Moving Up My Draft Board: Defense
?S Kurt Coleman, Ohio State — Discussed in my comprehensive review on the safety talent in this year’s Draft, Coleman fits the profile of the dreaded “tweener”:
"Looking over Coleman’s statistics is enough to make you sick — sacks, interceptions, passes defended, tackles for loss, tackles tackles tackles tackles… He really did do it all for an underachieving Ohio State defense. What else could you want? Nasty on-the-field attitude? Done. A team leader, you say? Sold! Coleman is a captain-on-the-field type, he’s mentally tough, and has the speed to hit the edges and the aggressiveness to stuff the box. But Coleman also fits the profile of the dreaded “tweener.” Coleman is 190 lbs soaking wet, but strong safety most closely aligns with his ability. He might make a decent free safety but you’re simply not using him to his best abilities if you do, and he doesn’t have the coverage skills to play corner. So where does he play? Good question, and that’s why he’ll drop. He’s going to be perfect in dime coverage, maybe even nickel. And I’m sure he’ll be ferocious on special teams. But where does he play?"
I don’t know if you can answer that question. I bet Coleman can be had in the Draft’s last round, but there’s no denying the talent there.
FS Robert Johnson, Utah — As Utah’s Sean Smith has gone on to a great rookie season for the Dolphins, his former teammates look more and more like they can make the transition to the NFL game. Robert Johnson is a leader-in-the-making with his million-dollar personality. But where he gets it done is on the field: a star of Utah’s Sugar Bowl upset of Alabama, Johnson’s deceptive closing speed earns him plenty of interceptions as his ability to take away great sections of the field will force quarterbacks into tougher throws than they’d like. Johnson is also a rare free safety that loves to help in run support.
OLB Arthur Moats, James Madison — Winner of the 2009 Buck Buchanan Award as the top Division 1-AA player, Moats is hell on wheels having racked up 22 sacks over the last two seasons. He was one of the most pleasant surprises at the Combine, weighing in at 246 lbs but putting up 24 reps, running a 4.6 dash, and looking great in all the drills. The biggest knock against him is his size — at 6’0, 246 lbs, he’d be a second-day pick if he had better size. But I think he’s worth a 5th round flyer at this point.
CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana of Pennsylvania — Oh, NFL Draft season. Thank you for all your weird surprises. Perhaps the biggest surprise in this entire Draft is a nobody plucked out of a Division II program from somewhere called Indiana of Pennsylvania (about an hour from Pittsburg). I’m not sure I can even pronounce his name, but it’s even harder when my jaw drops at his measurables (which include a 4.31 dash). This kid is physically incredible, though I have never seen him play. Corner is one of those positions that needs this kind of insane athleticism, but what really sells Owusu-Ansah is his phenomenal kick-returning abilities.
ILB Joe Pawelek, Baylor — A huuuuuge sleeper in this year’s Draft that absolutely nobody’s takling about is Pawelek, a player who fits as perfectly into the 3-4 ILB position as anybody. Pawelek sports pretty good size, and is as good in coverage as any projected ILB we have in this upcoming Draft. Period. But his strengths also apply to making things happen upon contact — Pawelek’s numbers at Baylor started out as great as a freshman (86 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) and grew almost every year to incredible as an upperclassman. Pawelek was a leader on the field for the Bears’ defense, and fits the team-first mentality of a Pioli-Haley player.
OLB Brandon Sharpe, Texas Tech — The very definition of a one-year wonder, Sharpe barely got on the field for the Red Raiders before the 2009 season. Once a starter in 2009, however, his stats make very aware of what he brings to the table: a paltry 26 tackles, but 15 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Sharpe, who plays a little faster than his 4.7 speed indicates, is a third down specialist in the NFL. His size (6’2, 250+ lbs) fits the bill as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but major question marks remain as to why on earth he suddenly blew up like he did. Someone might try him out in the 4th or 5th round.
CB Alterraun Verner, UCLA — A smaller, quicker corner that will remind a lot of folks of Brandon Flowers. Verner has racked up tons of accolades as the star defensive back for the Bruins, and performed extremely well for years under the barrage of pass-happy offenses in the Pac 10. Verner doesn’t have Flowers’ pure speed but he has every bit of his instincts and willingness to try getting into the backfield. Verner projects as a starting corner in my opinion, and could be a brilliant #2 corner, but seems tailor-made to shut down the slot.
NT Kade Weston, Georgia — I’ve picked up Weston in a couple of my Mock Mondays in the midrounds, which testifies to how much better I think he is than most other people, who project him as a 6th rounder at the most. They must not see what I see — this is from my comprehensive review of this Draft’s nose tackle talent:
"The best thing about Weston is that he is seasoned against top shelf competition, and he could conceivably start at the nose on Day One. The great thing about Weston is that he’s a nose tackle that actually does get into the backfield better than virtually every nose tackle in this Draft. Only Cam Thomas really seems to be a better passrusher. But unlike Thomas, Weston is a known quantity that will probably never “boom,” but I doubt he’d “bust” — at the very worst he’s a reliable backup."