His length and strength is incredible. He is certainly inconsistent at times, but he has rare athletic ability (probably do 35-40 reps even with super long arms) and has only been playing football for about 4 years.
WIth the Pats having invested in Chandler Jones and Jake Bequette this year and with Travis Scott an intriguing option and Andre Carter still a possibility, I'm hoping that 4-3 RDE/OLB will not be a major need for 2013. BUT I'd love to see the Pats invest in the DL, which could use an infusion of youuth and talent at 2 positions:
1. Primary DT, including 3-4 NT, 4-3 DT and NT, and hopefully some ability to move outside to play jumbo 3-4 DE. Wilfork will be 31 and played 86% of the snaps. He would be more effective if paired with another monster inside, and if his snap count were reduced somewhat. There are 4 guys right now who I like for this role:
- Star Lotulelei, Utah. 6'3" 325#. Ngata-like quickness and athleticism.
- Johnathan Hankins*, Ohio St. 6'4" 320#. An athletic wide body. Played NT and DE for the Buckeyes last year.
- John Jenkins, Georgia. 6'3" 340#+. The most like Wilfork - a wide body with surprising agility and athleticism. Commands a double team inside, and agile enough to play end.
- Jesse Williams, Alabama. 6'4" 320# of pure muscle. A former rugby player with great quickness and agility, played 3-4 DE in 2011, moving to NT in 2012.
I'm not yet siold on Kawann Short of Purdue. There are a number of other guys worth watching, but those 4 stand out to me.
2. Primary DE (3-4 DE and 4-3 LDE) with the ability to move inside and ideally some ability to stand up and play in space. Shaun Ellis excelled in this role. JJ Watt is probably the prototype right now. Star Lotulelei and Jesse Williams could probably both play this role to some extent, similar to how Red Bryant is used by Seattle as a 4-3 RDE. But 3 guys stand out as worth watching:
- Magnus Hunt, SMU. 6'8" 290#. An athletic freak. Raw, but tremendous upside.
- Bjoern Warner*, Florida St. 6'4" 280#. A slightly smaller version of JJ Watt.
- William Gholston*, Michigan St. 6'7" 280#. Former LB with great movement skills. There are major motor and other questions, but the talent base is intriguing.
Some of these guys could be off my board by the time the 2013 draft comes around, but those are the guys who's size and skill set stands out to me right now as worth watching. Probably half of these guys will end up going top 20, but ideally at least a couple will get pushed down, and some may go 2nd round.