Defensive players shine at NFL combine
February 28, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Ndamukong Suh thinks he should be the No. 1 pick.
Gerald McCoy and Eric Berry both contend they should go first, too.
Suddenly in the quarterback-driven NFL, defense is becoming all the rage.Early draft projections have Suh and McCoy, defensive tackles, going among thetop four picks. Berry could join them in the top five, and none of the threedefenders are shy about making their cases for who is the best.
“In my eyes, I feel like I’m the best player in the draft because I bring alot to the table,” Berry said Sunday. “I was a game-changer in college. If youwant to compare the big playmaking ability, you can put that there. As soon as Istepped foot on campus, I was a star for three years.”
Auburn's Ben Tate runs dri… AP – Feb 28, 4:39 pm EST California's Jahvid Best (… AP – Feb 28, 3:53 pm EST
Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dw… AP – Feb 28, 3:45 pm EST
Clemson's C.J. Spiller run… AP – Feb 28, 3:09 pm EST
North Alabama's Preston Pa… AP – Feb 28, 1:42 pm EST
Tulane's Jeremy Williams r… AP – Feb 28, 1:37 pm EST
Notre Dame's Golden Tate r… AP – Feb 28, 1:36 pm EST
Texas' Jordan Shipley runs… AP – Feb 28, 1:35 pm EST
Cincinnati's Tony Pike run… AP – Feb 28, 1:27 pm EST
New Orleans Saints quarterback… AP – Feb 28, 1:27 pm EST
Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen… AP – Feb 28, 1:18 pm EST
Florida's Tim Tebow runs t… AP – Feb 28, 1:17 pm EST
Texas' Colt McCoy runs the… AP – Feb 28, 1:16 pm EST
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McCoy and Suh can’t exactly say the same thing though they are clearly thebigger stars now.
Suh came to the league’s annual scouting combine a little shorter than6-foot-4 and 307 pounds, two months after joining the other Heisman Trophyfinalists in New York. McCoy, a playful character with oodles of charisma,checked in at 6-4, 295.
Those two and Berry, of Tennessee, are presumably battling a pair ofquarterbacks, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, to becomethis year’s draft lottery winner.
History does not bode well for these defenders.
Quarterbacks have gone first in nine of the last 12 drafts. The lastdefensive tackle to go No. 1 overall was Cincinnati’s Dan Wilkinson(notes) in 1994. Ofthe five defensive tackles taken No. 1 since 1964, only one—Dallas’ RussellMaryland—played in a Pro Bowl. He made it once.
Coaches think McCoy, of Oklahoma, or Suh, of Nebraska, could change thelegacy.
“You have to talk about a dominant defensive tackle, somebody that changesthe game, somebody that changes schemes, changes how you would block it,” St.Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo said, when asked to describe a franchise defensivetackle. “He gives offensive coordinators in the run game or the pass game alittle bit of a headache. I think that’s the type of guy you describe. Both ofthose guys are good football players.”
The Rams have the No. 1 pick, the Lions are No. 2, and McCoy said he hasalready spoken to both teams. Suh had not spoken with the Rams as of Sundayafternoon.
Do they fit the mold of franchise-type players?
In McCoy’s case, he says yes and illustrates the point by recounting thestory of a 238-pound, 12-year-old kid from Oklahoma City.
“One time in little league, I tackled three people,” McCoy said. “I camethrough and the quarterback didn’t know who to give it to, so I just grabbedeverybody.”
Now that’s chaos.
Suh has a more serious approach. He emerged as a Heisman contender afteralmost single-handedly stifling Texas’ high-scoring offense in the Big 12 titlegame. He’s also gaining a reputation as a serious, cerebral player with amassive body.
The questions about Suh are more about whether he can adapt to the NFLstyle, which will require him to play the run on the way to the pass.
“I think I can do that, I just haven’t had the opportunity just yet to dothat because of the scheme that we were in,” Suh said Saturday in Indy. “I’mnot saying that was a problem because there’s opportunities in our scheme when Ihad a chance to do that, but it wasn’t as much as some of the teams did. Geraldhad that opportunity a little bit more.”
Berry has more significant obstacles to overcome.
Safeties have rarely gone in the top 10, much less the top five. The lastdefensive back taken No. 1: Safety Gary Glick of Colorado A&M, who went toPittsburgh in 1956.
Most teams place a premium on cornerbacks or pass rushers instead ofinterior linemen or big-hitting safeties.
Those days could be changing.
“I look at those two players, McCoy and Suh, and from my opinion, they’rethe two best players in the draft,” said Mike Mayock, draft analyst for the NFLNetwork. “They’re both clean off the field. I like McCoy ahead of Suh, onlybecause he’s more disruptive in the pass game, but they’re both great players.”
The talent pool runs deep on defense this year.
Nearly two-thirds of the first round picks could come on defense. Among thepossibilities are Florida cornerback Joe Haden and Gators defensive end CarlosDunlap and linebackers Sergio Kindle of Texas and Rolando McClain of Alabama.
But in a year when half of the six players given franchise tags weredefensive tackles, there could be up five or more defensive tackles taken in thefirst round. Mayock said he has 14 defensive tackles projected to go in thefirst three round.
And it all starts with McCoy and Suh.
“Either one would be fine with me,” McCoy said when asked about goingfirst or second. “A one or two pick, a third pick, a 15th pick, a pick, I justwant to get picked. I love football. I just want to play in the NFL. It’s adream and passion of mine. I just really want to play.”