Rivals.com continues its series looking at each position for the upcoming NFL Draft. Today, we move to defensive end with the top five and then two others to watch.
TOP FIVE
Recruiting: The top-ranked weakside defensive end and second-best player in the 2014 class committed to Texas A&M in October over Alabama, Ohio State, TCU, Florida State and others.
Stats: Garrett finished with 33 tackles, 15 for loss, including 8.5 sacks. He also recorded 10 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery this season.
Stock report: Steady
Farrell’s take: There's not much that needs to be said here. Garrett killed the combine as expected. There was a heated debate over who should be ranked No. 1 in the class of 2014, with many believing it was Garrett. That debate is over. We picked the wrong guy. In the end, we decided Alabama junior Da’Shawn Hand should remain in the top spot with Garrett at No. 2. While Hand is still struggling to break out, Garrett is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in 2017 and that’s what matters.
Recruiting: Thomas committed to Stanford over Arkansas, UCLA and many others on National Signing Day. During his news conference, Thomas announced he had selected the Cardinal by placing a live tree on the table and putting on nerd glasses.
Stats: The former four-star led the Cardinal with 62 tackles along with 15 for loss and eight sacks this season. Thomas also recorded two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a safety.
Stock report: Up
Farrell’s take: His combine performance has some putting him at No.2 overall in the draft behind Garrett. As a recruit, Thomas was a quiet high four-star. In the 2014 recruiting class, we had him behind Hand and Malik McDowell at strongside defensive end. While McDowell moved inside, Thomas has played both. I loved his technique and his endless motor, but he fell just short of five-star status, by four spots, and he’s showing us that was a mistake. A big end, Thomas played the run well and could get after the passer.
Recruiting: Barnett committed to Tennessee midway through his senior season but he apparently made his mind up much earlier. According to reports, after he saw the Volunteers play for the first time during his freshman year, Barnett said he knew he’d end up playing in Knoxville. LSU, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Ohio State and others were involved.
Stats: Barnett totaled 56 tackles, 19 for loss, and 13 sacks. He also had two forced fumbles, an interception and 16 quarterback hurries this season.
Stock report: Steady
Farrell’s take: Barnett’s on-field results are amazing but his combine performance left doubters because he didn’t kill it like some others did. For us, some guys do a lot of developing between the time they sign and when they arrive on campus, and Barnett is clearly one of those players. We liked him, obviously, based on his Rivals250 ranking, but did we see his massive impact on the SEC during his career? Nope. He can bull rush you, he can beat you with speed and a shoulder dip even when plays are run to the opposite side. Anyone who breaks Reggie White’s Tennessee sack record is special and teams would be smart to look at him in the top 15 range.
Recruiting: Harris was a two-star prospect and little was known about him coming out of Kansas City (Mo.) Lincoln College Prep. He recorded 60 tackles, including 12 sacks in his senior season of high school, and Missouri is listed as his lone offer.
Stats: Harris was second on the team this season with 61 tackles along with 12 for loss and nine sacks, both team highs. He forced two fumbles and recovered one.
Stock report: Up
Farrell’s take: Harris had a very good combine, especially through drills, and I think helped himself out. This was a kid we didn’t get to evaluate much at all because he emerged so late, so the sample size was very small. He's a great example of a prospect who just started to get really elite after he left high school. He's also yet another example of great scouting by Gary Pinkel's former staff at Mizzou. Harris played football as a freshman in high school and quit because he didn’t like the hitting and felt he was a basketball player. He obviously took up the sport again and now is in the mix to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Recruiting: Charlton committed to Michigan shortly after National Signing Day of his junior year over offers from Iowa, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Pitt, Tennessee, UCLA and many others.
Stats: Also a basketball star in high school who intrigued Michigan coach John Beilein, Charlton finished with 43 tackles (13 for loss) with 9.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries this season.
Stock report: Down
Farrell’s take: Charlton’s stock took a dip after the combine and now he’s a fringe first-rounder to some. I remember the first time I saw Charlton. He was a 6-foot-6, 240-pound sophomore who looked simply amazing on the hoof. He was raw of course and didn’t know how to use his length well, but he improved each time I saw him. He made our Rivals250, but wasn’t higher in the rankings because he was inconsistent and not as physical as we wanted. Those questions still remain.
TWO TO WATCH
Recruiting: Lawson committed to Auburn in March of his junior year and the pledge stuck, but it was not easy down the stretch. Clemson and Tennessee among others were pushing late.
Stats: The former five-star finished the season with only 30 tackles but had 13.5 for loss including nine sacks. Lawson also recorded a forced fumble and 24 quarterback hurries. His sacks and quarterback hurries were team highs by far.
Stock report: Up
Farrell’s take: Lawson’s combine performance moved him up quite a bit despite lacking great length. Lawson destroyed people at our first Rival Five-Star Challenge in Atlanta and became a five-star as a result of that dominant showing. He had some injuries in college, but this past season he was healthy and led one of the best defensive lines in college football. He’s now firmly a second-rounder and someone might take him late round one.
Recruiting: Willis worked out at Kansas State for summer camp, landed an offer from the Wildcats and then later made his commitment. Indiana was his only other listed offer.
Stats: Willis finished with 52 tackles (17.5 for loss) including 11.5 sacks this past season. He also recovered a fumble and in the last two seasons Willis has forced three fumbles per year.
Stock report: Up
Farrell’s take: A mid three-star out of high school, Willis had a great combine and showed off some exceptional quickness and explosiveness. So much so that he could land at the end of round one. Willis improved each year of high school as most prospects do and really improved against the run his senior year but we obviously had questions about how effective he would be at the next level on the edge or if he’d move inside. He’s answered all those questions.
