A Question for the Draftniks

but my preference is Dareus as he has proven to be scheme versatile, having played DE, DT, & NG at different points. It is not a certainty that Fairley can. It is believed he can b/c of his athletic ability, but not certain. Then there is the whole one year wonder thing that people keep tagging both Fairley and Bowers with.

Dareus has been very solid in his time at Alabama.
2 years of consistent production despite losing plenty of surrounding talent last year.
2009: 33 tackles, 6 sacks.
2010: 33 tackles, 5 sacks.
He’s a good run stuffer but he can also apply pressure to the QB.

People are enamored with Fairley because he had a year that was out of this world.
2010: 56 tackles, 12 sacks.
For a defensive tackle in the SEC, that is unheard of. He has been the most dominant player in college football.

So the common perception is that Fairley is “better” because his 1 good year.

In my opinion, Dareus is a better run defender. So if we stay with the 3-4, I would rather have Dareus. He is big, strong, and has the look of a 3-4 DE. The primary job of a 3-4 DE is to hold the line and let the linebackers make the plays. Dareus would do a better job of this then Fairley.

On the other hand, Fairley is a better pass rusher. He is a master of getting after the QB. So if we switch to a 4-3, I would rather have Fairley for his pass rush abilities from the 4-3 DT position. He would make a bigger impact then Dareus.

Both are really good prospects, but I think Fairley is the better prospect in the 4-3 while Dareus is the better 3-4 prospect.

We’re still a long ways away from the Draft and performances at workouts/combine/Senior Bowl will all shakeup the draft projections. I would describe Fairley as the “in” prospect right now, he’s had a dramatic rise up the boards and his play of late may or may not warrant it.

Dareus was never going to put up the big numbers. As a LDE, he’s always attacking within the vision of the QB and won’t register that many sacks. He was a beast in the Capitol Bowl as MTD profiled here. Honestly in that game, he looked stronger than Fairley and more athletic than Bowers, but I don’t think he’s played to that level all year. He also only started 4 games in 2009, which doesn’t give him a huge advantage in experience.

With Fox talking about a hybrid defense, his versatility to play multiple position on the line may be intriguing to the Broncos. A lot will depend on what the Broncos want out of a defensive line player, but it’s not crazy to put Dareus over Fairley at this point.

which is giving opinions without any real facts. Dareus has one more year under his belt. So what. We’ve seen what Fairley has to offer. I like what I see. Fairley is the more explosive, nastier player between the two. He reminds me of Ngata. Not size or technique wise, but attitude wise (ask Ben’s nose).

That is the single ingredient our defense has been lacking for a long time now. It’s time to change that. I like Dareus, and PP. I would be thrilled if we end up with any one of them. I’m starting to warm up to PP, admittedly. After watching Revis play, there is no doubts a supremely talented cover corner can change the complexity of a game with the snap of the fingers. Having said that, Fairley is still the guy, at least in my humble opinion. Sometimes an attitude adjustment is what’s needed. I think he can help do that for our defense. Just my .02.

Fairely would be wasted in a 3-4, while Darius would be a better fit there.

Or…What Xanders/Fox wants. At #2 you better be sure of your choice and we have a lot of college football left to think on a good choice…One thing for sure, the player has to be elite at that pick not a hopeful prospect. Another comparing factor can be, is there a similar player in the 2nd rd? From what we’ve seen and heard neither one of those boys are a once in a long while prospect, because there have been some who have come out lately with the same skills and similar features…This is a once in a life time pick for us and it is very important that we get it right this time…

There was a brilliant examination on the relative chance to draft an impact player based on round, and slot within the round.

If I remember correctly, the #1 spot has a lower chance than the #2. Spots #2 to #16 were practically identical in odds. These aren’t odds based on random chances of course, but the point being is that good drafting outweighs draft position, which I think we already knew.

Fairley says he doesnt want to play in the cold, haha, for whatever thats worth
Dareus can be had at 6-8 probabaly allowing us to trade down and stockpile picks as well