Miami Dolphins Draft Prospects 2018 - Defensive End Preview

Defensive end is probably my favorite position to scout for the Miami Dolphins. It’s a fun position to play, extremely important on the field and one rule I’ve always believed in, is you can never have too many pass rushers. This year’s class has a variety of different flavors if I may, from the ultra athletic Key, to the stout Lewis and some directly in between. Since athletic DE’s are sexy, lets start there and we will begin with Landry from Boston College.

Harold Landry, DE, Boston College - Senior

6-2 250 lbs.

Landry is one of the best pass rushers in the country. He’s a smaller DE/OLB that can play a range of different roles in multiple schemes mainly because he’s so versatile and athletic. He plays with good technique, always keeping track of the football, has fantastic quickness and constantly gets good penetration in the backfield. As a pass rusher, he’s skilled; he can dip his shoulder, uses multiple different moves and it looks like it comes naturally to him. He does struggle to disengage though which is worrisome but not surprising. Also, he gets wiped out by double teams. The most important thing to me though is the fact that Landry has impacts on games. He’s a playmaker and a possible first round pick in next year’s draft.

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Arden Key, DE, LSU - Junior

6-6 238 lbs

Key probably gets the most amount of attention for any DE in the country. Many mock drafts I’ve seen around have him in the first round. I’ll tell you now, in my opinion, that is based off potential and athleticism. Key is crazy athletic; he’s got all the tools you could dream for as a pass rusher. He’s got good hand use, can dip the shoulder and run the arch, deadly speed rush, amazing ability to bend, I could go on. It’s not hard to notice him on the field, however he’s inconsistent. Now, before I go on with my concerns, please hear me out, I don’t dislike Key by any means. However, I am going to throw a name out there that will re-open some not-so healed wounds and I am NOT comparing Key to him at all....so please understand that. Of course, you can probably guess the person I’m talking about is Dion Jordan. He flashed potential like I’d never seen before at Oregon. I thought he had all the tools and could be a special player, way before the Dolphins made him the number 3 pick in the draft. I made a mistake; I fell in love with potential. What I learned from that was to trust what you see on film, not what you could, or want to see. Jordan wasn’t dominate in college, heck, he was on and off the field every other play I felt like. Point is, I don’t want to make potential more important than production. Key is more athletic than Dion Jordan was. He’s a great pass rusher (although I’d like to see more variety of moves) but I think he struggles to disengage, needs to add bulk desperately, and needs to be more physical (I don’t see a meanness to him?). Overall, I think Key has elite ability, but he’s got a lot of improving to do. Again, I actually like Key a lot (like most scouts will) and I don’t think he’s another Dion Jordan. I like his potential but I want to see him this season produce and be dominate before I start talking about him being a high draft pick.

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Sweat, DE, Florida St. - Junior

6-4 250 lbs

Sweat is an athletic pass rusher; for 250 lbs he moves quite well. I like his hand use (which can be violent at times), his great motor, his strength; he’s a well-rounded prospect. He will make his money rushing the passer, but he needs to improve on it. He’s got potential but I’d like to see him add some more moves and like a lot of other DE prospects, I want to see him disengage better. He’s no slouch against the run, but I like him best rushing the passer in the NFL.

Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio St. - Junior

6-4 265 lbs

Hubbard is going to be a first round draft pick. I am not sure if it will be 2018 or 2019 but I believe he will be. He clearly stands out in film; he’s all over the field, very quick get off, violent hitter and plays like he truly loves the game. A lot of what he does is so textbook; its very impressive. If he has another good year I wouldn’t be surprised to see him come out for the 2018 draft.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Marcell Frazier, DE, Missouri - Senior

6-4 265 lbs

Frazier is a hard prospect for me to wrap my hands around. I really didn’t like the first half of the Arkansas game film from last year but in the 2nd half he almost looked like a different prospect. I think he struggles to disengage, has average athleticism, he’ll occasionally get in trouble with leverage, and I’ve seen him get taken out one on one too many times. However, he’s intriguing to me though because he has the ability to dominate. There will be plays where he flat out owns the lineman trying to block him but then the next play, he will be nonexistent. I don’t like inconsistency but it’s not a major red flag for me. It will just require me to really pay close attention this year to figure out what type of player Marcell Frazier really is.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio St. - Senior

6-3 265 lbs

Lewis may be the best run stopper of this group. He’s very stout, obviously has been in the weight room, does a good job of fighting through blocks and is a solid tackler. I know he’s put up some numbers rushing the passer but I don’t think he’s a great pass rusher. He’s slow off the ball and doesn’t really use a lot of pass rushing moves. I am not saying he can’t improve but I was most impressed with his anchor and stoutness rather than his pass rushing skill.

Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Chubb, DE, N.C. St. - Senior

6-3 275 lbs

Chubb looks the part on field. He’s stout, strong, great tackler, violent hands, gets good penetration, he’s effective vs the run and the pass; he’s definitely got the NFL scouts attention. He also plays with good technique (leverage, containment, keeping eyes on the ball etc..). I don’t think he will blow anyone away with his quickness or athleticism, and for as strong as he appears I think he should shed blocks better. Bottom line, Chubb could be a high draft pick. Pass rushers are always in high demand and Chubb could really make a name for himself this year.

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Dorance Armstrong, DE, Kansas - Senior

6-3 246 lbs

Armstrong has been a productive player for the Jayhawks and a player I’ve noticed good improvement on throughout the years. He plays with good strength, able to fight through traffic, does a good job of locating the ball quickly, has a fantastic speed rush, and I really think he’s underrated verses the run despite his size. I think he’s got to work on play recognition and rushing/pursuit under control but he’s talented and it is hard to say, but I would peg him 3rd, 4th rounder right now....if he has another good year he could even go higher than that.

Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

DaShawn Hand, DE/DT, Alabama - Senior

6-3 282 lbs

Hand is a scheme diverse D-linemen that plays multiple roles for Alabama. I think he could play 3-4 and 4-3. I like his quickness, vision and has a decent burst off the line. Throughout his career he’s been a solid rotation player that obviously has all the tools to be a dominate player in the NFL. I like his tape, but Hand really needs to take the next step this season. I think he’s got good hand use, plays with leverage, decent play recognition but I just don’t see him dominating opponents. Now with Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson moving on to the NFL he will have a golden opportunity to live up to his potential and make a name for himself. Side note; as I am writing this, apparently he has been arrested for DUI. I cannot confirm any of this, and if it is true, this is not a good way to start your Senior year with much on the line for this young man.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Other DE’s to watch for this this college football season:

Chad Thomas, Miami
Arthur Brown, Virginia
Drew Bailey, Louisville
Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest
Byron Cowart, Auburn
Rasheem Greene, USC
David Moa, Boise St.