PDA

View Full Version : Don't sell 'em short: Diminutive pass rushers all the rage



TXBRONC
10-29-2009, 09:43 PM
I have never thought of Dumervil's height as a negative. He's got natural leveragae and a nose for the ball.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d813cc8f8&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Don't sell 'em short: Diminutive pass rushers all the rage
By Bucky Brooks | NFL.com
Analyst

After watching a certain Elvis (the Denver Broncos' Elvis Dumervil) tear up the league this season, scouts are descending on college campuses looking for diminutive edge rushers like fans flocking to Graceland.

The ascension of Dumervil to the top of the sack charts has scouts rethinking the importance of traditional measurables when evaluating edge rushers.

For years, evaluators seemingly ignored the production of sack artists who fell below the established 6-2 Mendoza line. The premise behind the standard height measurement, as explained to me by a college director when I first broke into the scouting business, is that pass rushers need to possess a certain height-and-arm length to deal with the mammoth offensive tackles that play in the pro game. Big blockers easily engulf smaller edge players and render them helpless in one-on-one situations.

However, that thinking appears to be changing when watching some of the league's top pass rushers this season. Pittsburgh's James Harrison (6-0), Indianapolis' Dwight Freeney (6-1) and Dumervil (5-11) all rank among the NFL's top five in sacks. While the majority of the list is still full of giants, the fact that the diminutive trio has been able to produce at a high level has opened the eyes of many personnel men.

Dumervil, who was drafted by the Broncos in the fourth round in 2006 after leading the nation with 20 sacks as a senior, has amassed 36 quarterback takedowns in his career. That total surpasses the 33.5 sacks tallied by the No. 1 overall pick (Mario Williams) of the same draft, and places the undersized pass rusher tied for fourth among sack leaders since 2006.

With the success of Dumervil firmly in their minds, scouts are giving more consideration to a host of shorter pass rushers set to enter the league. TCU's Jerry Hughes, Auburn's Antonio Coleman and South Carolina's Eric Norwood, each measuring below 6-foot-2, have enjoyed prolific collegiate careers. And their skills are ideal fits for the aggressive zone-blitz schemes that are prevalent throughout the league.

As more and more NFL teams move to hybrid 3-4 systems that allow prolific sack artists to hunt off the edge, scouts are willing more than ever to consider undersized pass rushers in the early stages of the draft.

Dirk
10-30-2009, 05:38 AM
I guess it just goes to show you....A talented player is a talented player.

TXBRONC
10-30-2009, 08:25 AM
I guess it just goes to show you....A talented player is a talented player.

Unfortunately so called experts and some fans for that matter look at the height of the player. In fact all they see is how tall the guy is and forget that just might have talent.

T.K.O.
10-30-2009, 10:59 AM
Unfortunately so called experts and some fans for that matter look at the height of the player. In fact all they see is how tall the guy is and forget that just might have talent.

doug flutie anyone? he was what 5'4" ?:laugh:

these comparisons are'nt fair elvis has the arms of a guy 6'5"....seriously the man has about a 10' wingspan;)

Cugel
10-30-2009, 11:31 AM
There are REASONS why shorter lighter pass-rushers don't normally work in the NFL and Dumervil did.

1. He has LONG arms proportionate to his body size. He might be 5-11 but his arms are as long as a guy perhaps 6" taller. That means he can hold off bigger blockers.

2. The Broncos are now playing a 3-4 where Dumervil can start at OLB. He's standing up and can move around instead of having to take on a much bigger OT on every play and stuff the run.

He can't do that for 4 quarters. without being worn down. (Imagine a smaller guy wrestling a bigger one for 60 minutes). That's why the Broncos had to use him primarily on passing downs when they played the 4-3.

That's why teams are going to a 3-4 nowadays. It's just too hard to find players like Mario Williams who are big enough AND athletic enough to be dominant pass-rushers as 4-3 DEs and strong enough to stand up and stuff the run. (Bill Parcells Big Planet Theory states there are only so many such men on the planet. They're rare and not every team can have even one, let alone two).

Whenever a Mario Williams comes along, teams grab him in the top 10 and usually top 5 draft picks. And they have to pay him something like $50 million or more before he's even played a down in the NFL.

If your pass-rushers can be smaller, that means there's a bigger pool of talent to choose from.

But, guys with Dumervil's talent and long-arms will continue to be rare finds in the draft. A lot of them will wind up like Jarvis Moss -- looks good in college, not so good against pro OL. :coffee:

It's kind of like looking in the draft for TEs like Antonio Gates. There just aren't very many guys close to that kind of size and athleticism.

TXBRONC
10-30-2009, 02:48 PM
I remember their being criticism about Dumervil being picked but the way I looked at is if Dumervil only developed into a pass rush specialist there would be nothing wrong with it. As basically a pass rush specialist Dumervil racked up 81/2 sacks that's not bad for a part time player.