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2015 NFL Draft Thread - April 30 - May 2 - Chicago, IL
- Thread starter Frank Stallone
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Frank Stallone
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NIIIIIICE. I really like Orchard. I am fine with him over a WR... now if they don't get a WR I'll be livid.
Coyote850
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Nate Orchard profile:
Had five tackles and two quarterback hits in 2015 Senior Bowl. In 2014, tied for FBS lead and set school record with 18.5 sacks. Led the nation in quarterback knockdowns with 28. Selected second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 and won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end. Tied school record with four sacks against UCLA. Finished second on the team with 84 tackles. Started all 13 games in 2013, forcing three fumbles. Selected honorable mention All-Pac-12 in 2012. Arrived at Utah as a 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver. Changed his last name from Fakahafua to Orchard to honor Dave and Katherine Orchard, who took him in and became his legal guardians as a youth. Orchard is married with a daughter. On course to graduate with a degree in economics in May 2015.
Analysis
Strengths
Good foot quickness. Tackles struggle to handle his inside move. Explodes out of a track stance on passing downs. At his best as a squared-up rusher with a two-way go. Utilizes unique stutter step combined with burst to beat tackles inside. Seamless coordination of hands and feet as a rusher. Smooth hips to backpedal into space or turn and run laterally. Stronger at the point of attack than given credit for and offers scheme versatility. Shows juice upfield out of stand-up position. Still improving and learning his craft. Has ability to discard and make plays against the run. Has upper-body flexibility to beat blocker with shoulder turn. Still improving, but shows ability to use hands to help him win quickly. Played well against Stanford LT Andrus Peat.
Weaknesses
Not much of a factor against the run. Will get engulfed at the point of attack. Scouts say he lacks "lead-dog aggressiveness." Not consistent enough as edge setter and rarely looks to lay a shoulder into fullbacks and tight ends coming across to block him. Wins with foot quickness and effort over skill and counter moves. Has a mechanical spin move. Short strider who doesn't gain as much ground around the edge as expected. A little tight in hips and rounds the corner rather than turns it. Only one year of big production.
Draft Projection
Round 2 or 3
Sources Tell Us
"When I'm on the road, I hear other scouts tell me they think he's tough enough but his tape doesn't show it. He's a finesse player with some a high ceiling as a pass rusher, but he could easily bust out." -- NFC director of college scouting
NFL Comparison
Trent Cole
Bottom Line
Teams will either be wary of Orchard's single season of sack dominance or they will view it as an indicator of growth and potential stardom. Orchard will be below average against the run, but his draft grade and paycheck will be tied to his athleticism and pass-rush talent. If he can develop counter moves, he has big potential. If not, he might be nothing more than a middling, situational pass rusher.
Had five tackles and two quarterback hits in 2015 Senior Bowl. In 2014, tied for FBS lead and set school record with 18.5 sacks. Led the nation in quarterback knockdowns with 28. Selected second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 and won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end. Tied school record with four sacks against UCLA. Finished second on the team with 84 tackles. Started all 13 games in 2013, forcing three fumbles. Selected honorable mention All-Pac-12 in 2012. Arrived at Utah as a 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver. Changed his last name from Fakahafua to Orchard to honor Dave and Katherine Orchard, who took him in and became his legal guardians as a youth. Orchard is married with a daughter. On course to graduate with a degree in economics in May 2015.
Analysis
Strengths
Good foot quickness. Tackles struggle to handle his inside move. Explodes out of a track stance on passing downs. At his best as a squared-up rusher with a two-way go. Utilizes unique stutter step combined with burst to beat tackles inside. Seamless coordination of hands and feet as a rusher. Smooth hips to backpedal into space or turn and run laterally. Stronger at the point of attack than given credit for and offers scheme versatility. Shows juice upfield out of stand-up position. Still improving and learning his craft. Has ability to discard and make plays against the run. Has upper-body flexibility to beat blocker with shoulder turn. Still improving, but shows ability to use hands to help him win quickly. Played well against Stanford LT Andrus Peat.
Weaknesses
Not much of a factor against the run. Will get engulfed at the point of attack. Scouts say he lacks "lead-dog aggressiveness." Not consistent enough as edge setter and rarely looks to lay a shoulder into fullbacks and tight ends coming across to block him. Wins with foot quickness and effort over skill and counter moves. Has a mechanical spin move. Short strider who doesn't gain as much ground around the edge as expected. A little tight in hips and rounds the corner rather than turns it. Only one year of big production.
Draft Projection
Round 2 or 3
Sources Tell Us
"When I'm on the road, I hear other scouts tell me they think he's tough enough but his tape doesn't show it. He's a finesse player with some a high ceiling as a pass rusher, but he could easily bust out." -- NFC director of college scouting
NFL Comparison
Trent Cole
Bottom Line
Teams will either be wary of Orchard's single season of sack dominance or they will view it as an indicator of growth and potential stardom. Orchard will be below average against the run, but his draft grade and paycheck will be tied to his athleticism and pass-rush talent. If he can develop counter moves, he has big potential. If not, he might be nothing more than a middling, situational pass rusher.
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Orchard seemed to be the pick no matter who else fell. Strong doesn't play as fast as he times and plenty of plugged in journalists didn't think the Browns liked Maxx that much. Orchard makes a lot of sense for a team that plays a lot of cold weather games on natural grass. Some of these skinny quick twitch OLBs need to stay in the warm weather and/or turf.
Especially with Sheard gone.