2008 Draft Prospects: Defensive Ends

Prospect rankings · Risers/Fallers · Mock drafts · History · Draft Tracker

TSX · Offense · Defense · Special Teams

Defensive Ends · Defensive Tackles · Inside Linebackers · Outside Linebackers · Cornerbacks · Safeties

April 14, 2008
By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Clark your opinion!

Clark Judge ranks the top five defensive prospects at each position.

Top Prospects: Defensive Ends

1. Chris Long, Virginia

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.75	Bench press: 370 lbs	Vertical jump: 34"

The skinny: Probably the safest pick in the draft. The son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, he has everything you want in a first-round choice: Character, ability and determination. He can play in a 4-3 or a 3-4, is an outstanding pass rusher who had 14 sacks in 2007 and holds up against the run. Could be the first pick in the draft.

2. Vernon Gholston, Ohio State

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.58	Bench press: 455 lbs	Vertical jump: 42"

The skinny: His reputation has only been enhanced since ending a season where he had the only sack on Michigan's Jake Long and a school-record 14. His combine numbers were astounding and so was his Pro Day. A Ted Hendricks Award finalist, he has rare strength for a defensive end, good quickness and rarely misses a tackle. A sure top 10 pick who may make it into the top five.

3. Derrick Harvey, Florida

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.84	Bench press: 350 lbs	Vertical jump: 28.5"

The skinny: Next to Gholston, he's the best pure pass rusher in this year's draft. Harvey compares to former teammate Jarvis Moss with speed, quickness and explosion off the edge. He also can play the run, with opponents trying 47 rushing attempts in his direction for minus-28 yards, and Harvey not allowing a rushing first down until the Capital One Bowl. With 19.5 sacks the past two seasons, he's an impact player waiting to happen.

4. Phillip Merling, Clemson

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: N/A	Bench press: N/A	Vertical jump: N/A

The skinny: Had a career-high 78 tackles last season, including seven sacks and 17 for losses and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week three times. Should be a first-round pick, but he recently underwent surgery for a sports hernia and may not be able to work out for scouts before the draft. He did not work out at the combine.

5. Lawrence Jackson, USC

Agility Tests:
40-yard dash: 4.82	Bench press: 345 lbs	Vertical jump: 32"

The skinny: A disappointment in 2006 he responded with a big senior season -- leading the Trojans in sacks with 10.5 and producing 17 stops for losses. USC's co-Defensive Player of the Year, he is quick, instinctive and solid against the run. Can be streaky, which should make him a second-round pick.

Player on the rise:

Ohio State's Gholston. He was a likely Top 10 choice entering the combine, but his stock jumped after he ran a 4.65 40 and hit 37 reps on the bench press -- tying the combine high. Good huh? He cut his time to 4.58 at his pro workout. Now he's mentioned as a possible top five pick, with Miami considering him at the first position.

Player on the decline:

Miami's Calais Campbell. His 40 times at the combine were a disaster, so he ran again at his Pro Day and produced a 5.01. Big deal. That's slow, not as slow as the 5.06 at the combine but enough to make scouts concerned. It could -- and should -- cause him to drop out of the first round.

Sleeper

Tommy Blake, TCU. Had he left school a year early he would have been a first round pick a year ago. Instead, Blake stayed and suffered for the experience. The 2005 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year missed five games with an undisclosed leave of absence and was ineffective when he played. One reason was his weight: He was 287 at the East-West Shrine game. If he can win the Battle of the Bulge -- and he was down to 272 at his Pro Day -- he's worth a shot.

Overrated

Quentin Groves, Auburn. He could be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 or a 4-3 defensive end, but he hasn't played up to his level of measureables and has a tendency to wear down late in ballgames. Once considered a first-round lock, he probably drops to the second.

Position analysis:

There are four potential first-round picks at this position, which makes it good. But it's not great. Long is the only bullet-proof candidate here, though Gholston could join him if he ever becomes more consistent. The position drops off quickly after the first five or six, but there's enough depth here to keep the needy happy in Day Two.

Talk Back

Grizzle32

Reputation:89
Level:All-Star
Since:Sep 30, 2006

May 9, 2008 8:30 am

Score: 84

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

Kyle Clement=Steal for the Steel

6' 4" 290 lb. Defensive tackles are one of the most envied types of players in the league. Even though he was a D-2 player, ithink the Steelers got a great pick up in signing him as a free agent. Even as a rookie I wouldn't be suprised to see him adding depth to the infamously ferocious Steeler defense.

Reply to this thread

Irish73

Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Oct 24, 2007

April 27, 2008 6:50 pm

Score: 93

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

Hawaii exposed

Glad to see that Hawaii's talent was exposed during the butt-kickin put on them by the SEC. They were exposed for what they aren't......good......when they finally played a real team. Colt will never amount to a thing and where are all the WR's they claimed were gonna go so high? Only one player was drafted from Hawaii. When will they learn that playing a high school schedu ...(more)

Reply to this thread (5 replies)

ChrisperJ10

Reputation:99
Level:Superstar
Since:Oct 12, 2006

April 27, 2008 6:51 pm

Score: 95

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

Caleb Cambell

If anyone saw his story during the draft then you know him being drafted was a life or death situation. (If he doesn't get drafted then he's heading to Iraq) He gets to play football and represent Army in the NFL.

Good luck to you sir.

Reply to this thread (24 replies)

Colbymon

Reputation:92
Level:All-Star
Since:Dec 20, 2006

April 28, 2008 2:11 pm

Score: 86

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

We should have taken Colt Brennan

Brennan against Washington: 42 out of 50 for 442 yard with 5 TDs and no ints. I don't care a what level you are playing, those are difficult stats to put up. He did that fairly regularly. The game before was not as good. He played Boise St. and went 40 out of 53 for 495 yards, 5 TDs, 2 ints, and he also ran for one TD. This guy could be a real 6th round steal.&n ...(more)

Reply to this thread (2 replies)

Hoopheaven21

Reputation:95
Level:Superstar
Since:Aug 20, 2006

April 27, 2008 12:33 am

Score: 91

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

Cowboys picks...............................

They had a very good Day 1. Felix Jones, RB (Arkansas) is the perfect compliment to Marion Barber. Jones is a roadrunner. Mike Jenkins, CB (South Florida) is a cover CB with good hands and decent size. Martellus Bennett, TE (Texas A&M) makes sense because they trade Fasano to Miami and like running two TE sets. But I would have liked to see them trade up to get one of the big WR's ...(more)

Reply to this thread (6 replies)

jordantm15

Reputation:99
Level:Superstar
Since:Jan 20, 2007

April 27, 2008 5:42 pm

Score: 97

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

Ali Highsmith, Darrell Robertson?

I'm just wondering why no teams are picking these guys. These were 3rd round prospects. Any thoughts?

Reply to this thread (14 replies)

TrojanLuver1

Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Nov 26, 2007

April 22, 2008 4:25 pm

Score: 89

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

Karma for Bengals...

Hey... the Bengals deserve a break with the malcontent "85"... Sedrick Ellis is a future ALL-PRO and is perfect to improve the "D" in the 'Natti...

For Carson Palmer's sake.... Bengals TAKE Sedrick if he is there at #9!!!!

Fight ON!!

Reply to this thread (4 replies)

m4615358

Reputation:93
Level:All-Star
Since:Aug 11, 2006

April 29, 2008 4:18 pm

Score: 88

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

Bears/ Vikings??

I cannot understand why the Vikings or Bears did not go for Henne or Brohm. I guess Tavares and Grossman are the answers for both teams???? Not that they would play next year but they both lasted to the second round. Maybe the Vikings think they got a steal in Booty?. I doubt it.

Reply to this thread (6 replies)

1 man army

Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:Aug 22, 2006

April 27, 2008 4:05 pm

Score: 96

Log-in to rate:

Log-in to rate:

Finally we make tough picks

I believe this is one of the best off seasons for detroit in a long time. We didn't go after the high profiled guys and chose some tough players with good heads on their shoulders. Sure we may have been able to trade down further for Gosder, but why chance it. We really bolstered our offense, while picking up some defensive players that will play over some guys already "on" the team. It will b ...(more)

Reply to this thread (4 replies)

Hubister