Originally posted by Lurker64
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Well, when you really break it down pass rushing amounts to one of two things: Running through a wall or running around a (moving) wall. A guy who can't do one of those things can still be a good pass rusher if he doesn't do the other one particularly well. Personally, this is why I'm really high on Nevada's Dontay Moch (though I'd be scorned if I put him in this poll) Moch's 3-cone (7.07) is almost as bad as Reed's (7.11) and Moch's short shuttle (4.38) is even worse than Reed's (4.28)... so neither of these guys are going to be running around anybody to get to the QB. So what you really want to evaluate is "can they run through guys". The fact that Poppinga can't is the reason Poppinga isn't worth a damn as a pass rusher; he runs into walls not through them.
So when you evaluate guys like Moch and Reed as pass rushers, you have to figure if they're going to be able to run through guys. Moch I love because when he hits, he hits like a ton of bricks loaded onto a fright train. Most important explosion numbers are vert and broad. Moch was a 42" vert guy and a 10.67 broad. Compare to Brian Orakpo whose an effective NFL pass rusher whose game is based on the bull rush and all his other moves are counters off of it (Orakpo was a 7.26 3-cone guy and a 4.42 short shuttle guy, so he's not beating anybody around the corner) who managed a 39.5" vert and a 10.68 broad. Moch is Brian Orakpo but 15 lbs lighter and .14 feet shorter.
Reed's game is not Moch's however, Reed's game is all about tenacity, twitch, and anticipation. He's probably going to take a little while to really become an effective NFL pass rusher (as though Frank Zombo wouldn't?) but remember his position coach from one of the NFL's great pass rushers who's game was all about tenacity, twitch, and technique. If you want guys to learn from Kevin Greene, you really want to get guys who are like Kevin Greene. If you've got a quick enough get-off and you've got a screw loose, he can teach you to get to the QB.
The worry with Reed is that he will just be an upgrade over Poppinga. But you can take solace in the fact that Reed has an advantage in 10 yard (1.54<1.64), short shuttle (4.34<4.39), Reps (30>26), 3-cone (7.11<7.29), and Broad (9.42>9.17). Reed's vert of 30.5" is worrisome, but that means that his game is going to work more off of drive than pop.
I suppose what I'm saying is that I'm okay with Reed, but part of me would rather trade back and take Moch... or even take Moch at 32.
But the thing about Reed is that even though I don't really understand his game enough to love him, I saw him play against my Hawkeyes twice in the last two years and he played against some very good tackles (Bulaga and Riley Reiff... if you haven't seen Reiff yet, pay attention, he's got 'top 10 pick' written all over him) and he was trouble. I'm not impressed when a guy explodes against mediocre competition (like when Everette Brown lead the NCAA in sacks by getting 4 or 5 against some cupcakes), but I paid close attention to him twice and saw him play well against good competition. They rotated three DEs for Arizona, but Reed's tenacity posed the most problems.
So when you evaluate guys like Moch and Reed as pass rushers, you have to figure if they're going to be able to run through guys. Moch I love because when he hits, he hits like a ton of bricks loaded onto a fright train. Most important explosion numbers are vert and broad. Moch was a 42" vert guy and a 10.67 broad. Compare to Brian Orakpo whose an effective NFL pass rusher whose game is based on the bull rush and all his other moves are counters off of it (Orakpo was a 7.26 3-cone guy and a 4.42 short shuttle guy, so he's not beating anybody around the corner) who managed a 39.5" vert and a 10.68 broad. Moch is Brian Orakpo but 15 lbs lighter and .14 feet shorter.
Reed's game is not Moch's however, Reed's game is all about tenacity, twitch, and anticipation. He's probably going to take a little while to really become an effective NFL pass rusher (as though Frank Zombo wouldn't?) but remember his position coach from one of the NFL's great pass rushers who's game was all about tenacity, twitch, and technique. If you want guys to learn from Kevin Greene, you really want to get guys who are like Kevin Greene. If you've got a quick enough get-off and you've got a screw loose, he can teach you to get to the QB.
The worry with Reed is that he will just be an upgrade over Poppinga. But you can take solace in the fact that Reed has an advantage in 10 yard (1.54<1.64), short shuttle (4.34<4.39), Reps (30>26), 3-cone (7.11<7.29), and Broad (9.42>9.17). Reed's vert of 30.5" is worrisome, but that means that his game is going to work more off of drive than pop.
I suppose what I'm saying is that I'm okay with Reed, but part of me would rather trade back and take Moch... or even take Moch at 32.
But the thing about Reed is that even though I don't really understand his game enough to love him, I saw him play against my Hawkeyes twice in the last two years and he played against some very good tackles (Bulaga and Riley Reiff... if you haven't seen Reiff yet, pay attention, he's got 'top 10 pick' written all over him) and he was trouble. I'm not impressed when a guy explodes against mediocre competition (like when Everette Brown lead the NCAA in sacks by getting 4 or 5 against some cupcakes), but I paid close attention to him twice and saw him play well against good competition. They rotated three DEs for Arizona, but Reed's tenacity posed the most problems.

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