Why the Pats Might Take Larry English.
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o Larry English Profile on FFToolbox
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The Team:
With less then a week to the Draft BB has picked out the player he wishes to acquire in this Draft, and now he is figuring out which player that is. Just like Jerod Mayo, last year he is not, and never has, taken the Best Player Available. He will zero in on the best players that fit his system, as all good GMs do. I had Mayo rated as the 16th best player in the Draft last year, and I had him rated higher than most; He was not the Best Player Available, he was the best player available that fit their top need, and their system. BB recognizes that if their is no spot for a player or he can't play in their system, no matter how athletic he is he will be a bust. That is why Mayo was so successful, he had a spot he had to step into and BB new he could maximize his potential within his system. So who is that player that fit their system the best, and fills their biggest need. Well, one thing BB says is that the first thing you have to have to play OLB in his system, you have to able to "Set the Edge". Setting the Edge is not just about strength, leverage, and technique, it is about desire and want to. Setting the Edge is a fight for the outside, a fight to stop a bid play RB from making a play on your outside. It is about hand to hand combat with an opponent who usually out weighs you by 50 pounds or over, and is often charging you like a bull on steroids, and you have to impact him, and then turn him so the little guy with the ball, who is usually twice your speed, can't scoot around you and gain your sidelines. Plus, no matter who difficult I make it sound, it is more difficult. So, which 3-4 OLB prospect does the best job of "Setting the Edge", and can still rush the passer? Larry English. I like Aaron Maybin as a pure passrusher, but don't even pretend to ask him to set the edge. I like Brown better then English as a passrusher, and he give much better effort against the run that Maybin, but he has shown no talent at setting the edge. In fact. I have can see him over-rushing the pass and give up his gap-responsibilities on run plays far more than I have seen him Set the Edge. I like Conner Barwin's potential much more than I like English's potential, especially as a passrusher. In fact the only player who can match Larry English at "Setting the Edge" is Robert Ayers, but I think he is very overrated as a passrusher. I have had English in the 2nd round, because he doesn’t have elite speed or elite size, and he played in a crappy MAC the past few years. I would take Barwin over English because he does have elite size and speed, and had more Sacks last year than English in a much tougher conference. He not as NFL ready as English, but it usually takes 2-3 year for D-Linemen to transition to OLB anyway. I believe that in three year Barwin could be a better 3-4 OLB than English, but he simply cannot "Set the Edge" like English. And what I think is irrelevant, it is what I think BB thinks that is important, I think? Plus, English is as tough as player as you could want. He played last season with a cast on his right hand after breaking his thumb, and when I watched him play last season he was as good if not better against the run then he was rushing the passer. He is a super smart player, who was a team captain, and not only was he the first Defensive player to win the MAC player of the year, he won it the past two seasons. So he is a hard player to knock down or criticize if the pats take him. And unless someone sneaks ahead of the Pats and takes English, a trade is made, or Maualaga falls, it will be Larry English. The good news is that they are in prime position to grab English here, and the more I study it the more I am convinced that they will just sit here and take Larry English, period. With Miami, Baltimore, and Arizona between 23 and 34, I no longer believe he will last in the 2nd round.
The Reason:
Everywhere I turn where anybody has an inside into the Belichick Bunker the word that comes out is English (and yes that is a pun). I can't see English as a 1st Round pick (unless of course Belichick actually takes him in the 1st on D-Day;-). He does not have elite speed. He played in a terrible conference against weak competition. Plus, he does not have elite size (if he was 6-4 he would be the easy pick at 23). So I just can't bring myself to put him at 23. However, he plays faster than he times. He plays with terrific strength and leverage. He is super tough, and he his better against the run then Barwin and Brown. I think both Barwin and Brown have higher ceilings, but English is more ready to start at OLB than both of them next season, and the Pats may need him to start at OLB next season.
Larry English:
English ran a 4.69, which was huge. You cannot Draft a speed rusher on the first day who runs a 4.9. I have him firmly planted in the 2nd Round. He has made an interesting rise, but he has a history of injury, two knee surgeries, and he played as a lower level of competition. Went to the Senior Bowl and really played well. Worked out at LB in drills. Showed good instincts in coverage, and changed direction with efficient quickness. Showed he could stick and shadow a T-End. Was very impressive, especially when you consider he had not done that in college. Showed he had the athletic ability and coverage skills to switch to OLB. Has a great burst, and just exploded around the edge in passrush drill.
He was the 2-time MAC player if the year. He has a great burst off the edge, and showed he could run the horn and hit the QB. He is a bit of long strider, and doesn't always show the quickest feet. Has had great production in the MAC. He wore a cast on his right arm last season, I don't know if it was a wrist or hand injury. Teams ran purposely away from him, because he was such a force in the running game. Switch sides a lot, sometimes on every other play. Opposing teams would also waggle and roll out the QB away from his side. Which helps to explain why he had better stats as a Junior, but was not necessarily a better player. In 2007, he garnered 10.5 Sack, 17 TFL and 67 TKL. In 2008 he garnered 8 Sacks, 16 TFL, 37 Tackles, and 3 FF. He did not have a bad season, but his stats where effected because of his injury and cast, and because they moved him around a lot last season, and because he was the opposing teams main focus. He plays with a lot of quickness and intensity, and looks like a OLB and not a D-End. Has a history of injury, but stay relatively healthy his last two seasons. Was medical Redshirt as a true freshman. Has lined up as a Stand-up Rusher in Northern Illinois's hybrid 3-4, but really was rusher, and I never saw him drop into coverage. Uses his hands like weapons and has one of the best chops and rips for a LB in this years Draft. A great hand fighter, one of the best I've seen since Tippet. Not just a pure speed rusher, he can stop and read. Smart player, who is very aware of what the other team is trying to do. Reads play action, misdirects, and fakes as well as anyone in this Draft. Excellent at sifting through the confusion and making the tackle. Does a great job Setting the Edge. He will fight to protect the Edge with fierceness and unnatural strength for a player his size. he plays with great strength and balance on his feet. However, he can get caught over-rushing on Draws. Plus it has to be noted that MAC was not very good the past few seasons.
He is an undersized D-End who is more than just a passrusher. He is good against the run, and actually does a nice job setting the edge. He plays unnaturally strong for a player his size. Wants to play D-End, and added weight for the Senior Bowl. However, he didn't look as fast and quick. His game is still speed around the edge, and his great explosion off the line. Terrific hand fighter, who uses his hands like a butcher, and has a great chop-move. Can destroy OTs with his great quickness around the edge. Was great at Senior Bowl, and sometimes looked unblockable in drills.