he's 6-3 has 34 1/8 inch arms and weights 309 LBs
This guy had been creating buzz all week at the Senior bowl and is moving up the boards. I've been watching a lot of tape of him and he could be a steal in the 2nd round!
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/vernon-butler?id=2555243
STRENGTHS Long-armed knee-bender who can play the role of low man at the point of attack. Plays with strong hands and good arm extension and can "peekaboo" both gaps as he reads which hole the running back heads for. Impressive stack and shed timing and power. Able to eat up double teams and keep his linebackers clean when asked to. Excellent athleticism. Can make plays all along the line of scrimmage. If blocker doesn't finish, Butler will work himself back into the play. Able to coordinate hands and feet smoothly and has change of direction and closing burst to become a dominant pass rusher from inside. Can slide from gap to gap as a pass rusher and is a perfect fit for twist-based defense. Generally attacks gaps with forward lean and ability to corner the edge when he has his man beat. Can stutter-step into pass rush to disrupt offensive lineman's timing or generate a speed-to-power bull rush that can severely dent a pocket. Gives consistent effort and plays like a lead dog looking to eat.
WEAKNESSES Build is athletic, but a little bit top heavy. Will play with inconsistent base when his pad level gets too high trying to win through the gaps. Will try to outmuscle his opponent when his initial pass rush gets stuck in neutral, rather than use counter moves. For all of his potential and talent, wasn't as productive as NFL scouts are used to. Plays with some wasted energy and motion and needs to work more efficiently.
NFL COMPARISON Muhammad Wilkerson
BOTTOM LINE Athletic interior lineman with long arms and outstanding athleticism that allows him to work on offensive linemen with a combination of power and quickness. Butler has a raw but diverse skillset as a pass rusher that should excite NFL evaluators who see the potential of what he can be with more coaching and experience. With his effort and defensive ball awareness, his ceiling appears to be high with a chance to become a high-level starter for an odd or even front defense.
Here are what some of the scouts are saying:
Louisiana Tech DT Vernon Butler "moves like he's 290 pounds", per ESPN's Todd McShay, despite having weighed in at the Senior Bowl at 325. http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/cfb/134623/vernon-butler
NFL Media analyst Chase Goodbread believes scouts will "fall in love" with Louisiana Tech DT Vernon Butler.
NFL.com's team of draft analysts worked over their favorite Senior Bowl sleepers, with Goodbread latching onto former Bulldog Butler. He noted that "[Butler]'s athletic, powerful, and would have held his own just fine in a Power Five conference." In 2015, the 6-foot-3, 309-pound stalwart registered 50 tackles (10 for loss) and three sacks on his way to picking up All-Conference USA first-team honors. He posted very similar numbers in 2014. It's not impossible to envision Butler cracking the first round if he impresses through the process.http://www.rotoworld.com/player/cfb/134623/vernon-butler
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1999382/vernon-butler
COMPARES TO: Johnathan Hankins, New York Giants - Both Hankins and Butler have the quickness and point of attack power to push the pocket to give blockers all they can handle.
IN OUR VIEW: Butler lined up all over Louisiana Tech's multiple front, spending most of his time at three- and five-technique spots and moving inside to nose tackle in passing situations. He flashes on tape with the lower-body athleticism and upper-body power to stack blockers and make stops at or behind the line of scrimmage (23.5 tackles for loss as a starter).
Butler plays balanced on his feet with coordinated movements, but needs to improve his pad level to better clear single blockers when not squared up. Although he needs to develop his pass rush technique, Butler will appeal to both even and odd fronts with his relentless playing temperament, lateral quickness and power to control the point of attack.
Thoughts??
