|
Positives: Has a developing frame with room to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk without resulting in a loss of quickness … Has adequate muscle tone, but shows natural strength in his hand punch … In one-on-one situations, he does an efficient job of holding ground at the point of attack on the edge … Can handle fullbacks and tight ends, but will get redirected vs. the linemen and neutralized by double teams … With his sudden burst and ability to generate a pass rush off the edge, he could shift to strong-side linebacker in the pros and has experience at the position prior to college … Quick-twitch player with good athletic ability, playing with active hands and quick feet … Shows agility and balance in traffic, displaying flexibility and the ability to redirect while rushing the passer … Gets worn down during the game due to a lack of ideal bulk, but he is a tough player and shows good passion for the game … Shows goods balance and keeps his feet well when changing direction … Has the sudden speed to chase down ballcarriers on the outside, doing a good job of making plays in short pursuit … Has that incredible closing burst and edge-rushing skills to slip off the outside shoulder of an offensive tackle to pressure the pocket … Light on his feet, showing a very good burst to accelerate off the ball … Not the most instinctive playing off blocks, but has the ability to close quickly when he locates the ball … Shows good arm extension and a solid hand punch to shock a lethargic defender and is quick enough to haul down ballcarriers from behind … Better disrupting the pocket coming off the edge than when shooting the gaps … Able to sit in the crease with leverage (has problems when he gets too tall in his stance and must be conscious of keeping his pads down, as big blockers have good success covering him up) … Gets tied up when reached and struggles to shed, but showed some improvement here in 2007, as he was better extending his arms and using his hands in attempts to get separation … Shows good change-of-direction agility when reacting to blocks … When he plays the game on his feet, he can shed blockers, clear and pursue the ballcarrier, showing a sudden burst to run down the play … Has the quickness and strength to deliver an explosive tackle in the open, which could entice certain teams to look at him as an outside linebacker … Uses good arm extension to keep separation while rushing on the edge, shows the explosive burst off the edge and proper hip turn to flatten to the quarterback … .Plays with better effort on the move and is best when chasing down action from the backside … Will deliver a solid hit if he is not impeded closing on the ball … When he keeps his hands active, blockers struggle in attempts to plant on him … Can really turn it loose coming off the corner and covers ground in a hurry, evident by his 82 quarterback pressures at Virginia Tech … Showed better snap-count anticipation as a senior, when he reduced his penalties from seven in 2006 to two in '07 … Needs to explode behind his hits, but has the arm length to wrap and secure as a tackler.
Negatives: Has adequate muscle tone in his upper body and possesses, smooth straight calves and needs to add muscle … Not the most instinctive player of the field and needs to do a better job of reading blocking schemes … Just an average student and while he does well on the field, he needs several reps to retain … Needs to demonstrate better hand usage playing off blocks in a phone booth and can be absorbed and washed out of the play when he overextends and gets his hands outside the framework … Will run into an offensive lineman and fail to keep his hands active, struggling to shed … Needs to develop a stronger anchor, as he can be pushed off the ball, especially vs. double teams … Must do a better job with his plant-and-drive to redirect and change direction in attempts to close on the ball … Best when on the move, as he has good speed coming off the edge, but he needs to generate better counter moves and slip off blocks rather than try to overpower linemen in attempts to get to the quarterback … Needs to show better consistency with his pad level, as he tends to get too narrow in his base, leaving himself exposed to be pushed back … Lacks the "sand in his pants" to split double teams and bull rush inside … His timed speed is impressive enough for a potential move to a 3-4 strong-side linebacker, but he will need to open his hips better in his pass drops to get proper depth … Stamina is an issue, as he seems to disappear late in games … Also might have a medical red flag and teams will closely evaluate the medical reports on his right shoulder, which has twice been operated on for a torn labrum … Lacks the bulk to take on combo blocks, lacking the lower-body strength to anchor … Has active hands and good weight-room strength, but that power fails to translate to the field in the form of a jolting hand punch when he gets his hands outside his framework … More of an outside charger, as bigger blockers have had good success riding him out when redirecting in-line … Charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing justice in 2006, resulting in a one-game suspension … Has had good success deflecting passes at the line of scrimmage, but his timing is off … More of a one-move pass rusher who gets frustrated when his initial charge fails … Must show better urgency on the field, as he will generally throttle down when the action is away from him rather than pursue on the back side.
Compares To: SIMEON RICE, ex-Tampa Bay, Denver, Indianapolis … Ellis isn't a natural end like the former first-round pick from Illinois. But he has an explosive initial step off the snap and the quickness to take a wide loop and chase down the quarterback. He has the ability to clear his feet and move laterally down the line, good hand punch to control isolated blockers and is a good leverage player vs. the run. Like Rice, Ellis seems more concerned about getting to the quarterback than doing the "little things" to improve his overall game. With his foot speed, he could see action as a linebacker in a 3-4 alignment. He will need time to develop needed muscle mass and bulk to be a down lineman at the next level. Still, there are inconsistencies in his game, most notably a motor that is not always running, along with some poor judgment, both on and off the field. Virginia Tech has failed to produce NFL-quality at defensive end since Bruce Smith in 1985 (Darryl Tapp of Seattle is another on the rise), but with his athletic ability and quickness, Ellis is worth a look early in the draft even if he's not first-round material.
|
