Everson Griffen

Defensive End | University Of Southern California

6’3’’ | 278 lbs.

Everson Griffen has the athletic tools to be a great player in the NFL. The question is whether or not his passion for the game will hold up long enough for him to accomplish that.

He has the ability to play both a 4-3 scheme defensive and a 3-4 scheme outside linebacker, which is something that we’re seeing more and more in recent years of prospects coming out of college. You’ve got to be able to excel at one position, but have the talent to play the other if called upon to.

This opens up his “draftability” exponentially. Being able to play a position in both schemes allows any team with a need to draft him, thus making it more likely that he comes off the board in the first two rounds.

He’s got the size to play both positions and is very comfortable in coverage because of his speed and his ability to make plays from sideline to sideline.

He keeps his pads low to the great, which equates to him winning the battle at the line of scrimmage and demonstrates a fluid motion when flipping his hips to run with tight ends, etc.

When rushing the passer he has literally two moves to get there. One is a typical bull rush, the other is the spin move made popular by the Indianapolis Colts’ Dwight Freeney. Both were fairly effective for him in college, but the bull rushing is going to be out of the door at the NFL level and the spin move is only effective at times.

He doesn’t really have a motor, but his pursuit angles are top of the line. He struggles a bit wrapping up the ball carrier at times, but for the most part he’s a consistent tackler.

He didn’t play a high number of snaps in college and would have been better served by staying for another year to refine both his pass rushing technique and his strength because both are subpar for an NFL defensive end.

I wish I could come up with a decent player comparison, but pretty much any underachieving defensive end in a 4-3 scheme will suffice. Robert Geather’s comes to mind and looking around is the one he draws the most comparison to around the internet.

At any rate, he has a chance to come off of the board in the first round, but it’s not a very high one, expect him to be a second to third round pick. Either way, an NFL team is going to have to work with him in the weight room, the film room and refining his raw talents.