10. Stephon Tuitt – Notre Dame
Tuitt isn’t the fastest player off the snap and with his frame it’s mildly understandable. He does a good job shedding blocks and splitting gaps but he doesn’t do this much with his hands, more of him using his size. He’ll see his best days as a 5-technique in the NFL.
9. Chris Smith – Arkansas
Smith has good bend to his edge rush and he’s quick off the snap. Hardly uses his hands which is one of his weaknesses. Smith is a bit of an unfinished product at this point but he could be used in the Bruce Irvin mold in the NFL once he gets used to the game.
8. Kony Ealy – Missouri
Ealy has a knack for not using his hands and getting too close to offensive lineman, in the NFL he’d lose every battle like this. On tape Ealy looks incredibly slow in space which says to me that his career is best served as a 5-technique at the next level.
7. Ben Gardner – Stanford
Gardner shows a very impressive stack and shed ability at the line of scrimmage which helps him shut down running plays. He plays very strong but didn’t show great bend when rushing the passer. Won’t be the player to light up a stat sheet but he’ll get the job done.
6. Scott Crichton – Oregon State
Crichton is a strong and smart player but another player who may not light up the stat sheet. He flashes some violent hands but almost strictly from an interior presence, seems like he forgets he has hands all together when on the edge.
5. Jackson Jeffcoat – Texas
Jeffcoat is very fast off the edge and always keeps his feet pumping. He has good bend off the edge but he often gives up running lanes since he’s going for the sack. To start his career he’ll end up as a situational pass rusher while he develops.
4. Aaron Lynch – USF
Lynch is high on my list solely for his play in 2011 when he was at Notre Dame. Lynch has all the ability in the world but this year at USF he hasn’t been very impressive. Some attribute this to taking a year off, but the rust has to wear off at some point. Only time will tell if he’ll get back to his 2011 form.
3. James Gayle – Virginia
Gayle shows impressive bend when rushing the passer, and although he doesn’t have great numbers this year he is a good pass rusher. Another defensive end that isn’t great stopping the run, mostly because he seems to have trouble locating the ball.
2. Vic Beasley – Clemson
Although severely undersized to be a full time defensive end currently, he has impressive strength and speed that can make up for that lack of size. He’s got great bend, that coupled with his speed is going to make him a terror for quarterbacks.
1. Jadeveon Clowney – South Carolina
Who else would you expect to see number one? Clowney is the definition of a freak football player and athlete. His numbers may be down this year, but that’s not really his fault. He’s been dealing with some injuries and he simply gets double teamed almost every snap. Look for Clowney on the top ten plays come fall of 2014.