Thursday, February 13, 2014

Draft Matchup: Dee Ford vs. Kyle Van Noy

I wanted to begin a new series comparing two potential draft targets for Philadelphia at 22.

To start this off, I wanted to look at the hottest name on Twitter linked to the Eagles, Dee Ford, and an underrated Senior Bowl standout, Kyle Van Noy.

Measurables:

Dee Ford is a little undersized, standing at 6-2 and weighing in at 243 pounds. But he is long, and what he lacks in height, he makes up for with speed and burst. He's a good overall athlete, and has decent strength.

Van Noy, like Ford, isn't going to wow teams with his frame. Standing at 6-3 and 244, he doesn't have great size, but he definitely would not be a small 3-4 OLB. He possesses solid length, and decent athleticism. He doesn't have the burst or explosion that Ford exhibits, but he has a sufficient amount of both.

Skill-Set:

Ford is currently more of a one-dimensional player. While he was asked to drop back into coverage on occasion, his primary job at Auburn focused on harassing the opposing QB. He's a pure speed-rusher, something that's really lacking in Philly.

Ford has the speed and athleticism to develop some comfort playing in space, but he lacks experience in that department heading into the May draft. His speed rush is very polished, paired with a strong inside move to compliment. He shows good flexibility to bend around the edge.

Opposing teams will try to run at the undersized Ford though, there will most likely be a learning curve as he tries to anchor against NFL run-blocking.

Van Noy is even more versatile than Connor Barwin, and that's a big compliment. In one BYU game, he rushed the QB from ILB, DE, and OLB, jammed receivers at the line, played fluidly in space and was a QB spy for a few plays.


Van Noy made some huge plays in his time at BYU
His pass rush is effective, but it's not as terrorizing as a Dee Ford. He relies on a bull-rush, but has shown the ability to get to the QB with counter moves. He possesses decent burst off the snap, and he plays consistently sound football.

As far as run defense, he's not a big hitter, and he's not going to attack blockers. But Van Noy shows savvy is shedding blocks, and he's a solid wrap-up tackler.

Effect on Philadelphia's Defense:

Dee Ford is what the Eagles lack: explosion in the four-man rush. He could step in from day one and improve the defense. Billy Davis could move Trent Cole inside for passing downs, which would add some different looks for the offense.

Ford makes the quarterback step up in the pocket, and with a young, improving defensive line, that might not be such an effective option for Eli Manning. Making the signal-caller move around is sometimes just as effective as a sack. At selection 22, Ford will likely be the best pure pass-rusher available.

However, if Ford becomes a liability in coverage, then Billy Davis is back to square one. He would become a very undersized defensive end. So if he doesn't find the same success with his "speed rush, then counter" technique, then there's no question that Ford has some bust potential.


Dee Ford is a terror off the edge, with burst and explosion.
I don't know about the rest of Eagles fans, but I cringe and curse Danny Watkins' name every time I hear an analyst label a prospect as a "safe" pick. There is no such thing as a safe pick, about half of the first round selections will turn into solid NFL players. With that being said, Van Noy is NFL-ready. He's savvy, he's smart, he's versatile.

Billy Davis could come up with some extremely exotic looks. With Van Noy and Barwin on each side, Tony Romo would have no idea who's coming and who's dropping, which would result in the occasional unblocked defender. So while Van Noy isn't the pass-rusher that Dee Ford is, his versatility could have a similar affect on the success of the pass-rush.

He is experienced in coverage, Davis could have him at ILB in some packages. A double A-gap blitz with Van Noy and Mychal Kendricks should have Eagles fans salivating. While the BYU OLB may not have a flashy pass-rush repertoire, he effectively gets to his destination. As long as he gets from point A to point B in a short amount of time, Philadelphia fans won't care if it's with a flashy spin move or boring bull-rush.

My Take:

I lean with Van Noy here. It is close, but if I'm Howie Roseman, it's hard to spend a first round draft pick on a one-dimensional player. Sure, Nolan Ryan mastered the fastball, Dee Ford could master the speed rush, but I favor a more complete player who also provides big plays.

With the Eagles defense likely two years away from being loaded with Chip Kelly's players, I think a versatile OLB like Van Noy could give Billy Davis the luxury of some crazy, Dom-Capers-esque looks on third down. This could help pressure the quarterback and mask some talent deficiencies elsewhere.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Finding the Next Bryce Brown

Bryce Brown has surely exceeded expectations of a typical seventh-round draft pick, rushing for 878 yards in two years behind star running-back LeSean McCoy.

There is talent in the middle rounds every single year, and there's a correlation between finding those players and consistent success as an organization.

This article isn't my list of 2014 Draft steals, that is still to come at a later date. This article is designated to finding the next Bryce Brown. Finding the five-star high school players who just didn't find their niche in college. Finding the players who haven't channeled their natural talent into a great college career.

Bryce Brown starred as a high school running back, earning the number one ranking in the country. He committed to Tennessee but didn't last there, transferring to Kansas State a year later. After a lackluster few years, Howie Roseman decided to spend a seventh-round pick on the talented running-back, which has clearly paid off.

Now let's look at some touted high school players in this year's draft class that didn't quite live up to their own hype.

OLB Devon Kennard (6-3, 257lbs) - Ranked #8 in 2009

An injury history has hindered the tremendous upside Kennard displayed in high school. His college career got off to a slow start but flashed a little bit in 2013, totaling 9.0 sacks.

His pass-rush technique is under-developed but he has great versatility, spending a full season at MLB for the Trojans in 2010, showing he's comfortable in space. Also, Kennard has all the intangibles a team could want in a player, 2013 team captain at USC, 3.23 GPA student.

Kennard is projected to be on the board until the 4th-6th round.


Injuries have slowed Kennard down,
but 2013 was a rebound year.

S Craig Loston (6-1, 214lbs) - Ranked #20 in 2009

As a five-star recruit, Loston chose LSU. He never quite developed into a dominant play-maker, but he has flashed at times.

Loston is a big-hitter who protects the middle of the field. He's a poor-man's Eric Reid, but that's not necessarily an insult. He's an athlete with good size, above-average speed and explosion. His coverage skills need to be refined, but the physical ability is there.

He's a projected 3rd-4th round pick.

OLB Ronald Powell (6-3, 240lbs) - Ranked #1 in 2010

I love Powell. For more analysis on him, check out my first look at the draft.

Powell is viewed as a 3rd-4th round prospect.

DE Dominique Easley (6-2, 298lbs) - Ranked #7 in 2010

Easley's name also graces my first article on the draft. I like his natural ability and production. Injury history is really the only thing holding Easley's stock back, along with a few height concerns with some scouts.

Easley should be available in the late-2nd to mid-3rd round.

OLB Aaron Lynch (6-5, 248lbs) - Ranked #28 in 2011

Aaron Lynch is a really intriguing guy. As a four star recruit, Lynch chose Notre Dame, but transferred to South Florida after one year to be closer to home, a la Bryce Brown.

Lynch has tremendous size and versatility. He has great burst and athleticism, rushing the passer from many different positions.

The production isn't on par with other top 3-4 OLB prospects, but the physical ability is right up there at the top. Lynch has also matured a lot from his early years, and doesn't have any off-the-field problems.

He's projected to fall somewhere on day three of the draft.

Lynch flashed big potential before
transferring to South Florida.