I spent a little time during a lull this evening watching some recruiting tapes. With defensive end depth a major worry spot for the Hokies, I focused on three defensive line targets that I have seen glimpses of and liked in small doses. The longer film reinforced my initial very positive thoughts.
1) Brad Johnson — Physical, incredibly athletic. Long arms and great get off the ball. He plays with an attitude. Needs to improve on making himself narrow. He is the defensive end with the most upside of the remaining targets. I love how he makes plays opposite of his side of the line of scrimmage. Some kids are big and fast and make plays on their side because they are big and fast on their side of the field. Johnson fights through blocks and stays with the play. He is a culture change kind of kid.
2) Victor Dimukeje — Watching the 250 pounder is like watching Woody Baron's high school film all over again. He doesn't have huge straight line speed, but he gets off the ball well and has terrific bend to the inside. Despite being a big kid, he can show up the field to force a dive read and then bend flat down the line to make the tackle. He is excellent at getting small so he can crash inside to spill plays. I love this kid. Reports are that he is a defensive tackle target- just like Woody, I think he could be even better at end.
3) Zion Debose — Another defensive end, this time from North Carolina — Debose doesn't have the wingspan or the frame to add more weight like Johnson, but he is a nasty player. His technique is more refined. He can bend to the inside to track down plays from the backside. He is stout against kick out and reach blocks at the point of attack. He has a lights out first step for his body type. Perhaps most impressively is how he wipes off blocks, makes himself small to get through the gap and then suddenly becomes huge on the other side. He levels guys. He looks a ton like Orion Martin — not the most impressive guy physically and then the ball is snapped and he is crushing the quarterback.
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