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The talent pool is very deep
Suggs may go high despite baggage
By RICK BRAUN
Last Updated: April 17, 2003
Green Bay - The game of football is won in the trenches.
Packers/NFL
Terrell Suggs looks down at Washington's Cody Pickett after the Arizona State defensive end sacked the quarterback in a game last October. Suggs figures to be the first DE selected in the NFL draft.
Yes, skill players are the most obvious stars to the untrained eye. But the teams that win championships have the beef up front that makes it possible for those skill players to do their thing.
And it's no different on defense than it is on offense.
The skill players on defense are the linebackers and defensive backs. But if they're not freed up to do their things by the guys up front, they can't make the big plays.
To that end, everyone is looking for good defensive linemen.
The 2003 National Football League draft should again prove that out.
When the first round is finished, don't be surprised if the defensive lineman count reaches double figures.
And it's not just a top-heavy class. There will be plenty of defensive linemen chosen in the middle and late rounds.
"I think there's some real good depth in the defensive line this year," said Scott Studwell, the Minnesota Vikings' director of college scouting.
Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese agreed.
"The defensive line group is probably a little better than it has been in the past," Reese said.
Early on, it appeared the first defensive lineman to go would be Arizona State end Terrell Suggs.
Suggs is an edge rusher supreme, but a poor personal workout for NFL scouts may have hurt his status. Nonetheless, he has a lot going in his favor.
"Great pass rusher," said a personnel executive for an AFC team who spoke on condition he not be identified. "Maybe not as total a player as (Nebraska's Chris) Kelsay will be. But will probably have a chance to be the first Pro Bowl type guy of that group because he's going to end with so many sacks."
And sacks are what people notice. In today's NFL, it's pass first and run second. And putting pressure on the quarterback is the first step in stopping the pass.
One NFC player personnel executive said the draft is short of edge rushers. With that being the case, the ones that are there carry a higher premium. Bad workout or not, expect Suggs to go in the top 10, and possibly still in the top five.
Suggs' poor workout appears to have made Penn State tackle Jimmy Kennedy the likely first defensive lineman to go.
"Great size, very explosive," the AFC executive said. "Can be dominant."
There was one caveat, however.
"Is a little inconsistent in the effort category," the executive said.
Some reports suggest that Kennedy may not be the first tackle taken. That honor could go to Kentucky's DeWayne Robertson, an early entry in the draft.
Robertson is a 6-3, 308-pound physical specimen.
"Really interesting," the AFC executive said of Robertson. "Very exciting, very explosive. Great motor. Has all the tools except great height, and there's really not much you can do about that."
Poor workout notwithstanding, Suggs should still be the first end picked. But Miami's Jerome McDougle has closed the gap and could jump ahead. He ran a 4.69 40 at the Combine and did well in other drills.
The AFC executive said McDougle is comparable to Suggs.
"Miami defensive linemen were really good because there were a lot of them," the executive said. "They didn't have the great player that they traditionally had where they had one guy that just dominated and another three or four guys who were pretty good. They've got maybe six or seven guys on that team that are all going to be drafted. We don't think any of them are great, but they're all pretty good. So it didn't matter who was in the game. And he kind of fits into that group."
Suggs and McDougle are the top pass rushers of the group at end. That will get them picked early. But Nebraska's Chris Kelsay also merits strong consideration. He's not quite the pass-rusher, but he's probably the better all-around player. He'll definitely go in the first round.
How determined is he? Well, as soon as Kelsay was done with his season following the Cornhuskers' loss to Mississippi in the Independence Bowl, he reported to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., to get ready for the draft.
Kelsay's "time off" since the end of the season is quite demanding. He works out from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday with just a couple small breaks for meals and to take a breath.
How does he do it?
"Great motor," the AFC executive said.
"He will be probably the best all-around first-down, three-down player of that whole group," the executive said. "Just a supreme effort guy that's got a lot of talent. Probably the best of those Nebraska defensive linemen to come out in the few years, and they've had quite a few."
McDougle will not be the only Miami defensive lineman picked in the first round. Tackle William Joseph will also be gone by the time the Packers pick at No. 29. Joseph is compared by some to another former Miami tackle, Warren Sapp. If that were truly the case, he'd be a top five pick. Still, others have their doubts.
"There are going to be some people that will really love him for what he does and there will be other teams that are really disappointed," the AFC executive said.
Somewhere down the line, a team looking for a bargain will be picking Boston College end Antonio Garay.
Garay has good numbers at 6-31/2, 293 pounds. He had five sacks in the Golden Eagles' first five game, then missed the last six when he broke his leg.
2003 NFL Draft
A position-by-position look at this year's crop of NFL prospects, according to Packer Plus magazine:
DL: At a glance
WRs: At a glance
OL: At a glance
RBs: At a glance
QBs: At a glance
Suggs may go high despite baggage
By RICK BRAUN
Last Updated: April 17, 2003
Green Bay - The game of football is won in the trenches.
Packers/NFL
Terrell Suggs looks down at Washington's Cody Pickett after the Arizona State defensive end sacked the quarterback in a game last October. Suggs figures to be the first DE selected in the NFL draft.
Yes, skill players are the most obvious stars to the untrained eye. But the teams that win championships have the beef up front that makes it possible for those skill players to do their thing.
And it's no different on defense than it is on offense.
The skill players on defense are the linebackers and defensive backs. But if they're not freed up to do their things by the guys up front, they can't make the big plays.
To that end, everyone is looking for good defensive linemen.
The 2003 National Football League draft should again prove that out.
When the first round is finished, don't be surprised if the defensive lineman count reaches double figures.
And it's not just a top-heavy class. There will be plenty of defensive linemen chosen in the middle and late rounds.
"I think there's some real good depth in the defensive line this year," said Scott Studwell, the Minnesota Vikings' director of college scouting.
Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese agreed.
"The defensive line group is probably a little better than it has been in the past," Reese said.
Early on, it appeared the first defensive lineman to go would be Arizona State end Terrell Suggs.
Suggs is an edge rusher supreme, but a poor personal workout for NFL scouts may have hurt his status. Nonetheless, he has a lot going in his favor.
"Great pass rusher," said a personnel executive for an AFC team who spoke on condition he not be identified. "Maybe not as total a player as (Nebraska's Chris) Kelsay will be. But will probably have a chance to be the first Pro Bowl type guy of that group because he's going to end with so many sacks."
And sacks are what people notice. In today's NFL, it's pass first and run second. And putting pressure on the quarterback is the first step in stopping the pass.
One NFC player personnel executive said the draft is short of edge rushers. With that being the case, the ones that are there carry a higher premium. Bad workout or not, expect Suggs to go in the top 10, and possibly still in the top five.
Suggs' poor workout appears to have made Penn State tackle Jimmy Kennedy the likely first defensive lineman to go.
"Great size, very explosive," the AFC executive said. "Can be dominant."
There was one caveat, however.
"Is a little inconsistent in the effort category," the executive said.
Some reports suggest that Kennedy may not be the first tackle taken. That honor could go to Kentucky's DeWayne Robertson, an early entry in the draft.
Robertson is a 6-3, 308-pound physical specimen.
"Really interesting," the AFC executive said of Robertson. "Very exciting, very explosive. Great motor. Has all the tools except great height, and there's really not much you can do about that."
Poor workout notwithstanding, Suggs should still be the first end picked. But Miami's Jerome McDougle has closed the gap and could jump ahead. He ran a 4.69 40 at the Combine and did well in other drills.
The AFC executive said McDougle is comparable to Suggs.
"Miami defensive linemen were really good because there were a lot of them," the executive said. "They didn't have the great player that they traditionally had where they had one guy that just dominated and another three or four guys who were pretty good. They've got maybe six or seven guys on that team that are all going to be drafted. We don't think any of them are great, but they're all pretty good. So it didn't matter who was in the game. And he kind of fits into that group."
Suggs and McDougle are the top pass rushers of the group at end. That will get them picked early. But Nebraska's Chris Kelsay also merits strong consideration. He's not quite the pass-rusher, but he's probably the better all-around player. He'll definitely go in the first round.
How determined is he? Well, as soon as Kelsay was done with his season following the Cornhuskers' loss to Mississippi in the Independence Bowl, he reported to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., to get ready for the draft.
Kelsay's "time off" since the end of the season is quite demanding. He works out from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday with just a couple small breaks for meals and to take a breath.
How does he do it?
"Great motor," the AFC executive said.
"He will be probably the best all-around first-down, three-down player of that whole group," the executive said. "Just a supreme effort guy that's got a lot of talent. Probably the best of those Nebraska defensive linemen to come out in the few years, and they've had quite a few."
McDougle will not be the only Miami defensive lineman picked in the first round. Tackle William Joseph will also be gone by the time the Packers pick at No. 29. Joseph is compared by some to another former Miami tackle, Warren Sapp. If that were truly the case, he'd be a top five pick. Still, others have their doubts.
"There are going to be some people that will really love him for what he does and there will be other teams that are really disappointed," the AFC executive said.
Somewhere down the line, a team looking for a bargain will be picking Boston College end Antonio Garay.
Garay has good numbers at 6-31/2, 293 pounds. He had five sacks in the Golden Eagles' first five game, then missed the last six when he broke his leg.
2003 NFL Draft
A position-by-position look at this year's crop of NFL prospects, according to Packer Plus magazine:
DL: At a glance
WRs: At a glance
OL: At a glance
RBs: At a glance
QBs: At a glance
