The case of Jerry vs. Raji

by Dan Kadar on Jan 29, 2009 6:45 PM EST

Following a strong week of Senior Bowl practices from defensive tackles Peria Jerry and B.J. Raji, a hot debate is on which prospect is better.

Well, following a fan post and a comment in the latest mock draft, I thought I'd break down why, ultimately, I have Jerry as a better prospect.

Right now, Raji is perceived by many as the better of the two. NFL Draft Scout has moved Raji ahead of Jerry, as has NFL Draft Dog and Walter Football.

Currently, I have Jerry as the 18th overall prospect and Raji the 34th. Those rankings were done before the Senior Bowl practices, so both will move up.

But Jerry will remain higher. The biggest reason is because he is more of a consistent playmaker. Given the recent trend of NFL teams looking for more athletic tackles who can consistently get pressure, Jerry is a more enticing prospect.

For my tastes, Raji is far too inconsistent in his effort. Check out his scouting report here. See Jerry's here.

It is also a matter of what a team might need on where these guys will fall in the draft. So while my rankings could have Jerry higher, Raji could still get drafted first. If a team needs a nose tackle or a run stopper, they'll take Raji without a doubt. If they need a pass rusher who can hold up against the run, Jerry would have to be the pick.

I will say, though, there are more players like Jerry than there are like Raji in this draft. A team could pass on a tackle in the first round and still hope for someone like Tyson Jackson or Fili Moala in the second. The only other player who is a pure run stopper like Raji is Terrence Taylor of Michigan, but he is a big step down in quality.

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Comments

I have to agree about Jerry being the better "buy"

from an overall football player perspective, and in a first rounder that is just so important. When it comes to a team picking up that good 3-tech guy, Peria should come through with flying colors. He was a little frustrating to watch sometimes, with how he gets high up coming out of his stance, but some team will be happy to get him.

But I really feel for teams in dire need of help at nosetackle, including my own beloved Broncos. Passing on BJ will be a luxury they can’t afford, not with how rare of a specimen he is, and it will probably come down to attrition: which key players are going off the board ahead of you… It seems strange to say that some team is going to get “stuck” with Raji in the first round, but some team is going to get “stuck” with Raji. But I sincerely hope that he picks up his pace a bit and brings a little bit more to the table in regards to his preparation and consistency. If he can do that, whoever gets stuck with him should have the last laugh for sure….

Concision in style, precision in thought, decision in life.

by Jeremy Bolander on Jan 29, 2009 8:32 PM EST reply actions