Ranking the 2012 Draft Prospects - 4-3 Defensive Ends

by seton hall and steelers on Jan 27, 2012 7:00 AM EST in 2012 NFL Draft

HOUSTON - OCTOBER 22: Defensive lineman Vinny Curry #99 of the Marshall Thundering Herd lines up against the Houston Cougars at Robertson Stadium on October 22, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Today I am going to rank both Defensive End positions. I am going to start with the 4-3 DE’s and later in the day, I will post the 3-4 DE rankings. Make sure to check back the rest of the week for the rest of the Draft rankings.

1. Quinton Coples, UNC – Coples came into the year as a potential top 5 pick, but after a dissapointing season where he looked to coast by, his stock has fallen to the 10 to 15 range.

2. Whitney Mercilus, Illinois – Mercilus burst onto the scene this season, recording double digit sacks and bringing Illinois to some early season success. His stock as of now is somewhere in the top 20 picks.

3. Melvin Ingram, South Carolina – Ingram has displayed an incredible motor and good athleticism. He will be picked likely in the 1st round but a bad combine could cause him to fall to the 2nd round. He reminds me of former Michigan star, LaMarr Woodley.

4. Nick Perry, USC – Perry had an awesome season at USC and has seen his stock soar to the top 20 picks. He is a fantastic pass rusher with the potential to be a 10+ sack per season kind of player.

5, Vinny Curry, Marshall – As far as pass rushing comes, Curry is the best in the draft. However, he is awful in run support and therefore will have to be a situational player. His stock ranges anywhere from the late first round to the middle of the second round.

After the jump, see the rest of the 4-3 DE prospects.

6. Andre Branch, Clemson

7. Shea McClellin, Boise State

8. Frank Alexander, Oklahoma

9. Jake Bequette, Arkansas

10. Alex Okafor, Texas

11. Chandler Jones, Syracuse

12. Julian Miller, West Virginia

13. Cam Johnson, Virginia

14. Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh

15. Donte Paige-Moss, UNC

Originally published at Draft Database

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I have a suspicion,that Perry, is going to wow at the Combine

and vault himself to the top of this list.

flayed ones stealth mode

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by mob16151 on Jan 27, 2012 7:46 AM EST reply actions

I am higher on Allen Branch than most, at 6'5/265 he has the perfect body type for playing over the LT

Coples will be better playing over the RT.
Perry might (?) fit best at OLB,
Ingram could be a jack-of-all-trades wild-card.
I like Branch > Whitney, and Curry.
Cam Johnson is 7th on my list

by durst on Jan 27, 2012 10:02 AM EST reply actions

Outstanding job!

by mikeyclaw on Jan 27, 2012 10:17 AM EST reply actions

Is it some kind of joke?

Do you know what’s the common between Alex Okafor and Ryan Nassib?

by Robert Horvath on Jan 27, 2012 10:44 AM EST reply actions

If Coples falls to 15 I’ll be pretty excited

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The Legend

by KJ Brophy on Jan 27, 2012 10:45 AM EST reply actions

I'm not as high on Coples.....

but I think it’s a weak class compared to the last couple of years. Also I noticed Alos getting a bunch of tape out the last couple of days. Looks like he was holding onto it until he could get past the ACC thing cause suddenly I can get tape of nearly anyone.

Wolf. Wolfgang Wolf

by dbcouver on Jan 27, 2012 12:04 PM EST reply actions

I think Ingram will do a lot better at the combine than most think.

I think his 40 time probably won’t be astounding, but I am betting he has a great vertical and a decent short shuttle time for his size. And as the poster said above, I could see Perry killing the combine as well. My only concern about Perry is his short shuttle time.

If I had a nickel for every Super Bowl the Eagles have won, I would have zero nickels.

by Creasy729 on Jan 27, 2012 1:50 PM EST reply actions

Doesn't matter with the numbers

If you saw the Super Bowl practices, Ingram can beat the tackles. That is all that matters. Get to the QB.

2012 NYG mock - 1: Chase Minnifield CB, 2: Kevin Zeitler G, 3: A.J. Jenkins, WR, 4: Neiko Thorpe S, 5: Brandon Bolden RB, 6: Rishard Matthews WR, 6: some random LB, 7: BPA

by ct17 on Jan 27, 2012 6:58 PM EST up reply actions

Ingram’s from the SEC how can he not do great at the combine?

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by KJ Brophy on Jan 28, 2012 9:45 AM EST up reply actions

Ingram

could he move back to ILB and be the next Levon Kirkland? He’s covered some in college according to some reports.

by Steely McSmash on Jan 27, 2012 10:37 PM EST reply actions

Coples is #1? I can't see it.

Perry is a better athlete with a higher ceiling. Ingram is a harder worker and more instinctive. Mercilus was more productive and has… a better name.

I don’t understand the breakout of who’s a 3-4 OLB, a 4-3 DE, a 4-3 OLB though… What criteria put Ingram on this list and Upshaw on a list of OLBs? I think it would help to see players listed on multiple lists to make it apply to teams with various schemes. I know that it would duplicate some effort and some information would be repetative, but it would show where players that are capable of playing multiple positions rank in various positions. I have to think that if Upshaw had been included on this list, he’d be in the top 1 or 2 for instance, which pushes others down and provides more options for fans to research.

by HI Hawk 808 on Jan 28, 2012 9:26 AM EST reply actions

I don't understand the criteria either.

More teams are running hybrid defenses that combine 4-3, 3-4, and who knows what else. How do scouts and evaluators rate and classify defensive players?

by Lell87 on Jan 28, 2012 9:31 PM EST up reply actions

Height weight has a lot to do with it.

You got be big enough to go against tackles yet agile enough to drop back into coverage so he can’t be real big. Ingram is talented in the right ways so that he is projected to play both. Upshaw doesn’t seem able to play both based on his measurable.

I'm getting tired of saying this: Dick LeBeau’s system is so complex very few rookies can make an impact.

"It would be tough for me to care less about their opinion, to be honest with you." Mike Tomlin

by Steel in FL on Jan 29, 2012 10:34 PM EST up reply actions