With the better defensive unit of the two, the 2015 Senior Bowl South defense offers plenty of pass rushing talent, both at defensive end (lead by Trey Flowers) and linebacker (lead by Lorenzo Mauldin). And in the defensive backfield, they have arguably the game’s top three safety prospects in Cody Prewitt, Clayton Geathers and Jaquiski Tartt.
Defensive Linemen
1. Trey Flowers, Arkansas
Trey Flowers has the makeup of a 4-3 strong side DE. Although he lacks a plus first step, he consistently locates break points and violently discards blockers. Both his length and hand usage grade out as a plus traits, and he consistently sets a hard edge versus the run. Flowers remains a bit high cut and tight in the hips, and his lack of great athleticism can be exposed in the open field. Still, he repeatedly makes impact plays and grades out in the day two range as a DE with starting ability.
2. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA
Owamagbe’s name is ridiculously hard to spell and pronounce, but he’s a legit NFL prospect with his combination of length and strength off the edge. Owamagbe does an impressive job of leveraging underneath blockers and locking out to reset the line of scrimmage in the backfield. So while he may not finish with a ton of sacks on the box score, he’s disrupting opposing offenses and allowing his teammates to flow to the football. He’ll be a day two option for NFL teams.
3. Preston Smith, Mississippi State
Smith made dramatic improvements between junior and senior seasons. Far more forceful at the point of attack with hand usage and calculated in approach, he now sets up rips and swims with a heavy club move to either side. Smith can dip and rip from DE position, or kick inside to a 3-tech or shade nose position on three-man fronts. In addition to that front versatility, Smith also flashed the ability to drop and transition into coverage. Bringing a plus combination of length and size to the table, Preston Smith has the versatility to contribute early as a utility defensive lineman and grow into a starting role.
4. Markus Golden, Missouri
Plays edge with good snap anticipation and natural speed rush ability. Creates separation by locking out inside arm while running the arc. With that being said, Golden is a bit of a one trick pony in terms of rush repertoire. He lacks variety to his pass rush stem, either using outside speed or stunting inside on slant movement. Golden will surprise blockers with his long gait and ability to deceptively build speed, but a majority of his production came versus opposing right tackles. He possesses good, not great edge flexibility, but gives outstanding effort in pursuit and always runs to the football. Better suited to be a wide-9 technique, Markus Golden looks more like a rotational DE than an every down starter.
5. Gabe Wright, Auburn
Played first three years on campus at DT, before cross training at DE in senior season. Trimmed off bad weight and now appears lighter on feet, faster off the ball and more balanced as a pass rusher. Anticipates snap at a high level and quick out of stance to engage the blocker. Shoots his hands to create separation, set the edge and read through the block. Active hands and quick feet are biggest plus marks, and his effort is exceptional. Should be a very productive rotational DL that can work odd-man fronts as the closed end, or specialize as a slanting 3-technique.
6. Grady Jarrett, Clemson
7. Joey Mbu, Houston
8. Kalen Eulls, Mississippi State
Linebackers
1. Denzel Perryman, Miami (FL)
The undersized yet extremely active and explosive Perryman will need to overcome his size deficiencies like many recent high-valued linebackers before him. His ability to stay low and explosive in traffic, adjust laterally with balance and maintain vision exceeds that of recent undersided linebacker success stories, and he’ll likely prove in Mobile that he’s a much better version of former 2nd round pick Arthur Brown.
2. Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
Mauldin wins with speed and bend around the edge, dipping too low for tackles to square up and using a strong rip move to turn the corner sharply and create an angle to the quarterback. When he isn’t trying to bend the edge, Mauldin shows quick hands to slap the arms of opposing lineman away and uses his speed to get around the edge and pressure the quarterback.
3. Martrell Spaight, Arkansas
Martrell Spaight was a two-time, JUCO All-American, before transferring to Arkansas as a junior. As a weakside linebacker prospect, Spaight shows the athleticism and quick twitch movements to beat the ball carrier to the hole. He does a plus job of seeing the play develop, sidestepping blockers and knifing into the backfield. His instincts could lend to a successful career as a 4-3 ILB, but I believe his movement skills are best served at WLB. With his ability to sink in coverage and pickup crossing patterns, Spaight has the makeup of an every down starter and should impress evaluators at the Senior Bowl.
4. Stephone Anthony, Clemson
5. Lynden Trail, Norfolk State
6. Geno Grissom, Oklahoma
Defensive Backs
1. Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss
Prewitt spent his first two seasons as an in-the-box safety, before transitioning to more free safety alignments as a junior. In Ole Miss’ defense, he showcases anticipation, diagnosis and range to make plays as both a centerfielder (Cover 1 and Cover 3) and split-field safety. Has pop under his pads being a bigger free safety, but can more often be seen grabbing and dragging down ball carriers. Prewitt won’t be covering from the slot at the next level, as he lacks ideal reactive athleticism in one-on-one coverage. Likely a strong safety in Cover 3 and Cover 2 Buc systems, he will likely draw day two grades from NFL teams.
2. Clayton Geathers, UCF
A hard-hitting safety who performs best in the box and shows well playing downhill, Geathers also flashes ability in coverage. An effective man defender, Geathers’ fluid hips allow him to stay tight with receivers and tight ends down the field. The senior safety’s versatility is key to his NFL evaluation, as he doesn’t need to be protected in any facet of the game. With just three career interceptions, Geathers isn’t a ballhawk but does show the ability to create turnovers by forcing fumbles.
3. Jaquiski Tartt, Samford
Despite hailing from an FCS school, the Samford free safety has been on NFL radars for some time. An explosive, highly active safety, Tartt plays with great pop at contact, adjusts well when he’s over-aggressive, and flashes the ability to play in the box and in center field. He’ll have a lot to prove against the big school receivers, but athletically, he matches up well.
4. D’Joun Smith, Florida Atlantic
Playing with composed, controlled style of play, Smith utilizes his quickness and body control to effectively stay balanced throughout his hip turn and vertical transitions, allowing him to finish plays in the air and disrupt plays at the catch-point. He’ll need to maintain that positioning effectiveness against top-notch Senior Bowl receivers.
5. Senquez Golson, Ole Miss
Starting at the field cornerback position, Senquez Golson plays much bigger than his 5’9, 180-pound frame might indicate. He’s quick to transition and close for tackles, and is unafraid to mix things up against the run. Though he lacks elite speed, Golson displays the instincts to anticipate routes as they develop and beat the receiver to the catch point. His size will undoubtedly knock him down some draft boards, but I fully expect Golson to outperform wherever he’s selected.
6. JaCorey Shepherd, Kansas
7. Imaon Claiborne, Northwestern State
8. Anthony Jefferson, UCLA
9. Ladarius Gunter, Miami (FL)
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