On Monday, SBNation rolled out a very special Valentine's Day edition mock draft. Ok, there wasn't anything special about it or related to the Hallmark holiday. It was just another mock draft, but it was a mock draft that did not have the St. Louis Rams picking Alabama WR Julio Jones in the first round. This mock draft had the Rams going defense, taking Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan with the 14th pick in the first round.
Now, concerns about how the promise Kerrigan showed at Purdue will translate to the NFL.
Let's explore.
The logic behind the pick was sound.
Chris Long finally showed signs of life in 2010, but he needs a bookend. Kerrigan's motor would make him an excellent complement.
Personally, I think defensive tackle is a more pressing need, but in today's NFL you can never have too many pass rushers. But you can't afford to tie up first round picks on players with big questions marks about whether or not they can be successful in the NFL.
Wes Bunting with the National Football Post reports growing concerns among draft people about Kerrigan and his ability to play in the NFL. Here's what Bunting said:
He doesn't look fluid enough to play in space and lacks the anchor to hold up as a down defensive end. Also, a lot of sources have also said he's a pretty "blah" athlete and isn't going to test well at the NFL Combine.
Something to keep in mind. But teams will make their own decisions about players, which sometimes turn out to be bad ones. The risk you take. One thing's for sure, a poor Combine will probably get him dropped from first round consideration
Other draftniks haven't dropped Kerrigan this week. Walter Football's 2/16 draft has him getting picked #16. So does Rob Rang.
This is a solid year for defensive linemen, so we'll see how Kerrigan's stock looks after the Combine.