Ethan
Westbrooks 6'4” 267
DE,
West Texas A&M
Rankings:
NFLDraftScout:
13th-ranked defensive end, #150 player overall, 4th-5th
round grade.
Nawrocki:
11th-ranked DE, not ranked in top 150 prospects. Grade: 5.23, should
make a roster and contribute on special teams.
Scouts
Inc: 25th-ranked DE, #272 player overall. Grade: 36, borderline draft
prospect.
DraftCountdown.com:
20th
ranked DE, #213 player overall. Late round-free agent grade.
Biography/Honors:
2013:
Second
team “Little all-America” (Division II, III, NAIA). First team
all-Lone Star conference. Played in 14 games, starting 10. 43
tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 10 QB hurries, 5 batted
passes and a forced fumble. Defensive MVP of the East-West Shrine
Game with two sacks.
2012:
Transferred to West Texas A&M. Division II National Defensive
Player of the Year. Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the
Year. Played in 15 games, starting 14. 60 tackles, 28 tackles for
loss, 19.5 sacks
(1 off Division II record), two batted passes, three forced fumbles.
Led the nation in sacks.
2011:
Transferred
to Sacramento City College. MVP of the Mid-Empire Conference with
10.5 sacks. Complete statistics not readily available online.
2010:
Transferred
to Cosumnes River (Calif.) J.C. Did not play football.
2009:
Played
in 11 games for San Joaquin Delta (Calif.) J.C., starting nine.
36
tackles, 12.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, 9 QB hurries.
Off-field:
Academics:
Majored in nursing, with a minor in business.
Twitter
handle: @EastyBeasty90
Injuries:
None
reported
NFL
Combine Stats: (averages
for defensive ends in parentheses)
4.83
40 (4.83)
29”
vertical jump (33” - Westbrooks was one of the low five DEs)
9'2”
broad jump (9'8” - also in the low five)
7.30
3-cone drill (7.33)
4.67
20-yard shuttle
19
bench press (22)
Scouting
report:
Positives:
Intriguing
size and athleticism. Well-built with good size and “length”.
Plays bigger than his size. Has frame to add at least 10 pounds
without losing quickness. Explodes off the snap and explodes into
blockers. Has surprising burst. Very physical and aggressive.
Explosive upper body, can rock a blocker on his heels. Above average
overall strength. Quick, heavy hands. Good first step and good bend
around the edge. Excellent flexibility, balance and body control.
Natural pass rusher who hunts down QBs. Breaks down well chasing
mobile QBs. Disruptive penetrator with a good spin move and a very
effective inside move. Plays with tenacity and covers a lot of ground
when he plays motivated. Quick closing burst. Shows some nastiness.
Versatile – played nose tackle and 3-technique as well as
traditional 4-3 DE. Dominated lesser (Division II) competition but
had his best games against his best opponents. No significant
injuries.
Negatives:
Very
raw, unpolished, unrefined in technique. Level of competition let him
get by just on his athletic skills. Freelanced all the time in
college and will have to learn to play a structured game. Much more
interested in rushing the passer than playing the run and gets fooled
by play-action and draw plays. Does not maintain his rushing lane,
gets out of position and loses track of the ball. Effort is a
significant concern. Disappears for long stretches. Motor doesn't
always run hot. Doesn't pursue hard once the play's past him. Needs
to improve his hand work and work on keeping his pads low. Struggles
with the mental game. Doesn't show a good understanding of blocking
schemes. Respectful but a bit of an oddball. Coaches will have to
stay on his case to get the most out of him. Takes stupid penalties
and committed THIRTY PENALTIES IN TWO YEARS at West Texas A&M,
INCLUDING 15 OFFSIDES PENALTIES. And, believe it or not, some teams
consider his tattoos (he is heavily tattooed and has one on his
face) as character red flags.
Compares
to: Eugene
Sims
Fun
Facts: Famous
people with face tattoos: Mike Tyson, Lil Wayne and Dallas Mavericks
forward Deshawn Stevenson, who is the face tattoo champion for his
inexplicable backwards Pittsburgh Pirates logo. Although there is the
rapper with the giant ice cream cone on his face. Good grief.
RamView:
The
Rams should carry 10 or 11 defensive linemen on their 53-man roster,
which sounds like a lot, but nine of those spots are probably already
decided. Michael Sam's the ninth unless he has a terrible camp. I've
got Westbrooks, Sammy Brown, Matt Conrath and Deantre Harlan fighting
for the last scraps, and I think Westbrooks, who got the biggest
signing bonus among Rams UDFAs, is a pretty good favorite to win out.
After Mike Waufle turned Gerald Rivers into a legit NFL pass rusher
last summer, a player of Westbrooks' versatility and pass-rushing
skills is clearly in the right camp, as long as he keeps his head on
straight. But knowing Jeff Fisher's strict discipline against
committing penalties, Westbrooks could be in for an uphill... oh,
never mind. Your locker's over there. Next to Ray Ray Armstrong.
Chance
of making team: 55%.
Sources: NFL Draft 2014 Preview
(Nolan Nawrocki), NFLDraftScout.com, CBSSports.com, West Texas A&M
athletics, Stockton (Calif.) Record, Amarillo (Tex.) Globe-News,
Scout.com, Sacramento City College Express, MTV
Photo: NFL.com
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