Chandler Jones - a possible LEO pass rusher for the Seahawks?

In three years at Syracuse Chandler Jones only recorded 10.5 sacks, 4.5 of which came in an injury-hit 2011 campaign where he missed five games. The sign of an underachiever? Or maybe someone who’s best days will come in the NFL? There’s something raw and edgy about his play and as an athletic pass rusher in a class lacking a lot of top-end talent, he could be one of the players who’s set for a big rise after the combine.

At the moment he’s more of an athlete than a complete, rounded defensive end. He has a good frame – almost ideal for the LEO – listed at 6-5, 265lbs with a lean frame with minimal body fat. Jones doesn’t flash a lot of technical ability and certainly he doesn’t have a great repertoire of moves, but he doesn’t take many plays off and he’s shown enough speed off the edge to warrant consideration in the second or third round range. He’s also quite inconsistent as you’ll see in the tape, but there’s enough here to intrigue teams like Seattle who are looking to give their pass rush a shot in the arm and maybe fill the roll currently occupied by pending free agent Raheem Brock.

As with most defensive ends playing at this size, Jones isn’t an orthodox fit for 4-3 teams unless he’ll be working mainly as a specialist. At Syracuse he switched between taking snaps in space (LEO) and working in a three-man front and it’s good to see he wasn’t overwhelmed when Syracuse dropped extra players into coverage. He’s still a bit small to act as a pure end in the 4-3 and I’m torn as to whether he’ll fit at OLB in the 3-4. He’s not going to be a consistent run-stopper as you’d probably expect at 265lbs, but he needs to get stronger in the upper body and try to add an effective bull rush to his game. Too many times he engages a tackle and gets very minimal push. There’s also times – especially in the WVU tape – where he flashes well against the run and holds his position even when taking on two blockers. His technique needs a little refining overall, but there’s a lot of potential to work with.

Jones sometimes struggles to read and react, making the wrong judgement as the play unfolds and getting out of position. He doesn’t diagnose run plays particularly well, especially on the draw, but a player like this you’re really concentrating on his abilities as a pass rusher. He’s enough of a threat working in space to interest the Seahawks possibly as early as round two – and don’t be surprised if they spend their first two picks in this year’s draft boosting the front seven.

He comes from a strong bloodline – his brother Arthur Jones was a highly rated 2010 draft prospect who surprisingly fell into the fifth round where he was selected by Baltimore. His other brother, Jon, fights in the UFC. I’ve broken down select plays from the games against Connecticut and West Virginia below. Tape courtesy of MarioCLP and Aaron Aloysius.

0:01 – Good contact with the left tackle to jolt him out of position and force an inaccurate throw/ interception.

0:26– If you want to know why he might run well at the combine, this play shows what he’s capable of. Great hustle to at least try and get downfield to save the touchdown, but it’s the athleticism and ability to move with the play that’s most impressive.

1:01 – Handles the block well from the H-back and bursts into the backfield to help force a loss on this run play. This is the kind of thing you want to see from an undersized defensive end – making plays against the run and not just relying on their ability to rush the passer in space.

1:21 – The other side of the story, because here he’s knocked off his feet by the H-back who gets his revenge and takes Jones out of this running play.

1:29 – Needs to be stronger here to shed the block a little sooner and prevent the first down. Although he makes the tackle, he’s moving backwards throughout and needs to do a better job holding his position.

1:47 – A great play on two levels. Firstly, he deals with a double-team and this time holds his position to make initial contact with the ball-carrier. Secondly, it’s a really opportunistic play to strip the ball and force the turnover.

2:38 – Collapses the pocket forcing the quarterback to move, ending the play before it develops. Great first step inside and beats his blocker before shoving an interior lineman aside. Disrupts the play and deserves credit even though he didn’t get the sack.

2:53 – Needs to be stronger at the P.O.A. The left tackle is deep and almost standing on the quarterbacks toes, plus he’s slightly off balance having dropped a little shallow. A good bull rush here puts the QB in trouble, but Jones is stoned by the tackle.

3:02 – Superb combination of edge speed, burst and hand use – exactly what you want to see from a LEO. He beats the tackle with ease and leans around the contact, brushing the blocker aside before getting to the quarterback for the sack and forced fumble/turnover. He brought the pressure on a three man rush, dominated his opponent and again showed the awareness to go for the football as well as make the tackle.

3:56 – Again great burst on the inside move showing he’s not just an edge rusher. Great side-step to dodge the interior lineman while remaining balance and avoiding contact with perfect hand use. Just misses the sack but forces the QB to step into the pocket.

4:25 – Better against the run, holding his position then disengaging to make the tackle for no gain.

1:47 – The first real evidence on the two videos of a bull rush. Here he drives back the left tackle who is completely dominated and makes the sack on Geno Smith. Good pursuit, ideal pad level and leans into the blocker keeping one arm free to tackle the quarterback. Showing the ability to move inside and counter will boost his draft stock and prove he’s not just a pure edge rusher.

2:06 – Struggles to disengage the block but makes an instinctive attempt to tip the ball into the air using his long arms. This could easily have been an interception with a little more fortune.

3:24 – Too easily dealt with against the run. Gets his body into a strange angle and makes the job of a square-on blocker very easy. Needs to be more disciplined in this situation to hold his position, doesn’t always have to try and make the big play.

3:34– Why is he looking down at the turf on this play? Is he off balance? If he keeps his head up and sees the runner, he could’ve forced a big loss.

3:44 – Reacts well to the play and quickly changes direction to make the tackle.

4:38 – Is well blocked on this play, but it looks as if he just gets enough on Smith’s throwing arm to force an under-thrown ball for an interception. It looks as if there’s contact.

5:22 – Continued effort, the second defensive player to get to the quarterback here and again has the awareness to go for the strip-sack. The ball comes loose and it’s almost a turnover.

This wasn’t Cousins’ finest individual performance, but he also played his part in a big win for Michigan State. There were several sloppy errors in this tape – he can’t afford to try to fake the throw over the middle by staring at the secondary and then coming back to throw blind to the right. It led to a big turnover in this game and he gave Georgia enough bites of the apple to win this one comfortably. Fortunately, the Bulldogs were equally generous.

However, there were also some key highlights – none more so than a superb two-minute drill to tie the game at 27-27 and take it to overtime. Poise, accuracy, the ability to make a play with his legs when offered the opportunity. That was an excellent drive late on to give his team a shot at victory.

The Seahawks may or may not have the opportunity to draft Cousins, depending on the grade they’ve given him and the area he leaves the board. The early second round may be considered too early, but he could easily be off the board before round three. In my mock draft yesterday, I had Cousins going in the late second round to Green Bay. Seattle will have to weigh up the direction they want to go in round two, but they could well decide to keep adding to the front seven and they may want to spend a high pick on a running back. They aren’t likely to force the issue at quarterback and overdraft someone – even in round two – when there are players higher on their board available.

Even so, Pete Carroll seems to like Cousins and he matches what the Seahawks are looking for in terms of a ‘leader’ at quarterback. His stock has risen during the Senior Bowl and while previously he may have been considered a probably round 3/4 pick, that now seems unlikely. I have Cousins graded as the #4 quarterback behind only Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Brock Osweiler. You’ll find the tape above vs Georgia in the Outback Bowl (provided to us by JMPasq) and the review below.

0:06– I’m torn between whether this is just a bad read and play call, or an exceptional play from Brandon Boykin. Credit goes to the corner, he spots this immediately.

0:28 – Great read from Cousins here, spotting the receiver dropping in behind the corner and noticing he’d be passed off to the safety. He leads the wide out nicely and this is just a really good play from the quarterback.

0:42 – Nice completion, off balance thrown to the sideline under pressure. Exciting for two reasons – one, what a fantastic rush by Jarvis Jones who would’ve been a top-ten pick this year. Two – for Cousins to generate that kind of velocity leaning back and with a hit forthcoming is impressive.

1:01 – Jarvis Jones. Again.

1:49 – Not sure what happens on this play. Good play action, good pass protection and the pass (thrown slightly behind, which is what needed to happen in that thick coverage) just seems to go through the receivers hands.

1:55– Dangerous throw down the middle, Cousins needs to avoid lofting passes too much in 2v1 situations. In that read, better to drive the ball and risk the incompletion than risk the interception by taking something off the pass. He tries to throw off the safety by looking to the right, but he can’t trust the fake. Bacarri Rambo doesn’t bite and jumps the pass – it could’ve easily been a pick.

2:24– Doesn’t notice the linebacker ready to jump the dig. Needs to be careful and identify the danger here, this should’ve been an interception.

2:40 – He’s starting to press with the score at 16-0 to Georgia and MSU struggling with five straight 3-and-outs. However bad things are going, it’s never worth risking a pick here and making it worse. Bad read, bad decision to throw into triple coverage. Must do better.

3:27 – It’s a sloppy route from the intended target, but also a bit of a wild throw from Cousins that almost led to an interception.

4:06 – Superb fake on the bubble screen, completely sells it opening up the tight end down the seam. Much better, intelligent quarterback play.

4:41 – Cousins threads the needle down the middle, dissecting three defenders to find the tight end. Nice, accurate throw with the correct level of touch.

5:02– Inaccurate pass, throws too high. Could’ve been costly.

5:58 – First interception, but it had been on the cards. Ill-advised throw to the sideline, not enough punch on the pass and easily cut off and returned. The big problem here is Cousins looks down the middle of the field on the fake, then throws blind to the right sideline. Being deceptive is one thing, but throwing bad picks that are avoidable is another. This was avoidable and if he makes the read before throwing, he avoids a pick.

7:23 – Better. Cousins anticipates the route and just allows that extra split second to let it develop – then throws a strike into the end zone. Ball placement was perfect, allowing the tight end to go up and make the play.

8:09– Play action before a bad read. If you freeze it at 8:11, what do you see? A wall of three red-shirts blocking off the inside route. Cousins forces it anyway, with the ball being tipped by one defender and caught by another. Alec Ogletree is a very good prospect at Georgia but this was all on the quarterback. He cannot make that throw.

8:33 – 10:02 – I wanted to highlight the entire drive which tied the game and took it to overtime. This is just an excellent two-minute drill, Cousins marching the team down the field with a combination of accuracy throwing the ball, good decision making and when given the chance to make a play with his legs – he took it. A clutch drive that deserves to be highlighted in it’s entirety.

10:15 – Jarvis Jones. Did we ever mention he’s pretty good?

10:23 – Another bad decision here and another pick. He’s throwing into a zone with two defensive backs and one receiver, and hoping for the best. That’s not a good read or decision and he was fortunate to get another opportunity to win this game.

Devon Still could be a legitimate three-technique in Seattle

Few players boosted their stock like Devon Still in 2011. Previously an inconsistent defensive tackle with sloppy technique, he dominated the Big-10 as a fifth year senior. He’s the most likely three-technique option for the Seahawks in round one this year – probably edging LSU’s Michael Brockers – and should leave the board within the top-20.

Last year Still showed he was good at maintaining his position at the P.O.A. but he simply didn’t get enough penetration on a consistent basis. Too often that he was leaning into blocks and leading with the shoulder. You’ll see in the first video below (2010 tape vs Florida & Alabama) how he struggled with balance and spent far too much time on the turf. In the Florida tape at 5:10, as soon as he turns his right shoulder to the blocker he’s led to the ground and essentially tackled out of the play. This happened far too often last year and it’s good to see he’s made the necessary technical adjustments. He’s now a lot more square when attacking blockers and the results were obvious – 17 tackles for a loss in 2011.   

There also wasn’t much evidence of a club or swim and when he was engaged and struggling to shed a block, there’s rarely a counter. He really looked like a boom or bust type of guy – sometimes knifing the hole and causing a splash, but most of the time he’d be blocked out and have very little impact. The Seahawks don’t have explosive pass rushers among their interior line, but they have active tackles who eat space due to their size and play with a relentless nature. My concern was that Still wasn’t enough of an upgrade as a pass rusher to compensate a little on the run-defense.      

Clearly he made significant strides in 2011 as you can see in the second two videos (vs Illinois & Alabama). Still attacks the A and B gap relentlessly, exploding off the snap and exploiting any hesitation among the interior lineman. He’s very difficult to block when you’re not head on, and Still’s power and explosion to attack space on zone scheme’s flashed time and time again. He completely dominated Illinois from start to finish and gave Alabama’s offensive line more problems than any other opponent I saw in 2011.      

There’s better handwork on show, including an effective swim move to avoid blocks and work into the backfield. He consistently folds the pocket affording outside pressure on pass plays, but against the run he’s almost immovable and most of the time will maintain position to force runs outside. When I watched Penn State last year, they didn’t appear to blitz as much in the second half of the season -I put that down to Still’s influence. I spent some time considering whether he’d be a better fit in the 3-4 as a five technique. While I still think he can adjust to that role (and if San Diego are willing to consider Corey Liuget for that role, anything is possible), for me Still is more suited to playing at the three-technique. You want him abusing the A & B, he’ll perform best against a tackle with size who clogs the gap between the center and left guard drawing more than one block. Although Cleveland may be out of range at #22 (and may be concentrating on offense anyway) Still would be an ideal partner for last year’s first round pick Phil Taylor.      

That’s not to say he couldn’t find a home in Seattle alongside Brandon Mebane. Pete Carroll knows the value of a productive three technique – he nearly always had one at USC and it’s integral to this scheme. At the moment Seattle’s pressure comes almost exclusively from Chris Clemons and for the long term – finding a serviceable three-tech is surely second on the list of needs after franchise quarterback. Last year the Seahawks had Alan Branch playing the role, with Anthony Hargrove spelling on specific downs. The direction of the team’s defense could swing heavily on April 26th depending on who the Seahawks pick. A guy like Still would maintain the base 4-3 look and afford Seattle a penetrative interior force on standard downs. Keeping Branch and investing in an edge rusher such as Courtney Upshaw would move the team closer to a hybrid 3-4, maintaining size up front but relying on outside pressure.  

There are some things that he has to keep working on. Still has a tendency to play high and although I’ve not seen this as much in the 2011 tape, last year he appeared to be susceptible to cut blocks and didn’t protect his legs well at all. Against Alabama he was consistently cut to the ground – violently so by Trent Richardson on one play. I’d like to see him work to get bigger in the lower half of his body. Still is top heavy and will need greater power from his legs at the next level. He also doesn’t have much of a bubble and looks more like an oversized end than an interior rusher. Another slight concern is his injury history. While he’s fought back to enjoy three productive years as a red-shirt senior – he tore an ACL in 2007 and suffered a broken ankle in 2008. He mised two 2011 regular season games and also missed his final opportunity to appear for Penn State with a turf toe injury, a problem which also stopped him attending the Senior Bowl work-outs this week. Could he make it to Mobile? Maybe, it’s hard to tell how serious the injury is but many expected him to attend. If he is healthy enough to compete, it could be a missed opportunity to boost his stock.    

In terms of the other players available at this position in the past, Still grades lower than Liuget and some of the more high profile players available in previous years. I suspect the Seahawks will have players higher on their board (Upshaw?) – even despite the importance of the three-technique position. However, it’d surprise me if he wasn’t at least on Seattle’s radar as a possible target at #11 or #12.      

Tape supplied to Seahawks Draft Blog by JMPasq      

2010 vs Alabama & Florida  

Now see the difference in 2011…  

When I posted a critical view on Melvin Ingram last week, it instigated a heated debate as to whether he fits into Seattle’s scheme. Clearly, a lot of people out there like the guy enough to draft him with the #11 or #12 pick. I’m not one of those people, but so far it’s been a health discussion. By all accounts Ingram had a fine work out at the Senior Bowl and his stock is gaining momentum. I suspect he’ll get a sack or two in the game on Saturday. He’s a pin your ears back type of pass rusher, a guy who may be ineffective and even frustrating for three quarters of the game but will then makes a sack or two late on.

While the Seahawks want to improve their largely anaemic pass rush, I can only see Ingram in a diluted role. Seattle has only one reliable pass rusher who has performed consistently well in the last two years and that’s Chris Clemons. While he is a free agent in 2013 and already 30-years-old, finding a long term replacement is not an absolute necessity at this point. The Seahawks need to find a compliment to Clemons, not a replacement. Pete Carroll testified in his end of season press conference that he wants to spend his first round pick on someone who is a constant contributor right away. Ingram’s role in year one (and maybe year two) would be to replace Raheem Brock on obvious passing downs and maybe kick inside occasionally (also in 3rd and long situations). You’re also banking on Clemons digressing in 2012, because if he records double-digit sacks again in 2012 I’m not sure you chase him out of town just because he’s turned 31. After all, Jared Allen is only a few months younger than Clemons.

I highlighted Courtney Upshaw yesterday as someone who could be a better fit given the circumstances. He has superb recognition skills, he’s a contributing force against the run and will be able to rush the passer in a lot of different packages. Drafting Upshaw would essentially push Seattle’s hybrid defense closer to the 3-4 on certain downs than the current 4-3. It’s still largely the same ideology with the same personnel on the field – but with Upshaw at WLB yet playing a lot of downs at the LOS across from Clemons. This would give the team a lot more balance in terms of a pass rush, while also improving the teams run defense. It’s not impossible for Ingram to play a similar role but Upshaw is vastly superior defending the run (perhaps the key identity for this defense), he’s harder to move, he has the ability to read and react with superb pursuit and he has greater experience on underneath coverage. Ingram is a better speed pass rusher, but I think the other qualities are strong enough to separate the two in terms of what the Seahawks are looking for with the #11 or #12 pick.

Ingram is a fun player to watch, but I also think he’s a little overrated. Below you’ll find a breakdown of the Nebraska tape (see video above) and he’s largely ineffective for most of the game. Upshaw is a master of leverage – he’ll get under the pad level and drive you backwards with a superb bull rush. He has violent hands and does a great job keeping lineman off his frame. Ingram might be a more athletic player in terms of foot speed and mobility, but he’s far too upright and when a tackle or interior lineman gets underneath his pad level, it’s over. Look how many times Nebraska’s #50 gets into his body and dominates Ingram. He had no answer against the left tackle – he couldn’t beat him on the edge for speed. If he engaged he couldn’t get off the block, he couldn’t bull rush the guy. You see in the video at the end of the game how he almost takes himself out of the play by standing off the tackle as if he’s saying, ‘I can’t beat you – I’m trying to work out why.’ South Carolina’s staff pretty much moved him permanently into the middle on a three man front because he had no success off the edge.

As an interior rusher he didn’t achieve a great deal more and couldn’t get away from the center/guard double teams – often being stoned at the LOS. You could argue he was a liability against the run overall. He had one productive play on a spin move and you have to give him credit for having mastered that one move. When I interviewed Hall of Famer Richard Dent last year I asked him what young defensive lineman should do when approaching the league. Dent believed young lineman should concentrate on having one move you can perfect, that you can keep going back to even on a rough day. Ingram has that in his locker.

He’s also a very busy, compact player who will get sacks at the next level. The thing is, I’m not convinced he’ll ever be more than a specialist rusher who ends up getting his production on third down. Let’s not forget – even as a fourth year junior that’s the role he had with the Gamecocks, before taking on more snaps as a fifth year senior. There’s some value to that, of course there is (see: Aldon Smith), but I’m looking at Green Bay who struggled on third downs most of the year and need a boost to compliment an elite roster. I’m looking at Baltimore who could add another piece to their elite defense. The Seahawks – as much as the defense has grown in the last 24 months – need more than a specialist. San Francisco spelled Aldon Smith because they already had guys like Justin Smith on the roster. Seattle needs a cornerstone – not a younger version of the 2010 Raheem Brock.

Onto the tape…

0:21 – Ineffective rush, too easily pushed over by the left tackle and Taylor Martinez has a clean pocket to throw a touchdown.

0:27 – Blocked out of the play by the right tackle. Doesn’t show enough drive to push the blocker backwards and once he’s allowed hands onto his frame, he can’t get free.

0:32 – Not sure what the plan was here, he shows inside but the tackle forces him to the outside. Again, once he’s allowed the tackle to get hands on his frame, he can’t disengage.

0:47 – Driven outside by the right tackle and as with 0:21, loses his footing.

0:54– Double teamed by the running back and full back as the tackle dips inside. Cornerback blitz isn’t picked up and leads to a sack, but Ingram is ineffective.

1:00 – Cannot disengage again, is too upright and doesn’t drive into the blocker. Dominated by the left tackle here.

1:08 – Three man front, Ingram is completely stoned by the guard and center working together. The rest of the defensive line and a blitzing linebacker get into the backfield, but Ingram struggles against the double team and remains at the LOS. To his credit, he sticks with the play and completes the tackle that stops the screen pass.

1:18 – Jarred at the LOS by the tight end who jabs at Ingram and then runs into space. It’s enough to take him out of the play. Ingram has to take advantage when lined up with a tight end.

2:10 – Again far too upright and allows the blocker to get into his pads and drive him out of this run play. The left tackle chirps away at the end of the play because so far, he has Ingram’s number. Playing at 6-2 and with a squat frame he has to do a better job with leverage.

2:30 – Superb pass protection again from the left tackle, dropping back and again getting hands on Ingram to basically finish the block. Perfect protection leads to a big pass completion from the quarterback.

2:46 – Does a better job against the tight end this time, dipping inside and then spinning out of the block to stop Martinez on the run option. Nice move.

3:01 – Again struggles playing inside against the guard and center. He doesn’t have enough power at the P.O.A. to drive through this situation and working against interior double teams he struggles badly. He’s the one defensive lineman stuck at the LOS while the others rush.

3:22 – Handled by the left tackle. Does a better job getting hands on the blocker and forcing him back a little, but he doesn’t beat the guy to press the quarterback.

3:30 – Kicks inside and is driven backwards by the interior lineman on this running play. Nebraska ran the ball right in his direction and he’s forced back several yards.

3:48– Left tackle seals the edge and this could’ve been kicked outside for a big gain. Ingram once again ineffective.

4:23 – Struggles badly – once again – when moved inside and defending the run. He cannot get away from interior double teams and it creates a huge hole for Martinez to run through the middle.

4:38 – Clear evidence that Ingram is struggling because he’s tentative to attack the left tackle here and basically takes himself out of the play. He’s over thinking the rush and trying to find out how he can beat the guy.

4:50 – The first evidence of an effective rush from a three-man front, where he uses his favorite spin move to get away from the left guard and force some pressure. Martinez sacks himself after the initial rush from Taylor, but Ingram was also closing in.

5:06 – Suddenly he’s on a role, abusing the center again from a three man front to record the sack. The interior lineman is outclassed here by Ingram and has no chance.

5:20 – Yet… when Nebraska go back to double teaming the interior, they take Ingram out of the play.

5:28 – Tries to rush the interior again but the spin move doesn’t work this time and he’s stopped at the line and jolted well out of the play.

Tape supplied to Seahawks Draft Blog by JMPasq