It seems a significant number of pass rushers will be first-round targets in the 2015 NFL Draft, but few are likely to produce immediate results in their rookie seasons.
I sat down with a number of NFL coaches and front-office executives at the Senior Bowl and the Super Bowl to discuss first-round pass rushers in the draft. The feedback from the real experts wasn't very encouraging.
The coaches' biggest issue is the lack of time to work with rookie pass rushers and the limited ways most rookies know how to rush the passer. One coach described the typical first-round pass rusher as a one-trick pony. They are mostly speed rushers with little ability to convert speed to power, have underdeveloped spin moves and are typically easy to punch and neutralize.
One defensive coordinator said any decent left tackle in the NFL can watch two games of a rookie pass rusher and neutralize their best move. It could take the rest of the season, if not longer, for the rookie to come up with a counter.
Look at last season's first-round pass rushers to understand the frustration NFL people had watching their top picks try to reach quarterbacks.
- No. 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney -- 143 defensive plays, zero sacks for the Texans
- Khalil Mack, 992 plays, four sacks with the Raiders
- Anthony Barr, 776 plays, four sacks with the Raiders
- Dee Ford, 122 plays, 1 1/2 sacks with the Chiefs.
My old radio partner, Tim Ryan, still holds the Southern California record for sacks in a season with 20 his senior year and he didn't have a single sack his rookie season in the NFL. He always talks about NFL offensive linemen being capable of stopping rookie rushers in their tracks. He also pointed out recently that when he was in the league they worked constantly on pass rush moves, techniques and stunts.
Nowadays these rookies just don't get the practice opportunities, especially in pads, to work on their skills. It's no wonder many of the rookies don't produce decent rush numbers. That being said it looks like as many as six pass rushers could be selected in the first round.
Randy Gregory of Nebraska had 17 1/2 sacks the past two seasons but is only 240 pounds and has had knee, ankle and head issues. He's a great college player, but he dropped off to seven sacks this past season.
Shane Ray played behind Kony Ealy and Michael Sam at Missouri in 2013. Ealy had four sacks in 360 plays in his NFL rookie season and Sam didn't make a team.
Clemson's Vic Beasley is undersized at 6-feet-2 and 235 pounds, but he did have 33 sacks in his college career. NFL offensive linemen won't even have to watch film to know he's all about the speed rush.
Dante Fowler of Florida (14 1/2 sacks in 37 games), Bud Dupree of Kentucky (24 sacks in 47 games) and maybe LSU's Danielle Hunter (4 1/2 sacks in 38 games) round out the potential first-round pass rushers.
Most of these young men will hear their name called on the opening night of the draft, but how many of them will hear their name called when a quarterback is on the ground with the ball still in his hand in 2015?
