As college football season nears kickoff, we’ll be breaking down the best prospects by position in each FBS conference. This year, the PAC-12 features some of the best draft prospects in the nation, particularly at quarterback, wide receiver, and the defensive line. Today’s focus is on the defensive side of the ball.
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PAC-12 Prospect Preview
DE: Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington
Just the first of many excellent Husky draft prospects, Kikaha is an athletic pass rusher. He is nimble on his feet and has very good balance, flexibility, and speed to take the edge on a regular basis versus collegiate talent. Kikaha is a pass rusher first and foremost, and can be late to diagnose the run as a result and get caught too deep in the backfield. If he continues to impress under a new coaching staff, he could make a push for the first round.
DE: Arik Armstead,* Oregon
The brother of former Trojan defensive lineman Armond Armstead, Arik is a physical specimen on the football field. He checks in at a towering 6’8” and weighs nearly three bills as a five technique for the Ducks. Armstead looks great on the hoof, but his size can be disadvantageous as it can be extremely difficult for someone of his height to maintain leverage. Length is all the rage for NFL defensive coordinators and Armstead could hear his name called in the first round based on that trait alone.
DT: Leonard Williams,* USC
Williams is converting to defensive end full time for the upcoming season, which could prove to be the right move for his draft stock. Though receiving a lot of hype following his sophomore season, Williams just doesn’t play with the type of power expected of an interior lineman, especially one who is listed at 290 lbs. Williams has good length and quickness which will be better served on the outside and could make me believe he can be a “lottery” pick come May, like some others expect.
DT: Danny Shelton, Washington
Shelton is a bulldozer in the middle of the field, capable of taking on double-teams and pushing both men into the backfield. A better prospect than former Husky NT Alameda Ta’amu, Shelton gives plenty of effort for a man his size, and uses active hands and feet to get off blocks and make plays. If he proves that he has the stamina to play over 50% of downs, he could be a top 50 selection.
LB: Shaq Thompson,* Washington
Rarely do I rate a 4-3 linebacker highly, due to the importance of the linemen playing in front of them, but Thompson looks to be one of the rare linebackers that is an impact player on his own. The former safety who outgrew the position, Thompson has elite range and burst allowing him to blitz and play man coverage. While he is not a powerful block-shedder, he is very physical in coverage. Thompson can hit with some pop and rarely does he make a risky tackle and is a steady force from the linebacker spot.
LB: Eric Kendricks, UCLA
The younger brother of Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks, Eric is a short, stocky player who isn’t the best athlete. Kendricks has very average range and will see his pursuit angles outpaced to the sideline. He also has a tendency to lose his footing and will flail his arms quite a bit when changing directions. However, Kendricks plays hard in the box and can thump inside and make secure tackles.
LB: James Vaughters, Stanford
A strong edge-rusher, Vaughters has a good burst coming off the edge. However, Vaughters has below average range and can be late to react to what he sees at times, which leads to him diving at ballcarriers’ feet and taking himself out of the play. Another year at outside linebacker could really help his case and improve his diagnostic ability.
CB: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
Had Ekpre-Olomu decided to declare for last year’s draft, he could have been the first corner off the board ahead of Justin Gilbert. Ekpre-Olomu is good in both man and zone coverage, but mostly plays off-man and off-zone. However, he can be guilty of being too grabby at times with receivers and he can give up too much separation at times, which he can get away with at the college level given his excellent burst. For a smaller corner, Ekpre-Olomu is capable of slipping receiver blocks and making tackles versus the run, even if he doesn’t sell out every down.
CB: Marcus Peters,* Washington
A corner not afraid to get physical at the line of scrimmage, Peters has good size and playing speed for a prospect. As with a lot of physical corners, Peters can get too aggressive in this respect which could be a bigger problem in the offensive-minded NFL. However, he is flexible in what he can do in the secondary and is no stranger to getting involved against the run.
FS: Avery Sebastian, California
If Sebastian would square up to make tackles I would have graded out higher than I do. Unfortunately, he has a tendency to make diving, sliding, or shoulder tackles which he got away with at Cal but will get him cut from an NFL roster. Sebastian can be aggressive and rangy but too often he misreads the play and gets out of position. His lack of size could see him moved to a fourth or fifth corner in the NFL.
SS: Jordan Richards, Stanford
Richards is smaller than average for a safety, but he is a pretty heavy tackler when he puts his body into the tackle. However, Richards fails to do so and is too much of shove and arm tackler at this point, especially at the sidelines. He’s not a guy I would trust with a lot of coverage responsibility, but he is a fairly safe last line of defense.
Missed the Cut:
DE: Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA
DT: David Parry, Stanford
LB: Hayes Pullard, USC
CB: Josh Shaw, USC
S: Brian Blechen, Utah
On the Horizon:
DE: DeForest Buckner,* Oregon
DT: Ellis McCarthy,* UCLA
LB: Myles Jack,** UCLA
CB: Wayne Lyons,* Stanford
S: Leon McQuay III,** USC
Inside next week’s War Room: 2014 SEC Prospect Preview
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