Next Great 3-4 DE?
 

Some may not agree with me, but in my opinion, the most important piece of the 3-4 defense lies in having at least 1 dominant 5-tech. Having a great 5-tech to pair with Poe would not only make his life easier, but it would boost the defense overall and reduce the need to fill our secondary with great individual talents. It would also help our OLBs a ton if they had someone dominant playing in front of them. As of now, we lack that kind of presence on our line; sure we have a couple of players who have potential, but they'll most likely turn out to be just average starters at best.

In this current draft class, who do you see as the most likely candidate for being the next great 3-4 DE in the mould of JJ Watt, Wilkerson, Jordan, Campbell, etc?

The one I like the most right now that I've seen so far is Baylor's Shawn Oakman. He has Calais Campbell's height and massive wingspan and has demonstrated the burst to get up field quickly and run the arc like a 4-3 DE; he also possesses the strength to split a double team and knife through two blockers to get to the quarterback. He's so dang tall that he looks a bit skinny for a 5-tech but, from what I saw in the SMU game, he doesn't seem to have trouble with leverage and plays with powerful hands and is a lot stronger than he looks.

The real knock on him stems from the circumstances of his transferring from Penn State to Baylor. He had some off-field trouble in Penn State, tried to steal a sandwich cause he didn't have any more meal points, as well as some academic issues and was kicked off of the team. This could keep him from being considered among the top draft picks in the 2015 NFL draft, so that's good for us.

I feel like if we drafted and developed Oakman, he has a strong chance to become a special player and be what Jackson and Dorsey failed to become. Who else do you guys think could potentially become a great 5-tech in this league that we should keep an eye on?

Another guy I like is Ray Drew, but he might go earlier than where we end up picking in the draft.

Here are some vids on Oakman.

Most recent 2014 vs SMU.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QHO2xa2k6Tg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Vs Oklahoma
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/T6B9UWxpAzk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Vs TTech
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7mNvmaB2mas" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Vs Iowa
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ch2HzYQMXVo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

He actually really reminds me of Aldon Smith in college because he's so darn long. He will need to add somewhere around 20-25 pounds of muscle to his body in order to hold up better at the point of attack in the NFL; really depends on what kind of defense he gets drafted to. If it's an attacking defense where he is allowed to penetrate as a 3-4 DE instead of just 2-gapping all of the time, he should be fine with around 20 extra pounds; he would likely have to add upwards of 30 pounds of muscle to hold up in a true 3-4 scheme where he is just asked to occupy blockers.

Had a chance to take a great 3 tech, in Sheldon Richardson.

IIRC, Wilkerson will be a FA this offseason, no?

I take it you haven't heard of Leonard Williams.

Yeah, I have and I'm not really impressed. He looks like the next Tyson Jackson at best. He doesn't have the quick burst and athleticism that Oakman has which makes Oakman a special prospect.

"You ask [the scouts] the question 'Who is the best offensive player you've seen? Who is the best defensive player you've seen?'" David Shaw said, according to ESPN. "... All of them said Leonard Williams at USC [on defense]. It's not just me, everybody sees it."

Eh, I see him get knocked off of the line way too often for someone who is as big as he is. He got handled easily by 1 lineman way too often from what I've seen. I don't see where all of the hype is coming from for him.

Oakman has the speed to provide really quick pressure as a penetrator and has the frame to add weight and strength to be a lot more stout against the run without losing much of his athleticism. He's a really smooth athlete and looks comfortable dropping back in space when they ask him to. He can rush standing up as well.

Check out Henry Anderson, DE, Stanford. He's 6'6" and 287 lbs. He is very good.

Looks stout and plays with good effort but isn't very dynamic or outstanding in any area, IMO.