Durkin: NFL Combine Notes -- Defense
By Dan Durkin-
(CBS) With the 2015 NFL Combine all wrapped up, general manager Ryan Pace and the Bears' personnel department head back to Halas Hall with hard drives filled with data about prospective players that they'll now use as they assemble their draft board.
Armed with the seventh overall pick, the Bears are well positioned to select an elite player, likely on the defensive side of the ball. Given the needs at every level of the defense, it's hard to envision a scenario in which the Bears can go wrong with their first pick.
Free agency, which officially starts on March 10, will obviously affect the direction the Bears go in the draft. However, when you start triangulating the Bears' needs with the upcoming crop of free agents and draft prospects, the draft focus seemingly narrows to players along the defensive front.
Here are some notes and quotes from front-seven prospects who project to go in the first two rounds.
Preston Smith (6-foot-5, 271 pounds, DE/OLB, Mississippi State)
Smith is a prospect who I originally had a solid second-round grade on, but I wonder if his athletic performance in Indianapolis has put him in the second half of the first round. He weighed in at 271 pounds and ran a 4.71-second 40-yard dash. His versatility was an asset in college, where he played primarily on the outside (right defensive end as a senior, left defensive end as a junior) but also kicked inside in the team's sub packages.
"This year we had a lot of different looks through the defensive scheme," Smith said. "I had a lot of success from standing up to hand in the dirt, inside, outside. I feel like I can play multiple positions. From inside, to five-technique in a 3-4, outside linebacker in a 3-4, end in a 4-3. I feel like I can play multiple positions."
Smith's more comfortable playing end in a 4-3 scheme, but his versatility was a boon in college and allows him to be considered by all NFL defenses. He started playing inside on sub packages in his junior year, which carried over to his senior year.
"A lot of teams tell me they see me as like a hybrid defensive end to outside linebacker type fit," Smith said. "Or they feel like I can put my hand in the dirt on first and second down. Or stand up first and second down and put my hand in the dirt on third down and rush the quarterback."
Eric Kendricks (6-foot, 232 pounds, linebacker, UCLA)
The younger brother of Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks, Erik Kendricks was a productive four-year player for the Bruins and the Butkus Award winner in 2014. Despite being recognized as the nation's top linebacker, Kendricks wasn't the clear-cut top prospect heading into Indianapolis, but he made a big statement during drills.
Kendricks' college film shows he's a fluid athlete in coverage, and that agility was matched with his times in various drills. He posted a strong 4.61 40-yard time and showcased his lower-body explosion with a 38-inch vertical and 10-foot-4 broad jump.
As smooth as he was in coverage in college, Kendricks prides himself on his ability to bring down ball-carriers.
"My ability to track down the ball-carrier wherever he's at and however I have to get there," Kendricks said. "I think it's uncommon. I can't explain how I do it, I just get to the ball."
Scouts praised Kendricks all-around game, but an area he'd like to improve upon is blitzing.
"Where I would like to improve my game is maybe from a blitzing standpoint," Kendricks said. "I never really blitzed a lot from a set formation or a set blitz. I did a lot of hug rushing, and I was successful at it. But when I lined up on the edge or lined up in a certain spot to blitz, I didn't really have too much experience in that area."
Bud Dupree (6-foot-4, 269 pounds, outside linebacker/defensive end, Kentucky)
Proving how inexact recruiting can be, Dupree only had two scholarship offers coming out of high school – Georgia Tech and Kentucky. He chose to leave his home state of Georgia and attend Kentucky, and he now finds himself as a solid first-round prospect who models his game after some of the league's best.
"I try to model my game after Aldon Smith, Clay Matthews and Von Miller," Dupree said. "I like all three of those guys."
Of that group, Smith is the one Dupree tries to emulate the most.
"I like how he turns the corner, how he uses his speed a lot," Dupree said. "Sometimes he'll go to power, too. He's an athletic guy."
Dupree is a long and lean athlete with a thick lower body. He carries his weight well and is light on his feet, evidenced by his blazing 4.53 40-yard dash and explosive 11-foot-6 broad jump and 42-inch vertical.
Dupree is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle that has affected his upper-body strength training, but he anticipates being back to his normal lifting schedule soon.
On film, Dupree can do it all. For his size, he can still bend to turn the corner on a pass rush, as well as flip his hips and mirror in pass coverage. He lined up to the passing strength in college and sometimes carried slot receivers up the field.
Denzel Perryman (5-foot-11, 236 pounds, inside linebacker, Miami)
Perryman has heard all the knocks about his height – he measured in at 5-foot-11 – but he knows what he's capable of doing at the next level. Scouts have looked past Perryman's physical shortcomings and know what he's capable of.
"They like how I go downhill, they like how I take on blocks," Perryman said. "Some things some scouts didn't like (was) my man-to-man coverage technique. Just need to brush that up. As far as my pass coverage, though, some of them were impressed at the Senior Bowl."
Perryman characterized himself as a "smart, physical, downhill, hard-nosed dog."
He's drawn comparisons to another linebacker drafted just last year, who also had to deal with questions about his size.
"I got comparisons with Chris Borland, who plays with the 49ers," Perryman said. "I watched his highlights, it's a pretty good comparison. But, I'm my own man. He's a dog, too. But my style of play is a little different than his."
Perryman's speed was a question for a lot of scouts, and he didn't do much to quell any concerns, posting a 4.81 time in the 40-yard dash.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.
