DE, Jarron Gilbert, San Jose St.

DE, Jarron Gilbert, San Jose St.

Pros:  Rare athleticism for a player of his size. ... Versatile defender with experience at defensive tackle and defensive end. ... Good size potential.

Cons:  Bit of a "tweener." ... Struggles with leverage inside and might lack the burst off the snap and flexibility to flank the tackle and close effectively as a defensive end.

Styg's Broncos Fit:   Absolutely prototypical size for the 3-4 DE, he flashes athleticism that belies his 290 lbs, and word is, he can add more weight.  He has excellent balance, startling production, and a famous YouTube video...ok, the last, while cool, is hardly the measure of the man.  He has had some maturity concerns, but nothing that shows up in his game film.  He is a relatively consistent source of pressure, but needs to work on not getting too tall against blockers and overall needs address his knowledge of the game.  His impressive lower-body strength does not translate consistently to explosion off the snap;  I suspect conditioning issues with him fading late in games.  The number-one knock against him, however, and the one he can't address, is that the level of competition he faced did not provide the challenge needed to expose holes in his game.  Overall he could be a solid find at the beginning of day 2.

Around MHR:

From "Jarron Gilbert, Freak of Nature?":

How is this guy not considered a 1st round pick, though his stats seem impressive,  he really only had one very good year, and one good year and the level of his competition was somewhat below standard D-1 teams.  I am wondering if this would be a player Denver targets as a 3-4 end by trading back with someone like Philly or Baltimore.  The guy looks like a Trevor Pryce clone, and may be the best 3-4 lineman available.  But he may also be one of these workout wonders who looks great in shorts but can't play on Sundays, thoughts?

Around SBNation:

From Scouting Report at Mocking the Draft:

For a player of his size, there may be no better athlete in this year's class than Gilbert. He's incredibly quick and fast and has long, powerful arms. He used those tools at San Jose State a gap-shooting defensive tackle, but may be a better fit in the pros as an end. He played both positions in college and was impressive. Gilbert is especially quick off the snap when he times them correctly. Closes with a lot of speed and explodes into ball carriers. Works well through double teams. Very secure tackler and has the ability to flip his hips and square up to make tackles in the open field.

Highlights:

Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:

• Jarron Gilbert has gained acclaim for the footage of him jumping out of a hotel pool, but his 2008 game footage is even more impressive. Gilbert finished with 22 TFL, good for first the FCS, and 9.5 sacks. He is a bit of a DE/DT tweener that could play end on early downs and then kick inside on passing downs, much like Justin Tuck. There are some concerns about his maturity level and what position he translates best to at the NFL level, but he is a rising player with a ton of upside. Gilbert is a high-risk, high-reward player that likely will be selected on the first day.  [see more...]
• Could play defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme or be a five-technique defensive end in a 3-4 and some have even raised the possibility of moving him to offensive tackle...Father Daren played offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints from 1985-88...Weighed about 240 pounds when he began college...Redshirted in 2004...Played defensive end his first 2 1/2 years with the Spartans before moving inside to defensive tackle as a junior...Was 2nd Team All-WAC in 2007...Had a breakout senior campaign and saw his draft stock soar...Named 1st Team All-WAC and was the conference's Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2008...Became a YouTube sensation with this clip of him jumping out of a swimming pool...Was one of the stars of the East / West Shrine Game...Similar in some ways to guys like Ikaika Alama-Francis and Jason Jones...A very intriguing prospect with all of the physical tools that you look for..Still a little raw but has all the potential in the world.  [see more...]
• A long, explosive lineman who displays good flexibility and first-step quickness off the snap. Has impressive power and punch on contact and consistently uses his length to shed blocks and get after the ball. Makes a living in opponent’s backfield and plays with great balance and body control for his size. Finds the ball quickly and offers a lot of versatility as a DT in a 4-3 or a DE in a 3-4.   [see more...]
• He’s tall. He’s strong. He’s fast. And the WAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year gets results, too. See why we think Jarron Gilbert has a chance to become an All-Pro defensive lineman on Draftguys TV.   [see more...]