re: Sheldon Rankins v Andrew Billings v A'Shawn Robinson

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STRENGTHS Powerfully built lower half with very good strength. Is extremely compact, but still flexible and very athletic. Everything he does is explosive. Fires into blockers and can jolt and displace them with a combination of leverage and power. Strong base provides excellent balance to battle against double teams or down blocks. At times, will absolutely own finesse blockers. Elite foot quickness for interior defender. Will be difficult to hook or cross­face for NFL offensive linemen because of his lateral quickness. Plays with powerful, violent hands. Can play in 2­-gap or 1-­gap scheme and did just that at Louisville. Plays through the blocker reading and shedding on time to make tackles against the run. Loose, explosive hips that allow him to win edge battles and turn the corner as pass rusher and potentially excel in twist game. Highly productive pass rusher in each of the last two season. Bloodhound with great instincts to diagnose and shut­down screens.
WEAKNESSES Undersized for full-­time interior position by NFL standards. Flashes quite a bit on tape, but many of his victims lacked the strength that he?ll see from NFL guards. Despite having decent arm length, is hardly long-­levered and could struggle to turn the corner against an NFL redirect block once he gets on a guard?s edge. Average secondary rush when his initial charge is stymied. Scouts believe he could lose some quickness if he tries to bulk up to prepare for rigors of NFL interior play. Some teams are concerned about his lack of overall size which could hurt his stock.
SOURCES TELL US "Our area scout really likes him a lot and he's already angling for us to consider him, but he falls outside of the physical parameters of what we want from inside guys. I see him as only a 4­-3 nose for a one­-gap defense and that's the only fit." -- Former Louisville defensive tackle Brandon Dunn
NFL COMPARISON Grady Jarrett
BOTTOM LINE Everything about Rankins game screams winning football player. He has been extremely productive as a bull­rusher and edge rusher and he can hold the point of attack or play in gaps. Rankins is a ball of power with rare foot quickness, a great motor and outstanding feel for his position. With so many teams playing in sub­packages now, I would expect both 4-­3 and 3-­4 teams to consider him for an interior spot despite his shorter stature. Thanks to Rankins' ability to disrupt, I think he has a great shot at getting starter's snaps early on, but don't be shocked to see him fall a little in the draft due to his smaller stature.

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STRENGTHS: Offers the power to line up in the "A gap" and take on multiple blockers, but also has the lateral quickness to stunt and loop around bodies to close on the pocket. Displays terrific effort and is a determined chaser to catch ballcarriers from behind away from the line of scrimmage.
He was nearly unblockable during one-on-one drills at the Senior Bowl due to his quickness off the whistle and powerful arms to drive blockers backward. He used a variety of hand moves to swat jabs and swim past the blocker's shoulder. Also impressed during 11-on-11 reps due to his ball awareness, and his ability to read, detach himself from the block and make plays in the backfield.

Has heavy hands and terrific initial momentum to generate movement at the point of attack, seeing through blocks to accurately track the ball. Redirects well for a man his size, collecting himself on the move to break down in small spaces.

Impressed for a 300-pounder when asked to line up at defensive end due to injuries at times in 2015.

WEAKNESSES: Needs to continue to refine his skills. Has active hands, but is still developing his pass rush moves and the placement of his punch. Often the last lineman to move off the ball and needs to improve his snap anticipation. Doesn't always rush with a plan and lacks consistent move-to-move transition. Will stand up at times and needs to play with lower pad level.

COMPARES TO: Kawann Short, DT, Carolina Panthers - Although he has the skill-set that supersedes scheme, Rankins is ideally suited as a three-technique in a four-man front, fitting a similar role as Short in Carolina.

IN OUR VIEW: Rankins is one of the better run defenders in this draft class and continues to grow as a pass rusher. He entered Senior Bowl week with first-round grades and he only helped himself there with a dominating week.

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