Bryan's Draft Preview: DT's & DE's

It is time folks for my favorite positions on the football field. The big boys that make everything go on defense. I am a defensive guy and it all starts up front. Pass rushers, and big fat defensive tackles that allow your linebackers to crush somebody. In my small minded football world, you can never have too many of defensive ends and tackles. You give them a good rotation and keep their legs fresh against the offensive line and you get great football scores like 10-7, 7-6, and 6-3. Oh, I just love good defense.

Top Five Defensive Tackles

1.) Travis Johnson, FSU: This is a guy over 300 pounds that still runs the forty under 5.0. Very athletic for his size. We are talking about somebody who can help in a one gap defense.

2.) Shaun Cody, USC: I want to say he played end at USC, because he is a very good pass rusher, so I imagine he can play either position. Nevertheless he has a good first step off the ball and was very productive last season.

3.) Anttaj Hawthorne: There was a reason that Wisconsin was one of the best defenses against the run last year, a guy that will be mentioned later in the article, and Hawthorne. He is huge, and he forces you to double team him. Good closing speed.

4.) Mike Patterson, USC: Undersized but this motor doesn’t stop. Fast and very quick. Able to be a big disruption in the backfield

5.) Luis Castillo, Northwestern: Still developing, which can be dangerous because any team can take his developing skill and coach to the NFL. Quick, and always working.

Top Five Teams in Need of the Defensive Tackles

1.) Broncos: I’m not sure if they are going to be playing the 3-4 or the 4-3, but either way, they need some interior quality.

2.) Browns: They are going to be switching to the 3-4, so a tough big nose tackle will be a big need. If Hawthorne is available in the second round, they are going to get him.

3.) Bengals: They need a playmaker at this position. After they add that to their line, you are talking about a team that would be going into camp with a pretty decent defensive line.

4.) Giants: They do not have much quality here, and plenty of people that have been nothing more than journeymen.

5.) Falcons: They are not getting Ed Jasper back, so they are going to need to address the fact that they need depth.

Who else needs defensive tackles: Cardinals, Bills, Panthers, Lions, Colts, Saints, and the Jets.

Top Five Defensive Ends

1.) Shawn Merriman, Maryland: Great strength and quickness, and will be a major terror coming off the edge. He can also drop back into coverage for the zone blitz

2.) Marcus Spears, LSU: Good against the run, good rusher. Plays downhill. Versatile player who has scored some defensive td’s. He is rated as a real character guy, which is what the NFL loves.

3.) David Pollack, Georgia: It’s really tough to say anything bad about him, because he is always playing and always moving. He has a fiery temper on the field, which seems to work very well for him. Feared pass rusher in college, and I believed he owned Jason Campbell.

4.) Erasmus James, Wisconsin: Another pass rusher who was a terror in college. A lot of tremendous upside. Quick and versatile.

5.) Demarcus Ware, Troy St.: Fast, quick, and agile. Plays sideline to sideline so he should be a very productive player against the run.

Top Five Teams in Need of Ends

1.) Cowboys: Lost Marcellus Wiley, which might be a good thing because he wasn’t as good as he was getting paid.

2.) Lions: James Hall is good, but they need somebody who can play opposite of him.

3.) Chargers: This team will be more dangerous than last year if they can add somebody who can get to the quarterback every down.

4.) Rams: They lost professional scumbag Leonard Little, so they will need to get to get somebody on that end. Also need to finally replace Grant Wistrom

5.) Jaguars: Reggie Heyword is a start, but they are going to need somebody on the other side of the ball.