Top 5 Defensive End - Outside Linebacker Hybrids:
1) Leonard Floyd
A highly intriguing size-length-athleticism prospect, Floyd can stab, dip and flatten around the edge, maintaining his balance without losing speed to the pocket. He is deadly in space, but Floyd's lack of functional strength and growth potential are glaring concerns. One of the best athletes in this draft class, his is not one of the best football players and would need to land in a scheme that protects him in a niche role.
2) Shaq Lawson
Lawson's heavy hands allow him to stack and hold his side of the line of scrimmage. He is a power player with the lower body athleticism to be equally dominant against the run and the pass, putting his draft value in the early rounds.
3) Shilique Calhoun
Calhoun has a bad habit of popping upright at the snap with long legs and high hips, allowing offenses to run at him, but as a rusher, he has put together quality tape for NFL scouts to consider him in the top 32 picks.
4) Emmanuel Ogbah
Ogbah is still learning the complexities of the position and lacks elite explosiveness, but he's a balanced athlete for his size and never shuts it down, exhibiting the effort needed to collapse the pocket. He will be a favorite in the building due to his work ethic and make-up.
5) Brandon Kaufusi
Big, athletic and tenacious, Kaufusi offers traits sure to intrigue scouts from 4-3 and 3-4 teams, alike. Kaufusi remains a perplexing prospect. He isn't a natural bender and plays much too high, but he is agile and able to win with speed and redirection skills. Although he uses his hands aggressively, Kaufusi doesn't generate much power at the point of attack. Several around the league have yet to figure him out.
Top 5 Outside Linebacker:
1) Deion Jones
Jones continued turning heads at the Senior Bowl. Limited starting experience can be overlooked as he appeared in 51 games. His biggest issue will be a lack of bulk but many teams will value Jones' athleticism, reliable open-field tackling ability project well to NFL defenses relying on speed. Coach Les Miles considered Jones one of the smartest players on the team. His NFL arrow is pointing north, projecting best as a weak-side linebacker in a traditional 4-3 alignment.
2) Joshua Perry
He is wired right for the pro game with the work habits and mental make-up that will quickly make him a favorite in an NFL building. Although not elite in any one area on the field, Perry is very well-rounded with the scheme-diverse skill-set and coverage skills that will make him a fit for all 32 defenses.
3) Jordan Jenkins
A hybrid edge rusher, Jenkins played in both a two- and three-point stance in Georgia's base 3-4 scheme and was listed as a linebacker at the Senior Bowl. He is an athletic mover who can get upfield quickly with burst, using his heavy hands to extend and beat up blockers with his limbs. Jenkins is best attacking the pocket, but at linebacker, his change of direction skills and awareness will be challenged in space.
4) Jaylon Smith
In today's ultra-specialized NFL, defenses routinely substitute powerful linebackers on running downs and faster, more agile defenders on obvious passing plays. Teams won't have to swap Smith out, however. He started all 39 games the last three seasons, but in a cruel twist of fate, Smith suffered a serious knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl, putting his draft stock in limbo based on his rehab.
5) Yannick Ngakoue
Ngakoue is a classic 'tweener with the burst to challenge tackle's reach but only playing strength at this time, making him a stud against the pass but a work in progress versus the run. His instincts have improved from last season, playing with more purpose and awareness against the run and pass, alike, in 2015, leading to optimism that he may just be scratching the surface of his potential.
Out of both lists depending on how you see the roster, the best player that would be worth a shot is Yannick Ngakoue who is a productive player with immense potential for the Jets to develop... Like Lorenzo Mauldin he has that body of work that coaches love to mold into elite pass rushers... Now what I heard when Bowles & Rodgers went to Georgia to work out Leonard Floyd they also worked out Jordan Jenkins and came away impressed by both Bulldogs... That being said both might be out of our reach when we pick both in the first and third rounds respectively so looking at a prospect like Ngakoue who's stock is late 3rd early 4th would be a perfect situation to use our third round 83rd overall to acquire said prospect...
Besides Jaylon Smith the talent is subjective to scheme fits and after Floyd, Smith maybe Ogbah the others don't fill a need to the style we could use... Ngakoue is like a blank slate with potential and gives us another edge rusher to tandem with Mauldin as they grow they could formulate a nasty duo...
1) Leonard Floyd
A highly intriguing size-length-athleticism prospect, Floyd can stab, dip and flatten around the edge, maintaining his balance without losing speed to the pocket. He is deadly in space, but Floyd's lack of functional strength and growth potential are glaring concerns. One of the best athletes in this draft class, his is not one of the best football players and would need to land in a scheme that protects him in a niche role.
2) Shaq Lawson
Lawson's heavy hands allow him to stack and hold his side of the line of scrimmage. He is a power player with the lower body athleticism to be equally dominant against the run and the pass, putting his draft value in the early rounds.
3) Shilique Calhoun
Calhoun has a bad habit of popping upright at the snap with long legs and high hips, allowing offenses to run at him, but as a rusher, he has put together quality tape for NFL scouts to consider him in the top 32 picks.
4) Emmanuel Ogbah
Ogbah is still learning the complexities of the position and lacks elite explosiveness, but he's a balanced athlete for his size and never shuts it down, exhibiting the effort needed to collapse the pocket. He will be a favorite in the building due to his work ethic and make-up.
5) Brandon Kaufusi
Big, athletic and tenacious, Kaufusi offers traits sure to intrigue scouts from 4-3 and 3-4 teams, alike. Kaufusi remains a perplexing prospect. He isn't a natural bender and plays much too high, but he is agile and able to win with speed and redirection skills. Although he uses his hands aggressively, Kaufusi doesn't generate much power at the point of attack. Several around the league have yet to figure him out.
Top 5 Outside Linebacker:
1) Deion Jones
Jones continued turning heads at the Senior Bowl. Limited starting experience can be overlooked as he appeared in 51 games. His biggest issue will be a lack of bulk but many teams will value Jones' athleticism, reliable open-field tackling ability project well to NFL defenses relying on speed. Coach Les Miles considered Jones one of the smartest players on the team. His NFL arrow is pointing north, projecting best as a weak-side linebacker in a traditional 4-3 alignment.
2) Joshua Perry
He is wired right for the pro game with the work habits and mental make-up that will quickly make him a favorite in an NFL building. Although not elite in any one area on the field, Perry is very well-rounded with the scheme-diverse skill-set and coverage skills that will make him a fit for all 32 defenses.
3) Jordan Jenkins
A hybrid edge rusher, Jenkins played in both a two- and three-point stance in Georgia's base 3-4 scheme and was listed as a linebacker at the Senior Bowl. He is an athletic mover who can get upfield quickly with burst, using his heavy hands to extend and beat up blockers with his limbs. Jenkins is best attacking the pocket, but at linebacker, his change of direction skills and awareness will be challenged in space.
4) Jaylon Smith
In today's ultra-specialized NFL, defenses routinely substitute powerful linebackers on running downs and faster, more agile defenders on obvious passing plays. Teams won't have to swap Smith out, however. He started all 39 games the last three seasons, but in a cruel twist of fate, Smith suffered a serious knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl, putting his draft stock in limbo based on his rehab.
5) Yannick Ngakoue
Ngakoue is a classic 'tweener with the burst to challenge tackle's reach but only playing strength at this time, making him a stud against the pass but a work in progress versus the run. His instincts have improved from last season, playing with more purpose and awareness against the run and pass, alike, in 2015, leading to optimism that he may just be scratching the surface of his potential.
Out of both lists depending on how you see the roster, the best player that would be worth a shot is Yannick Ngakoue who is a productive player with immense potential for the Jets to develop... Like Lorenzo Mauldin he has that body of work that coaches love to mold into elite pass rushers... Now what I heard when Bowles & Rodgers went to Georgia to work out Leonard Floyd they also worked out Jordan Jenkins and came away impressed by both Bulldogs... That being said both might be out of our reach when we pick both in the first and third rounds respectively so looking at a prospect like Ngakoue who's stock is late 3rd early 4th would be a perfect situation to use our third round 83rd overall to acquire said prospect...
Besides Jaylon Smith the talent is subjective to scheme fits and after Floyd, Smith maybe Ogbah the others don't fill a need to the style we could use... Ngakoue is like a blank slate with potential and gives us another edge rusher to tandem with Mauldin as they grow they could formulate a nasty duo...