Rookie Depth Chart Battles: Drake Nevis

by Jon Dove on Jul 18, 2011 12:26 PM EDT

More and more NFL rookies are expected to contribute early in their careers. However, for them to make an impact they need to beat out a veteran player. We are going to analyze the situation of specific rookies and determine the likely hood of them winning a position battle.

Player:Drake Nevis

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Position: Defensive Tackle

Competition: Fili Moala, Daniel Muir, Eric Foster, Antonio Johnson

Chance of winning the battle: 60 percent

Thoughts: The Colts have been searching for a consistent inside presence for several years. They have consistently filled roll with reserve players while hoping for a surprise performance. They went out and added Drake Nevis in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Nevis is the type of player that loves playing in the offensive backfield. He possesses a quick enough first step to shoot the gap and create pressure. He does a nice job of keeping low and uses his body to squeeze past blockers as he works his way to the football. Nevis is a nasty and hard working player that will do anything to get to the football. Look for Nevis to be utilized as a 3 technique and given the opportunity to penetrate. He will benefit from the presence of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.

Eric Foster lead the defensive tackles with 3.5 sacks and Fili Moala lead with 4 tackles for loss. These numbers show the low impact provided by the defensive tackles. The lack of penetration by this group will no doubt have the coaches watching Nevis closely. The fact that Nevis can create pressure gives him a leg up on the competition. Nevis has a very good shot at opening the season as a starter because of his abilities and non-stop motor.

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Comments

Possibly... I certainly hope it's the case

“Look for Nevis to be utilized as a 3 technique and given the opportunity to penetrate.”

I’m the first to agree that this would be utilizing his strengths in the best way possible. So I’m actually wanting this to be so, for Nevis to come out in a way that gives Indy a credible middle-penetration (dirty jokes coming DUCK!) threat. And if Moala finally comes into his own, then suddenly there’s a tandem there, which is nothing but good.

However, one of the issues with the Colts defensive line is the lack of a truly outstanding 1-tech to anchor and hold the middle. So as much as I fear to say it, it might be possible that Nevis will be asked to take the “nose” position at times, possibly even a majority of the time. Again, I hope this isn’t so, but my point is that it’s not unlikely.

And yes: I know Indy’s got Mookie, Muir (although he’s seems to play as much 3-tech as he does 1-tech), Foster, etc. in the middle there. While I personally like those fellows, the reality is that they’re not the greatest at holding the middle. If Nevis shows any better ability at anchoring, well… he may suddenly become Indy’s 1-tech.

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"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Jul 18, 2011 3:29 PM EDT reply actions

there was that whole season where 265lb Eric Foster played the 1-tech,

because the only other vaguely starting caliber DT healthy and integrated into the system was 254lb Keyunta Dawson.

Choke/Clutch is the fetishization of the small sample size.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." Upton Sinclair

by shake n bake on Jul 18, 2011 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I know. There are days I think Indy just needs to say "screw it" and just go with a pair of gap shooters in the middle.

Problem with that is that it doesn’t stop the run. But again, there are days I wonder if the current setup is really that far off of just writing the whole thing off and having two guys penetrate.

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"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Jul 18, 2011 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not gonna pretend I know a whole lot about the Colts DT situation

but I would be hella shocked if Nevis isn’t getting some snaps on passing downs. He just has an awesome motor and can be a force in pushing the pocket, especially with Mathis and Freeney on the edges

If you reply to a comment/post/fanshot of mine, I will more likely then not respond to it, unless you come off like a d-bag.

by DBroncs1414 on Jul 18, 2011 5:14 PM EDT reply actions

I don't know about in his rookie year...

… since rookie DT’s always seem to need an adjustment period (Suh is the glaring outlier in this equation). But I’d hope to hell that this is the case for his second year. A motor like his just simply cannot go unused.

But I see some passing down snaps for him too. Even if for no other reason than to just rest the vets for some plays.

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"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Jul 18, 2011 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I can agree with this

I think he will adjust well though purely as a penetrator. The motor is unreal, He reminds me of John Randle, even beyond the small size for the position

If you reply to a comment/post/fanshot of mine, I will more likely then not respond to it, unless you come off like a d-bag.

by DBroncs1414 on Jul 18, 2011 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Moala was a more highly touted prospect and was a non-factor as a rookie

it’s a real possibility for Nevis, though having played as a 4-3 DT his senior year (whereas Moala had moved to 3-4 DE his last year) and being more of a passing downs guy than Moala will help him.

Choke/Clutch is the fetishization of the small sample size.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." Upton Sinclair

by shake n bake on Jul 18, 2011 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I wasn't as high on Moala coming out

I really like Nevis, especially as a penetrator. I know some may not agree with me but that’s my personal opinion. I don’t see Nevis as an everydown DT, but I think he could be effective in nickel packages, even early on in his career

If you reply to a comment/post/fanshot of mine, I will more likely then not respond to it, unless you come off like a d-bag.

by DBroncs1414 on Jul 18, 2011 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm keeping my expectations low for Nevis

We haven’t seen Dlinemen come in and have much success in our scheme as rookies (although, I would hope all Colts fans appreciate what Foster did as an undrafted rookie, playing out of position all season).

However, I didn’t really consider the possible ease of Nevis’ transition since he was playing in a 4-3 last year at LSU. From my understanding LSU’s scheme is pretty similar to the Colts’ and the SEC is different from the PAC-10 in level of compition. Let us also consider Hughes’s jump in compitition level was dramatic to the NFL coming from TCU in the Mountain West (plus the minor adjustments coming from a 4-2-5 scheme).

Thanks Shake – gives me a bit more hope.

by GoHorse88 on Jul 20, 2011 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions