Building the perfect NFL defensive lineman
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
How would you build the ideal player? We tried to answer that question by using the head, eyes, arm/hands, body, and feet of several great players to assemble the perfect specimen at eight different positions. We decided that you could only use one aspect of each player - no double dipping allowed. This edition covers defensive linemen.
Not only did Bosa win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award last year, but he did so in convincing fashion. But here's the kicker: He only played in a dozen games, and didn't have training camp to get used to the speed of the NFL because of his contract situation.
Because of his great mind for the game and extremely sound fundamentals, he was an immediate difference-maker on the biggest of stages after being thrown right in. Also a very underrated athlete, imagine what Bosa will be doing going forward now that he understands the demands of the NFL, and has an entire offseason with his teammates and coaches.
He's the NFL's next great defensive player.
When you think about Harrison, the game's best interior run stuffer, the picture in everyone's head is just a massive and extremely powerful human being.
Many think Harrison just gets by on pure brawn. But the fact is, he sees what's in front of him very well. He's fantastic at finding the ball-carrier while two huge men are doing everything in their power to move him off his spot.
Just imagine taking on a double team while keeping your eyes on the backfield, reading the running play, and finding a much faster and more elusive athlete with the ball in his hands and putting that player on the ground. Harrison sees it all and makes it look easy.
Blocking Donald is like trying to stop a bowling ball shot out of a cannon.
Donald plays the game with remarkable leverage, and is almost always the low man. He also comes off the ball as if he truly was shot out of a cannon, with uncanny quickness and power. Because of those outstanding traits, it's easy to overlook just how good he is with his hands.
While Donald could certainly win on quickness and leverage alone, his hand usage, especially when his first move is thwarted, makes him one of the best players in the game. He also doesn't have long arms, but because of his power, technique, and quick hands, very rarely do you see a bigger offensive lineman with longer arms lock him out and control the Rams' star defender.
As mentioned in the tight end edition with Rob Gronkowski, we probably could have used Watt for every trait available. Like Gronkowski, Watt's body isn't his only outstanding trait, but, wow, are these two sculpted to play football.
Watt has the ideal height, arm length, and hand size, and his frame is powerful and well defined. He shows uncanny power in his upper and lower body for someone with his length. Getting into his body is very difficult for opposing blockers.
His body type is conducive to playing anywhere on the defensive line, from a Wide 9 technique to a nose shade over the center, and of course Romeo Crennel employs him all over the line of scrimmage with great effectiveness.
A perennial double-digit sack master and quite possibly the best edge rusher in the NFL today, Miller is disruptive for many reasons, but it starts with his footwork.
He has pure foot speed and can win just by blowing past offensive tackles, which is rare at this level. He closes on his prey abruptly and violently, and has a wide variety of pass-rush moves, including using foot fakes very effectively. The strength of his feet is best seen in his change of direction abilities.
Miller is almost like a great wide receiver that loses hardly any speed when changing course. That, along with his ability to get low bending the edge, makes him a nightmare for NFL offensive tackles.
Other entries in the series: