Suh will be one of the safest picks as long as i have followed the draft. Reminds in so many ways of Ngata. He is the guy you build arround to make a premium D-Line. Prospects like him are very rare.
With one gappers, i agree, it's a crapshoot. All these players weren't necessary great in working along the D-Line and reading, pursuiting, making the plays. They all got their hype from penetration and big plays that resulted when they made the backfield. It's much easier in College than NFL to get acess to the backfield. Getting a good 3-technique is extremely hard due to this reason, it's even hard to evaluate the tapes. Because in NFL, you will be asked to do so much other stuff as well. You really have to be a monster one gapper like Docket and continuously gain acces to the backfield with this technique to make a name for yourself. Very few are that great at that as to make it work. Otherwise, if you can't penetrate, you are a big liability for your team and you can easy get cut.
However, when it comes to a guy like Suh that almost shows flawless ability to work along the D-Line, stuff the run with that powerstep, use his hands to disengage and read and react. He is basically a D-Lineman that becomes a LB along that LOS. Players like Dorsey were never anything like that.
Now, that technique above will ensure Suh to be at least a good NFL lineman. That's a guarantee from my side. Unless he gets injured or something. What can make him a star tough, like Ngata, is that he also is athletic and will be able to get to the QB as well, and occasionally enter that backfield. In fact he shows just as much penetrating ability as any other lineman in the draft when asked to do that. He is a freak of nature. But a very smart one same time, one that plays with good sound technique.
He is the perfect Steelers/Baltimore two gapper DT/DE, and he would be a perfect NT as well in our scheme. That's the position where we need skills like Suh's and where we would get much more than we get from Robinson. However i dont see us getting him, but you never know with an NFL draft. But dreaming is allowed and imagining a 3 man front with Docket, Suh and CC makes me smile...One of you wrote that nebraska just let him up the field to destroy the pocket. I think that they ask him to do that sometimes, and he does just that. But when you look closely when he is asked to protect two gaps, he does that as good as anyone i have seen in college. His motor and ability to work on the line and disengage. One gappers never show something like that. In fact to me his biggest highlights is the plays he makes on the LOS, not in the backfield and there are more of those as well. That translates to the NFL.
If you guys want to check other Lineman with polished technique that just translates very well to the pro game but not necessary to college, look out for these guys:
Tyson Alualu, California
Height: 6-3. Weight: 290.
Projected 40 Time: 4.92.
Projected Round (2009): 2-3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72KQ_NzX8NU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7vF1UWBlNU
Plays with a technique at least as polished as Suh's. Rarely you see that from a lineman in College to play smart like this, with this leverage and ability to read plays. In fact he uses his hands even better and plays with that nasty streak that you want on the D-Line. That Cal runs 34 sure has helped alot in developing these skills, he is years ahead of other college players. Ability to work on the line instead of just penetrate. Is much less athletic and disruptive than Suh and this is the difference between the two lies. What sticks out to me is that Alualu gets great penetration when asked, for example in obvious passing situations which shows to me that this guy has potential to disturb the backfield as well on the next level. Him and Suh are the two most polished lineman in this draft. And I would say by far from what i have seen so far. I tell you what, i hope we get Alualu in this draft, that is much more realistic than asking for Suh.
D'Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech
Height: 6-2. Weight: 300.
Projected 40 Time: 5.04.
Projected Round (2010): 4-5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wD6Au_C60U
The third that i think shows the leverage and use of hands and feet to be much better at pro level than he was in college. I like what he does along the LOS, but he isn't close being disruptive as Suh and Alualu when he does get access to the backfield.. I love his leverage and ability to disengange and make the play. That translates to the NFL and I think he will be a very reliable player. This technique translates to the NFL.
Besides, for teams that look for that penetrating freak, that may be a liability against everything else. I think this is the guy to pick in this draft. He will make the backfield more often than the guys picked before him. But this is not a pick I would want us to make, we have NFL's best 3 technique one gapper in Dockett. Odrick is very bad in working along the D-Line, reading and reacting. But he does know how to get penetration, he reminds me bit of Dockett. Players with these skills are crapshoot, it's really hard to evaluate, it's basically a guess. But if I had to pick a 3 technique, this would be my choice :
Jared Odrick, Penn State
Height: 6-5. Weight: 300.
Projected 40 Time: 5.09.
Projected Round (2010): 1-2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30CSNaXn0aI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNSsTbryRvs&feature=related
