Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - A top level athlete with elite first step explosiveness, Werner makes it look easy beating the OT to the corner/turn-point. When he turns corner sharply he has an explosive closing burst to the QB to finish the sack. His combination of good playing strength, excellent technique, quick change of direction ability and competitiveness let him beat pass blocker with a variety of pass rush moves. Despite often being out-weighed by 50+ pounds, he is able to jolt and drive OT backwards into QB's lap when he bull rushes. A dominant player against OL run blocks, Werner defeats block on run to his side and has a burst to ball to finish play. Accelerating to full speed in a flash and possessing great top level speed, Werner consistently is able to track down ball carriers in backside pursuit. For a player who has only been playing football since his junior season in high school, Werner's instincts and awareness are uncommon and way beyond his years.

WEAKNESSES - Werner needs to maintain better pad level and tighten up his footwork in order to turn the corner more consistently when he beats the OT to the turn-point. Having played down as a defensive end most of his college career, Werner would need a lot of work to adjust to playing off the LOS as an outside linebacker in a 34 scheme.

SUMMARY - An underclassman, Werner jumped off the film and made so many big plays against North Carolina State that I immediately knew he would have to consider coming out early for the Draft. A strong and well built player, Werner dominates run blockers at the POA in order to consistently make tackles on runs to his side of the field. Unlike many players who play so aggressively on every snap, Werner does not get sucked in by miss-direction plays and carries out his responsibility easily. Overall, the more I evaluated Werner, the more his play reminded me of current Rams' defensive end Chris Long and I think Werner can be as good in the NFL as Long. If he is drafted by a team that plays a 43 scheme he should start from day one, but if he goes to a team that runs a 34 defense he will likely be a backup as a rookie who makes a big impact when he becomes a starting OLB in his second season.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Carradine's production in his first, and only, season as a starter at Florida State was impressive. You would never guess that he has limited starting experience when you see his variety of polished pass rush moves. He uses his hands extremely well to slap the pass blocker's hands down to stay free and can beat him inside or around the corner. Outstanding technique taking on run blocker at the POA, Carradine jolts blocker upright, holds ground, sheds and makes tackle consistently on runs at him. When left unblocked on the backside he does an excellent job of maintaining backside contain and making sure the play is going away before crashing down the LOS. When offenses try to "reach block" him on the backside he gets inside blocker consistently, keeps blocker on back and has elite speed chasing down the play in pursuit. On the handful of snaps that Carradine dropped off the ball into coverage he looked surprisingly smooth and fluid moving out in space and seemed to have a good sense and awareness.

WEAKNESSES - Obviously, the most pressing question surrounds Carradine's recovery from the torn right ACL that he suffered in the fourth quarter against Florida. If NFL medical personnel determine that he will make a full recovery then he will likely be a first round pick. Despite being an elite pass rusher, Carradine lacks an explosive first step off the ball. In addition to his recovery from injury, Carradine's lack of playing experience is a concern because players who only started one year in college have a history of failure in the NFL. This is an even bigger concern because he did not even complete one full season as a starter after injuring his knee.

SUMMARY - In the first few games evalauting Florida State, Carradine impressed me and then the more film I evaluated he continued to jump off the film. For a player with limited experience, I was shocked at how instinctive, smart and technically sound he is. Displaying great competitiveness on every snap, Carradine made a ton of plays through sheer effort and hustle chasing down ball carriers 10+ yards down the field. Although he was often the last defensive linemen moving at the snap, he was by far the most productive of Florida State's defensive linemen in the five games evaluated - He was involved in 1 play out of every 7.31 snaps which is a rare ratio and usually that of a Top Five Overall Pick. In the end, Carradine's play on the field no doubt warrants being picked in the Top Ten, but the health of his right knee will be the primary determining factor in where he gets drafted. If his knee checks out and NFL medical personnel feel that he will return to 100% within a season or two then he will likely be a first round pick, but if there are any medical questions he will slide into the second round. I believe that while he will likely need a season to get back to 100%, by the 2014 season he will be a starting defensive end and eventually a high end starter.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Muscular and well built, Montgomery definitely looks the part of an NFL DE "on the hoof." While he lacks explosive quickness off the ball as a pass rusher, he does get out of stance and set to take on OL run block fast. By maintaining good knee bend/leverage, positioning and using hands well, Montgomery consistently takes on OL run blocks strong at the POA, carries out responsibility, sheds and makes tackle. When offenses try to run block him with a TE, not only can he easily make the play, but he flashes the ability to dominate TE and blow up play behind the LOS. While he lacks premier speed, he has good enough playing speed to chase down ball carrier in pursuit along LOS on running plays away. His playing strength enables him to jolt and drive OT backwards when he bull rushes, can disengage and pressures QB. In addition, he shows his strength with a strong and violent outside "club" move to jolt OT inside so he can get around the corner. Even when his initial pass rush move is not effective he often gets pressure on the QB through a combination of great effort, intensity and strength. He has versatility to be effective as DE in a 43 scheme & as an OLB in a 34 defense.

WEAKNESSES - Montgomery is more a smooth and fluid athlete than an explosive one and is productive due to effort, strength and use of hands. He lacks the explosive first step and speed to threaten the corner as a speed rusher. He has no real variety of pass rush moves and struggles to consistently pressure the QB vs strong OT's; especially on quick hitting passes due to his lack of explosiveness. When he defeats a block, both pass and run, he lacks the elite speed and explosive closing burst to finish plays outside of a small area. Although he has some experience dropping off the ball into coverage, he is not smooth or fluid playing off the ball and looks a bit stiff and mechanical.

SUMMARY - Despite being hyped as being better than Barkevious Mingo entering the 2012 season, we have always felt that Mingo's athleticism gave him the edge. Strong and powerful at the POA, Montgomery is very productive against the run to his side and gets pressure on their QB through effort, hand use and playing strength. Overall, I do not expect Montgomery to be a first round pick because he reminds me a ton of current Ravens' OLB Courtney Upshaw and Chargers' OLB Jarrett Johnson. He will likely never be a star player, but Montgomery has what it takes to be a productive starting OLB in a 34 scheme or DE in a 43 defense. I would not be shocked if the Patriots drafted him because he could be a good starter at OLB and could drop down into a 3-Pt stance when they switch into 43 alignments during the game. .

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Smith has good height and length for the position, and should be able to add needed bulk to his frame. He is a very good athlete that is tough to contain on the edge because of his ability to bend and dip around the corner, as well as change speeds and directions in a heartbeat. He has very active hands which helps him keep blockers from locking onto his frame and allows him to set up a variety of pass rush moves. Smith is also very productive on stunts, as his ability to change directions fluidly and accelerate from a dead stop make it difficult for slower blockers to contain him. He plays to the whistle on every snap, which allows him to be extremely productive on extended plays. He does an excellent job of engaging his blocker at the POA while keeping his head up, which allows him to quickly locate the ball and prevents him from being fooled by PA or misdirection.

WEAKNESSES - At times Smith gets caught playing too high off the snap, which allows blockers to get into his frame and control him at the LOS. He will need to add 15-20 lbs. in order to help him better anchor at the POA on run plays. He is not an innately explosive athlete, which means he has to rely on his technique, agility and effort to be an effective pass rusher on the edge. He also lacks solid top end speed, which limits his ability to make plays in pursuit from the backside, and puts him out of position and unable to recover on outside runs to his side if he doesn't hold containment off the snap. Although he was effective with his hands at the college level, he needs to learn a wider variety of moves in order to reach his potential as a pass rusher at the next level. Smith tore his left ACL in November.

SUMMARY - Quanterus Smith made quite the statement on opening weekend of the 2012 season when he registered three sacks against eventual national champion Alabama, and continued to dominate his competition as a pass rusher until tearing his left ACL in November. Although he does not have an explosive first step and does not have the top end speed to chase effectively downfield, he is a fluid athlete with natural bend, which allows him to play at such a low level when rushing the passer that bigger offensive tackles struggle to get down to his level. He plays with aggressive hands and shows very good read and react skills, which allows him to defeat blockers while still flowing to the ball effectively. He needs to diversify his pass rush skill set, but considering his violent hand usage, QAB and high motor, I fully expect that his best days are ahead of him. Although he isn't strong enough at the POA to play the run effectively at this stage, his ability to rush the passer would likely have made him a day two selection if he were healthy. Regardless, as long as his knee heels properly, he should develop into at the very least a dangerous pass rush specialist as a 43 DE or 34 OLB.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - A powerful young man, when Gholston plays aggressively and with leverage he can physically dominate offensive linemen. When he stays low and uses hands aggressively on bull rush, he makes it look easy jolting and driving OT backwards into the QB's lap. He has the long arms to get his hands up into the passing lanes to disrupt throws when he cannot get to the QB. On running plays to his side of the field he can be an immoveable force when he maintains leverage and locks out blocker with long arms. He flashes the ability to shed run blocks fast to make tackles on runs at him. When he is left unblocked on the backside of runs away he accelerates down the LOS quickly and has shocking playing speed to chase plays down in pursuit. A high character young man who works hard off the field, Gholston will represent his team well off the field.

WEAKNESSES - Wildly inconsistent in 2012, Gholston lack of aggressiveness, passion and intensity makes m really wonder if he can become the player he flashes the ability to be. Popping upright at the snap the bulk of the time, he gives up leverage and allows blockers to get their hands on him first, which enables less talented players to block him. Gholston is somewhat of a "tweener" in that he likes to play upright and on the edge rather than with leverage and down in the trenches, but the trouble is that he lacks the explosiveness to threaten the corner as an edge rusher. He relies almost exclusively on his strength to get a push and pressure the quarterback. He has no real variety of pass rush moves and if his initial charge is stopped too often he becomes a non-factor.

SUMMARY - After a sophomore season in 2011 where he was an impact player who flashed the ability to be a dominant NFL player, Gholston fell back down to earth with a disappointing junior season performance in 2012. While he seems to fancy himself an edge pass rusher from the way he plays, he is much better suited physically to playing as a five-technique defensive end in a 34 scheme than he is to try and play defensive end in a 43 defense. For a player who physically reminds me so much of current Jets' defensive end Muhammed Wilkerson, Gholston needs to crank up his intensity and aggressiveness to take advantage of his talents to become the player he has the talent to be. One thing that could really help Gholston overcome his inconsistencies, is his good character, work ethic and intangibles. Overall, I believe some team will over-draft Gholston based on his size, athleticism, strength and potential, but buyer beware as he is far from the player he has the talent to be. He will likely become a starter early in his career due to his physical tools, but I believe he will always struggle with consistency, which will keep him from making a big impact for his team. As the cousin of huge bust Vernon Gholston, I am definitely hoping that William can reverse the trend and have a long and productive NFL career.