Ngata tops a list of
defensive tackles who could be named in the top two rounds,
overall a decent class although after Ngata, Bunkley, and
Watson
the drop off is significant.
Top Defensive
Tackles
1. Haloti
Ngata, 6-4, 336, Oregon
(Jr.)
Ngata has a powerful build and can be a run stuffer
on the next level. He also has some quickness to
collapse the pocket. Coaches at Oregon have said
Ngata was the best defensive player to ever come
through the program. Double-teamed on
virtually every snap and alternated between
brilliance and what seemed to be complacency. Rarely
stopped by one player. Ngata's 2005 season was his
most dominant. He was the first Oregon player since
1962 to earn consensus All-American honors by
posting 61 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 3.0
sacks. He was recognized with the Pac-10's
Co-Defensive MVP honors, as well as ranking as a
finalist for both the Bronko Nagurski and Outland
awards.
Ngata has many flaws as a first round
draft prospect. He is a bit top-heavy, he needs to
learn to use his hands more properly and his motor
tends to run hot-and-cold. However, Ngata is a
massive, powerful and quick two-gap DT/NT prospect
with tremendous upside as a potential anchor in the
middle of an NFL defense
FoxSports:
Oregon's massive HalotiNgata is the
best of a half dozen defensive tackles whose names
should be called just as early. Some scouts feel
Ngata (pronounced NOT-uh) could easily be
selected in the top 10.
2.
Brodrick
Bunkley, 6-2, 300, Florida State:
Brodrick Bunkley has the great size you look for,
but he can play soft at times. Not much of an
attacker, but Bunkley impressed coaches with his
strength at the combine by doing 44 consecutive reps
of 225 pounds on the bench press. Coaches said that
Bunkley was in incredible shape for the combine.
Bunkley has the quickness, explosiveness
and playmaking skills to develop into an impact
penetrating interior lineman in the right scheme at
the next level. Following an exceptional showing at
the combine (44 reps on the bench press and 40-yard
dash time of 4.97 seconds at 306 pounds), Bunkley
has become legitimate competition for Oregon's
Haloti Ngata for first defensive tackle off the
board in 2006.
FoxSports:
Florida St., DT Brodrick
Bunkley has a massive frame, and very little of
it isn't muscle. (Scott Halleran / Getty Images) To
see Brodrick Buckley is to be deathly afraid
of him. Ripped beyond logic for a man over 300
pounds.
3.
Gabe Watson, 6-4,
341, Michigan Ranks among the elite defensive talents in the
draft, but Watson's weight and inconsistent effort
could cause him to be drafted later than his talent
warrants. Benched for five games, including the
Alamo Bowl, for his lack of effort. Dominated the
line of scrimmage so completely during Senior Bowl
practices that he was held out of plays. Scouts love
his upside, but feel Watson could be a tease.
Inconsistent
production and lack of stamina became maddening for
Michigan coaches and led to Watson's benching for
four games during his senior season. Watson seems to
give a good effort when fresh and he can be
absolutely dominant during those spurts. However, he
tires easily and winds up taking entirely too many
plays off throughout the course of a game.
FoxSports: Ranks among the elite defensive
talents in the draft, but Watson's weight and
inconsistent effort could cause him to be drafted
later than his talent warrants.
4.
Claude Wroten, 6-2, 302, LSU
Explosive off the ball with good balance, and could
be a solid pass-rushing tackle at the next level.
Plays hard, and finished his collegiate career with
12 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss. An arrest for
marijuana possession that cost him an invite to the
Senior Bowl was dismissed, and is the only blemish
on his off-field record. The only real concern is a
lack of ideal size at just under 6-2.
If Wroten continues to improve his
technique and lower body strength, he could develop
as an impact interior defensive lineman at the next
level. As such, Wroten grades out as a late-first or
early second-round prospect for teams employing the
proper scheme to match his strengths. If Wroten
slips beyond that range, it will be as a direct
result of character worries.
FoxSports:
ClaudeWroten could regret
option for Pro Day workout over Combine show. At his
March 4 Pro Day, he showed average strength with and
then pulled a hamstring in his first 40 run
5.
Rodrique Wright, 6-5, 308, Texas A consensus
All-American with 47 tackles, 13 tackles for loss
and 4.5 sacks, prone to disappearing for long
stretches. Quickness for his size has
scouts intrigued, but he is a risk.
He is one of the biggest risk-reward
prospects in the 2006 draft class, but Wright's
tremendous upside makes him worth the early-second
round gamble.
FoxSports:
Texas Similar prospect to former
Longhorn first-round pick Marcus Tubbs. Prototype
size for the position and athletic, but constant
double-teams over the past two seasons have sapped
him of eye-popping numbers
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