thoughts on bruce irvin from WVU as an OLB

[rayzor]

i'm not talking as a 1st rounder, btw.

he lines up as a DE at WVU where they run a lot of 3-3-5. the problem with that is he's 6'3 235 lbs. in 2010 he was pretty much unstoppable there, but this year where he is lining up has been an issue.

he is a pass rush specialist and people are listing him as a 3-4 OLB.

i know that we aren't going to be moving to a base 3-4, but we should be seeing a lot more of it.

imo, he's got a good story behind him. academically ineligible in highschool to play where he was lining up as a WR. he dropped out, got in trouble and wound up in juvie for a little while and hung out on the streets. he got tired of that and decided to make something of himself. he got his GED and decided to go college and play football.

he went the JUCO route and played safety for a year then got moved to DE. he transferred to WVU where they have kept him at as a DE. in '09 he had 72 tackles, 21 for loss, and 16 sacks.

last year he was behind only dequan bowers in sacks. he had 18 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. this year his sack number was cut in half, but he's had more tackles and just about the same TFLs as last year.

i've seen some criticize his pass coverage skills, but he doesn't have a whole lot of experience in that regard and how many 3-4 DEs who are mainly considered pass rush specialists are asked to drop back? that is something he should improve at. the major issue i see is that he isn't as strong against the run, but he is new at playing D. he didn't start playing it until he went to JUCO and from what i have hear he seems to be pretty coachable and has a solid work ethic.

one of the concerns is that last year he was primarily asked to play just on 3rd downs and passing situations. this year he was asked to be an every down DE and his production dropped. of course you'd expect him to do better when limited in PT as he'd be coming in fresh each time.

most of the profiles about him are pretty comparable to this one from cbs sports

Analysis Read & React: Has natural instincts for defense despite his lack of experience, though he is obviously still learning. Finds the ball regularly and has the change of direction ability to get to it.

Run defense: Gives some effort to chase down running backs. Miscast as a hand-down player and played mostly in passing situations, but has some fair strength for his size and does not break down easily against the run. Should have no problems getting off tight end blocks at linebacker to contain against the run.

Pass defense: Limited experience dropping into coverage, primarily used as a pass rush specialist. Has change of direction skills and hustle to track down ballcarriers in the open field, but will need to learn how to handle coverage responsibilities.

Tackling: Strong wrap tackler who can dislodge the ball with power and goes for the strip if his target is holding the ball low or loose. Brings down quarterbacks much bigger than he is. Very good motor, regularly chases down plays from behind. Used on special teams coverage units because of his tenacity and speed.

Pass Rush/Blitz: Best attribute. Extreme quickness off the edge, has flexibility to turn the corner. Shows toughness to get under the pads of tackles to bull them, club them upfield to get the inside lane, or fight through blocks to for secondary rush when passer steps up. Keeps feet moving after initial contact. Jumps inside as a counter to typical rush, but needs to show a larger variety of moves. Gets pressures on inside stunts, too explosive for college guards to handle.

Intangibles: Tough player, gets up from being planted and comes hard on the next play. Comes from rough background, almost threw away talent but earned GED, walked onto junior college team and continues to work hard towards his goal of playing in the NFL.

--Chad Reuter

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1779111

i've really only seen one negative comment and it seems to be a legit concern.

NFL evaluator: “(West Virginia DE) Bruce Irvin is a one-trick pony. He’s a speed-edge rusher or nothing. I don’t see any instincts or football smarts. He could be drafted to bring speed on third downs, but I saw him as a developmental backup — and I don’t know how much he’ll be able to develop. I have concerns.”

http://www.profootballweekly.com/prospects/player/bruce-irvin-11/

highlights:

[DaCityKats]

if we make a transition to a hybrid 4-3, 3-4 defense hell yeah. this guy knows how to get to the qb.

[nickzz]

good pass rushers are always nice. wouldn't mind taking him with a late round pick and using him as a rotational pass rusher

[Lout]

Sounds like a very good pass rusher.. but I would not trust him in coverage.. therefore, he would only be a situational pass rusher, or 3rd and long player... would not get our bang for our buck. He is a project player, and should not be taken before the 3rd round. Considering we do not have a 3rd round pick.. I don't think he will be on our draft board.

I'd much rather take Ronnell Lewis from OU in the 2nd round. The guy played OLB his freshman year, and played DE his Soph/Junior years.. so he is great at rushing the passer, and very good in coverage as well.

[rayzor]

bump since he's been mentioned a little.

more clips...

[CarolinaNCSU]

I wouldn't take him with our 2nd by any means...but if he were to be there with our 4th, I'd love it. Late round picks IMO are for nothing but depth or trying to get a steal and he could be both.

[rayzor]

from his coach...

His coach, Bill Kirelawich, has seen plenty of pro players during his 30 plus years at West Virginia, and he sees Bruce headed down that path. "When I think of Bruce, the guy I think of is the kid from Texas A&M who was the second pick this year (Von Miller) ... I see Bruce as being a faster, more physical version of him – and a stronger kid. Bruce has exceptional, exceptional strength; a guy that big shouldn’t be as strong as he is." Despite giving up 40 to 50 pounds to opposing blockers, Irvin says it won’t be a issue this season.

Full Article

[rayzor]

I wouldn't take him with our 2nd by any means...but if he were to be there with our 4th, I'd love it. Late round picks IMO are for nothing but depth or trying to get a steal and he could be both.

i've seen several mocks that have him going in the first. most in the second though.

[Kurb]

Just watchin a bit of the NCSU game. He gets swallowed up by tackles a lot.

He for sure has athletic ability.

[rayzor]

Just watchin a bit of the NCSU game. He gets swallowed up by tackles a lot.

He for sure has athletic ability.

yeah, you'd need to have someone taking up those OTs for him.

[CarolinaNCSU]

Just watchin a bit of the NCSU game. He gets swallowed up by tackles a lot.

He for sure has athletic ability.

That's where my memories of him come from. By me saying I wouldn't use our 2nd on him, it's probably my own ignorance on him because I haven't seen much of him outside of the State game.