Jason Pierre-Paul

Hey Phinsider I have been a member for a couple of years now but am more of a lurker than post/commenter. I haven't heard any buzz on Jason Pierre-Paul around here so just for the fun of it I am going to make my case for why we should draft Pierre-Paul. Now I just want to say that I am still undecided on whom I really want the Dolphins to draft. Dez Bryant, Rolando McClain, Dan Williams, and Jason Pierre-Paul are atop my list at the moment (not in any particular order).

Jason Pierre-Paul is a DE from USF, he stands in at 6’6’’ and 260lbs. He would have to make the transition to play 3-4 OLB for the Dolphins and that transition is always a risky one (see Vernon Gholston). However Pierre-Paul is built in a very similar fashion to our very own Jason Taylor. This kid has athletic ability that is very rarely seen by a man his size. Pierre-Paul is going to drop jaws once the Scouting Combine gets here but he is not just a workout warrior he is also a tremendous athlete with more potential than anyone else in this years draft class. He actually didn’t start playing football until halfway through his junior year of high school because he was more interested in basketball even though he admits he wasn’t that good at it. After scouts saw him playing football they began offering him scholarships but because of poor grades he was forced to take the JUCO route.

In his first season of college football he produced at a very high level. Now I understand that this is at the JUCO level and the talent is not as good all around but this is a guy only playing in his 2nd full season of organized football. These are his stats:

  College of the Canyons (Fr)

• 49 Tackles
• 19 Tackles for a loss
• 14 Sacks
• Two Forced Fumbles
• One INT
• One Fumbler Recovery

In his 2nd season he proved that he is no fluke. This guy is a playmaker rushing the QB. These are his stats from his Sophomore year in college:

 Fort Scott Community College (Soph)

• 70 Tackles
• 10.5 Sacks
• Three Forced Fumbles
• Two Fumble Recoveries

via www.draftboardinsider.com

Jason Pierre-Paul was rated as a 5 star JUCO when he was signed by the USF Bulls. In his only season at USF he was named All Big East First Team and was also named First Team All-American by Pro Football Weekly.

 South Florida (Jr)

• 45 Tackles
• 16.5 Tackles for a Loss
• 6.5 Sacks

Strengths: Extremely Athletic…. Explosive first step…. Good Strength…. Excellent Size with a large frame…. Closing Speed…. Doesn’t shy away against the run

Weaknesses: Lack of Experience…. Intelligence may be an issue…. Doesn’t do well with Double Teams…. Needs to make the transition from 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB…. Needs to increase his repertoire   

I think that with the release of Porter and JT’s return in question, Parcells will look for that 3-4 OLB that he covets so much in the draft. Pierre-Paul may not be able to come in and be a 3 down player because of his lack of experience but his potential could raise him into the class of the DeMarcus Ware’s of the world. Here are some highlights from his only season at USF… let me know what you think.