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Future DEs to target (1 Viewer)

bamnation

Footballguy
Hi All,

In a few leagues it is time to target a few DEs for 2015. Anyone have any ideas who are a few top under the radar 2014 players that could be starters in 2015?

thanks for the help,

BAMN

 
I've been hanging on to Kony Ealy, thinking he could do something in Carolina but he's disappointed so far.

Still might be worth a stash if your rosters are deep enough.

 
Same story on Demontre Moore, he isnt getting the snaps. Not sure if Pierre Paul leaving after this year opens a spot for him or not.

 
I have Moore stashed and had Ealy stashed. There have been some encouraging signs from Moore, but he is looking like a low ceiling type. It's just his rookie year, so I hate to rush to judgment, but Ealy looks bad. I mean, if I can't find another good stash I'll go back and add him in a week or three, could be a late bloomer, but there's been nothing about his game that has me seeing signs of optimism in the future.

 
Some guys I have in my 53 player big play dynasty:

Tyrone Crawford (possible switch to DT designation)

Tank Carradine

Quanterrius Smith

Benson Mayowa

Domonic Easley (DT)

 
Some guys I have in my 53 player big play dynasty:

Tyrone Crawford (possible switch to DT designation)

Tank Carradine

Quanterrius Smith

Benson Mayowa

Domonic Easley (DT)
Any updates on Tank and Smith? I had Tank early on, but after he was a healthy scratch a couple of times I ditched him.

Smith was on my offseason radar, but then I lost track of him. He's available in one of my leagues and I'm looking for a stash in that one after week 12.

 
I have Orakpo in an IR spot with the hopes he signs with a 4-3 team next year and switches from LB to DE. His injury history and age are not favorable but he's clearly a stud and could be a beastly start as a DE. Sneaky, and may not even take up a true roster spot since he's on IR.

 
I have Moore stashed and had Ealy stashed. There have been some encouraging signs from Moore, but he is looking like a low ceiling type. It's just his rookie year, so I hate to rush to judgment, but Ealy looks bad. I mean, if I can't find another good stash I'll go back and add him in a week or three, could be a late bloomer, but there's been nothing about his game that has me seeing signs of optimism in the future.
I keep thinking I'll drop Ealy, but haven't seen enough of him to make that decision. Of course, that he isn't playing over Addison speaks volumes about his readiness but does it tell us anything about his upside?

 
I have Orakpo in an IR spot with the hopes he signs with a 4-3 team next year and switches from LB to DE. His injury history and age are not favorable but he's clearly a stud and could be a beastly start as a DE. Sneaky, and may not even take up a true roster spot since he's on IR.
Now this would be awesome. I lost 5 LB's this year in Poz, Mayo, D. Johnson, Weatherspoon and Rack and I had to trade to get a stud core again(David, Greenway, Moore, Matthews, Hightower) so I get all these guys back but Sean W who I used in one trade. Rack going to DE would be huge since I obviously dont need him at LB

I stlll love Demarcus Lawrence for the future at DE. I think he could be another Ware in Dallas

 
Some guys I have in my 53 player big play dynasty:

Tyrone Crawford (possible switch to DT designation)

Tank Carradine

Quanterrius Smith

Benson Mayowa

Domonic Easley (DT)
Any updates on Tank and Smith? I had Tank early on, but after he was a healthy scratch a couple of times I ditched him.

Smith was on my offseason radar, but then I lost track of him. He's available in one of my leagues and I'm looking for a stash in that one after week 12.
He has gotten some snaps the last few weeks, finally. He has talent; I like him a touch more than Smith -- and both those two ahead of the rest of my list.

 
I have Orakpo in an IR spot with the hopes he signs with a 4-3 team next year and switches from LB to DE.
He's not injured but I've got the same thought process going with current Eagle Brandon Graham. He's very productive on a per snap basis and has the ability to be an every down player. He's been miscast as a 3-4 OLB his entire career in Philly and I fully expect a nice increase in playing time and production next season as a DLman somewhere.Another player I have as a breakout candidate is Dion Jordan of the Dolphins. He's playing alongside some elite pass rushers, so he'll have a lot of one-on-one opportunities. Give him another year to get some weight on his body and he could be a nice surprise.

 
Whatever you do...DO NOT target Akiem Hicks! I bought in to the hype of him this year. He has 21 tackles so far this year. So much for "dominating" this year.

 
Brandon Graham played as a defensive lineman in a 4-3 defense in his first two years with Andy Reid. That being said, there are a lot of defensive lineman rotating in Philly, so he is sack dependent, and I do not see him earning a consistent roster spot anytime soon.

 
Brandon Graham played as a defensive lineman in a 4-3 defense in his first two years with Andy Reid. That being said, there are a lot of defensive lineman rotating in Philly, so he is sack dependent, and I do not see him earning a consistent roster spot anytime soon.
He is a FA this offseason.

 
That's an interesting predicament then. I can see the Eagles wanting to keep him, but he may get more money offered somewhere else. I don't think the Eagles are ready to quit on him, though. This has been the first season where he has looked decent. That'll be a tough call.

 
The Admiral said:
That's an interesting predicament then. I can see the Eagles wanting to keep him, but he may get more money offered somewhere else. I don't think the Eagles are ready to quit on him, though. This has been the first season where he has looked decent. That'll be a tough call.
I don't see why he would want to come back. He should be a 4-3 end. Unless he feels he's better suited to play OLB (which he is not) and take Cole's spot, I imagine he'll gladly walk.

 
Yeah, I don't think he has that close of a tie to Philly, and I think Cole may have at least one more year left in the tank. Plus, if Marcus Smith isn't a bust, which, similar to Brandam Graham in the beginning of his career, is looking like he may be, he could also step in for Cole. It probably does make sense for him to go into a scheme in which he fits better.

 
Armonty Bryant - there was a lot of noise this summer from beat writers and he was starting to break out before he got injured. He had a great showing in the pre-season and he notched a couple sacks in the regular season in limited action before he went down.

Tank Carradine - He has finally started playing. 5, 12, 7 and 28 snaps in the last four games. If someone in your league got impatient and threw him back in the pool I'd definitely pick him up and see what happens. That whole front should get more opportunities going forward with Aldon back.

Ethan Westbrooks - they were incredibly high on him this offseason. Will he take another step next season?

Derrick Shelby - has had a few sacks this season as a situational pass rusher. Don't know what type of opportunity there is for him in MIA. He's an RFA after this season...both Wake, Vernon and Jordan have reasonable contracts for '15, although there is a big question mark regarding what they will do with Jordan.

Will Clarke - started to get a few snaps. If Margus Hunt doesn't happen...will Clarke get his chance? Keep in mind that CIN likes to redshirt defensive players the first year so the simple fact that he has received a few snaps lately is a good sign.

Quanterus Smith - regarded as a big talent but hasn't produced much in his 236 snaps this season. The general advice on this guy was to pick him up immediately if he started producing, but I think we're at the point of the season where someone will pick him up soon anyways if he isn't rostered already. He's not available in any of my leagues.

Jacquies Smith - came pretty much out of nowhere and had 4 sacks in the last four weeks. I don't know who he is but I own him in three leagues now.

 
I find Tank very intriguing. It's taken time for them to transition him to a 3-4 end and to get him fully healthy, but he could become a freaky player equally strong rushing and playing the run - an every down DE that will cause matchup problems and give the 49ers a weapon that gives them a disguised front and a lot of flexibility. He started off as a safety in college, then linebacker and finally a 4-3 end with a 4.75 forty at 273 pounds. He was expected to play 4-3 end or transition to an outside linebacker in the pros but the 49ers decided that they wanted to keep adding weight and develop him into a 3-4 end. If he has maintained most of his quickness and he's starting to get things together, remember that he was raw as a DL prospect, he could be very exciting.

As far as I could see yesterday he didn't play much early but when McDonald started struggling with an injury he started rotating and in the fourth quarter he seemed to be in there all the time. But his playing time will likely fluctuate. Dobbs and Jerod-Eddie were ahead of him earlier in the season and I imagine they will still keep stealing snaps behind McDonald and Smith even though they haven't been particularly good. What has surprised me this season is how well McDonald has played. I was thinking Tank might cut into his snaps but he seems to be holding his own so it might be more relevant to ask how long Smith can keep it up. McDonald is signed through 2018 but can be cut in 2017 with $5 mill in cap savings and Justin Smith is signed through 2015 with a $6.4 million cap number where $2.2 mill is guaranteed.

 
from reading the defense this week

Want a Brandon Graham update? Of course you do. Pro Football Focus has him down for 325 snaps, 19 tackles, five sacks and 29 additional quarterback hits and hurries. Cross your fingers he lands in a good situation next spring.

Dr Jene is a big fan

 
VInny Curry(DE30) and William Hayes (DE 26) are available in my league, should I add one of them and which one ?

I'm thin at the DE position and I'm looking help for 2015.

 
William Hayes has been good this season with more QB pressures than Quinn but he's had a spike in playing time due to Chris Long's injury so the expectation would be that he returns to a situational role with Long back to full speed. Hayes has played 56% of snaps this season as opposed to 37% and 34% the last couple of years. He'll turn 30 before next season so hopefully you have better options out there.

Vinny Curry has been amazingly efficient this season with a ton of sacks in little playing time. But he's not generating a lot of pressure. With his QB pressure numbers most players would normally have 3 sacks or so on the season, not 8. And he's only playing 34% of the snaps as a 3-4 defensive end which makes him totally sack dependent in order to put up numbers for you. I also feel the whole thing with the Eagles being the NFL's best pass rushing unit is a bit fluky and wouldn't bet on them repeating the same type of production next year.

Ideally I like to chase 4-3 ends rather than 3-4 ends but sure, Curry is someone to monitor and is worth picking up. If he gets more playing time and they're able to keep rushing the passer this well you've acquired something for nothing. He has Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton ahead of him where Cox is the stud all around guy and Thornton is a good run stopper but is terrible at pass rushing. Thornton is a free agent after the season so that might free up playing time for Curry if they view him as a good enough run stopper to handle early downs. I'm not sure how likely that is though. Curry's build is more of a 4-3 end so he is not an ideal fit for their scheme and they tried trading him away when they switched to a 3-4. The most likely scenario is that he gets some more playing time but is still just a situational pass rusher. He's a free agent after next season so maybe he'll end up in a better situation as a 4-3 end in 2016.

 
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Armonty Bryant - there was a lot of noise this summer from beat writers and he was starting to break out before he got injured. He had a great showing in the pre-season and he notched a couple sacks in the regular season in limited action before he went down.

Tank Carradine - He has finally started playing. 5, 12, 7 and 28 snaps in the last four games. If someone in your league got impatient and threw him back in the pool I'd definitely pick him up and see what happens. That whole front should get more opportunities going forward with Aldon back.

Ethan Westbrooks - they were incredibly high on him this offseason. Will he take another step next season?

Derrick Shelby - has had a few sacks this season as a situational pass rusher. Don't know what type of opportunity there is for him in MIA. He's an RFA after this season...both Wake, Vernon and Jordan have reasonable contracts for '15, although there is a big question mark regarding what they will do with Jordan.

Will Clarke - started to get a few snaps. If Margus Hunt doesn't happen...will Clarke get his chance? Keep in mind that CIN likes to redshirt defensive players the first year so the simple fact that he has received a few snaps lately is a good sign.

Quanterus Smith - regarded as a big talent but hasn't produced much in his 236 snaps this season. The general advice on this guy was to pick him up immediately if he started producing, but I think we're at the point of the season where someone will pick him up soon anyways if he isn't rostered already. He's not available in any of my leagues.

Jacquies Smith - came pretty much out of nowhere and had 4 sacks in the last four weeks. I don't know who he is but I own him in three leagues now.
i'm looking at him now. hope i can snag him off my waiver wire. could be a bargain.

 
here's a good write up on jacques smith by former pro, stephen white

I admit I was low-key hating on Buccaneers' rookie defensive end Jacquies Smith after they first signed him in response to losing Adrain Clayborn, who went down with a season-ending injury in the first game of the season. I'm a very loyal person and having been around the Bucs' defensive line for OTAs as an intern, those guys all came to grow on me. So it didn't sit well with me that some guy the Bills cut, who didn't even have a sack in the preseason, was immediately put on the nickel rush unit taking reps away from holdovers like William Gholston and Scott Solomon. Yeah, it's cool to be a starter, but third-and-longs are the money downs. Guys generally have to earn those reps rather than having them just handed to them. While I didn't verbally hate on Smith when I was on the radio here in Tampa and didn't write anything negative about him, I would still judge him pretty harshly in my head when watching the coach's tape after the games.

Then something funny happened. After awhile, Smith started to grow on me, too.........
 
Philly Mag's Sheil Kapadia expects the Eagles to move on from free agent OLB Brandon Graham.
:hifive:

"Dear Brandon(I know you're reading this forum :hey: ),

Please go somewhere that will play you at RE.

Thanking you in advance.

Your pal,

Dr. Chupacabra"

(I'll undersign that too. Get the eff outta Dodge, Brandon!)
Brandon Graham is going to be the most hyped "sleeper" DE once he gets a full time job and I'm going to be laughing all the way to the bank watching this guy fizzle out. I watched his week 16 game where he got the start due to a Trent Cole injury and he was completely manhandled. He looked fat, slow and disinterested. This guy can put forth effort on a limited number of snaps in 100% pass rush opps, but when he needs to give 100% on every play and most on non-pass rush opps, he's just a body out there.

BUST. Mark it down.

 
Philly Mag's Sheil Kapadia expects the Eagles to move on from free agent OLB Brandon Graham.
:hifive:

"Dear Brandon(I know you're reading this forum :hey: ),

Please go somewhere that will play you at RE.

Thanking you in advance.

Your pal,

Dr. Chupacabra"

(I'll undersign that too. Get the eff outta Dodge, Brandon!)
Brandon Graham is going to be the most hyped "sleeper" DE once he gets a full time job and I'm going to be laughing all the way to the bank watching this guy fizzle out. I watched his week 16 game where he got the start due to a Trent Cole injury and he was completely manhandled. He looked fat, slow and disinterested. This guy can put forth effort on a limited number of snaps in 100% pass rush opps, but when he needs to give 100% on every play and most on non-pass rush opps, he's just a body out there.

BUST. Mark it down.
It's entirely possible that he is a (continued) bust. He's still a decent stash in deeper leagues as a guy that gets into a good situation and flourishes. As a waiver wire add, he's all upside since he can just be cut if he doesn't land in a good spot or just continues to do nothing. DE isn't exactly a position that's overflowing with great options so the upside play is the best bet to land a future starter. The oft used "what the heck flex", as it were.

 
I stlll love Demarcus Lawrence for the future at DE. I think he could be another Ware in Dallas
I just traded for him, thinking when he plays across from Hardy he'll be in a good situation to go with his talent.

Any thoughts on how he projects with Hardy (or without for a few games)?

 
I stlll love Demarcus Lawrence for the future at DE. I think he could be another Ware in Dallas
I just traded for him, thinking when he plays across from Hardy he'll be in a good situation to go with his talent.

Any thoughts on how he projects with Hardy (or without for a few games)?
I would think he will project out well. Would not surprise me to see Dallas bring in more help on the DL because Hardy cant be trusted overall. His contract is incentive laden so one screwup and he is gone. Lawrence really came on during the playoffs and showed a little or what you will see this year. They moved up for him a year ago for a reason. Remember he was an early 2nd round pick. Another force on the other side will be very helpful.

 
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They moved up for him a year ago for a reason. Remember he was an early 2nd round pick. Another force on the other side will be very helpful.
Are you quoting my old posts about Everette Brown?
Anyone can be a bust but if you want to get the good DE's at a cheap price, you got to be ahead of the curve because once they break out, it will cost you alot more.

 
I really hope some of these edge prospects go to 4-3 defenses, which will label them as DE's, because the young talent at DE is scarce.

 
I really hope some of these edge prospects go to 4-3 defenses, which will label them as DE's, because the young talent at DE is scarce.
Absolutely, I keep losing DE's like Jerry Hughes and probably Chandler Jones.

 
What about Larry Webster?

Coach Jim Caldwell said second-year DE Larry Webster "has made leaps and bounds in his ability to rush the passer."

"Don't be surprised," Caldwell said at the time. "He has made leaps and bounds in terms of strides in his ability to rush the passer. He's tough. The (coaches) do some extra work with him after practice and they've been raving about what he's been able to accomplish and just watching him kind of grow and develop. So at some point in time, he's going to play and play well for us."

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2015/04/16/larry-webster-detroit-lions/25875177/

 

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