3-4 DEs to Watch

The 3-4 DE job isn't the greatest, but very important in the
3-4. The main goal is to control the OT and contain his run gaps. This allows the OLB to rush the outside. He must be strong enough to take on double teams too. Most 3-4 DEs come into the league as a 4-3 DT, unless he is drafted specificly as a 3-4 DE. A great example of a 3-4 DE is New England's Richard Seymour. Seymour was a DT in college, playing aside with Marcus Stroud, Charles Grant, and Johnathon Sullivan. He was drafted by the Patroits in the 1st round (6th overall) in 2001, and now plays as a DE for the Pats. There are many talented players to watch out for in this years draft.


Jarron Gilbert, San Jose State- I like this guy because of his potential. He played DT for San Jose State and had 9 sacks/21.5 TFL. He has great size at 6'5''/280 lbs and this guy is very underrated. This guy should be looked at more carefully and has good potential. He is pretty slow though, as he ran a 5.15 forty

Tyson Jackson, LSU- He played DE in college, and has a 3-4 DE size at 6'-5''/285 lbs. He size is very similar to Gilbert, but more athletic. Some negatives about Jackson is that he doesn't have much explosion and he stands up sometimes. He will most likely be a mid to late 2nd rounder.

Vance Walker, Georgia Tech- Another DT, who can play in both the 4-3 or 3-4. He is 6'2''/290, but has great ability to stuff the run. He had 8.5 TFL in his first 10 games. Walker will be drafted around 4th or 5th round this year.