Will Larry's pass-rushing ability and upside entice the "trifecta"?
Let's continue on with our draft scouting reports. Today, we're going to take a crash course in English - Larry English, that is. The play-making defensive end from Northern Illinois could entice Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland - who would then convert English to a pass-rushing outside linebacker in Miami's 3-4 defense.
But since I rarely see any NIU football games (who am I kidding - I never see them), I enlisted the help of "Mad Mike" from Red And Black Attack - SBN's Northern Illinois blog. Below is his take on English, along with Larry's Scouting Combine results.
Larry English
Height: 6'2 1/8" / Weight: 255
40: 4.85 / Arm: 32 3/4" / Vertical: 36"
Larry English didn’t just win Defensive POY in the MAC last year, he won the MAC MVP overall for the past two years. The best part is that the Vern Smith Trophy is voted by the coaches, so they have that much respect for Larry English and had to plan accordingly for him in every single game. This past year, he even won the award with a cast on his hand because he played with a few pins in his broken right thumb the entire year. I don’t watch too much NFL, but I believe English compares favorably with the other 3-4 rush OLBs currently in the NFL.
Strengths
Larry English has an absolute motor. He is not going to take a single play off during a game. Great overall strength. He is not only good rushing the passer, but I believe he is underrated in stopping the run. Larry has extremely long arms and maintains good leverage on his opponents. Provides great leadership on the field and was team captain the last two years. Was extremely productive even when getting double and triple teamed these past couple years.
Weaknesses
A little on the shorter side at just over 6’2”. Will have to go to a team that will be able to find the right fit for English in their defense. Needs to work on agility and played minimal time away from the defensive line in pass coverage. I think Larry is a lot quicker than he is fast. His pro day is Friday (3/27) of this week and has to improve his 40 time to gain first-round status in the draft.
A big thanks to Mike from Red And Black Attack for taking some time to put this together for us. Without a doubt, English's pro day will be something worth monitoring.