Could Ingram Play 2 Down Slb And 3Rd Down De?

[Man Strength]

Melvin Ingram is a tremendous athlete and pass rusher, but he scares me a bit if looked at solely as a 4-3 DE due to his short arms as well as his ability vs the run. A common trait most all elite full-time DE pash rushers have are long arms. Von Miller and Brian Orakpo are two recent example of players who in their rookie year excelled in a 4-3 system by playing a mix of SLB and DE. Do you think Ingram has the capability to do the same in our system? (For the sake of this evaluation, I am only addressing his ability in a 4-3 system, not the hybrid scheme we will likely play).

[PhillyB]

i'm not a college junkie like some of these guys, so i generally try to avoid giving input on draft scenarios that involve in-depth talent analysis of college players.

it does look like rivera is a huge fan of versatility at the DE/LB position. re-signing antwan applewhite yesterday is evidence of that. we may have the base talent for a 4-3, but rivera has shown plenty of inclination to throw different looks at teams, often switching applewhite from DE to OLB. eric norwood was thrown in different positions as well, and charles johnson saw a handfull of snaps at OLB both rushing the passer and covering (however limitedly.)

short arms are generally considered a poor trait for 4-3 DE's. i'm guessing that was a typo. but if the guy also has the coverage skills to play SLB i wouldn't be surprised if he's on the radar.

[csx]

Elite DE's have short arms?

[Man Strength]

edited, meant long arms. sorry

[x djdrew x]

ingram did show this versatility in college, having intercepted at least one pass while dropping into coverage.

[MadHatter]

We already have this player on our roster (and he was from USC too)....name is Norwood.

[Man Strength]

understand the comparison to norwood, but lets not pretend they are the same class of player. I think anyone on here would take Orakpo in a second if we had the opportunity. I am wondering if Ingram has the skill set to be the same type of player.

[x djdrew x]

as a s. car fan all my life , I would take 1000000 ingrams before i would take 1 norwood.

fwiw, lol

[rippadonn]

He may not be an every down guy in the NFL at DE but he would be a GREAT 3-4 LB IMO.

[jtnc]

We already have this player on our roster (and he was from USC too)....name is Norwood.

Coples or bust.

[megadeth078]

Coples and bust.

fixed

[x djdrew x]

fixed

:lol: i LoL'd

[sml1950]

I hope Ingram is there @ 9 because I think he is the perfect player for McDermett's defense. The key to Ingram is his versatility. He can play the 7 technique on 1st downs and the wide 9 and even the 3 on passing downs. He can also move to OLB in certain packages or teams. This gives us the ability to change defenses against a lot of teams who use the no huddle to prevent personnel changes. He can also drop into coverages from any DL position when we blitz a LB.

The idea that he is to small to play DE is crazy. Any number of teriffic ends are his size or smaller. The Colts have two in Freeny(6'1" 268) and Mathis (6'2" 245) , Philly two in Cole (6' 3" 270) and Babin (6' 1" 267) , as well as, Dumerville (5' 11" 260) , Avril (6' 3" 260) and Umenyioua (6' 3" 255), etc. All of these players are historical double digits in sacks.

Ingram is a bit of a freakish athlete (he played point guard in HS) and is all about football. IMO Coples loves money, Poe loves food and Ingram loves football. I'll take Ingram any day.

[Jak3Allen]

I am a fan of Ingram, go to YouTube.com and search Melvin Ingram. He's got the best highlight tape of a defensive lineman. Plays every position on the line, drops back in coverage, ran a fake punt (scored), an dennnnn recovered an onside kick. If the guy supposingly loves football, easy pick for us.