The SEC is home to some of the best defenses in college football, and the LSU Tigers have consistently topped that list for the last several years. However, as good as their defensive lines have been, the defensive linemen they’ve sent to the NFL often haven’t lived up to expectations. Some, like Lazarius Levingston (Seahawks), Ricky Jean-Francois (49ers), and Ken Adams (several teams) haven’t entered the league with high expectations; but others like Glenn Dorsey (Chiefs, now a FA), Tyson Jackson (Chiefs, soon to be cut), and Marcus Spears (Cowboys) have underwhelmed or outright busted. The jury is still out on Michael Brockers (Rams) and Drake Nevis (Colts).

So Barkevious Mingo, Sam Montgomery, Bennie Logan, and Lavar Edwards will all enter the 2013 NFL Draft hoping to set themselves apart from the rest of the former LSU defensive linemen in the NFL in the last ten years. Will they succeed? Let’s take a look at Mingo, perhaps the most exciting of the foursome.

Strengths

Athleticism: In an age where passing is paramount in the NFL, an athletic and dynamic pass rusher is one of the most valuable commodities available in the draft or free agency. Mingo has athleticism and dynamism in spades. He leaps off the screen at you. He’s all arms and legs, but he’s more lithe than gangly. At 6’4” and 241 pounds, he ran a remarkable 4.58 40-yard dash, an extremely good 6.82 three-cone, and a decent 4.39 short shuttle. However, his 37” vertical jump and 10’8” broad jump showed just how explosive he is.

He possesses an explosive first step and elite closing speed. As a 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker, he’d probably push the double-digit sack mark as a rookie on athleticism alone. His length gives him the ability to hold blockers at bay, and he has surprising strength for such a slender specimen, sometimes knocking offensive lineman off-balance with his burst off the line.

Awareness: Despite his relative lack of experience playing football, Mingo shows surprising awareness for his surroundings. When he can’t get to the quarterback to disrupt a throw, he has the presence of mind and timing to leap in the air waving his long arms, at least disrupting the quarterback’s line of sight, if not actually tipping the ball. With 14 passes defensed in his college career, he has a knack for swatting down the football.

Also, while not possessing the physical frame to stand up well against the run, he does show solid awareness reading the backfield and at least attempting to disengage to stop the run. He lacks the refined technique to overcome tenacious blockers, but awareness is the first step.

Persistence: His motor runs relentlessly. His lack of refinement as a pass-rusher actually magnifies his persistence, as he has to fight tooth and nail to get to the quarterback. He pops up quickly when he’s tripped up or knocked to the ground, and he pursues plays from sideline to sideline. He’s forced more than one fumble as he chases plays down from behind. NFL teams will appreciate his relentless nature. A raw, explosive football player with a constantly-revving motor is a powerful tool in the hand of a capable defensive coach.

Weaknesses

Polish: While Mingo has the frame and athletic potential to be a dynamite pass rusher at the next level, he lacks the fundamental technique. He occasionally flashes a very rough spin move, but most of time he gets to the quarterback by speeding around the edge, bull-rushing the tackle, or just pure persistence. He’s also not an asset against the run, though with his persistence, I’m not sure I’d say he’s necessarily a liability.

When he gets his hands up in time, he flashes a powerful punch to get the tackle on his heels, but too often he leans into his blockers with his shoulder, which kills most of his momentum and sacrifices the leverage battle. He’s pretty nimble and flexible for his size, but he often slips or loses his balance trying to bend the edge. His most disruptive rushes came when he flashed across the face of the tackle and attacked the B gap between the tackle and guard. He’ll need to add pass rush moves to his repertoire to reach his full potential.

Experience: The young junior only started playing football as a junior in highschool, and he didn’t become a full-time starter until this past year. His rawness shows on tape. The LSU scheme dictated that he primarily rush to contain, and he often even lined up in a five-technique run-defense position, which really wasted his talent. He also played probably 95 percent of his snaps from the right defensive end position, so he was going up against right tackles rather than premier left tackles. The jump in level of competition from college right tackles to NFL left tackles is about as severe of a change as you can find for a college player turning professional. At least he was facing SEC right tackles.

He’ll be at his best as a specialized pass-rusher whose primary responsibility is to pin his ears back and get to the quarterback. If he’s lined up as a wide-nine rusher like the Eagles have done with their defensive ends, or like Seattle does with the LEO rusher, his burst and speed will make him a terror on the edge. However, at this point, he’s almost entirely potential.

Size: He’s got great length, but he’s a very slender young man, particularly in his lower body. If he plans to play in the NFL at 240 to 250 pounds, he’ll likely be relegated to outside linebacker, a position he’s never really played. He’s not all that experienced or cut out to be great in coverage, so he’ll probably be best-suited adding ten to fifteen pounds and playing as a pass-rushing defensive end.

Bottom Line

In my opinion, Mingo unquestionably has the highest upside of any pass-rusher in the draft. If a team sees his potential and is willing to use him in ways that maximize his strengths, he can be a perennial All-Pro who consistently averages double-digit sacks, along the lines of Demarcus Ware, Mario Williams, and Julius Peppers. Of course, all three of them are significantly bigger and stronger than he is, so he may require more of a dedicated scheme than they do.

With his similarities to last year’s 15th overall pick, Bruce Irvin, I think there’s a very good chance he doesn’t get past the Jaguars, who hold the second overall pick. They just hired Gus Bradley, Seattle’s former defensive coordinator, and he may want to find a LEO for his defensive. Mingo is nearly a prototype for the position, so that would be a very mutually beneficial landing spot for him.