By Charlie Campbell.
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This page was last updated March 26, 2015. Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
Position Review: Defensive Ends
Defensive End Class
Early-round talent: B+
Mid-round: B
Late-round: C+
Overall grade: B
2015 prospects vs 2014
Dante Fowler Jr. < Jadeveon Clowney
Bud Dupree > Dominique Easley
Owa Odighizuwa = DeMarcus Lawrence
Preston Smith < Stephon Tuitt
Nate Orchard < Kony Ealy
Trey Flowers < Scott Crichton
Henry Anderson > Kareem Martin
Markus Golden < Will Clarke
The 2014 NFL Draft class had a once-in-a-generation-type prospect with Clowney, and it had better depth on the second day of the draft into the mid-rounds than the 2015 class features. The 2015 NFL Draft would be better at defensive end if you included players like Randy Gregory, Vic Beasley and Shane Ray. However, there just aren’t defensive ends in the 230s and 240s in the NFL. Thus, those three players fit as 3-4 outside linebackers.
Looking at the two classes together, Clowney is hands down the top player in either class. Fowler and Dupree would go after Clowney and ahead of Easley. Easley would have probably been a better prospect than Dupree had Easley not torn his ACL during his final season. Odighizuwa and Lawrence are equal as late first- or early second-round prospects. Smith would go behind Tuitt and ahead of Ealy. Orchard, Flowers and Anderson would go behind Crichton and ahead of Martin. Golden would be about equal to Martin.
Safest Pick: Dante Fowler Jr, Florida
There are a lot of attributes that should make Fowler a safe pick to be a success in the NFL. At 6-foot-3, 261 pounds, he has speed off the edge with the size and strength to battle defensive tackles. Fowler will probably gain weight as he ages and play in the 265-270-pound range. Not only does he have a legitimate skill set with a track of success against good competition, Fowler also has the intangibles of work ethic and leadership. He may not take the NFL by storm as a rookie, but by the end of his first contract, he should have emerged as an impact player.
Looking back at the previous picks, Clowney is undetermined because an injury robbed him of his rookie season. He deserves the same patience that other draft picks get, but because of his hype, people are mistakenly declaring him to be a bust. Werner was drafted into a 3-4 and that was/is a terrible fit for him. That pick isn’t looking good for Indianapolis.
Previous Picks:
2014: Jadeveon Clowney
2013: Bjoern Werner
Biggest Bust Potential: Owa Odighizuwa, UCLA
It was hard to make a pick for this selection. Odighizuwa has a good skill set with size and speed. The reason I went with him was he had injury issues in college and was a backup before that. Odighizuwa really is a 1-year wonder and has some rawness to his game. As a late first-rounder, he has some risk.
Martin didn’t anything as a rookie, but he deserves time to develop. Mingo has been a disappointment for the Browns, but played hurt last year.
Previous Picks:
2014: Kareem Martin
2013: Barkevious Mingo
Defensive End Rankings by Attributes
Pass Rush:
NFL prototype: J.J. Watt, Texans
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Bud Dupree
- Nate Orchard
- Owa Odighizuwa
- Preston Smith
- Trey Flowers
- Markus Golden
- Henry Anderson
Recap: The NFL is a passing-driven league, and coaches will tell you that an elite pass-rusher is the most important position on the defensive side of the ball. Unless a team has a defensive tackle like the Bengals’ Geno Atkins or Buccaneers’ Gerald McCoy, it has to have edge-rushers who can consistently pressure the quarterback.
For the NFL, Fowler’s skill set translates the best as a pass-rusher. He is very fast off the edge and combines strength with a relentless physicality to go with his explosion. Fowler has great hands uses them to shed blocks. He lines up all over the place and is a real mismatch. Fowler only had 8.5 sacks last year, but Florida had a schedule heavily laden with ground-based offenses. For the next level, Fowler looks very likely to become a double-digit sacker.
Dupree had a very similar schedule to Fowler. Dupree also is very fast off the edge and has strength to fight tackles. He isn’t quite as athletic with the ability to bend like Fowler, thus the Gator is ranked ahead. As a pro, Dupree should be a good pass-rusher.
Orchard (6-3, 251) is a two-sided coin. On the positive side, he rushes with quickness and strength, and just looks like a natural football player. He isn’t overly big or fast, but he has a knack for getting to the quarterback as his sack total of 17.5 in 2014 suggests. However in the NFL, I don’t think he’ll be that prolific. Orchard is undersized and not explosive. I think he could be a quality edge rusher, but I’m not expecting him to dominate like he did for the Utes.
Odighizuwa is raw, but he has serious speed and strength to his game. His best football could be a ahead of him, and he is a projection to be a better player in the pros than he was in college. Odighizuwa has the skill set to become an impact pass-rusher in the NFL.
Smith and Flowers are both strong ends who have some speed, but aren’t overwhelming. They could be solid left ends who produce some steady pressure against right tackles. I don’t think they’ll fare that well against good left tackles.
Golden (6-2, 260) had 10 sacks last year and missed time with an injury. He has a great motor and some pass-rushing moves, but teams question how he will translate to the NFL. Golden is a tweener who may not have a good fit as a pro.
Anderson will be better in the NFL as a pass-rusher if he moves inside to go against guards in passing situations. That is where he did the best. He had 8.5 sacks as a senior and isn’t a liability rushing at the quarterback.
Run Defense:
NFL prototype: J.J. Watt, Texans
- Henry Anderson
- Bud Dupree
- Owa Odighizuwa
- Preston Smith
- Trey Flowers
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Nate Orchard
- Markus Golden
Recap: Defending the run isn’t as in demand as it used to be with NFL coaches, but they still watch it closely when evaluating prospects. This class features a lot of good run-defenders.
Anderson (6-6, 287) is very strong at the point of attack and is tough to move. He can get to runs in and out of his gap. Teams don’t have success running at Anderson, and he should be an asset as a run-defender in the NFL. I think Anderson will be reliable when lining up against right tackles and defending power-running offenses.
In terms of three-down balance combining pass rush and run defense, Dupree could be the best value. He is strong at the point of attack and does a nice job of holding his ground against downhill runs. He was asked to do variety of assignments at Kentucky, and while it held back his pass-rush production, it made him more versatile against the run. Dupree should contribute as a strong run-defender quickly in the NFL.
Odighizuwa, Smith and Flowers are all tough run-defenders and are very similar. They all set the edge, are strong to fight off blocks, hold their ground and get in on tackles. As pros, all three should be quality players to help stop the run.
Fowler, Orchard and Golden all were okay against the run. They do well in pursuit and can disrupt by firing into the backfield, however all three can get washed out occasionally in downhill runs coming straight at them . Of this trio, Fowler holds his ground the best, but he still needs some work in the NFL. Within a few years though, Fowler should be a good run-defender. Orchard and Golden need more work.
Motor:
NFL prototype: J.J. Watt, Texans
- Nate Orchard
- Henry Anderson
- Markus Golden
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Preston Smith
- Trey Flowers
- Bud Dupree
- Owa Odighizuwa
Recap: Prospects who show a lack of effort can get knocked quickly by coaches when they start evaluating players. Coaches have zero patience for players who dog it. Conversely, a great motor will help players who may be short on athletic ability. This draft class has a lot of good motors amongst the early-round prospects.
There really isn’t a bad motor in this group. Orchard was relentless in 2014 and displayed one of the best motors in college football. He never quit on plays and was always around the ball. Anderson and Golden also give great effort. Neither of them quits, and they fight hard every snap. Smith, Flowers and Dupree all had good, steady motors as well.
Fowler’s motor wasn’t anything special as a sophomore, but he really turned that around in 2014. The junior fought hard for four quarters, was much more consistent, and didn’t take plays off.
Odighizuwa had some quiet stretches and other times where he seemed like he was more motivated. I wouldn’t say he has a bad motor, but it isn’t impressive.
Speed:
NFL prototype: Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Bud Dupree
- Owa Odighizuwa
- Nate Orchard
- Markus Golden
- Preston Smith
- Trey Flowers
- Henry Anderson
Recap: Sometimes in the NFL, players who are extremely fast can be difference-makers solely because of their speed. Fowler is a definite speed rusher off the edge. That could be seen in his tape from 2014 and his explosive time in the 40-yard dash at the Combine. Fowler can beat offensive tackles with his first step and has the pure speed to turn the corner and blow by them.
Dupree and Odighizuwa are the next fastest defenders behind Fowler. They are quick off the edge and can beat offensive linemen with speed rushes. Dupree has a nice first step and get-off, while Odighizuwa has a burst to close.
Orchard and Golden both play faster than they time. They are quick once they get going, but may not be as explosive off the snap as the top three. Both still should be able to get sacks in the NFL via some speed rushes. Smith and Flowers have some speed as base ends, but they will never be blazing edge rushers in the NFL.
Anderson isn’t going to provide a real speed mismatch against tackles in the NFL. When he moves inside to defensive tackle to pass rush against guards, he is faster in that matchup.
Strength:
NFL prototype: J.J. Watt, Texans
- Henry Anderson
- Bud Dupree
- Owa Odighizuwa
- Preston Smith
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Trey Flowers
- Markus Golden
- Nate Orchard
Recap: Coaches have told me that the NFL is a big man’s game and is trending that way with each passing year. Anderson already has NFL strength and played at Stanford approaching 300 pounds, but he could end up playing their in his NFL career. There is upside with Anderson to be a powerful defender who pushes linemen with bull rushes and the strength to toss blockers aside.
It is hard to rate the next six players because they all have power. Dupree is a tough defender who is around 270 pounds. He can beat tackles with the strength to shed them away.
Odighizuwa flashes some natural strength and can out-power offensive linemen. He could get stronger after some time in an NFL strength and conditioning program.
Smith is a strong defender at the point of attack and held up well against the physical SEC offensive linemen. Fowler isn’t weak by any means and has the strength to shed blocks. He just needs to get stronger for facing downhill runs coming straight at him. Flowers isn’t weak and can scrap.
Both Orchard and Golden will need to add power for the next level. Especially Orchard, he just reaches 250 pounds, so he really could use 10-15 pounds of functional strength – if he can add that.
Versatility:
NFL prototype: Mario Williams, Bills
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Bud Dupree
- Owa Odighizuwa
- Henry Anderson
- Preston Smith
- Trey Flowers
- Nate Orchard
- Markus Golden
Recap: Defensive coordinators love versatility. Edge defenders who can drop in coverage and play in space are in demand. Coaches also like ends who can move inside to tackle on passing downs. This class of edge rushers features a lot of versatility.
Fowler and Dupree are the most versatile edge defenders available. They can play traditional 4-3 end, 3-4 outside linebacker and even have lined up inside over guards during passing situations.
Odighizuwa is also a very good athlete who could be a 4-3 base end or 3-4 outside linebacker. He’s not quite as versed at the 3-4 as the top two, but he has the ability to transition to it, but will need some development.
Anderson is versatile as well. He can play 4-3 end and move inside to tackle on passing downs. Anderson would be perfect fit as a 3-4 defensive end.
Smith, Flowers, Orchard and Golden all have some flaws in the versatility department. Smith and Flowers have the size to play 3-4 outside linebacker, but they really aren’t fluid or athletic enough for that position. Orchard and Golden are tweeners. Both have the body type that says they should move to 3-4 outside linebacker, but when asked to do some of that at the Senior Bowl and Combine, both looked very unnatural.
Upside:
NFL prototype: Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Bud Dupree
- Owa Odighizuwa
- Henry Anderson
- Nate Orchard
- Markus Golden
- Preston Smith
- Trey Flowers
Recap: This class of ends has good upside to grow in the NFL. With Fowler’s natural talent, his best football should be ahead of him. Dupree should be better as a pro player than in college. He has a lot of athletic upside to get better at the NFL level. Odighizuwa is similar to the top two. All three are great athletes with size and speed, and could become excellent pass-rushers if they land with good coaching.
Anderson, Orchard and Gordon have some upside to develop in the NFL. They have skill sets that should get better as they age and work with NFL coaches. Orchard and Anderson made big strides in 2014. They were vastly improved over the previous year.
Athletically, Smith and Flowers may not develop much from their starting points of how they enter the NFL.
Forcing Fumbles:
NFL prototype: Ryan Kerrigan, Redskins
- Markus Golden
- Preston Smith
- Bud Dupree
- Nate Orchard
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Trey Flowers
- Henry Anderson
- Owa Odighizuwa
Recap: The art of a strip sack is a great equalizer in the NFL. Strip sacks can change games and produce points. Golden was the best at taking the ball away from an offense. He led all of this group with three forced fumbles in 2014.
Orchard, Smith and Dupree all produced two forced fumbles last year. It is surprising that Orchard didn’t get the ball out more considering his huge sack total.
Fowler didn’t produce forced fumbles at Florida, but he should produce more as a pro. Fowler came close on a number of plays in 2014. Anderson and Odighizuwa need work on this. Neither recorded a forced fumble as seniors.
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