Stats: Herzlich unlike are other two players profiled was not a top 10 recruit or profiled by USA Today. Herzlich however was a Honorable Mention on the Freshmen All-American list. His Junior season he was ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a 1st team All-American according to Rivals.
Freshmen yr: 42 tackles, 1 sack, 1 int
Sophomore yr: 97 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
Junior yr: 110 tackles, 6 int's, 2 forced fumbles
Senior yr: 65 tackles, 4 int's 2 forced fumbles
Analysis:
Run defense: Has good quickness towards the line of scrimmage against the run. Slices through gaps, showing good burst, lateral agility and instincts to consistently meet the ballcarrier near the line of scrimmage. Good balance, agility and vision to flow through the trash and the line of scrimmage, as well as laterally to string plays wide. Has an explosive pop to disengage quickly from blockers. Has the prototypical long arms, good upper-body strength and good balance required for breaking free quickly. Herzlich goes all out, all the time but what else would you expect from a guy who beat cancer.
Pass defense: Is very balanced for his size and can drop back quickly and bat down balls and has solid footwork. Has good, but not great, overall agility and speed for sticking with his receiver or tight end assignment, and will stay with his man and or between them and the ball. Overall has good ball skills and does a good job watching the quarterbacks eyes as he drops back.
Tackling: Just by looking at his stats you can tell that Herzlich is a very good tacklers. Has very good form and can wrap up and bring down smaller more athletic players. Overall a excellent tackler who can make the tackle in between the lines and also in space.
Overall: Excellent tacklers and shows good hands with the 12 career interceptions. The drop in production is understandable, after all he battled cancer. Has all the intangibles a GM would look for in a player. Can not state enough that he beat cancer and came back to have a successful senior season.
Projection: 2nd round
I'm still debating on where Herzlich goes. I think he's going to fall a little bit because of his senior season game film. He's just somebody you shouldn't forget about (much like Jamar Cheney last season). He could fall hard because of an average senior season, but be an absolute force once he's back in game shape.
ReplyDeleteThen there's the flip side...guys like Jason Allen and Antonio Cromartie who missed almost all of their final seasons in college and still went in the first round. The draft is no science.