The Jacksonville Jaguars hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and can virtually pick whoever they want, depending on who the Kansas City Chiefs pick. The popular opinion is that the Jaguars will be looking to draft a pass rusher in the first round, which would make a ton of sense as they've struggled getting to the quarterback for almost a decade. If Gus Bradley is going to employ the same style of defense he did in Seattle, he can go ahead and pick up his LEO pass rusher with LSU defensive end Barkevious "KeKe" Mingo.
| Position | DE | School | LSU |
| Height | 6'5" | Weight | 240 lbs. |
| Class | Junior | 40-time | --- |
| NFL Comparison | DeMarcus Ware | Projection | Top 15 |
Related: Senior Bowl Coverage | Draft Profiles | The 4-3 and the LEO
The first thing that jumps out at you about Mingo when you watch him play is his explosion off the the snap of the football. He's almost immediately in the backfield at the snap of the football. Mingo also has good size and frame for the LEO position, being he's almost the size of a 3-4 pass rushing linebacker but he has the frame to add more muscle and get stronger without losing much explosion. He's also a "long" pass rusher, which means he can disrupt passing lanes when he can't get to the quarterback and can keep defenders off him when he's pass rushing. He's got the athleticism to stand up in some of the hybrid style fronts the Seahawks used or line up at the 9-tech and pin his ears back and just get in the backfield.
From Eric Stoner's write up on Gus Bradley, the 4-3, and the LEO position:
The Elephant front turned into it's own position, with Carroll eventually changing the name to "Leo." The Leo isn't particularly unique in and of itself. Most defenses have some kind of unique name for their weakside edge player (Buck/Whip/Jack), but Carroll plays him in a particularly loose alignment, and he's the one player along the front who isn't concerned with getting one-yard upfield and anchoring in this defense. He can line up standing up or with his hand in the ground, and sole focus is to be the primary pass rusher and wreak havoc in the backfield.
The biggest knock on Mingo will be his play in the run game, but he does an adequate job most of the time in setting the edge and holding the point allowing other players to clean up on the play. He's surprisingly powerful at his size right now, which is unexpected because he tends to look bit wiry for a defensive end, especially in a 4-3 front.
Mingo doesn't have a ton of pass rushing moves right now and is raw as a prospect, but his raw athleticism makes him the kind of player you can bring in right away as a rookie in pass rushing packages to get pressure on the quarterback off the edge. As mentioned before, he's quick off the snap and uses a nice shoulder dip and bend to get around the offensive tackles and closes on the quarterback. He has strong hands to go with his long arms which at times can allow him to create space and rip, which will only get better as he gets stronger in the NFL.
He also has a nice spin move that he uses to get inside pressure in the running game and when pass rushing. It's not quite the Dwight Freeney spin, but it's very quick and Mingo explodes out of it often winding up in the backfield. He reminds me a bit of Bruce Irvin last year, who coincidentally the Seahawks drafted much higher than most people expected and plugged him in as a pass rushing specialist his rookie season.
Mingo tackles well, generally wrapping up and bringing guys down rather than going for the big hit. He also seems to have good instincts as far as playing smart and working his way through plays to get to the ball carrier. He takes good pursuit angles, especially against the quarterback, and can track the ball carrier through trash.
The biggest knock on Mingo outside of his size will be his sack totals. He ended his final season with just 4.5 sacks, a disappointing follow up to his previous 7 sack season. Mingo's tackle for loss numbers also dipped from 15 to just 7.5 his final year at LSU, but in terms of pass rushing ability, Mingo is tops in this draft class. If the Jaguars are looking for their LEO, Mingo should be their guy with the second pick.