2010 Scouting Report: Alex Carrington, DE, Arkansas State

It is no secret that the Jaguars wish to improve upon their pass rush of last season. The 2009 Jaguars finished the season with 14 sacks which was a franchise low, the league's lowest total for the year and the fifth lowest total in NFL history. Gene Smith took the first step towards fixing the problem by signing veteran DE Aaron Kampman from Green Bay. He is assumed to be the future starter in 2010 opposite Derrick Harvey on the line. However, do not believe that the Jaguars are suddenly content with their rebuild of the defensive line.

I still expect the Jaguars to address the defensive end position in the draft and to do so with 2 or 3, mid to late round picks, similar to the way they revamped the receiver position in the 2009 draft. Another Jaguar draft tendency is to successfully find lesser known prospects from schools that are renowned for their football programs a la Derek Cox of William & Mary, Justin Durant of Hampton, Rashean Mathis of Bethune Cookman. So it would only make sense to think that it's a possibility that the Jaguars could use one of their draft picks on a small school DE.

Alex Carrington was a man against boys in the Sun Belt Conference accumulating a combined 19 sacks in his junior and senior seasons. The biggest question for Carrington is whether or not he'll be able to find success in a 4-3 system with a physical skill set that would project to fit best in a 3-4. For those of you who listen to BigCatCountry radio, Mocking Dan from MockingtheDraft does not believe so. But there are those who do, especially after watching his strong performance at the Senior Bowl and the practices preceding it. 

Video Killed the Scouting Report:

Alex Carrington: By The Numbers

2008 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year

2008, 2009 First Team All-Sun Belt Conference Team

According to the Experts

NFLDraftDog

Pros

What helps Carrington in the eyes of NFL Scouts is his size. Those big 6’ 5" 285 pound defensive ends are hard to find. A player of that size is pretty versatile because he can play the defensive end position in a 34 or a 43 defense.

Cons

He hasn’t played against the best competition and he has been known to have lapses in concentration at times

DraftAce

Pros

Elite size and strength. Excels as a bull rusher. Dominant against the run. Does an excellent job holding his ground at the point of attack. A very smart kid on and off the field. A three-year starter who was dominant against his level of competition.

Cons

Doesn't have the quickness or agility to be a dominant pass rusher. Relies too heavily on his bull rush. Hasn't faced elite competition. May not be a great fit for every scheme.

CDSDraft

Pros

Tall long armed DE who has the body and frame to play in a 3-4 as the DE. Has quickness that enables him to get to the QB.

Cons

Production fell off as a SR. Level of competition will be questioned. Needed more bang his SR year. May not have the quickness for the next level. Will need to develop more pass rush skills. If he goes to a 3-4 team he'll have to improve his stacking at the point.