Inside the Huddle-Defensive Ends-Class of 2016

If there is one position that has some talented players in 2016 it would be defensive ends. Since covering high school football over the past 15 years Elite Scouting has not seen a group this talented at the top. You usually have 2-3 guys who are at the top of the list and the drop off from the 2-3 best players is big. This year there are as many as 10-15 qualities defensive ends in the sun-shine state. ESS will break down the talented group and give your insight into what we feel each player will do at the next level.

1-Nick Bosa-Saint Thomas-6’4-255-(Committed to Ohio State)-Bosa has been the premier defensive end in Florida for the past two years. He can play inside or out and affect the outcome of a game. He has a quick first step off the ball and can get up the field quickly. What we like is that Bosa loves the game of football. He plays with a ton of passion and goes hard on every down. While we have argued who the better Bosa is (Nick/Joey) there is no question the younger brother is going to have a very productive career in college as well. For Nick to live up to his brothers potential he will need to become an All-American, All Big Ten 1st team and potentially a top five pick in the NFL Draft.

2-Janarius Robinson-Bay High School-6’6-250-(Committed to Florida State)-From a physical talent standpoint there is not a player in the state of Florida this year that has more upside. Not since Javon Kearse played high school has there been a defensive end come from Florida with this much upside. Robinson could line up at receiver in college and have a very good career. He is a great athlete who has not even come close to his potential. It would not surprise us to see Robinson end up a first round pick one day.

3-Joseph Jackson-Gulliver Prep-6’6-245-(Committed to Miami)-Go and watch this kid play tight end and your jaw may drop. He is a big, long, athletic prospect. Jackson has not even come close to his potential. Get him in a college weight program and you are looking at a defensive end that will weigh over 270 pounds. He has great athletic ability and that along with his size and strength will make him a difficult match up in college. He does need to continue to work hard on and off the field. If the light bulb goes on for Joseph there is no question he will end up a star at the next level.

4-Brian Burns-American Heritage Plantation-6’5-215-Burns is a very good edge rusher. He is going to be used as a stand-up outside linebacker in a 3-4 or a hand in the ground type 4-3 defensive end. His versatility makes him one of the more sought after defensive ends in Florida this year.

5-Jordan Woods-Trinity Catholic-6’3-235-Woods is a kid who is versatile enough to end up playing linebacker in a 3-4, defensive end or possibly even putting on enough weight to move inside. That versatility makes him a priority for most coaches. Woods is the type of player who can make splash plays. We would like to see some more consistency out of him. If he is able to put it all together in college, Woods can be an All-Conference type player. He has good size and length for a defensive end. He does need to get a little bigger and stronger to play at the next level.

6-Patrick Bethel-Vero Beach-6’3-245-(Committed to Miami)-Bethel reminds us of former Florida State defensive end Brandon Jenkins. Like with Jenkins, Bethel is an undersized defensive end that can get pressure on the quarterback. He is quick off the ball and can get up the field quickly. At Miami, Bethel needs to be used as a pass rusher right away. His ability to put pressure on the quarterback is what college coaches will like most about him. He is going to have to get bigger to handle.

7-Jachai Polite-Mainland-6’4-230-(Committed to Florida)-Polite is a kid who comes from a Mainland program that has produced some very good players over the years. Polite is an ideal 3-4 DE….He could end up playing inside as well if Polite continues to get bigger. He is listed at 230 but we could easily see him north of 280 pounds in college. He has above average burst off the ball. Polite relies on his strength and his ability to pursuit to make plays on the defensive line. He is going to be a very good run stopper in college stopping the run in college.

8-Rashad Weaver-Cooper City-6’5-255-(Committed to Michigan)-One play tells us all we need to know about Weaver. He was playing defensive end and Weaver jumped up, tipped the ball to himself and took it all the way back for a touchdown. His athletic ability is what caught our eye. Weaver is a 3-4 Defensive end that will do very well at the next level. It would not surprise us to see him eventually grow into an offensive tackle in college. Weaver upside makes him a player to watch over the next couple of seasons.

9-Kier Thomas-Miami Central-6’1-245-(Committed to South Carolina)-Thomas is a productive player at Miami Central. Over the past two seasons he has led the Rockets in sacks. He will be used as a defensive end or outside rush linebacker in college. He is not real tall (6’1) and Thomas will need to put on weight to play defensive end in college. He has the ability to get penetration and blow plays up. He is very active and we expect him to have a nice college career.

10-Dequan Newkirk-First Academy-6’3-250-(Committed to Auburn)-We first saw Newkirk over at Evans High School. He is a big, athletic prospect who has not even come close to reaching his potential. His ability to put pressure on the quarterback is why so many college coaches were after him. He is very active for a defensive end. The question is can he drop back into coverage. If he can show the ability to drop into coverage, Auburn may want to try him out at linebacker.

Best of the rest….

*Arjay Jean-Saint Thomas-6’3-220-Jean is an under the radar defensive end. He has the frame to add the needed weight to play defensive end in college. Here is a kid who you need to evaluate based on his potential at the next level. He has shown some ability at Saint Thomas but we have yet to see his best. 

*Nolan Defranco-West Orange-6’6-220-(Committed to North Carolina)-Defranco is a big, long, athletic end. He is another player who does not get talked about much. North Carolina pulled this talented player in and we expect him to have a very good college career. 

*Keldric Preston-Robinson-6’4-220-(Committed to Wisconsin)-Preston is a prospect that we first saw a couple of years ago at one of our combines. Back then he showed the ability to put pressure on a quarterback. He has pretty good pass rush skills. The question with Preston is whether or not he can handle playing in the big 10. He will need to get much bigger and stronger at the next level. 

*Terrell Lucas-Miramar-6’3-230-(Committed to Duke)-Lucas is a versatile player who could end up at defensive end or linebacker in college. He showed some ability to drop into coverage. He is not going to be able to chase smaller backs and receivers in space. If you ask him to play a zone in a certain type of defensive scheme, Lucas can more then hold his own. He also has some ability to put pressure on the quarterback. 

*Kendall Brown-Trinity Christian-6’4-260-Brown is a big kid. He is already well over 250 pounds. We could see him pushing 270-280 pounds once he gets into a college weight program. His strength is playing the run. He can put pressure on the quarterback but if you need someone to stuff the run that is what you will want Brown to do. 

*Jamal Smith-American-6’1-250-Smith is one of American best players on defense. He can put pressure on the quarterback or drop into coverage and play the pass. He is not real big so that could cause some teams concern in playing him at defensive end. We feel with his build that Smith is best off at linebacker at the next level. 

*Jordan Giberti-Gainesville-6’3-220-Jordan is a good enough athlete to play tight end. Some schools will like him as a linebacker or defensive end. He is another edge rusher and his job is to put pressure on the quarterback. He can get up the field quickly. We also like his ability to play on offense as Jordan has pretty good hands. He has more than enough speed and quickness to run the seam and pick up big yards in the passing game.