 34-yard post down the center of the field that went for a touchdown to tie the game. Two minutes of game time later, he gets beat badly in man coverage on a wheel out of the backfield on third-and-goal from the 10-yard line. He stays flat-footed and allows the running back to run right past him for the game-winning score, turning around just in time to see the ball float gently into the hands of his man.

There will be a point in the draft where Collins’ value is too great to pass on him. Still, like some of the pass rushers in this class, his dependence on scheme fit could cause him to drop significantly if one or two of his logical suitors decide to pass on him.

Collins’ versatility issues have opened up the door for a riser at the safety position, with Randall now generating some buzz as a first-round pick and possibly the first safety off the board. In Randall, we have without a doubt a superior safety in coverage, even if he isn’t the premier center fielder teams would target a little earlier in the first round.

Randall doesn’t have ideal height, but he’s one of the best athletes at the position. Pundits have suggested he might have the ability to transition to cornerback if he’s coached well, though he’d be a much less polished prospect if he made that move. Despite his small frame, he does try to play with some physicality, even though he rarely goes for the big hit and can often be found grabbing at ankles.

There isn’t a lot of tape of Randall tightly contesting throws or taking on bigger runners, and both of those aspects could be a concern. I’m not so sure the transition from corner to safety will be that easy, but he does have the talent to come off the board in the first round. Unless a team falls in love with Collins’ size and needs a safety to play in the box, I’d guess Randall would make more teams happy and has a better shot to come off the board first.

Considering how weak the safety class is at the top, I don’t believe there’s a huge drop-off when we move to the next tier, and a few later-round players may even provide more upside in the right situation.

Day Two:

• Eric Rowe, Utah
• Derron Smith, Fresno State
• Quinten Rollins, Miami (Ohio)
• Kurtis Drummond, Michigan State

In terms of coverage skills, this group could have some real potential. Not necessarily highly regarded, Drummond played well for a very good Michigan State defense. He was able to come up strong against the run, and also did a good job of stepping up on short throws. Drummond isn’t overly physical, and wouldn’t be the sort of in-the-box safety Collins would be, but he helps protect the outside part of the field, quickly flying there when the ball makes its way towards the sidelines.

Drummond is a little late attaching himself to receivers running down the field, and doesn’t display exceptional timed speed. If his instincts in coverage were better, he could get away with a slow time, but he probably has a ceiling in terms of his effectiveness going stride for stride with speedy receivers on vertical routes.

Smith has his own flaw, as he’s another player who’s a little small for someone with average athleticism. He doesn’t have the speed to run with faster receivers or the height to battle taller tight ends, but he displayed plenty of ball skills at Fresno State, intercepting 15 passes across 56 games. Smith plays well in the underneath zone, and if he can hold his own against the run near the line of scrimmage, he might be given the chance to make some plays on intermediate routes and turn defense into offense.

The day-two upside really shines through with the other two players in this grouping — Rowe and Rollins both primarily played corner in 2014, and could be given the chance to make the transition to safety in the NFL.

Rowe was a combine top performer in the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle, per NFL.com. He played free safety for his first three seasons at Utah, and displays great ball skills at both positions, along with adequate tackling ability. His over-the-top athleticism isn’t on full display at cornerback, where there are questions about whether he can play all the routes in a man-to-man scheme, but his zone skills show off the traits he learned as a safety.

At 6’1″ and 205 pounds, Rowe should transition quickly back to free safety, where he provides the combination of size, speed, and strength that could make him an impact player. Given his ability to find the ball and great instincts, he might have hurt his stock by moving to corner as a senior. Some teams are still considering him on the outside, and while clubs would salivate to have a tall corner with his physical skills, he has more upside in the middle of the field.

Rollins is an even more interesting case. He played point guard on the basketball team for four years before deciding to use his last year of eligibility to walk onto the football team. A raw corner without top-end speed and agility, it’s remarkable how high his stock has risen. His footwork isn’t polished, but he isn’t clumsy, and it should get better with work.

What stands out for Rollins is how he explodes in small spaces. He’s not the greatest tackler ever; after one year of college experience that shouldn’t be expected. Still, there were a few instances on tape where he puts huge hits on receivers, and – most impressively – he does it without having running starts. He has natural power with his movements, and a move to safety could merge his natural instincts with a comfortability with space. Throw in his soft hands, and Rollins is the sort of potential gem who could be a high-risk, high-reward pick.

Late Round Sleepers:

• Anthony Harris, Virginia
• Adrian Amos, Penn State
• Jaquiski Tartt, Samford
• James Sample, Louisville
• Dean Marlowe, James Madison
• Ibraheim Campbell, Northwestern
• Clayton Geathers, UCF

Defensive backs are solid picks no matter how late in the draft they come. Corners can find a footing despite being fourth or fifth on the depth chart, giving them a chance to slowly work their way into favor, and safeties with at least one above average skill can find the field situationally. On top of that, they’ll get first crack at seeing the field on special teams, given their combination of speed and tackling ability.

Many of these late-round picks will start off slowly, with small snap counts and special teams contributions. That sliver of hope could eventually result in an opportunity for them to really break out.

Campbell and Geathers both project as strong safeties that play well against the run. Geathers is a 6’2″, 218-pound monster who does a great job gaining speed and smashing into the line. He often goes for the big hit, which might not work at the next level, but he has the size to play in the box or even become a pseudo-outside linebacker in the right system.

Campbell has a similar reputation, without the athleticism or cover skills to hold up in man-to-man coverage. However, while he might not be perfect, he did a very good job on multiple occasions of finding his way to the play when asked to cover the middle of the field. He tracked the ball well in the air, and was able to make some plays as a center fielder, as well as in underneath coverage.

Sample presents a big frame similar to Geathers’, with a little better athleticism. He held up well at Louisville, consistently making his presence known in the secondary even if his overall performance was unspectacular. Although he’s exclusively a football player, he doesn’t have a ton of experience due to injuries and a transfer from Washington.

In my opinion – one that’s unbiased as possible considering he’s a former high school teammate of mine – Marlowe has the size and athleticism often seen in more highly-touted prospects. He was very versatile at JMU, contributing as a free safety, strong safety, and corner on different snaps. He was able to do that in part because of the weaker competition, but he always stepped up in the few chances he got against big conference schools.

Marlowe is projected by most draft experts to be a run supporter at strong safety, knocking his athleticism and instincts in coverage. His timed speed might not make anyone think he can line up at corner and lock down receivers. But from the safety spot, it and his game speed are good enough that I’m not concerned with his ability to play the middle of the field. He has excellent ball skills, and the ability to break on passes to make a play in a hurry.

Add that to his reputation as a big hitter and consistent tackler, and I don’t see why Marlowe isn’t more highly sought after. For a player who could be available in the seventh round or as an undrafted free agent, he has the ability to contribute in a number of ways.

Harris has the height desired for a free safety, but packs it into a slight frame of only 183 pounds. He’s another player whose 40-yard dash time is in the mid-4.5 range, but he’s something of a tweener in terms of tackling and coverage ability. Harris is constantly diving to make plays on runners, often taking players down by grabbing ankles. To his credit, he saved a lot of big plays with those shoestring tackles, and didn’t let those players get away on the collegiate level. In coverage, he did well with the plays happening in front of him, but seemed out of control and even a little panicked when forced to turn his hips, often making the decision to get deep on a play a hair too late.

Amos has been given the nickname “Hulk” by some of the Penn State faithful, and given his large frame at safety, it’s easy to see why. Amos is able to put some big hits on receivers unfortunate enough to be led into his zone, and he does a good job playing the ball when in the area.

He timed out dramatically differently at the combine and his pro day, with his 40-yard dash improving from 4.56 to 4.37. That pro day number is dubious, but he was one of the better performers in the two shuttle drills at the combine, which made his dash underwhelming to begin with. If he is truly a 4.37 player, he could buy himself some leeway to be coached up in the NFL.

Tartt can’t compete with Amos’ pro day speed, but before that he looked like one of the physical specimens in the class. He feasted on lower competition, but his size and combine performance have propelled him up draft boards as a possible high-upside selection.

There wouldn’t be many outcomes that would surprise me from among this overall group of safeties. There should be talent available in every round of the draft, but there will be plenty of players who never make it beyond one or two NFL seasons. It may ultimately be a weak class, but even if it fails to produce a bona fide star, teams should be able to develop impact starters if their scouting departments can identify the right guys.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

With the NFL draft now just two days away, we’re continuing to take a closer look at the notable prospects for each position. We finished up on the offensive side of the ball last week, and have also examined front-seven players on the defensive side.

If you missed the previous installments of the series, you can go and check out the other positional breakdowns here:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Line
• Pass Rushers
• Linebackers

Next up is one of the most important positions in today’s NFL, as cornerbacks get their in-depth treatment in this breakdown. Corner is one of the game’s most exceptional positions, as it takes such elite athleticism and skill to succeed on the outside. Unfortunately, this is a position that ultimately comes down to who will fail the least.

Tall corners measure in at 6’0″ or 6’1″. The giants are 6’2″. Those players are expected to cover A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, and Mike Evans, all of whom would hover over them with leaping ability that is tough to match. It makes it unfair, but the corners who can keep up with the elite playmakers on the outside are worth the high draft picks, and eventually the big contracts.

Top 15 Lock:

• Trae Waynes, Michigan State

When it comes to cornerbacks in the 2015 NFL draft, Waynes has separated himself from the rest of the pack. Looking through big boards and mock drafts across the web, there’s very little consensus about which players are first-round talents and who fits where, but Waynes shows up time and time again at the top of those lists.

Waynes is a speedster, with great ability to run down the field with receivers on deep routes. The closing speed and the way he turns from his backpedal to a sprint sticks out on tape. The next big plus on his résumé during the college season was his size. He was listed at 6’1″ at Michigan State, and he matched up well with big receivers. Often on broadcasts he was lauded as a future top-15 – possibly top-10 – pick.

Despite those praises, the film shows he didn’t have unbridled success. He ran well with receivers down the field, but it wasn’t like he was a lock on deep routes all season. He was beaten down the field a few times in the Baylor game, and that’s a problem, because he struggles on shorter routes as well. In press coverage he tends to race back too fast and leave himself vulnerable to hitches, curls, and outside breaking routes.

When Waynes plays with cushion, he gives up inside leverage and leaves the middle of the field wide open. He has the speed to close on crossing routes, but got burned with quick slants, as he is slow to come towards the line of scrimmage out of his backpedal.

I think his stock was down a little at the end of the college season, but he turned things around by running a 4.31 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He only measured in at 6’0″, but he still has the size to compete at the next level. Waynes has a lot of work to do with technique and recognition, but he has above-average to good ball skills, and – most importantly – he’s squeaky clean off the field. I don’t know if the team that drafts him can plug him in and not worry about that side of the field, but he does have the physical skills to survive on the outside.

First-Round Talents:

• Marcus Peters, Washington
• Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest
• Jalen Collins, LSU
• P.J. Williams, Florida State
• Byron Jones, Connecticut

Every player in this group has a chance to join Waynes in the first round this year, but I would be surprised if all five heard their names called on day one.

The main reason this group is labeled “First-Round Talents” is because of the inclusion of Peters and Williams. Both players have struggled with non-football issues, despite having killer seasons in 2014.

It’s remarkable how similar these two players are — they’re the two best tacklers of the top corners. Neither is 100% in terms of making every tackle, but they pursue the play and maintain outside integrity. Both players have some highlight hits on film, and they try to get in on every play. Washington and Florida State both blitzed them off the corner, often in running situations, and each did impressive jobs getting to the running back in the backfield.

Peters specifically does a great job sniffing out screens and reverses and killing them in the backfield. He doesn’t jump up to leave his responsibilities, but he’s able to hedge his bet and wait for the quarterback to make a decision before shutting it down. Neither player got beat down the field on a regular basis, even though neither of them possesses the pure speed of Waynes.

Both Peters and Williams are pretty awesome in man coverage, and play the ball well in the air. They show good technique to keep receivers close and play the ball with their off hand. Peters has the better ball skills, including the ability to make athletic interceptions, and exhibits good hands when a quarterback puts the ball up for grabs. Each measured in with good size, and Peters has the talent to be the best corner in the draft. Williams has the ceiling to be in that conversation. There are also some scouts who project Williams to safety if he struggles on the outside.

However, Peters had multiple incidents with the coaching staff, and was ultimately dismissed from the team. He’s definitely scaring teams off with a reputation as uncoachable, and it really hurts his draft stock, especially when he didn’t exhibit elite physical skills at the combine. As for Williams, the dismissal of his DUI case is a plus, but his arrest may make teams a little more inclined to consider another corner in the first round. Given their on-field skills, Peters is likely to stick in round one, while Williams makes more sense as a candidate to slide down into day two of the draft.

Collins doesn’t have notable issue off the field, but he has plenty when he puts his pads on. Collins is legitimately big, at 6’1″ and 203 pounds, and runs really well, especially for a player his size. He made some plays in college, coming away with a game-winning interception against Texas A&M and often showing ability as a tackler that matches his size.

Unfortunately, the overall package doesn’t match his draft stock. Collins struggles with footwork, and is inconsistent dropping back into coverage. He can get physical on the sidelines, but doesn’t move well to the middle of the field — he also only had 10 starts in college, including just seven last year, which leads me to wonder why his coaches didn’t have more faith in him. I don’t want to kill him for getting torched by Amari Cooper, but he got torched by Amari Cooper. It was very obvious in that matchup which player was polished and which one needed some work.

Collins wasn’t a sure tackler, and wasn’t always too interested in tackling in general. He gave up on a lot of plays chasing runners down the field. His physical skills could push him into the first round, and the Eagles could make sense as a team that could work with him to eventually provide a tall, long option on the outside. Out of the players in this group though, he’s the most likely to frustrate a fan base, at least early in his NFL career.

The most versatile player in the group is Jones, who has been projected equally at corner and safety across boards. He has great size and length, and has all the traits necessary to be a leader on defense in college. He excels at finding the ball, and does a good job defending the run and tackling receivers. He didn’t go up against the greatest competition at UConn, but he made sure to be heard in every game. Jones has been a frequently-mentioned target for the Patriots at No. 32, given his high character and versatility, but he’s a rising prospect who might not be around at that spot.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about Johnson, who has spent the process as the second- or third-best cornerback on most boards. However, Johnson is somewhat forgettable. He shows he has the ability to run with players down the field, but he also has plays where he does a shaky job keeping up. He’ll put a few big hits on tape, then have a slew of film where he’s happy to watch his teammates make the tackle.

Johnson doesn’t jump out on a consistent basis, and there are stretches of tape where he doesn’t show up. Some would argue that’s a good thing for a corner — for instance, Collins showed up more frequently on the tape because quarterbacks looked to pick on him at times. But the thing about Peters and Williams, and even Jones, is that they find a way to impact the game even when quarterbacks start ignoring their side of the field.

Johnson could quietly be a solid first-round pick with a high floor — maybe the highest floor at the position. However, even though he may be the closest teams will get to a sure thing at corner in this class, he has a number of things to work on, since he’s going to come into the league against bigger, faster, and smarter receivers, and quarterbacks who will look to exploit him.

Day Two Picks:

• Ronald Darby, Florida State
• D’Joun Smith, Florida Atlantic
• Senquez Golson, Mississippi
• Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
• Charles Gaines, Louisville

The biggest difference between these five corners and the six who have a legitimate shot to go in the first round is height. None of the top-tier cornerbacks have the numbers 5’9″ or 5’10” associated with their names, and all five in this group are in that range.

The highlights of this group in terms of name recognition are Darby and Ekpre-Olomu. Darby, of course, is known from his run to the National Championship as a sophomore and Florida State’s inclusion in the BCS College Football Playoff this past year. Along with teammate Williams, Darby brought a lot to the table in terms of ability. With a blazing fast 40-yard dash and top-flight agility, he’s really able to run with receivers and should be able to translate that to the next level.

Darby isn’t a very good tackler, and he got picked on often by quarterbacks avoiding Williams. While taller receivers were able to get an advantage over him, it is concerning how easily shorter players like Phillip Dorsett and his Hurricane teammates were able to separate from Darby when the teams met in the second half of the season.

Ekpre-Olomu provides a different case. Had he declared for the draft last year he may have had a chance of becoming a first-round selection. I imagine his stock would have been picked apart during the process and he would have dropped, but not as much as he did this year, between inconsistent performances and a leg injury that cost him the latter part of the season.

The Oregon corner does pack elite athleticism and excellent ball skills into that small frame, but his size caught up to him when asked to play more physical at the line of scrimmage and when playing the run. He isn’t a slouch in those areas, but his technique is not up to par with some of the other players in this class.

Smith might be the first player taken amongst this group, even though he didn’t see many elite pass-catching threats on the outside during his time in college. He plays the ball well, but his measurables aren’t over the top to put him into the first round discussion. Gaines did run those top-flight times, and he’s an explosive athlete, but that didn’t always show on the field. Gaines’ small hands also provide concern in terms of his ball skills improving at the next level, despite being recruited to Louisville as a wide receiver.

Golson is a hot name rising up draft boards. Scouts love how much effort he puts into the game, and his production not only matches but exceeds that. Last year at Mississippi he intercepted nine passes and deflected 16 more. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox but is committed to football, despite being undersized. He did struggle covering taller receivers, and doesn’t have a lot of experience in press-man schemes, but he provides an interesting option for NFL teams that miss out on the top couple of guys.

Tall corners are all the rage in the days of Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson, but height isn’t everything, and plenty of players excel despite not hitting the 6’0″ benchmark. There are many late-round options who come in tall and raw, but this middle class highlighted here could be undervalued because of their height, among other things.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

With the NFL draft just days away, we’re continuing to take a closer look at the notable prospects for each position. We already finished up the offensive side of the ball, and last week we started on the defense, breaking down the players who will make their living at the line of scrimmage.

If you missed the previous installments of the series, you can go and check out the other positional breakdowns here:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Line
• Pass Rushers

Today we’ll file through some of the men playing under-appreciated positions in the modern NFL, looking at this year’s crop of linebackers. Many of the pass rushers will be lining up at outside linebacker in the 3-4, but for the sake of consistency, here we are going to focus on 4-3 outside linebackers and all inside linebackers, regardless of scheme.

These guys might get after the quarterback occasionally, but they’re primarily known as run stuffers or for covering tight ends and running backs in the middle of the field.

Lateral Space Eaters:

• Shaq Thompson, Washington
• Eric Kendricks, UCLA
• Stephone Anthony, Clemson

Kendricks is the most highly regarded linebacker in this draft. This is a player who won awards named after Dick Butkus and Ronnie Lott in 2014, leading the team with 149 tackles. He can really move, which is why he’s a part of a group I call the lateral space eaters. Kendricks patrols the field, sideline to sideline, and – even more impressively in today’s NFL – he can run with tight ends and running backs down the field.

Of all the players at this position, Kendricks is by far the most polished in coverage. His brother Mychal Kendricks has been a successful if underrated player for the Eagles, and while Eric doesn’t have the same physical skills, he does impress in similar ways.

Anthony is the big, fast, physical specimen that looks great settling into his defensive stance before the snap. He has some of the most impressive speed side-to-side, and does a better job than Kendricks of using his acceleration to fill holes at the line of scrimmage. He has the skills to perform in coverage, even if he often gets lost in man-to-man and fails to be disciplined in his zones.

Thompson is the most interesting linebacker in this class. Many have him pegged as a safety, at 6’0″ and 228 pounds. He flies around the field, covering space in a split second, and can adjust from playing in coverage to coming up to stop the run in an instant — he has supreme aggression, and is a heavy hitter. He also has the ability to not only run with tight ends and running backs, but to effectively cover slot receivers. Every evaluator lists Thompson’s weaknesses, but then notes a team could use him as a hybrid safety/linebacker in the way the Cardinals used Deone Bucannon.

However, Thompson and Kendricks are both short enough that, despite their cover skills, taller players could really take advantage of them when NFL quarterbacks put balls high up in the air. None of the three players has proven they can take on a running back in the hole, and all three have the propensity to get washed out on power running plays.

There are late first-round teams that could use these players, and unlike the next group, they provide some upside and versatility due to the athleticism. However, they’re far from the Week 1 stars that even C.J. Mosley was last year.

Between-The-Tackles Thumpers:

• Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi St.
• Denzel Perryman, Miami
• Paul Dawson, TCU

If teams don’t like the athletes above, they could get a bargain with one of the run-stuffing inside linebackers in this group.

Perryman is the guy who stands out here, playing like a big (read: slow) bully who stays in the middle of the field and acts like a backup to a big-bodied nose tackle, plugging up holes and forcing plays outside. Still, Perryman is only 5’11”, with short arms and below average athleticism. Not to mention, his ability as a tackler between the tackles has been overstated. He seems slow to recognize the play and read the offensive line, and while he succeeds when he meets the running back in the hole – where the previous group did not – he was often late getting there, allowing runners to get to the second level, where they could make a move or lower their shoulder for extra yards.

McKinney is a similar player on film, even if he’s much bigger by the tape measure. He has the speed and size to play outside and be vertical, but doesn’t seem interested in using those skills to his advantage. He doesn’t change direction well, and when he guesses, he often takes himself out of the play. While he has the speed and size to run with tight ends, he doesn’t have the agility necessary to make him a real threat in coverage in a big spot. He has some upside, but looks like a player who wants to stay in the space between the guards and take on backs and blockers near the line of scrimmage.

Dawson provides a different type of player. He probably fancies himself as a lateral player who can cover receivers and run down plays sideline-to-sideline. The 4.93 seconds it took him to run 40 yards at the combine disagrees with him. He ran better at his Pro Day, but it’s still alarming for a player who relies on his athleticism despite being a small 6’0″, 235 pounds.

In addition to his on-field red flags, he had a reputation of being a problem within the TCU locker room, and observers question both his motivation and his dedication to the film room. Once players get a bad reputation, it can snowball into a number of deficiencies, but he doesn’t have the natural talent to overcome a bad attitude, which could negatively affect his stock.

I have a personal love for Brandon Spikes, who never covered anybody but did a phenomenal job chasing down running backs off the snap. Spikes spent a lot of time proving his ability as a tackler and run stopper in college, and only fell in the draft due to his off the field concerns. He was always a negative in coverage, which was fine because of how strong he was against the run — that cemented his role in the NFL. I don’t think any of these players have that upside, even though stopping the run is their strength.

Day Two/Three Plug Ins:

• Jake Ryan, Michigan
• Zack Hodges, Harvard
• Ben Heeney, Kansas
• Hayes Pullard, USC
• Ramik Wilson, Georgia
• Bryce Hager, Baylor
• Taiwan Jones, Michigan State
• Jeff Luc, Cincinnati

For a team seeking a linebacker with some upside, most pundits would likely recommend picking off one of those top six players, in what is a fairly weak class at the position. There’s a little something for everyone in that group, without a lot of overlapping skill sets.

At the same time, the players up there might not exactly fit a team’s needs. Some will end up as two-down players, and others will struggle mightily in one aspect of the game or another. Grabbing Thompson in the first round might mean acquiring a player who provides little to nothing as a linebacker against the run. Conversely, drafting Perryman might leave a team with a player who will never see the field on third and long, when offensive players make their money.

The alternative to taking a limited player high is grabbing one of these day two and day three players later on in the draft.

A player like Ryan doesn’t run to the sidelines like anyone in the first group, and doesn’t take on blockers like anyone in the second group. However, the upside of Ryan comes threefold. First, he can do a little of both those things. Second, he could eventually develop into a solid three-down player. Third, and most important: you can get Ryan in the middle rounds, after you already added a couple of impact players elsewhere on the roster.

Ryan has played both inside and outside linebacker, and is comfortable in either position. He is solid in every aspect of the game, but not much better. He gets beat to the sidelines, at the line of scrimmage, and in coverage. That being said, NFL.com has him as a fourth or fifth-round pick. A draft class that features Ryan and three other players ahead of him is an easier one to swallow if I’m an NFL fan, especially for those borderline first-round picks.

A guy like Wilson could provide the size and athleticism needed for teams to survive in the modern NFL. He needs some coaching, but he should have a chance to come in with low expectations and earn a starting spot. Hodges and Heeney have some upside as contributors, and I could see both players developing into starters down the line if they can build on their strengths and their weaknesses don’t sink them. Jones is in the same boat, although he has a better floor, based on the competition he faced on a regular basis.

I think there are plenty of impact players to be had in this overall group of linebackers, and the drop-off from Kendricks to Hodges is gigantic — I don’t want to downplay that gap. At the same time though, I think Kendricks has a chance to go in round one, and that would inflate the value for all these players. If a team doesn’t have a desperate need at the position and isn’t in cruise control with its roster (ie. the Packers), it would be easier to fill those big holes elsewhere earlier in the draft and hope a combination of one of these other prospects can be paired with a veteran to fill one spot on the field in a platoon situation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

With the NFL draft just a week away, we’ll continue taking a closer look at the notable prospects for each position. We already finished up the offensive side of the ball, and started on the defense by analyzing some of the guys in the trenches.

If you missed the first half of the series, you can go and check out the other positional breakdowns here:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Line

Today, we’ll move on to the money makers on defense, in what is likely the strongest position group at the top in the entire draft. Here is a breakdown of some of this year’s premier pass rushers, starting with the four players who hope to be taken in the first 10 picks of the 2015 NFL draft.

Top 10:

• Randy Gregory, Nebraska
• Shane Ray, Missouri
• Dante Fowler Jr., Florida
• Vic Beasley, Clemson

In today’s pass-happy NFL, there’s a general consensus that the most important player on offense is the quarterback, and the most important player on defense is the one who can torment the quarterback. Teams value these players far above anyone else, which is evident based on how much money they make and where they’re drafted. Most observers expect two quarterbacks to be selected in the first 10 picks, and there’s a very good chance they come off the board first and second. But pass rusher is going to be the position that dominates the beginning of the first round.

If you include Leonard Williams, an interior defensive lineman will be expected to get after the quarterback, half of the first 10 picks should be pass rushers. In my first Mock Draft, I projected these five players to go second, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth, with Williams going No. 2 to the Titans and the four players above making up the rest of those picks.

Fowler is presumed to have found a fit in Gus Bradley’s defense in Jacksonville, as a player who can rush the quarterback from all over the field. At Florida, Fowler was the clear leader on the defense, lining up as a stand-up edge rusher, with his hand in the dirt, and – most intriguingly – in the middle of the formation, before barreling through a crack of daylight in the interior of the offensive line. Fowler displayed explosiveness through defenders, and once he was in the offensive backfield, he made sure the quarterback would know he was there by quickly jutting his body into the pocket and getting his hands up.

The sack numbers for Fowler weren’t quite there in college, as he only totaled 8.5 in 2014, and that figure was inflated by a three-sack performance in the Birmingham Bowl against East Carolina. He was able to make plays against the run, but did a lot of that damage between the tackles. Setting the edge and forcing runners inside was not his strong suit, and he hasn’t exhibited any ability to hold up in coverage, though he was not asked to do so often. His athleticism gives hope that he could turn into a Pro Bowl-caliber player, and he should be especially useful to a coach with the creativity to exploit his various strengths.

Up next is Beasley, a player who has proven that he could produce sacks coming off the edge. With 33 career sacks, including 12 as a senior and 13 as a junior, Beasley has consistently generated pressure over his last three collegiate seasons. The most incredible thing about watching him is how committed he is to beating tackles with his one elite skill: speed.

Beasley explodes off the edge. He’s quick off the snap, and he’s too fast for offensive tackles to handle. When profiling offensive linemen, I noted that Cameron Erving had a very impressive day against Beasley, aside from two plays where he had trouble dealing with his speed rush. Well, those two plays were spectacular jumps by Beasley, and he was barely touched on his way to the quarterback either time. He flashed right past Erving and was draped on the quarterback before anyone had a chance to react. That’s how he got the job done, for better or worse, and he did get it done time after time. He is the all-time leader in sacks at Clemson, and he plans to continue racking up the big numbers in the NFL.

What should worry general managers about Beasley is how little he seems concerned with doing anything else. At times he doesn’t even pretend to be concerned about setting the edge. In that Florida State game specifically, he got caught trying to blast through an inside hole and completely abandoning his outside integrity on a few plays, most embarrassingly on the 12-yard touchdown run that ended the game in overtime. He was asked to drop into coverage more than these other top pass rushers, but not often enough that it would be considered a developed skill at this point.

As a pass rusher, Beasley hasn’t proven he can develop secondary options, relying heavily on his speed off the edge and ability to hand fight before bending in. It looks impressive, but when a tackle is able to get hands on him, the fight more or less ends there. His spin move is lacking, and he doesn’t have much of a counter to the inside for those who set up wide against him. Converting speed to power is a phrase that’s becoming very trendy in NFL draft circles, and it’s not one that’s brought up in association with Beasley’s name. The physical skills are great, and one elite pass rush move is better than relying solely on athleticism, but he will have a long way to go to exploit offensive tackles on the next level.

Ray is a different type of pass rusher than Fowler and Beasley. At Missouri, he played almost exclusively with his hand in the dirt, and originally projected as a 4-3 defensive end in the NFL, where he would have been undersized. Ray’s speed is comparable to Fowler’s and Beasley’s, but it would be a stretch to say he’s the athlete that either of them are. If we describe Beasley as dropping into coverage sparingly and Fowler as barely, then Ray was even less than that (although NFL.com writes that he was able to do so without issue when asked).

What Ray does do is rush the passer. He had 14.5 sacks in 2014, a school record. For most schools, having a player break the sack record is notable. For Missouri, who put highly regarded pass rushers Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, Sheldon Richardson, and Kony Ealy into the NFL, Ray’s mark is downright superb. If either of the Smiths or Richardson was in this draft knowing what we know about them now, they would be very high picks (granted, disregarding Aldon’s penchant for off-the-field trouble).

Ray was third in the nation in sacks, and also ranked third in tackles for a loss, which would create the impression that he’s equally capable of playing the run. That’s probably not true though, at least not now. He doesn’t have the size to be strong against the run from defensive end, and even moving back to linebacker, it would take time for him to learn how to keep his outside integrity. The tackles in the backfield in college came more because he’s a heat-seeking missile and ran through running backs that happened to be between him and the quarterback, not because he was particularly disciplined.

Going back to his draft profile on NFL.com, Ray is called “an alpha male packaged in an explosive frame,” which is a variation of what I call an “Alley Guy,” a term used by my high school football coach and subsequently by many of the people I talk to about football. An Alley Guy is the person you’d pick to walk with you through a dark alley at night, who wouldn’t only make it out the other side but would ensure you’d make it out too. Ray is a violent hitter, with a relentless motor and a stop-at-nothing attitude. He might be my favorite player in this draft – and the ultimate Alley Guy of the top picks – but he isn’t the best prospect of this group. That title is reserved for the player who is most likely to be the one that drops out of the top 10.

Gregory is the most complete prospect of these four pass rushers, and his collegiate film would make him a strong candidate for the (probably meaningless, but still fun) title of “Best Player in the Draft.”

Gregory has been thrown in with these pass rushers as if they were all asked to do the same things in college, and in that measurement his 7.0 sacks fall short. Most of his negative evaluations as a pass rusher are about him being timid, slow off the snap, and unable to beat tackles with speed to the edge. What I saw on tape was not a player who was asked to rush the passer on every down, but instead a true edge setter on the defensive line, tasked with working from the outside in. In my eyes, being slow off the snap was less about Gregory’s abilities and more about his responsibilities in the Nebraska defense.

As a run stopper, Gregory always maintained outside integrity, and always used his long arms first to keep tackles off him while he read the play, and then to eject off the block to make a tackle. He has the speed to stop the outside runs by stringing them out and cutting off the sideline, and he has the counter move to react to cutbacks while never giving up the edge. The long arms come in handy again when it’s time to corral runners who think they’re out of reach.

Playing at around 235 pounds as a defensive end meant that there were times Gregory was overpowered at the line of scrimmage, especially with double teams. However, I expect him to add on to his frame and drop back to a 3-4 outside linebacker, where his discipline will remain a strength and his weight won’t be as significant a weakness. Even playing that light in college, he was strong enough to win most battles at the line of scrimmage anyway, and played with good enough leverage that being out-muscled occasionally wasn’t a huge factor.

When Gregory was asked to rush the passer, I saw the explosion he was criticized for not having. Given his limited opportunities to forego all responsibilities to get after the quarterback, a luxury the other three players here seemingly had on 95% of their snaps, Gregory’s sack number begins to look more impressive. Additionally, his 10.5 sacks as a sophomore, when he was let loose a bit more, shows he does have the ability to get after it when he needs to. That being said, if I’m a team that needs someone who can get after the quarterback right away, I can see why the other three would be ranked ahead of Gregory. But he really shines as a complete football player that is strong at every aspect of the game (pass coverage excluded — who knows if he can, but we may be asking too much).

The giant red flag for Gregory, of course, is his positive test for marijuana at the NFL combine, a time when players know they’re going to be tested. Many pundits would say that NFL general managers aren’t scared off by marijuana use in general — however, the inability to stay away from it when a player knows he’ll be tested is a concern. Especially in an era where Josh Gordon misses more games than he actually plays, if teams are concerned that drug violations could keep Gregory off the field on Sundays, he may very well fall out of the top 10 despite his tremendous talent.

Late First/Early Second Round:

• Bud Dupree, Kentucky
• Eli Harold, Virginia
• Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA

This group is not all that far behind the top four, but the flaws are much more obvious. Dupree particularly is interesting based on the physical tools he brings. At 6’4″ and nearly 270 pounds, Dupree should not be so fast that tackles can’t keep up with him and so strong that they can’t bully him, but he is truly both. He is approaching the “freak athlete” category, and based on his potential he has worked himself near the top 10 picks in the minds of some draft experts.

However, it will take a lot of coaching for Dupree to live up to any first-round selection. While he’s gifted physically, raw doesn’t even begin to describe how he plays. I knocked Beasley for a reliance on his athleticism, but even he knows how to use his hands and shoulders to bend around blockers. Dupree just goes and hopes for the best. If he gets the edge he can be dangerous, but tackles are prepared and able to cut him off. He has no counter move back to the inside, and no ability to win a battle with his hands at the point of attack. Over and over on film he runs straight into the arms of his blocker, and gets locked up at the line of scrimmage or – if he’s lucky – a few yards beyond.

Just to stay on the field in passing downs, Dupree will have to learn how to play with leverage, how to ward off blockers with his inside hand while keeping his outside arm free, and how to remain in the play while being blocked. After that, he needs to add a variety of pass rush moves and he needs to be able to use his speed and strength advantages together, as opposed to treating them as mutually exclusive skills. If a coach can do all that, he might have himself a player capable of huge numbers – even 15+ sacks in a season – but it’s a lot to ask based on what Dupree has shown on film. He does come with the added bonus of some proven ability to drop into coverage and run down field, which may take some of the pressure off how much he needs to learn going towards the line of scrimmage.

Harold’s biggest flaw is one that sticks out more on tape, and probably has him red-flagged as a risk, but it’s also a reason he may be an undervalued commodity in this draft. Based on a brief overview of some of Harold’s game film, his tackling is an obvious concern. The amount of times he had a running back squared up in the backfield and just whiffed on him is excruciating to watch. The angles he took stringing runners to the sidelines that ended in him diving at ankles and coming up with grass are embarrassing. The number of sacks he left on the table because he couldn’t quite get his arms around a quarterback will probably keep him out of the first round.

Then again, a smart team could watch his tape and not see a player who only had 7.0 sacks last year, but instead find a player who got to the quarterback on a consistent basis. They might not see a guy who struggled against the run, but a player who was in the right position and wasn’t able to finish the play. Watching Dupree play, I tried to guess his arm length and I shorted him by an inch, which doesn’t say much for his tape, but it does say that he might not be getting the most out of his talent. Considering all the work Dupree needs just to be an adequate pass rusher, one can imagine what a comparably easy fix it could be to focus in on disciplined tackling with Harold — I think a coach would view this as a far simpler task. Now, struggling with tackling shows a lack of physicality that will only get worse at the next level, and it’s not like this is a dominant player who is consistently maintaining his leverage against the run and the pass. But Harold could be a player who isn’t far off from realizing his talent if he can translate his strengths to the next level.

Odighizuwa is a player that many fans were expecting to break through in college, but he was never able to stand out early on due to inexperience and injury. Therefore, despite having a large sample of game film, it’s difficult to project him based on his last year at UCLA. He had six sacks, and his explosiveness could be seen on the field, but there was always the question of whether he would hit his stride.

At the combine, Odighizuwa came to impress, posting great numbers in drills across the board, per NFL.com. He was a top performer for his position in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle. He also has proven to be relentless with his motor, trying to get the most out of every snap, and he has versatility — the size to play 4-3 end, and the athleticism to rush as a 3-4 linebacker. He may be able to sneak into the end of round one, but he’d definitely be a high upside pick early on day two.

Day Two:

• Danielle Hunter, LSU
• Preston Smith, Mississippi State
• Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington
• Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
• Trey Flowers, Arkansas
• Henry Anderson, Stanford

Kikaha is the most notable player from this group, leading the nation with an outstanding 19 sacks in 2014. Despite those numbers, he has been knocked around through the draft process. True, he doesn’t have ideal size for a pass rusher, but I question the perception that he’s a specialist who doesn’t provide much run support and doesn’t set the edge, because it’s the same criticism I have for everyone above him on this list except for Gregory.

What Kikaha does do is get after the quarterback with every step. He never gives ground, meaning every movement of his arms or drive from his legs is specifically taken to get him a little closer to the passer. There are no questions of motor here with those sack numbers. The only game in which he was held without a sack was against Arizona. His box score from the Oregon game is telling, with 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks against that up-tempo, run-oriented offense, showing he can match up well with misdirection and against numbers disadvantages, even against a mobile quarterback. Knee injuries probably contribute to his perceived ceiling as a prospect.

Where Kikaha fails to excite, Mauldin should make some team very happy in round two. He has limited scheme versatility, fitting best when he’s blitzed from a linebacker spot, but that specific skill could prove very valuable for a team drafting high that misses out on a pass rusher in round one. Washington and the Jets especially could target him if they decide to fill other holes with their first-round picks.

Mauldin plays with reckless abandonment, throwing his body into the heart of the play. He does a great job shedding blocks on the move, and goes after the quarterback with aggression. One of his most impressive traits is switching from playing the pass to playing the run on the fly. He gets the edge, and turns inside well to pursue the run up the middle. He looks like he could be a menace, and if the draft breaks correctly, he has a chance to sneak into the end of the first round, or close to it.

Smith looks on tape to be the rare 4-3 defensive end who plays as a specialist against the run. Although he failed to impress with pass rushing moves off the edge, he was a very good edge setter against the run. He was able to keep containment even while rushing the quarterback, and forced runners to stay inside the hashmarks for the most part. Based on these skills, he looks like a very promising player in line for a long NFL career. He did have nine sacks in 2014, and has surprising athleticism and size, but he’ll have to work to make those aspects of his game show better in order to stay on the field on third downs in passing situations.

Flowers is another player who is limited athletically, but finds a way to disrupt passing games. He has good strength and sheds blockers well, especially coming back inside with a counter move. He only had 6.0 sacks in 2014, and probably isn’t an option for 3-4 teams, but he’s a solid player who should be able to find a way to impact games. Anderson is a much bigger body, but plays similarly. His three-sack double-OT game against Utah buoyed his numbers, but aside from that, he was a 5.5-sack player in 2014. He works toward the quarterback, and has the size to handle the run. Anderson should be able to play end in a 3-4, and has experience working from the interior defensive line, but both he and Flowers will likely need to exhibit the ability to bump down to defensive tackle to stay on the field for high snap counts in the NFL.

Hunter is the 6’5″, long-armed pass rusher coaches put together in laboratories. Unfortunately, too often he doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing on the field. He seems like he’s more interested in wrestling with blockers than getting past them, and doesn’t even necessarily win those fights (even when the blocker is a running back in pass protection). He often finds himself on the floor after putting his head down and diving into the line, or if he sees grass and takes a stab at tackling no one. Whatever the opposite of having a nose for the football is, Hunter has that instead, which is reflected by his 1.5 sacks in 2014. Still, his size and physicality is interesting, and the more he falls, the more a coach will talk himself into being able to work with him to at least add a big body to the defensive line, even if the production as a pass rusher never comes.

Like quarterbacks, pass rushers will always draw interest from teams high in the first round of the draft, and 2015’s draft will be no different. However, there’s value to be had outside of those top 10 picks, and there will be players with perceived flaws that need to be coached up and developed. Every year some less-heralded prospect turns into an impact player on defense for an NFL team, and I expect someone will emerge from day two or day three and become a good starter who finds his way into a few seasons with double-digit sacks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.