Each week this offseason, we’ll be focusing on one position and how the Panthers may choose to address their needs; whether they’re in the market for an upgrade at starter or just a reliable backup, every player on the 53-man roster is going to be important in 2018.
This is Defensive Line Week.
While many would like the Panthers to add a pass rusher with their first pick of the draft, they may opt to address the area on the second day given the depth of the draft class at the position and the other holes that the Panthers need to fill; one option past the first round may be Wake Forest’s Duke Ejiofor. Ejiofor is currently recovering from shoulder surgery to fix a nagging issue and both wasn’t able to perform at the combine and could miss some of the earlier offseason activities, but he showed enough on tape to have many excited about his potential impact in the NFL. In fact, the shoulder surgery may hurt his draft stock enough to make the 6’4″, 220-pound defensive end a tremendous value.
Pass Rushing
As with most pass rushers, Ejiofor’s game is built upon the ability to force tackles into their slide with his speed around the edge. While he isn’t in the same category as the likes of Davenport or Key in this regard, he does still have the speed required to offer some threat as a pure speed rusher (For reference, Ejiofor wears #53):
He also shows decent bend to go with his speed, and combines that with a consistent inside arm which allows him to twist around the tackle in order to get to the quarterback:
He also shows the ability to artificially create a speed advantage by freezing the tackle with an inside fake and then using his hands again, though this time to swat the tackle aside, allowing him to get outside and around the edge:
While this ability to be effective around the edge is a useful skill, for Ejiofor, it is largely used as a way of setting up the rest of his pass rushing repertoire. One way in which he is able to do this, and why the inside fake was so effective on the above play, was by using a quick change of direction to shoot back inside the tackle and then using his outside arm to prevent the tackle from coming back into the play; on the following play, he doesn’t get to the quarterback, but forces a facemask penalty as the tackle finds himself out of position after the inside move:
Where this has real value is in forcing inside help, which in turn creates opportunities for blitzers coming from the second level:
As well as the more nuanced moves, he also shows the arm power to offer a variety to his pass rush; the punch on the following play demonstrates his arm power and completely wipes the tackle out of the play:
He even showed flashes of a spin move on tape, and while the following play is only saved by the chip from the running back, he will need to be more consistent with his pad level if he wants to incorporate this into his game in a more significant way:
These play height concerns aren’t totally limited to his spin move; on stunts in particular, Ejiofor showed a tendency to get too vertical, allowing himself to be easily deflected upwards, as with most issues of this sort, this is something where the degree to which it limits his pass rushing abilities will depend on how effective he is at rectifying this issue once he gets to the NFL. This is almost impossible to judge with any certainty based on the tape, but Ejiofor’s play height issues do at least seem to be relatively minor as almost all pass rushing prospects have to improve in this area upon reaching the next level.
Ejiofor is a good pass rusher, and his combination of athleticism and developed technique should allow him to be consistently effective in this regard doing forwards. Where he really stands out, however, is in the run game.
Next Up: Run Defense And NFL Comparisons
