Justin Francis, DE

04/05/2012 - As Justin Francis has spoken to NFL scouts and coaches, at the league's scouting Combine in Indianapolis and through the weeks of waiting before the draft, one attribute of his has come up in just about every conversation. Francis was a starting defensive tackle for Rutgers last season, but he previously played at defensive end and also has experience standing up as a linebacker. "I played all three of the positions, and played a fair amount," Francis said by phone last week. "That's the one thing a lot of teams talk about with me, is my versatility. I can play with my hand on the ground, and stand up and cover ground as well." The Jets are among the teams that have given Francis positive feedback, and the Rutgers product will be one of the local players visiting Florham Park this month. NFL teams can schedule an unlimited number of local pre-draft visits, in addition to a quota of 30 non-local visits. Francis said he has had conversations with a few members of the Jets organization, including new defensive line coach Karl Dunbar. He said they discussed him playing both defensive line and outside linebacker. "They were saying nothing but great things about me," Francis said of the Jets. "They were talking about fundamental things, and how they run their organization and their club. I was sitting back and listening, taking in whatever knowledge I could." - Jenny Vrentas, The Star-Ledger

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