Broaddus: D-Line Info Gained From Pre-Draft Conference

boozeman

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Broaddus: D-Line Info Gained From Pre-Draft Conference

Posted 5 hours ago

Bryan Broaddus
Football Analyst/Scout







IRVING, Texas – Traditionally, these pre-draft press conferences that the teams stage offer little information to use or actually believe.

Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, Tom Ciskowski and Jason Garrett aren’t interested in telling us any more than what we need to know. The media ask questions that might provide a little more insight, but there’s little chance of getting a true answer.

In fact, you should hope they’re as successful in the draft as they were to sticking to that plan, because it worked to perfection. What I did learn from this press conference wasn’t which player fits in this Monte Kiffin style of defense best, but which position might be the most valuable to the scheme.

The question was asked: “What's more important in the 4-3 defense; DT or safety?” It really is a good question, because we’re still trying to figure out if the right pieces for this scheme change are currently on the squad. I thought the general manager’s answer was very interesting:

"I'd say uniquely, the pressure players still have a great deal in the 3-4,” Jerry Jones said. “I'd say the inside guys, probably will be a little more quick twitch and especially have the odd, or three-technique will probably be the more dominant players, a Ratliff-type player as far as looking at the players.”

By listening to his answer, it told me a couple of things. If three-technique is such an important position and they are looking for a “Ratliff–type” of player, don’t they already have their three in him? I believe that they do. I am all for playing Jay Ratliff on the outside shoulder of the guard and letting him attack that gap all day. Where have we seen Ratliff at his best when it comes to rushing the passer? In the nickel, when all he has to do is explode up the field and create all kinds of problems.

Where this team has the question marks is at the one-technique. If Josh Brent wasn’t in legal trouble, he would be the ideal fit to play that position, but he isn’t here. I like Sean Lissemore, but not as the starter at the one. There were too many times last season where he didn’t play with the strength or power that he did the year before. They signed Brian Price this past offseason, but he probably fits more as a three-technique athletically.

Which brings us to the draft. There will be a couple of different options that could potentially help fill that role as the one-technique. North Carolina’s Slyvester Williams played both as a one and three. Williams is a step below in the order of Sharrif Floyd, Star Lotulelei and Sheldon Richardson. Purdue’s Kawann Short plays with a great deal of power at the point and can be a tough guy to move. LSU’s Bennie Logan would be an outstanding option to be paired with Ratliff, because he does a really nice job of getting push inside. He really is a disruptive player that is a load to handle. Penn State’s Jordan Hill would also be a nice option because of the way he is able to attack up the field.



What I go back to is what Rod Marinelli said the first time the media got to meet him. He won’t know where his “rush men” will line up until he gets them on the field, which is understandable. But in reading into what Jerry Jones said about “Ratliff-like” players and the importance of the position, there is a side of me that believes he feels he has his three-technique but needs to find him some help at the one. That will be his job in a few short days.
 

boozeman

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That would be glorious
Not really. I don't care for the player as he is a space eater only. We would still need what Ratliff was years ago for this defense to get a real benefit. I would be okay with it, but hardly spanking the monkey over it.
 

ravidubey

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Hatcher is a natural 3-technique vs a 1. A guy like Hankins gives Dallas a better fit at 1-technique and allows Hatcher and Ratliff to rotate at 3-technique. They would still need their longterm 3-technique solution, but Hatcher and Ratliff should be solid enough for 2013.
 

Jiggyfly

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Not really. I don't care for the player as he is a space eater only. We would still need what Ratliff was years ago for this defense to get a real benefit. I would be okay with it, but hardly spanking the monkey over it.
He is more than a space heater, I don't know where your getting that from.

He has some conditioning issues, but he plays in the backfield before he starts sucking wind.

Pairing him up with this d-line coach is worth the gamble of a 2nd round pick IMO.
 

Jiggyfly

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With the 2012 NFL season in the books, and the scouting combine in the rear-view, it's time to take a closer look
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/shutdown-50-ohio-state-dt-johnathan-hankins-170619184--nfl.html

#28: Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State
We continue this year's series with Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, the 6-foot-3, 320-pound multi-position defender who has put up some fairly impressive tape -- if not the stats to match -- over the last two seasons. After making some plays as a freshman in 2010, he really came of age in 2011, amassing 32 solo tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 3.0 quarterback sacks. As a junior in 2012, Hankins' stats started to fall (23 solo tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack), but the game tape still flashed with NFL potential -- as long as you watched the early parts of games. After that, Hankins would still make plays, but things started to slow down a bit, which is common among larger men who play 65-70 snaps per game.
Those conditioning concerns were not alleviated at the scouting combine, when Hankins rumbled to an official 5.31 40-yard dash -- the fourth-slowest among all defensive linemen. However, his three-cone (7.59) and short shuttle (4.61) times were in line with linemen who weighed in 20 pounds lighter. And that's the conundrum Hankins provides -- there are times when he is as dominant as any player in this draft class, and other times where the one thing standing between him and true greatness is perfectly obvious.
Pros: Weighs 320 pounds, but looks and plays much bigger, and that's both good and bad. As a (really big) three-tech tackle, Hankins rides the guard where he wants him to go, and can split a double team with his pure power. Agile in space for his size -- will rumble pretty well to the quarterback or ballcarrier once he's free. Will take a blocker back with his upper-body strength and disengages quickly. Comes off the snap with good leverage and creates impressive momentum. Occupies double teams well into the play, allowing other defenders to flow through gaps more easily. At times, he's shockingly quick in short spaces and will take down a ballcarrier with force that makes you re-run the play.
Wrestles with force and efficiency once he gets his hands inside the blocker's pads, and will occasionally just rag-doll a guard. Plays some five-tech end (outside the tackle) and produces as an edge run defender more than a pure pass-rusher. Outstanding on-field awareness allows him to keep an eye on the ballcarrier even as he's tied up, and he'll quickly bail out of blocks to stop the play. Keeps his eye on the quarterback if he can't get there and will occasionally drop into short coverage. As a head over center or nose-shade tackle, Hankins has the strength to either maintain or dominate, depending on the opponent, and how much gas he has left.

(Getty Images)
Cons: Hankins' size can also be a disadvantage -- he's not conditioned well, needs better musculature, and will clearly wear down over the course of games. Needs to be in a rotation as a result. Will start to drop off in power, block-cutting ability, and pure speed -- he'll half-step, slow down, and fail to break blocks he would chomp through earlier in games. Not a pass-rusher in any significant sense. Obviously has the right kind of lower body to play with power, but needs less butt and bigger legs -- his lower-body power goes first.
Conclusion: Hankins is an easy player to project to any NFL team playing multiple fronts and in need of pure power up and down the line. And it's important to delineate the difference between off-field conditioning work and on-field effort -- while he clearly needs an NFL strength program and a great trainer to kick his butt, Hankins will make effort plays late into games, even when he's clearly gassed. If he maximizes his physical potential in the weight room, what he takes to the field could be truly special, because you don't see too many players with his combination of strength and quickness.
Right now, it's something that really explodes through the first 15-20 plays of a game, and then starts to dissipate. There's no question that he could widen that spectrum and become a Pro Bowl-level talent, but that's entirely up to him. Right now, I could see him excelling in a Patriots- or Jets-style system where beef is needed up the middle and out to the tackles. Hankins was groomed for that role by Ohio State defensive line coach Mike Vrabel, who played eight years for New England, and certainly understands how multiple defenses are supposed to work.
The Wilfork comparison may seem like a stretch if you look at the totally dominant player Wilfork has become, but it's worth mentioning that when he came out of Miami, Wilfork also had NFL people wandering about his conditioning (right down to the big gut/big butt/thin legs trifecta), and how he'd hold up to the rigors of the next level. Wilfork completely eradicated those concerns after he was selected in the first round of the 2004 draft, and Hankins has the chance to do the same -- probably from a similar draft position.
 

boozeman

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With the 2012 NFL season in the books, and the scouting combine in the rear-view, it's time to take a closer look
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/shutdown-50-ohio-state-dt-johnathan-hankins-170619184--nfl.html

#28: Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State
We continue this year's series with Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, the 6-foot-3, 320-pound multi-position defender who has put up some fairly impressive tape -- if not the stats to match -- over the last two seasons. After making some plays as a freshman in 2010, he really came of age in 2011, amassing 32 solo tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 3.0 quarterback sacks. As a junior in 2012, Hankins' stats started to fall (23 solo tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack), but the game tape still flashed with NFL potential -- as long as you watched the early parts of games. After that, Hankins would still make plays, but things started to slow down a bit, which is common among larger men who play 65-70 snaps per game.
Those conditioning concerns were not alleviated at the scouting combine, when Hankins rumbled to an official 5.31 40-yard dash -- the fourth-slowest among all defensive linemen. However, his three-cone (7.59) and short shuttle (4.61) times were in line with linemen who weighed in 20 pounds lighter. And that's the conundrum Hankins provides -- there are times when he is as dominant as any player in this draft class, and other times where the one thing standing between him and true greatness is perfectly obvious.
Pros: Weighs 320 pounds, but looks and plays much bigger, and that's both good and bad. As a (really big) three-tech tackle, Hankins rides the guard where he wants him to go, and can split a double team with his pure power. Agile in space for his size -- will rumble pretty well to the quarterback or ballcarrier once he's free. Will take a blocker back with his upper-body strength and disengages quickly. Comes off the snap with good leverage and creates impressive momentum. Occupies double teams well into the play, allowing other defenders to flow through gaps more easily. At times, he's shockingly quick in short spaces and will take down a ballcarrier with force that makes you re-run the play.
Wrestles with force and efficiency once he gets his hands inside the blocker's pads, and will occasionally just rag-doll a guard. Plays some five-tech end (outside the tackle) and produces as an edge run defender more than a pure pass-rusher. Outstanding on-field awareness allows him to keep an eye on the ballcarrier even as he's tied up, and he'll quickly bail out of blocks to stop the play. Keeps his eye on the quarterback if he can't get there and will occasionally drop into short coverage. As a head over center or nose-shade tackle, Hankins has the strength to either maintain or dominate, depending on the opponent, and how much gas he has left.

(Getty Images)
Cons: Hankins' size can also be a disadvantage -- he's not conditioned well, needs better musculature, and will clearly wear down over the course of games. Needs to be in a rotation as a result. Will start to drop off in power, block-cutting ability, and pure speed -- he'll half-step, slow down, and fail to break blocks he would chomp through earlier in games. Not a pass-rusher in any significant sense. Obviously has the right kind of lower body to play with power, but needs less butt and bigger legs -- his lower-body power goes first.
Conclusion: Hankins is an easy player to project to any NFL team playing multiple fronts and in need of pure power up and down the line. And it's important to delineate the difference between off-field conditioning work and on-field effort -- while he clearly needs an NFL strength program and a great trainer to kick his butt, Hankins will make effort plays late into games, even when he's clearly gassed. If he maximizes his physical potential in the weight room, what he takes to the field could be truly special, because you don't see too many players with his combination of strength and quickness.
Right now, it's something that really explodes through the first 15-20 plays of a game, and then starts to dissipate. There's no question that he could widen that spectrum and become a Pro Bowl-level talent, but that's entirely up to him. Right now, I could see him excelling in a Patriots- or Jets-style system where beef is needed up the middle and out to the tackles. Hankins was groomed for that role by Ohio State defensive line coach Mike Vrabel, who played eight years for New England, and certainly understands how multiple defenses are supposed to work.
The Wilfork comparison may seem like a stretch if you look at the totally dominant player Wilfork has become, but it's worth mentioning that when he came out of Miami, Wilfork also had NFL people wandering about his conditioning (right down to the big gut/big butt/thin legs trifecta), and how he'd hold up to the rigors of the next level. Wilfork completely eradicated those concerns after he was selected in the first round of the 2004 draft, and Hankins has the chance to do the same -- probably from a similar draft position.
I know you thought by digging that report up you would put me in my place for the smiley.

But eventually, you might get it.
 

boozeman

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If we draft Hankins, I will be upset we got this...

 

Jiggyfly

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I know you thought by digging that report up you would put me in my place for the smiley.

But eventually, you might get it.
Just wanted to bring some actual info to the discussion, but hey to each there own.
 
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