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To anyone who got to watch the game.. how did some of the top defensive prospects look to you?
Upshaw, Dre, Hightower, Barron, Claiborne, etc..
Upshaw, Dre, Hightower, Barron, Claiborne, etc..
- Thread starter RoyTheHammer
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Upshaw looked relentless. Faster than he should've been. Built very thick. But he chased Jefferson down from behind. Was in on a lot of tackles. Always near the ball.
Kirkpatrick was hard to judge because they didn't throw the ball much. He is as physical as advertised. Not afraid to bump his guy at the line. Made good open field tackles, met ball carriers in the backfield a lot. Looks like a good leader. I pointed this out in a thread already.... their punt returner, Maze, pulled a hammy. Maze was limping accross the field trying to get to his sideline, and several Alabama players were nearby without offering help. Kirkpatrick ran to him and threw his shoulder under his arm to help him get to the sideline. A little thing, but it impressed me.
I wasn't really paying attention to anyone else too much. Was a hard game to watch.
Kirkpatrick was hard to judge because they didn't throw the ball much. He is as physical as advertised. Not afraid to bump his guy at the line. Made good open field tackles, met ball carriers in the backfield a lot. Looks like a good leader. I pointed this out in a thread already.... their punt returner, Maze, pulled a hammy. Maze was limping accross the field trying to get to his sideline, and several Alabama players were nearby without offering help. Kirkpatrick ran to him and threw his shoulder under his arm to help him get to the sideline. A little thing, but it impressed me.
I wasn't really paying attention to anyone else too much. Was a hard game to watch.
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I felt Upshaw, Kirkpatrick, and Claiborne looked well. Upshaw's stock really improved. Kirkpatrick is pretty physical for as thin as he is. No passes completed to players covered by Claiborne.
Hightower also looked good.
The Alabama safeties, Mark Barron and Robert Lester, were non-factors but that was partially due to LSU's total inability to pass the ball.
My boy, LSU sophomore safety Eric Reid, played well too. Honey Badger was physical and showed some weakness in coverage but overall, I still thought he had a good game.
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Yea, it seems like Dre is well liked by his teammates. The only question i would have with him is whether he has the fluidity in his coverge ability to be able to man up and stay with pro receivers, faster and more physical than he's played in college.
Upshaw and Ingram from SC.. if we do feel like we need a pass rusher in round one for whatever reason, i would hope we could get one of these two guys.
Thanks for the responses, guys. I think no matter who we select in the draft, we need to start taking smarter, and more high motor players.
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LSU's defense had something to do with that
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I like Upshaw, still not sold on him as an overwhelming pass rusher though. He's a good solid player thats well coached, but there are alot of plays where you watch him and dont see the explosive first step...some of it might be because of the way they use him but it will be interesting to see how he tests at the combine if he indeed does come out
Slatemosphere
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Upshaw or Decastro....Upshaw or Decastro...hmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Sounds like he wouldn't be a better option than Spencer then.
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I dont know to be honest. Upshaw at times appears to be more athletic than Spencer, but there are also times when he doesnt look that explosive off the edge to me.
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Spencer seems pretty athletic for his size, and if Upshaw or anyone in the draft isn't a clear upgrade, i'd rather just resign him and use our 1st round pick on a position where we have a better chance of getting a clear upgrade.
LAZARUS_LOGAN
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DeCastro. Then 2nd round go with Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson.
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Andre Branch, DS #6 DE, Clemson
Name: Andre Branch
College: Clemson Number: 40
Height: 6-4 Weight: 260
Position: DE Pos2: OLB
Class/Draft Year: rSr/2012
40 Time: 4.77 40 Low: 4.65 40 High: 4.89
Projected Round: 2-3 Stock:
Rated number 6 out of 237 DE's 52 / 2729 TOTAL
Draft Scout Snapshot: 2010: Had 55 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, 16 quarterback pressures, and seven pass breakups in 13 starts... second on the team in sacks and tied for second in quarterback pressures... had three tackles for loss and two sacks against Presbyterian College; named team defensive player-of-the-game by the coaches. 2009: Winner of the 12th Man Award for the defense as voted on by the coaching staff…did not start a game, but played in all 14 games for an average of 24 snaps per game...finished the year with 46 tackles, including eight for loss, two sacks, and two pass break-ups...the tackle total was second-best among non-starters and his eight tackles for loss tied for fourth-best on the team. 2008: Did not start a game, but he averaged 20 snaps in each of his seven contests...had nine of his 11 tackles within the first four games. 2007: Redshirted.
01/04/12 - PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Andre Branch has been Clemson's primary threat off the edge this season, as evidenced by his ACC-leading 10.5 sacks. Although he didn't have a sack in the ACC Championship game, he was still a relentless force, drawing double teams and still managing three tackles and recovering a fumble. Branch will be the key figure in helping Clemson's offense put pressure on West Virginia QB Geno Smith, who is ninth nationally in total offense. - The Sports Xchange
12/04/11 - 2011 ALL-ACC FIRST TEAM (MEDIA): DE-Andre Branch, Clemson (79), has been selected All-ACC First Team for the 2011 college football season as voted on by 45 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Andre Branch was a first-team All-ACC selection at defensive end. The native of Richmond, VA leads the ACC in sacks and tackles for loss. He has 10.5 sacks for the year, fourth best single season total in school history. He has 72 tackles overall, second on the Clemson team and just one off the 73 by Rashard Hall. - Clemson football
12/04/11 - 2011 TED HENDRICKS AWARD FINALIST: Branch leads the ACC in sacks with 10.5 (10th in NCAA) and tackles-for-loss with 16. His 72 tackles ranks 2nd on the Tigers defense this season. If he records 2 more tackles than safety Rashard Hall in this weekend’s ACC championship game, Branch will become the first defensive lineman to lead the team in tackles since William Perry in 1984. He collected ACC Player of the Week honors on October 1, when he recorded 11 tackles, 4 sacks and 6 tackles-for-loss against nationally ranked Virginia Tech. Branch is a 2011 first-team All ACC selection. The final vote for 2011 Hendricks Award will be concluded on December 6th, and the winner will be announced December 7th. This year’s winner will be honored at the Hendricks Award Dinner in the spring of 2012 in Miami, FL. Time and place are to be determined. - The Ted Hendricks Foundation
12/03/11 - PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior DE Andre Branch had two sacks against South Carolina, giving him 10.5 for the season. That's tied for the fourth-best single-season total in school history. - The Sports Xchange
12/03/11 - FIVE PROSPECTS TO WATCH - CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND: DE Andre Branch, Clemson: At 6-4, 270 pounds Branch has the size to remain at defensive end in the NFL, but what could really boost his stock is the fact that he appears to have the athleticism to translate to 3-4 outside linebacker, as well. Branch's teammate, defensive tackle Brandon Thompson, has generated most of the hype this season, but it is Branch who has enjoyed the better year. Branch leads the ACC in both tackles for loss (16) and sacks (10.5). He'll be facing an exciting young quarterback in Logan Thomas, who at 6-6, 254 pounds is nearly as big as Branch and also athletic enough to avoid him. A strong game by Branch in this game and I'll have a tough time continuing to keep him out of my top 32. This game begins at 8:00 pm ET and will be televised by ESPN. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
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If we wanted to go pass rusher early in the draft, this guy sounds like he could end up being just as good as either Upshaw or Ingram and we could possibly have him in the second round so it'd be a much better value than having to pick either of those guys.
LAZARUS_LOGAN
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Looks like Dont'a Hightower didn't declare so that's one less LB in the first round.
Slatemosphere
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I'd be happy with Decastro and Branch.
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Just finally got to watch the championship game. Couple thoughts:
Dont'a Hightower made a good choice staying in school. Didn't look very impressive to me.
Dre is just as physical as advertised and if he falls to 14, would be hard to pass up.
If we can't resign Spencer to a reasonable contract, i'd have no problem taking Upshaw in the draft. Guy looked great in the game. Reminded me of watching Cameron Heyward last year. Two guys who just dominated and are very explosive, relentless players. Neither guy ever stops. Those are the types of players we need to start drafting and i think he could step right in opposite Ware and be a force for us.
Also, LSU's Brockers declared for the draft today and from what i saw, he'd make a nice upgrade at DE for us in the 34. Has the prototypical size you want at the position and seems to have a great motor too.
Dont'a Hightower made a good choice staying in school. Didn't look very impressive to me.
Dre is just as physical as advertised and if he falls to 14, would be hard to pass up.
If we can't resign Spencer to a reasonable contract, i'd have no problem taking Upshaw in the draft. Guy looked great in the game. Reminded me of watching Cameron Heyward last year. Two guys who just dominated and are very explosive, relentless players. Neither guy ever stops. Those are the types of players we need to start drafting and i think he could step right in opposite Ware and be a force for us.
Also, LSU's Brockers declared for the draft today and from what i saw, he'd make a nice upgrade at DE for us in the 34. Has the prototypical size you want at the position and seems to have a great motor too.
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I think I disagree with every point you made. Kind of agree that Upshaw is relentless but don't see the Cameron Heyward comparison at all.
Brockers is getting some hype as a Top 15 pick and I just don't see it all.
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I don't think you understood the points from this response.
I wouldn't consider Brockers at 14, first of all. It'd be a trade back type of deal, but he'd be an upgrade for us at the DE position from what we have now, and DL should be a very high priority for us this offseason.
Upshaw reminded me of Heyward in the fact that both guys dominated at their respective positions and are relentless players with high motors. That was the extent of the comparison. Just saying we need to start drafting guys like these two at all positions.
As for Dont'a, im not sure what you saw in the championship game that impressed you about him?