The Defensive Wildcard

[Ziggy]

http://prod.static.broncos.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/DEN/photos/persons/player-cards/siliga_sealver.jpg


In the midst of building a bigger defensive line, Jack Del Rio may have dug up a gem in his own back yard. Sealver Siliga has impressed in offseason activites. While impressing coaches in shorts and a t-shirt is akin to deep sea diving in a swimming pool, there is hope. The Broncos desperately need a run stuffing big body in the middle of the line. With one of best pure passing quarterbacks of all time in the fold, the Broncos expect to become a high octane offense. The defense is comprised of two of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Putting them in a position to pin thier ears back and go after quarterbacks early and often will exponentially increase Denver's chances of success. The keys?

1. Having an offense that can put points on the scoreboard.
2. Having a run defense that can force teams into second and third and long situations.

Peyton Manning should take care of #1. Enter Siliga for the second. He was a run stuffing machine in college, despite playing at a paultry 305 pounds. He's bulked up to 330, and looks like a keeper. A former power lifting champion in high school, Siliga brings much needed bulk and strength at the point of attack. The Broncos don't need him to be an every down player. They just need him to clog up the middle on early downs so that the Broncos can transition into thier nickel and dime packages early. Kevin Vickerson has bulked up to 325 while cutting body fat. That's a whole lot of beef in the middle of that line. If those 2 can consistently win the line of scrimmage on running downs, the Broncos are in for an exciting season on defense. Jack Del Rio brings a new philosphy on the Dline. He prefers bigger, stronger lineman and puts a priority on run stopping. Sliliga will get a chance to compete, and may be the wildcard that the Broncos defense has been looking for at the defensive tackle position for years.

[Slick]

Thanks Ziggy. I don't know much about this guy. He looks like a strong mofo.

[SoCalImport]

Thanks Ziggy. I don't know much about this guy. He looks like a strong mofo.

per the NFL website. Obviously atm all we have is predraft stuff.

"STRENGTHS
Siliga has good size. Establishes good initial position against the run. Jars offensive lineman with violent hand punch. Can hold up at the point of attack in one-on-one situations. Displays the ability to bull rush to the passer at times. Hard worker who plays to the whistle.
WEAKNESSES
Struggles to disengage from blockers. Does not show the ability to consistently hold up against the double-team. Range in backside run pursuit is limited. Lacks the initial quickness off the ball to penetrate and make plays in the backfield. Doesn't display counter-moves when bull rush is thwarted"

[Ziggy]

Strengths: Very strong player who is a former high school powerlifting champion. Can be dominant at the LOS because of his strength. Tosses linemen like rag dolls at times. His effectiveness shows up in ways other than in the stat book. Good initial quickness off the snap for a guy his size. Can penetrate into the backfield with his quickness. Plays in the opponent's backfield, as he has the strength to drive linemen into the backfield, and disrupt plays with his strength. Comes up big on key downs as he has the knack to blow up running plays in the backfield, disrupting pullers often to cause a pile. Great use of his hands, as he sheds blocks easily and rarely ends up on the ground versus cut blocks. Good awareness to locate the ball and has good enough range to make plays in pursuit. Has the ability to push the pocket with his strength on a bull rush and an effective arm over move.

Weaknesses: Plays with inconsistent leverage and pad level. Too high at times which allows double teams to drive him off the ball. He also dives at linemen's feet, taking himself out of the play. Needs work to improve as a pass rusher, developing multiple moves. For a guy with his ability, he's had limited production.
http://www.fanaticalfootballfiend.com/3/post/2011/3/sealver-siliga-scouting-reports.html

[sneakers]

I like his name.

Hope he is good

[Dzone]

Tosses lineman like rag dolls at times? Plus 25 pounds bigger? The kind of guy you hate to have to play against. Maybe the Wolfeman comes in on passing downs.

[Ziggy]

I'd love to see Siliga and Big Vick on running downs, and a healthy Warren and Wolfe on passing downs. We'll see what happens.

[Chef Zambini]

encouraging INFO!
run defense reamins a big concern for me, along with our match-up with TEs.
I hope that this guy( who defininitly needs an easy nickname) and JDR can bolster our RUN defense.

[Chef Zambini]

the "SILVER SLUGGER" ?

[topscribe]

http://www.fanaticalfootballfiend.com/3/post/2011/3/sealver-siliga-scouting-reports.html
I like the final sentence to this quote: "He has the abilities to become a good starter at the NFL level."
.

[Jsteve01]

Pulling for this kid. I follow him on twitter and he's just aclass act. Ayers was going off earlier this year on fb about how good sealver would be.

[Ziggy]

Pulling for this kid. I follow him on twitter and he's just aclass act. Ayers was going off earlier this year on fb about how good sealver would be.

Big Vick was singing his praises as well. It's good to see that the other Dlineman believe in him. Now it's time for him to prove it in pads.

[iLands]

http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Strength-Size-Help-Siliga-Stand-Out/76ae6244-443c-49f1-92e0-a5765cc2793c

Enjoy!

[Ziggy]

“Man, he's a big dude,” veteran defensive end Jason Hunter said of Siliga. “He has great leverage. He just enjoys the game. He goes out there and plays hard. He's still learning and trying to work it all out, but he's doing well. You definitely noticed some things that he was doing well when he was on the practice squad, how he was dominant out there.”

While Del Rio admitted it's easier to assess defensive linemen once the pads are on during training camp, he likes what he sees from the young tackle.

"He's a guy that can give us a little bit of a presence in there, eat up blocks and give us a little bit of a push in the middle," Del Rio said. "His demeanor is excellent. He participated in the rookie minicamp. Everything we’ve asked of him in terms of weight room, conditioning, studying and then work on the field, I think he’s been really good. Our hope is we can bring a guy along like that, develop him and have him blossom for us."

“It was like wow, look how he's moving guys,” Hunter said of his first impression of Siliga. “You see how he works in the weight room. He works hard and does the things that you ask him to do. He plays at a high level. He's definitely a great addition to our team and I'm glad he's out there doing well. I'm happy for him.”
http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Strength-Size-Help-Siliga-Stand-Out/76ae6244-443c-49f1-92e0-a5765cc2793c

[TheReverend]

Seaver was one of 3 big DT targets in the 2011 UDFA class I wanted (along with Ogbu and Thornton). Really glad to see him catching some eyes and hope he capitalizes on it.

[Cugel]

per the NFL website. Obviously atm all we have is predraft stuff.

"STRENGTHS
Siliga has good size. Establishes good initial position against the run. Jars offensive lineman with violent hand punch. Can hold up at the point of attack in one-on-one situations. Displays the ability to bull rush to the passer at times. Hard worker who plays to the whistle.
WEAKNESSES
Struggles to disengage from blockers. Does not show the ability to consistently hold up against the double-team. Range in backside run pursuit is limited. Lacks the initial quickness off the ball to penetrate and make plays in the backfield. Doesn't display counter-moves when bull rush is thwarted"

That is a pretty good description of a one-dimensional DT with zero pass-rush ability. In short, a later round DT who might become a useful role-player with the right development but will never become an elite DT.

But, he doesn't need to be. All he needs to do to have a nice career in the NFL is to stand strong at the point of attack and stuff the run on first and second down. He's a role player and could be valuable in the rotation.