In his most recent mock draft, Mel Kiper put Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan in the 17th spot in the draft, picked by the New England Patriots who would most certainly convert him to a 3-4 outside linebacker. But is was a St. Louis Rams player that the Hair offered as a comparison.
Kerrigan is not a perfect comparison to Rams DE Chris Long. The two have different body types and a little different array of moves, but that wasn't the basis of Kiper's comparison anyway. Kiper sees Long's motor and relentless playing style.
Maximum effort. Every time the ball is snapped, you know what you're getting with this kid. He's been disruptive. To me he can shed, he can stop the run effectively and gives you that pass rush because he never quits on a play.
With the 14th pick, Kerrigan is definitely an option for the Rams in the first round, another one of an amazing class of defensive ends in this year's draft.
Here are some of my thoughts on Kerrigan from the Combine.
As far as Kerrigan and Long bookending the same line, it would without a doubt be an intimidating unit for opposing tackles and tight ends. Kerrigan isn't the explosive agile speedster that many 'round these parts believe wold be the perfect complement to Long. Still, that's probably splitting hairs when you start to factor in the rotations that Spagnuolo uses on his front four.
Again, as someone mentioned on Twitter yesterday, the Rams have some potential at DE, most notably George Selvie. Early returns are promising, and this will be a crucial year for last year's seventh-round steal.