2014 NFL Draft: Defensive End Prospects You Should Know

Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson Jeffcoat – 6’5 250lbs – University of Texas

If you aren’t a University of Texas fan then you may not know this name but if you are, it’s been household status since 2011. As a freshman, Jeffcoat was a backup and totaled 13 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. It was 2011, his sophomore season, that Jeffcoat made himself known. He had 54 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, three passes broken up, and received Second-Team All-Big XII selection honors. Everyone rightfully expected the same or even better production from him in 2012 and he was well on his way until he tore his pectoral muscle on the sixth game of the year. Until his injury he accumulated 25 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and one pass breakup. This year Jeffcoat is putting up the type of numbers one might expect after a season ending injury just last year. So far this year, he has 42 tackles, six sacks, and one interception. He plays defensive end at Texas but much like Tamba Hali, he may be asked to stand up and play outside linebacker in the 3-4 in the NFL. I’m in no way comparing Jeffcoat to Hali but he does have a similar style in the sense that you can’t believe the angles he manages to lean at without falling down. I swear I’ve seen Hali lean at an eighty degree angle without falling. I believe Jeffcoat will be a mid to late round second round draft pick, perhaps early third round.