The Hog Sty’s Draft Preview Series: Part 4, Edge
In this week’s edition of The Hog Sty’s draft preview I take a look at the pass rushers in this draft that would make a good fit with the Redskins. With edge defender being one of the Redskins deeper positions, my goal this week was to find a pass rusher who complimented the players currently on the roster. There is a speed element missing from their pass rushing formula. Therefore, I took a look at 5 guys who could bring that explosiveness this defense desperately needs. All 5 players would be an upgrade to the defense and give Greg Manusky another tool to be successful this year.
Takkarist McKinley
College: UCLA
Height: 6’2
Weight: 250
Draft Projection: late 1st-late 2nd
Strengths: Explosive 1st step followed by relentless effort makes him a nightmare for any offensive tackle. Long arms and violent hands give him potential in both the run and pass game. Creatively disengages blocks. A solid run defender despite being one of the shortest edge defenders in the class. Solid lateral agility despite poor combine numbers (shoulder injury impacted his numbers.) Has a solid counter move but needs to add more.
Weaknesses: Raw as a pass rusher. Must learn how to use his hands effectively. Needs to add more pass rush moves to his repertoire. Has the quickness to get to the edge but must learn a swim or rip to finish the rush. Needs to add strength to his punch in order to set the edge properly. Must tighten up his technique so that he isn’t easily taken out of position. Shoulder injury may have slowed him his senior year, but he toughed it out. Not an elite athlete. Will need to learn to win with technique.
Overall: He’s a twitchy stand up rusher who never stops working and that’s something alot of coaches can work with. Long arms give him the potential to use his burst to use an effective speed to power move. If he is coached up properly at the next level he can turn into a pro bowl caliber edge defender. Must learn how to use his hands to win before he’ll be effective. His motor and athletic ability will make a team fall in love. Takk is just the speed rusher the Redskins are missing. He would give them the burst they need to compliment the power of Kerrigan, Murphy, and Smith. I think he can learn a lot from Junior Galette. They are similar players in my mind and Galette can help with hand usage immensely. Best fit for the Redskins is Mr. McKinley from UCLA.
Dawaune Smoot
College: Illinois
Height: 6’3
Weight: 265
Draft Projection: early 2nd-mid 2nd
Strengths: Long armed, productive pass rusher with an array of moves. Great hips and footwork allow him to bend the edge. Uses his length well to create leverage in the run game. Good burst off the line to go with solid closing speed. Excellent lateral quickness allows him to knife through gaps and make him a terror when stunting all over the formation. Plays with high energy. Can speed rush around the edge, can turn speed to power, naturally counters inside with a hump move when he gets to QB level, and possesses a nasty spin move.
Weaknesses: Not a great athlete. Still has work to do defending the run. Needs to be more consistent with his hands. Tends to get swallowed up by bigger lineman. Needs more power to play with his hand in the dirt. Coverage skills make him a worry at 3-4 outside linebacker. More effective with his hand in the dirt.
Overall: A prospect I think ‘big draft’ is sleeping on. The sack production wasn’t there his senior year. However, watching the tape you come to find he had numerous amounts of pressures and quarterback hurries. Once he learns to pass rush with a plan and use his length to compliment his violent hands he will excel at the next level. Great quickness makes him an excellent fit for a scheme that uses a lot of twisting and exotic blitzes. He will become more effective against the run as he continues to add weight. He played a little lighter than usual for his senior year and that effected his potential setting the edge. He has all the skills to be an overall dominating edge defender. His potential is obvious, and yet he’s still one of the more pro ready edge defenders in this draft. Manusky could use a multi talented pass rusher like Smoot.
Tim Williams
College: Alabama
Height: 6’3
Weight: 245
Draft Projection: early 2nd-late 3rd
Strengths: A pure pass rusher. Heavy hands allow him to collapse the tackles outside shoulder and close distance on the QB. Loose hips and quick feet give him the to rip and bend around the edge. Explosive out of his stance despite his combine numbers. Fairly polished as a pass rusher with room to improve. Comfortable dropping into space as an outside linebacker. Can rush from multiple positions. Plays with high intensity.
Weaknesses: There are questions on if he’s a 3 down player after being a pass rush specialist for most his career at Alabama. Struggles against long armed tackles. Lacks desired arm length and lower body strength. He can play out of control at times leaving him susceptible to screens and misdirections. Needs to prove he can consistently set the edge.
Overall: Alabama has set him up to be a solid pass rushing linebacker in a 3-4. His hands and explosiveness are his best weapons. He’ll have to show he can stop the run consistently if he hopes to get drafted before day 2. Some red flags off the field plus rumors of trouble picking up the playbook at Alabama may drop him come draft day. Bottom line is you’re immediately getting someone who can rush the passer. He has the tools to be an all around edge defender but it’ll take time. A fun player to watch, but a hard player to project; hence the wide margin in Draft Projection. I would spend a 2nd round pick on Williams without question. He has the hard-nosed mentality Manusky is looking for in his front 7.
Jordan Willis
College: Kansas State
Height: 6’4
Weight: 255
Draft Projection: mid 2nd-mid 3rd
Strengths: An explosive athlete with long arms. Smart player who is deliberate with his hand placement. Disciplined with his eyes. Rarely is out of position. Can bend the edge when he fires off the ball. Has the potential to make a living with the ‘pole’ or ‘hump’ move at the next level. When he plays full speed he is a handful for whoever blocks him. Can turn his elite speed into power with his long arms and wreak havoc on quarterbacks. Diagnoses the play quickly.
Weaknesses: Played in a read and react scheme so it’s hard to tell what he’s like exploding off the ball. Tends to be late off the ball; again, scheme is not helping with this. He has tight hips, which make it hard to bend the edge. Must win with speed at the next level. Not overly powerful unless he uses his leverage correctly. Will have to show that he can play in space at the next level.
Overall: With Willis you’re getting a great athlete with plus intangibles. He works hard and will do his best to reach his potential. He has all the tools to rush the passer. He just needs a scheme that plays to his strengths and a coach to develop his skill set. He could make some noise as a speed rusher in Manusky’s defense. He reminds me of Danielle Hunter out of LSU. He is a project, but a project that could turn out to be worth the effort.
Derek Rivers
College: Youngstown State
Height: 6’4
Weight: 250
Draft Projection: mid 3rd-mid 4th
Strengths: He is a high motor guy with a great punch. Great burst off the line with the ability to dip around the edge. Can turn speed to power if he gets off the ball. Good lateral ability makes him a weapon all over the front. Disciplined run defender. Solid footwork. Good closing speed and awareness to contain running quarterbacks.
Weaknesses: Level of competition is the main flag, but he played at a high level against FCS talent. Needs to add lower body strength to be more effective setting the edge. Has trouble stack and shedding lineman. Needs to learn to counter his initial pass rush move and disengage sooner. I would like to see him play angrier and with aggression. Must add multiple pass rush moves before he can be an full time rusher in the NFL.
Overall: Rivers is a guy who won with effort and his natural athleticism in college. He must learn the nuances of pass rushing to be successful at the next level. Doesn’t have elite arm length so his hand placement will be key moving forward. I like him as a situational pass rusher immediately with potential to grow into an every down player by his 2nd contract. He’s a guy you pick if you trust your coaching staff to develop him and a locker room to help show him how to be a pro and better yourself everyday. Manusky has a history of coaching pass rushers. He could help a guy like Rivers grow at the next level.