| 03 September 2009
There is a hue and cry amongst Buckeye fans about the lack of defensive tackle offers in this class. I do not share that concern. I think adding an elite player or two would be great but if we had a pair of sophmore All-Americans and a handful of high school national top ten recruits backing them up I would still say that. There are never enough of these unique athletes. You can always use more. Need is another matter. I think we are young enough and have enough bodies to not reach on DTs. We have lucked out. This is not the year to need tackles. Not a bad year but not a great year. What really hurts those that do need tackles is how many of the top ones are already committed. I have not settled on a national top ten DTs but I am sure that Kelcey Quarles, Taylor Bible, Mike Thornton, Garrison Smith, Sione Potoae and Ashton Dorsey would be somewhere in that top ten. Five of the six are committed. I think the staff has come to the conclusion that the pickings are slim now. After an early attempt to add tackles, there is little buzz rught now. It seems to come down to two players, Sharif Floyd and Jonathan Hankins.
I don't know what to make of Floyd. He is not showing alot. We seem to have come on late but I can't get a read on him. I would love to see him set up a visit. Another thing is the limited film. I have only seen about ten plays from him and about half are on offense. He has lit up the combine circuit to push himself to the top of Rivals DT rankings. We will see. I don't have a good feel for him and what film is out there does not leap out at me.
On Hankins. Love his film. Love the Oklahoma offer. Don't like the things that I have heard since I first saw him. The weight gain. The unimpressive camp showing. There are some questions about his grades. The difference is those things can be fixed. Diets work. Anyone can have a bad day. Hard work and a tutor for the grades. What I see on film just leaves me with a big grin on my face. He is a natural born wide body that demands double teams. He shows a motor. He can move. At the weight he is at in the Rivals film he is a much underrated player that I would love to see manning the middle of the line. That is what a nose tackle is supposed to look like. The downside can be fixed. You can't coach what he brings to the table. I think the staff is coming to terms with the need for a big brawler in the middle. Someone big enough to soak up double teams. A nose tackle is important in a 4-3. It is crucial for any 3-man front, Whether it be odd man or 3-4, and from the reports I are getting we are going to see a good bit of it. We have tried growing DTs. It did not work. I think what we tried to do would have worked better with a true 4-3 one-gap but we were playing two-gap with one-gap sized tackles. If we want to go with two-gap players then we need to get bigger. Whether this kid makes any tackles or not we need his mass, his ability to soak up double teams, his ability to hold the point. Same with Shaq Rowell. Both have enough athleticism to be a problem if you do not double them.
There is a discussion on Bucknuts about junior Chris Rock. Some look at his body and wonder about him playing tackle. He is so long and already about 6-5. Tall is a big plus. We think about the mass of defensive tackles and don't pay attention as much to height. The best in the game is Albert Haynesworth. He is 6-6. John Henderson or Kris Jenkins previous held the title of best defensive tackle in the game. They were 6-7 and 6-6 respectively. Most of the top guys are 6-4 or better. Kevin Williams, Shaun Rogers, Haloti Ngata, Darnell Dockett, would be candidates for the ten best DTs in the Show. Luis Castillo, Pat Williams and Tommie Harris are all in the 6-3 range. When you see the shorter guys they are usually nose tackles like Casey Hampton, Vince Wilfork, and Jamal Williams. Those are two-gap guys who are primarily in there to hold the point and keep blockers off the linebackers. With height you get length. Length gives you more room to hang weight on, but you retain athleticism. A 6-6 350 lb tackle is going to be more athletic and agile than a 6-2 350 lb player. You get the added weight to anchor and hold the point of attack.You still have the power to push the pocket.With height you add the athleticism to pass rush and you see that player pursue runners down the line. You have a framework more able to move that weight so you have explosion. Less stress on the framework means the player does not tire as easily. The most important thing is adding the weight. We are seeing right now what happens when the tall guys don't. I doubt I need to bring up his name. Doug Worthington. I doubt he has ever gotten above 275-280 lbs. That is not so bad on a shorter body but at 6-7 it just makes him a target.
The player to keep an eye on here is Fre'Shad Hunter. Once he is sure to qualify he will be offered. The Buckeyes will be in it once that offer comes. Trust me on that one. He might be a strong side end. He might be a DT. It does not matter. You take him and let his body tell you where he ends up. A take no matter what player.
I think Rock gets an offer sooner rather than later. I like the Buckeyes chances with him once and offer is on the table.
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