DE, Mississippi
Twitter handle: @InA_Flash
Rankings: NFLDraftScout: 32nd-ranked defensive end, #320 player overall, free agent grade.
Scouts Inc: 105th-ranked defensive end, rated as a free agent. Grade: 30, borderline draft prospect.
Biography/honors:
2012: Entered spring practice as starting DE but was academically ineligible for the season.
2011: Played in all 12 games, starting 5. 13 tackles, 2 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, 4 quarterback hurries. Had a TFL and two hurries at Vanderbilt; was Jeff Fisher watching?
2010: Played in 10 games, starting 5. 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. Had 1.5 sacks and 1.5 TFL against Alabama.
2009: Played in 5 games. 4 tackles with 1 tackle for loss.
2008: redshirted.
Major: psychology.
Injuries: none reported.
Dallas Regional Combine results: (NFL Combine DE averages in parentheses)
4.56 40 (faster than any DE who ran at the Combine. DE average was 4.77)
1.59 10-yard split
39.5” vertical jump (better than any DE at the Combine. Average was 33.25")
10'8" broad jump (tied best DE broad jump at Combine. Average was 9'9")
7.19 3-cone drill (7.09)
4.46 20-yard shuttle (4.45)
20 bench press (24)
Positives: Long and rangy with a quick first step, runs very well. Not only was his 40 time better than all defensive ends at the Combine, it would have placed him third among linebackers. He ran faster than 18 defensive backs, including Rams 3rd-round pick T.J. McDonald. His 1.59 10-yard split is an elite time; 2012 first-rounders Bruce Irvin, Whitney Mercilus, Chandler Jones and Nick Perry all came in from 1.55-1.60. Vertical jump is also elite and speaks further to his athletic explosiveness. Good work ethic. Worked hard and stayed in top shape despite not playing his senior year. Academics were affected by a death in the family, not any shortcomings in character.
Negatives: Hasn't played in a year and had few starts in his college career. Lacked production, wasn't considered much of a pass-rush threat. Like Cory Davis, his regional combine was held in Dallas, and times there were considered inflated by faster turf than Indy's. Slow off the ball. Needs to continue to learn to recognize run plays better so he doesn't get caught upfield pass-rushing.
Compares to: athletically, Bruce Irvin, which is undoubtedly why the Rams would sign a player with 4.5 career sacks in college.
Fun Facts: Gerald did have nine sacks his senior year in high school. This is the first year since 1999 that Mississippi didn't have a player taken in the NFL draft.
RamView: I think I get what the Rams see in Rivers. He's Bruce Irvin in terms of raw material. Mike Waufle's a top d-line coach; maybe he can make something out of that. (The Rams don't appear to be looking at Rivers as an OLB, where he didn't play anyway.) With Eugene Sims in the last year of his contract, maybe Rivers sticks on the practice squad in 2013 as a developmental pass-rush specialist. He's going to have to progress time-elapsed photography-fast, though. With no senior season, little on-the-field results and just a hot pre-Combine performance, Rivers really puts the "stopwatch" in "stopwatch player".
Chance of making team: 5%.
The good news: the last time I stuck those odds on a rookie free agent, Quinton Pointer made the team.
Sources: NFLDraftScout.com, University of Mississippi athletics, ESPN.com, Scout.com, TideFans blog, The Champion Newspaper (DeKalb County, Ga.)
Photo: Scout.com
No comments:
Post a Comment