Pass-Rushing Prospects To Start Looking At.

It's been a long time since I paid a visit here to make a draft-related post, so here I go with an updated list. Here are some pass-rushing names to know for this upcoming season. As you can tell, the pass-rushing class this year is EXTREMELY deep.

Note: These are not rankings, and players have not been placed in any particular order.

* Denotes Underclassman.


1. Sean Weatherspoon-OLB-Missouri, 6-1 245 4.59

2. Ricky Sapp-OLB-Clemson, 6-4 245 4.58

3. Justin Cole-OLB-San Jose State, 6-3 240 4.68

4. Greg Hardy-DE/OLB-Mississippi, 6-4 265 4.58

5. Brandon Graham-DE/OLB-Michigan, 6-1 270 4.74

6. Brandon Lang-DE/OLB-Troy, 6-4 256 4.82

7. Jerry Hughes-DE/OLB-TCU, 6-2 252 4.72

8. Sergio Kindle-OLB-Texas, 6-4 242 4.66

9. Eric Norwood-OLB-South Carolina, 6-0 252 4.69

10. A.J. Edds-OLB-Iowa, 6-4 246 4.68

11. George Selvie-DE/OLB-USF, 6-4 245 4.78

12. Everson Griffen-DE/OLB-USC, 6-3 265 4.64 *

13. Cameron Sheffield-OLB-Troy, 6-2 248 4.78

14. Antonio Coleman-OLB-Auburn, 6-2 252 4.87

15. Dexter Davis-OLB-Arizona State, 6-2 255 4.78

16. Rahim Alem-DE/OLB-LSU, 6-3 256 4.79

17. Jermaine Cunningham-DE/OLB-Florida, 6-3 252 4.68

18. Willie Young-DE/OLB-N.C. State, 6-5 250 4.84

19. Lindsey Witten-DE/OLB-Connecticut, 6-4 248 4.73

20. Kisi Moa-DE/OLB-Utah, 6-2 258 4.74

21. Auston English-DE/OLB-Oklahoma, 6-3 254 4.76

22. Greg Romeus-DE/OLB-Pittsburgh, 6-5 265 4.74 *

23. Ugo Chinasa-DE/OLB-Oklahoma State, 6-5 254 4.67 *

24. Jason Worilds-DE/OLB-Virginia Tech, 6-2 245 4.75 *

25. Kevin Basped-DE/OLB-Nevada, 6-6 242 4.76 *

26. Jeremy Beal-DE/OLB-Oklahoma, 6-3 254 4.73 *

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I really have a hard time picking a favorite from this bunch, so I'll refrain from doing so until later on in the year and seeing how these guys progress. Until then, enjoy this list.

Good grief, nice list. If half of these guys are decent we better get at least one of them. I'm sure we'll need it!

George Selvie is gonna be a beast!

Originally posted by Ether:
George Selvie is gonna be a beast!

We'll see. His production dramatically dropped off last year. Yes, he battled injuries, but that only brings up another concern -- can he stay healthy this year? And secondly, was it really just injuries, or was his good year a fluke?

This is what remains to be seen.

By the way, of the small-schooler prospects, there's probably one that I should've included from Central Arkansas. A beast, statistically, is Larry Hart (6-0 242 4.58). Extremely explosive and athletic, Hart put up 12 Sacks and 26 Tackles For Loss last season and 1 FF.

Another guy you should closely track who is on the list is Justin Cole. San Jose State has had quite a lot of success lately in developing pass-rushers.

Carlos Dunlap should be on the list too. I don't understand why anyone would pass on a 6'6 290 pound athletic freak.

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Carlos Dunlap should be on the list too. I don't understand why anyone would pass on a 6'6 290 pound athletic freak.

He's just not on there because this is only a OLB/Hybrid OLB list. Dunlap is quite the specimen, certainly.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Carlos Dunlap should be on the list too. I don't understand why anyone would pass on a 6'6 290 pound athletic freak.

He's just not on there because this is only a OLB/Hybrid OLB list. Dunlap is quite the specimen, certainly.

If we're looking for the best pass rusher in the draft Carlos Dunlap is that guy. I'm of the opinion that if there's an athletic freak on the board like Peppers or Mario Williams you take them. If your scheme can't maximize the talent of a 6'6 290 pound athletic freak you seriously have to question your scheme.

Brandon Lang is the guy I'll be keeping an eye on. He'll probably fly under the radar all season, but when workouts roll around, he'll shoot up the draft boards.

Originally posted by tjd808185:

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Carlos Dunlap should be on the list too. I don't understand why anyone would pass on a 6'6 290 pound athletic freak.

He's just not on there because this is only a OLB/Hybrid OLB list. Dunlap is quite the specimen, certainly.

If we're looking for the best pass rusher in the draft Carlos Dunlap is that guy. I'm of the opinion that if there's an athletic freak on the board like Peppers or Mario Williams you take them. If your scheme can't maximize the talent of a 6'6 290 pound athletic freak you seriously have to question your scheme.

Well, of course, I fully agree (well, to an extent). Obviously, I would have never picked Heyward-Bey over Crabtree no matter how fast DHB ran -- that's a different kind of case.

Anyways, I can put together a list of linemen as well later. Simply starting off with the LB's.

Originally posted by strickac:
Brandon Lang is the guy I'll be keeping an eye on. He'll probably fly under the radar all season, but when workouts roll around, he'll shoot up the draft boards.

I like Lang, but I did notice he tends to be very stiff and is not particularly effective against misdirection plays, and was not as agile as I'd like to see for a guy who'd have to convert to LB in our system.

Very talented, with good speed and overall athleticism, but I do have some worries -- especially after watching him in Troy's bowl game last year again Southern Miss. His weaknesses were well-exposed in that game.

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Carlos Dunlap should be on the list too. I don't understand why anyone would pass on a 6'6 290 pound athletic freak.

I'm gonna have to check this guy out this year

For me, the list begins with Sergio Kindle. Granted, I'm a homer, but the dude is a freak. He's an OLB with DE size (I'm pretty sure he's over 250 now), who will be playing more DE this year now that Orakpo's gone. Texas DC Muschamp has been working with him on his pass-rush moves all spring and summer (when Kindle wasn't texting and driving, that is).

Originally posted by jame-gumb:
For me, the list begins with Sergio Kindle. Granted, I'm a homer, but the dude is a freak. He's an OLB with DE size (I'm pretty sure he's over 250 now), who will be playing more DE this year now that Orakpo's gone. Texas DC Muschamp has been working with him on his pass-rush moves all spring and summer (when Kindle wasn't texting and driving, that is).

Kindle is talented, I'll give you that, but as far as being the best -- I think Greg Hardy and Jerry Hughes, even Selvie, could give him a run for that title. There's a lot of football to be played before we start seeing the true round projections fall into place, though.

We'll see how he does at DE. That'll be very telling in how his stock is affected.

There are a lot of players who are seen as the reserve, later-round guys (at this point) that I didn't place on that list. Around 10-15.

That means, at minimum, we could be looking at around 20 strong pass-rushers to choose from in the first 4 rounds. If by the end of the season, all of these players play well enough to be considered draft-day prospects, AND the juniors declare, we'll have about 40 pass-rushing OLB's available. Last year, I believe I had 32 on my board. (This includes DE/OLB hybrids).

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by jame-gumb:
For me, the list begins with Sergio Kindle. Granted, I'm a homer, but the dude is a freak. He's an OLB with DE size (I'm pretty sure he's over 250 now), who will be playing more DE this year now that Orakpo's gone. Texas DC Muschamp has been working with him on his pass-rush moves all spring and summer (when Kindle wasn't texting and driving, that is).

Kindle is talented, I'll give you that, but as far as being the best -- I think Greg Hardy and Jerry Hughes, even Selvie, could give him a run for that title. There's a lot of football to be played before we start seeing the true round projections fall into place, though.

We'll see how he does at DE. That'll be very telling in how his stock is affected.

Oh, no doubt. It's jut my opinion (after watching him last year) that he's going to have an Orakpo-like year wreaking havoc in the backfield. That and his previous OLB experience (along with his school of choice), makes him my favorite of those prospects.

I've been a fan of Greg Hardy since watching a few Ole Miss games to see Patrick Willis play. He's definitely near the top of my list when healthy.

The only thing that scares me about him are the recurring stress fractures in his foot. Granted he most recently aggravated them in a car accident, but its still been an issue for over a year now if I recall correctly...